The Organs

Bennett & Giuttari, Op. 12

Chamber Organ

Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, St Paul's Church is privileged to possess a continuo organ by Bennett & Giuttari. The builders' Opus 12, the instrument was originally constructed in 1999 for a church in Texas. It has undergone a full refurbishment and rebuild prior to its arrival in Greenwich in June 2026.

Bennett & Giuttari were among the pioneers of the American early-music movement, gaining particular renown for their historically informed reconstructions of Renaissance and Baroque keyboard instruments. This three-rank instrument is based upon the Kistenorgeln ("box organs") of seventeenth-century Germany. Such organs were frequently employed to accompany choirs and instrumental ensembles, providing a flexible and portable alternative to larger church organs. In keeping with these historic precedents, all pipework is constructed of wood and housed within an elegant cherrywood case adorned with hand-painted door panels and decorative fretwork.

Though modest in size, the organ possesses a remarkably warm and engaging tone. Its transposing keyboard permits performance at a variety of historical pitch levels, making it particularly well suited to the music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Specification

8' Gedeckt

4' Rohrflöte

2' Holzprincipal

Compass & Transposition

C–d'''

Sliding keyboard A = 392, 415, 440, and 465 Hz