Cover feature

Andover Organ Company, 

Lawrence, Massachusetts

Opus R-345, Christ Episcopal Church, Charlottesville, Virginia

From the builder

In projects, journeys, and lives, there are milestone events that mark progress or achievements. The dedication of Andover Opus R-345 at Christ Episcopal Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, was such an event. It was a milestone for three long journeys: the completion of a seven-year project for Andover; the culmination of a decade-long sanctuary renovation process for Christ Church; and the latest chapter in the 143-year odyssey of a resilient New England organ.

With their simplicity and durability, it is not unusual for well-made old tracker organs to outlast the buildings or congregations for which they were originally made. Happily, they can often be relocated and repurposed to fit the musical needs and budget of a new owner. At Andover, we tune and maintain a large number of 19th-century instruments which are now in their second, third, or fourth homes.

The saga of the Christ Church organ certainly illustrates this! The core of the instrument is a three-manual, 29-stop organ built in 1869 by E. & G. G. Hook of Boston as their Opus 472 and originally installed in Grace Episcopal Church in Chicago, Illinois. In 1902, it was moved to another Grace Episcopal Church, in Oak Park, Illinois. In 1922, it was sold to the Third Congregational Church of Oak Park, where it was rebuilt and electrified by Nicholas Doerr of Chicago. The organ was next moved to St. Ludmilla’s Catholic Church in Chicago, probably in 1937 when the Third Congregational Church merged with another congregation. When St. Ludmilla’s closed in 1991, the organ was put into storage. Andover’s Robert C. Newton, a nationally recognized authority on Hook organs, learned of the organ’s availability and purchased it. Opus 472 then made the long journey back to Massachusetts, where it sat in storage, awaiting its fifth home.

Meanwhile, Christ Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, had formed an organ committee to find a replacement for their failing 50-year-old electro-pneumatic organ. That organ had been cobbled together from a variety of used and new parts, and the builder had gone out of business before the organ was finished. Concurrently, plans were begun for a complete renovation of the sanctuary. After much study, the committee determined that the best location for the new instrument would be at the front of the church, to speak directly towards the congregation. This was confirmed by each builder that the committee interviewed during the selection process. 

Being responsible stewards of the church’s resources, the organ committee also researched the option of installing a rebuilt used organ. They determined that if the original organ was a well-made, quality instrument, the end result could be equal, or in some cases superior, to a new organ—yet at significantly less cost. John Whiteside, who became Christ Church’s music director in 2005, contacted us and learned of E. & G. G. Hook Opus 472. Built in 1869, the organ dated from the “golden period” (1850s–1870s) of the firm’s instruments. 

Because the organ had lost its original case, console, structure, action, and wind system during its travels, the surviving Hook pipes and windchests could easily be rearranged to fit the available space in Christ Church. The most essential parts of any organ are the pipes, which define its tonal signature, and the windchests, which influence how the pipes speak and blend.

The Hook firm was one of 19th-century America’s premier organ builders. Their instruments, highly regarded for their mechanical and tonal excellence, were designed and voiced to work well in the dry acoustics of American churches. Though we at Andover build modern instruments designed to serve the needs of today’s church musicians, we draw insight and inspiration from the surviving work of the brothers Elias (1805–1881) and George Greenleaf (1807–1880) Hook and their successor, Francis Hastings (1836–1916). We have been privileged to work on many of their important surviving instruments, including their monumental 101-rank 1875 masterpiece, Opus 801, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, and the famous 1876 “Centennial Exposition” organ, Opus 828, now in St. Joseph Cathedral in Buffalo.

After careful deliberation, the committee recommended that Christ Church purchase and install Hook Opus 472—which would be completely renovated, rebuilt, and enlarged by Andover—at the front of the church surrounding the rose window. This proposal was approved by the church’s vestry, and in April 2005 a contract was signed. 

The rebuilding work started in 2007, with Ben Mague as project team leader. The Hook pipes were restored and the windchests rebuilt and enlarged to accommodate additional stops. New and vintage ranks, scaled and voiced to be compatible with the original Hook stops, were added to augment the organ’s tonal palette. Ben Mague and Michael Eaton engineered a new console, structure, action, and wind system to fit the renovated chancel area. The new casework was designed by Donald Olson. Noted church architect Terry Eason prepared the plans for the sanctuary renovation.

The organ is laid out with the Swell on the left, the unenclosed Choir in the center, and the Great on the right. The Pedal stops are divided among these three locations. The bass of the Pedal reed is behind the Swell, its treble and all of the 16′ Subbass are behind the Choir, and the Double Open Diapasons are behind the Great. 

The organ’s white oak casework was built in our shop. We take great care to design the exterior of each instrument to complement the architecture of its surroundings. Thus, the blind Byzantine arches of the lower casework were patterned after the existing chancel side wall woodwork. The polished tin façade pipes comprise the lowest notes of the Great 8′ Open Diapason and the Pedal 8′ Violoncello. The detached oak console has walnut interior woodwork and a walnut swirl veneered music rack. The pau ferro drawknobs, with 19th-century-style oblique heads with inset engraved labels, are arranged in stepped terraces. The center-pivoted manual keys have bone-plated naturals and ebony sharps.

The manual key action is mechnical, as are all the couplers. To facilitate the positioning of the Pedal pipes in the most advantageous spaces, all of the Pedal stops are on electro-pneumatic unit chests that we designed and built. The stop action is electric. The Solid State Organ Systems combination action, with 100 memory levels and a piston sequencer, affords the player seamless control of the organ’s resources. 

While the rebuilding was underway, Christ Church’s rector departed for another parish. The church postponed the fund-raising for the sanctuary renovations and turned its attention to finding a new rector. Thankfully, during this period a parish donor continued to fund the organ’s rebuilding so the project would not lose momentum. 

The completed instrument was unveiled at an open house at our shop on November 6, 2010. Although the organ was ready, the church was not. Bids had not yet been received for the chancel renovations. It was discovered that part of a rock ledge beneath the chancel would have to be removed to permit excavation for a basement to house HVAC equipment and the organ blower. This increased the scope of the project.

The organ sat, playable, in our shop until May 2011 when, needing that space for other projects, we shipped it to Charlottesville and stored it in the church parish hall. The chancel renovations were finally begun in the fall of that year and nearly finished when we started the organ’s installation in January 2012. Parts of the organ were playable by Easter, when it was first used. The remaining flues and all the reeds were installed and regulated during the following months. On Friday evening, October 5, 2012, noted organ recitalist and recording artist Bruce Stevens played the dedicatory program to a large and excited congregation. It was a milestone event, the happy ending to a long road!

Just as a great organ is the sum of its parts, a great organ company is the sum of its people. We are blessed to have a team of seventeen dedicated craftspeople who, collectively, have over 400 years of organbuilding experience. Those who worked on Opus R-345 were Ryan Bartosiewicz, Matthew Bellocchio, Anne Doré, Michael Eaton, Don Glover, Al Hosman, Lisa Lucius, Benjamin Mague, David Michaud, Tony Miscio, Fay Morlock, John Morlock, Robert Newton, Donald Olson, Casey Robertson, Jonathan Ross, Craig Seaman, and David Zarges.

—Matthew M. Bellocchio

Andover Organ Company

Photos © William T. Van Pelt

Testimonials

It really is a wonderful organ! I’m playing everything from Franck to Rheinberger to Bach . . . and all of these different-style pieces sound really very fine. I find the key action quite graceful to play. Because so many of the sounds are the golden-period Hook sounds we love, we’re thrilled to have such an organ in Virginia—at long last. Thanks for all that you have done to provide this special, magnificent instrument to a location in our state. The only big disappointment is that it’s not here in Richmond!

—Bruce Stevens

University of Richmond

Thanks for the good work . . . and for giving Virginia an E. & G. G. Hook organ. I believe it is the only organ in the state to have most of its tonal components arising from the brothers Hook during their control of the company.

—William T. Van Pelt

Retired Executive Director 

Organ Historical Society

Oberlin’s Organ Tour de France

Despite the best efforts of Winter Storm Hercules, all but one of our group of seventeen made it to Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport as scheduled on Friday, January 3. Once we had gathered our luggage, we headed off to our first point of interest: a cemetery . . . where else!?

The cemetery at Montparnasse is the final resting place of a number of notable figures from French history and culture. Among the graves we visited were those of Jean-Paul Sartre, Louis Vierne, César Franck, and the tombs of the Cavaillé-Coll, Saint-Saëns, and Guilmant families. Interestingly enough, while the map at the entrance to the cemetery (marking the burial locations of those considered worthy of listing) includes Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, César Franck, and Camille Saint-Saëns, Louis Vierne and Alexandre Guilmant were not listed. Fortunately, Professor James David Christie knew where they were and many a photograph was taken!

