Buzard Pipe Organ Builders Cover Feature

Buzard Pipe Organ Builders, Champaign, Illinois; Saint George’s Episcopal Church, Nashville, Tennessee

From the builder

Saint George’s Episcopal Church is a vibrant, multi-generational Christian community. The parish ministers to 4,000 members, approximately 1,000 of whom attend one of the five worship services offered every Sunday. It boasts the largest Episcopal kindergarten in the United States, a phenomenal staff of dedicated clergy and laity, and a growth pattern which is a shining light of hope to the wider Church.

The new organ is the final component of a comprehensive visual and acoustical renovation of the primary worship space, which was the capstone of a multi-million-dollar general construction project to serve their growing congregation. The church’s formerly harsh top-heavy acoustics were masterfully transformed by Riedel & Associates to become a beautiful tonal environment: buoyant, lively, clear, and evenly responsive, with a warmth that embraces the most delicate musical nuances. Sound originating in the chancel projects effortlessly to the entire nave. 

The chancel’s former configuration forced the choir to sing from a position behind and below a centrally located baldachin. The result was that the choir could neither be heard clearly nor seen by the congregation, and the organist was challenged to find stops soft enough to accompany them. The parish knew something had to be done, and the leadership realized a new organ would be required because of the planned new physical configuration and projected acoustical improvement. The building committee included an organ committee, which auditioned the work of North American and English builders. The Buzard team was selected to build the new instrument because of our well-known passion for sensitive musical expression in the liturgy and how successfully our instruments fulfill both accompanimental and soloistic roles. 

It was a joy to develop the unique specification, which includes a great degree of expression. The instrument currently consists of 55 stops/65 ranks. Preparations for planned future additions include six stops in the main organ, and a ten-stop Antiphonal/Ethereal division. Architecturally, the façade was designed in conjunction with architect Baird Dixon, who had envisioned a curved colonnade to outline the apse. The organ’s façade incorporates elements of this concept.

Former rector, the Reverend Dr. Leigh Spruill, commented: 

Saint George’s is honored and excited to contract with John-Paul Buzard Pipe Organ Builders for the construction of a magnificent new instrument. The decision for a new organ . . . flows from a strong ongoing commitment to our traditional Anglican liturgical and musical heritage. We are confident a new organ in this space will enhance our experience of worship and are grateful for the privilege of working with Buzard on this project. Worship is our highest priority as Christians, and I give thanks to God again for the generosity of our parishioners who have made possible these dramatic improvements to Saint George’s liturgical life for the future.

In closing, I gratefully acknowledge and thank my team from the bottom of my heart for their tireless efforts, enthusiasm, and beautiful work. This organ’s installation was prolonged by many challenges. Our entire staff (and their spouses back home) accepted and met them with grace and extraordinary patience and effort. I am extremely proud of their outstanding accomplishments in every aspect of this instrument: from the planning and engineering, through the construction, installation, and voicing.

The instrument was first used in worship on Christmas Eve 2022 and first heard in public at a hymn festival led by Robert McCormick on January 27, 2023. The final dedicatory event featuring the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra was presented on May 9. 

—John-Paul Buzard

From the tonal director

The Buzard team always welcomes the opportunity to design and build an organ for institutions that lean heavily toward the performance of English cathedral/collegiate chapel repertoire. In reality, it is perhaps far more accurate to alter that term to “the American interpretation of English Cathedral repertoire.” When some United States choirs are generously welcomed to the UK for week-long residencies in those hallowed spaces that inspired the repertoire, they fall ever more deeply in love with it and strive to bring the mountain-top experience back to their home church completely intact.

The integrity of the repertoire remains constant, but nothing else is the same! The shapes, construction methods, and acoustics of the rooms are vastly different. Worship styles, though always being adapted on both sides of the Atlantic, are fed by very different traditions and heritage. Organbuilders apply their art in a variety of ways to help bridge the gap and let the music live in the new environment. Sometimes it is a virtual reproduction of a much-admired stoplist. Sometimes it is a detailed documentation and copy of the scaling of a particular stop, or even incorporating one or more ranks from an historic organ that has been removed from service.

The Buzard approach, particularly in this organ for Saint George’s, takes some of those techniques into account, but does not stop there. In multiple discussions with Woosug Kang and Gerry Senechal, the outstanding directors of music, we studied specific examples of pieces that highlight their choices of music on a regular basis. Rather than identifying individual stops that would be needed, we concentrated on issues of balance, tone color, composition of critically important accompaniment ensembles, blending, and above all, flexibility. 

It has been a rare treat to voice an organ in a revised acoustic environment like Saint George’s. Scott Riedel’s recommendations have provided a room that, without excessive reverberation time, responds with extraordinary evenness throughout the frequency range. This has allowed us to voice the organ with clarity at its softest, building smoothly to a thrilling full-organ sound, without ever needing to exaggerate anything in order to fill the room. We have deliberately concentrated our efforts in shaping the blending characteristics of stops in the mezzo-piano to mezzo-forte range, making choral accompaniment a real joy. Having three separate divisions enclosed and expressive enhances the experience!

The sound of any organ is always the result of many people who have contributed to its design, construction, installation, voicing, and ongoing maintenance. I have often said that our ears are able to detect sounds that have been loved into existence. Along with my colleagues of the Buzard team, we are honored and proud to offer you this gift. Come and hear it for yourself!

—Fredrick Bahr

From the director of music ministries

“Sing ye to the Lord,” from one of the most beloved Easter anthems by the English composer, Edward Bairstow, was the theme of our organ dedication series in the spring of 2023. It reflects our vision of creating an instrument that sings and encourages our choir and congregation to sing whole-heartedly. When Saint George’s Episcopal Church launched its capital campaign several years ago, there was an emphasis on the renovation of the acoustics inside the church and the placement of the choir, because the previous setup presented visual difficulties as well as unbalanced choral sound throughout the room. It also made it difficult for the choir to lead congregational singing. We learned quickly through research that it was in the best interest for the church and the Nashville community to invest in a brand-new organ—it would lead to the most artistically assuring and satisfying result, and it was the most fiscally responsible action for the long-term future.

The organ search committee was quickly formed, with our consultant Scott Riedel supporting us along the way. This was one of the most exhilarating, challenging, and joyful tasks, as we played numerous organs around the country, giving fair evaluations while seeking what we desired. Our mission was to find an organ that would give us the outstanding quality and vast range of expression that would inspire us for generations. I enjoyed working with our search committee, and I am thrilled we chose Buzard Pipe Organ Builders. We have been fulfilling the vision of “Sing ye to the Lord” since our first dedication concert, a hymn festival with guest organist Robert McCormick, and guest speaker Jeremy Begbie. Opus 48 by Buzard, combined with our newly enhanced acoustic, is encouraging our congregation to sing more, and our choir is connected to our congregation while the organ supports them with colorful expressions. We hear the reaction of our congregation, even some who were skeptical of the need for a new organ, vocally responding to us positively about the impact it is making even before the full completion of the organ. 

Opus 48 is capable of a wide range of colors and vast range of expression, and I enjoyed showing that in my solo recital in our dedication series in March. The soft and varied flue stops, the fiery reeds that brought music of French Romantic repertoire alive, and the incredible build-up of the organ in music of Herbert Howells all excited me. The softer stops are my favorites on this organ, as the acoustical adjustments now allow the sounds to be distributed evenly, and the individual delicate stops of Opus 48 share many different colors that are unique to their own. I find myself registering for hymns differently Sunday to Sunday as I learn and grow with this new organ, which is a wonderful teacher.

My role here at Saint George’s is to continue to develop the musical legacy I inherited and build an even stronger foundation that future generations of musicians can continue to build on. I believe Buzard Opus 48 is one of the crowning realizations of that vision, along with the acoustical enhancement and the new place for the choir, and I am deeply humbled by this process. I know this organ will serve Saint George’s, its community, and our region with its outstanding craftmanship and artistry for future generations. As I told my choristers, “Some of you will get married with this organ!,” and their smiles as they sing with our new Opus 48 prove that the future is bright. 

—Woosug Kang

From the organist

As long as I live, I will never forget the first Sunday we were permitted to use the new organ in worship; though only half the pipework of Opus 48 was installed and voiced at the time, the good people of Buzard correctly judged that there would be enough to support worship. That morning I not only had the opportunity to play but also to sing a bit, and as Woosug concluded the hymn introduction, I became keenly aware that the organ’s sound had involuntarily drawn me toward it in such a way that I absolutely had no choice but to burst into the first stanza. The warmth and support of the organ was like gravity; if I didn’t begin to sing, the rocks themselves may well have! What an incredible, unprecedented feeling.  

I was not alone. I immediately noticed that the entire congregation was indeed singing; the contrast from the previous Sunday was night and day! I had expected there to be a great, though surely gradual, increase in congregational song, but I could never have imagined that it would happen in the space of a single hymn introduction. The organ has transformed every hymn it has accompanied since; I have never had a more supported, enabling, and satisfying hymn-singing experience in my life.

