Music Tradition

Overview

A Rich Music Tradition

For more than 150 years, Westminster has distinguished itself with excellent music. Westminster’s first church building (completed in about 1866 and located at 6th & L Streets in downtown Sacramento) had a small, hand-pumped pipe organ.

The second home of Westminster Presbyterian Church (completed in about 1904 and located at 13th & K Streets) had a larger pipe organ with impressive façade pipes.

The current home of Westminster (completed in 1927 and located at 13th & N Streets across from Capitol Park) was originally equipped with a 28-rank Reuter pipe organ. In 1979 a new console was installed, and in 1983 a major expansion was completed by the M. P. Möller Organ Company. More recent additions include: 8′ state trumpet, 32′ contra bourdon, 32′ contra bombarde, and new swell reeds.

See our historic images found in the About Us section.

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Moller Grand Pipe Organ

Installed in one of the finest acoustics in Sacramento, the grand sanctuary pipe organ enhances worship services, weddings, memorials, community events, and concerts.

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Our Music Tradition

For 150 years, Westminster has distinguished itself with high-quality music, musicians, and musical instruments. When many churches had only a piano or reed organ, Westminster’s first church building (completed in about 1866 and located at 6th & L Streets in downtown Sacramento) had a small, hand-pumped pipe organ.

The second home of Westminster Presbyterian Church (completed in about 1904 and located at 13th & K Streets) had a larger pipe organ with impressive façade pipes.

The current home of Westminster (completed in 1927 and located at 13th & N Streets across from Capitol Park) was originally equipped with a 28-rank Reuter pipe organ.  In 1979 a new console was installed, and in 1983 a major expansion was completed by the M. P. Möller Organ Company to include a total of five divisions: great, swell, choir, positiv, echo.  More recent additions include: 8′ state trumpet, 32′ contra bourdon, 32′ contra bombarde, new swell reeds, and a new pipework in the echo organ division.  This majestic and mighty pipe organ now has 55 ranks of pipes with more than 3000 total pipes from the size of a pencil to more than 16 feet in height.

For more information, contact Brad Slocum.

 

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Interior of 13th & K church building (1904-1927) showing pipe organ

This Kimball pipe organ was moved to the First Presbyterian Church in Ukiah, California, in 1929.  In the 1960’s it was moved to the new sanctuary.  Here’s something we found on the Internet:

THE UKIAH DAILY JOURNAL, TUESDAY, JAN. 20, 1998

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Concert photo (1920’s) inside 13th & K church

The copy below this July 14, 1974 Sacramento Bee photo reads:

Although this building was torn down in 1926, the stained glass windows on the left will look familiar to some Sacramentans because they are presently in the Westminster Presbyterian Church at 13th and N Streets.  This picture ws taken in the early 1920’s in the old Westminster Church which was at [13th] and K Streets…

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Part of the "bell crew" share a moment of satisfaction after several unsuccessful attempts to reach the 120-foot tower with the crane.
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Old Bell Finds New Home

Our “new” church bell, dated October 1902, is lifted into the carillon tower on March 24, 2006.