Santa María Tinú
Region: Mixteca Alta
Church construction date: 1761 (bell 1784, choir loft 1810)
Organ construction date: 1828
Organ builder: Marcial Silvestre Velasquez
Last played: 1970s
Organ classification: 8´ stationary organ
Tonal base: 8´ principal
Pitch: a=392 hz
Case measurements: height 3.86 m, width upper and lower case 1.64 m, width lower case with hips 2.13 m, depth 0.83 m
Keyboard: 45 notes with a short octave, registers divided c'/c#', complete and original
Bellows: three wedge bellows in the choir loft above the organ
Similar organs: Yatzachi el Alto (1835), Lachiguiri, Comaltepec
The organ of Santa María Tinú is disproportionately large for its small stone church and dominates the space. It is situated in a tribune on the right side, because it was too tall for the choir loft. The organ is amazingly complete; not one pipe or key is missing, and all the horizontal trumpets are in place. When the bellows are pumped from the loft above, the organ still grunts and wheezes. The case decoration is a showpiece of neoclassical design elements: denticles under the cornice, cascades of tassels along the sides, decorative urns above the flat towers, and lambrequins (a drip design) on the façade. A medallion on the crest surrounded by an aureole reveals the initials of the Virgin Mary.
This organ is one of the few of its era with the name of the organ builder and the date of construction written inside the case. Theoretically, the Tinú organ would be an ideal candidate for a restoration, but in practical terms it would be complicated. The town is relatively isolated, with 172 inhabitants, and because of this, the church is nearly always closed. However, the local people appreciate the organ and the baroque altarpieces in their church and are conscientious about their maintenance.
SPECIFICATIONS
Left hand: 21 notes C-c’ with a short octave
1. Bajoncillo 4´
2. Flautado mayor 8´
3. Octava 4´
4. Docena 2 2/3´
5. Quincena 2´
6. Veintidocena 1´?
Right hand: 24 notes c#’-c’’’
1. Clarín 8´
2. Flautado mayor 8´
3. Octava 4´
4. Docena 2 2/3´
5. Quincena 2´
6. Veintidocena 1´?