We then took the wonderful Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV)—France’s high-speed rail service—for a three-and-a-half-hour trip to Bordeaux where, after a glass (or two!) of wine, we rested in preparation for what would be a life-changing two weeks for all involved.

Bordeaux

The next morning, we rose early and made our way to the eleventh-century abbey of Sainte-Croix, home to the only remaining instrument of Dom Bedos, a monk and secretary of the abbey as well as a mathematician, clock builder, and author of the monumental treatise The Organ-Maker’s Art. We gathered in the large church as Professor Christie demonstrated the instrument with Louis Marchand’s Grand Dialogue in C. It was clear from the first few notes on the mighty reed chorus, the Grand Jeu, that this organ was to set the tone (no pun intended!) for our entire visit. It is impossible to describe just how powerful this instrument is—it must be heard to be believed. The entire space was filled with a raw brilliance supported by one of the finest acoustics I have ever experienced. Next we heard the instrument’s other “big” chorus—the Grand Plein Jeu—made up of foundations and mixtures. On this instrument the Grand Plein Jeu is built on a 32′ foundation and its 23 ranks of mixtures produce thrilling and rich sound.

The original instrument was constructed in 1748; during the nineteenth century it was moved to the cathedral in Bordeaux and tonally romanticized, while the organ’s case remained in the abbey church, now fitted with the former cathedral organ. Thankfully, the organ was saved in the second half of the twentieth century and restored and returned to the abbey church, with Dom Bedos’s aforementioned treatise acting as an incredibly detailed guide as to what should be done. As part of this restoration, the red paint that then covered the case was stripped, initially so that the case could be repainted. In the process, the instrument’s original green was revealed along with the beautiful stop labeling at the console. As a result, we have today one of the finest and most aurally and visually beautiful organs in all of Europe, if not the world.

After hearing the instrument in the church, we made our way up to the large organ gallery, walking through the enormous blower room (where, before electricity, the instrument required seven people to pump it!), eventually arriving at the exquisite five-manual console: Positif de dos; Grand-Orgue; Bombarde; Récit; Echo. The Positif de dos and Grand-Orgue contain the majority of stops. The Bomdarde contains only two large reed stops—this was for practical reasons concerning the winding of the instrument. Nevertheless, the Bombarde can be coupled down to the Grand-Orgue to create an astonishing Grand Jeu chorus built on the 16′ reed. This is neither common nor necessarily appropriate for a majority of the so-called French Classical repertoire, but used judiciously and in the right pieces, this registration creates one of the greatest sounds in all organ music.

Perhaps the most “alien” aspect of the French Classical organ is the Pédale division. Unlike its German or Dutch counterparts, the pedalboard and stops of a French Classical instrument are not designed for counterpoint, but to provide a bass part centered around an 8′ flute pitch (with occasional 16′ pitch added by use of manual couplers) or to play the cantus firmus on the 8′ Trompette, accompanied by the Plein Jeu of the manuals. In the case of the Sainte-Croix Dom Bedos, the Pédale division has both flue and reed stops at 16′ pitch as well, but this was by no means common. We all had some challenges negotiating the odd pedalboard at Sainte-Croix: not only was its design different from anything else we had ever encountered, its compass stretched down to F below the C where modern pedalboards stop. This meant that no note was where we thought it should be! That being said, the mighty 16′ Pédale Bombarde extended down to low A, allowing Bach’s French-inspired Pièce d’orgue, BWV 572, with the usually unplayable low B in the middle section, to be played on this instrument. As with everything on this organ, the sound of these low reed notes was something to experience!

We were incredibly fortunate to spend the entire day and much of the evening with this wonderful instrument and were soon to discover that the organ’s uncompromising mechanical action and the church’s glorious acoustic could teach us a great deal about how to play—certainly something that would be a recurring theme throughout the trip. I should also mention that the food and wine in Bordeaux were exquisite, and I could not help but think of Julia Child—it was easy to see why she fell in love with French cuisine!

The next morning, a number of the group attended Sunday Mass at Sainte-Croix. Titular organist Paul Goussot, a winner of the improvisation prize at St. Albans in 2011, and the winner of the Haarlem International Organ Improvisation Competition in 2012, improvised brilliantly during the Mass. 

Then we took the train to the city of Toulouse, in southwest France, near the Spanish border. Toulouse is, without a doubt, one of the great organ “capitals” of the world, and we had four days to explore some of its treasures.

Toulouse

Following a wonderful supper of bread, cheese, foie gras, and “king’s cakes” (in honor of the Epiphany) at the home of Michel Bouvard, as well as a private fortepiano performance by Madame Yasuko Bouvard, we made our way to the stunning Romanesque Basilica of Saint-Sernin, where Professor Bouvard is titulaire. The organ, built in 1889, was among the last instruments of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll and, for many of us, the first Cavaillé-Coll we had ever encountered “in the flesh.” Although based in Paris for most of his professional career, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll was originally from Toulouse and came from a family of organ builders. From the age of twenty, he worked with his father; this included restoring a number of instruments in Spain. The Spanish influence can be seen in a number of Cavaillé-Coll’s instruments that make use of en chamade reeds, and Saint-Sernin is no exception.

Saint-Sernin is a vast church with an incredibly long nave extending into a choir that certainly had an influence on Cavaillé-Coll’s concept for the organ. There is one word to describe the tutti of the Saint-Sernin Cavaillé-Coll: TERRIFYING! The huge wall of sound produced was definitely intended to travel from the organ gallery to the high altar, and it does so with ease. That being said, Professor Bouvard treated us to a spectacular performance of César Franck’s Grand Pièce Symphonique in which we also heard the more lyrical side of this outstanding organ.

Every evening during our time in Toulouse, we had unfettered access to the organ in Saint-Sernin, which, while very different from the Dom Bedos in Bordeaux, also had a great deal to teach. Much of the time was spent adjusting to the large space, Barker-lever action, and a very heavy swell shoe! As was the case with nearly all the organs we played, “inflicting one’s self” was not an option—you had to listen, feel, and respond to what the instrument and room were telling you in order to achieve the most satisfying musical results. It was also huge fun to “let rip” on full organ, although after 11 p.m. the tutti had to be used sparingly owing to its audibility throughout most of the surrounding area.

While the name of Cavaillé-Coll is well known among organists throughout the world, the name of Théodore Puget is perhaps not quite so well known. . . but it should be! We encountered two instruments by the Toulouse-based organ builder in his native city: Notre Dame du Taur—Puget’s first large instrument in the city, inaugurated by Guilmant in 1880; and Notre Dame de la Dalbade, inaugurated by Widor in 1888. We were all in awe of these exceptionally fine instruments placed in churches with glorious acoustics. In contrast to the fiery directness of the Cavaillé-Coll in Saint-Sernin that bellows “I’m here,” the two Puget instruments enveloped the listener with a far warmer sound. While perfect for the music of the great French Romantic composers, it was unfortunate that none of us had brought along any Howells or Whitlock, which would work equally well. Sadly, Puget never built a major instrument in Paris owing to Cavaillé-Coll’s monopoly in that city.

We also spent time at the church of Saint-Pierre des Chartreux, home to a four-manual French Classical instrument dating from 1683, with rebuilds in 1783 and 1983. While more modest in scale than the instrument at Sainte-Croix, it was perfectly suited to the ornate Baroque church and gave us another chance to work on our French-Classical pedaling!

On the evening of Wednesday, January 8, four students—Nicholas Capozzoli, Mitchell Miller, Alcee Chris, and I—performed a short concert at the Musée des Augustins. This former monastery, which was used to store horses during the French Revolution, became a museum in the nineteenth century and is home to a North-German influenced organ built in 1981 by Jürgen Ahrend. It was here that we probably encountered the largest acoustic of our entire visit—nine seconds, which would have been closer to twelve were it not for an exhibition at the back of the space.

This was followed by a visit and reception held at Toulouse les Orgues, headquarters for the annual organ festival that brings countless organ enthusiasts to visit the numerous musical masterpieces of this city. The festival staff, headed by Yves Rechsteiner, is housed in the former Church of the Gesu, a stunning Victorian Gothic edifice. The rear gallery of the nave houses a modest two-manual Cavaillé-Coll organ in absolutely original condition.

The next day we took the train to Albi, whose cathedral dedicated to St. Cecilia—claimed to be the largest brick building in the world—is home to one of the most impressive organ cases in Europe. At the neighboring (and considerably smaller) church of Saint-Salvy, parts of which date back to the eighth century, we heard the 1930 Maurice (grandson of Théodore) Puget organ. While containing some seventeenth-century pipework and being housed in the original case (which had once been in the cathedral) this was certainly a twentieth-century instrument in the French-Romantic style.

