Ritzville, Washington
Menno Mennonite Church
M.P. MÖLLER, Opus 8414, 1952
Charles M. Rich, 1992 - Tonal Changes & Additions
GREAT COUPLERS
8 Diapason 61 Swell to Pedal [8]
8 Gedeckt (Sw) -- Great to Pedal [8]
8 Viole Dolce (Sw) --
8 Dulciana (tc) 49 Swell to Great [8]
4 Octave 12
4 Flute (Sw) --
4 Fugara (Sw) --
2 Viole Fifteenth (Sw) 12 FINGER PISTONS
III Mixture [1-1/3] 183 Full Organ 1 - 4
8 Trumpet (Sw) --
SWELL (Expressive) FOOT LEVERS
16 Bourdon (tc) -- Gt. to Ped. Reversible (rev)
8 Gedeckt 61
8 Viole Dolce 61
8 Viole Celeste (tc) 49
8 Aeoline (Gt) -- PEDAL MOVEMENTS
4 Spitz Principal 61 Expression (bal.)
4 Flute 12 Crescendo (bal.)
4 Fugara 12
2-2/3 Flute Twelfth 7
2 Flautino 5
8 Trumpet 61
4 Clarion 12
Tremolo ACTION: E-P unit
VOICES: 8
PEDAL (Expressive)
16 Bourdon (Sw) 12 STOPS: 27
16 Lieblich Gedeckt (Sw) --
8 Diapason (Gt) -- RANKS: 10
8 Flute (Sw) --
4 Octave (Gt) -- PIPES: 658
NOTES
The organ is badly buried in a chamber on left side of the chancel. The shutter opening
is less than 3' tall, and the mouths of the pipes are about 3 feet below the opening.
The Trumpet has French shallots. The 8' Dulciana was added in 1985 on a new chest. The
Great 2-2/3' Viole Twelfth and the Swell 8' Diapason stops were sacrificed for the Dul-
ciana (Aeoline) addition.
In 1992, in an attempt to get more sound out of the chamber for leading congregational
singing, Möller representative Charles M. Rich of Orting, WA. installed some new pipework
and made tonal changes. The original Open Diapason unit was removed from 4' C up and was
placed on new, exposed, diatonically divided chests at the front of the church along with
a new III Mixture. Pipes 1-12 of the 8' Diapason are still under expression. A new 4'
Spitz Principal occupies the original Diapason toeboard and plays on the Swell only. The
toe holes of the exposed 4' Octave and the III Mixture were tapped smaller to make them
softer since the choir sat directly in front of the exposed pipework. This action, coupled
with a poorly designed wind system for the exposed pipes, left the pipes speaking poorly,
and the Mixture was not even able to be properly tuned.
Sources: M.P. Möller opus list; Eugene M. Nye compilation; JRS; Extant, altered organ
[Received from James R. Stettner 2016-04-24.]