Cover Feature: Létourneau Opus 136

Orgues Létourneau, St-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada; First United Methodist Church, Lubbock, Texas

Even when measured by expansive Texan standards, First United Methodist Church in Lubbock is extraordinary in scale. The church’s Gothic bell tower is visible from just about anywhere in downtown Lubbock. The church campus sprawls over two city blocks and includes spacious wings for music, Christian education, youth, and even physical fitness. Completed in 1955, the sanctuary seats over 1,800 people, and its spectacular rose window is reportedly among the eight largest in the world. Confronted with such a voluminous space, organ enthusiasts and builders alike would be forgiven if their thoughts gravitated towards grand schemes. Nonetheless, First Methodist’s sanctuary opened its doors in March of 1955 with M. P. Möller’s Opus 8530, a positively ascetic instrument of 38 ranks spread over seven divisions and located in all four corners of the sanctuary. The organ was played by a three-manual console. Having studied the original pipework and seen the original wind pressure markings as part of this project, the Forrest Memorial Organ was surely understated in its effect.

Möller added a new Great division to the instrument in 1980, introducing visible pipework set on cantilevered chests bracketing the rose window. The original Great was repurposed as a Positiv division, and the other divisions were revised in the fashion of the day, largely replacing foundation tone with new mixtures, cornets, and mutations. Towards the end of the same decade, Möller replaced the 1954 console with a new four-manual console, which allowed the addition of several digital voices by Walker Technical Company.

Möller’s Opus 8530 arrived at its final form a few years later when two new stops built by A. R. Schopp’s & Sons were added to the Swell division, a 4′ Blockflöte and an 8′ Tuba. Now at 54 ranks and supplemented by nearly a dozen digital voices, the instrument could fill the church with sound. The Möller pipework was nonetheless uniformly under-scaled for the space and sounded forced as it was inevitably “pushed” for maximum output. For such a large room, the Pedal division was also curiously limited to two dedicated ranks, a skinny wooden Contrabass and a generous Bourdon.

By the mid 2010s, parts of the instrument were failing. Some of the organ’s larger reed pipes were collapsing, wind reservoirs were audibly leaking, expression mechanisms were unreliable, and the instrument’s electro-pneumatic windchests were ciphering with regularity. The church’s organ committee, ably led by Mr. Danny Johnston, explored options to replace the obsolete Möller mechanisms while retaining as much of the pipework as was practical. The committee travelled to listen to various instruments in Texas, and four companies were invited to submit proposals. Two instruments convinced the committee that Létourneau was the right choice: our Opus 88 at Saint Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano (four manuals, 77 ranks) and our Opus 127 at Saint Mark’s School of Texas in Dallas (three manuals, 61 ranks).

After listening to the church’s aspirations for the project, studying the situation carefully, and surveying the Möller organ’s pipework, we developed a proposal for First United Methodist in several phases that retained nearly thirty ranks from the previous instrument. The project kicked off in the spring of 2019 with the replacement of the Antiphonal Great and Antiphonal Swell organs on either side of the gallery with new Antiphonal and Echo divisions totalling eleven ranks; the voicing was completed later that summer. Independently expressive, these two divisions served as a small but capable instrument for over a year, proving their ability to accompany the church’s adult choir of over seventy voices. With the completion of the chancel organ, these divisions draw sound from the chancel through the long nave, surrounding the congregation with sound without drawing attention to themselves.

As soon as the gallery organ and its two-manual console were ready for service, the dismantling of the chancel organ began. In all parts of the organ, pipes slated for reuse were repaired, cleaned, and in the case of the Möller pipework, liberally rescaled for the new instrument. For example, the scales of the Swell and Antiphonal 8′ Open Diapason stops were enlarged by three and four pipes, respectively. Two of the Möller’s narrow stopped basses were replaced with new wooden pipes for a fuller sound in the 8′ octave. After the addition of seven new pipes at various points in the tenor through soprano octaves, the Möller 8′ Harmonic Flute was completely transformed into the present Antiphonal 4′ Traverse Flute.

The first portion of the chancel organ arrived in Lubbock towards the end of 2019, and a second shipment arrived in early 2020. As the full extent of Covid-19 made itself known, how to continue the organ’s installation became a preoccupation as lockdowns and international travel restrictions sidelined our company’s Québec-based organ builders. After some logistical reshuffling, we engaged a crack team led by Samantha Koch and Daniel Hancock to continue the installation in Lubbock that included the talents of Ryan Boyle, Brian Seever, and Jon Lester. (Daniel and Samantha subsequently joined our team in Québec at the end of 2020.) This last phase of the installation included the Great division and the four 16′ tin façades with their oak casework around the church’s chancel area.

Our Opus 135 is playable from two new consoles. There is a large and traditional four-manual stopknob console in the chancel, and a two-manual console in the gallery with touchscreen controls. The gallery console offers the same stop controls as its larger brother at the other end of the sanctuary, giving organists complete control of the instrument in real time. Both consoles also share the same capture system, allowing the organist to move from one end of the building to the other without concern for registrations. The system boasts 999 levels of memory, as well as an independent sixteen levels of memory for the divisional pistons. Using Solid State Organ System’s powerful MultiSystem II platform, the switching system in all four organ chambers is linked by fiber optic cable for effortlessly rapid communication. Further, the organ has SSOS’s Organist Palette, an iPad interface allowing wireless record-playback throughout the sanctuary, a transposer, and a clock with stopwatch. The Organist Palette offers controls to adjust the General piston sequencer, the various Sostenuto functions, and the point of division for the Pedal Divide feature. Both consoles also use a programmable expression matrix, a concept we borrowed from Richard Houghten, which allows all five of the organ’s expressive divisions to be interchanged between any of the consoles’ three expression pedals.

The new organ’s tonal design took shape in a comfortably English mold, based on a large and noble Great division. Split between the two chancel façades, the Great offers colorful foundation stops, an elegant 16′ principal chorus topped with a six-rank mixture, and large-scale trumpets at 8′ and 4′ pitches. The 16′ Double Diapason is extended to play as the 8′ Open Diapason No. 2; the rank’s slotted pipes are voiced for a harmonically richer timbre to contrast with the larger, more foundational Open Diapason No. 1.

The Swell offers all the dynamic and tonal range one would expect for choral works or organ repertoire. Its specification is disciplined, containing the organ’s secondary principal chorus, a richly colored string and celeste, and a lighthearted chorus of flutes. The Swell foundations smooth the buildup between the Choir and Great divisions but equally reinforce the Great in orchestrally minded registrations. The Swell’s battery of trumpets with English shallots dominates the division without stretching above their station; they enrich the Great ensemble with nuance and color.

The Choir is the tertiary division, with a range of mezzo foundations, from its slotted principals to the open Concert Flute to the delicate Lieblich Gedackt rank. The organ’s softest stops, the Erzähler and Erzähler Celeste, possess more character than a typical Flute Celeste. When used in tandem with the Echo division, the effect is an ethereal shroud over the sanctuary, ideally proportioned to introduce solo colors from the Great, Swell, or Solo. With all the harmonic vibrancy and carrying power of a solo stop, the Choir’s cornet décomposé is still controlled in power such that its mutations can reinforce the principals for smaller contrapuntal works or in alternatim passages with other divisions. Möller’s 8′ English Horn from 1954 was thoroughly revoiced, and its hollow, peaky timbre contrasts beautifully with the Swell’s warm 8′ Oboe. The new Clarinet was fitted with teardrop shallots for a slightly bolder timbre than a prototypical English example without limiting its utility. Both reeds are balanced for use in dialogue with each other against the Swell, but they too can also be strengthened with elements from the cornet.

The Solo division stands out with a strong Doppelflöte and a pair of warm reverse-tapered gambas. The 8′ Tuba pipes by A. R. Schopp’s & Sons merit special mention for their resonators’ enormous scale, as well as their early jump to harmonic length at 4′ C. The Tuba rank was revoiced on nearly seventeen inches pressure with a round, fundamental tone that works beautifully as a solo voice—especially when employed in octaves—but can also buttress the whole ensemble. It will contrast magnificently as the darker foil to the future Trompette en chamade to be installed above the rear gallery. We also added a new 16′ octave to the Tuba using shallots and heavy zinc sheets supplied by Schopp’s for seamless cohesion. Intended to give the pedals the last word in extraordinary circumstances, the 16′ Ophicleide’s effect is especially astonishing from the chancel console!

The organ’s twelve-rank Pedal division features independent metal principals at 16′, 8′, and 4′. A five-rank mixture completes the Pedal chorus, with the mixture incorporating a soft tierce rank for a subtly distinctive timbre. The pedals are reinforced by a large 16′–8′ Open Wood rank and the restored Möller 16′–8′ Subbass, as well as a 16′ Trombone and 8′ Trumpet on nearly six inches pressure. The Pedal is also augmented by four digital 32′ stops provided by Walker, including a penetrating Contra Bass, a subtle Bourdon, a vibrant Contra Trombone, and a milder Contra Fagotto, with this last voice usefully enclosed within the Swell division.

As with any Létourneau instrument, a great deal of reflection went into how Opus 135 could best serve a host of musical needs, whether it is supporting a modern worship service, accompanying a grand choral anthem, or serving as the vehicle to present the organ’s repertoire. We believe the specification bears this out. With 75 ranks and five expressive divisions, there are endless possibilities for creative registration without having to turn the instrument on its head.  Each of the main divisions is based on foundations appropriate to the space, with incisive 16′ ranks that enhance their respective choruses without opacity. At the other end of the spectrum, great attention was paid to the role of upperwork with the happy result that the mixtures and higher pitches add presence and texture without overwhelming the balance of the chorus. The overall effect is one of grandeur, cohesion, and warmth.

We have thoroughly enjoyed working with so many fine people at First United Methodist Church during the course of this thrilling project, despite some unexpected twists and turns. Our work has been greatly helped at various points along the way by Danny Johnston, Dr. Seung-Won Cho, David Warren, Keith Bell, and the Reverend Todd Salzwedel. We are also grateful to Mrs. Mary Frances Baucum and the church’s Board of Trustees who were so supportive of the organ committee’s work and recommendations.

In the broader context of the Létourneau company, our Opus 135 for First United Methodist Church is the first instrument completed under the proprietorship of Dudley Oakes (Read about this here). This pipe organ is simultaneously the logical continuation of the artistic evolution that the company was already on and a first expression of our renewed pursuit of tonal excellence. Within the company, there is a growing sense of being in a strong position. The second generation of leadership has many lessons from the past to guide us into the future while still having the freedom to advance in new and exciting directions. With several exciting projects in the years ahead, we invite you to watch this space!

—Orgues Létourneau

Builder’s website

Church’s website

GREAT – Manual II – 95mm pressure

16′ Double Diapason, 12 pipes new, extension of Open Diapason No. 2

16′ Lieblich Gedackt — from Choir

8′ Open Diapason No. 1, 61 pipes new, 70% tin

8′ Open Diapason No. 2, 61 pipes new, 70% tin

8′ Harmonic Flute, 61 pipes new, 56% tin

8′ Salicional, 61 pipes new, zinc and 56% tin

8′ Chimney Flute, 61 pipes new, wood and 40% tin

4′ Principal, 61 pipes rescaled Möller pipes

4′ Open Flute, 61 pipes Schopp’s pipes

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth, 61 pipes new, 56% tin

2′ Fifteenth, 61 pipes new, 56% tin

1-1⁄3′ Mixture IV–VI, 306 pipes new, 56% tin

16′ Double Trumpet — from Swell

8′ Trompette, 66 pipes, new, 56% tin

4′ Clairon, 78 pipes, new, 56% tin

8′ Tuba — from Solo

Great Sub Octave

Great Unison Off

Great Octave

Chimes (from Solo)

Zimbelstern

ANTIPHONAL (enclosed) – Manual II – 115mm pressure

16′ Contra Geigen, 12 pipes new, extension of 8′ Geigen

8′ Open Diapason, 61 pipes rescaled Möller pipes

8′ Chimney Flute, 61 pipes Möller pipes with new wood bass

8′ Geigen, 61 pipes new, zinc and 56% tin

4′ Principal, 61 pipes rescaled Möller pipes

4′ Traverse Flute, 61 pipes rescaled Möller pipes

2′ Fifteenth, 61 pipes Möller pipes

Tremulant

Antiphonal Sub Octave

Antiphonal Unison Off

Antiphonal Octave

8′ Trompette en chamade — prepared for future addition

SWELL (enclosed) – Manual III –– 115mm pressure

16′ Contra Gamba, 12 pipes new, extension of 8′ Gamba

8′ Open Diapason, 61 pipes rescaled Möller pipes

8′ Gamba, 61 pipes Möller pipes

8′ Voix Celeste, 54 pipes from g8, Möller pipes with new zinc bass

8′ Bourdon, 61 pipes Möller pipes

4′ Principal, 61 pipes Möller pipes

4′ Harmonic Flute, 61 pipes new, 40% tin

2′ Piccolo, 61 pipes new, 40% tin

2′ Mixture III–V, 247 pipes new, 56% tin

16′ Double Trumpet, 61 pipes new, 56% tin, harmonic at c49

8′ Trumpet, 66 pipes new, 56% tin, harmonic at c37

8′ Oboe, 61 pipes new, 56% tin, capped resonators

8′ Vox Humana, 61 pipes new, 56% tin

4′ Clarion, 78 pipes new, 56% tin, harmonic at c25

Tremulant

Swell Sub Octave

Swell Unison Off

Swell Octave

ECHO (enclosed) – Manual III – 115mm pressure

16′ Bourdon, 12 pipes Möller pipes, extension of 8′ Bourdon

8′ Viole de gambe, 61 pipes Möller pipes

8′ Voix Celeste, 54 pipes from g8, Möller pipes with new zinc bass

8′ Bourdon, 61 pipes Möller pipes

4′ Violon, 61 pipes new, 56% tin

8′ Cor d’amour, 61 pipes Möller pipes, capped resonators

Tremulant

Echo Sub Octave

Echo Unison Off

Echo Octave

CHOIR (enclosed) – Manual I – 110mm pressure

16′ Lieblich Gedackt, 12 pipes new, extension of 8′ Lieblich Gedackt

8′ Geigen Diapason, 61 pipes Möller pipes

8′ Concert Flute, 61 pipes Casavant pipes with new treble

8′ Erzähler, 61 pipes Möller pipes

8′ Erzähler Celeste, 54 pipes from g8, new, zinc and 56% tin

8′ Lieblich Gedackt, 61 pipes Möller pipes with new wood bass

4′ Geigen Principal, 61 pipes new, 56% tin

4′ Koppelflöte, 61 pipes Möller pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard, 61 pipes rescaled Möller pipes

2′ Flageolet, 61 pipes rescaled Möller pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce, 61 pipes rescaled Möller pipes

1′ Fife, 61 pipes rescaled Möller pipes

8′ English Horn, 61 pipes Möller pipes

8′ Clarinet, 61 pipes new, 56% tin

Tremulant

Choir Sub Octave

Choir Unison Off

Choir Octave

8′ French Horn — from Solo

16′ Ophicleide — from Solo and Pedal

8′ Tuba — from Solo

4′ Tuba — from Solo

8′ Trompette en chamade — from Antiphonal

Harp — from Solo

SOLO (enclosed) – Manual IV – 255mm pressure

8′ Doppelflöte, 61 pipes new, wood and 40% tin

8′ Viola, 61 pipes new, zinc and 56% tin

8′ Viola Celeste, 54 pipes from g8, new, zinc and 56% tin

Tremulant

8′ French Horn, 49 pipes from c13, new, 56% tin, 425mm pressure

8′ Tuba, 85 pipes Schopp’s pipes, 425mm pressure

Solo Sub Octave

Solo Unison Off

Solo Octave

8′ Trompette en chamade — from Antiphonal

Chimes digital Walker Technical Co.