We then returned to Toulouse; a small group of us visited the church of Saint- Nicholas, home to an 1844 organ by Callinet. This was certainly one of the hidden gems of the trip—an instrument indebted to its French-Classical predecessors, but also looking forward to the larger romantic instruments that would follow it, particularly in its foundation and solo voices.

We then took the TGV to the city of Poitiers—the birthplace of Louis Vierne. We made our way to the beautiful cathedral, home to the 1791 François-Henri Clicquot organ—one of the crown jewels of all the organs in France. Compared with the “rustic” and almost bombastic Dom Bedos in Bordeaux, this instrument was incredibly refined, with a sweet, singing tone, even in the Grand Jeu. It was therefore not surprising to learn that this is the same Clicquot family who make the famous Veuve Clicquot champagne—everything about the instrument suggested elegance and class. Our gracious host was the cathedral organist, Olivier Houette. A couple of hours later we arrived in Paris, where we were to spend the remainder of our visit. 

The next morning we took a train to the small town of Houdan, about 40 miles west of Paris, to visit the church of Saint-Christophe Saint-Jacques and play the church’s Louis-Alexandre Clicquot (father of François-Henri) organ. This was certainly an unexpected highlight of the whole trip: the instrument has remained almost completely untouched since it was built in 1734, with some of the pipework dating from as far back as 1667, making it one of the most ancient instruments in France. Sadly, this is only one of a handful of such instruments in the Paris area that survived the French Revolution. The sound of the instrument was absolutely exquisite and it was a joy to play; the pitch (ca. A=390) and meantone temperament added additional spice and color. Its modest size also made it particularly suited to playing the works of earlier French Classical composers such as Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers, François Couperin, and Nicolas de Grigny (to name but a few), despite having been constructed relatively late in the period. The organ was demonstrated by its titulaire, Régis Allard. In addition to its delightful organ, Saint-Christophe Saint-Jacques also had the distinction of being the coldest church we had visited to date, making all that French ornamentation a little tricky!

On our return to Paris, we stopped in Versailles. After a private tour of the King’s and Queen’s Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors, our host and organist of the Royal Chapel at Versailles, Jean-Baptiste Robin, gave us a wonderful demonstration of the 1994 Bertrand Cattiaux organ, which is housed in the original and lavish 1709 case. Although a modern instrument, it is a faithful reconstruction of what would have reigned supreme in the early eighteenth century. Sadly, the original Robert Clicquot of 1711 was subjected to a number of changes over the centuries eventually being replaced by a Cavaillé-Coll which was, in turn, rebuilt by Gonzales. 

The chapel itself is a fascinating space, and it would be impossible to describe in words just how beautiful and ornate it is. For one, there are no “hard” edges—everything, including the organ case, is curved—quite a contrast to the more conservative cases in Houdan and Poitiers. Unusually, the organ is above the altar, but it is customary in French churches for the organ to be behind the congregation, and in the Royal Chapel, the congregation faced the King, who would be seated in a gallery at the back of the chapel, facing the altar and the organ. Jean-Baptiste also informed us that the Holy Trinity is very important to French Roman Catholics and drew our attention to a number of allusions to the Holy Trinity in the Royal Chapel. He went onto say that it is perhaps not coincidental that the French-inspired organ works of J. S. Bach, namely Pièce d’orgue, BWV 572, and the Prelude and Fugue in E-flat, BWV 552, can also be viewed in a Trinitarian light.

Paris

On our only Sunday in Paris, we were encouraged to attend Mass at one of the city’s many churches. While some opted to go to Notre Dame or Saint-Sulpice, a few of us went to the church of Saint-Gervais, perhaps most famous for its association with the Couperin family who served as organists of the church for almost 200 years. The church was full for this celebration of the Mass in French. One of the most pleasant surprises was the music: although the organ provided a number of interludes at certain points of the liturgy in a variety of styles, a majority of the service was sung without accompaniment. While the singing was led by a large chorus of nuns, it was wonderful to hear the congregation joining in enthusiastically. Perhaps the most unusual, yet incredibly effective and beautiful moment of the service was during the Eucharistic prayer, when the clergy around the altar started singing in three-part harmony, accompanied by slow moving chords hummed by the nuns. It was nice to be involved in a real French parish Mass and to see that, although very different to what the Couperins would have known, music still plays an important part in the life of the parish.

Later that afternoon we made our way to La Madeleine for an organ recital performed by Vincent Grappy. It was quite a welcome surprise to see the church almost full—several even likened the audience size to an AGO convention recital. This magnificent church is perhaps most famous for hosting the premiere of Fauré’s Requiem, and we even had a chance to briefly glance at the intact Cavaillé-Coll choir organ which was used at that performance. 

Following the recital, it was time to make our pilgrimage to perhaps one of the most famous and important (especially for organists) Parisian churches—Saint- Sulpice. We received a warm welcome from the present titulaire, Daniel Roth, one of a line of distinguished musicians who have held this important and coveted post. Both Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers and Louis-Nicolas Clérambault were organists there, although neither knew the present building that was commenced in the middle of the 17th century and finally completed 100 years later. The great five-manual, 64-stop organ by François-Henri Clicquot was dedicated in 1781. It was reported that Clicquot was so happy with the results that he danced for joy during the dedication, and the organ became very famous throughout Europe. The organ survived the French Revolution in 1789 thanks to a blind organ pumper who, wishing to save the instrument, cleverly stamped the official seal of the government on the door to the gallery, making it seem as though that part of the church had already been inspected and approved.

Mendelssohn visited the church in 1833, and it was clear that the organ was in desperate need of restoration, with the renowned composer likening its sound to a choir of old women! In 1835, the builder Callinet began a restoration project that took ten years; it was ultimately unsuccessful and left him bankrupt. In 1854, one of the priests at Saint-Sulpice, a great admirer and friend of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, declared that such a beautiful church needed two beautiful organs. And so it was that Cavaillé-Coll began work on the instrument in 1857. When it was completed five years later it was one of the three largest organs in the world. By retaining all of the Clicquot stops—which account for about 40 percent of the instrument—Cavaillé-Coll not only demonstrated his respect for the craft of his predecessors but also created an instrument that successfully melds old and new styles into a coherent whole.

If there was one thing we learned about Cavaillé-Coll, it was that he was a consummate artist whose concept was perfectly suited to the space for which it was intended. While he had very little to do with the actual building of his instruments, the concepts were his and he knew just whom to employ to get the results he wanted. This project was clearly very important to Cavaillé-Coll: following the aborted Callinet project that had cost the church a fortune, with nothing to show for it, Cavaillé-Coll’s initial proposal was for a four-manual, 74-stop instrument. Over time, the instrument grew larger with the addition of a fifth manual and 26 more stops—none of which had been contracted or paid for. It is no surprise that Cavaillé-Coll was often close to bankruptcy with many of his projects, but if he had not cared so much, we probably would not have some of the great instruments we have today.

After Saint-Sernin, we were all rather surprised at how elegant and soft-spoken the Saint-Sulpice Cavaillé-Coll was in comparison, even the tutti. The overall tone was darker and more rounded than Saint-Sernin, and this seemed totally in tune with the majestic building, creating a wash of sound that filled the room rather than launching a battery of sound directly to the other end of it. Another contributing factor to the sound is the enormous case, with its huge 32′ façade pipes and colossal statues, keeping the sound contained to a certain extent.

Finally, a lucky few had the opportunity to play the instrument, and it was such a privilege to be able to hear the sounds Widor and Dupré knew and worked with. I played Dupré’s exquisite Prelude and Fugue in F minor, op. 7, no. 2. I had been warned that after playing this piece at Saint-Sulpice it would be difficult to play it anywhere else, and after hearing the first few sixteenth notes of the Prelude, on the 8′ Gamba and 2′ Octavin of the distant Récit, I understood—the eerie sound combined with the building’s acoustic was like nothing I had ever encountered before.

The vast five-manual console required some getting used to; the Récit is the fourth manual—it used to be the fifth (!)—and therefore presented the more vertically challenged among us with quite an extensive reach. At one point, Monsieur Roth kindly held on to my shoulders to prevent me falling off the bench while both hands were playing on the Récit! He was also gracious enough to operate the hitch-down swell pedal which, being located to the far right of the console, would have required my left foot to be considerably busier than it wanted to be. Cavaillé-Coll used these until 1870, when he introduced the more convenient but certainly less expressive balanced swell pedal. 

Upon playing a wrong note, I apologized, but was told by Monsieur Roth, “Don’t worry, he [Dupré] is not here, but with Widor, we have to be far more careful . . .” Yes, Widor’s tomb is down in the crypt and we were taken down to pay homage, following our evening with Professor Roth.

The next morning we made our way to the church of Saint-Louis-en-l’Ile to hear and play the church’s Bernard Aubertin organ, in North-German Baroque style. This is one of the finest of its kind in Paris and somewhat of a rarity. It was a welcome palate cleanser at this point of the trip to hear the sound of baroque-inspired principals and a particularly beautiful double-flute stop.