In that glorious first moment that morning, the organ fulfilled the aspirations of its design; from the very beginning, the chief purpose of the instrument has been to support Anglican musical worship. The measure of success of any Anglican organ lies in its ability to accompany both the choir and congregation; Opus 48 not only does both beautifully but brings to bear an astonishing array of color—and at any volume. The Swell division features strings at 16′, 8′, and 4′, the Great includes three 8′ Open Diapasons (as the 8′ Dulciana is of Willis disposition, essentially serving as a Third Open), and even the 8′ Clarinet and 16′ English Horn of the Enclosed Great work beautifully in chorus roles. The Pedal 32′ Contra Trombone is both full-length and fully enclosed, allowing it to tastefully reinforce the final chord of a Gloria at Evensong, but can also thunder at full voice at the end of a closing voluntary.

The organ accompanies splendidly but is no retiring wallflower; in addition to the 8′ Cornopean in the Swell, there is also an 8′ Trompette Harmonique that gives white-hot fire to French literature and allows for powerful text-painting in hymns. The splendid Solo Tuba Mirabilis becomes the Ophicleide 16′ in the Pedal, ensuring that there is never a lack of foundation. The Pedal Trombone is playable on the Great as Trombas 16′, 8′, and 4′, all under very effective expression. There are seven 16′ ranks in the manuals alone. The 16′ First Open Diapason in the Pedal lies on its side beneath the rose window, and to quote Fred Bahr, it “owns the real estate.” Even full organ becomes noticeably fuller and more grounded when the Pedal First Open is added! The sound of full organ fills every corner of the room; even in the back pew, one’s entire body senses the pervading warmth and embrace of the organ.

Opus 48 has fundamentally changed how we are able to worship at Saint George’s. I could never adequately express my gratitude for the genius, skill, and love of John-Paul Buzard, Fred Bahr, Felix Franken, Shane Rhoades, Scott Riedel, and Clay Jackson, among many others.

We are happy to welcome any visitors to come play this glorious instrument; please don’t hesitate to be in touch when you are next in Nashville!

—Gerry Senechal

 

Builder’s website: buzardorgans.com

Church website: www.stgeorgesnashville.org

Photo credit: John-Paul Buzard, except as noted otherwise

MANUAL I – Coupling Manual

GREAT – Manual II

* Enclosed stops

Enclosed Great couples to Manual I at all pitches.

16′ Double Open Diapason (polished tin in façade towers)

16′ Double Dulciana (polished tin in nave-facing façade flats)

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (wood) *

8′ Open Diapason No. 1 (polished tin in façade)

8′ Open Diapason No. 2 (polished tin in façade)

8′ Dulciana (polished tin in façade) 

8′ Bourdon *

8′ Gedeckt Flute (ext Lieblich 16′) *

8′ Flûte Harmonique *

8′ Viola da Gamba *

8′ Viola Celeste (CC) *

4′ Principal

4′ Open Flute *

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth *

2′ Fifteenth

2′ Flauto *

1-3⁄5′ Seventeenth *

1-1⁄3′ Larigot *

1′ Twenty-second *

2′ Fourniture V

1′ Sharp Mixture III *

16′ English Horn *

8′ Trumpet *

8′ Clarinet *

Tremulant *

Tremulant

Cymbalstern

16′ Trombone (Pedal)

8′ Tromba (ext, Pedal)

4′ Tromba Clarion (ext, Pedal)

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)

8′ Festival Trumpets (horizontal, copper) (preparation)

SWELL – Manual III – Enclosed  

16′ Violone (Haskelled)

8′ English Open Diapason

8′ Flauto Traverso (open and harmonic length)

8′ Stopped Diapason (wood and metal)

8′ Salicional

8′ Voix Celeste (CC)

4′ Principal

4′ Harmonic Flute

4′ Violina (ext 16′ Violone)

2-2⁄3′ Nazard

2′ Fifteenth

1-3⁄5′ Tierce

2-2⁄3′ Grave Mixture II

1′ Plein Jeu III

16′ Bassoon (full length)

8′ Trompette Harmonique (Haskelled basses, harmonic at C 25)

8′ Cornopean (English construction)

8′ Oboe (English style, scrolls and lift-lids)

8′ Vox Humana

4′ Clarion (ext 16′ Bassoon)

Tremulant

16′ Trombone (Pedal)

8′ Tromba (ext, Pedal)

4′ Tromba Clarion (ext, Pedal)

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)

8′ Festival Trumpets (Great, prep)

SOLO – Manual IV – Enclosed  

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Great)

8′ Grand Open Diapason (double mouths in treble)

8′ Claribel Flute (wood and metal)

8′ Gedeckt Flute (Great)

8′ Viola Pomposa (inverted taper, E. M. Skinner style)

8′ Viola Celeste (CC)

8′ Flûte Cœlestis II (double pipes, single bodies)

8′ Corno di Bassetto (prepared)

8′ Orchestral Oboe (prepared)

8′ Flügel Horn (prepared)

8′ French Horn (prep, high pressure)

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (high pressure)

Tremulant

16′ Trombone (Pedal)

8′ Tromba (ext, Pedal)

4′ Tromba Clarion (ext, Pedal)

8′ Festival Trumpets (Great, prep)

PEDAL

Partially enclosed; in façade and their respective divisions’ boxes

32′ Double Open Diapason (Walker Digital)

32′ Subbass (Walker Digital)

32′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Walker Digital)

32′ Contra Violone (Walker Digital)

16′ Open Diapason No. 1 (wood, large scale)

16′ Open Diapason No. 2 (polished tin, in façade towers) (Great)

16′ Dulciana (Great)

16′ Bourdon (wood)

16′ Violone (Swell)

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Great)

8′ Principal (polished tin in façade)

8′ Bass Flute (ext 16′ Bourdon)

8′ Gedeckt Flute (Great)

8′ Salicional (Swell)

8′ Dulcet (Great)

4′ Choral Bass (ext Principal 8′)

4′ Open Flute (ext Bass Flute 8′)

4′ Claribel Flute (Solo)

32′ Contra Trombone (wood and metal, in Great box)

16′ Ophicleide (Solo)

16 Trombone (ext 32′, in Great box)

16 Bassoon (Swell)

16 English Horn (Great)

8 Tromba (ext Trombone 16′)

8 Trumpet

4 Tromba Clarion (ext Trombone 16′)

8 Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)

8 Festival Trumpets (Great, prep)

4 Festival Clarions (Great, prep)

ANTIPHONAL – Floating Enclosed in gallery (prepared) 

ANTIPHONAL PEDAL Enclosed (prepared)

(The tonal personality of the Antiphonal is currently under discussion. Ten stops are prepared for, and blank drawknobs have been provided for the speaking stops and couplers.)

Couplers as drawknobs in their respective divisions:

Great to Great 16

Great Unison Off

Great to Great 4

Swell to Swell 16

Swell Unison Off

Swell to Swell 4

Great to Great 16  *

Great Unison Off *

Great to Great 4 *

Solo to Solo 16

Solo Unison Off

Solo to Solo 4

Couplers as tilting tablets, centered in the nameboard, from left to right:

Great to Pedal 8

Great to Pedal 8 *

Swell to Pedal 8

Solo to Pedal 8

Great to Pedal 4

Great to Pedal 4 *

Swell to Pedal 4

Solo to Pedal 4

Swell to Great 8

Solo to Great 8

Solo to Swell 8

Great to Man I 8 *

Swell to Man I 8

Solo to Man I 8

Swell to Great 16

Swell to Great 4

Solo to Great 16

Solo to Great 4

Great to Man I 16 *

Great to Man I 4 *

Swell to Man I 16

Swell to Man I 4

* Couplers for Enclosed Great

Divisional Pistons to Pedal Stops (This tab allows divisional pistons to also operate Pedal stops)

Great as Choir 8. This coupler would transfer the Enclosed Great to Manual I and leave it there to act like a Choir division.  It would also turn on the Great Unison Off coupler in the stop jamb so the Enclosed Great does not play on the Great keyboard, creating the semblance of a straight four-manual organ.

Couplers as drawknobs with Antiphonal Speaking Stops

Antiphonal on Man I

Antiphonal on Great

Antiphonal on Swell

Antiphonal on Solo

Antiphonal on Pedal

Buzard Pipe Organ Builders, Champaign, Illinois; Pilgrim Lutheran Church, Carmel, Indiana, Opus 45, 2017; Central United Methodist Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas, Opus 46, 2018–2019

Opus 45

“What have you done here!?,” asked Todd Wilson as he leapt off the organ bench to greet me the day before Opus 45’s dedication. Hoping this was a friendly question, I asked to what exactly he was referring. “This organ just about plays itself!” Yes, it was a very friendly question and a complimentary one—even better.

What Mr. Wilson was referring to speaks to the heart of our organs’ playing mechanisms. Opus 45 was the first of our new organs in which our proprietary “Pallet Unit Chests” were used alongside our electrically operated slider and pallet windchests. More about this later. 

Pilgrim Lutheran Church’s new long-hoped-for campus became a reality upon sale of their previous facility, the land being needed for a new entrance ramp to I-465. Early during their planning process, the organ committee selected Buzard Pipe Organ Builders for the instrument, and their architect, Jack Munson of Indianapolis, Indiana, asked us for dimensional and acoustical specifications. Imagine my delight and surprise when nearly ten years later Pilgrim Church’s cantor, Sarah Gran-Williams, called to tell me they were “ready for the organ!” And, imagine my further delight to discover Jack Munson had followed all of our recommendations, producing an intimate but lofty room, featuring four seconds of even reverberation, a nearly silent HVAC system and a perfect space for the organ case, choir, piano, and organ console!

