The church’s magnificent Schlicker organ has three parts. The antiphonal component was installed in the north transept in 1965 to help worshippers seated toward the front of the church hear the organ better. The main case was finished in 1966 and placed in the west gallery above the narthex. Behind the organ desk, a third component, the positiv, was added, also in 1966. Its pipes are cantilevered over the rear of the nave in order to fill a void where a tone shadow is sometimes cast.

Together, the three parts produce a splendid neo-Baroque sound and make for a stirring visual impact. Herman Schlicker, the German immigrant founder of the Schlicker Organ Company of Buffalo, New York, designed the instrument in collaboration with Mount Olive’s cantor at the time, Paul Manz.

The Mount Olive organ does not rank among the very largest in the metro area, nor is it among the most extensive instruments that Schlicker built in his celebrated career. But it perfectly fits the needs of a parish with a robust musical appetite in a relatively small space (fewer than 500 seats).

The organ has 39 independent registers and 55 ranks of pipes. The base rests 12 feet above the narthex and rises about 28 feet. The pedal organ is on either side of the façade, with its largest pipes adorning the façade itself. The swell organ (Manual III), under expression, is in the center, and the great organ (Manual II) is placed on top of it. The Tromepta Real, with its copper resonators, runs horizontally from the center of the organ. The positiv (Manual I) cantilevers from the gallery rail.

Stop control is by tilting tablets. There are 74 stop tablets and 36 combination pistons. The four-foot principal and mixture pipes are made of an alloy of 75 percent tin and 25 percent lead. Metal bass pipes are made of zinc; two registers are made of wood, and two reed registers have copper registers. The organ’s three components contain 3,065 pipes.

Each manual and pedal division has an independent and complete ensemble together with a mixture. The entire organ is voiced on low wind pressure consistent with Baroque voicing principles. Minimal nicking of the languids of the flue pipes has been employed. Each set of pipes has been voiced to permit individuality, yet each blends and contributes in a predetermined way to the ensemble. The entire organ, with the exception of the antiphonal, uses the slider chest principle.

The organ’s prime purpose is to inspire and lead the congregation and choir, as well as to supply service music. The instrument is also capable of playing organ literature from any period, and playing it well. It can lead majestically, but can also evoke the quietest prayers.

          RIC