Harp digital Walker Technical Co.

Glockenspiel digital Walker Technical Co.

PEDAL – 105mm pressure

32′ Contra Bass, digital Walker Technical Co.

32′ Contra Bourdon, digital Walker Technical Co.

16′ Open Wood, 32 pipes new, wood

16′ Open Diapason No. 1, 32 pipes new, 70% tin

16′ Open Diapason No. 2 — from Great

16′ Subbass, 32 pipes Möller pipes

16′ Gamba — from Swell

16′ Lieblich Gedackt — from Choir

8′ Open Wood, 12 pipes new, extension of 16′ Open Wood

8′ Principal, 32 pipes new, 56% tin

8′ Subbass, 12 pipes Möller pipes, extension of 16′ Subbass

8′ Gamba — from Swell

8′ Lieblich Gedackt — from Choir

4′ Choral Bass, 32 pipes new, 56% tin

3-1⁄5′ Mixture V, 160 pipes new, 56% tin

32′ Contra Bombarde digital Walker Technical Co.

32′ Contra Fagotto digital enclosed with Swell, Walker Technical Co.

16′ Ophicleide 12 pipes new, zinc and 56% tin, ext. of Solo 8′ Tuba

16′ Trombone 32 pipes new, 145mm pressure

16′ Trumpet — from Swell

8′ Tuba — from Solo

8′ Trumpet 32 pipes new, 145mm pressure

4′ Tuba — from Solo

8′ Trompette en chamade — from Antiphonal

Chimes (from Solo)

ANTIPHONAL PEDAL

16′ Geigen — from Antiphonal

16′ Bourdon — from Echo

8′ Geigen — from Antiphonal

8′ Bourdon — from Echo

97 total stops; 75 ranks; 4,233 pipes

Great Mixture IV–VI

c1 to b12 19 22 26 29

c13 to b24 15 19 22 26

c25 to f#31 12 15 19 22 26

g32 to b36 8 12 15 19 22

c37 to f#43 1 8 12 15 19 22

g44 to e53 1 5 8 12 15 19

f54 to c61 1 5 8 8 12 15

Swell Mixture III–V

c1 to e17 15  19 22

f18 to b36 12 15 19 22

c37 to e41 8 12 15 19

f42 to b48 1 8 12 15 19

c49 to c61 1 8 8 12 15

Pedal Mixture V

c1 to g32 17 19 22 26 29

 

Read about Létourneau Opus 132 here.

Létourneau Pipe Organs, St-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada; Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, St. Paul, Minnesota

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church is a large, welcoming ELCA congregation founded in 1908. Serving the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, the church opened its present sanctuary in 1952 with subsequent additions to the church complex to accommodate the congregation’s growth and needs. An unusually active congregation, Gloria Dei undertakes its outreach and social justice ministries enthusiastically through various environmental, housing, hunger, and advocacy initiatives.

The pipe organ from Gloria Dei’s previous church building served the new sanctuary until it was replaced in 1962 by M. P. Möller’s Opus 9864. A three-manual instrument, the Möller employed significant unification throughout its modest specification, making the very most of its 36 ranks. The small and oddly shaped organ chamber dictated that the Möller had to be shoehorned in to a rarely seen degree. With chamber openings along one side of the chancel, most organ tone passed laterally across the chancel where it was then reflected off the opposite wall and dispersed out to the nave—but not before first passing through the deep chancel arch. As a result, the Möller was barely adequate for its many roles and was augmented in 1975 with the addition of an eight-rank Antiphonal division high on the back wall of the sanctuary, again by M. P. Möller.

After more than five decades of service, the Möller’s electro-pneumatic windchests were exhibiting typical signs of wear and leather failure, but the cramped organ chamber made chest repairs unreasonably difficult and costly. Cleverly, a unit chest was set up as an interim solution at the back of the Swell division to serve as a catchall for dead note actions as they came up. Pipes whose actions had failed were plucked from their original chests, reset on the unit chest at the back of the chamber, and the unit chest wired accordingly to the switching system.

The accelerating frequency of problems with the Möller was a serious issue, but the organ’s compromised location meant that a complete restoration—or even an all-new instrument in the same chamber—would not provide the improvement Gloria Dei was seeking. As part of their deliberations, the Gloria Dei organ committee looked carefully at all options as far as the organ’s placement and soon determined that the organ should go across the front wall of the chancel. Exceptionally, the organ committee’s discernment process blossomed into a larger sanctuary renewal campaign entitled “Rise, O Church.” In the words of Pastor Bradley Schmeling, “Rise, O Church is more than just buying a new organ or doing some remodeling. It’s about our dedication to be a growing, vibrant congregation ready to meet the needs of future generations and our neighboring community.”

In the meantime, Létourneau had been advertising a 1959 Casavant Frères pipe organ that the company had rescued from a closed church in Toronto, Ontario. The advertisement proposed completing the Casavant’s specification with several new stops, and this caught the attention of Gloria Dei’s organ consultant, Gregory Peterson, then of Luther College, and Tim Strand, Gloria Dei’s director of music.

The Casavant was an early instrument in Lawrence Phelps’s tenure as tonal director and displayed some of the first steps in the profound and rapid change of style Phelps oversaw in Casavant Frères organs. Vestiges from the era predating Phelps include the 16′ Flûte conique and the 8′ Aeoline stops in the Swell plus an augmented Pedal division. On the other hand, the Choir 4′ Koppelflöte, the organ’s narrow-scaled reed stops with parallel shallots, the generally thin-walled pipework, and the boldly scaled upperwork were examples of Phelps’s emerging aesthetic. As the Casavant featured no casework or façade pipes, our advertisement also offered new casework with façade pipes for the expanded instrument.

With the Casavant’s 34-rank specification as a starting point, we expanded the instrument with eighteen additional ranks to complete each of the instrument’s four divisions. To the Great division, we added a 16′ Contra Geigen stop and a soaring 8′ Flûte harmonique, as well as trumpet stops at 8′ and 4′ pitches. The Swell division was already largely complete; the only changes were the replacement of the 8′ Aeoline with a proper 4′ Principal stop and the addition of a new 16′ Bombarde stop with full-length resonators scaled to match the 8′ Trompette and 4′ Clairon.

Devised in an era when Positiv divisions were coming into fashion, the original Choir division was judged to be short on 8′ foundation tone. The addition of new 8′ Geigen Principal and 4′ Geigen Octave stops addressed this point, as well as the new undulating rank to go with the 8′ Spitzflöte. A new three-rank Sharp mixture completes the Choir’s principal chorus, offering more brilliance than its counterparts in the Swell. To augment the existing Swell 8′ Oboe and Choir 8′ Clarinet stops, we added a delicate 8′ Cor anglais as a third solo reed option.

The Pedal division was built on a rich-toned 16′ Contrabass stop in zinc, though it was originally extended to play at 8′ and 4′ pitches. The original 8′ extension of the 16′ Subbass rank was maintained, but new 8′ Principal and 4′ Choral Bass ranks plus a three-rank mixture were added to provide a true pedal chorus. Bold reed stops at 16′ and 8′ were also added to give the Pedal the necessary grandeur and color.

The Casavant electro-pneumatic windchests in solid mahogany were restored in our workshops, with new electro-pneumatic chests provided as needed. The original chests’ 68-note compass was retained and carried over into the new windchests as well. The organ’s painted casework was designed by Claude Demers and was constructed from maple; it features polished pipework in 70% tin from the Great 16′ Contra Geigen, the Great 8′ Principal, and the Pedal 8′ Principal ranks.

The eight-rank Antiphonal division and its 8′ Trompette en chamade with polished brass resonators were retained as part of the project for added support from the rear of the nave. The Möller electro-pneumatic windchests were restored, while the Antiphonal’s wind system was rebuilt to incorporate a new blower.

The instrument is played from a new three-manual console with the shell made from rift sawn red oak and the interior panels in walnut. Built to be as compact as possible for good sightlines, the console offers organists 999 levels of memory, twelve General pistons with sequencer, a sostenuto effect for each manual, a Great-Choir Manual Transfer feature, and a Pedal Divide coupler. Numeric displays showing the positions of the Swell and Choir’s expression shades are included, as is Solid State Organ System’s Organist Palette. An iPad-controlled suite of features, the palette includes a wireless record-playback interface, visual management of the General piston sequencer, a transposer, and control of the various sostenutos and the Pedal Divide coupler.

The organ was delivered to the church in late October of 2022 and was installed in collaboration with the Organ Clearing House. The voicing of the instrument commenced after Thanksgiving with the welcome participation of Jonathan Ortloff for several weeks, and the project was wrapped up in the New Year.

Létourneau’s Opus 137 was played by Tim Strand in its first solo concert on April 23, 2023. Seminal works by Cook, Bach, Duruflé, and Vierne were heard by a large and especially enthusiastic crowd, as were the world premieres of two new pieces. The first, Partita on “Rise O Church, like Christ Arisen” by David Cherwien, is based on the hymn of the same name, tune Surge Ecclesia (written by Mr. Strand), and featuring words written by Dr. Chewien’s late wife Susan. The second work was a rich new setting of the Swedish tune “The Earth Adorned in Verdant Robe” for saxophone and organ by Robert Buckley Farlee, with Kurt Claussen playing the soprano saxophone.

Many people played important roles—some visible, some less so—in helping us and Gloria Dei Lutheran Church realize this organ project. We would like to thank Tim Strand, Gregory Peterson, Pastor Bradley Schmeling, Mike Kruger (chair of Gloria Dei’s Sanctuary Renewal Task Force), Teresa Sterns (project manager for Gloria Dei), Todd Kraft and Sara Du of HGA Architects, the team at Langer Construction, the Organ Clearing House, and the Ortloff Organ Company.

—Létourneau Pipe Organs

Photo credit: Andrew Forrest

 

GREAT – Manual II

16′ Contra Geigen 68 pipes new, 70% tin

8′ Principal 68 pipes new, 70% tin

8′ Harmonic Flute 68 pipes new, 56% tin

8′ Gemshorn 68 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

8′ Bourdon 68 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

4′ Octave 68 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

4′ Rohrflöte 68 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth 61 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

1-1⁄3′ Mixture IV 244 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

8′ Trumpet 68 pipes new, 56% tin

4′ Clarion 68 pipes new, 56% tin

Great 16′ - Great Unison Off - Great 4′

8′ Trompette en chamade 61 pipes M. P. Möller pipework (with Antiphonal)

Zimbelstern

SWELL (enclosed) – Manual III

16′ Flûte conique 68 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

8′ Viole de gambe 68 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

8′ Voix Celeste 61 pipes from g8, Casavant Frères pipework

8′ Rohrflöte 68 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

4′ Principal 68 pipes new, 56% tin

4′ Nachthorn 68 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

2′ Piccolo 61 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

2′ Mixture III 183 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

16′ Bombarde 68 pipes new, 56% tin

8′ Trompette 68 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

8′ Oboe 68 pipes Casavant Frères pipework, new shallots

4′ Clairon 68 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

Tremulant

Swell 16′ - Swell Unison Off - Swell 4′

CHOIR (enclosed) – Manual I

8′ Geigen Diapason 68 pipes new, 56% tin

8′ Gedackt 68 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

8′ Spitzflöte 68 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

8′ Flute Celeste 61 pipes from g8, new, zinc and 56% tin

4′ Geigen Principal 68 pipes new, 56% tin

4′ Koppelflöte 68 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

2-2⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

2′ Flageolet 61 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

1-3⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

1′ Sharp Mixture III 183 pipes new, 56% tin

8′ Clarinet 68 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

8′ Cor anglais 68 pipes new, zinc and 56% tin

Tremulant

Choir 16′ - Choir Unison Off - Choir 4′

16′ Trompette en chamade (TC) from Great

8′ Trompette en chamade from Great

ANTIPHONAL – floating

8′ Spitz Principal 61 pipes M. P. Möller pipework

4′ Octave 61 pipes M. P. Möller pipework

4′ Gedackt 61 pipes M. P. Möller pipework

2′ Super Octave 61 pipes M. P. Möller pipework

1′ Mixture III 183 pipes M. P. Möller pipework

PEDAL

32′ Resultant derived

16′ Contrabass 32 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

16′ Geigen from Great

16′ Spitz Principal 12 pipes extension of Antiphonal 8′ Spitz Principal

16′ Subbass 32 pipes Casavant Frères pipework

16′ Flûte conique from Swell

8′ Principal 32 pipes new, 70% tin

8′ Bass Flute 12 pipes extension of 16′ Subbass

8′ Flûte conique from Swell

4′ Choral Bass 32 pipes new, 56% tin

2-2⁄3′ Mixture III 96 pipes new, 56% tin

16′ Trombone 32 pipes new, 56% tin

16′ Bombarde from Swell

8′ Trumpet 32 pipes new, 56% tin

8′ Trompette en chamade from Great

4′ Trompette en chamade from Great

Intermanual Couplers

Great to Pedal

Great 4′ to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Swell 4′ to Pedal