The instrument at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Carmel, Indiana is the 45th new pipe organ built by Buzard Pipe Organ Builders of Champaign, Illinois. It comprises 31 independent speaking stops and 37 ranks of pipes, distributed across two manual keyboards and the pedal keyboard. The instrument is housed in a free-standing case made of poplar, red oak, and walnut measuring 24 feet wide, 12 feet deep, and 35 feet tall. It was designed in concert with the building’s Prairie style architecture; every shape, line, and element of the room’s design is present in the organ case. 

The Great and Pedal divisions are located in the top level of the case. The Swell division is placed in the center above the impost. The lower level contains the winding and mechanical systems and the Pedal 16′ Trombone. The blower and static reservoir are installed in a room located away from the sanctuary. The upper façade comprises polished tin pipes from the Great 8′ Open Diapason; the copper Festival Trumpets bisect the case in its center; the lower façade and two towers feature pipes from the Pedal 16′ Open Diapason beginning at low E (low C through D# are made of wood and lie horizontally behind the case) and the 8′ Pedal Principal.  

We housed the color stops of the Great division in an expression box to provide additional expressive quality and accompanimental flexibility to this two-manual organ. Throughout our history we have tried to be “Traditional Visionaries” in situations in which space or financial resources were limited, resulting in subdivided Swell and Great divisions. This technique, originally utilized to overcome limitations, is becoming more a hallmark of our tonal style, in which equal emphasis is placed upon musical rendering of solo literature, accompanying, and congregational singing.

Buzard organs are custom designed, scaled, and voiced for each individual congregation’s musical tradition and acoustical environment. This means they differ one from another in execution, but an unmistakable musical thread runs through every Buzard pipe organ. The stop names are consistent from organ to organ, but the scaling and voicing of each is entirely determined by the specific circumstances that impact the creation.  In this way, Buzard organs are works of functional art, designed and crafted to each and every client’s identity, while at the same time demonstrating a consistent personality of tone quality and artistic style.

This instrument honors its Lutheran patrimony by a slightly brighter outlook in the Principal choruses, inclusion of a German Romantic Clarinet and Oboe, and the slightly lighter 16′ Pedal registers. But it is a Buzard organ through and through in the enveloping warmth and majesty of Full Organ, its delicacy and sensitivity of tone in softer registrations, and its thrilling Swell reed battery. It has been called “a cathedral organ in a parish church.”

Back to Mr. Wilson’s observation of the playing actions. Buzard organs use electrically operated slider and pallet windchests to eliminate leather, providing an action that encourages sophisticated tonal results and stable tuning. Beginning with Opus 45, our organs’ unit stops (stops which play in multiple locations or at multiple pitches) and Pedal stops are played on actions identical to the slider chests—but without the slider stop actions. Our “Pallet Unit Chests” provide a key-channel expansion chamber for the wind for every pipe, just as the main slider chests, and they utilize identical magnets as the slider chests to open the unit chests’ pallets, giving the unit stops the exact same speech and repetition characteristics as the main slider chests. We are pioneers in the development of sensitive and responsive electric key actions. One can truly feel the difference; the musical result is palpable.

Our pipes are made of thick, high tin-content pipe metal (as well as wood and copper) rather than zinc. We support them in felt-lined traces and European racking systems that prevent the pipes from collapsing and further firms the tone produced. Additional support for the large façade pipes is provided by lining the interior of the feet with copper.  Although far more expensive than the metal zinc, we believe traditional tin-rich pipe-metal produces better tone and is more in keeping with the permanent nature of a pipe organ investment.

We regulate our wind supply using single-rise reservoirs, schwimmer regulators, and concussion bellows to deliver a copious and steady wind supply, with a fine degree of flexibility. Our Tremulant actions send an adjustable timed-pulse to electric solenoids under the schwimmers, which both push and pull on the schwimmer plate to provide a perfect sine wave much like the human voice singing with “vibrato.” These actions are absolutely silent in their operation and extremely effective in both flue and reed stops.

Expression shutters are made of 2-inch-thick poplar, laminated to prevent warpage during seasonal changes, with heavily felted sound traps. Our expression boxes’ walls and ceilings are made of 1-inch MDF (the equivalent of 2 inches of solid hardwood) with 1½-inch-thick poplar stiles and rails, to produce an extremely effective swell expression. The shutters are moved by adjustable electric servo-motors.

Buzard organ consoles are intuitive in their layout and solidly built to last for generations. Their proprietary ergonomics of manual-to-pedal alignment allow for many playing hours without fatigue. The logical layout of drawknobs and couplers, toe-studs and expression pedals, encourages both technical accuracy and musical playing. Keyboards are plated in thick bone and ebony; the cabinets are made of 1½-inch-thick hardwoods.

We build all of our organs in sound reflective and protective cases, even when the organs are installed in chambers, as you will see we did in the second organ featured in this article for our Opus 46 organ at Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. We do this to provide excellent projection of sound into the room especially when chambers are located off the axis of the room (as in Opus 46) and to protect the organ from severe temperature fluctuations and potential building failure such as leaking roofs.

Cantor Sarah Gran-Williams said it best: “Buzard Organs sing, and they help us sing!” And, as Todd Wilson said: “This organ just about plays itself!”

Opus 46

In our Opus 46 organ at Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas, we were given the wonderful opportunity to explore the nature of what a third manual keyboard could be, in light of our practice of enclosing a substantial portion of the Great. More than half of the Great is enclosed in an independent expression box with its own slider windchest. This allows the Enclosed Great to couple to any location we want and at any pitch. The Enclosed Great includes a flute chorus, a string, and four colorful reeds, so it can function like the unison basis of a Choir division. Additionally, by modifying and adding to the inhabitants of the Swell division’s Principal chorus, the Swell can serve as a Positiv division in the context of the classic secondary foil to the Great Diapason Chorus—as well as the enclosed powerhouse of the organ.  

Therefore, with an enclosed portion of the Great, and suitable treatment of the Swell, we were free to consider a different way to approach the third manual division. This Solo division is loaded with tone colors at both higher and lower volume levels than the Great or Swell, so it can be a material contributor on the pianissimo and fortissimo ends of a seamless crescendo/diminuendo. When approached with this idea, organist Scott Montgomery embraced this vision—our next logical step in the evolution of the “Buzard Sound” and contemporary American organbuilding. Because the Enclosed Great and the Swell can move everywhere independently, Scott began to dream and consider the manifold uses to which such a tonal scheme could be used. Accompanying receives the first consideration of importance, because the rich choral program under Dr. Frode Gundersen’s direction regularly performs literature from literally every tradition. The organ can accompany the entire body of choral literature, and it can support hymnody and musically render just about any piece ever written for the organ. This is our goal. You can accompany Stanford and then play Vierne successfully; you can play Sweelinck for the opening voluntary and Sumsion for the closing voluntary, each with the effects the composer intended. And, because the instrument speaks clearly to the listeners in the nave—even though installed in off-axis chambers—the entire organ has an uncanny single voice, no matter how soft or loud it is registered.

In addition to exercising our evolving tonal style, Tonal Director Brian Davis and Production Director and Chief Engineer Charles Eames overcame what had seemed an impossible off-axis installation situation. Special scaling and voicing techniques, the addition of reflective panels above the pipes in the chambers, siting the divisions strategically for their best projection, constructing the organ in solid cases within the building’s chambers, utilizing slightly higher wind pressures and other techniques—and the tremendous improvement in the church’s acoustics provided by a comprehensive sanctuary renovation project—gave the organ the best chance of success.  

When Scott Montgomery heard the organ’s first sounds as the organ came to life, all his fears concerning the off-axis installation were dispelled. He knew this would be a very special and important organ in the American lexicon. We rise to challenges and consider them opportunities to learn and improve. We’d love for you to visit this organ! Just call ahead!

—John-Paul Buzard, Founder, President, and Artistic Director, Buzard Pipe Organ Builders

Builder’s website: buzardorgans.com/

Pilgrim Lutheran Church: pilgrimindy.org/

Central United Methodist Church: centraltolife.com/

Photo credit: John-Paul Buzard

 

Opus 45, Pilgrim Lutheran Church, Carmel, Indiana

31 independent speaking stops, 37 ranks

GREAT – 3½″ wind

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (wood)

8′ Open Diapason (façade)

8′ Flûte à Bibéron 

8′ Gedeckt Flute (ext 16′ Gedeckt)

8′ Viola da Gamba

4′ Principal

4′ Spire Flute 

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth

2′ Fifteenth

1-1⁄3′ Fourniture IV

16′ English Horn

8′ Minor Trumpet (ext Sw 16′ Bassoon)

8′ Clarinet

Tremulant

Cymbalstern (14 bells)

8′ Festival Trumpets (copper, chamade)

SWELL (expressive) – 3¾″ wind

8′ Open Diapason

8′ Stopped Diapason (wood)

8′ Salicional

8′ Voix Celeste (TC)

4′ Principal

4′ Harmonic Flute (round mouths)

2-2⁄3′ Nazard 

2′ Octavin (harmonic)

1-3⁄5′ Tierce

2-2⁄3′ Grave Mixture II

1′ Plein Jeu III

16′ Bassoon

8′ Trompette

8′ Oboe

4′ Clarion (ext 16′ Bassoon)

