Cover Feature

Austin Organs, 

Hartford, Connecticut

Opus 2344 (1961 and 2014)

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church,

New Canaan, Connecticut

In New Canaan, Connecticut, just north of a town landmark known as “God’s Acre,” an imposing edifice rises from the staid landscape. St. Mark’s Church was erected in 1961. Approaching from the south, the church beckons your creative spirit as it heralds the artistry that pervades its sacred space. The entrance of the church, facing an elegant, grassy commons to the south, is easily accessed from the street. Entering the two large, intricately carved doors one finds oneself inside an impressive sanctuary that evokes the feeling of a Gothic cathedral. Triangular vaults rise up majestically from towering concrete columns. The altar is clearly the focal point of the room, but behind the altar stands an equally impressive reredos approximately 35 feet wide, standing some 40 feet in the air, displaying 184 intricately carved figures. It was designed by sculptor Clark Fitz-Gerald, whose works can be found in Columbia University, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Carnegie Hall, and Coventry Cathedral in England. 

Behind this acoustically transparent screen stands Austin Organs’ Opus 2344, dedicated by John Weaver in a concert on January 7, 1962. In 2014, Austin installed several new stops and completed an extensive tonal redesign of the instrument.

From the musician

In 2000, we started discussion about completing some major work on the organ. We thought it important to return to the company that gave birth to the instrument, so we called Austin Organs in Hartford for an evaluation and recommendations. Unfortunately the church was not ready to proceed with the project at that point, so the plan was placed on hold. When we revisited the project in 2008, I was surprised and pleased to reconnect with my former schoolmate from Westminster Choir College, Mike Fazio, who was now president and tonal director of the Austin company. 

As fate would have it, the company, now reborn under the auspices of the new owners, has revisited some of the original Austin organbuilding and voicing practices—their mindset moving beyond the so-common trend of “what’s happening now” and going back to some of the venerable earlier ideals. This philosophy is happily right in line with my own personal vision for this organ. I think that this key point in our collaboration helped lead to the successful rebirth of this instrument. Further, I believe that the combination of the talents of the outstanding Austin craftspeople, some who have been with the company for many years, along with the new administration, who respect the past but also embrace the future, to be a winning combination without equal. Working on this project, I was always confident in our conversations about the direction of the instrument, and I was pleased with the outcome, because we were consistently in sync. They always listened to my vision, and it felt like we were always on the same page with the ultimate goal.

When I arrived in 1998, it was already an organ to be proud of, and I was very happy to be playing this Austin, because it essentially worked well in this space. But today, with the tonal work and expansion, it has become much more versatile. While the organ certainly could have been defined as “American Classic,” I would now say that, while that character remains, we now have the impression of an “English Town Hall” instrument. The organ can handle a broader spectrum of literature, and I find that I can accompany the service in a much more exciting way. When I use the term “exciting,” I am not just talking about louder sounds, I am talking about the inclusion of some softer voices imparting more interesting nuance than there was previously. Utilizing the new timbres available in the pedal organ, the organ has developed a new undergirding that has truly helped its effectiveness in hymn accompaniment, among other things. The inventiveness of the Austin company in finding a creative way to add real pipes (installing a full-length 16′ reed in the Swell, and a full-length 32′ reed in the Pedal, and of course, the 32′/16′ Pedal Bourdon) was amazing! The 16′ Bourdon is also an excellent addition, as it helps support the lower voices in the choir and congregation. I am so proud to be able to boast that all of our additions are real pipes, real chimes, and a real harp, without having to resort to the digital versions. I am convinced that these real voices do add significant richness and quite amazing harmonic underpinning. I am therefore able to play the organ in a much fuller way than I could previously. This has improved both my musical creativity and the choir and congregation’s singing in response. 

—Brian-Paul Thomas

Organist and Choirmaster

From the builder

The organ has excellent tonal projection from its lofty position on the central axis of the church. Its tonal disposition is somewhat reminiscent of the late work of Austin’s most famous tonal designer, James Blaine Jamison (1882–1957). He began with the Austin Company in 1933, and his impact was rather dramatic. Early in his relationship with the company, he redefined the Austin Diapason scaling system and introduced his concepts for ensemble structure and voicing, which were quickly adopted and became common practice for a generation. Richard Piper (tonal director from 1952–1978,) continued the same trend, but imparted his own stamp on the company’s work. Piper had apprenticed for nearly a decade under Henry Willis III, working on many of England’s monumental instruments, his final work being the Dome Organ at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. Coming to Austin, he was able to impart a bit of English nuance to the Austin version of the American Classic tonal ensemble, but that nuance did not seem to be present in this instrument. My predecessor at Austin Organs, Bruce Buchanan, visited the organ in September 2000. His impression was congruous with my own, in that he proclaimed, “St. Mark’s organ is a version of American Classic with North-European leanings. This means brightness has been preferred to brilliance, and clarity to body.” It was interesting to find his notes some months after I had submitted my own assessment to the church with similar findings.

The St. Mark’s organ had been an interesting platform for Richard Piper’s tonal experimentation. The Great and Positiv were voiced on low pressure (2¾′′ wind). It would appear that the Great Organ had the strongest North-German influence: light Prinzipal scaling, heavy mixture scaling, and the foundation apparently based on the 16′ Quintaton. Overall, the division exhibited bright ensemble tone and the Positiv was much like it. The Swell was designed with somewhat stronger English influence. It, like the Choir, was voiced on 4′′ of wind presure. It was built with colorful flutes, and lush string tone; it also had a full reed chorus, yet not a proper Oboe; there was a high-pitched Plein Jeu, yet the department lacked a full principal chorus. The Choir flue chorus is made up of flutes, independent cornet mutations, and a Gemshorn and Celeste. The Choir reeds included a rather thin Krummhorn (3/4′′ scale) and an 8′ Trumpet, voiced on 6′′ of wind pressure. In the style of many fine Austin instruments of the period, this organ’s Pedal division had nine independent ranks of pipes, beginning with a generous 16′ Open Wood Contra Bass, through a Pedal Mixture and reed chorus. At some point in history, an electronic 32′ Bourdon extension was added, but had failed and was disconnected several years ago.

Approaching the organ’s tonal redesign, we had some specific goals in mind: improve the Diapason chorus, revoice/replace some existing reeds, and supplement the Pedal department. Other enhancements became possible as the project developed. For example, while we would have liked to build a new, movable, drawknob console for the instrument, a decision was made for the present time to maintain the existing console. It was certainly showing its age, but we decided to add new stopkeys in situ for the new voices. This approach would allow us to use more available funds for tonal work as a first step. It would seem that God had other thoughts. Within a month of signing the contract for the tonal work, the church was hit by an electrical storm that disabled the console, along with the church’s sound system. We removed the console to the factory, and installed a new multiplexed console and organ control system, featuring a fiber-optic connection between the console and the organ’s Universal Air Chest. While back “home” in the factory, the manual and pedal claviers were refurbished, all new wiring and stop controls were installed, and the elegant black walnut casework finish was also restored. 

Tonal matters

The first matter to address was the wind pressure. To achieve the aural presence we collectively desired, we recognized that the pressure needed to be increased. To that end, we chose to increase the wind pressure to 4′′ water column for the entire instrument. Next, we needed to make a decision regarding the disposition of the Great Organ’s 16′ Quintaton, which had been partly replaced (from 8′ C) several years earlier with Bourdon pipes. The breakpoint from the 8′ to the 16′ octave was abominable, and the effect of the Quintaton in general was counterproductive to our desired ensemble. The Great Mixture was overwhelming and the rest of the chorus was anemic. Our sweeping decision was to remove the entire Quintaton from the specification, and to achieve a manual 16′ voice, install a new Austin Internal Borrow action in the chest that would play the Pedal 16′ Spitz Flute as a Great stop. Previously, this stop was only available in the manual at 8′ pitch, and 16′ in the Pedal. Austin’s voicer Dan Kingman revoiced these pipes to create an excellent Viole de Gamba. Being mildly conical (1/2 taper), we adjusted the nomenclature to reflect that construction, calling it a Spitz Viole. As a manual 16′ and 8′ borrow, it has proven to be extremely successful. While we were sweeping through the organ, we chose to “wash” the 1960s voicing out of the Great Bourdon, which resulted in a flute with more warmth and fundamental. The Diapason and Principal were rescaled, and the Spitz Fifteenth replaced with a new set of Principal pipes that work well with this new chorus. The existing Fourniture was also replaced with new pipes, scaled and voiced to fit perfectly with the new scheme. The final element was the inclusion of a new reed stop for the Great. After much discussion, the choice was made to install an English Horn. Rather than yet another Trumpet, or something from the Clarinet family, we concluded that an English Horn would serve equally well as either a gentle solo or ensemble voice. 