Choir to Pedal

Choir 4′ to Pedal

Antiphonal to Pedal

Swell 16′ to Great

Swell to Great

Swell 4′ to Great

Choir 16′ to Great

Choir to Great

Choir 4′ to Great

Antiphonal to Great 

Swell 16′ to Choir

Swell to Choir

Swell 4′ to Choir

Great to Choir

Antiphonal to Choir

Choir to Swell

Antiphonal to Swell 

 

59 stops, 60 ranks, 3,591 pipes

 

Mixture Compositions

Great Mixture IV

c1 to b12 19 22 26 29

c13 to b24 15 19 22 26

c25 to f42 12 15 19 22

f#43 to b48 8 12 15 19

c49 to c61 1 8 12 15

Swell Mixture III

c1 to f18 15 19 22

f#19 to f30 12 15 19

f#31 to f54 8 12 15

f#55 to c61 1 8 12

Choir Sharp Mixture III

c1 to d#16 22 26 29

e17 to d27 19 22 26

d#28 to c#38 15 19 22

d39 to c49 12 15 19

c#50 to c61 8 12 15

Antiphonal Mixture III

c1 to f18 22 26 29

f#19 to c37 19 22 26

c#38 to c49 15 19 22

c#50 to e53 12 15 19

f54 to c61 8 12 15

Pedal Mixture III

c1 to g32 19 22 26

 

Builder website: www.letourneauorgans.com

Church website: www.gloriadeistpaul.org

Orgues Létourneau, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec; Christ Episcopal Church, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

From the Builder

It is unusual for an organbuilder to finish two instruments for churches a few blocks apart within two calendar years. Nonetheless, this is what happened in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and we consider ourselves fortunate to say so. The first of these was our Opus 129 for First Presbyterian Church, which we completed in January 2016 (see the May 2017 issue of The Diapason for more details). This 75-rank instrument’s warmth and array of color piqued the interest of the organ committee at the nearby Christ Episcopal Church. Led by Mr. Wilson Green, this committee was already studying what to do with the church’s ailing pipe organ. Having been serially rebuilt without success, its indifferent placement in Christ Church’s organ chamber was its biggest challenge. The instrument’s monochromatic tonal scheme and obsolete windchests were contributing factors in the decision to start from scratch and commission an all-new pipe organ.

An organ chamber like that at Christ Church does require a change in mindset from, say, a freestanding instrument like Opus 129. Here, there is a wide floor-to-ceiling opening across the chancel’s south sidewall into the chamber. A smaller arch-shaped opening on the chamber’s west wall leads to the nave. The chamber’s wooden roof slopes downward moving west (away from the chancel), which dictated some aspects of the organ’s layout, but the side and back walls in brick do reflect sound out of the chamber nicely.

Christ Church’s organ committee was unambiguous; they wanted an instrument that would excel in accompanying the Episcopal liturgy. This fit, in many ways, with the organ’s placement in a chamber. The emphasis here would be a profusion of smooth foundation color, elegant solo voices, and choruses in all families of organ tone, all backed by exceptional dynamic control. The organ’s repertoire was kept in mind of course, but this instrument’s raison d’être was always going to be the choral anthems of Howells, Parry, and Stanford.

Carefully studying the chamber, we determined there was enough space for a three-manual instrument; two of the three manual divisions would be under expression at the back of the chamber, with space to spare in front for lean Great and Pedal divisions. Working with the church’s then-organist and assistant director of music, Tyler Canonico, Opus 132’s stoplist soon took shape.

The Swell forms the core of the instrument with foundations including a pungent 8′ Viole de gambe, a matching 8′ Voix Celeste, a gentle 16′ Lieblich, and a velvety 8′ Dolce Flute and Celeste combination. Building on this is a solitary 4′ stop, the Gemshorn; its scale transitions from a principal-like bass for definition towards a fluty treble to blend with the mutations. A refined 8′ Hautboy with capped resonators can add a reedy tang to this ensemble or sing as a mezzo solo voice. One dynamic higher is the Swell’s 8′ cornet décomposé, whose wide-scaled tapered ranks fuse together richly. With choral accompaniment in mind, the Swell’s III–V Full Mixture is harmonic in composition, meaning its uppermost pitch is constant through most of the compass while the fourth and fifth ranks add lower pitches to fill in the chorus. The Swell is crowned by a grand reed chorus that begins, crucially, with a full-length 16′ Double Trumpet through an 8′ Cornopean to a 4′ Clarion. On five inches of wind pressure, these stops feature thick spotted metal resonators, harmonic trebles, and Willis-style shallots. This powerful, golden-toned chorus can also be transferred as a group from the Swell to the other divisions via stopknobs to facilitate dynamic effects.

The second expressive division, the Choir-Solo, is something of a partner to the Great with additional foundation stops and distinctive solo voices. The 8′ Flûte harmonique isn’t a thoroughgoing solo stop so much as it is a building block in a traditional fonds ensemble when coupled to the Great. Building on this 8′, the vibrant 4′ and 2′ harmonic flutes provide a lighter chorus to their equivalent Great combination. The 8′ Geigen brings a keen edge to the fonds, while its 16′ extension provides depth and richness without getting muddy. The 16′ Geigen’s clean pitch and responsiveness in the bass octaves is especially welcome when deployed as a pedal stop. Meanwhile, the 8′ Unda maris pairs with the 8′ Geigen to provide the organ’s third and boldest celeste effect. The Choir-Solo has two high-pressure reed stops. The 8′ French Horn was a request from Christ Church’s rector, the Rev. David Meginniss, and given its rare appearances in choral accompaniments or the organ repertoire—as well as the limited tessitura called for—we built it as a short-compass stop from c13 to f42. On high-pressure wind at the back of the Choir-Solo enclosure, the French Horn projects its fist-in-the-bell sound easily, evoking its orchestral ancestor. Its thick, smooth tone can be used to bulk up ensemble registrations, but it pairs especially well with the 8′ Flûte harmonique with the treble-ascendant flute picking up smoothly where the French Horn’s compass runs out.

The Choir-Solo’s 16′-8′ Tuba rank’s harmonic-length resonators begin at 4′ g, and the pipes are equipped with tapered Willis shallots for proper tuba tone. The overall dynamic, however, is kept in check. On 12¾ inches wind like the French Horn, the Tuba rank serves as solo stop or the ultimate chorus reed: it will peal out a melody against Full Swell—especially when played in octaves as asked for in much of the literature—but can be thrown in to otherwise Full Organ without a colossal dynamic jump. The 16′ Contra Tuba extension in the Pedal has a big, round bass tone that ensures the instrument never sounds untethered.

In contrast to these two colorful expressive divisions, the Great has been stripped down to the essentials. There is a warm principal chorus built around a 42-scale 8′ Open Diapason, with the Great windchest situated to face the nave’s tone opening. The 8′ Chimney Flute is a cheery, chameleon-like voice that does light solo duty or plumps up the ensemble. For flexibility, a number of stops from the Choir-Solo have also been made available on the Great manual.

The Pedal division is like the Great: minimalist but effective. The 16′ Contrabass pipes are made from spotted metal and, voiced with slots and beards, give the pedal line a well-defined point.  The 16′ Subbass, with its pipes in yellow poplar, is dynamically a notch lower with a correspondingly unobtrusive tone. Larger in scale than the Great 8′ Open, the 8′ Principal was also voiced with slots and on higher wind pressure; it has a bold, driven sound that fits with the Contrabass to give the pedal line a great deal of weight. Comparatively, the 4′ Choral Bass is less powerful with a sweeter, more transparent sound in cantus firmus roles.

When the contract was signed for the new instrument, the organ project at Christ Church had a fixed budget that precluded any façades. Likewise, some of the stops in the specification were initially console preparations, meaning they were part of the instrument’s technical designs but would not be provided with the instrument. The contract between the church and Létourneau was written such that if we were given the green light by a certain date, the façades and/or the prepared-for stops could be built and installed at the same time as the organ itself. The organ committee went to work raising the organ project’s profile and explaining the opportunity at hand to the parish. They were tremendously successful; the gifts they raised came from many sources and enabled the complete instrument to be installed. Once our visual designs had been enthusiastically approved, our cabinetmakers began construction on the instrument’s two façades made from solid mahogany. The display pipes are made from a 70% polished tin alloy from the Great 8′ Open Diapason and the Pedal 8′ Principal ranks.

The three-manual console shell was built from solid red oak while the interior puts swathes of dark walnut to good use. From the outset, the layout of the various console controls was a particular point of interest for Tyler Canonico and Wilson Green; many enjoyable discussions were had about the best practices from around the globe, and several different layouts were evaluated. The result is compact, logical, and comfortable. In a nod to the British tradition, the stop knobs for each division are arrayed in two columns and set within individual walnut jambs. The console’s expression shoes also mark the debut of a new style for Létourneau, featuring a pedal made from maple for durability and deeply stained to match the surrounding walnut. A chromed stainless-steel surface discreetly displaying the Létourneau logo is then overlaid on this base with rubber cleats for grip above and below. Opus 132’s switching system and combination action were provided by Solid State Organ Systems, with the console having 300 levels of memory, an adjustable crescendo pedal, and a generous number of divisional and general pistons (with a sequencer) to facilitate colorful accompanying.

The instrument was installed in January of 2018, and the voicing process carried through to the end of the following month. The instrument was dedicated at a choral evensong service on April 15, 2018, featuring the choir of Christ Church under music director Doff Procter, skillfully accompanied by Scott Roberts, organist and assistant music director. Before and after the service, several voluntaries were played by Tyler Canonico, who had returned to Tuscaloosa for the event; his selections included music by Bédard, Locklair, Howells, Bednall, Dupré, and Langlais.

Our Opus 132 is a sophisticated response to the host of physical, acoustic, and musical parameters this project presented. Importantly, the instrument contrasts significantly with the nearby Opus 129 at First Presbyterian Church, from placement to windchest design to tonal effect. For those who might be curious to see what Létourneau is doing these days, Tuscaloosa is a destination well worth visiting.

To conclude, we are grateful to Christ Church for having given us the opportunity to build Opus 132; we expect their new Létourneau will serve their church and the Tuscaloosa community faithfully for several future generations. Our work has given us the opportunity to come to know several fine people as well. We have a deep appreciation for the tireless leadership of Wilson Green throughout the entire project. It has also been a pleasure to work closely with the church’s two organists through the instrument’s gestation, Tyler Canonico and Scott Roberts, as well as the church’s director of music, Doff Procter. We are appreciative of the consistently generous support for the pipe organ project from Rev. David Meginniss. Christ Church’s communications director, Barbara Steimle, was also a tremendous supporter in countless ways. Finally, a sincere thank you to Hubert Guthrie, both the church’s contractor and a parishioner. His tenacious efforts to improve the organ chamber were crucial to the project’s success, resulting in the best possible acoustic conditions for the new instrument.

—Andrew Forrest, Artistic Director

Fernand Létourneau, President

Dudley Oakes, Project Consultant

From the Chair of the Organ Committee

We asked Létourneau to deliver an instrument that emphasized the organ’s central liturgical role in Episcopal worship, and they delivered beautifully. The organ is exceptional in enhancing and supplementing liturgical action, as well as in service and congregational accompaniment. Having two celeste effects in the Swell, for example, was motivated by a desire to communicate the transcendent, and they accomplish this exceptionally. Putting most of the organ under expression, with a relatively small Great, was a decision largely driven by the church’s acoustics, which we altered before the organ’s installation began with changes to the nave floor and the chamber itself. The result is an instrument refined in tonal breadth and uniquely appropriate to the room.

The organ’s solo stops are not to be missed. The Choir-Solo 8′ Flûte harmonique has a body and smoothness that fill the room. The 8′ French Horn is one of my favorites, with a robust nobility and depth of tone with the box open, but which is quite mellow when enclosed. And the 8′ Tuba is powerful as a solo reed but it’s also capable of singing with the rest of the instrument—a rare combination, and one that was needed given the instrument’s size.

Létourneau was a wonderful partner for our church. Andrew Forrest and Dudley Oakes were particularly effective in listening to our concerns and making tonal recommendations tailored to those concerns. They explained their design choices and how they were intended both to enhance the listening experience in the room and to mitigate the lack of direct linearity with the listener. Communication was always clear and timely, and their sense of proportion and design afforded us an instrument that is musically and visually in tune with our historic space. The best compliment I receive is, “It looks like it was always there!” But honestly, it sounds even better. And perhaps most of all, the Létourneau installation and tonal finishing teams were magnificent. The church staff was sad to see them leave us when they finished!

—Wilson Green

GREAT – Manual II, 80 mm wind pressure

16′ Contra Geigen (Ch)

8′ Open Diapason (façade) 61 pipes

8′ Geigen (Ch)

8′ Chimney Flute 61 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

11⁄3′ Mixture IV 244 pipes

Tremulant

8′ French Horn (Ch)

8′ Tuba (Ch)

Swell Reeds on Great

Great 16–Unison Off–Great 4

Chimes (Ch)

Cymbelstern (8 tuned bells)

SWELL (expressive), Manual III – 85 mm w.p.