Tremulant

8′ Festival Trumpets (Gt)

PEDAL - various pressures

16′ Open Diapason (wood and façade)

16′ Bourdon (wood)

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Gt)

8′ Principal (façade)

8′ Bass Flute (ext 16′ Bourdon)

8′ Gedeckt Flute (Gt)

4′ Choral Bass (ext 8′ Principal)

4′ Open Flute (ext 16′ Bourdon)

16′ Trombone (wood)

16′ Bassoon (Sw)

8′ Trumpet 

4′ Clarion (ext Sw 16′)

8′ Festival Trumpets (Gt)

 

Opus 46, Central United Methodist Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas

43 independent speaking stops, 49 ranks 

GREAT – 5″ wind

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt

8′ Open Diapason (façade)

8′ Flûte à Bibéron

8′ Gedeckt Flute (ext 16′)

8′ Viola da Gamba

4′ Principal

4′ Spire Flute

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth

2′ Fifteenth

1-1⁄3′ Mixture IV

16′ English Horn

8′ Trumpet

8′ Clarinet

8′ Vox Humana

Tremulant

Tremulant

Cymbalstern (Walker)

Chimes (Walker)

8′ Tromba (Ped 16′ Trombone)

4′ Tromba Clarion (ext 8′ Tromba)

8′ Major Tuba (Solo)

SWELL (expressive) – 6″ wind

8′ English Open Diapason

8′ Stopped Diapason

8′ Salicional

8′ Voix Celeste (CC)

4′ Principal

4′ Harmonic Flute

2-2⁄3′ Nazard

2′ Doublette

2′ Octavin (harmonic)

1-3⁄5′ Tierce

2-2⁄3′ Grave Mixture II

  1′ Plein Jeu III

16′ Bassoon

8′ Trompette

8′ Oboe

4′ Clarion

Tremulant

8′ Tromba

8′ Major Tuba (Solo)

SOLO (expressive) – 7″ wind

8′ Grand Open Diapason (double mouths)

8′ Harmonic Flute

8′ Viola da Gamba (E. M. Skinner style)

8′ Gamba Celeste (CC) (E. M. Skinner style)

8′ Flûte Cœlestis (double mouth, wood)

4′ Principal Forte

4′ Flûte

Tremulant

8′ Major Tuba (15″ wind pressure)

8′ Harp (Walker)

4′ Celesta (Walker)

8′ Chimes (Walker)

PEDAL – 5″ wind 

32′ Double Open Diapason (Walker)

32′ Subbass (Walker)

32′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Walker)

16′ Open Diapason (Walker)

16′ Bourdon

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Gt)

8′ Principal (façade)

8′ Bourdon (ext 16′)

8′ Gedeckt Flute (Gt)

8′ Spire Flute

4′ Choral Bass (ext 8′ Principal)

4′ Open Flute (ext 8′ Bourdon)

32′ Contra Trombone (Walker)

16′ Trombone (7″ wind)

16′ Bassoon (Sw)

8′ Tromba (ext 16′ Trombone)

8′ Trumpet

4′ Clarion (ext 16′ Trombone)

8′ Major Tuba (Solo)

8′ Chimes (Walker)

Photo: Opus 46, Central United Methodist Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas

A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company, Lithonia, Georgia; Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Fort Pierce, Florida

As I contemplated writing this article about the new pipe organ for Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Fort Pierce, Florida, many things came to mind, several of them cathartic and all of them personally important. Fort Pierce is a location where, as they say, I have “roots.” I was born in the Fort Pierce area in 1967, and was baptized at the First United Methodist Church. In the ensuing years, my family would continue to come back to this community to visit, to rest, and for recreation. It was an important enough location to me that when I got married in the early 1990s, I brought my young wife to one of the barrier islands near Fort Pierce for our honeymoon. This area was special to me, and I wanted to share it.

Moving forward to 2022 and a country still in the grip of Covid, I am glad that, in light of the pandemic, the building of this instrument occurred at a time and place that is familiar, and that I was working for a congregation and clergy that are some of the finest people on this planet. One cannot have endured the last couple of years without considering the pandemic and its effects on the world, our houses of worship, and on many of us personally. This church and its people buoyed us. They have offered unyielding prayer, support, and an unbridled excitement for the completion of this project.

The commission to build this instrument started out in a world that was Covid-free. By the time we were taking out the old organ, we were in masks, with travel and work restrictions and navigating a brave new world. In the meantime, we continued our work with a myriad of social, business, and personal interaction changes.

Along with the personal challenges (and losses) that have been endured, we also have had to deal with supply chain and vendor issues. There have been several suppliers and major vendors that were not able to weather this disruptive period and ceased operations. We have been fortunate with our depth of resources, the excellence of our staff, and full order books, that we have been able to navigate this period in a way that not all have been able to do. This is and has been a very real blessing. As I write this, I am hoping that we are in the waning period of the pandemic, but we are still in masks, and there are still many in the hospital from this malady.

How it started

When we were approached to evaluate the original organ at Saint Andrew’s, we arrived to find an instrument that was in a failing condition. We made a detailed study of the entire instrument with its mechanical condition, scaling, and tonality, balanced with the church’s musical needs. We also looked at the organ layout, the chamber spaces, and the acoustics.

The former organ was an electric-action, open-toe instrument that was built in the late 1970s. The organ did have some nice moments and some good materials, but, as a whole, with its stoplist and tonal design, it was not well suited to support the choral and congregational needs of this Episcopal church. In its later years, the organ had been damaged in a hurricane and endured some unfortunate attempts by others to repair, augment, and change it. The organ had a number of older relay components along with a console that had been rebuilt by others with a used solid-state combination system of various ages of materials. Its condition had been further exacerbated by lightning strikes to its systems. The console and relays were not reliable and could not be made so without heroic work that simply could not be justified.

The layout of the original instrument caused multiple tuning and tonal issues. This was due to a Choir division that was double stacked with the main air return of the church in front of this division, the Great division located four feet above the choir loft floor, directly behind the choristers and below a stained-glass window, and the Swell division in a freestanding box in an organ chamber fronted with a fabric grille. All of this conspired to create major tuning issues inter- and intra-divisionally, as well as a lack of tonal focus.

Our plan

We proposed to work with a clean sheet in design that would fully support worship along with a new façade and case to provide visual enhancements to the chancel. With the proximity of the church to the coastline, we chose a façade design that was evocative of the billowed boat sails that one sees in the waters around the church. The center of the case includes quatrefoils and moulding details found in the stained-glass windows from the original church building. The center case features an open top to allow the central window to be seen with minimal occlusion. The façade pipes are built of polished aluminum and include 16′ and 8′ bass pipes of the Pedal and Great divisions.

The design of the new organ moved the divisions and the return ducts, placed a roof over the center division to mitigate the effects of the central stained-glass window, and generally has placed the pipework on a similar thermocline. There are openings behind the façade pipes to allow a free exchange of heat and air to the chamber spaces.

The church and its contractor must be commended for their revisioning of the chancel and renovation of the worship center of the church. Notably, this included the removal of carpet and the installation of marble in the altar area. The choir area was finished with custom tile and individual chairs replacing fixed pews. Not only is the area more functional, it is visually beautiful and aurally supportive to the organ and the choir. This church acoustic gives back to the listener, and it has gotten even better.

The new stoplist was envisioned first and foremost to support the musical needs of this church and its English choral tradition. There has always been a hope to use the music ministry for community outreach, so while focused on the choral and congregational worship needs of the organ, the stoplist is purposely eclectic in design, allowing it to support many different schools of organ and choral music.

As we designed the new organ, we did look at some of the existing pipes. The pipework contained in the old organ was generally of high quality with low cut-ups and an absence of nicks and other voicing techniques that were permanent to the pipes. It was, in a way, raw media waiting to be voiced. As a company, we have never shied away from evaluation of extant pipework for consideration. Equally important is that one should never—I emphasize, never—design an organ around the pipes that are present with this being the only consideration. It was clear to us that some of the pipework, for purposes of stewardship, could and should be considered for reuse as long as it did not compromise the overall tonal design. It was also clear that some pipework would not, and indeed should not, find a home in the new instrument. Our approach was to design the specification and scaling that should be at the church, and only then did we look afresh at the existing pipework to see if it could be recast. The pipes that were reused were revoiced, rescaled, and/or repitched for their new role. Many of these allowed the fiduciary luxury of additional pedal resources and mutations.

The specification is designed around a Great division with a well-developed, leading principal chorus. The design includes a second 8′ Geigen Principal to allow a differing root structure in the chorus or doubling of the 8′ pitch line. The flutes are designed to fold hand in glove with the chorus while maintaining an individual identity and voice for melodic solo lines. The reeds of the Choir-Positiv and Swell are duplexed to the Great.

The Great division is located at the cantilevered façade level of the organ case, which allows the sound to bloom forward of the choir. To help focus the Great division, the Bourdon chest and upper walkboard act as a canopy above the Great to project this division.

The Choir-Positiv division sits in the former central location of the old Great division, and was conceived as a diminutive, dual-natured division. Its design supports text painting under the choir while also supporting the literature bias of an unenclosed Positiv division. With a secondary principal chorus rooted with the 8′ Holzgedeckt and 8′ Erzahler, it acts as a counter chorus voice to the Great and Swell divisions. The 2′ Schweigel and 1-1⁄3′ Quint allow the chorus to have “mixture texture” that is unweighted and some of the first upperwork available in building the organ to its full voice.

