INSTRUMENTS

The Roethke Memorial Harpsichord was built by North Carolina builder Richard Kingston. It is a single-manuel Flemish-inspired harpsichord with two sets of strings, a buff on the from 8' set, and a soundboard painting by Pamela Gladding of Pittsburgh.

A transposing keyboard allows the instrument to play at either mordern pitch or baroque pitch. The instrument is a gift to All Saints' Church, in memory of Harriet and William Roethke, by their daughters and families, Johanna and Robert Kroger, and Gretchen and Robert Young.

The Chamber Organ was built by Los Angeles organ builder Winfried Banzhaf in 1992 as a commission from parishioner Travis E. Reed III in memory of his grandparents. The organ is a marvel of engineering; inside the case are contained two sets of wooden flutes at 8' and 4' pitch, the playing and stop mechanism, and the electric blower which supplies air to the pipes. The facade of the organ shows the metal Principal 2'. The case is made of American black walnut; the natural keys are covered in ebony and the sharps in beefbone, exactly as would have been done in the 18th century. The decorative gilded carvings were executed by hand by the builder and surround two pieces of heraldry - the shield of St. Cecilia, patron saint of music, and the shield of All Saints' Church. Although the organ finds its most authentic use in playing music of the 17th and 18th centuries, contemporary organ music often sounds satisfying, as well.

The Great Organ was built originally by the Casavant firm in 1951 and installed in the newly-constructed All Saints' Church in Beverly Hills. Consistent with the trends of the day with many builders, the instrument was recessed deep within chambers provided for the organ by the designers of the building. All three manual divisions were in expression boxes. The Choir division was placed on the first floor level with most of the Pedal division. An ongoing tuning problem was immediately created since the Great and Swell divisions were located in second floor chambers, usually at a temperature different from that of the lower chamber.

In 1978-79, Rosales Organ Builders, Inc. of Los Angeles, made significant tonal improvements, yielding a more assertive sound. In 1981, the worship space was acoustically renovated. Absorptive material was removed from the ceiling and walls, which again improved the sound of the organ in the room.

By 1986, normal deterioration after 35 years of service necessitated the re-leathering of all wind reservoirs. This was followed by mechanical failures of the combination action of the console and increasing numbers of dead notes, indicative of deteriorating leather in the wind chests. All leather parts of the organ were replaced.

A contract was signed with Schlicker Organ Builders of Buffalo, NY, to rebuild the organ and in 1988 this work was completed. A new Great wind chest was located immediately behind the openings into the chancel for maximum egress into the nave. The Choir division was moved to the upper level with a new expression box. Principal stops formerly of the Great division were moved to other divisions resulting in principal tone at 8' and 4' pitch on all three manual divisions. Others stops in the organ were re-regulated. The principal chorus and the 8' Trumpet of the Great division were all new. A full-length 32' Contra Trombone was added as well.

The new console was patterned after certain 19th century French designs, with straight terraced stop jambs. It is made of solid white oak, with cherry used in the area around the keyboards and stop jambs. Stop knobs are made of boxwood, coco-bola and ebony. Manual keyboards are of beefbone with solid ebony sharps. The pedalboard is made of maple with solid walnut sharps. The console is movable for recitals and concerts, and is equipped with a solid-state combination action containing 32 levels of memory.

Two additional stops have been added in recent years thanks to generous gifts from parishioner Patrick Gillis. In 1997 a new Fanfare Trumpet at 8' pitch was added. The pipework was built by A. R. Schopp's & Sons and comprises a brilliant solo stop capable of sounding above the full organ. In the winter of 2000 a new 32' Bourdon was added. This electronic voice was built by Walker Technical Co., which has produced similar stops for many successful instruments throughout the country in places where space does not permit installation full length 32' pipework.

Other instruments include the Chapel Organ, originally built in 1969 by Abbott & Sieker Co. of Los Angeles. The instrument was revoiced and slightly enlarged in 1992 by
Schlicker Organ Builders of Buffalo, NY and now comprises 16 ranks.
The church also owns a six-foot Steinway &Sons Grand Piano and a Roland Fantom X8 synthesizer. The synthesizer is the primary instrument used to accompany services in the style of Taizé.