Historical Information from the 1993 Kentuckiana Organ Historical Society Handbook, written by Alan Laufman:
French settlers, under the guidance of Father Louis Francis Neyron, established Holy Trinity Parish in New Albany in 1836, and built their first church the next year. In 1852, the Parish put up a large brick building, leaving the old building free for use by a group of German-speaking parishioners, who founded St. Mary's Parish in 1853. Before long, the fledgling parish had prospered sufficiently to construct its present stone building, which was dedicated December 12, 1858.
It was enlarged in 1886 by the addition of transepts. The two parishes, each in their own building, served Catholics of the area until 1975, when Holy Trinity Church was destroyed by fire, after which the parishes merged. At the time of the fire, Holy Trinity Church houses a 2-18 Wicks Organ Co. Instrument, Op. 2714 of 1946. The case and most of the pipes were from the church's previous organ, an August Prante tracker. That there was a pipe organ in St. Mary's Church early on, seems certain, but diligent research thus far has failed to reveal the name of the builder.
The Barckhoff organ, recommended by Professor J.B. Leslie (a native Salem, Ohio, Supervisor of Music in the New Albany schools, and organist at Wesley Chapel Church in New Albany, which also bought a Barckhoff organ, in 1887, replacing a 1-7 1877 Pilcher), was installed at a cost of $3,100. Set up the last week of 1886, it was opened for a capacity audience with a sacred concert on New Year's Day, 1887.
By 1985, the organ was in need of renovation. Mary Vessels (Organist and Director of Music) had been making repairs herself, eschewing the electronic substitute as much as possible. She and Keith Norrington (Assistant Organist), with the enthusiastic aid of Rev. Stanley Herber, led fundraising efforts to benefit the organ renovation.
The Miller Pipe Organ Co. renovated the organ in 1986. In 1990, they installed a Trumpet 8', the original having been removed in the 1930's because it was "too loud". The replacement pipes were made by the Trivo Company of Hagerstown, Maryland, and are copies of the Trumpet 8' in the c. 1891 Barckhoff organ at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The Dulciana 8' shares notes 1-12 with the Melodia 8'; the Salicional 8' shares notes 1-12 with the "Rohr Flute 8", which is an ordinary stopped wood rank with no bored stoppers. The Pedal stops are on a 3-stop slider chest, and the Flute Bass 8' is of open wood with normal mouths. The original double-rise resevoir was replaced in 1973.
Source: Alan Laufman, 1993 Kentuckiana Organ Historical Society Handbook
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Adagio from "Variations sur 'In Dulci Jubilo'"
- Denis Bedard, performed by Dr. David K. Lamb