The 8′ Erzahler was chosen because it allows a voice that is at one time a diminutive string while at another time a soft accompanimental voice that can be broadened with the 8′ flute line. It is given an 8′ celeste of similar scale and construction, and becomes one of the voices in the ether of the church acoustics.

The flutes of the Choir-Positiv include the 8′ Holzgedeckt and 4′ Gedeckt-Pommer that are voiced to retain a degree of chiff and puckishness while still folding in with their string and principal neighbors. The Choir-Positiv mutations and 2′ Schweigel are stops that walk the line between principal and flute. As hybrid voices, the 2-2⁄3′ Nasat, 2′ Schweigel, 1-3⁄5′ Terz, and 1-1⁄3′ Quint allow for a great deal of color, building of multiple solo stops, and upperwork support for chorus registers.

The color reed in the Choir-Positiv is an 8′ Cromorne with parallel shallots and lift lids. It supports a generous vowel cavity that allows it to be a chameleon stop: it can be a piquant solo voice that easily is broadened into the woodwind timbre of a Clarinet when compounded with the Holzgedeckt or drawn into the Great as a weightless ensemble reed to add color and complexity to the principal chorus.

The Swell division is designed with a secondary principal chorus that is harmonically rich and complements the leading voices of the Great. The Swell Mixture III is pitched at 2′ to allow for the logical completion of its principal chorus. As a lower-pitch enclosed mixture, it is the first mixture that can be drawn in building a seamless crescendo. As with the Choir-Positiv, the Swell was designed with a flute chorus of differing voices that allows color and a multiplicity of compound registers.

The Swell reeds have English shallots and are unified to develop the 16′-8′-8′-4′ reed chorus. For the desired color and tuning stability, all of the reeds are on an individual winding system to allow higher pressures and tremolos separate from the flue voices.

The Pedal division is grounded with an independent 16′-8′-4′ principal chorus and independent and duplex flute registers at multiple pitches. The Pedal reed is an independent 16′ Posaune that can be combined with the duplex registers of the Swell and Choir-Positiv reeds.

To provide 32′ weight in the Pedal we included the discrete use of some custom digital voices to allow for this pitch register where there was not space to accommodate the pipes. With the “genie out of the bottle” we opted to also include the color of several additional companion strings and celestes along with the ubiquitous 8′ Vox Humana to allow the building of a string organ within the Swell division. Please note that we have allowed the physical space in the Swell chamber for these pipe additions, minimizing the compromise.

The 8′ Festival Trumpet is one of several stops gifted from the Schlueter family to the church. This particular stop is given in honor of my wife, Stephanie Schlueter, whom I brought to Florida for our honeymoon so many years ago and who has personally supported me in the building of instruments for over thirty years. It is located in the Choir-Positiv expression box and includes console controls to allow it to independently float to all manual divisions and the Pedal. Being enclosed in the box provides for wide dynamic control that allows this reed to be used as an ensemble voice with the expression box closed. It is my hope that this signature stop is used often in the coming years to support weddings and festive occasions with church worship.

Much of the emotive quality of an instrument is not only the quality of the voices but also how they project from the organ chamber and their reaction to enclosure in an expression box. The expression boxes were carefully designed to be as sonically transparent as possible when open and to fully contain the divisions when closed. We also functionally use the expression shades to direct sound when they are open. In the Choir-Positiv we used horizontal expression shades on the front and on top of the expression box to direct the pipe speech up and forward of the choristers and, importantly, out to the congregation. In a like but disparate fashion, the Swell division with its off-axis location was designed with a very large two-story shade front that opens bi-directionally. This evenly focuses the voices of the Swell to the choir and congregation along the center core of the church.

The windchests on the organ are electro-pneumatic slider and electro-pneumatic unit action. The winding system is our normal combination of spring and weighted reservoirs with independent concussion bellows on the windchests. This church’s generous acoustic allowed us to use moderate wind pressures on the organ ranging from 2½ to 4 inches.

To control the instrument, we built a three-manual console with terraced drawknobs. It was constructed of sapele mahogany with drawknobs custom turned from African blackwood. With its low profile, it allows excellent sightlines to the choristers, and the inbuilt castors permit it to be moved as needed. For a control system, the console features the Syndyne 8400 system, which supports a large number of functions.

As I started this article, I mentioned that building this instrument was a cathartic exercise. One year prior to this, I was at Saint Simons Island Presbyterian Church finishing an instrument and received the imposition of ashes on my forehead for Ash Wednesday. At that time, I was still recovering from a bout of Covid that saw me hospitalized just prior to that installation. I was well reminded about my mortality. One year later, I was in Fort Pierce working on the completion of this instrument—again, on Ash Wednesday. When one is an organ builder, it is invariable that the church becomes the worksite. It was therefore my good fortune to have an opportunity for worship where I entered the church as a congregant. I was able to sit contemplatively in the church and see an image of Christ in the center window framed and focused by the new organ façade. I heard the music of the church. I heard the recitations of the members of the church mixed with my own voice. Again, I received the imposition of ashes on my forehead from a congregation that has adopted me as their own. This was followed by the communion and the bounty of grace it represents. On this day the instrument’s voice began to come alive to support the worship of this ministry. As pipe organ builders, the work that all of us do is to design and build instruments that will outlive us as they support worship and praise in the church. On this particular Ash Wednesday, it was personally brought home to me how welcome it is to see the sign of the Cross on my forehead and realize how truly fortunate I am as a father, husband, organ builder, and a Christian.

As always there are too many people to thank with a project like this one. First and foremost I would like to thank the Reverend Canon Ellis E. Brust, rector; Mr. Peter Charles and Mr. Andrew Hemmer, senior wardens; Mrs. Karen Kozac and Mr. Chris Kasten, organ committee chairs; Mr. Larry Clancey and Mr. Richard Stable, treasurers; Dr. Jerry Davidson, organist/choir director; and Kirk Carlson, general contractor.

I would also like to extend a thank you to our staff: Arthur E. Schlueter, Jr., Arthur E. Schlueter III, John Tanner, Marc Conley, Patrick Hodges, Jeremiah Hodges, Marshall Foxworthy, Peter Duys, Kerry Bunn, Shan Dalton-Bowen, Michael DeSimone, Al Schroer, Dallas Wood, Josse Davis, Bob Weaver, Preston Wilson, Clifton Frierson, Kelvin Cheatham, Ruth Lopez, Elio Lopez, Chad Sartin, Sara Cruz, Ruth Gomez, Yolanda Sandoval, Kymoni Colbourne, Juan Hardin, Demitrius Hardin, Rico Hardin, and Angie Lindsey.

Visit www.pipe-organ.com for more information or to contact A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company.

—Arthur E. Schlueter III, Visual and Tonal Direction, A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Co.

 

GREAT (manual II)

16′ Sub Principal (1–12 Ped 16′ Sub Princ, 13–61 Gt 8′ Geigen Princ)

8′ Principal 61 pipes

8′ Geigen Principal 49 pipes (1–12 Ped 8′ Octave)

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Hohlflöte 61 pipes

2′ Super Octave 61 pipes

V Cornet TC*

1-1⁄3′ Mixture IV 244 pipes

16′ Contra Oboe (Sw)

8′ Trumpet (Sw)

8′ Oboe (Sw)

8′ Cromorne (Ch)

CHOIR-POSITIV (manual I, enclosed)

8′ Holzgedeckt 61 pipes

8′ Erzahler 61 pipes

8′ Erzahler Celeste (TC) 49 pipes

8′ Schwebung II*

4′ Prinzipal 61 pipes

4′ Gedeckt Pommer 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nasat (from G1) 54 pipes

2′ Schweigel 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Terz (from G1) 54 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Quint 61 pipes

8′ Cromorne 61 pipes

Tremolo

Zimbelstern (multiple bells)

Chimes

SWELL (manual III, enclosed)

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt 12 pipes (ext 8′ Rohr Flute)

16′ Flauto Dolce*

8′ Viola Pomposa 61 pipes

8′ Viola Celeste II 49 pipes (draws Viola Pomposa)

8′ Muted Violes II*

8′ Aeoline Celeste II*

8′ Rohr Flute 61 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Spindle Flute 61 pipes

4′ Unda Maris II*

2-2⁄3′ Nazard (TC) 49 pipes

2′ Flageolet (ext 8′ Rohr Fl) 24 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce (TC) 49 pipes

2′ Mixture III 183 pipes

16′ Contra Oboe (TC, from 8′)

8′ Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Oboe 61 pipes

4′ Oboe (ext 8′ Oboe) 12 pipes

8′ Vox Humana*

Tremolo (Vox)

Tremolo (Main)

FANFARE (floating division)

16′ Festival Trumpet (TC) 49 notes

8′ Festival Trumpet 61 pipes

4′ Festival Trumpet 49 notes

Fanfare On Pedal

Fanfare On Great

Fanfare On Swell

Fanfare Off Choir-Positiv

PEDAL

32′ Untersatz*

16′ Sub Principal 32 pipes

16′ Bourdon 32 pipes

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Sw)

8′ Octave 32 pipes

8′ Bourdon 32 pipes

8′ Gedeckt (Sw)

4′ Choral Bass (Gt)

4′ Gedeckt (Sw)