16′ Lieblich Gedackt 73 pipes

8′ Viole de Gambe 61 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste (G8) 54 pipes

8′ Lieblich Gedackt (ext)

8′ Dolce Flute 61 pipes

8′ Flute Celeste (C13) 49 pipes

4′ Gemshorn 61 pipes

22⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

2′ Flageolet 61 pipes

13⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes

2′ Full Mixture III–V 259 pipes

8′ Hautboy 61 pipes

Tremulant

16′ Double Trumpet* 61 pipes

8′ Cornopean* 66 pipes

4′ Clarion* 78 pipes

Swell 16–Unison Off–Swell 4

* 125 mm wind pressure

CHOIR-SOLO (expressive) Manual I – 125 mm w.p.

16′ Contra Geigen 73 pipes

8′ Flûte harmonique 61 pipes

8′ Geigen (ext)

8′ Unda maris (G8) 54 pipes

4′ Flûte octaviante 61 pipes

2′ Octavin 61 pipes

8′ Clarinet 61 pipes

Tremulant

8′ French Horn (c13–f42)§ 30 pipes

8′ Tuba§ 66 pipes

Swell Reeds on Choir

Choir 16–Unison Off–Choir 4

Chimes (37 notes)†

Harp (61 notes)†

Glockenspiel (37 notes)†

§ 325 mm wind pressure

† Walker Technical Company

PEDAL – 110 mm w.p.

32′ Resultant (derived)

16′ Contrabass 32 pipes

16′ Bourdon 32 pipes

16′ Geigen (Ch)

16′ Lieblich Gedackt (Sw)

8′ Principal (façade) 32 pipes

8′ Lieblich Gedackt (Sw)

4′ Choral Bass (85mm) 32 pipes

16′ Contra Tuba (ext, Ch) 12 pipes

8′ Tuba (Ch)

Swell Reeds on Pedal

All usual sub, unison, and octave inter-manual couplers plus Great to Choir, Choir to Swell, and a GR-CH Manual Transfer.

6 divisional pistons for each division and 12 General pistons with a General piston sequencer.

Console prepared for the future installation of a 5-stop Antiphonal division.

Three manuals, 43 stops, 38 ranks, 2,162 pipes

Great Mixture IV

c1 to b12 19 22 26 29

c13 to b24 15 19 22 26

c25 to b36 12 15 19 22

c37 to b48 8 12 15 19

c49 to c61 5 8 12 15

Swell Full Mixture III–V

c1 to e17 15 19 22

f18 to e29 12 15 19 22

f30 to e41 8 12 15 19 22

f42 to e53 1 8 12 15 19

f54 to c61 1 5 8 12 15

Photo credits: Barbara Steimle

Roger Banks,

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Reuter Organ Company,

Lawrence, Kansas

First Presbyterian Church,

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

From Roger Banks

I first heard the M. P. Möller organ at First Presbyterian Church shortly after its installation in 1964. At that time, I was a senior at Oklahoma City University nearby. As one of the newest and largest organs in the Oklahoma City area, it should have been wonderful. After all, the specification indicated that it followed the latest trends in organbuilding and design at the time, yet I remember that, in that cavernous building, the result was much less
than satisfying.

In the intervening time between then and now, I have fully transitioned from the spare but well-intentioned organ sounds of the 1960s and 1970s, through the 1980s and 1990s, to arrive at my current tonal philosophy, which favors broader scales and divisions featuring rich fundamental tone. Thus I was delighted when John Edwards entrusted me with the care of the instrument at First Presbyterian.

The first project we undertook was to replace the failing Swell division expression pneumatics. That opened up the shade front to fully allow the sound to enter the chancel area rather than bounce off the ceiling. The improvement was immediate and quite noticeable. In 1994, the previous technician installed a new console. However, this large console appeared to have more prepared drawknobs than actual stops. I suggested that John Edwards consider not only completing the console preparations, but also replacing and/or rescaling most of the Great principal chorus as well as adding foundation stops to the other divisions. We decided to make it a two-year project to better utilize the available funding source.

It did not take long for us to realize that rescaling the existing Great 8′ Principal was hopeless. The lowest fourteen pipes were in the façade, scale 46, and nearly forced double length by the façade design. The 4′ Octave rescaled nicely, but the 2′ Weit Prinzipal as well as the IV- and III-rank mixtures were not be able to be reused. The new principal chorus that was added now has a substantial 8′ Principal and upper work to match. We also added a new Twelfth and Seventeenth to fill out the chorus. The existing Koppel Flöte was adequate, but the 8′ Nason Gedeckt and 8′ Quintadena were too similar, so I moved the Nason Gedeckt to the Quintadena chest and added a new, larger-scaled 8′ Bourdon. The 16′ Dulzian was moved to a new unit chest, and I added a new large-scale 8′ Flûte Harmonique. The Flûte Harmonique pipes were then voiced to be commanding as a solo stop in the treble, yet work well in the ensemble.

The Swell division only needed the addition of a new 8′ Diapason of adequate scale. Every other need in that division was addressed during the tonal finishing that was done later.

The Positiv division was next on the list. It was typical of the period, yet still an effective division. I moved the 8′ Geigen from the Choir to a new unit chest above the Great in order to provide some foundation at 8′ and 4′ pitches. As a result, we also discovered that it makes an impressive 16′ Double on the Great. The existing 11⁄3′ was of flute tone, so I replaced it with pipes from the old Great IV Mixture. The remaining issues again were done during the final tonal work.

The Choir division was an interesting challenge. It was originally designed as the enclosed division to partner with the Positiv. After the 1994 revision, the Choir was left on its own. It had the 8′ Geigen, a hybrid 4′ Gemshorn/Principal, a pair of Erzählers, a large 8′ Clarinet, and a 4′ Hautbois. It was not a lot to work with.

By the time we addressed the Choir, work on the other divisions had rapidly depleted funding for the project. Fortuitously, the church had several vintage ranks in storage from a donated Kimball, and I had several nice stops remaining from various earlier projects. For example, I had a lovely 8′ Reuter Spitz Principal that we installed on the now vacant 8′ Geigen chest. The church had a wonderful 8′ open wood Kimball Claribel Flute that was installed where the 8′ Krummhorn had been. I had a new chest built to hold a pretty 4′ Möller Flute d’Amour and III–IV Mixture, and Reuter built the bottom octave for the Hautbois to make it an 8′. We also added a lovely set of Kimball 8′ strings which reside in the enclosed Bombarde division that sits atop the choir. To increase versatility, there is now a knob that allows the Choir expression to operate the Bombarde expression when the strings are used on the Choir. Tonal finishing did wonders to tie together all the disparate pipework in the Choir. The division now has purpose and adds a great deal of color to the entire ensemble.

The Bombarde division also received a vintage 4′ Harmonic Flute. It adds color to the 8′ English Horn and sneaks in as a filler with the strings.

The Pedal division had the fewest needs, though we did add a larger scale 8′ Diapason to augment the existing 8′ Principal. This gave the Pedal a better 8′ line. The remaining work was done in the tonal finishing phase.

I cannot thank JR Neutel from Reuter enough for the marvelous job he did during the tonal finishing phase. I have worked with him on many instruments in the last twenty years. He has limitless energy coupled with complete mastery of dealing with pipework that appears to be hopeless. We spent over three weeks going through every pipe in the organ. The completed organ now has the weight to carry the length of the nave, but it is still nimble enough to play the lightest literature. I would also like the thank G. Mark Caldwell, Marty Larsen, Tom Birkett, and John Riester for their assistance in making the completed instrument possible.

—Roger Banks

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

 

From Reuter Organ Company

This project is unique in that it was not conceived in the typical relationship that many equate with a “main-line builder” and the “sales representative.” In this case, Roger Banks called upon us to consult with him—a partnership of equals. Together we discussed numerous ideas of how to tonally enhance the organ, culminating with all of the specific details needed to complete this tonal enhancement, including final pipe scales and wind pressures to achieve the objective. Reuter was then given the opportunity to provide the new pipes and chests that Roger needed. Reuter has been fortunate to develop similar relationships with other affiliates over the past decade.

While Roger has had a fifty-plus year relationship with Reuter, he and I began working together on numerous installations, most notably back to 2001, when he first assisted me with the voicing of our flagship instrument at Saint John’s Cathedral in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was honored when Roger asked me to take the lead on the revoicing of the organ at First Presbyterian Church. I also thank John Edwards for his confidence and support. With an instrument of this size the undertaking was daunting. Roger’s ability to “massage” new sounds out of old pipes as well as working with new pipes is second to none. With our combined abilities and weeks of on-site voicing time, the desired results were achieved.

This “new” organ at First Presbyterian, along with two other recently completed organ renovations in Oklahoma City (Christ the King Catholic Church and Oklahoma City University), and a soon to be completed project at Westminster Presbyterian Church, are the culmination of a rewarding partnership and friendship with Roger. We applaud Roger and his successful career as one of the central state’s leading organ specialists and extend our deep appreciation for his leadership on this project. The renewed organ stands as a landmark instrument in the area!

—JR Neutel

Reuter Organ Company

 

From John L. Edwards

Standing for over half a century on its northwest Oklahoma City site, the fourth house of worship of First Presbyterian Church is a grand Gothic structure of Tennessee limestone. In addition to its impressive stained glass windows, the building boasts four pipe organs: chapel (1956 Austin, two manuals, fifteen ranks); Watchorn Hall (1956 M. P. Möller, two manuals, four ranks); choir room (1965 Walcker, two manuals, eleven ranks); and sanctuary (1964 M. P. Möller, four manuals, seventy-one ranks; 2016 Banks-Reuter, four manuals, nintety-one ranks). The “4X4 Organ Concert” is unique and very popular to the Oklahoma City community, four organists playing four pipe organs moving from venue to venue.

From its 1889 beginnings, the church has regarded music as a primary form of worship and, to that end, has had many well-known church musicians leading that endeavor. John S. C. Kemp served as minister of music from 1949 to 1968 with encore service from 1983 to 1986. During these periods of service, his wife, Helen developed her expansive work with children as well as her soaring soprano voice. In their honor, the church now has a free concert series named for them. John Blackwell followed the Kemps’ first term of service. Organists have included Wilma Jensen and Samuel C. Hutchison. Several others served shorter terms or as music interns for a year of their undergraduate studies. Those include Elaine Warner Chard, Louise Bass, Dorothy Kosanke-Elder, Greg Funfgeld, Eric Howe, Mark Lawlor, and Glenn A. Miller, among others.

While meeting for Sunday worship in Watchorn Hall until completion of the sanctuary in 1964, an organ committee chaired by DeWitt B. Kirk and then-organist Gale Norman Enger chose the M. P. Möller Organ Co. of Hagerstown, Maryland, to build the new instrument for the 1,400-seat sanctuary. Completed in 1964, Opus 9862 had four manuals with seventy ranks in the chancel and one “En Chamade” rank at the rear of the church. Wilma Jensen oversaw
the installation.

In 1992 a decision was made to purchase a new console and solid-state operating system, with preparations for future additions. The console plus four ranks were added in 1994. Organ committee chair, Dargan Mayberry, organist John L. Edwards, and director of music Michael W. Yeager, along with consultants John Balka, Fred Haley, Jon Olin Roberts, Frederick Swann, and Laura van der Windt worked together with the McCrary Pipe Organ Service of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to complete this project.

By 2014 the pneumatics to the Swell expression shades had failed. It was decided to replace them with new electric motors for the operation that also allowed for expanded opening of the louvers. This improvement then led to the discussion of revoicing existing ranks and adding ranks of pipes to better facilitate the lack of fundamental tone experienced in the nave of the church. Roger A. Banks, current curator of the instruments at First Presbyterian Church, in conjunction with JR Neutel of the Reuter Organ Company, presented a plan for rescaling certain pipes, adding new pipework, and relocating several stops to alternate divisions. Additionally, some vintage pipework was available and incorporated into the instrument, notably from organs made by W. W. Kimball, Estey, M. P. Möller, Reuter, McManis, and even a Robert Morton Clarinet. The Hooded Tuba was sent to Reuter to be revoiced for a more commanding and appropriate Tuba quality. All in all, sixteen ranks were added in 2016, and the organ became an instrument of ninety-one ranks with 5,269 pipes. I was honored to present an inaugural recital on May 1, 2016, which also marked my twenty-fifth anniversary on staff at First Presbyterian Church.

Working closely with Roger Banks has been a highlight for me and for our church. He has become family to us. His knowledge and expertise are unsurpassed! Roger and JR Neutel, president of the Reuter Pipe Organ Company, went through every single pipe of the instrument, critically listening and voicing each to give the best and necessary response to the cavernous space of the sanctuary. The finished result is a warm and rich singing sound extending into the nave, especially noticed by stronger congregational singing.