Having never been inside Notre Dame, a number of us stopped in briefly to gaze in awe at the gorgeous stained glass of one of the most famous buildings in the world. Unfortunately, the main organ was then undergoing restoration work and was unplayable. We then headed up to La Trinité, the church of Guilmant and, more recently, Olivier Messiaen.

This was somewhat of a pilgrimage for me personally, being particularly devoted to the music of Messiaen, and upon arrival at the church, I was greeted with a deeply moving vision: it had been raining, but as I approached the church, the sun came out, and a perfect rainbow appeared over the church—it could not have been more appropriate with Messiaen’s love of nature and the importance of color in his music.

The organ’s curator, Olivier Glandaz, was our host and had been a close friend of Messiaen. The organ has been well cared for and is in excellent condition. It was incredibly special to be able to hear Messiaen’s music on his organ, the combination of instrument and room creating what I can only describe as a glorious “shimmer.”

Day 12 was spent in the old French town of Rouen, perhaps most famous for being the place of Joan of Arc’s martyrdom. It is also home to Cavaillé-Coll’s last organ—the mighty four-manual instrument in the former Abbey Church of Saint-Ouen, which knocked the church in Houdan to second place as the coldest building of the entire trip! While in need of thorough restoration, it was wonderful to hear (and play) this “Grand Old Lady,” and yes, that 32′ reed really is as earth shattering as it sounds on recordings! Our hosts were the titular organist Marie-Andrée Morisset-Balier and her husband, trumpet virtuoso Michel Morisset.

Upon our return to Paris, we visited the van der Heuvel organ at Saint-Eustache, beautifully demonstrated for us by Vincent Crosnier, Jean Guillou’s assistant. 

Our penultimate day in France began at the Paris Regional Conservatory where those students who didn’t perform in Toulouse played a concert on the school’s Grenzing organ—the same instrument used for the preliminary rounds of the Chartres International Organ Competition. The performers were Richard Gray, Rees Roberts, Abraham Ross, Jillian Gardner, Albert Bellefeuille, Matthew Buller, Donald VerKuilen, and Jay Yau. Following the concert, Sylvie Mallet, the current professor of organ, and Marie-Louise Langlais, professor emerita of organ, were our hosts and joined us for lunch at a small restaurant that was once frequented by the likes of Debussy, Ravel, and Poulenc.

That afternoon, we visited the church of Saint-Roch where Claude-Bénigne Balbastre, Louis James Alfred Lefébure-Wely, and Pierre Cochereau are among its most notable titulaires. The instrument, built by Cavaillé-Coll but retaining all the reeds from the previous Clicquot organ, is equally suited to French Classical music as it is to French Romantic music. The magnificent oak case also dates from the original Clicquot organ and contained the only clock we had seen which actually worked! While the music of Lefébure-Wely may not be all that sophisticated, hearing it on this thrilling instrument, in the highly-ornate Baroque church only a short walk from the Paris Opera certainly helped to put the music in context. Our host was the present titulaire, Françoise Levéchin-Gangloff.

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint-Denis was our final stop for the day. This former Benedictine Abbey—the first gothic building in the world—was incredibly powerful in its day and is particularly famous for being the final resting place of the French Kings. This association with French royalty, however, meant that it suffered greatly during the Revolution. One of the most damaging occurrences was the removal of the abbey’s roof (almost certainly so it could be melted down and made into other things), leaving the large and fine eighteenth-century organ open to the elements for twenty years. This organ was eventually removed in the hope that it would be restored one day, but it ended up being poorly stored and was entirely lost. It is quite likely that much of the instrument still exists in pieces throughout the organs of Paris, but we shall never know for certain.

In 1833, the French State decided to have a new organ built for this important church, and the 22-year-old Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, who had just moved from Toulouse to Paris (at the suggestion of Rossini), submitted a proposal that won the contract. The organ was eventually completed in 1841, having been delayed due to the lack of an organ case, which was the responsibility of the church’s architect. The delay, however, worked in Cavaillé-Coll’s favor because it was during this time that he met Charles Barker. Owing to the size of the instrument, the mechanical action was incredibly stiff and heavy, but the new “machine” of Charles Barker changed all this.

The Saint-Denis Cavaillé-Coll, while by no means perfect, was revolutionary in organ building and was the prototype for everything that followed, especially in Cavaillé-Coll’s own work. Not only was it the first instrument to make use of the new Barker machine, it also had the first harmonic flute and trumpet stops. That being said, Cavaillé-Coll never cited the instrument as one of which he was particularly proud.

Pierre Pincemaille has been titulaire at Saint-Denis since 1987 and is one of the greatest improvisers in the world, having studied with the legendary Pierre Cochereau. He improvised for us on the hymn tune Down Ampney, enabling us to hear the many colors of this important instrument.

Our final day in Paris began at Saint-Gervais, where everyone had the opportunity to see and play the 1768 François-Henri Clicquot organ, which retains much pipework from the c. 1680 organ of François Thierry. Here again, while several of us had the opportunity to listen to the organ during Sunday liturgy, now we all had the unique opportunity to experience the masterpiece firsthand.

That afternoon, we reconvened at the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde—set back almost out of sight except for its two spires, which can be glimpsed on the Paris skyline. A number of great organists have been associated with this famous church: César Franck, Charles Tournemire, and Jean Langlais. Sadly, very little of the organ Franck knew remains, the instrument having been electrified and, beginning with Tournemire, altered tonally to embrace the aesthetics of the new neo-classical movement. Nevertheless, it was interesting to hear the music of Tournemire and Langlais on the instrument for which it was conceived. The original Franck console is now in a museum in Belgium, having been bequeathed by Tournemire to his friend, Flor Peeters. The organ was rebuilt in 1999–2005 by former titulaire, the late Jacques Taddei, with the addition of two new consoles, a 32′ Contra Bombarde, and a Trompette-en-chamade, placed on the floor of the second gallery at the location of the old console.

And so, as our two weeks drew to a close, we arrived at the final church of our visit, Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, where Monsieur and Madame Maurice Duruflé had spent many years working and living in a small apartment just across the street. It felt especially humbling to be so “close” to these two towering figures in the world of organ music, and while we all have our favorites, I’m not sure I can think of anyone who doesn’t adore the music of Monsieur and the playing of Madame.

The church itself is very elegant—not unlike Duruflé’s music—and is home to the only rood screen (a beautiful, stone structure) and the oldest organ case in Paris, dating from 1633. Duruflé was also influenced by the neo-classical movement and this can be heard in the clear and bright sound of the instrument, making it especially good for counterpoint. After a stunning improvisation by Thierry Escaich on “Happy Birthday” (performed in honor of Donald VerKuilen’s 19th birthday), Alcee Chris performed Duruflé’s Toccata from Suite, op. 5, and Nicholas Capozzoli performed Escaich’s Évocation II for the composer.

I shall confess that writing this report has been incredibly difficult. It is almost impossible to express in words all that we experienced and learned on this amazing trip. One could easily write an entire article on just one of these churches and its rich musical and cultural heritage—we visited 31 organs in 13 days! Nevertheless, it is my hope that this overview will inspire further research—the Internet has a wealth of information and recordings of almost all the instruments we visited—and if you are able, go to France to see these masterpieces for yourself. We could not have been more warmly welcomed and it was clear that all those whom we met were very proud of their history and delighted to share it with others. Just be prepared to do LOTS of walking! 

Casavant Frères, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada

Principia College, Cox Auditorium, Elsah, Illinois, Opus 3838

The history of Principia dates from 1897 when Mary Kimball Morgan began home schooling her two sons in order to give them a “fuller” education than what she found in the public schools in St. Louis. Mrs. Morgan, a Christian Scientist, based her educational philosophy on the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science. Soon, when other parents began to observe the difference between her sons and their children, she was asked to take them as students. In 1898 the name Principia was chosen, and by 1906 the first high school graduation was held. A junior college—one of the first in the United States—was added in 1912, and in 1934 the first graduates of the senior college emerged to begin their careers. Today, although it is not an official institution of the Christian Science Church, Principia is staffed by Christian Scientists to serve Christian Science students from infants through adults. Principia maintains two campuses. The college itself is magnificently located on limestone bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River in Elsah, Illinois.

The architect for the college campus, Bernard Ralph Maybeck (1862–1957) of San Francisco, California, was retained in 1923 to prepare a master plan. He decided to use an English village as the inspiration for his creation, to which he referred as his “favorite child.” Construction began in 1931 during the Great Depression, and by 1935 the college moved to the new location in Elsah. In 1993 the Principia College campus was granted National Historic Landmark status by the United States Department of the Interior for its unique plan and distinctive original buildings.

