The Godwin Organ
Transfiguration's Jerry D. Godwin organ, the Opus 17 by Richards, Fowkes & Co. was built in 2009, and named for the third Rector of Transfiguration upon his retirement in 2013. This centerpiece instrument for Transfiguration takes advantage of a rear gallery placement, the best position for an organ, allowing the organ to speak over the choir and directly down through the nave to the transepts.
Features
The case is finished in bold red faux wood with trompe l'oeil garlands of fig leaves and fruit (a play on the parish's name) and the front pipes are made of burnished 90% tin. There are 32 carvings or "pipe shades" of basswood (or linden) on the face of the organ, and a faux bas-relief painting by Cass Holly fills the center of the Positive division, traditionally a place for a carving of King David with harp or some other saint. A beautiful, rich case portends a beautiful rich, sound. The height of the gallery enabled the organ to be designed in three stories. The Great division is positioned in the center of the third level, with the Swell directly behind it in an enclosed box. The Positive speaks from below on the second level, and in closer proximity to the choir, with the Pedal division housed in the two side towers. On the lowest level, behind the keydesk and pedals, are three wedge-shaped bellows which provide wind for the organ, much of the wind trunk system, the electronic circuit boards for the stop and combination action, and the 12 wooden pipes of the bottom octave of the 32' Posaune. Four 16' stops on the manuals and three more independent 16' stops in the Pedal division give the organ 'gravitas' commensurate with the imposing case. There are 47 stops (68 ranks) on 3 manuals and pedal of which twenty-five percent of the stops are reed pipes.