Meantone organs in North America

Pipe organs that are tuned in meantone temperament are very rare in North America. They are listed here, by type of temperament and sorted by date of construction. North America is defined here as Canada, the United States of America and Mexico. All instruments listed are playable but unplayable instruments may be added with a note.

Organs in 1/4 comma meantone tuning

Historic organs

• University of Rochester, Memorial Art Gallery (Rochester, NY). Anonymous, ca. 1700/1770 ^[1]. Originally from Naples region or Tuscany.

• Tlacochahuaya, Convent of San Jerónimo (San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya, Oaxaca, Mexico). Anonymous, ca. 1725-1730 ^[2]. Colonial Spanish style.

• Zautla (San Andrés Zautla, Oaxaca, Mexico). Anonymous, 1726 ^[3]. Colonial Spanish style.

New organs

• Wellesley College, Houghton Chapel (Wellesley, MA). C. B. Fisk Inc., Opus 72, 1981 ^[4]. Instrument includes subsemitones. North German, Danish and Dutch 16th and 17th c. style.

• Augustana College (Rock Island, IL). Bedient Organ Company, Opus 16, 1981 ^[5]. Italian 17th c. style.

• Oberlin College, Fairchild Chapel (Oberlin, OH). John Brombaugh & Associates, 1981 ^[6], ^[7]. North German 16th c. style

• University of California, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary Chapel (Berkeley, CA). Greg Harrold, Opus 11, 1989 ^[8]. Spanish early 18th c. style.

• Mission San Jose (San Jose, CA). Rosales Organ Builders, 1989. ^[9]. 18th c. Spanish and Mexican style.

• Duke University, Memorial Chapel (Durham, NC). John Brombaugh & Associates, 1997 ^[10]. Italian 15th - 17th c. style.

• St. Cecilia Cathedral (Omaha, NE), Pasi Organ Builders, Opus 14, 2003 ^[11], ^[12]. Instrument is dual temperament, alternatively Well-Tempered. North German, Italian and French 17th and 18th c. style.

• Cathedral of Quebec (Quebec, QC), Juget-Sinclair, Opus 35, 2010 ^[13]. 18th c. French style.

• Yale University, Marquand Chapel (New Haven, CT). Taylor & Boody Organbuilders, Opus 55, 2007 ^[14]. Instrument includes subsemitones. North German and Dutch 17th c. style.

Organs in 1/5 comma, 1/6 comma and other meantone tunings

Historic organs

• Yanhuitlan, Temple and Exconvent of Saint Dominic, (Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán, Oaxaca, Mexico). Anonymous, ca. 1700 ^[15]. "Rameau" temperament (modified meantone), Colonial Spanish style.

• Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico). Matías Chávez, 1525/1711 ^[16]. 1/6 comma meantone, Colonial Spanish style.

• Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral (Mexico City, Federal District, Mexico). Epistle Organ by Jorge de Sesma (Spain), 1695; rebuilt by Jose Nassarre (Mexico), 1735; Gospel organ by Jose Nassarre, 1736 ^[17]. Both instruments in "Chaumont" temperament (modified meantone).

New organs

• Knox College Chapel (Toronto, ON). Wolff & Associés, Opus 33, 1991 ^[18]. Swedish early 18th c. style.

• Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, MA). C. B. Fisk Inc., Opus 84, 1985 ^[19]. 1/5 comma meantone, Italian 17th c. style.

• Stanford University, Memorial Church (Palo Alto, CA) . C. B. Fisk Inc., Opus 85, 1985 ^[20]. Modified 1/5 comma meantone (by Fisk, Vogel and Lindley), dual temperament instrument alternatively Well-Tempered. North German, French and Dutch 17th and 18th c. style.

• University of North Texas, Main Auditorium (Denton, TX). Gene Bedient, 1985 ^[21]. Tuning after Michel Collette. French, late 18th c. style. Formerly installed in St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Grand Rapids, MI).

• Southern Adventist University (Collegedale, TN). John Brombaugh & Associates, 1986 ^[22]. 1/5 comma meantone, North German 17th c. style.

• Stanford University, Memorial Chapel (Palo Alto, CA). Paul Fritts & Co. Organ Builders, 1989 ^[23], ^[24]. Originally housed in Jeff Smith residence, moved in 1996. Same tuning as Fisk Organ (1985). Danish 16th c. style.

• University of Calgary, Rozsa Centre (Calgary, AB). Jürgen Ahrend Orgelbau, 2006. "Norden" temperament (modified meantone) ^[25]. North German style.

Chamber Organs and Practice Instruments

Historic organs

• St Luke's Church (Smithfield, VA). Chamber organ, 1630, England. ^[26]. Currently unplayable.

• Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City, NY). Chamber organ, ca. 1680s, Germany.

• Cornell University, Sage Chapel (Ithaca, NY). Chamber organ, Augustus Vicidomini (Naples), 1746 ^[27]. 1/4 comma meantone.

• University of Arizona (Tempe, AZ). Domenico Traeri, 1742 ^[28]. Originally from Modena, Italy. Formerly housed in St James Cathedral, Seattle ^[29]. 1/4 comma meantone.

• University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, CA). Chamber organ, ca. 1750, Germany ^[30]. 1/4 comma meantone.

• Christ Episcopal Church (Tacoma, WA). Anonymous, 18th century. A 5-stop organ originally from Italy, now owned by Martin Pasi of Pasi Organ Builders (Roy, WA).

New organs

• Practice organ, New England Conservatory (Boston, MA).

Notes

1. ^ Details on University of Rochester site
2. ^ Details on The Oaxacan Historic Organ Institute site
3. ^ Details on The Oaxacan Historic Organ Institute site
4. ^ Details on C. B. Fisk Inc. site
5. ^ Bedient Organ Company
6. ^ Details on Oberlin College site
7. ^ Central Lutheran (Oregon) site
8. ^ Details on Greg Harrold site
9. ^ Details on Rosales Organ Builders site
10. ^ Details on Duke University site
11. ^ Details on Pasi Organ Builders site
12. ^ St. Cecelia Cathedral article
13. ^ Details on Juget-Sinclair site
14. ^ Details on Taylor & Boody site
15. ^ Details on The Oaxacan Historic Organ Institute site
16. ^ Details on The Oaxacan Historic Organ Institute site
17. ^ Details in article by Dirk Flentrop
18. ^ Details on Wolff & Associates site
19. ^ Details on C. B. Fisk Inc. site
20. ^ Details on C. B. Fisk Inc. site
21. ^ Details on University of North Texas site
22. ^ Details on Central Lutheran (Oregon) site
23. ^ Details at Stanford site
24. ^ Paul Fritts & Co. site
25. ^ Details on University of Calgary site
26. ^ Details on [1] ClassicalNet]
27. ^ Details on Cornell University site
28. ^ Details on University of Arizona site
29. ^ Details on St James Cathedral site
30. ^ Details on UC Berkeley site