In the Swell, we regret that we were unable to add a new Diapason, as space would not allow it. However, the large scale Viola and Flute are rather successful, evoking “synthetic Diapason” tone, to quote the late G. Donald Harrison. A vintage 4′ Wald Flute was installed to replace the original, which was removed several years ago, having been replaced with the Koppelflute from the Positiv, where it was subsequently returned. The 8′ octave of the Rohrflute was moved off the main chest, and in its place we located the 12 lowest pipes of the 16′ Waldhorn (full-length). The rather pleasant 8′ (French) Trumpet was revoiced to blend well in the ensemble, and a new 8′ (English) Oboe was installed. As a compromise to allow the installation of the Oboe, we removed the 4′ Clarion, (which was rather thin) and extended the Waldhorn to 4′ pitch to complete the chorus. Also added to the organ was a vintage Austin Vox Humana. This particular type is affectionately known as a “Vox-in-a-Box,” as the pipes are entirely placed within an encased chest that hangs directly in front of the Swell expression shades and can be adjusted for dynamic by opening or closing the top cover of said box. The effect of the Vox Humana in this church is extremely successful—it shimmers like a “chorus of voices in the distance!” Finally, the high-pitched mixture was removed and replaced with a new IV–V Plein Jeu, starting at 22⁄3′ pitch. It provides a measure of gravitas to the ensemble, whether flues or reeds. 

In the Choir, we removed the thin, baroque Krummhorn, and replaced it with an 8′ Cremona, which is a hybrid stop that is constructed as a Clarinet in the lower registers, then it morphs into our Cromorne scale in the treble. This treatment delivers the color of a rich Clarinet in the tenor range and the brightness of a French Cromorne in the right hand. As a matter of course, the existing high-pressure Trumpet was reconstructed (new tuning inserts, etc.) and revoiced.

The changes to the Pedal division were rather dramatic. We were able to redesign the offset chests at the sides of the main organ to allow the installation of a 32′ and 16′ Bourdon. More dramatic yet, we chose to extend the Swell 16′ Waldhorn (a time-honored tradition) to become the 32′ Pedal reed. Organist Brian-Paul Thomas was very clear in his vision for this voice: he did not want a jackhammer or clatter, but smooth dark tone. Using this thought as a guideline, we scaled this stop moderately, and consequently, the 12 full-length resonators fit nicely in the space occupied by the former Quintaton, located in a split arrangement on either side of the Great chest.

The other two voices added to the organ were a set of Deagan Class A chimes, and a vintage Austin Harp. These two percussions also work very nicely in this space.

Conclusion

We find the new instrument is exciting, rich, and versatile. It has a delicious, smooth crescendo from pianissimo to fortissimo, never missing a step! These changes were made possible because of the amazing flexibility of the Austin Universal Airchest design. Having been at the helm of Austin since 2005, I am still constantly in awe of the versatility of the Austin system. 

In a future article, we would like to discuss the transformation of a few Austin organs. These instruments were built in the same time period (the mid-1960s). The tonal disposition of each organ was very similar, and they were stereotypical of the period, and desperate for change! The study of the resulting specifications will serve as empirical evidence for any church with an organ, especially an Austin, thinking that there is no hope for a rather bland tonal ensemble. The transformation of each organ was completed with remarkable success—each one unique. We are also embarking on a plan to make a collective recording of these instruments.

While history furnishes a wealth of motivation, we are confident that new avenues and designs are only just around the corner that may enhance earlier efforts. As surely as we are inspired by the triumphs of the past, we face the challenges of today by building organs that will continue to inspire interest beyond today, beyond tomorrow, and into the next generation. Art is only art when it represents the best efforts of the Creator, with both eyes open to even greater possibilities. We aim to create something significant for worship and the performance of great music, and in the greater sphere, to offer our own illumination of how music might be made.

—Michael B. Fazio

Austin Organs, Inc.

President and Tonal Director

Michael McNeil has designed, constructed, and researched pipe organs since 1973. He was also a research engineer in the disk drive industry with 27 patents. He has authored four hardbound books, among them The Sound of Pipe Organs, several e-publications, and many journal articles.

Editor’s note: Part 1 of this article was published in the July issue of The Diapason, pages 17–19. Part 2 was published in the August issue, pages 18–21.

Re-pitching of the Pedal 

In Figure 23 we see the C side of the Pedal 16′ Trombone in the front row, and the Pedal 16′ Open Diapason in the back row. Both stops have their pipes in the original position. Note the crude addition of boards to the top of the Trombone pipes as the means of lowering the pitch from A450 to A435 Hz. Relative to its original voicing, this stop is choked off in power and brilliance. Also note the more professional lengthening of the resonators of the Pedal 16′ Open Diapason pipes.

Impact of the Solo division 

The Solo division was added in 1902 as Opus 1959 of E. & G. G. Hook & Hastings, placing the windchest over the C# side of the Pedal and Great divisions. Figure 24 is a view from below up into the bottom of the Solo chest. The Pedal wood Trombone pipe in the center is speaking directly into the bottom of the Solo chest, muffling its tone. The Trombone pipe on the left has been mitered to clear the Solo chest.

In Figure 25 one can see that the low C# pipe of the Great 16′ Trumpet speaks directly into the bottom of the Solo chest. In an effort to restore the tuning and power to the pipe, the entire scroll has been crudely forced open. In Figure 26 one can see the more normal scroll of the unobstructed low C pipe of the Great 16′ Trumpet. The diatonic differences heard in the voicing of many bass pipes are entirely due to the unfortunate placement of the Solo division. The craftsmanship and engineering skills of 1902 were clearly inferior to those of 1863.

The change of pitch

The organ was originally pitched at A=450 Hz. Sometime before 1902 the organ was repitched to A=435 Hz.⁶ The current pitch of the organ, 435.3 Hz at 74 degrees F, was measured in June 2000 with a Widener electronic tuner using the 4′ Octave of the Great as the reference pitch, while confirming that this stop was in good tune with itself and the rest of the chorus. The tuning of the organ is quite stable as a result of the use of scrolls in the bass pipes, cone tuning for the trebles, and generous pipe flueways, which do not easily become choked with dust. 

Resonator lengths of the reeds

How did this change of pitch affect the timbre of the reed chorus? Raising the pitch of a reed pipe by pushing down on its tuning wire will eventually force it to overblow to its octave. As an overblowing reed pipe’s tuning wire is slowly raised and the pitch flattened, the pipe will at some point flip back to its fundamental pitch. This is called the “flip point,” and it represents the pitch with the warmest fundamental power. As the wire is raised further, tuning to yet lower pitches, the fundamental will weaken and the harmonics will strengthen in power. The same effect will occur if the resonator is shortened at the flip point. Most reed pipe resonators are adjusted to a length where the flip point is just slightly sharp of the desired pitch—the speech is faster and the harmonic balances are more pleasing with good fundamental warmth and some fire in the harmonics. A good resonator length is not so close to the flip point that it “flips” to the octave when it is tuned on the wire to the flue pipes on the hottest summer days, but it is close to that condition.

With this in mind, the author saw an opportunity to explore the flip points of the Hook chorus reeds. With the exception of the low C pipe, which was added when the organ was repitched to 435 Hz, the resonators of the 4′ Clarion were cut dead length with no scrolls and no evidence of having been shortened. This afforded the opportunity to explore the timbre of these stops relative to what they might have been in 1863. 

The reeds were tested for flip points at 70 degrees Fahrenheit when the tuning of the 4′ Octave was 434 Hz. The pipes were tuned on the wire sharp to their overblowing octaves, then tuned down carefully to their flip points, and the pitch of the pipe relative to A was measured on a Widener electronic tuner. The table below (Figure 27) shows the flip point frequencies for the Great reed chorus and Pedal Trombone.