­—John L. Edwards, organist

First Presbyterian Church

Photo credit: Kathy Rangel, except where noted

 

GREAT (Manual II)  

16′ Geigen (ext 8′, 1–12 electronic)

16′ Quintadena 73 pipes

16′ Claribel Flute (Ch)

8′ Principal 61 pipes

8′ Geigen  73 pipes

8′ Flûte Harmonique 61 pipes

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes

8′ Quintade (ext)

51⁄3′ Quint (TC, fr 22⁄3′)

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Koppelflöte 61 pipes

31⁄5′ Grossterz (TC, fr 13⁄5′)

22⁄3′ Twelfth 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

2′ Flageolet 61 pipes

13⁄5′ Seventeenth 61 pipes

IV Fourniture 11⁄3′ 244 pipes

III Scharf 1′ 183 pipes

16′ Dulzian 73 pipes

8′ Bombarde (Ped)

8′ Dulzian (ext)

Tremolo

Great to Great 16

Great Unison Off

Great to Great 4

Chimes (G2 – G4, volume 0–5)

Carillon

SWELL (Manual III, expressive)

16′ Rohrbass 73 pipes

8′ Diapason 73 pipes

8′ Viola Pomposa 61 pipes

8′ Viola Céleste 61 pipes

8′ Rohrflöte (ext)

8′ Flûte Céleste II 110 pipes

4′ Octave Diapason (ext)

4′ Praestant 61 pipes

4′ Flûte Harmonique 61 pipes

22⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

2′ Flachflöte 61 pipes

13⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes

IV Plein Jeu 11⁄3′ 244 pipes

III Cymbal 1′ 183 pipes

32′ Contra Fagotto (TC, fr 16′)

16′ Fagotto 73 pipes

8′ Trompette 61 pipes

8′ Fagotto Oboe (ext)

8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes

4′ Clairon 61 pipes

Tremolo

Swell to Swell 16

Swell Unison Off

Swell to Swell 4

CHOIR (Manual I, expressive)

16′ Erzähler 73 pipes

8′ Spitz Principal 61 pipes

8′ Salicional (Bomb)

8′ Voix Céleste (Bomb)

8′ Erzähler (ext)

8′ Erzähler Céleste (TC) 49 pipes

8′ Claribel Flute 85 pipes    

4′ Gemshorn Principal 61 pipes

4′ Flauto d’Amore 61 pipes

2′ Claribel Fife (ext)

III–IV Mixture 2′ 190 pipes

8′ Clarinet 61 pipes

8′ Cromorne (Pos)

8′ Hautbois 61 pipes

Tremolo

Choir to Choir 16

Choir Unison Off

Choir to Choir 4

POSITIV (floating)

16′ Quintadena (Gt)

16′ Claribel Flute (Ch)

8′ Geigen (Gt)

8′ Holz Bordun 61 pipes

4′ Geigen (Gt)

4′ Rohrflöte 61 pipes

22⁄3′ Nazat 61 pipes

2′ Prinzipal 61 pipes

13⁄5′ Terz (GG) 54 pipes

11⁄3′ Quinte 61 pipes

1′ Sifflöte 61 pipes

III Zymbel 1⁄4′ 183 pipes

16′ Dulzian (Gt)

8′ Cromorne 61 pipes

4′ Rohr Schalmei 61 pipes

Tremolo

BOMBARDE (Manual IV, expressive)

8′ Salicional Céleste II 122 pipes

8′ Orchestral Flute (TC, fr 4′)

4′ Salicet Céleste II (ext)

4′ Orchestral Flute 61 pipes

4′ Claribel Flute (Ch)

IV Harmonics 13⁄5′ 244 pipes

16′ Bombarde (TC, fr 8′)

8′ Bombarde 61 pipes

8′ Clarinet (Ch)

8′ Dulzian (Gt)

8′ English Horn 61 pipes

4′ Clairon 61 pipes

Tremolo

8′ Hooded Tuba (unenclosed) 73 pipes

4′ Tuba Clarion (ext)

Bombarde to Bombarde 16

Bombarde Unison Off

Bombarde to Bombarde 4

Chimes

HÉROÏQUE (floating, en chamade)

16′ Trompette Héroïque (TC, fr 8′)

8′ Trompette Héroïque 61 pipes

4′ Trompette Héroïque (ext)

PEDAL

64′ Gravissima (Bourdon resultant)

32′ Violone (electronic)

32′ Contre Bourdon 44 pipes

16′ Principal 32 pipes

16′ Geigen (Gt)

16′ Subbass (ext)

16′ Quintadena (Gt)

16′ Rohrbass (Sw)

16′ Erzähler (Ch)

102⁄3′ Bourdon Sub Quint (ext)

8′ Diapason 32 pipes

8′ Octave 44 pipes

8′ Geigen (Gt)

8′ Flûte Harmonique (Gt)

8′ Rohr Pommer 32 pipes

8′ Quintade (Gt)

8′ Rohrflöte (Sw)

8′ Erzähler (Ch)

51⁄3′ Bourdon Quint (ext)

4′ Choralbass (ext)

4′ Geigen (Gt)

4′ Nachthorn 44 pipes

2′ Geigen (Gt)

2′ Nachthorn (ext)

III Cornet 51⁄3′ 96 pipes

IV Rauschbass 21⁄3′ 128 pipes

32′ Contre Bombarde 85 pipes

16′ Bombarde (ext)

16′ Fagotto (Sw)

16′ Dulzian (Gt)

8′ Hooded Tuba (Bomb)

8′ Bombarde (ext)

8′ Fagotto (Sw)

8′ Dulzian (Gt)

4′ Clairon (ext)

4′ Fagotto Oboe (Sw)

4′ Rohr Schalmei (Pos)

4′ Cromorne (Pos)

2′ Clairon Doublette (ext)

2′ Rohr Schalmei (Pos)

Chimes

Carillon

Pedal Unison Off

Pedal to Pedal 4

BELLS

Glockenstern = a) Handbells; b) India Bells (a, b, or a & b)

Zimbelstern = fast/slow

COUPLERS

Great to Pedal 8, 4

Swell to Pedal 8, 4

Choir to Pedal 8, 4

Bombarde to Pedal 8, 4

Positiv to Pedal 8, 4

Héroïque to Pedal (drawknob)

Pedal Continuo to Great 8

Swell to Great 16, 8, 4

Choir to Great 16, 8, 4

Bombarde to Great 16, 8, 4

Positiv to Great 16, 8, 4

Héroïque to Great (drawknob)

Swell to Choir 16, 8, 4

Bombarde to Choir 16, 8, 4

Positiv to Choir 16, 8, 4

Héroïque to Choir (drawknob)

Choir to Swell 16, 8, 4

Bombarde to Swell 16, 8, 4

Positiv to Swell 16, 8, 4

Héroïque to Swell (drawknob)

Great to Bombarde 16, 8, 4

Positiv to Bombarde 16, 8, 4

Héroïque to Bombarde (drawknob)

REVERSIBLES

Great to Pedal (thumb and toe)

Swell to Pedal (thumb and toe)

Choir to Pedal (thumb and toe)

Bombarde to Pedal (thumb)

Positiv to Pedal (toe)

Tutti (thumb and toe)

Glockenstern (toe)

Zimbelstern  (toe)

32′ Contre Bourdon (toe)

32′ Violone (toe)   

32′ Contre Bombarde (toe)

COMBINATIONS (99 memory levels)

Generals: 1–10 (thumb and toe)

Generals: 11–20 (toe)

Great: 1–8 (thumb)

Swell: 1–8 (thumb)

Choir: 1–8 (thumb)

Positiv: 1–3 (thumb)

Bombarde: 1–5 (thumb)

Pedal: 1–3 (toe); 4–8 (thumb)

Combination Setter Button (thumb)

General Cancel (thumb)

ACCESSORIES

Drawknob console (movable)   

Swell/Choir/Bombarde expression pedals

Crescendo pedal (four crescendo sequences)

Tutti (programmable)

All Swells to Swell

Bombarde to Choir Expression (drawknob)

Tuba Non-Coupling On/Off (drawknob)

Great/Choir Transfer

Peterson Operating System and Piston Sequencer

Next/Previous Pistons (thumb and toe)

Héroïque Power On/Off (toggle switch)

Adjustable Bench, in memory of Wanda L. Bass

4 manuals, 91 ranks

M. P. Möller Opus 9862, 1964, 4 manuals, 71 ranks; 1994, new console, 4 manuals, 75 ranks; 2016, tonal revisions/additions by Roger A. Banks and Reuter Organ Co. Tonal finishing by Roger A. Banks and JR Neutel, president, Reuter Organ Co.

Great 1,195 pipes

Swell 1,366 pipes

Choir 702 pipes

Positiv 725 pipes

Bombarde 683 pipes

Heroïque 61 pipes

Pedal 537 pipes

Total: 5,269 pipes

Church website: https://fpcokc.org.

Christ Cathedral, Garden Grove, California;

Fratelli Ruffatti, Padua, Italy

Frederick Swann

Frederick Swann was Director of Music and Organist of the Crystal Cathedral 1982–1998. Upon retirement he was designated Director of Music and Organist Emeritus, and the Aeolian Skinner organ he had been instrumental in securing for the Arboretum was named The Fred Swann Organ.

Resurgam

Few pipe organs in history have received as much attention as has the iconic Fratelli Ruffatti instrument dedicated in May 1982 in the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. For many years it was seen and heard weekly by millions of people via television throughout the United States and in over 130 foreign countries on The Hour of Power with Dr. Robert Schuller. In addition to recordings, tens of thousands experienced it live for over three decades in religious services, solo recitals, and a variety of musical presentations.

It is generally known that the plan for this instrument was made by Virgil Fox, who died prior to the installation. The 1977 Ruffatti organ in the former worship space of the congregation was combined with the 1966 Aeolian-Skinner from Philharmonic Hall in New York. The Ruffatti firm added several new divisions, all controlled by what was, at the time, the largest drawknob console in the world—five manuals, 363 drawknobs, 68 coupler tablets, and a myriad of control assists. The organ was an instant success. Many carefully considered changes and additions were made in the early years. The stoplist accompanying this article is the final result. No changes were made during the present renovation.

Over the years the organ was used on a daily basis. It was beautifully maintained by curators John Wilson, Guy Henderson, and Brian Sawyers. Mr. Sawyers continued the work with various helpers for many years after the death of Mr. Wilson and the debilitating illness of Mr. Henderson. The lack of heating and air conditioning in the building resulted in many large windows being open for twenty-four hours most days throughout the year. The accumulated dirt from blowing winds and visits of birds and insects, plus drastic variations in temperature and humidity, took a heavy toll on the organ. Portions ultimately became unusable despite the dedicated efforts of the curators.

In October 2010 Crystal Cathedral Ministries filed for bankruptcy. In February 2012 the entire campus of architecturally stunning buildings—including the 78,000-square-foot Philip Johnson glass cathedral and the original church (now known as The Arboretum)—was purchased by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, California.

You can perhaps imagine the joy felt when the diocese announced that the Hazel Wright Ruffatti in the Cathedral and the Fred Swann Aeolian-Skinner in the Arboretum would be retained, and the cathedral organ would undergo a thorough restoration. Thankfully, both Bishop Kevin Vann and Cathedral Rector Fr. Christopher Smith are organists and realized the significant part the organs could play in the planned dynamic music program of the cathedral. It was soon announced that this would be under the direction of Dr. John Romeri and organist David Ball. A truly significant music ministry has been established by these gentlemen and staff.

In 2012 a committee of diocesan organists and clergy was formed under the direction of Monsignor Art Holquin. After due investigation and consideration, the decision was made to entrust the renovation of the organ to Fratelli Ruffatti. I was asked to be advisor and consultant throughout the several-year project, and I have been honored to accept these duties.

All pipes were cleaned and repaired as necessary, and the chests restored. As mentioned, no changes were made in the specification.

The organ was removed from its chambers starting in December 2013. The work, supervised by Piero Ruffatti, was accomplished by six workers from the Ruffatti factory plus cathedral organ curators Brian Sawyers and Scott Clowes. The assistance of four riggers was required. The pipes were all carefully laid out rank by rank covering the empty floor of the cathedral—an impressive sight—before being carefully packed for shipping.

The console, chests, and most pipes were shipped by sea to the Ruffatti factory in Padua, Italy. The Ruffatti company subcontracted Brian Sawyers to work on some of their pipes plus most of the Aeolian-Skinner pipes and some chest actions in his shop not far from the church. Major cleaning and all necessary repairs were finished by all on schedule, but could not be returned to the cathedral due to unexpected major repairs needed on the 10,000-plus windows. Meanwhile it was decided to keep the five-manual gallery console (M. P. Möller, 1990), and it was sent to Italy where it received an amazing transformation by Ruffatti.

Consequently it was necessary for the entire organ to be placed in a climate-controlled warehouse in May 2016. The organ was finally taken to the cathedral, and re-installation began in January 2019. This was largely completed five months later. However, the enormous amount of wiring and careful detailing continued for months.

Although the entire organ remains in place as before, all visible woodwork portions have been painted a beautiful white color to blend with changes in the cathedral interior. Most exposed wooden pipes were also painted white.

When the organ was first tested we were all shocked. Due to the physical changes made in the cathedral interior, the organ sounded as if it had been designed for another building, which in reality it had been. The new acoustic was excellent, but the organ was much too bold a sound for the space. This necessitated the revoicing of almost every one of the more than 16,000 pipes. This enormous task was accomplished by Francesco Ruffatti and three assistants from the factory working two eleven-hour shifts each weekday for almost three months. The cathedral was closed to visitors except on weekends so that the work could be done in quiet. The flue revoicing was accomplished by the end of November 2019, and the reeds were started in December and continued in February 2020.

The Ruffattis have given unstintingly in every way to assure the success of the entire renovation project.

The remodeled Christ Cathedral was dedicated in mid-July 2019. A large Walker Technical Company digital organ has accompanied all Masses and programs and will be used until Easter 2020. The Walker voices that had been installed in the Ruffatti organ for bona fide reasons and used successfully for years are being replaced with the latest technology.

It is planned that the completed organ will be blessed before the end of Lent and used for the first time during Easter Masses.

A new book, Let everything that has breath praise the Lord—The story of the Hazel Wright Pipe Organ, by Dr. David Crean, will be available for purchase during the dedication weekend events, and may be ordered at a later date. It will consist of the history of other organs over the years in the buildings of the Crystal Cathedral congregation, with major and detailed emphasis on the Hazel Wright organ in the cathedral.

