Photo Credit: Patrick Ryan
The 1898 instrument from August Prante was his very last completed instrument before he died tragically in a buggy accident in downtown Louisville. There are only two completely intact instruments from this local firm, though there are several examples of their instruments that were expanded upon. They were a notch above the average as far as the Victorian American instruments were concerned, and this example was boldly voiced.
Though sadly the mechanical components of this landmark tracker organ have not survived, we still have nearly all the pipework, and these broad and sweet Victorian American voices would make a wonderful basis for a beautiful instrument in a mid-sized building. The surviving pipework is as follows:
16′ Double Open, 27 pipes
16′ Bourdon, 27 pipes
8′ Open Diapason, f18-a58
8′ Violoncello, 27 pipes
8′ Violin Diapason, 58 pipes (bottom octave stopped)
8′ Melodia, 58 notes
8′ Stopped Diapason, 58 notes
8′ Gamba, c13-a58
8′ Dulciana, d15-a58
8′ Aeolina, c13-a58
8′ Trumpet, 58 notes
8′ Bassoon/Oboe, 58 notes
4′ Principal, 58 notes
4′ Violina, 58 notes
4′ Flauto Traverso, 58 notes
4′ Flute d’Amour, 58 notes
2′ Octave, 58 notes
2′ Piccolo, 58 Notes
We have put together two sample stoplists below as an example of what could be made out of such a collection. We’d love to find a client who would like to have this pipework as part of a commitment for a complete organ. To that client, the pipework would go free. We’d be willing to negotiate the sale of the pipework if no such commitment were made.