16′ 8′ 4′ 2′ 1′

Gt 16′ 434.2 441.4 434.3 434.5 445.2

Gt 8′ 435 444.2 435.8 434.5

Gt 4′ 444.1 439.2 449

Pd 16′ 437 434.6 432.6

Pitch @ 70° 434 434 434 434 434

Figure 27

When looking at this table we need to bear in mind that the flip point frequencies need to be higher than the relative pitch of A to which we want to tune the chorus, i.e., these flip points should be significantly higher than 434 Hz. What we find are values ranging from 432.6 Hz to 449 Hz. The direct inference, assuming that the pipes have not been otherwise modified, is that the original chorus was significantly brighter than what we now hear. The dead length reed resonators were apparently not shortened and their tuning wires were used to achieve A=435 Hz, pushing many of the pipes very close to, or even beyond, their flip points. This is a significant offset in the flip point from the original voicing. It is clear that as beautiful and inspiring as it is, we hear a darker approximation of the original 1863 reed chorus in the present organ.

The magnitude of the deficit

The issue of pitch is complicated. Figure 28 shows a graphic depiction of the problem. The shift in pitch at middle A from 450 to 435 Hz is a change of 15 Hz. The distance between a half step at this pitch is about 25 Hz, and when the pipes were moved up a half step, middle A was then repitched to about 425 Hz. The 10 Hz deficit between 425 and 435 Hz was corrected by retuning the pipes. In the case of the dead length reeds, the tuning wires were simply pushed down to raise the pitch, so we know that the original Hook pipes in the table in Figure 27 would have “flipped” at frequencies about 10 Hz higher (at middle A) than what we measured in the table. To bring the pipes back to their original timbre at the current 435 Hz, the resonators would need to be shortened on all reed pipes by an amount that would produce about a 10 Hz increase in pitch at middle A. This may be inadvisable as it would reduce the scale of the resonators.

The Pedal Trombone was not moved up a half step, but large flaps of wood were added to drop its pitch from 450 to 435 Hz, covering the tops of its resonators and reducing its power and brilliance (Figure 23). The correction would entail the removal of the flaps and a lengthening of the resonators, which may be also inadvisable, as it would increase the scale of the pipes, an effect opposite to the correction needed for the reed chorus pipes of the Great division. 

The flue pipes suffered a similar fate and were retuned 10 Hz higher by one or both of two methods: making the pipes shorter and/or opening their toes. Of the two methods, the opening of the toes had a major effect on the timbre and power of the pipes. The impact of such changes is described in the notes on the 16′ Open Diapason and the 8′ Open Diapason Forte, with the result that the current balances deviate markedly from the original intentions of the Hooks. The correction would entail a reduction of the toes where they were opened, and a further shortening of the pipes. Since nearly all façade pipes have had their scrolls rolled down to the maximum extent, or even removed, the correction would require deeper cutouts and new scrolls on all pipes, not a simple or necessarily desirable proposition.

Raising the pitch from 435 to 440 Hz would push some reeds beyond the flip point, further darkening the sound, and it would increase the tuning deficit to 15 Hz. Such an increase in pitch would require further deepening of the façade pipe scroll openings, most of which are already at their limit. Further opening of the toes of the façade pipes would make their timbre and power even more imbalanced than their current state. All of these reasons suggest why the organ was never repitched to 440 Hz. 

Reflections

The Hook organ was put back into regular service use during the tenure of Fr. Thomas Carroll, SJ, as the director of the Jesuit Urban Center at the Church of the Immaculate Conception. Many notable organists at that time visited the church and played the instrument in concerts that were warmly and appreciatively received. 

It is hoped that the research presented in this study will inform those who restore this organ at a future date. Virtually all of the tonal modifications made to this organ resulted from the change to its pitch and the addition of the Solo division; the rest is vintage and very well preserved E. & G. G. Hook. 

Serious consideration should be given to the relocation of the Solo division in a manner that does not encroach upon the tuning of the original Hook pipes or limit the sound egress of the original Hook layout. The raw data indicate that the 1902 installation of the Solo division had a major impact on both counts. If the decision is made to remove the 1902 Solo division from the organ, and that conclusion should not be reached lightly, it should be carefully crated and stored, not discarded. It is a part of the Romantic tapestry and history of this organ.

Three possibilities now suggest themselves: 

1) Leave the organ at 435 Hz and reposition the Solo division to allow sufficient clearance to the Great and Pedal bass pipes. This preserves the current sound but corrects for the tonal and mechanical damage inflicted by the Solo division installation. It does not address the darker character of the reed chorus or the tonal imbalances of the 16′ and 8′ Open Diapasons.

2) Same as Option 1, but shorten the manual reed resonators to their original flip points, i.e., about 10 Hz shorter at middle A. Lengthen the wooden resonators of the Pedal Trombone and remove the obstructing boards. Restore the toes of the Diapasons to their original values and further deepen the tuning slots of all façade pipes. This involves significant expense in pipework restoration, it comes closer to the original Hook sound and power balances, but it permanently and perhaps inadvisedly changes the diameter scales of the many reeds that are cut to length.

Note that most of the scrolls on the reed pipes in Figure 29 (see page 22) are excessively rolled down in an effort to achieve 435 Hz; restoring the original pitch would correct this, so . . .

3) Repitch the organ to its original 450 Hz and move the pipes back to their original positions and voicing, restore the toes of the two Diapasons back to their original values, and restore the tuning scrolls of all pipes back to their original positions. This restores the original sound of the Hook. Repositioning of the Solo division is still essential.

Option 3 would not be the exact sound familiar to those of us who have heard the organ at Immaculate Conception, but it would be faithful to the original intent of the Hooks. The reed chorus would come alive. The author strongly recommends Options 1 or 3 over Option 2. Repitched to 450 Hz, the organ will not be compatible with orchestral instruments tuned to 440 Hz, but neither is the present organ compatible at 435 Hz, and the pipework will clearly not support 440 Hz. The argument can be made that we have a great many organs tuned to 440 Hz in our concert halls, while we have very few large Hook organs in their original state designed for superb acoustics like those of Immaculate Conception. Hook Opus 322 presents us with a unique challenge: it has been passed down to us in superb condition by the careful attention of the Lahaise family, and it may be the best opportunity we have to hear a large, well-preserved Hook chorus of Civil War vintage designed for a stunning acoustic.

The importance of the choice we make of the restoration options pales in comparison to the decision of the site of the organ’s new home. Much of this organ’s fame was the result of its placement in the stunning acoustics of the Church of the Immaculate Conception. When selecting or building a new acoustic for this organ it is important to realize that architects are not accustomed to the requirements of pipe organs. Be especially aware that definitions of reverberation by architects will not even remotely correlate with your musical perception of those acoustics. See The Sound of Pipe Organs, p. 32, for a detailed discussion of this ubiquitous problem. If the Church of the Immaculate Conception still exists in its original acoustical form, an unlikely event, take the architects there and make the accurate replication of those acoustics a requirement. If that acoustic doesn’t exist, take the architects to the Duke University Chapel in Durham, North Carolina. Architects will know how to measure it, but they will be stunned by the request to replicate it. The fame of the Hook organ and its original acoustical environment are inseparable. As any organbuilder will tell you, the best stop in any organ is the room in which it is placed, or to put it more bluntly, a wonderful organ placed in a mediocre room will sound­—mediocre.

Professor Thomas Murray, Yale University organist, has been deeply involved with this Hook organ, has made recordings of it (listed in the discography), and possesses a deep knowledge of the Romantic literature. Future restorers of this organ could benefit from his advice. 

We are incredibly fortunate to have at least some detailed data on the Hook organ, and we owe the Jesuit community and especially Fr. Thomas Carroll, SJ, a great debt for the opportunity to acquire it. Fr. Carroll now resides at the Collegio Bellarmino in Rome, Italy, a home to a community of more than 70 Jesuits representing more than 35 countries. He is the spiritual director for many of the Jesuits pursuing advanced theological degrees, conversing with about half in English and half in Italian. He provides guidance for young Jesuit scholars in the preparation of theses written in English, and for whom English may be a second, third, or fourth language.

Notes and Credits

All photographs, tables, graphs, and data are by the author except as noted.

1. Owen, Barbara. “A Landmark within a Landmark: The 1863 Hook Organ,” undated typescript.

2. Excel files with all raw data taken on the Hook and the spreadsheets that produced the graphs and tables may be obtained at no charge by e-mailing the author at: [email protected].

