How Opus 31 entered the history of Calvary Episcopal Church
Martin Ott Opus 31 was a three-stop mechanical continuo rented by Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis for a 1989 performance of Bach's B-minor Mass. The church then bought the instrument, calling it the Little Organ. It served lighter choral repertoire beside Calvary's larger Aeolian-Skinner and was also used by several Memphis ensembles.
For Opus 31, 1983 is the date attached to the original project line. It may denote an order, workshop period, installation, or dedication, but the builder account for Calvary Episcopal Church does not say which. The pairing with Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee prevents confusion with another instrument. Any current claim needs a later institutional record.
What the Memphis location tells us, and what it does not: Opus 31
For this project, Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee is more than a city label but less than a room survey. It identifies the congregation that commissioned or received the instrument at Calvary Episcopal Church. The page for Calvary Episcopal Church does not give enough architectural evidence to describe seating, reflective surfaces, organ placement, or measured reverberation.
What the numerical overview actually establishes for Opus 31
The catalogue records 3 stops and 3 ranks for Opus 31. In the Calvary Episcopal Church account from Memphis, Tennessee, stops are choices at the console; ranks are rows of pipes that may serve those choices singly or in groups. Here the two Opus 31 figures match. Only the disposition can show whether the apparent one-to-one relationship continues through every register. The brief line does not supply division names, pitches, or the individual voices behind the totals recorded for Calvary Episcopal Church.
The action named for Opus 31
For Opus 31 at Calvary Episcopal Church, a mechanical action carries key movement to the wind valves through physical parts such as trackers and levers. Within the documented Memphis chapter, the overview confirms that principle without drawing the linkage used in this organ. At Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee, key weight, adjustment, repairs, and present feel all require later technical evidence.
At Calvary Episcopal Church, Opus 31 is described as a continuo organ. That says more about scale and accompanying purpose than about the case hardware. A continuo can be movable, but this page does not assume wheels, handles, divided stops, or transposition without a specific sentence in the historical account.
A cautious musical reading for Calvary Episcopal Church: Opus 31
The archival portrait becomes most useful when it stays specific: it was rented for a 1989 Bach performance and it was purchased by Calvary after the performance. For the Calvary Episcopal Church project in Memphis, Tennessee, these details describe an organ made for a church, but they should not be stretched into an acoustic or tonal portrait. The builder account for Calvary Episcopal Church does not tell us which choruses, reeds, or accompanimental colours the player relied on. Within the documented Memphis chapter, that analysis requires the original specification and a dated account of use. At Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee, the listed 3-stop, 3-rank scale remains the numerical boundary for this reading.
The chronology after the first commission: Opus 31
The organ belongs to the continuo series numbered 22, 23, 31, and 48. Its cherry case divides into two sections, travels on wheels, and encloses a 47-note manual. The church's decision followed a practical performance trial: the small instrument supplied a mobile scale and color that the main organ did not provide.
The photograph trail and the limits of the evidence: Opus 31
A project-number match exists for 1 Opus 31 image file, including images/031/031_m.jpg. That makes the matched material a better candidate than a generic organ photograph for the Memphis, Tennessee project. In the Calvary Episcopal Church account from Memphis, Tennessee, their creator and reuse terms are not stated in the available caption text.
Historical photographs and recital dates can show where Opus 31 once stood in musical life, but they do not prove its present state. The next decisive evidence would be a dated specification or condition note from Calvary Episcopal Church. For the Calvary Episcopal Church project in Memphis, Tennessee, until one appears, current use and access remain unanswered.