2′ Gedeckt (Sw)

32′ Bombarde*

16′ Posaune 32 pipes

8′ Trumpet (Sw)

4′ Oboe Clarion (Sw)

* Digital stop/prepared for pipe additions

Couplers

Great to Pedal 8

Great to Pedal 4

Swell to Pedal 8

Swell to Pedal 4

Choir-Positiv to Pedal 8

Choir-Positiv to Pedal 4

Swell to Great 16

Swell to Great 8

Swell to Great 4

Choir-Positiv to Great 16

Choir-Positiv to Great 8

Choir-Positiv to Great 4

Choir-Positiv to Choir-Positiv 16

Choir-Positiv Unison Off

Choir-Positiv to Choir-Positiv 4

Swell to Choir-Positiv 16

Swell to Choir-Positiv 8

Swell to Choir-Positiv 4

Swell to Swell 16

Swell Unison Off

Swell to Swell 4

MIDI (as preset stops)

MIDI on Pedal

MIDI on Great

MIDI on Swell

MIDI on Choir-Positiv

60 stops, 38 ranks, 2,147 pipes

Builder’s website: www.pipe-organ.com

Church’s website: www.mystandrews.org/

 

Cover photo: Arthur E. Schlueter III; article photos contributed by the Reverend Canon Ellis E. Brust and the staff of A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company

A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Co., Lithonia, Georgia; St. Simons Island Presbyterian Church, St. Simons Island, Georgia

Arthur E. Schlueter, III, Visual and Tonal Direction, A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Co.

St. Simons Island is a coastal community with roots that include coastal Indian tribes, the Spanish occupation, pre-Revolutionary War America as part of the original American colonies, and John and Charles Wesley preaching on this island under the majestic oak trees. In more recent years it has developed into a coastal retreat that is known colloquially as part of the Golden Isles. As a point of reference, this part of Georgia has been a place of retreat and reflection for the Schlueter family for years.

It is in this setting that our work with St. Simons Island Presbyterian Church began several years ago. The original organ, built in 1984, was a modest 23 ranks in size divided up into a three-manual specification. It was prepared for a number of additions that had not been completed. Unfortunately, the environment of an island location can prove difficult on mechanical systems, and the console was failing. With its condition and reliability in question, the church sent out a query about replacing it with a new console and replacement of its electrical system and relays.

As we met with the church about the organ, we discussed their current needs as well as future plans and aspirations. Central to their planning was a major architectural change and enlargement of the church. While this would possibly be years in the offing, we knew that future needs had to be framed into our design of a replacement console.

We built a three-manual terraced console that would be able to control the then-present specification but also would be prepared for a new future instrument and enhanced specification. Its low profile allowed an easy sightline to the choir and congregation, which the former console never had, and portability with inbuilt castors. The console was built of mahogany with oblique drawknobs turned out of African blackwood. The control system we used allowed us to support the former specification, and could easily be programmed to support a larger and differing specification in the future.

It would be several years between the installation of the new console and the rebuilding of the church, but with the passage of time this became a reality. Our staff worked with the church architect to redesign the center organ space for a larger, more complete instrument.

When the church moved forward to renovate and enlarge their sanctuary, the future plans that we considered when the new console was built proved fruitful as a guide to the design of the new organ in its specification and space requirements.

The design of the new church sanctuary sought to use the basic shell and core of the church while providing a much more expansive chancel and wider transepts. This was achieved with additional seating while keeping a worship space that feels intimate.

The former instrument did not have any visible pipes and was behind a grille. Early on it was decided that there would be a visual element in the new organ with the inclusion of speaking façade pipes.

The visual design of the organ was two-fold; the lower portion of the organ case was to act as a rear wall to focus the choir, the upper portion of the case has a cantilever that not only breaks up the flat planes of the organ case but allows us a slight shelf to sonically project the organ forward of the choir, clergy, and cele-brants. The people in the chancel can hear the organ, but importantly do not have to take the brunt of the organ during large congregational registrations.

The ceiling height in the church did not allow for 16′ pipes. We designed the pipes to be overlength and back-slotted to give the 8′ Principal and 8′ Octave more loft than the façade otherwise would have had. The organ case pipes are built of polished aluminum and follow the fall of the ceiling. The varying-length toes of the façade pipes provide a gentle reinforcement to the other arcs in the sanctuary. The polished pipes do not act like mirrors; rather, they take on and subtly reinforce the natural lighting hues of the church. The end result of design is a pipe façade and case that not only is acoustically functional for the organ but also one that forms an elegant visual backdrop for the suspended cross.

To support tuning stability, the interior layout of the organ was designed to place the majority of the pipework on the same thermocline. The divisions’ orientation has the Swell on the left, the Great in the center with the Choir behind it, and the Pedal on the right. The expression boxes were designed to allow the organist to hear the entire range of degrees of expression through bi-directional use of the expression shades with multiple expression motors. This allows the organist to hear the organ in the same fashion it is heard by the congregant in the pews.

The new specification we designed was to have more tonal resources for choral and congregational accompaniment, more specification weight around an 8′ pitch center, and additional palettes of color. For use with choir and soloist, we envisioned an instrument with a large number of resources under expression. This allows even large registrations to be fully contained when text painting under the choir.

We knew that the church would use the instrument in outreach through public concerts with choir and organ. While the organ is fundamentally designed to support the music needs of the church service, the island that this church sits on supports a population with a rich arts community. In addition to the sacred use of the organ, we sought an enhanced ability to support a wider body of organ repertoire of many different periods and styles.

The new organ incorporates pipes from the previous instrument. This is an important consideration that we give gravity to in all of our work. Consider the gifts required to build an instrument. The generous people who give these gifts should have every hope and wish that their gifts continue to be honored. We cannot say it enough, stewardship is important.

Accordingly, in studying the previous instrument, we found that through divisional shifting of resources, along with revoicing, repitching, and/or rescaling, that much of the pipework could and should be retained. In all about one-third of the resources in the previous organ were able to find a home in the new instrument. The final specification is 38 ranks with resources and colors that eclipse the previous instrument.

The Great division was designed with a well-developed principal chorus with the 8′ and 4′ flute registers as thickening agents. The 4′ Hohlflöte in the Great is a chameleon that can take its place in the ensemble or be very effective as a solo device with the appropriate treble ascendance. The reeds of the Great are duplexed from the Swell. In this acoustic we chose English shallots with their “ah” vowel cavity that proves very friendly in this acoustic. The Swell division features side opening shades into the Great to provide equanimity of speech between the Great chorus and added reeds when used together. The Great has a second 8′ principal (Geigen Principal) that can be added for larger registrations to support robust congregational singing.

An unusual feature in the organ is the number of mutations. As discussed previously, we knew color to be important. The rich 2-2⁄3′, 1-3⁄5′, and 1-1⁄3′ pitches allow the large number of registers differing accents and solo devices with their use. Importantly, the parallel borrows of the 1-1⁄3′ pitches from the 2-2⁄3′ in the Swell and Choir provide the building of “mixture texture” in the Swell and Choir without aggression. The ability to fold in unweighted treble ascendance prior to registering the chorus mixtures allows a more seamless buildup of the organ crescendo.

The strings in the Swell and the Choir individually provide the necessary ether when required and when coupled together and drawing in the 8′ Muted Violes and the 8′ Vox Humana make an effective enclosed string organ. Again, in tipping our hat to a duality in stop design, the scale of the strings in both divisions allows them to act as small anchoring principals to the enclosed division choruses when drawn and thickened with the 8′ flute registers.

The Pedal has several independent registers to support the independent contrapuntal voice. We also provided a number of manual-to-pedal duplexes to provide additional grounding to the pedal. Because of space requirements, we utilized custom digital voices for 1–12 of the 32′ registers and for 1–12 of the 16′ Principal. These digital stops are voiced to seamlessly fold into the pipe resources.

While we did save some pipework, our experience with the organ, guided by the current organ curator, convinced us that a new chassis should be considered. The church sits on an island with extremes of humidity, and there had been seasonal problems with the organ chassis in conjunction with the regular environmental changes. The new chassis included all new electro-pneumatic slider windchests, new unit windchests, a new winding system, new support structure, and new expression boxes and swell shades. The aforementioned console and relays built by our firm were recast for the new specification.

Just as we prepared for growth when we built a new console years ago, there are plans for additional growth. The console has controls for a Fanfare division that will provide additional foundation for congregational support and allow the addition of a solo reed. While not only visually dramatic, the solo reed, when added, will provide the appropriate “sending” for the numerous weddings hosted at this church.

The organ was built and installed during the pandemic. I know that all of us have differing trials that occurred during this period of time. We were fortunate to have such a supportive church to work with along with supportive family and staff. We simply could not have accomplished the building and installation of this instrument without the help of so many. Their thoughts, prayers, and aspirations sustained and supported us. In the midst of the organ installation we were onsite during Ash Wednesday. With the fresh imposition of ashes on our foreheads, we were reminded that we come from dust and to dust we will return. It was comforting to know that as we take our place in history, our work will outlive us and continue to support the ministry, music, and worship at this church.