3. McNeil, Michael. The Sound of Pipe Organs, CC&A, Mead, 2012, 191 pp., Amazon.com.

4. Huntington, Scot L., Barbara Owen, Stephen L. Pinel, Martin R. Walsh, Johnson Organs 1844–1898, OHS Press, Richmond, Virginia, pp. 17–18.

5. Elsworth, John Van Varick. The Johnson Organs, The Boston Organ Club Chapter of the Organ Historical Society, Harrisville, New Hampshire, 1984, p. 45.

6. Noack, Fritz. Preliminary Report about the Pipework of the 1863 E. & G. G. Hook Organ, July 9, 1999.

Discography

Murray, Thomas. The E. & G. G. Hook Organ, Immaculate Conception Church, Boston, Sheffield Town Hall Records, Album S-11 (ACM149STA-B), Santa Barbara, CA.

Murray, Thomas. An American Masterpiece, CD, AFKA SK-507.

Useful References

Cabourdin, Yves, and Pierre Chéron. L’Orgue de Jean-Esprit et Joseph Isnard dans la Basilique de la Madeleine à Saint-Maximin, ARCAM, Nice, France, 1991, 208 pp.

Huntington, Scot L., Barbara Owen, Stephen L. Pinel, Martin R. Walsh, Johnson Organs 1844–1898, The Princeton Academy of the Arts, Culture, and Society, Cranbury, New Jersey, 2015, 239 pp.

McNeil, Michael. The Sound of Pipe Organs, CC&A, Mead, 2012, 191pp, Amazon.com.

Owen, Barbara. The Organ in New England, The Sunbury Press, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1979, 629 pp.

Andrew Forrest began with Létourneau in February 1999 and, as the company’s artistic director, oversees all of the company’s various projects. He travels regularly to meet with clients, to supervise the company’s on-site tonal finishing, and to speak about the pipe organ. Areas of particular interest for Forrest include pipe scaling and reed tone. Among others, he has completed studies of the Wanamaker Organ’s String division and the 1955 Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ at Winthrop University. He was on the organizing committee for the joint AIO-ISO 2010 convention in Montréal, and from 2011 through 2014 served on the board of directors for the American Institute of Organbuilders. More recently, Forrest was elected vice president of the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America in the spring of 2017. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario.

The Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec is an important and historic location for the Catholic Church in North America as it was here the Church of Our Lady of Peace (Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix) was built in 1647. It became the first parish church north of Mexico in North America in 1664 and was dedicated as the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (Église Notre-Dame-de-l’Immaculée-Conception). Ten years later, the church was made the cathedral of the newly established diocese of Québec under Bishop François de Laval. The cathedral was almost completely destroyed during the battle for Québec in 1759 and was rebuilt between 1766 and 1771 from the remaining walls to resemble the previous building.

Further changes and improvements to the cathedral’s design took place in the nineteenth century, including the addition of a neoclassical façade, and the cathedral was elevated to the status of basilica in 1874 in honor of the diocese’s founding 200 years earlier. In the twentieth century, a devastating fire on December 22, 1922, forced the parish and diocese to rebuild again from singed outer walls. The reconstruction project took eight years, and while modern construction materials and techniques were employed, the cathedral’s architecture was again modeled after its predecessors.

The church was home to a pipe organ by an unknown builder as early as 1657, and this was followed by a number of instruments of increasing size and complexity by Robert Richard, Thomas Elliot, Louis Mitchell, and the Casavant brothers among others. Casavant’s Opus 211 from 1904, an electric action instrument with 46 stops over three manuals and pedal, was destroyed in the fire of 1922. The rebuilding of the Cathedral-Basilica in the years following saw the installation of three new pipe organs by Casavant Frères between 1924 and 1927: a seven-stop instrument for the Chapel of St. Louis, a 25-stop instrument for the sanctuary, and a grand 69-stop instrument in the church’s gallery. The organ in the Chapel of St. Louis remains as it was in 1924 apart from two stops having been swapped between the Grand-Orgue and the Récit divisions. While the history of the sanctuary organ follows, the gallery organ currently awaits rebuilding after some spectacularly unskilled alterations in the 1970s and a corrective reconstruction from 1983 through 1985.

The sanctuary organ was built in 1924 as Casavant’s Opus 1024 and is installed behind the first two triforium bays on the south side of the sanctuary; it is invisible from the nave. The instrument’s terraced two-manual console was originally installed opposite in the north triforium where it was situated in the midst of an amphitheatre-like arrangement of benches. The organ was built with electro-pneumatic wind chests with ventil-style stop actions and is tonally similar to other instruments from the period with its generous number of foundation stops. When the gallery instrument was installed in 1927, the sanctuary organ was made playable from the gallery organ’s enormous four-manual console.

Subtle differences from Casavant’s conventional practices at that time include the placement of the 8′ Trompette stop in the Récit division instead of the Grand-Orgue, as well as the inclusion of independent mutations stops in the Récit. It is said the French composer and organist Joseph Bonnet was responsible for the placement of the 8′ Trompette, having drawn an arrow on the organ’s proposed stoplist to move the stop from the Grand-Orgue to the Récit. Bonnet was likely consulted on the organ’s specification by Henri Gagnon, a gifted Québecois organist and titulaire at the Cathedral-Basilica from 1915 until his death in 1961. Gagnon lived in France from 1907 to 1910 and studied with Eugène Gigout and Charles-Marie Widor among others; he returned to France during the summers of 1911, 1912, 1914, and 1924 for further studies with Widor and Bonnet.

From the start, the instrument served the parish’s daily Masses, providing commentary on the liturgy and accompanying students from the nearby Grand Séminaire. Opus 1024 and the students from le Grand Séminaire were also sometimes heard in alternatim with les Petits Chanteurs de la Maîtrise (the chapter’s boy choir) who would sing from the gallery, accompanied by the gallery organ, Opus 1217.

The transfer of le Grand Séminaire to new facilities in the Ste-Foy neighborhood of Québec City in 1959 brought an end to the singing of the daily Mass in the cathedral. The explicit need for a sanctuary organ disappeared as a result, and with the instrument reportedly suffering from electrical problems, Opus 1024 was switched off at the blower’s breaker and abandoned.

It wasn’t until after Marc d’Anjou’s appointment as titular organist to the cathedral in 1993 that Opus 1024 was heard again from the distant gallery console. Some cleaning, minor repairs, and tuning followed, and this helped show the organ’s potential utility. The sanctuary console was carried down soon after from the triforium to the floor of the sanctuary where it was installed to the south of the altar. To provide the console and its electro-pneumatic mechanisms with wind, a crude flexible wind line was lowered from the triforium level inside a nearby column. From the column, the wind line snaked across the floor to the console where it entered through a hole cut into the side panel. The organ itself later suffered some minor water damage while the exterior of the cathedral was being sandblasted, but the affected portions were repaired soon after.

The contract to restore the sanctuary organ was awarded to Orgues Létourneau after a thorough evaluation process and a generous grant was provided to the cathedral towards the costs of the organ’s restoration by the Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Québec. A formal contract was signed in March 2014, the console was removed and wrapped for transit the following August, and the instrument itself was dismantled one month later. The wind chests’ internal components, some wind system elements, and much of the organ’s pipework were removed for transport to and restoration in the Létourneau shops.

The restoration of the instrument’s electro-pneumatic wind chests was a straightforward but time consuming process. All old leather diaphragms on the pouchboards were removed and replaced, while the primary actions were completely restored with new leather, felts, and leather nuts as well as new threaded wires. The wind chests have ventil-type stop actions, meaning the chests are subdivided laterally into chambers under each stop. The flow of wind to each chamber determines if the stop above plays with the flow being governed by a pneumatically operated valve. Given the quantity of wind going to each stop, these ventil valves are necessarily large and their prompt operation via pneumatics is paramount. The ventil stop actions were thoroughly restored with new materials similar to the originals and adjusted on-site for optimal operation.

The organ’s wind system was also comprehensively restored, including the recovering of its two enormous single-rise wind reservoirs and the blower’s static reservoir. The external curtain valve regulators were all restored, the flexible wind line connections under each chest were replaced, and the Récit’s tremulant unit was refurbished. The original nine-stage expression motor was replaced with a new pneumatic whiffletree-type unit with 16 stages.