A large auditorium was constructed in 1964, primarily for the annual Principia Public Affairs Conferences. It was soon realized that a much wider variety of activities were using the building and that a pipe organ would be a valued asset. Detlef Kleuker Orgelbau of Brackwede/Westfallen, Germany, installed a two-manual, 32-rank instrument with electric-slider action in 1967. The organ was mounted on a platform hung from a sidewall, the console being positioned in front of stage center. Virgil Fox performed the inaugural concert. Various mechanical problems developed within a short period, and the tonal quality of the instrument proved to be inadequate for the size of the auditorium. Principia decided in 1983 to have the organ rebuilt and enlarged. The result was unfortunately even less successful, both tonally and mechanically, than the original Kleuker. With two failures, the school administration was understandably hesitant to consider another organ project for Cox Auditorium. Yet, a reliable and highly versatile instrument continued to be a demonstrated need for the building. The Music Department, led by college organist Dr. John Near, initiated discussions with the administration in 2000 to have several organ builders visit the campus and provide proposals for a mechanical action organ that would reflect many of the tenets found in the organs of Cavaillé-Coll. Casavant Frères was awarded the contract in August 2002 after several individual donors and the college classes of 1952 and 1953 generously provided funding as their 50th reunion gift to Principia.

When the Casavant team of Jacquelin Rochette (tonal director), Didier Grassin (tracker workshop director), and Carroll Hanson (Casavant representative) visited the site for the first time, we clearly realized the challenges that Cox Auditorium would bring. The 1100-seat auditorium is a shoebox-shaped room 180¢ long and 72¢ wide with a rising seating floor and a large stage. Despite the concrete floor and brick sidewalls, the acoustics are fairly unforgiving. This is mostly due to the thin suspended ceiling, heavy stage curtains and padded seats. The proposed placement of the organ at the back of the stage was enough to depress any weathered organbuilder. The instrument would have to share the space with an active ballet and theater program; it would be allowed a strictly limited footprint that could not interfere with the stage lighting; and it would be subject to potential damage due to the maneuvering of backdrops and decors required by various performances. In addition, a thick proscenium dropped about 8¢ from the ceiling at the front of the stage. Seen from the back of the auditorium, the top portion of the organ would have been hidden. Budget and other administrative practicalities did not allow us much leeway.

We walked away scratching our heads, wondering what layout would minimize the effect of this unfortunate placement. We investigated the possibility of moving the organ forward for musical events, studied the floor strength, and researched the feasibility of air cushions. We were ready to try anything in order to get the sound out of the stage.

That is when the ballet program came to the rescue. After a particularly successful ballet evening, the dance group effectively argued that the loss of precious stage floor would drastically restrict the breadth of their shows. The organ had to go elsewhere.

The move off the stage was certainly good news, visually and tonally. We gave a sigh of relief, although the placement question was still not solved. The previous defunct organ was set against the left wall on a small platform, but such a position would not have been adequate for the large three-manual scheme that was envisioned. The college was ready to explore all options. The possibility of adding a side extension to the building opened the door to a viable solution. It was felt that the organ should not speak entirely sideways to the audience, and sketches were prepared to study the feasibility of an angled case whose platform would link with the main stage. It quickly transpired that steel columns supporting the building could be neither suppressed nor moved. This added another layer of technical difficulties, as we would have to build the organ either beside or around the immovable pillars. Any viable solution encompassing a steel column would have to give good access to the windchests and pipework for maintenance and tuning. After many careful studies, we were able to propose a solution in which the organ would be angled by 20 degrees, with the Récit key action trackers brushing past a steel column. The success of the placement would have to rely on the precision of the new building extension and our own manufacturing, as both organ and building would have to fit like hand and glove. It turned out that the construction of the new chamber was superbly crafted under the college’s supervision, and 30' tall walls were impeccably vertical and placed within a quarter of an inch of the required dimensions.

The internal parts of the instrument are organized in two layers: the Grand Orgue, the Positif, and the Pédale upperwork occupy the front section in the protruding casework, while the Récit Expressif and the large pedal pipework stand behind in the new chamber. The organ is set on symmetrical windchests laid out in major thirds from tenor C for the manual divisions. Since the case follows a strict Werkprinzip, one can read the placement of the main divisions on the façade: the Positif, just above the console, is crowned by the Grand Orgue and its Montre 8'; the Pédale is on either side behind the 16' Montre. The Récit division has been split in two sections: the flues, Hautbois, and Voix humaine are at the front, and the battery of 16', 8' and 4' reeds are at the back. The key action has been realized with traditional wooden trackers, wooden squares, and steel rollers. The electric drawstop action is complemented with a generous capture system. The winding is done through large single rise reservoirs and wooden trunks.

The case design itself is a reflection of the very successful Maybeck architecture that graces the college buildings. We tried to emulate the elegant Arts & Crafts feel by mixing strict main lines with gently curved pipeshades. Great care has been given to enhance the verticality of the overall composition by breaking any potential horizontal lines. The case is made of stained solid American walnut throughout, with highlights of natural maple in the pipeshades. The polished tin façade provides a strong contrast with the soft grain of the walnut. The ensemble warmly glows in the auditorium.

Despite its curved drawstop terraces and porcelain stop nameplates, the console is not trying to copy any Cavaillé-Coll examples. The various elements and their arrangement have been chosen for their elegance and feel. It is a play of simplicity and richness with the walnut highlighted by thin strips of ebony. All the electronic controls, with the exception of a small readout, are discreetly hidden behind small doors.

The tonal architecture of the instrument is thoroughly grounded in the 19th-century French tradition. Dr. Near’s passion for French organ literature, especially that of Charles-Marie Widor, had to find a good vehicle through a full and noble sound. Jacquelin Rochette shaped a tonal structure that continues the musical principles set in the highly successful organ of Brick Church in New York City and which serves effectively the immense corpus of the French repertoire. The organ is articulated around a traditional 16¢ Grand Orgue. The Récit Expressif is typical of the large Récit found in late grand Cavaillé-Coll organs, with the exception of the 16¢ Bourdon that Dr. Near preferred to have in the Positif. The Positif is treated more classically with its series of mutations and a large-scale Cromorne. The Pédale is richly endowed from 32' upwards, although it is the division with the most compromises, as the large reeds and stopped flutes have been obtained through extensions.

Thanks to the wealth of foundation stops, many built with “entaille de timbre,” the organ is solidly grounded, and the generous basses contribute a wonderful gravitas to the instrument. Given the musical goals of retaining clarity throughout the entire compass and achieving nice initiation of speech, the mixtures have been purposely kept under control to avoid any aggressiveness. At the same time, though, the large number of reed stops—twenty percent of the ensemble, built with full-length resonators and designed with Cavaillé-Coll shallots—provides a thrilling tutti of great richness without ever being shrill.

This instrument was not without technical difficulties, and we have been fortunate to work alongside a college whose search for excellence has encouraged us to challenge ourselves. This exhilarating experience was greatly facilitated by their continuing support and assistance. A special thanks goes to Dr. John Near for his valuable guidance and his deep involvement during the entire project. Dr. Near will inaugurate the organ on May 11.

Didier Grassin

Jacquelin Rochette

Casavant Frères

A note from the college organist

Principia is thrilled to have this magnificent new organ in Cox Auditorium. It brings a much-needed new dimension to the performance opportunities at the college, and it is a wonderful addition to the musical landscape of the greater St. Louis community. I want to express my gratitude to the many generous donors who made the project possible, and to all the Casavant personnel who worked so tirelessly to make the instrument such a fine success.

John R. Near

Professor of Music

Casavant Opus 3838

3 manuals, 42 stops


Grand Orgue

16' Montre

8' Montre

8' Violoncelle

8' Bourdon

8' Flûte harmonique

4' Prestant

4' Flûte ouverte

4' Doublette

22?3'Cornet III

11?3' Fourniture IV–V

16' Bombarde

8' Trompette

4' Clairon

Récit Expressif

8' Diapason

8' Bourdon

8' Viole de gambe

8' Voix céleste (TC)

4' Octave

4' Flûte octaviante

2' Octavin

2' Plein jeu V

16' Basson

8' Trompette harmonique

8' Hautbois

8' Voix humaine

4'' Clairon harmonique

Tremblant

Positif

16' Bourdon doux

8' Principal

8' Cor de nuit

4' Prestant

4' Flûte à fuseau

22?3' Nazard

2' Quarte de nazard

13?5' Tierce

11?3' Larigot

1' Mixture IV

8' Trompette

8' Cromorne

Tremblant

Pédale

32v Soubasse

16' Montre (G.O.)

16' Contrebasse (prepared)

16' Soubasse

16' Bourdon doux (Pos.)

8' Octavebasse

8' Contrebasse (prepared)

8' Bourdon

4' Octave

4' Flute (prepared)

32'Contre Trombone

16' Trombone

8' Trompette

4' Clairon



Pos/G.O.