Finally, a bit about the most frequently asked question over the years. Many have wondered about the problems associated with the tuning of the organ. Keeping the organ sounding well was a challenge ever since the initial installation. The tuning was always done in evening hours. The tuning held well, but on warm mornings it was not possible to couple unenclosed and enclosed divisions. I always hoped for cloudy or overcast Sunday mornings, as coupling was then possible. By most afternoons, heat rendered the organ almost unusable. But, as soon as the sun went down the tuning quickly settled in perfectly.

This is why recitals were always played in the evening. When it was announced that all windows in the remodeled building would be sealed and air conditioning installed, we became very hopeful. But, since the organ is located at such a variety of heights and locations in the building, it has so far been impossible for the air conditioning to reach them all. Consequently, the same challenges still exist of having all divisions maintain the same pitch at all times. This will continue to be worked on; meanwhile, learned knowledge and experience will be helpful for the most effective use of the organ.

Since the publishing of this article, the schedule for dedication has been postponed. For up-to-date information: www.christcathedralmusic.org or www.hazelsback.org or call 714/620-7912.

CHANCEL (North) ORGAN includes:

Great, Swell, Choir, Positiv, Solo, Bombarde, Percussions (partial), Pedal

GALLERY (South) ORGAN includes:

Gallery Great, Celestial, String, Percussions (partial), Gallery Pedal

EAST ORGAN includes: Gospel

WEST ORGAN includes: Epistle

GREAT (Manual II, unenclosed)

16′ Montre

16′ Kontra Geigen

16′ Bourdon

8′ Diapason

8′ Principal Major

8′ Principal

8′ Flûte Harmonique (TC)

8′ Spitzflöte

8′ Spitz Celeste

8′ Holz Gedeckt

51⁄3′ Gross Quinte (TC)

4′ Oktav

4′ Octave

4′ Flûte Ouverte

4′ Flûte à cheminée

3-1⁄5′ Gross Tierce

2-2⁄3′ Quinte

2-2⁄3′ Sesquialtera II

2-2⁄3′ Jeu de Tierce II

2′ Fifteenth

2′ Super Octave

2′ Blockflöte

1-1⁄3′ Mixture IV–VI

1-1⁄3′ Ripieno IV

2⁄3′ Cimbalo IV

1⁄2′ Zimbel IV

16′ Contre Trompette

16′ Posaune (ext 8′ Trompete)

8′ Trompette

8′ Trompete

8′ Herald Trumpet (Bombarde)

4′ Clairon

Tremulant

Sub

Unison off

Super

GALLERY GREAT (Manual II, unenclosed)

8′ Grand Montre

8′ Principal

8′ Holzgedeckt

4′ Octave

4′ Koppelflöte

2′ Fifteenth

1-1⁄3′ Nineteenth

1′ Twenty-second

1-1⁄3′ Fourniture V

1⁄2′ Zimbel IV

16′ Sub Trumpet (ext 8′ Trumpet)

8′ Trumpet

8′ Millenial Trumpet

8′ Herald Trumpet (Bombarde)

4′ Clairon (ext 8′ Trumpet)

Gallery Great on Choir

Gallery Great on Swell

Gallery Great on Solo

Gallery Great on Celestial

Gallery Great off II

Tremulant

Sub

Unison off

Super

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed)

32′ Contre Gambe *

16′ Gambe *

16′ Flûte Courte

16′ Quintaton

8′ Montre

8′ Principal

8′ Bourdon

8′ Flûte Couverte

8′ Viole de Gambe

8′ Gambe Celeste

8′ Salicional

8′ Voix Celeste

8′ Erzähler

8′ Erzähler Celeste

4′ Prestant

4′ Octave

4′ Cor de Nuit

4′ Flûte à Pavillon

2-2⁄3′ Nazard

2′ Doublette

2′ Flûte à bec

1-3⁄5′ Tierce

1-1⁄3′ Larigot

1-1⁄7′ Septième **

1′ Piccolo

8⁄9′ Neuf

2′ Plein Jeu III

1-1⁄3′ Mixture V

2⁄3′ Cymbale III

8′ Cornet de Récit V (wired)

16′ Bombarde

16′ Contre Trompette (ext 2ème Tpt)

16′ Basson

8′ Première Trompette

8′ Deuxième Trompette

8′ Voix Humaine

8′ Hautbois

8′ Hautbois d’Orchestre

4′ Premier Clairon

4′ Deuxième Clairon

Tremulant

Sub

Unison off

Super

2 drawkobs prepared

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed)

16′ Gemshorn

8′ Viola Pomposa

8′ Viola Celeste

8′ Flauto Dolce

8′ Flauto Celeste

8′ Cor de Nuit

4′ Prinzipal

4′ Koppelflöte

2-2⁄3′ Rohrnazat

2′ Prinzipal

2′ Zauberflöte

1-3⁄5′ Tierce

1-1⁄3′ Larigot

2⁄3′ Scharff IV

16′ Fagotto

8′ Petite Trompette

8′ Millenial Trumpet (Gallery)

8′ Clarinet

4′ Fagotto (ext 16′ Fagotto)

Tremulant

Sub

Unison off

Super

Great–Choir Transfer

POSITIV (Manual V, unenclosed)

16′ Bourdon (Great)

8′ Prinzipal

8′ Rohrflöte

4′ Prinzipal

4′ Spillflöte

2′ Oktav

1-1⁄3′ Larigot

1′ Sifflöte

1′ Scharff IV

1⁄4′ Terz Zimbel III

16′ Fagotto (Choir)

8′ Krummhorn

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Bombarde)

4′ Rohrschalmei

Tremulant

Sub

Unison off

Super

SOLO (Manual IV, enclosed)

8′ Gambe

8′ Gambe Celeste

8′ Doppelflöte

8′ Major Flute (TC) (Gallery)

4′ Orchestral Flute

2-2⁄3′ Quintflöte (TC)

2′ Fife

8′ French Horn

8′ English Horn

8′ Corno di Bassetto

8′ Cor de Bassett (Gallery)

Tremulant

Gallery Flute Trem

Sub

Super

BORSTWERK

6 drawknobs prepared

BOMBARDE (Manual IV, unenclosed)

8′ Flûte d’Arvella (TC, Ped 4′ Spillflöte)

16′ Tuba Profunda (TC, 8′ T. Mirabilis)

8′ Tuba Mirabilis

8′ Herald Trumpet

8′ Millenial Trumpet (Gallery Great)

4′ Tuba Clairon (ext 8′ Tuba Mirabilis)

BOMBARDE (Manual IV, enclosed with Solo)

4′ Major Octave

1-1⁄3′ Harmonics VI

1-1⁄3′ Fourniture III

1⁄2′ Cymbel IV

16′ English Post Horn (ext 8′)

8′ English Post Horn

8′ Trompette Harmonique

4′ Clairon Harmonique

Unison off

CELESTIAL (Manual V, enclosed)

16′ Bourdon Doux (ext 8′ Fl à cheminée)

8′ Principal

8′ Flûte à cheminée

8′ Viola Pomposa

8′ Viola Celeste

8′ Flauto Dolce

8′ Dolce Celeste (TC)

4′ Principal

4′ Italian Principal

4′ Flûte Traversière

2-2⁄3′ Sesquialtera II (TC)

2′ Doublette

2′ Octavin

1-1⁄3′ Plein Jeu V

2⁄3′ Cymbale IV

4⁄5′ Jeu de Clochette II

16′ Contre Trompette (ext 8′ Trompette)

16′ Ranquette

8′ Trompette

8′ Cor Anglais

8′ Cromorne

4′ Clairon

4′ Chalumeau

Tremulant

8′ Harpe *

Sub

Unison off

Super

Positiv Off

1 drawknob prepared

STRING (Manual I, enclosed)

16′ Viola

16′ Viola Celeste

8′ Dulciana

8′ Unda Maris

8′ Salicional

8′ Voix Celeste

8′ Dulcet

8′ Dulcet Celeste

8′ Muted Viole I

8′ Muted Viole Celeste I

8′ Muted Viole II

8′ Muted Viole Celeste II

8′ Violoncello

8′ Cello Celeste

8′ Rohrpfeife

4′ Nachthorn

8′ Voix Humaine

Tremulant

Sub

Unison off

Super

String Off I

String on Great

String on Swell

String on Solo

String on Celestial

String Tutti

1 drawknob prepared

ECHO (floating, expressive)

8′ Violes Forte II *

8′ Fernflute *

8′ Vox Amorosa II *

4′ Divinare *

8′ Vox Seraphique II *

2-2⁄3′ Rohr Nazat *

8′ Anthropoglossa *

8′ Oboe d’Amore *

Tremulant

Sub

Super

Echo on V

Echo on IV

Echo off III

Echo on II

Echo on I

Echo to Pedal

EPISTLE (floating)

8′ Principal *

4′ Octave *

2′ Mixture IV–V *

8′ Mounted Cornet V

16′ Trompette en chamade

8′ Trompette en chamade

4′ Trompette en chamade

2′ Trompette en chamade

16′ Pedal Principal *

Sub

Epistle on Choir

Epistle on Great

Epistle on Swell

Epistle on Solo

Epistle on Celestial

GOSPEL (floating)

8′ Principal *

4′ Octave 4 *

2′ Super Octave *

1-1⁄3′ Mixture IV *

16′ Trompette en chamade

8′ Trompette en chamade

4′ Trompette en chamade

16′ Pedal Principal *

Sub

Gospel on Choir

Gospel on Great

Gospel on Swell

Gospel on Solo

Gospel on Celestial

PERCUSSIONS

Bells on IV *

Bells on Pedal *

Rossignol

Etoile de Grand matin

Glockenstern

Celestial Cloches

8′ Choir Harp *

4′ Choir Celesta *

Great Chimes *

Carillon on Pedal (bell tower)

Carillon I (bell tower)

Carillon IV (bell tower)

PEDAL

64′ La Force (resultant)

32′ Double Diapason

32′ Kontra Geigen (ext 16′ Geigen)

32′ Contre Gambe (Swell) *

32′ Contra Bourdon *

32′ Grand Cornet IV (wired)

21-1⁄3′ Diapente Grave (ext 16′ Geigen)

16′ Contre Basse

16′ Diapason (ext 32′ Double Diapason)

16′ Principal

16′ Montre (Great)

16′ Geigen (Great)

16′ Gambe (Swell) *

16′ Subbasso

16′ Bourdon

16′ Flûte Courte (Swell)

16′ Quintaton (Swell)

16′ Gemshorn (Choir)

10-2⁄3′ Quinte

8′ Principal

8′ Octave

8′ Principal (Positiv)

8′ Violone

8′ Geigen (Great)

8′ Bourdon (ext 16′ Bourdon)

8′ Bordone

8′ Spitzflöte

8′ Flûte Courte (Swell)

8′ Gemshorn (Choir)

5-1⁄3′ Octave quinte (ext 10-2⁄3′ Quint)

4′ Octave

4′ Choralbass

4′ Principal (Positiv)

4′ Spireflöte

4′ Spillflöte

2′ Octave

2′ Spindleflöte (ext 4′ Spillflöte)

5-1⁄3′ Fourniture IV

2-2⁄3′ Ripieno VI

1-1⁄3′ Acuta II

32′ Contre Bombarde *

32′ Kontra Posaune

32′ Contra Fagotto *

16′ Posaune (ext 32′ Kontra Posuane)

16′ English Post Horn (Bombarde)

16′ Contre Trompette (Great)

16′ Bombarde (Swell)

16′ Basson (Swell)

16′ Fagotto (Choir)

8′ Trompette

8′ Trompete

8′ Herald Trumpet (Bombarde)

8′ Fagotto (Choir)

8′ Krummhorn (Positiv)

4′ Trompette (ext 8′ Trompette)

4′ Klarine (ext 8′ Trompete)

4′ Krummhorn (Positiv)

4′ Rohrschalmei (Positiv)

Pedal FFF (tutti)

1 drawknob prepared

GALLERY PEDAL

32′ Untersatz *

32′ Contre Basse *

32′ Grand Harmoniques IV (wired)

16′ Open Wood

16′ Montre La Tour (ext Gallery Great Grand Montre)

16′ Bourdon

16′ Bourdon Doux (Celestial)

16′ Viola (String)

16′ Viola Celeste (String)

16′ Gemshorn *

8′ Viola (String)

8′ Viola Celeste (String)

8′ Prestant (Gallery Great)

8′ Bourdon (ext 16′ Bourdon)

4′ Basse de Chorale (Gallery Great)

2-2⁄3′ Mixture V (ext Gallery Gt Fourn V)

32′ Contre Bombarde *

16′ Bombarde

16′ Contre Trompette (Celestial)

16′ Sub Trumpet (Great)

16′ Ranquette (Celestial)

8′ Trompette (ext 16′ Bombarde)

8′ Millenial Trumpet (Gallery Great)

4′ Clairon (ext 16′ Bombarde)

COUPLERS

Great to Pedal 8 – 4

Swell to Pedal 8 – 4

Choir to Pedal 8 – 4

Solo to Pedal 8 – 4

Positiv to Pedal 8 – 4

Gallery Great to Pedal 8 – 4

Celestial to Pedal 8 – 4

String to Pedal 8 – 4

Epistle to Pedal 8

Gospel to Pedal 8

Swell to Great 16 – 8 – 4

Choir to Great 16 – 8 – 4

Solo to Great 16 – 8 – 4

Positiv to Great 8

Celestial to Great 16 – 8 – 4

Pedal to Great 8

Great to Choir 8

Swell to Choir 16 – 8 – 4

Solo to Choir 16 – 8 – 4

Positiv to Choir 8

Celestial to Choir 16 – 8 – 4

Choir to Swell 16 – 8 - 4

Solo to Swell 16 – 8 – 4

Positiv to Swell 8

Celestial to Swell 16 – 8 – 4

Positiv to Solo 8

Celestial to Solo 16 – 8 – 4

Great on Solo 8

Selected accessories

Pedal divide

Echo Expression to Solo

Full Organ

String Expression on Celestial

String Expression on Choir

String Expression on Swell

String Expression on Solo

All Swells to Swell

21 Generals, divisionals, reversibles, silencers, silencer cancel

Gallery in Control / Split / Chancel in Control

Tutti

Chancel Tutti

Digital stops marked with *

Stop preparations marked with **

*Digital stops were added over the years to help support congregational singing in the distant East and West galleries, and also to reinforce the Pedal due to the poor acoustics for bass frequencies. Those digital voices have now been replaced with the latest technology, under a separate contract not involving Fratelli Ruffatti.