Opus 1024’s pipework was cleaned and repaired as needed in our pipe shop. We experimented with softening the Grand-Orgue’s 8′ Montre stop for a less overbearing presence but its already-smooth tone only became more flute-like. We found ourselves working at cross purposes with this stop’s nature, having been built to a large scale from heavy lead and voiced with wide slots as well as leathered upper lips. We reduced the strength of the stop only slightly but removed the leather from the upper lips, improving the pipes’ tone and speech. We also recast the Grand-Orgue 8′ Salicional—its original voicing sounded more like a Dulciana with little intensity or specific color­—to produce a rich string tone with enough presence to color the other foundation stops.

New II–III Fourniture and 8′ Trompette stops were added to the Grand-Orgue, with the Trompette extended to 16′ pitch to play in the Pédale. Our goal for these new stops was to sound as if they might have been part of the original instrument, and in this respect, the composition of the new mixture might seem conservative by modern standards. The scaling and breaks for the Fourniture were developed after studying mixture stops in other Casavants from the same era as well as the Grand-Orgue’s 2′ Doublette. Breaks occur at every C after the third rank enters at c13, while the scaling of the individual ranks follows a halving ratio progression that slows considerably as the pitch ascends over ¼′.

The new 8′ Trompette was modeled after Casavant examples from the 1920s (including the 8′ Trompette in the Récit) and has tapered shallots with long, narrow triangular openings and leathered faces in the bass octaves. The spotted metal resonators were built to a generous scale (8′ C = 5′′Ø) and are harmonic starting at f42. Our harmonic-length resonators for new stops usually follow the same scale as their non-harmonic counterpart of the same length. Put another way, the first harmonic resonator is the same length and diameter as the natural length pipe one octave lower. Casavant’s harmonic-length resonators in the mid-1920s, however, employed narrower resonators; there is still a jump in diameter transitioning from natural to harmonic length but the increase is roughly eight pipes larger rather than a full octave (or twelve pipes).

Space within the instrument was limited from the outset, and adding two new stops was a feat in packaging. The first seven pipes of the Pédale 16′ Flûte ouverte were originally laid horizontally from the floor to the sloping ceiling at the back of the chamber but from there, the stop continued as a wall of vertical wooden pipes beside the Grand-Orgue and finished up with the smallest pipes arranged vertically behind the Grand-Orgue’s passage board. To make way for the new 16′-8′ Trompette rank, the vertical pipes alongside the Grand-Orgue were relocated to lie horizontally within the chamber as well as at the base of the triforium arch at the very front of the instrument. Having now opened up a corridor beside the Grand-Orgue, the 16′-8′ Trompette rank was installed here on two wind chests with most of the 16′ octave mitred to fit under the chamber’s sloping roofline. The new II–III Fourniture stop is likewise located at the front of the instrument under the triforium arch, where it sits above one of the 16′ Flûte’s horizontal pipes.

The console’s original pedalboard had a compass of 30 notes and, further, did not radiate as much as an American Guild of Organists standard pedalboard.  The console was too narrow to accept a new 32-note pedalboard so we rebuilt the console’s chassis to be 8 inches wider, providing space for additional drawknobs in the process. The original expression pedal assembly was considerably offset with the Récit pedal lining up with note a#23 on the pedalboard. We rebuilt the expression pedal assembly to fit into its current central location, conforming to AGO standards, while its frame and pedals were also recovered with new chrome. The console was fitted with new thumb pistons and dome-shaped toe pistons as well as contrasting ebony and Pau Ferro oblique draw knobs to resemble the originals. Opus 1024’s two original pedal ranks were provided with two additional pipes each to correspond with the new pedalboard’s 32-note compass. The enlarged console returned to the cathedral on a new two-piece platform, enabling its movement throughout the sanctuary.

The console features 46 draw knobs for the sanctuary organ’s stops, couplers, and other ancillary controls. Once the gallery organ has been rebuilt, the sanctuary console will be ready to play the gallery organ blindly through a common piston system with 300 levels of memory. The row of 34 tilting tablets above the Récit manual will permit the gallery organ’s four manual divisions to be coupled as desired to the sanctuary console’s two manuals and pedal. Registrations for the gallery organ will be programmed in advance on general pistons at the gallery console but once done, the gallery stops can be brought into play at the sanctuary console by activating the “Appel Tribune” tablet and using the same general pistons. Aside from multiple memory levels, the rebuilt sanctuary console offers a general piston sequencer, four programmable Crescendo sequences of 30 stages each, and record-playback capability.

After reinstalling the organ’s restored components and testing the instrument’s mechanisms, the instrument’s voicing was thoroughly reviewed and adjusted as needed. Tonal changes to the 1924 materials were kept to a minimum aside from the changes mentioned earlier, but all of the organ’s original stops were carefully adjusted for improved consistency and blend. The voicing for the new II–III Fourniture and 16′-8′ Trompette was meticulous to ensure these new stops built smoothly on the instrument’s fortissimo without sacrificing color or excitement.

The restoration and enlargement of Opus 1024 was carried out on an expedited timeline, and the first sounds after the organ’s return to the cathedral were heard in February 2015. The renewed instrument was first heard by the public a few weeks later on Easter Sunday (April 5) when the organ was rededicated and blessed by the Archbishop of Québec, His Emmence Gérald Cyprien Lacroix. M. d’Anjou, the cathedral’s titular organist, then played a short recital that demonstrated the organ’s graceful versatility, its vivid palette of colors, and, when needed, its grand presence. Since then, the instrument has been heard regularly within the cathedral’s liturgy as well as a concert instrument in accompanimental and solo roles. Orgues Létourneau is honored to have been selected for this prestigious restoration project, and we expect our work to renew this elegant instrument will serve the cathedral for decades to come. It was our distinct pleasure during the project to work closely with Marc d’Anjou, Gilles Gignac, and Monsignor Dénis Bélanger at the cathedral, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support and assistance at every turn.

Casavant Freres, Opus 1024 (1924), restored, enlarged, and revoiced by Orgues LОtourneau (2014)

Grand-Orgue

16′ Bourdon 68 pipes

8′ Montre 68 pipes

8′ Flûte harmonique 68 pipes

8′ Salicional 68 pipes

8′ Bourdon 68 pipes

4′ Prestant 68 pipes

22⁄3′ Quinte 68 pipes

2′ Doublette 61 pipes

II–III Fourniture (new) 183 pipes

8 Trompette (new) 68 pipes

Recit expressif

16′ Quintaton 68 pipes

8′ Principal 68 pipes

8′ Viole de gambe 68 pipes

8′ Voix céleste (TC) 56 pipes

8′ Mélodie 68 pipes

4′ Violon 68 pipes

4′ Flûte douce 68 pipes

22⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

2′ Octavin 61 pipes

13⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes

8′ Trompette 68 pipes

8′ Hautbois 68 pipes

8′ Voix humaine 68 pipes

Trémolo

Pedale

32′ Flûte (resultant) —

16′ Flûte ouverte 32 pipes

16′ Bourdon 32 pipes

8′ Flûte (ext 16′ Flûte) 12 pipes 

8′ Bourdon (ext 16′ Bourdon) 12 pipes

4′ Flûte (new, ext 8 Flûte) 12 pipes

16′ Bombarde (ext, Gr-O 8′) 12 pipes

8′ Trompette (fr Gr-O) —

Couplers

Gr-Orgue à la Pédale

Gr-Orgue aigu à la Pédale

Récit à la Pédale

Récit aigu à la Pédale

Gr-Orgue unisson muet

Gr-Orgue grave

Gr-Orgue aigu

Récit grave au Gr-Orgue

Récit au Gr-Orgue

Récit aigu au Gr-Orgue

Récit unisson muet

Récit grave

Récit aigu

Accessories

10 General pistons

6 Grand-Orgue pistons

6 Récit pistons

6 Pédale pistons

100 levels of memory

Récit expression shoe

Crescendo shoe

3 Tutti adjustable pistons

Transposer

Record/Playback mechanism

The console is prepared to play the gallery organ once it has been rebuilt at some point in the future. The gallery organ stops will be accessible via the General pistons plus the Tutti and Crescendo settings.  There are tilting tablet couplers for each of the gallery organ’s divisions, allowing them to be coupled as desired to the chancel console’s two manuals at 16′, 8′, and 4′. Also included is an “Unification des expressions” (All Swells to Swell) control plus ventils for both the gallery and chancel organs.