The members of this community of faith are to be commended for their dedicated and hard work. They sought to both preserve a worship space that was known while recasting it into a fundamentally new church. They diligently worked to provide a space that acoustically supports music and spoken word. In their work they excelled brilliantly. Accordingly, in addition to my family and staff, I want to single out: Rev. Alan Dyer, pastor; Rhonda Hambright, director of music; Amy Bishop, organist; James Freeman, instrument curator; Tom Baltzell, chair, building committee; Matt Hodgdon, building committee; Karen Schmidt, building committee; Robert Ussery, Ussery-Rule Architects; Cory Rule, Ussery-Rule Architects; Joe Combs, project manager, Ussery-Rule Architects; Tracy Morelan, design architect, Ussery-Rule Architects; Dee Davis, decorator; Ryan and Rand Tyson, owners, Tyson Construction Company; Chuck Miller, superintendent, Tyson Construction Company; members and friends of St. Simons Island Presbyterian Church.

The building of any instrument demands the efforts of a talented and dedicated team. Our team includes: Arthur E. Schlueter, Jr., Arthur E. Schlueter, III, John Tanner, Marc Conley, Patrick Hodges, Jeremiah Hodges, Marshall Foxworthy, Peter Duys, Bob Weaver, Kerry Bunn, Al Schroer, Shan Dalton-Bowen, Michael DeSimone, Dallas Wood, Josey Davis, Preston Wilson, Clifton Frierson, Kelvin Cheatham, Ruth Lopez, Sara Cruz, Ruth Gomez, and Yolanda Sandoval.

Visit www.pipe-organ.com for more information or to contact A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company.

Photo credit: Harlan Hambright

GREAT (Manual II)

16′ Pommer (Choir)

8′ Principal 61 pipes

8′ Geigen Principal 49 pipes (1–12 Pedal Principal)

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Hohlflöte 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth (TC) 49 pipes

2′ Super Octave 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Seventeenth (TC) 49 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Mixture III–V 281 pipes

Tremulant

16′ Contra Fagotto (Swell)

8′ Trumpet (Swell)

Chimes (Choir)

Zimbelstern

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed)

16′ Pommer 61 pipes

8′ Holzgedeckt 61 pipes

8′ Erzahler 61 pipes

8′ Erzahler Celeste (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Weit Principal 61 pipes

4′ Gedeckt Pommer (ext 16′) 24 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nasat (TC) 49 pipes

2′ Klein Octave 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Terz (TC) 49 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Quint (ext Nasat) 12 pipes

1′ Sifflöte (ext 16′ Pommer 12 pipes (top octave repeats)

II Carillon (from 1-1⁄3′ and 1-3⁄5′)

8′ Krummhorn 61 pipes

Tremulant

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed)

16′ Contra Viola (TC, from 8′ Viola)

8′ Viola da Gamba 61 pipes

8′ Viola Celeste (TC) 49 pipes

8′ Muted Violes II (digital)

8′ Rohrflöte 61 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Koppelflöte 61 pipes

4′ Unda Maris II (digital)

2-2⁄3′ Nazard (TC) 49 pipes

2′ Flageolet 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Quint (ext Nazard) 12 pipes

2′ Plein Jeu III–IV 232 pipes

16′ Fagotto 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Fagotto (ext 16′ Fagotto) 12 pipes

4′ Fagotto Clarion (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Vox Humana (digital)

Tremulant

FANFARE (digital, prepared for pipes)

8′ Principal

8′ Flute Celeste II

4′ Octave

2′ Doublette

8′ Trompette en Chamade

Fanfare On Great

Fanfare Off Choir

PEDAL

32′ Untersatz (digital)

16′ Principal (digital)

16′ Subbass 32 pipes

16′ Pommer (Choir)

8′ Principal 32 pipes

8′ Subbass (ext 16′ Subbass) 12 pipes

4′ Choral Bass (ext 8′ Princ) 12 pipes

4′ Gedeckt Pommer (Choir)

32′ Contra Fagotto (digital)

16′ Posaune (ext, Sw 8′ Tpt) 12 pipes

16′ Fagotto (Swell)

8′ Trumpet (Swell)

4′ Clarion (Swell)

4′ Fagotto Clarion (Swell)

Couplers

Swell to Great 16

Swell to Great 8

Swell to Great 4

Choir to Great 16

Choir to Great 8

Choir to Great 4

Choir to Choir 16

Choir Unison Off

Choir to Choir 4

Swell to Choir 16

Swell to Choir 8

Swell to Choir 4

Swell to Swell 16

Swell Unison Off

Swell to Swell 4

Choir to Swell 8

MIDI to Pedal

MIDI to Great

MIDI to Swell

MIDI to Choir

38 ranks, 2,248 pipes

Schoenstein & Co., Benicia, California; The Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Two perspectives

Sterling Anglican music program, perfect acoustics, an engaged parish—heaven-on-earth for an organbuilder, but only if the right people are on board to help. Many of our projects have been aided by excellent professional consultants, but this one might not have happened at all without the steady hand of Sean O’Donnell. He was mentor, organizer, and problem solver. In addition to all the usual issues such as navigating the changing of the fabric of a beloved architectural gem to accommodate the organ, his diplomatic skill was an immense help to the rector in convincing the parish of the need for change even though the existing instrument was relatively new. We were very pleased when the parish extended Sean’s engagement to supervise all of the architectural, electrical, and mechanical preparations for our installation. A highly experienced and skilled organ technician, he knew exactly what we needed. He also followed the time-honored practice of the best organ consultants—leaving the musical decisions entirely to musician and builder.

—JMB

The consultant’s role

Next to the church building itself, a pipe organ is usually the most valuable and longest-lived asset a church will have. Acquiring or restoring one is a daunting task that has not likely been undertaken in recent memory, or even within living memory. There are a great many goals to discern, details to attend, and challenges to meet—to help with this process, the community will often hire a consultant. The consultant’s role is not to do this work for the community, but to provide the education, information, and tools the community needs to create an instrument that will serve their needs far into the future. The overall process is iterative: defining project goals will be followed by exploring instruments that meet those goals, but that exploration will inform, refine, and even change those goals.

As the project comes into tighter focus, the consultant recruits qualified firms to submit proposals, ensuring that the firms understand the unique needs and goals of the church. As the proposals are evaluated, the consultant guides the committee by providing resources to clarify concepts that may be unfamiliar, and by making sure that all aspects of the project have been clearly addressed. There are many musical options available, and many talented organbuilders. With the right information and a little guidance, a community can easily acquire a fine pipe organ well suited to their current and future needs, and even enjoy the process.

It was a great joy to work with Church of the Redeemer. They embraced the challenges and myriad details with enthusiasm and dedication as they worked through whether to restore or rebuild their existing instrument, acquire a vintage instrument, or, as they ultimately decided, commission a new instrument.

There was much to learn, and the first part of the process was a series of listening exercises, starting in their own church so that folks who sit in the same seats every Sunday (like so many of us) could listen from the organist’s perspective, from the choir’s perspective, and from various places in the nave. We even had a set of test pipes that we were able to install in two different instruments to hear how much the room affected their sound. From there we branched out, listening to organs in a variety of styles by current and historic builders. After each listening session, the organist and the committee spent a few minutes listing words or short phrases describing the instrument: words like clarity, mystery, clean, flexible, warm, etc. As they developed a vocabulary, we began to discuss which of those attributes they wanted in their pipe organ, and focused on those options. Through all of this the organs were demonstrated by the same organist, using the same set of pieces drawn from Redeemer’s repertoire.

Choosing from among the organbuilders who so eagerly shared their knowledge and creativity was the next challenge, and the committee ultimately commissioned the instrument from Schoenstein & Co. From start to finish it was important to ensure that potential builders understood both the possibilities and the limitations of the project, and that the organ committee had mastered the architectural and structural issues, scheduling and budgets, subcontracts and side jobs, and the many, many other details comprising a project of this magnitude.

With the solid support of the rector, Fr. Michael Dangelo, organist Michael Murray, and the church staff, and with the hard work and dedication of the organ committee chaired by the indefatigable Leslie Horst, The Church of the Redeemer has acquired a beautiful new pipe organ, supremely well suited to their style of worship. More importantly, it was a project they entered into with confidence and excitement and completed with pride, looking forward to generations of worship enhancing music.

­—Sean O’Donnell, Consultant

A great voicer is very much in the same musical plane as a first chair member of the woodwind section in one of the Big Five symphony orchestras. A great conductor in a great concert hall is nothing without great players. Just like artistic musicianship, voicing requires skill, practice, experience, and, most of all, good musical taste. Timothy Fink, an all-round skilled organbuilder, heads our pipe shop and shares voicing duties with Mark Hotsenpiller, our head voicer.

—JMB

A voicer’s vision

The Church of the Redeemer possesses a fabulous room for church music. The nave’s acoustic properties enhance sound in a way that leaves the listener overwhelmed, overjoyed, and ultimately sonically satisfied. What a treat for an organbuilder’s commission.

The room into which any organ sounds is its resonator. A guitar has a body, a piano has a soundboard, but the organ needs a room. The qualities that make this one so lovely are: cubic volume, proportions, materials of construction, and shape of reflecting surfaces. The room is of modest size allowing an organ of modest size to fill it with sound. The proportions are classic (the architecture is based on English Gothic), meaning they are not exaggerated in one dimension. Heavy masonry construction assures that the entire frequency spectrum is reflected and the variability of the reflecting surfaces breaks up these reflections, delighting our ears.