263 pipe stops, 265 pipe ranks, 16,000 pipes

Builder’s website: www.ruffatti.com

Cathedral website: https://christcathedralcalifornia.org

Cathedral music website: http://christcathedralmusic.org

Cathedral organ website: http://hazelsback.org

Scott Cantrell

Scott Cantrell began a 45-year career as a classical music critic writing for the precursor of The American Organist. An organist and choirmaster in earlier years, he has often written about organs, organ music, and organists. Since 1999 he has been classical music critic of The Dallas Morning News, on a freelance basis since 2015. He holds degrees from Southern Methodist University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

It was an organbuilder’s dream assignment, and a formidable challenge: a monumental instrument in a grand church renowned for elegant music and liturgy—as well as architecture—with the generous acoustics most church musicians only dream of. Because of its high visibility, it was sure to draw high-intensity attention from organists—and others—with widely varied experiences, tastes, and expectations. Sure enough, the crowd that packed Saint Thomas Church on New York’s Fifth Avenue for the October 5 dedicatory recital on the new Dobson organ was well littered with the glitterati of the organ world. Other crowds filled the nave for the October 7 Sunday morning Solemn Eucharist, afternoon Solemn Evensong, and an ensuing recital by Saint Thomas associate organist Benjamin Sheen.

Aside from thirteen stops recycled from the previous Saint Thomas instrument, the Irene D. and William R. Miller Chancel Organ is completely new. It is dedicated to the memory of former organist and director of music John Scott, whose tragically early 2015 death, at age 59, deprived the world, as well as the parish, of a brilliant organist and choral director. The instrument’s clear and dramatic contrast from its predecessor certainly represents Scott’s own tastes and vision, from an English heritage including earlier appointments at London’s Southwark and Saint Paul’s cathedrals. If the former chancel organ, incorporating multiple generations of pipework and changing tonal conceptions, was the product of some Franco-American imaginations, the new organ is more Anglo-American, although incorporating French-style reeds. In particular, it provides far better accompanimental resources in the English choral repertory central to Saint Thomas’s musico-liturgical identity.

Mongrel that it was, the previous Saint Thomas instrument, known as the Arents Organ after its lead donors, had its glorious effects—especially after the church’s acoustics were dramatically improved in the 1970s by removing tapestries that had hung on the north wall of the nave and sealing sound-muffling Guastavino tile on the ceilings. The massive “crash” of its rich, reedy full-organ sound was justly beloved, and the plush foundations had a velvet-textured purr unlike any other. Hearing ten seconds of either of those sonorities, you would immediately say, “Ah, Saint Thomas.” There were also bold flutes of quite special beauty. During Gerre Hancock’s tenure as organist-choirmaster, from 1971 to 2004, he and a succession of assistant organists worked wonders with the resources at hand. Who will ever forget those post-Evensong improvisations?

But with only one expressive division, the Swell, and no Romantic solo stops, the previous instrument was handicapped for the more elaborately orchestrated accompaniments of Anglican choral music. It was not an organ designed for the smooth crescendos and decrescendos of Hubert Parry and Herbert Howells. It had no English horn or French horn, let alone a crowning, hot-coals tuba. And, mechanically it was failing, to an extent that at the very least a major renovation was urgent.

Below are some personal first impressions from those two recitals and two services. But first, a bit of history.

From Skinner to Dobson

The elegant building we admire today, blending French and English Gothic elements, replete with elaborate stone and woodcarvings, was the final collaboration between architects Ralph Adams Cram and Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue. Opened in October 1913, it originally had an organ by the Ernest M. Skinner Company, Opus 205, over which organist T. Tertius Noble, recruited from York Minster in England, presided until his retirement in 1943. By the time another Englishman, T. Frederick H. Candlyn, succeeded Noble, the relatively dense, dark tone of the thirty-year-old Skinner organ had fallen out of fashion, and Candlyn found it especially frustrating for leading congregational singing. By now, Skinner had been edged out of the merged Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co. and set up his own firm, E. M. Skinner & Son.

Meanwhile, G. Donald Harrison, an Englishman formerly with Willis, had assumed tonal direction of Aeolian-Skinner and was creating a stir with newly brightened and clarified choruses. Candlyn was keen to clarify the Saint Thomas organ’s sound, but he remained faithful to Skinner, who in 1945 was contracted to rework and replace mixtures and chorus reeds and make other changes to brighten the sound, plus make a number of changes to the console. Although still healthy and vigorous, Skinner now was 79 years old, and his work was apparently less than satisfactory. Only three years later, further brightening and clarification were carried out by M. P. Möller, in an effort to produce, as Candlyn wrote, “a Willis organ with all the brilliance of the French.”

Candlyn’s successor, William Self, arrived in 1954 with decidedly Francophilic inclinations. Doubtless perceiving the existing Saint Thomas organ as a dated mishmash, he arranged for Harrison and Aeolian-Skinner, by now the Cadillac of American organbuilders, to create a virtually new instrument, retaining just a few hundred pipes and some windchests from its predecessor. Tragically, Harrison, long in precarious health, died of a heart attack during the installation. The crew rushed to complete most of the organ for a planned recital by Pierre Cochereau at the 1956 national convention of the American Guild of Organists.

The new instrument was nominally French, complete with front-and-back Grand Choeur divisions of reeds bolder than usual with Aeolian-Skinner. I say “nominally,” as recordings made in October 1957 by Marcel Dupré (recently reissued in a boxed set of his Mercury and Philips recordings) capture a fairly taut American Classic instrument that had, as it were, taken a first-year French course. Although it was widely acclaimed a crowning masterpiece of Harrison’s work, even it did not fully satisfy Self’s tonal ideals, and it did not last long without major modifications.

During the 1960s, blasting for expansion of the Museum of Modern Art behind the church caused collapse of an organ chamber ceiling, and a clogged roof drain flooded the Swell division. Some of the Skinner chests were becoming unreliable. Aeolian-Skinner was unable to handle the needed work at the time, but recommended two former employees, Gilbert Adams and Anthony Buffano, who had set up their own operation.

This was a period when organbuilders all over the United States were finding pouch leathers tanned in new ways failing faster than in the past, a problem aggravated by heavy urban pollution just beginning to be addressed in those days. Attempting to provide greater durability, Adams replaced a number of the Aeolian-Skinner pitman chests with new slider chests and began extensive tonal changes. Adams replaced Aeolian-Skinner reeds with bolder, more Frenchified examples, reconstituted mixtures, and removed the formerly expressive Choir division in favor of an exposed, quasi-baroque Vorwerk. The antiphonal divisions were removed in preparation for a separate new instrument to be installed in the rear gallery; some of the antiphonal pipework was shifted to the chancel organ.

(Inaugurated in 1969, the Loening Memorial Organ in the gallery, by Adams, was a four-manual, mechanical-action instrument based on French Classic models. Plagued with mechanical issues from the start and generally considered tonally unconvincing, it soon fell out of use. It was removed to make room for the 1996 Loening-Hancock organ, based on German and Dutch baroque models, by Taylor & Boody Organbuilders. With a third manual and additional manual and pedal stops added in 2015, this remains an elegant example of its style.)

With heavy use in multiple services each week and regular recitals, the Arents organ had ongoing mechanical issues. The organbuilding firm of Mann & Trupiano maintained it insofar as possible, making further changes, including adding new reeds to the Swell. By the time Gerre Hancock was succeeded by John Scott in 2004, it was clear that, at the least, a major rebuilding, including replacement of almost all the windchests, had become a necessity. The church commissioned independent studies of the existing organ, with consideration of the musical demands of the Saint Thomas music program, from consultants Joseph Dzeda and Jonathan Ambrosino.

One could have advanced an argument for preserving the best tonal resources of the Arents organ, replacing the windchests, replacing the Vorwerk with an expressive Choir division, and adding an expressive Solo division with more orchestral voices. But, after decades of hit-and-miss accretions and deletions, reconstitutions and revoicings, there was also a strong argument for a newly coherent conception, more specifically geared to the actual week-by-week uses of the instrument. This was the conclusion of both the Dzeda and Ambrosino studies, and Dobson Pipe Organ Builders was selected to develop conceptions for the new instrument, in consultation with John Scott and Ambrosino, who was retained as ongoing consultant.

“There is this sort of holy grail of the organ that will do anything,” says John Panning, Dobson’s vice president and tonal director. “But John [Scott] didn’t want a mishmash that had no coherence. A lot of the basic structure was agreed on very early: Great, Swell, Choir, Solo. The arrangement of the building had a lot to do with it. John was really about trying to have as many options as possible for accompanying the choir, without losing the classical core of the organ from a literature standpoint.

Everyone admired certain aspects of the Arents organ. Yes, there was a reaction against it, but there was also a conscious effort to retain some of it. There was that iconic St. Thomas blaze of tone down the nave, and we really wanted to have the same kind of French character in the reeds, but with a little more control than before. In every manual division there is a chorus of French reeds. The Great chorus of 16′, 8′, and 4′ are made in French construction. The Swell Trompette and Clairon are French, and the trebles of the Basson in the Choir are also French construction. There are reeds with French shallots in the Solo, on 10 inches of wind.

In the Swell, in addition to French-style 8′ Trompette and 4′ Clairon there are more Anglo-American chorus reeds at 16′ and 8′ pitch, better suited to choral accompaniments. The surprise is perhaps that the Great includes no Germanic 8′ trumpet stop as an alternative to the 16′, 8′, and 4′ chorus of French reeds. The Solo has not one but two very English tubas; one registers “merely” a hearty forte, while the Tuba Mirabilis, on twenty-five inches of wind, proclaims a truly heroic voice. Also new to the instrument are more orchestral voices in the Solo: a Viol d’Orchestre and companion Celeste modeled on early twentieth-century examples by the English builder Arthur Harrison, plus Cor Anglais, French Horn, and Orchestral Oboe.

Designing a new organ also presented the opportunity to rationalize placement of the divisions, which had been shifted over the years, not always to advantage, and to improve tonal egress from chambers. The all-important Great division formerly had been exposed in front of the northwest chamber, in the bay beyond the glorious 1913 case, hardly advantageous for leading congregational singing. (Directions here are physical rather than liturgical; reversed from traditional orientation, the church’s altar is at the physical west end of the building.)

In the new dispensation, the Great is in the new case on the southeast end of the chancel, opposite the 1913 case, with the new Positive division below. The Swell remains in the 1913 case, but physically pushed forward more than before. The expressive Choir division is in the southeast chamber behind the new case; the expressive Solo is in the southwest chamber, beyond the new case. Pedal pipework is divided between the 1913 case and the northwest chamber beyond; the bottom octave of the 32′ Contrabass, in Haskell construction, lies horizontally, out of sight, on the galleries in front of the Solo and Pedal chambers. In physically laying out the organ, priorities included lowering some chamber ceilings to reduce sound traps and installing thick and tightly sealing shutters on the three expressive divisions.

By the time Daniel Hyde succeeded John Scott, in 2016, the new organ was already under construction. “John had very specific ideas of what the Arents organ couldn’t do, and what he wanted the new organ to do,” Hyde says. “The specification was already locked down. I was able to have some input of specifics of the console layout and console design, and various gadgets for the convenience of the player. I was very much involved in the tonal finishing, as it was voiced in the church.”

A few words about the two organ cases, old and new, are in order. The elegant 1913 case, part of Bertram Goodhue’s original design for the church and executed by the Boston firm of Irving & Casson, speaks in more of a French accent, with its curved pipe towers and frilly pipe shades. Gleaming tin façade pipes now replace the duller zinc pipes that had been there for generations. As ideas for a new organ evolved, it was eventually decided to reject the previous “flowerpot” displays of pipes and fit the opposite side of the chancel with a new case of commensurate grandeur. Lynn Dobson, president and artistic director of the firm bearing his name, designed the new case, in collaboration with Saint Thomas’s then-new rector, Fr. Carl Turner, and the Bangor, Pennsylvania, woodworking shop of Dennis O. and Dennis D. Collier. The new case has a flatter, more Renaissance look, capped with a trumpeting angel. Pipe shade carvings include likenesses of current and past musicians and rectors, members of the organ committee and donors. Fears that it would be overly intrusive have proved unfounded; the two cases carry on a subtle dialogue of complementarity, like the decani and cantoris sides of a chancel choir.

How does the new organ sound?

Below are initial, and necessarily personal, impressions of the new Dobson organ. At various times, among the two recitals and two services, I sat on different sides of the middle aisle about 1⁄4 and 1⁄3 of the way down the nave. Others in different seats, obviously, will have had different impressions—especially of an organ speaking from chambers, its sound having to turn a corner to project down a long nave. The sonic impact varied, of course, from a packed nave for the opening recital to a more normal congregation for the Sunday Evensong and recital.

Right from the start of Daniel Hyde’s inaugural recital, in the Edwin Lemare arrangement of Wagner’s Die Meistersinger Overture, it was clear that the new organ had a well-knit finesse hardly characteristic of its predecessor. (Live video transmission from the console to a large screen in the choir revealed that one of Hyde’s socks was decorated with the American flag, the other with the Union Jack.) There was a decent suggestion of the reedy richness of the Arents organ, but on far better behavior, with massive pedal tone. Hyde effortlessly cycled through what seemed a gazillion registration changes, demonstrating the new instrument’s dynamic and coloristic range and its ability to manage seamless crescendos and decrescendos of timbre as well as volume. Fanfare figures sounded fore and aft, from the hot-coals tubas and the newly energized Aeolian-Skinner Trompette en Chamade. Strings and celestes purred. Indeed, it was such a virtuoso demonstration that one wished for individual sounds to linger a little longer!