Létourneau Pipe Organs, 

Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, 

Canada, Opus 133

Waldensian Presbyterian Church, Valdese, 

North Carolina

From the Director of Music

Waldensian Presbyterian Church of Valdese, North Carolina, first and foremost wanted a new pipe organ that would stand the test of time. As a church that honors Presbyterian traditions while celebrating its Waldensian heritage that spans hundreds of years, it was important to the congregation to find an organ builder that would enhance the Waldensian tradition of French music and have the longevity to carry them into the future. Létourneau delivered, beyond expectation.

During the months of February and August, you can hear the congregation at Waldensian Presbyterian Church singing joyfully the hymns of their heritage in French. While only used weekly for two months of the year, the Waldensian Hymnal is a small book of French hymns that are embedded deeply in the members’ hearts and are heard frequently outside of the worship services.

Previously, Waldensian Presbyterian Church had a two-manual, electro- pneumatic pipe organ that served the congregation and community for thirty-five years. When the time came for this instrument’s electrical system to be overhauled, one among many serious problems, the church decided refurbishment was not an option. The task ahead of discerning what form a new pipe organ should take and choosing an organ builder was daunting, but the committees involved were determined to make the best choice possible for the future of the church. 

When discussions about replacing the deteriorating organ first began, it was important the end result would be an instrument that reflected the congregation’s heritage and would support the beautiful sounds and colors of French music. The church was also aware of its important responsibility in the Valdese community, and the purchase of a new pipe organ was something that the congregation felt would enhance this local role for generations to come. 

In addition to the sound and quality of the instrument, which were of upmost importance, it was also essential that the instrument looked as though it had always been there and not appear as an afterthought. The sanctuary of Waldensian Presbyterian Church is a historic building on the National Register of Historic Places, and the installation of a new pipe organ had to involve as few changes as possible to the building. This presented a challenge that Létourneau gladly accepted, and their Opus 133 does indeed fit seamlessly into the sanctuary. The organ project also provided an opportunity for a modest reinvention of the sanctuary, with new slate flooring and freshly painted walls.

With just fifteen stops, Opus 133 has rich and luscious sounds that easily fill the room without ever overpowering it. It can also, however, be played so softly that listeners are enticed to listen closely. The ingenious expression mechanism for the Récit division allows organists to have remarkable dynamic control over the music. The pedal stops have beautiful supportive tones that can be felt as well as heard throughout the room. The versatility of the instrument is really striking, and while its main purpose is to support congregational singing and lead worship, it also scintillates as a recital instrument. Further, the instrument is enjoyable to play, and as an organist, it feels as though it does all of the hard work. It can be played with a light touch and demands excellence and sensitivity in musicianship.

In summary, Waldensian Presbyterian Church is thrilled with their new Létourneau pipe organ and is looking forward to the years to come as it establishes itself in our community as a regular presence. It was a pleasure to work with Létourneau on this project. They took in to account all of the needs and desires of our congregation and the quality of the resulting instrument truly exhibits the remarkable pride they take in their work.

—Leslie Overcash, Director of Music

From the Builder

We were delighted to be asked to build an organ for Waldensian Presbyterian Church of Valdese, North Carolina. Our many visits to the church revealed a kind, receptive community that wanted to make decisions in the best interests of future generations. It was equally clear that their new organ was going to serve as an outreach tool within the area’s musical community. In keeping with their desire for excellence, the organ’s installation followed a successful sanctuary renovation that saw the removal of thick blue carpet from the nave as well as a reconfiguration of the raised worship platform.

After the church’s decision had been made to sign a contract with Létourneau, we learned the final two proposals the organ committee had been considering were radically different. The first was for an electro-pneumatic unit organ offering over 30 stops based on half as many ranks while our proposal, the second, was for a 19-rank pipe organ with mechanical key action. The whole reason the church was considering a new organ in the first place was due to continuing failures with their previous organ, a divided instrument flanking the chancel’s central apse on the sanctuary’s front wall. Undistinguished from the outset, this electro-pneumatic pipe organ increasingly suffered as it aged from a myriad of problems including a recalcitrant console, unpredictable electrical gremlins, winding issues and collapsing pipework. The ongoing problems with this instrument in the end underscored our arguments in favor of a timeless key action and a straight specification in which every stop has a distinct role to play.

Questions about what kind of key action was best suited to Waldensian Presbyterian Church’s situation probably seemed esoteric to some on their organ committee, but one point on which the committee was unanimous was the organ’s visual design: the new instrument had to integrate smoothly into the sanctuary’s spare, attractive architecture. Our efforts focused on using the chancel’s small apse, which had been an open space prior to the church renovations with seating for the church choir. Now installed, the organ uses the apse’s heavy curved wall and domed ceiling to project tone into the church much like a traditional organ case. As anticipated, the apse seems to amplify the Pédale division’s single rank, the 16′–8′ Bourdon, as needed from its location at the very back of the instrument. 

Our designer, Claude Demers, devised the instrument’s elegant façade with its three towers of pipes while the casework features blue and gold trim to harmonize with accents already present within the church. The organ’s polished façade pipes are from the bass of the Gr-Orgue 8′ Montre stop and are made from a 70% tin alloy. Behind the façade, the Gr-Orgue windchest sits directly under the thick archway leading to the apse, which helps again reflect sound into the church.

The Récit division resides between the Gr-Orgue and the Pédale 16′–8′ Bourdon rank. A tight enclosure, its expression mechanism is based on the example seen in the C. B. Fisk instrument at Chicago’s St. Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church. The Récit’s expression box has shades not only on its face but also on its two sides. Thanks to offset arms coming off the mechanism’s vertical shafts, the first portion of the expression pedal’s travel cracks the sides open before the shades on front of the box begin to move. The effect is remarkably sensitive and smooth dynamic control throughout the expression pedal’s travel.

The two-manual console is detached and reversed from the organ case, offering the organist an excellent view of the sanctuary. The console shell was made from solid red oak with its side and back panels incorporating carved details repurposed from a redundant modesty rail. The mechanical key actions drop into a channel under the console, passing under the pedalboard before going into the instrument behind. As is our custom, the terraced stop jambs and toe piston rails are made from a richly stained walnut while the stopknobs are made from turned ebony. The electric stop actions are controlled by a multilevel capture system from Solid State Organ Systems with 128 levels of memory, an adjustable crescendo pedal, a reversible Grand jeu piston, and eight general pistons along with a general piston sequencer.

In keeping with the Waldensian community’s French origins, we accentuated some of the French elements within the specification. For example, the Récit strings are potent, allowing organists to shade the Gr-Orgue 8′ flute and to a lesser degree, the 8′ Montre, for a rich fonds sonority. The organ’s most delicate stop is the Récit’s charming 8′ Bourdon, which fades to a murmur with the box closed. Adding the charismatic 4′ Flûte octaviante and 2′ Octavin creates a light secondary chorus that serves beautifully in the context of accompanying or performing solo repertoire. Like the strings, the Récit’s 8′ Trompette is big enough to color the Gr-Orgue thanks to its generously scaled resonators (8′ C measures just over four inches in diameter) and domed Bertounèche shallots.

The Gr-Orgue is based on a large 8′ Montre, generally following a 42 scale, with somewhat relaxed voicing that never takes on a hard edge. The composition of the Gr-O 8′ Flûte à cheminée is more complex than its nomenclature suggests: stopped wooden pipes make up the bass octave, shifting to a chimney flute in metal, then moving to “koppel” shape caps, and finally transitioning to open cylindrical pipes with narrow mouths similar to a Nachthorn at the top of the compass. The stop is treble ascendant with enough power at its top end for a solo line against various Récit combinations or to accompany itself. The Gr-Orgue’s three-rank Cornet was scaled and voiced as a solo voice, building on the 8′ and 4′ flutes to produce a powerful, singing sonority.