The result of these properties is a room with an ideal reverberation period—not a long reverberation period. The musical magic happens in the milliseconds immediately after the sound is produced. The length of time the high energy lingers is Early Decay Time. This is the portion of the reflected sound to which our musical minds respond. The nave at Church of the Redeemer reflects sound at nearly the full frequency spectrum for a generous portion of the total reverberation time.

The projection of sound into the room is important, too. The organ chamber is a modestly proportioned room in an elevated position at the nave’s crossing. The short side of its rectangular shape is open to the chancel with the long side open to the nave. It too is constructed of substantial masonry materials assuring all sound frequencies are reflected out of the chamber. Here we located the Great, Swell, and some of the Pedal organs. Below the chamber and in a space between the chancel and a side chapel, we located the Choir organ. The console resides on the opposite side of this arrangement giving the organist some hearing distance from the organ. Between these two the choir’s singers are arranged in the traditional academic style. Finally, 32′ and 16′ octaves of the Pedal Open Wood are located at the back wall of the nave and the south transept. This was done out of necessity since there was no room in the chamber for these large pipes. Much care was taken to harmonize these beauties with their surroundings. Sonically, they provide a thrilling musical “push” to the organ’s ensemble.

Tonally, the organ was commissioned to function in the Anglican tradition. Mr. Murray’s love of English Victorian and Edwardian tone provided focus to this scheme. It is in our tradition to provide new organs with plenty of foundation, but the multiple diapasons in the scheme might appear to be excessive. The idea here was to use a variety of Diapason tone for musical subtlety, not power. The acoustical environment highlights the subtle difference in timbres.

To make sense of this list of Diapasons consider the following: the Great Open Diapason No. 1 is the tonal center of the organ. It possesses the largest scale and mouth width and easily supports the chorus set above. Numbers 2 and 3 progress smaller in scale and mouth width providing subtlety of musical variation. This gives the musician exacting control over the tonal center of the organ. Choruses can be thinned or fattened, stop combinations adjusted for power, or the Diapasons can simply be appreciated for their sublime solo qualities. The No. 3 is also available at 16′ and 4′, further extending the possible combinations. Sitting above these stops is a proper Principal 4′ and Mixture 2′. These reduce in scale as the pitch rises assuring that these higher pitches are suggestions of the fundamental.

The Swell Horn Diapason “No. 4” is similar in scale to the Great No. 2, but with narrow tuning slots and higher wind pressure. These attributes give it a distinct quality that bends musically to the closing of the Swell shades. It supports a Gemshorn 4′, a tapered principal. Its hybrid tone quality allows chameleon-like abilities when combined with other Swell stops. Finishing the chorus is a Mixture 2′, small in scale and carefully pitched such that it will be properly subdued with the shades closed.

The Choir Dulciana 8′ “No. 5” is the smallest of the Diapasons but with a wider mouth. Its subdued yet singing quality coupled with its expressive location next to the singers begs them to sing along. Add the 4′ Dulcet and a mini chorus is formed.

The Pedal Open Wood 32′ serves as two stops. The 8′ portion is named Grand Open Diapason 8′ “No. 6” and is comparable in scale to the Great No. 1 but on higher wind pressure. Its noble solo demeanor demands independent appearance on the Great and Choir manuals. The 32′ and 16′ portions form the Pedal Open Wood producing a stunningly solid foundation for the entire organ.

With space diminishing, the organ’s flute stops are at a minimum but still well represented. Two harmonic flutes are provided. The Great Harmonic Flute 8′ soars down the nave to listener’s delight. The Swell Flageolet 2′ has harmonic trebles imparting its sound with both blending and power qualities expected of English full Swell effects. Three stopped flutes are available: one on the Great at 8′, one on the Swell at 16′ and 8′, and one on the Choir at 8′, 4′, and 22⁄3′. They find their distinction by varying the scale and construction. The Great Bourdon 8′ is the largest scale but made of metal. The next smaller scale is in the Swell and is made of wood with pierced stoppers. The Choir Leiblich Gedeckt is smallest in scale and made of metal with narrow chimneys.

Of course, space was left for the very necessary strings and celestes. The bite and warmth of the Swell Gamba 8′ combines seamlessly its neighbor stops. Add the complementary full compass Celeste 8′ (maybe a coupler or two), and heaven is in sight. Just for contrast, the expressive Choir Unda-Maris 8′ gives an added sonic dimension to the organ’s palate. While bringing the organ to a decrescendo another color can be receded to delighting the listener with unexpected beauty.

Six ranks of reeds were somehow incorporated into this organ. Three types of trumpets, a tuba, and two color reeds provide an extensive color palate. The Great Trumpet 8′ leans toward a French quality, assuring it will stand up with all those Diapasons. The Swell Posaune and Cornopean represent a time-tested Schoenstein combination. This uses a bright, larger Cornopean at 8′ with the smaller, darker Posaune at 16′ and 8′. (The 16′ octave and a 32′ extension, all under expression, are available in the Pedal.) The musical possibilities with this arrangement are endless. The final bit to sweeten the organist’s orchestrations, both stops can be drawn together on the Choir manual as the Tuben 8′. Countering this effect is a proper Tuba 8′—unenclosed. Its 16′ extension in the Pedal employs wood resonators of powerful full and dark character.

The Oboe and Corno di Bassetto are the color reeds. The Swell Oboe Horn 8′ combines with the flue stops yet retains the piquant treble quality necessary for solo passages. The Corno di Bassetto 8′ features well in its ability to render chordal effects along with piano solo melodies.

Rounding out the tonal palate is the Schoenstein action system. Each pipe is controlled by its own valve. This allows the transmission of entire ranks to another division without the use of couplers. Each division is designed to stand for its purpose. However, by carefully selecting stops to be playable on another division or extending beyond their assigned range opens a huge door to new tonal possibilities. It unlocks the musical value already built into the organ.

­—Timothy Fink, Schoenstein & Co.

—Jack M. Bethards, Schoenstein & Co.

Photo credit: Louis Patterson

 

GREAT (Manual II)

16′ Double Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Grand Diapason (Ch)

8′ Open Diapason No. 1 61 pipes

8′ Open Diapason No. 2 61 pipes

8′ Open Diapason No. 3 12 pipes (ext 16′)

8′ Harmonic Flute 49 pipes (Sw Horn Diapason bass)

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Octave (ext 16′) 12 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

2′ Mixture (III–IV) 187 pipes

8′ Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Corno di Bassetto (Ch)

Cymbelstern

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed)

16′ Lieblich Bourdon (ext 8′) 12 pipes (unenclosed)

8′ Horn Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Stopped Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Echo Gamba 61 pipes

8′ Vox Celeste 61 pipes

4′ Gemshorn 61 pipes

2′ Flageolet 61 pipes

2′ Mixture (III–IV) 192 pipes

16′ Contra Posaune 61 pipes

8′ Cornopean 61 pipes

8′ Posaune (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Oboe Horn 61 pipes

Tremulant

Swell Sub Octave

Swell Unison Off

Swell Super Octave

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed)

8′ Dulciana 61 pipes

8′ Unda-Maris (TC) 49 pipes

8′ Lieblich Gedeckt 61 pipes

4′ Dulcet (ext 8′) 12 pipes

4′ Lieblich Flute (ext 8′) 12 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard (fr Lieb Ged)

8′ Corno di Bassetto 61 pipes

Tremulant

8′ Grand Diapason 29 pipes (unenclosed, ext Ped 16′ Open)

8′ Tuba (unenclosed) 61 pipes

8′ Tuben II (Swell)†

8′ Trumpet (Great)

Choir Sub Octave

Choir Unison Off

Choir Super Octave

† Draws Sw Cornopean and Posaune

PEDAL

32′ Double Open Wood† 12 pipes

16′ Open Wood 32 pipes

16′ Open Diapason (Gt)

16′ Lieblich Bourdon (Sw)

8′ Open Bass (ext 16′ Open) 12 pipes

8′ Dulciana (Ch)

8′ Stopped Diapason (Sw)

4′ Harmonic Flute (Gt)

32′ Contra Posaune 12 pipes (ext Sw 16′)

16′ Ophicleide 12 pipes (ext Ch 8′ Tuba)

16′ Posaune (Sw)

8′ Tuba (Ch)

Gt & Ped Combinations Coupled

†Stopped quint pipes 1–5, open pipes 6–12. Resultant 1–5

Intermanual couplers

Swell to Great

Swell to Choir

Choir to Great

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Choir to Pedal

Notes

Intramanual couplers read through Intermanual couplers; for example thus: when the Swell Super Octave coupler is drawn, Swell stops will sound at Unison and Super Octave pitch on the Great if Swell to Great is drawn.

Manual Sub Octaves do not couple to the Pedal.

Mechanicals

Solid state capture combination action:

100 memories

52 pistons and toe studs

5 reversibles

Programmable piston range

Record/playback system

TONAL ANALYSIS

PITCH SUMMARY

16′ and below 3 12%

  8′ 16 64%

  4′ and above 6 24%

25 100%

TONAL FAMILIES

Diapasons 12 48%

Open flutes 2 8%

Stopped flutes 3 12%

Strings 2 8%

Chorus reeds 4 16%

Color reeds 2 8%

25 100%

Three manuals, 25 voices, 31 ranks

Electric-pneumatic action

Builder’s website: https://schoenstein.com

Church website: www.redeemerchestnuthill.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