Réc./G.O.

Réc./Pos.

Tirasse G.O.

Tirasse Pos.

Tirasse Réc.

The Kotzschmar Organ, 

Merrill Auditorium 

Portland City Hall,  Portland, Maine

For a century and a half, the name Kotzschmar has personified the outsized musical ambitions of the small city of Portland, Maine. Johann Carl Hermann Kotzschmar, who arrived in Portland in 1849 from his native Germany, became a leading citizen, beloved as teacher, organist, composer, and choral conductor. He lived at first with a Portland decorator and his wife, who then named their first child Cyrus Hermann Kotzschmar Curtis. Curtis grew up and went off to Philadelphia to become the fabulously wealthy publisher of the Saturday Evening Post, the Ladies’ Home Journal, and much else.

Two years after his namesake’s death in 1908, Curtis donated $30,000 towards a grand orchestral pipe organ for the auditorium of the new Portland City Hall that was being built after a disastrous fire had destroyed the old one. The new instrument was to be a municipal organ, owned and enjoyed by the citizenry, as a memorial to Hermann Kotzschmar, and with a municipal organist to do the honors. The first, Will C. Macfarlane, a noted organist and composer from New York City, dedicated the 69-rank instrument, Austin Organ Company Opus 323, on August 22, 1912. 

Ever since, the Kotzschmar Memorial Organ has been a beloved part of Portland’s municipal life. With the city, it has been through hard times, enduring financial hardships and even scandals; and with the city, it has also enjoyed high points. Curtis came through with another large donation for a significant enlargement of the instrument in 1927, with the addition of numerous upperwork ranks in the Swell, a new 14-stop Antiphonal division added to the original Echo division chamber, in the ceiling of the hall high above the audience, and a full set of percussion “traps” from Snare Drum and Glockenspiel to Marimba. All in all, the organ is, as Thomas Murray has put it, “a wonderful work of art which represents the best thinking and skills of its time.”

That time was the early 20th century. But in the late 20th century, troubles multiplied. The organ was twice damaged by manhandling during renovations of the auditorium. City funds repeatedly ran short, and the organ went into decline in the 1970s. Premature demise was narrowly avoided in 1981 by grateful citizens who formed the Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ, Inc. (FOKO) to take over financial responsibility for the instrument. But three decades later, as its centennial approached in 2012 and its home, now named Merrill Auditorium, was again to be renovated, whether the organ could survive was again a real question.

The answer this time has been a resounding YES! from the people of the city, their elected officials, and other friends of the organ near and far and wide. All rallied to raise the money it took to restore and renovate the organ from top to bottom. Foley-Baker, Inc., the lead contractor, took the entire organ to its shops in Tolland, Connecticut, in summer 2012 and has overseen cleaning and revoicing of nearly 7,000 pipes and the building of additional ranks that bring the total to 104. Organ Supply Industries, Inc., Broome and Co. LLC, and A. R. Schopp’s Sons, Inc. all participated importantly in the work, and Austin Organs, Inc. provided needed parts. Foley-Baker built a completely new walk-in Austin Universal Windchest to the 1912 specifications of the original, 54 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 7 feet high inside, equipping it with the latest mechanical and digital technology. “All the thousands of valves and relays of manual motors are new—it was simpler to rebuild everything than it would have been to try to repair,” said Philip Carpenter, the project supervisor for Foley-Baker, which finished the new air box in mid-2013. 

Portland’s 66,000 people paid for $1.25-million of the $2.6-million cost of the organ renovation with a municipal bond issue financed with a $2 surcharge on all Merrill Auditorium events—operas, symphonic concerts, plays, and shows. Friends of the organ from Portland and all over southern Maine, as well as “people from away” paid for the rest, and more. “Very few communities have been able to build and maintain and preserve an organ as important as this, and most of the ones that have are bigger than this one,” said Laurence H. Rubinstein, FOKO board president. “We raised a substantial amount of money—much larger communities have fallen on their faces trying to do what we have done.” The ultimate goal is $4 million to endow positions for the municipal organist (now Ray Cornils, in his 24th year in the post) and for a curator and set up a fund for visiting artists and education programs. The pipes will all be back in place by the end of summer 2014, and Portland will celebrate this happy ending with a gala concert on September 27 with Cornils, Wanamaker Grand Court organist Peter Richard Conte, and full brass choir and percussion in a specially commissioned celebratory work by the organist and composer Carson Cooman. “It will be a wide-ranging program, which will highlight the immense tonal and dynamic range of the Kotzschmar, along with its wonderful ability to work symphonically with and without other instruments,” Cornils said. The organ will also be heard in Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass with the Portland Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1923, on September 30.

The story of Portland’s municipal organists is as full of cliffhangers as the history of the organ itself. John Morgan, who succeeded Macfarlane in 1919, resigned unexpectedly two years later. He left town with a woman after convincing her that her husband was not the Portland engineer he appeared to be but actually the Mexican bandit Pancho Villa. The city then persuaded the famous Edwin H. Lemare to take the job, but he lasted only until 1923. That year, the municipal music commission then in charge of administering the organ program asked him to play hymns for a community service before his contracted ten Sunday afternoon recitals a year (in addition to twenty-five evening recitals). They wanted him to take a salary cut besides. “I was assured by the commission which engaged me that such services were never expected of me,” he objected; “The reason for the attitude of the present commission is, so I am informed by its chairman, lack of funds, owing to the previous commission’s engaging such expensive artists as the great Russian basso Fyodor Chaliapin at the last winter concerts.” In a huff, Lemare went off to Boston and then Chattanooga—there were plenty of municipal organs in those days, especially in cities too small to support orchestras (today only Portland and San Diego, with the outdoor Spreckels Organ, Austin Opus 453, still have them).

Lemare’s successor, Charles Raymond Cronham, stayed until the spring of 1932, when the commission, by this time in a real financial crisis because of the Great Depression, dismissed him and persuaded Macfarlane to come back for another term. Cronham insisted that the job was still his, and little wonder—he earned more in 1930 than the superintendent of schools. There was a standoff until the end of May, when Cronham threw in the towel, but then the city council refused the music commission’s request for money to pay Macfarlane. Bickering continued until late 1933, when the exasperated city council voted to abolish the commission. Macfarlane soon decamped, and Alfred Brinkler, an Englishman, was named municipal organist in 1935, keeping the job until 1952.

The organ’s troubles began during the tenure of his successor John Fay in 1968, when the City Hall auditorium’s stage was enlarged by moving the organ back 15 feet. The movers jacked the huge Universal Air Chest off its foundations, put the entire 30-ton framework on wheels on steel rails, and rolled it, façade and all, out of the way of the construction crews. A 10-foot section of the chest had to be removed to make room for a chimney from the auditorium’s boiler room before the organ was trundled back, and a 32′ Magnaton rank whose 32 pipes would not fit in the new location was removed, and later lost. During all the moving, the 12 large-scale 32′ Contra Bombarde pipes either fell or were knocked over, wrecking their metal resonators.

Without some of its deepest bass sounds, the organ was put back into playing order, but soon city funds were again running so short that funding for concerts was cut off. In 1971 the city’s Director of Aviation and Public Buildings (!) recommended that the Municipal Organ Department be shut down. That was staved off when Fay and fellow organists raised enough money privately for at least a few concerts to continue. Douglas Rafter, who succeeded Fay in 1976, persuaded donors to give money to gild the façade pipes, but the city council, still strapped, made clear that this time it really was ready to abolish the department and eliminate his post. He resigned before that happened, but it did, in 1981.

At that low point, the mayor of Portland was Pamela Plumb, whose husband, Peter S. Plumb, was an attorney—and an organist. Encouraged by her spouse, Mayor Plumb kept the organ alive, but despite the heroic efforts of its acting curator, Burt Witham, things were touch and go. When the Boston Symphony Orchestra organist, Berj Zamkochian, brought a group of people from Kennebunk one Sunday morning to see and hear the organ, he had to apologize for its condition—wheezing and ciphering, many notes not playing. One visitor, Abbott Pendergast, was moved to bring a check for $10,000 for the restoration of the organ and present it to Russ Burleigh, the manager of the Portland Symphony, on whose board Peter Plumb also served. The two of them decided that the best way to save the organ would be an independent group of supporters that, with the blessing of the city council but not dependent on it for funds, would take over financial responsibility for the organ and hire the municipal organist. Burleigh came up with its name, and FOKO was born on November 21, 1981, with Plumb as president and Burleigh as treasurer.