We expect the new Létourneau pipe organ at Waldensian Presbyterian Church will serve the church for many future generations, and we remain grateful to the church for giving us the opportunity to build Opus 133 with mechanical key action. Many new friendships were made throughout the project, and we especially enjoyed working with the church’s Director of Music, Leslie Overcash, and the Chair of Worship and Music, Wes Garrou. The organ’s formal service of dedication took place on January 28, 2018, with Dudley Oakes at the console playing works by J. S. Bach, Duruflé, Utterback, and Karg-Elert.

—Andrew Forrest, Artistic Director

Fernand Létourneau, President

Dudley Oakes, Project Consultant

Gr-ORGUE – Manual I –
80 mm pressure

8′ Montre 58 pipes

    façade of 70% polished tin

8′ Flûte à cheminée 58 pipes

    1–12 stopped wood, 

    13–32 chimney flute, 

    33–44 “Koppel” cones, 

    45–58 open flute

4′ Prestant 58 pipes

4′ Flûte ouverte 58 pipes

    tapered construction

2′ Doublette 58 pipes

22⁄3′ Cornet III 174 pipes

    12-15-17, large scale, 

    tapered construction

11⁄3′ Plein jeu IV 232 pipes

Tremulant

RÉCIT expressif – Manual II – 85 mm pressure

8′ Gambe 58 pipes

8′ Voix céleste (from g8) 51 pipes

8′ Bourdon (wood) 58 pipes

4′ Flûte octaviante 58 pipes

2′ Octavin 58 pipes

8′ Trompette 58 pipes

Tremulant

PÉDALE – 100 mm pressure

16′ Bourdon (wood) 32 pipes

8′ Bourdon (wood) 12 pipes

    ext 16′ Bourdon

Couplers

Récit au Gr-Orgue

Gr-Orgue à la Pédale

Récit à la Pédale

The console’s capture system is by Solid State Organ System:

128 levels of memory

4 divisional pistons each for the Gr-Orgue and Récit

2 divisional pistons for the Pédale

8 general pistons plus a general piston sequencer. 

There is a reversible and programmable Grand jeu piston as well as a 30-stage crescendo pedal.

Two manuals, 15 total stops, 19 ranks, 1,081 pipes

Gr-Orgue Plein jeu 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 a58 1 8 12 15

Orgues Létourneau Limitée, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec

Opus 125

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Orgues Létourneau Limitée, 

Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec

Opus 125

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church,

Murfreesboro, Tennessee 

From the builder

Whether organbuilder or organist, most of us savor the process of planning for a grand instrument with four or five manuals, multiple 32′ stops, and an extravagant Solo division on heavy wind. But such projects are rare; the development of more modest instruments is undoubtedly a greater exercise of an organ builder’s creativity. Pipe organs should be flexible and colorful no matter what their size; playing even the smallest instruments—and listening to them—should always be a rewarding experience.

Each Létourneau instrument is carefully planned to sit comfortably within its surroundings, not just in terms of its physical size but also in the organ’s tonal inclinations. The pipe organ must be a powerful and expressive tool in the church’s music ministry, so it is hardly unusual to develop and later tweak an organ’s specification to a denominational liturgy or a specific repertoire the organ needs to serve. The instrument at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is an example of these sentiments in practice, with the result that our Opus 125, a small but uncommonly capable pipe organ, fits seamlessly into its new home.

From our first meetings with the organ committee at St. Paul’s, it was clear this dynamic group put a high value on music and quality. The parish itself observed consistent growth throughout the twentieth century and the church’s facilities expanded commensurately, culminating in the dedication of a new sanctuary in 2002 with seating for 300 people. For the sanctuary’s opening, the parish’s aging M. P. Möller unit organ was relocated, though it was clear this was a stopgap solution. The little Möller was out of its depth, and as the church’s organ committee recognized, it needed to be replaced with a larger instrument properly scaled for the worship space.

Sitting in an apse-like space at the front of the sanctuary, the new organ’s casework was designed to complement the surrounding architecture and furnishings, while displaying some influences from the organ cases of Hook & Hastings. The polished tin façade pipes are taken from the bass of the Great 16′ Violonbass in the central flat, while the basses of the Great and Pedal 8′ principals fill in the outer two flats. The instrument is located immediately behind the church’s choir, and one of our goals with the organ’s internal layout was to keep as much of the organ above impost level as possible. Not only does this help the organ project sound unimpeded down the nave, but it equally spares the choir from exposure to excessive decibels.

The Swell division is centered behind the façade where it addresses the room fully; the individual swell shades are 13⁄4 inches thick, and, coupled to a responsive mechanism, the Swell offers a tremendous dynamic range. The lowest octave of the 16′ Bassoon is sited at ground level underneath the Swell, but its full-length resonators rise up such that the pipes speak into the Swell box. Meanwhile, the Great division is divided into two chests—C and C# sides—on either side of the Swell, where its elevated position and the Swell sidewalls actively direct sound down the nave. Like the Swell 16′ Bassoon, the Great 8′ Trompette’s Pedal extension, the 16′ Trombone, features full-length resonators for superior tone.

As with the parish itself, it was a joy to get to know and work with the church’s director of music, Angela Tipps. A student of the legendary Dr. Wilma Jensen, Angela is Professor of Organ at Middle Tennessee State University and is the founding director of the acclaimed Nashville Chamber Singers. Our discussions focused on how we could extract maximum flexibility out of a small instrument, and a collective decision was made early on to build the organ with electro-pneumatic windchests. This cleared the way for the limited number of borrowings and extensions between and within divisions respectively.

The result of our discussions is a stop-list with a wide variety of foundation tone ranging from the delicate Swell 8′ Bourdon to the keen Swell strings to the rich Great 8′ Open Diapason. Out of 23 ranks in the manuals, some 13 ranks play at 8′ or 4′ pitches. Both manual divisions have mild 16′ flue stops that are duplexed to the Pedal; the Swell 16′ Bourdon has a particularly gentle and effective character. The presence of two 8′ trumpet stops in the specification permits a choice in dynamic and color, with the bolder Great 8′ Trompette living up to its French nomenclature. The Pedal division is relatively modest, but with a number of intelligently borrowed stops and elegant balancing between the ranks, there is always more than one choice to balance the manual registrations. Equally, the Pedal’s traditionally dominant role in tutti combinations is pleasingly fulfilled.

The organ is played from a two-manual console, with terraced stopjambs that combine a comfortable playing position with excellent visibility. The console is built with a rigid internal structure and casters to enable mobility within the church’s chancel area. It features a complete system of divisional and general pistons with 256 levels of memory and a general piston sequencer.

No successful organ project is the product of one person or one company, and Opus 125 was no exception. We were assisted at every turn by the good people of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and we would be remiss if we did not single some of them out for thanks. Ed Rogers was a key member of the organ committee and did much of the research and stoplist evaluations that led to us being a frontrunner in their selection process. George Carlson graciously volunteered hours of his time to serve as our man on the ground in Murfreesboro, and we know the organ’s installation was accomplished in record time in no small part due to his tireless coordination. Vestry member and choir member Wendi Watts was another tremendous supporter of the St. Paul’s organ project, whose steadfast resolve to see it through was an inspiration to all of us. Finally, the Rev. Polk Van Zandt listened to the church musicians’ and parishioners’ hopes for a new instrument to enhance worship and to provide new ministry opportunities. Without his invaluable support, the campaign for the new organ would never have been achieved so readily or in such a short period of time.

In closing, organists and organbuilders alike get periodically swept up in emphasizing the number of stops or ranks in a pipe organ rather than the instrument’s essential musical character. Like our clients, we are pleased that our pipe organ for St. Paul’s Church has proved to be as flexible and colorful as anyone could hope. Opus 125 stands as a testament to the faith and vision of St. Paul’s parish; we are collectively delighted that this instrument has so quickly established itself as a key component in St. Paul’s music ministry.

—Fernand Létourneau, President

—Andrew Forrest, Artistic Director

—Dudley Oakes, Vice President for Sales

Orgues Létourneau Limitée

From the organist/director of music

Opus 125’s story began more than ten years ago, when the parish of St. Paul’s built a new worship space. The congregation had outgrown what is now our chapel, and a lovely nave with excellent acoustics was completed in 2002. Funds for a new organ were not included in the capital campaign, however, so the six-rank M.P. Möller Artiste from the old worship space was moved into the nave. Needless to say, the instrument simply could not keep up!