Four Bach settings of the chorale “Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr” demonstrated more classical sonorities, including a silvery plenum, a Sesquialtera, 8′ and 4′ flutes, and 8′, 4′, and 2′ principals. A campy, carnival-esque Karg-Elert Valse mignonne briefly displayed the
sizzling Solo Viol d’Orchestre and Celeste, elsewhere foundations and chimes(!). In the opening dialogues of the Franck E-Major Choral, Hyde added the Swell’s more English Trumpet to the Oboe, which overdid the reedy effect; in the “chorale” proper a 4′ flute oddly joined the Vox Humana. In the reprise of the theme of Sweelinck’s Mein junges Leben variations we heard the Voce Umana, an Italian-style principal celeste, on the Positive. Hyde’s playing was brilliant where called for and everywhere fastidious, although it was a surprise to hear the earlier music played with such unrelenting legato.

At the Sunday morning Solemn Eucharist the new organ was unheard until after the official blessing at the beginning of the service. The prelude, Bach’s G-Major Prelude and Fugue, BWV 541, and opening hymn, “Come, thou Holy Spirit, come” (Veni Sancte Spiritus), were played on the Taylor & Boody instrument in the rear gallery. But then the Miller-Scott organ got to show off big reedy blasts and purring foundations in the Gloria of the Langlais Messe solennelle. The anthem was Candlyn’s Christ, whose glory fills the skies, the postlude Gigout’s Grand choeur dialogué, with fiery fanfares on the antiphonal Trompette en Chamade.

At Solemn Evensong, the new organ displayed plush grandeur in Edwardian music: George Dyson’s sturdy Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in D and the virtually orchestral drama of Edward Bairstow’s Blessed city, heavenly Salem. The subtlety of registration changes certainly could not have been achieved on the previous organ (although former assistant organist Michael Kleinschmidt certainly whipped up an exciting accompaniment for the Bairstow on a CD from Gerre Hancock’s era). At the end, as clouds of incense rose, the choir sang the plainsong “Te Deum” with full-organ thunderings between verses. The concluding voluntary was the Langlais Hymne d’Actions de grâces “Te Deum,” the antiphonal Chamade’s new 16′ extension joining in the opening statement.

Associate organist Benjamin Sheen, who had done heroic accompanimental duties during the two services, brought no less authority to the post-Evensong recital. Perhaps redressing the surprising absence of English music on Hyde’s opening recital, he opened with Tom Winpenny’s transcription of Walton’s March for A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, composed for a stillborn English TV series based on Sir William Churchill’s four-book collection. He closed with the great Introduction, Passacaglia, and Fugue of Healey Willan, composed three years after the English native emigrated to Canada. Again, the new organ supplied idiomatic richness of tone and subtly elaborate “orchestrations.” Bold flutes—the Great 8′ Harmonic Flute and the Solo Flauto Mirabilis—sang out in Vierne’s water-splashed Naïades, and the Tuba Mirabilis was heard in very loud full cry in Lionel Rogg’s transcription of Liszt’s Saint François de Paule marchant sur les flots.

Some overall, and necessarily provisional, impressions now. Certainly the new Miller-Scott organ is carefully considered and fastidiously voiced. The overall effect is elegant and cohesive in ways the Arents organ, for all its excitement, never could be. The full organ is rich and stirring, although, at least in these first hearings, individual voices and lesser combinations tended to feel understated. The three swell boxes have enormous dynamic ranges.

Projecting organ tone out of chancel chambers down a long nave will always be a challenge. A bit of grit and texture in a chancel can register as a subtler, but enlivening, energy in a nave. With the new organ, at least from the nave perspective, I personally would welcome a bit more texture, a bit less absolute smoothness, to the flues.

Another thing that struck me was a certain difficulty in hearing the soprano line in hymn accompaniments, a tendency for tone to cluster around the middle of the keyboards. This may have had more to do with accompanimental registrations chosen, which almost across the board struck me as too reserved. But I did find myself wanting more ascending energy in the treble, especially from the all-important Great division. For all the stated aims of projecting more sound from the Great, especially, I did wonder if the new left-side case, relatively flat and densely filled in with carvings, were not a more inhibiting factor than had been expected. The Positive division seemed very reticent, although again that may have been more a matter of registrations chosen, and where I was sitting at the time. Some Pedal notes stuck out more than others.

Although in rehearsals the Saint Thomas organists had taken advantage of the built-in playback system to check registrations and balances in the nave, the opening recital and Sunday services were their first chances to hear the full resources of the organ with full congregations. There is no way to gauge an organ’s real-life effect without adding the acoustical impact of bodies in the pews.

With so lavishly appointed an instrument, organists will need time to discover what works best in what situations. The console, necessarily sequestered in a recess under the new left-side case, is the worst possible place to judge balances. Already, Hyde, Panning, and Ambrosino all acknowledge that some balances need readjusting. “I think the main structure of the choruses we’re happy with,” Hyde says. “I might want to look at a little different balance in the bass department. When the building is as full as it was, it probably needs a little bit of thinning out of the bottom of the texture. The room sort of balloons the sound slightly.”

Panning says, “There are still things to do to the organ that were not complete for the dedication. Chief among those, we’ve decided to remake the bottom octave of the 32′ Swell reed extension. We want to bring up the Swell and Solo trumpets. And we noticed that some notes of the 32′ flues do really bloom.

“I noticed in a couple places that some of the registrations sounded a little bland, sort of homogenizing, although there are some quite lovely and individual sounds. As for the balance, it is true that there is quite a lot of tenor and mid-octave energy. Some of that comes from the reeds that we want to re-balance.”

Happily, and especially for an instrument of this size and complexity, there are plans to revisit these and other issues in the summer, at the end of the choir season. Hyde himself will leave after Easter, to succeed Stephen Cleobury at King’s College, Cambridge. Saint Thomas has named British-born American organist Jeremy Filsell as Hyde’s successor.

“For me, personally, as a voicer, I really welcome the ability to edit,” Panning says. “It’s wonderful to be able to do something, consider it for a while, and come back. We are planning to come back after the organ has been used in a number of ways, and consult with Dan and Ben and see what needs adjustment. We want to accommodate real-world conditions. We don’t presume that we have the full picture when we say the organ is done.” ν

Builder’s website: www.dobsonorgan.com

Church’s website: www.saintthomaschurch.org

Dobson Pipe Organ Builders Opus 93 (2018)

GREAT (Manual II, in new case)

32′ Diapason (ext 16′)

16′ Diapason (partly in façade, 73 pipes)

16′ Bourdon (61 pipes)

8′ First Diapason (61 pipes)

8′ Second Diapason (61 pipes)

8′ Harmonic Flute (61 pipes)

8′ Gamba (1956 pipework, 61 pipes)

8′ Chimney Flute (61 pipes)

4′ First Octave (61 pipes)

4′ Second Octave (61 pipes)

4′ Spire Flute (61 pipes)

31⁄5′ Grosse Tierce (61 pipes)

22⁄3′ Twelfth (61 pipes)

2′ Fifteenth (61 pipes)

13⁄5′ Seventeenth (61 pipes)

V Cornet (8′, mounted, TG, 185 pipes)

IV Mixture (2′, 244 pipes)

III Cymbal (2⁄3′, 183 pipes)

16′ Bombarde (61 pipes)

8′ Trompette (61 pipes)

4′ Clairon (61 pipes)

Tremulant

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed in northeast chamber)

16′ Bourdon (61 pipes)

8′ Diapason (61 pipes)

8′ Viola (61 pipes)

8′ Viola Celeste (61 pipes)

8′ Flûte Traversière (1956, Flûte Harmonique, revoiced, 61 pipes)

8′ Lieblich Gedeckt (61 pipes)

8′ Flûte Douce (1956 pipework, 61 pipes)

8′ Flûte Céleste (1956 pipework, 61 pipes)

4′ Octave (61 pipes)

4′ Fugara (61 pipes)

4′ Flûte Octaviante (1956 Gr. Flûte Harmonique, revoiced, 61 pipes)

22⁄3′ Quint (61 pipes)

2′ Fifteenth (61 pipes)

2′ Octavin (61 pipes)

13⁄5′ Tierce (61 pipes)

IV Cornet (4′, mounted, TG, 148 pipes)

IV Plein Jeu (11⁄3′, 244 pipes)

16′ Double Trumpet (61 pipes)

8′ Trompette (61 pipes)

8′ Trumpet (61 pipes)

8′ Hautbois (61 pipes)

8′ Vox Humana (61 pipes)

4′ Clairon (61 pipes)

Tremulant

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed in southeast chamber)

16′ Quintaton (61 pipes)

8′ Diapason (61 pipes)

8′ Spire Flute (61 pipes)

8′ Flute Celeste (61 pipes)

4′ Gemshorn (61 pipes)

4′ Flute (1956 Enc. Positiv pipework, 61 pipes)

22⁄3′ Nazard (61 pipes)

2′ Doublette (61 pipes)

2′ Recorder (61 pipes)

13⁄5′ Tierce (61 pipes)

11⁄3′ Larigot (61 pipes)

11⁄7′ Septième (61 pipes)

1′ Piccolo (61 pipes)

16′ Basson (61 pipes)

8′ Trompette (61 pipes)

8′ Clarinet (61 pipes)

4′ Clairon (61 pipes)

Tremulant

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)

8′ Trompette en Chamade (existing, with new 16′ and 4′ octaves, 85 pipes)

POSITIVE (Manual I, in new case)

8′ Principal (partly in façade, 61 pipes)

8′ Voce Umana (21–61, partly in façade, 41 pipes)

8′ Gedeckt (61 pipes)

4′ Octave (61 pipes)

4′ Chimney Flute (61 pipes)

2′ Super Octave (61 pipes)

II Sesquialtera (22⁄3′, 122 pipes)

IV Sharp Mixture (11⁄3′, 244 pipes)

8′ Cromorne (61 pipes)

Tremulant

SOLO (Manual IV, enclosed in southwest chamber)

16′ Contra Gamba (61 pipes)

8′ Flauto Mirabilis (61 pipes)

8′ Gamba (61 pipes)

8′ Gamba Celeste (61 pipes)

8′ Viole d’Orchestre (61 pipes)

8′ Viole Celeste (61 pipes)

4′ Orchestral Flute (61 pipes)

4′ Viole Octaviante (61 pipes)

III Cornet des Violes (31⁄5′, 183 pipes)

16′ Cor Anglais (61 pipes)

8′ French Horn (61 pipes)

8′ Orchestral Oboe (61 pipes)

Tremulant

16′ Trombone (61 pipes)

8′ Tuba (61 pipes)

8′ Trompette (61 pipes)

4′ Clairon (61 pipes)

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (unenclosed, 25′′ wind pressure, 61 pipes)

8′ Trompette en Chamade (Choir)

Chimes (25 tubes)

PEDAL (in northwest chamber and existing case)

32′ Contrabass (44 pipes)

32′ Diapason (Great)

32′ Subbass (56 pipes)

16′ Contrabass (ext 32′)

16′ First Diapason (partly in façade, 32 pipes)

16′ Second Diapason (Great)

16′ Subbass (ext 16′)

16′ Contra Gamba (Solo)

16′ Bourdon (Great)

16′ Echo Bourdon (Swell)

102⁄3′ Quint (fr Gt 16′ Bourdon)

8′ Octave (partly in façade, 32 pipes)

8′ Bass Flute (56 pipes)

8′ Gamba (Solo)

8′ Gedeckt (ext 32′)

8′ Bourdon (Sw 16′)

62⁄5′ Grosse Tierce (1956 pipework, 32 pipes)

44⁄7′ Grosse Septième (1956 pipework, 32 pipes)

4′ Super Octave (partly in façade, 32 pipes)

4′ Flute (ext 8′)

31⁄5′ Seventeenth (1956 pipework, 32 pipes)

2′ Flute (ext 8′)

IV Mixture (22⁄3′, 128 pipes)

32′ Contre Bombarde (1956 pipework, 44 pipes)

32′ Trombone (ext Sw 16′, 12 pipes)

16′ Bombarde (ext 32′)

16′ Posaune (32 pipes)

16′ Trumpet (Sw)

8′ Trompette (32 pipes)

4′ Clairon (32 pipes)

4′ Schalmey (32 pipes)

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (So)

8′ Trompette en Chamade (Ch)

Chimes (So)

Couplers

Great

Great 16 (does not affect 32′)

Great Unison Off

Great 4

Solo Chorus Reeds on Great

Great Reeds on Choir

Great Reeds on Swell

Great Reeds on Pedal

Swell to Great 16

Swell to Great

Swell to Great 4

Choir to Great 16

Choir to Great

Choir to Great 4

Positive to Great

Solo to Great 16

Solo to Great

Solo to Great 4

Swell

Swell 16

Swell Unison Off

Swell 4

Choir to Swell

Positive to Swell

Solo to Swell

Choir

Choir 16

Choir Unison Off

Choir 4

Swell to Choir 16

Swell to Choir

Swell to Choir 4

Solo to Choir 16

Solo to Choir

Solo to Choir 4

Pedal to Choir

Positive

Positive Unison Off

Solo

Solo 16

Solo Unison Off

Solo 4

Swell to Solo

Choir to Solo

Positive to Solo

Pedal

Pedal Unison Off

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Swell to Pedal 4

Choir to Pedal

Choir to Pedal 4

Positive to Pedal

Solo to Pedal

Solo to Pedal 4

Accessories

Bells (free bells)

All Swells to Swell

Pedal Divide (adjustable)

Manual I/II Transfer

Positive on IV

Great & Pedal Combinations Coupled

Total number of ranks: 126

Total number of stops: 102

Total number of pipes: 7,069

Photo credit: Ira Lippke