They hired a Portland organbuilder, David Wallace, to start repairs, one division at a time. “Less than 25% of the manual ranks worked,” Wallace later recalled. “The organ was choked with a thick layer of sooty dust and had so many air leaks that the softest stops could not be heard at all.” The windchest had never recovered from losing its base in the 1968 move. But for quick fixes and ad hoc repairs, funds began to come in, from the city as well as from private donors, and Wallace could begin work. He built wooden resonators on top of the bases of the 32′ Contra Bombarde pipes that had been wrecked, and put them back into the organ. As FOKO’s archivist, Janice Parkinson-Tucker, writes, “In ten years FOKO raised enough money that 90 percent of the organ was restored and tonally preserved.”

Ray Cornils became municipal organist in 1990 and soon became the personification of what the Kotzschmar Organ means to the city, through innovative educational and children’s programs and an annual “Christmas with Cornils” with organ, brass, handbells, and other instruments. A $9.7 million remodeling of the City Hall auditorium was to begin in 1995, however, requiring the removal of the stage organ once again, this time for two years. Cornils and the Friends took the concert program to St. Luke’s Cathedral on State Street, with its E.M. Skinner organ (Skinner Organ Co. Opus 699, 1928), and Wallace and the Organ Clearing House stored the Kotzschmar pipes in a nearby warehouse. Other work rebuilt the missing ten feet of the windchest, with pneumatic relays and solid-state controls. The 32′ Contra Magnaton that had been removed in 1968 was replaced with similar pipes that came from another Austin organ, Opus 279, at Smith College. 

The reconstituted Kotzschmar organ was brought back and inaugurated again on April 22, 1997, in the hall, renamed Merrill Auditorium. The following year four donors, Anita and Charles Stickney and Sally and Malcolm White, gave $130,000 towards the purchase of a new Austin five-manual console, the fifth in the organ’s history.

But all the quick-fit patchwork over the years was not holding together for the long term. Within ten years, the giant windchest was leaking so much air that it was beginning to sound like a hovercraft. Working inside, technicians found that relays and contacts controlling the pipes above were corroded and unreliable. The pipes themselves were once again full of dust, and the voicing out of regulation. Metal fatigue let some pipes collapse on themselves. 

The pedal bass stops that had been damaged and repaired were troublesome, and some of them could not be tuned. In early 2007, the FOKO board had raised some money and wanted to add a couple of new bass voices. But, as John Bishop, its organ committee chair, recalled, “We got an expert who came, with others, and inspected, but they said they couldn’t make additions to the organ because it was in such poor condition.”

What to do? The board decided to ask a panel of experts, who came that August. Its members—Peter Richard Conte; L. Curt Mangel III, curator of the Wanamaker Organ; Jonathan Ambrosino, organ expert and consultant; Thomas Murray, university organist and professor of music at Yale University; Nicholas Thompson-Allen and Joseph F. Dzeda, both of the A. Thompson-Allen Company, the curators of the Skinner orchestral organ in Yale’s Woolsey Hall auditorium; and Walter Strony, a noted theatre-organ performer—agreed unanimously in two days of deliberations that the Kotzschmar Organ was a national treasure with a global reputation, and recommended that FOKO should commission a thorough survey of how to dismantle, clean, repair, and rebuild it, and how to raise the money. 

The board then hired Ambrosino to do a thorough study of what needed to be done, and Rubinstein and Plumb formed a fundraising campaign committee and began training volunteers. They quickly realized that having the project completed by 2012 would be impossible, and decided to make the centennial that year a festival that would launch the start rather than the completion of work. “We knew we had to raise at least $2.5 million, and we decided on a two-pronged strategy,” Rubinstein said; “Peter Plumb had great access to the city council, and when we approached the city, that did the trick.” In September 2011, the mayor then, Nicholas M. Mavodones Jr., and the rest of the city council voted to issue $1.5 million in bonds, $1.25 million to be matched by FOKO and the rest to make additional small improvements to Merrill Auditorium. “It wasn’t really debated at all,” said Bob Keyes, a Portland Press Herald reporter. “Nobody suggested that better things could be done with the money. The organ has always been universally supported.” 

Four companies bid for the job after FOKO issued contract specifications, and it went to Foley-Baker, which had had experience dealing with work in busy auditoriums before, with the restorations and renovation of the Boston Symphony Hall Aeolian-Skinner and the Duke University Chapel Aeolian instruments. When the last note was played at the Kotzschmar’s centenary gala on August 22, 2012, Foley-Baker technicians came dramatically onstage and started taking down pipes. Later, Mike Foley, the company’s president, observed, “I don’t think we’ve ever worked on so high-profile an organ that was in such tough shape.” 

The Friends and Cornils knew that the work would take two years and hit the road with educational outreach programs in schools, “Christmas with Cornils” and “Bach Birthday Bash” evenings in churches in Portland and other cities, and much else, to make sure nobody in Portland would think the Kotzschmar was not coming back. As the renovation progressed—the new air chest, large bass pipes, and expression boxes were all installed and work on the Echo and Antiphonal divisions was completed during the summer of 2013—they also hosted visits and crawl-throughs so that Portlanders and other donors could see what their money was doing.

The work this time is meant to last another century. Besides cleaning (especially impressive with the façade pipes, once again gleaming gold), re-regulation and some revoicing, the changes in the specification will be especially noticeable in the bass ranks of the pedal. The 32′ Contra Magnaton—only 12 pipes—from Smith College had never tonally fit in with the rest of the organ, and some of them had been badly damaged. They have now been put in storage behind the organ, replaced by twelve new wood Haskell basses that extend the organ’s original 16′ Open Wood stop, now renamed, to 32′. Another new stop, a metal Principal, also plays in the Pedal at 16′, 8′, and 4′, as well as on the Great at 8′.

A 32′ reed stop with only half-length resonators, the Contra Tuba, has been removed, and new full-length 32′ Contra Bombarde pipes with industrial-strength metal resonators replaced the wooden ones Wallace had supplied decades ago. A new V-rank Mixture in the Great replaces a IV-rank Mixture donated in 2002. The Swell has additions of a 4′ Octave and a 4′ Clarion. 

The numerous tonal percussion stops above the Solo division have all been completely rebuilt and reconditioned, and the non-tonal cymbals and drums have been relocated to a position above the Orchestral division, along with some new toys: Birds, Car Horn, Door Bell, Train Whistle, Fire Gong, and Hoofs, among them. The five-manual console has been completely rebuilt and renovated.

All in all, it amounts to the glorious rebirth of a great American cultural monument. “The city of Portland is extremely appreciative of our community’s support, and of the Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ for being such great stewards of this historic instrument,” said the city’s current mayor, Michael F. Brennan; “We look forward to the return of this city treasure.” 

—Craig R. Whitney

Cover photo credit: Len Levasseur

With appreciation for Janice Parkinson-Tucker’s Behind the Pipes: The Story of the Kotzschmar Organ and Hermann Kotzschmar: An Appreciation, published respectively in 2005 and 2006 by Casco House Publishing of South Portland, Maine.

Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders,
Bellwood, Illinois

St. Benedict’s Catholic Church,
Chesapeake, Virginia

From the builder

As most organ projects go, Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders’ instrument for St. Benedict’s Catholic Church proceeded at a rapid pace. The organ was completed just two years and one week after organist, conductor, author, and consultant to the parish Peggy Kelley Reinburg made initial contact with us in June 2012. From our very first meeting in which creative ideas were freely shared, our firm was enthusiastic about collaborating with Ms. Reinburg. Her insight into pipe organs, and in particular her thoughts on tonal design, proved to be invaluable resources. After long conversations with her and consulting her book, Arp Schnitger, Organ Builder: Catalyst for the Centuries (1982, Indiana University Press), we were confident that we could present an instrument with a heart of simplicity and clarity, rooted in North German tradition, that also possessed a distinctive voice, as our company has provided to clients for many years. 

Following the signing of the contract in the fall of 2013, construction was executed over a six-month period, and the organ components were delivered to Chesapeake the day after Easter, 2014.Installation of the organ commenced over a five-week period, and tonal finishing took place over one month.

Our initial site visit revealed an existing south organ chamber that would eventually contain the Hauptwerk. For engineering and site preparation, the church contracted with Spiegel Zamecnik & Shah Inc. of Washington, D.C., to engineer the design and with Sussex Development Corp. of Virginia Beach, Virginia, to penetrate a tone opening for the existing chamber and create a second chamber on the other side of the rose window for the Schwellwerk and Pedal. Berghaus designer Michal Leutsch planned façade pipes and screens to complement the church architecture while hiding the dual enclosures. Initially, we intended to create a cloth screen barrier above the three pipe towers on each side. However, the logistics of creating such a screen prior to the arrival of the organ became impractical, and so its construction became part of the organ installation. Rather than use the ubiquitous grille cloth, we chose stamped metal screening, which would allow for better tonal egress.

Wind pressures are moderately low throughout, measuring 75 mm for the Hauptwerk, and 90 mm for the Schwellwerk and Pedal. This allows for a voicing style on classical lines, and yields pipes that work together with natural, unforced tone. Each chamber is equipped with a single horsepower Ventus blower, which provides ample and steady wind to all chests while keeping a simple yet effective winding plan for the entire instrument. Manual stops are primarily located on Berghaus slider and pallet windchests, which are controlled by Heuss electric pulldown magnets. Within each main chest is a large schwimmer, which provides stable wind. Pedal and unit ranks are located on electro-pneumatic windchests, also constructed by the Berghaus firm.Expression boxes are constructed from 1-3/4″ thick tongue and groove poplar, which allows for a wide range of dynamic possibility.

Both chambers are adorned by rift-cut red oak casework with accented trim, stained to match the church furnishings.The organ is played from a custom-built console of red oak and burled walnut. Keyboards are constructed of maple and walnut, and manuals utilize tracker touch. The combination action is controlled by the ICS-4000 system by Peterson Electro-Musical Products, and contains many features, including a piston sequencer and record/playback.

In the Hauptwerk, the principal chorus is moderately scaled and voiced without gimmicks to improve presence or warmth. Façade pipes are made of 75% tin and continue as such throughout the compass of the stop. The elevated position of the slider chest allowed us to treat pipes without fear that the choir would be offended by full registration, and at the same time, individual voices seem to bloom from within the chambers. The 8′ Hohlflöte is designed to act as a chameleon in registration, and is made from three distinct types of pipe construction: the bass octave is constructed as a stopped flute, the tenor octave is constructed as a Koppelflöte, and the upper octaves are constructed as a Hohlflöte. Deliberate voicing with attention to blending construction types was necessary to the successful finishing of this stop. The result is a flute that morphs well with many registrations. The Hauptwerk mutations are scaled to match the Mixtur IV–V and provide the light clarity of a Sesquialtera, thus providing a Germanic cornet décomposée for the division. In our shop, Berghaus constructed a Bourdon of poplar as our manual 16′ tone, and provided an 8′ Trumpet, which is voiced as a blending reed. Shallots are tapered German and provide warmth and fullness.

Schwellwerk flues are voiced full to support the generosity of the large scale mutations. Strings are made from 75% tin, and are generously scaled to provide adequate foundation tone, while also giving a satisfying sizzle that clarifies homophonic passages found in many pieces of Romantic and 20th-century repertoire. The 8′ Rohrflöte is scaled with large diameter chimneys, which are fully 1/3 of the diameter of the pipe.Together, these foundation stops provide remarkably solid grounding to the division. Once again, the substantial scaling of the mutations provides a powerful and nasal French-sounding Cornet. The Krummhorn is scaled generously to provide fullness to the mutations and is also available in the Pedal at 4′ pitch. The Oboe is designed with a French parallel shallot and is voiced moderately to blend well with the mutations. The Cromorne is scaled and voiced to provide fullness throughout the register.

As is often the case, available space made the luxury of a full and independent Pedal out of the question, and we therefore chose to unify the major principal and flute of the division. The pipes of the 16′-8′-4′ Principal wander back and forth between the Schwellwerk chamber and façade, which contains notes of the 8′ Octave. The bottom twelve notes are made from zinc and use interior Haskell tuners. The façade portion and above are made from 75% tin, as is the Pedal Mixtur. The 16′ Subbass is generously scaled, and was constructed of poplar by Berghaus craftsmen. The 16′ Fagott is made with pine resonators and used an historic Schnitger shallot with very wide reed tongues. The sound of this stop seems to have equal parts fundamental and harmonic development, and so it lends itself well to a broad spectrum of repertoire.

Overall, the organ’s resources create a myriad of tonal combinations, each at home announcing or complementing chant during High Mass, or in performing repertoire from Bach to Distler, from Couperin to Alain. Having both chambers enclosed further enhances the tonal palette and increases its flexibility as an accompanying instrument.

The organ was blessed on August 22 by Msgr. Walter Barrett, followed by Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary with Rev. Neal A. Nichols, FSSP, presiding. Peggy Kelley Reinburg served as organist and Jeanne Dart, director of music, led the choir. A dedicatory recital will be performed on November 22 at 3:00 p.m. by Crista Miller, director of music and organist at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston, Texas.

The entire team at Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders is extremely grateful for the collaborative efforts of everyone involved in the organ project. In particular, we appreciate the support we received from Fr. Nichols, Jeanne Dart, members of the choir, and parishioners who assisted in the unloading and various stages of installation. Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders’ sincerest gratitude goes out to all who helped make this a truly exciting and rewarding project. Soli Deo Gloria!

—Jonathan Oblander, Tonal Designer & Kelly Monette, Head Tonal Finisher, on behalf of the entire Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders team

From the consultant

After accepting the challenges of serving as organ consultant for a project with the all-too-common and severe limitations of the potential funding base, of being engaged after a new church structure was beyond any major architectural changes, and of having the responsibility of educating the clergy, the musicians, and the congregation regarding the advantages of committing to a pipe organ, I began to become aware of the positive realities of the project at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church in Chesapeake, Virginia. 

First, it was revealed that the pastor, the Rev. Neal A. Nichols, FSSP, and the director of music, Jeanne Dart are both from Richmond, Virginia, my own hometown; and then we discovered we all had been educated, though for different lengths of time, at St. Benedict’s Elementary School! As we began to converse and to follow the natural order of organ consulting, I began to learn of the freedom I was being offered to guide my ninth organ project through its total evolution with no artistic constraints. Financial constraints can cause you apoplexy, but creative hamstringing can damage your soul!

The goals of this project were: 

1) An organ built by a distinctive builder without financially drowning the parish

2) An organ that could support the numerous schools of organ and choral literature while underpinning the rich liturgical heritage of the Latin Mass

3) The creation of an instrument with its own identity, possessing the silvery sheen of a Baroque North German instrument yet supported by an enveloping warmth capable of bringing the worshippers and listeners to the depths of faith and to the heights of emotion

4) A Hauptwerk Prinzipal chorus that would make the congregation want
to sing

5) Provision of four primary reed stops: Krummhorn 8′, Hautbois 8′, Trompete 8′, and Fagott 16′, and of two Cornets décomposé, one scaled and voiced in the French manner and one in the German

6) Consistent nomenclature for the instrument

7) A beautiful encasement and console, which also would be visual works of art

8) Key and stop actions that would enable a marriage of the instrument and musician and also provide a comfortable playing and conducting situation. Mechanical action was desired, but eventually that preference had to be abandoned due to existing gallery design and spatial limitations.

After preliminary visits onsite with five major American mechanical-action builders and two builders known primarily for their other actions, the fact of a too-shallow gallery for an independent encasement and inadequate space for any future choir growth, coupled with cost comparisons, eventually were the deciding factors. The selection of a builder  was also made difficult because of my personal acquaintances and friendships with all but one of the builders represented! Ironically, Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders was the only firm with which I had not had a previous connection; and after performing a recital on their instrument for St. John’s Episcopal Church, Norwood Parish, in Chevy Chase, Maryland, for the Northern Virginia and Potomac AGO chapters, I was convinced that the firm should be considered. 

Every memo I wrote based on involvement with organs and organ building throughout my career and every wish included on my organ “bucket list” has been a consideration in consulting on this particular instrument. The lack of funding for three manual divisions resulted in enclosing both manual divisions and allowing console space for a third, a Rückpositiv, which it is hoped may be added someday. If it is not, the disposition of the organ as it stands has already created the illusion of the presence of a third manual division.

The opportunity of meeting at the workshop the majority of craftsmen who participated in this project and the pleasure of building a working relationship with them during the installation have been added delights. I have enormous respect for so many, especially those who have added to my deeper understanding and enjoyment of this facet of our beloved profession. I have only the utmost respect for the director of engineering and operations, Michal Leutsch, and for the tonal gurus, Kelly Monette, head tonal finisher, Jonathan Oblander, tonal designer, and Steven Hoover, tonal finisher and reed specialist. The gorgeous console with its burled walnut music desk and stop jambs is the exquisite work of console artist Jordan Smoots. Transformation of thousands of components into the organ as an entity was due also to the skilled work of Joe Poland, Ron Skibbe, Mitch Blum, Eric Hobbs, Kurt Linstead, and Casey Robertson. The administrative coordinator, Dawn Beuten, is embracing her new role in the company with enthusiasm; the firm’s office manager for six years and newly named vice president, Jean O’Brien, is the epitome of organization, efficiency and graciousness; and Brian Berghaus, president, leads the firm with admirable business acumen and a firm hand, peppered with a calming sense of humor, in his journey to maintain the integrity of the history of organ building while introducing the best of new technological developments to this art.

—Peggy Kelley Reinburg

Organ Consultant

All photos credit Deborah P. Spidle except as noted