When I became the organist and director of music in 2004, the senior warden of our vestry asked what our options were regarding adding to or replacing the current organ. We obtained a proposal from a builder in our state to renovate and augment “Ethel” (as the Möller had now been named by the choir) and even at a very reasonable $150,000, rebuilding Ethel proved too much for the vestry to add to an already tight budget. It seemed as if an organ project of any kind was out of the question.

It was the determination of Ed Rogers, a choir member who is also an experienced organist, who kept the momentum going. He knew exactly what kind of sound I had in my head and set to work to find a good match. Ed spent countless hours listening to examples from builders’ websites and even visiting churches on his own to narrow the field. 

Ed quickly settled on Létourneau as the right builder for St. Paul’s and took several of us to visit the Abbey of Gethsemani, a Trappist monastery near Bardstown, Kentucky; Christ United Methodist Church in Louisville; and Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Each of these instruments was very different, yet just right for their spaces. I fell in love with their common denominators: warm principals and lush strings. 

The parish received some very generous donations to its small organ fund, and this helped the vestry decide to use these donations as seed money for a new instrument rather than simply repair the Möller. Within a matter of months of launching a new pipe organ campaign, the entire amount was pledged—and all this in the worst economy since the Great Depression!

By the end of 2011, the contract was signed and Opus 125 was being built. The excitement was palpable as Andrew Forrest regularly sent pictures of the progress from the shop. Every few weeks the congregation was greeted in the narthex by pictures of its newest member. We were also fortunate to have choir member George Carlson volunteer to serve as project manager. An ex-Marine, ex-engineer, and ex-verger in the Episcopal Church, George was the perfect person to prepare the site for installation.

On Tuesday, June 19, 2012, the huge truck containing Opus 125 arrived from Canada. More than 50 congregation members met in the parking lot to help unload. After a prayer—in French and in English—everyone from age eight to over 80 carried in those precious pipes. It was a great day in the life of St. Paul’s.

It seems that the instrument was assembled in no time at all, and we all became very attached to Michel, Michel, and Eric from Létourneau. They were very cordial in allowing congregation members to watch, and even let our rector install the last piece! The tremendous care and craftsmanship with which this instrument is built is remarkable: it’s as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. 

The voicing process completely amazed me. The skill and tenaciousness of the voicers to get just the right sound is what makes Opus 125 such a wonderful instrument. With only 26 ranks, certain stops had to play dual roles: the Great 8′ Open Diapason had to serve as a solo stop as well as the foundation of the principal chorus. Likewise, the Swell 8′ Oboe had to be used as a solo stop as well as a light ensemble reed for choral accompanying. To me, that is the beauty of this instrument: each stop maintains its own character while still being part of an ensemble sound. 

It has been a whirlwind year for St. Paul’s. From the dedication service with Bishop John Bauerschmidt celebrating the Eucharist and my teacher Wilma Jensen accompanying the anthems, to a Nashville AGO program for organ and instruments featuring my colleagues from Middle Tennessee State University, to the dedication recital by Sewanee’s Dr. Robert Delcamp—all have been well-received by our parish and community. We even hosted two organ crawls for children: one on the eve of the dedication service for the families of our parish, and another during the school year for our Cub Scout pack. To the people of St. Paul’s, the installation of Opus 125 completes the vision of the “new” nave of 2002.

From the beginning, I wanted an organ that could do three things: lead congregational singing, accompany choral anthems, and play a wide variety of solo organ repertoire. The Létourneau team accomplished all three goals, with only 26 ranks. As Wilma Jensen said when she was preparing to assist with the dedication service, “This is a very flexible instrument, which should accommodate the many needs of the Episcopal liturgy quite well.” Of course, she is absolutely right; I could not have asked for better variety or a more versatile instrument. Colleagues who play Opus 125 consistently mention the lush strings, the soaring flutes, and the warm 8′ principal around which the organ is built: all the sounds I fell in love with many years ago. 

—Angela Tipps

Organist and Director of Music

Cover and page 26 photos by Fant Smith; other photos by Kenneth Stein,
www.photosbystein.com

Orgues Létourneau Limitée, Opus 125 St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

GREAT (85mm wind)

16′ Violonbass 61 pipes

8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Spindle Flute

  (C1–B24 wood) 61 pipes

8′ Violoncello 12 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Open Flute 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

11⁄3′ Mixture II–IV 213 pipes

22⁄3′ Cornet III (F18 to F54) 111 pipes

8′’ Trompette 66 pipes

SWELL (expressive, 80mm wind)

16′ Bourdon (wood) 61 pipes

8′ Gamba 61 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste (from G8) 54 pipes

8′ Bourdon 12 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Traverse Flute (harmonic) 61 pipes

2′ Octavin (harmonic) 61 pipes

11⁄3′ Larigot 61 pipes

16′ Bassoon-Oboe (full length) 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet 66 pipes

8′ Oboe 12 pipes

PEDAL

32′ Resultant (derived from 16′ Subbass

  and 16′ Bourdon)

16′ Subbass   (wood, 100mm wind) 32 pipes

16′ Violonbass (Gt)

16′ Bourdon (Sw)

8′ Principal (100mm wind) 32 pipes

8′ Violoncello (Gt)

8′ Bass Flute (from Subbass) 12 pipes

4′ Choral Bass (85mm wind) 32 pipes

16′ Trombone (from Gt 8′ Trompette, 

  full length) 12 pipes

16′ Bassoon-Oboe (Sw)

8′ Trompette (Gt)

Full complement of inter- and intramanual couplers

Electro-pneumatic windchests

21 independent stops

26 ranks

1,459 pipes

Taylor and Boody Organbuilders Staunton, Virginia

Opus 70, 2015

Virginia Theological Seminary Alexandria, Virginia

Virginia Theological Seminary and the Organ

It is often said, “No one ever leaves a church humming the words of the sermon.” Music in congregational worship is vitally important. The experience of worship is for many people linked with their experience of the music. So when Virginia Theological Seminary lost its 1881 chapel to fire in 2010, the board gave the administration a clear instruction—to build a new chapel that was perfect for music.

For the new Immanuel Chapel, Robert A. M. Stern Architects and acoustician Jaffe Holden (with acoustics reviewed by Robert Mahoney) produced a worship space that has a rich, vibrant acoustic. From the thick walls, heavy doors, and a heating and cooling system that is silent, the seminary made experience of sound a priority. Now we needed an organ to fit this perfect space for music. 

Although we made sure that this chapel can work for informal music and for unaccompanied singing, we always knew we needed an organ. The organ remains the most dependable instrument to accompany congregational singing; even the nine-foot grand piano is drowned out when you have a seminary congregation of people who know the hymns and love to sing. And we were not even tempted by the electronic alternative. We wanted a traditional pipe organ in this chapel.

Taylor and Boody both appreciate the majesty of the pipe organ and its flexibility. They were ready to work with a demanding client. And the result is exceptional. The case is made from the two great white oaks that had to be cut down to allow the chapel to emerge. It is visually striking in its simplicity. And Taylor and Boody worked hard to create an instrument that can play the full spectrum of music needed in the Anglican tradition. The result is extraordinary. One cannot help but have one’s heart lifted by the sound of an instrument so beautiful, so resonant, and so powerful.

There is nothing ephemeral about this chapel. The last organ served the seminary over a century; this organ will—God willing—be serving the seminary for centuries to come. 

—The Very Reverend Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.

Dean and President, 

Virginia Theological Seminary

The Mission of Liturgical Music and the Virginia Theological Seminary

When Virginia Theological Seminary (Episcopal) lost its 1881 chapel in a tragic fire in October of 2010, the tracker organ was also destroyed. In addition to the seminary community, the chapel and organ were also used by a neighboring Episcopal parish, Immanuel Church on the Hill, with whom the seminary has a long and intimate connection. One parishioner had worshipped in this chapel for over seventy years. Both communities felt keenly the loss of the chapel, if not the organ. 

Built by Adam Stein of Baltimore in 1900, this organ might be described as serviceable but not beloved. It was small, difficult to manage, and offered a limited tonal palette. Nonetheless, during its 110 years the Adam Stein led thousands of services, faithfully ushering people into prayer. I asked our director of buildings and grounds if there was any other piece of equipment of any kind on the campus that was still in daily use after 110 years. He could think of none. And so, while we didn’t mourn the loss of this organ in the same way we did the small, charming Victorian chapel, still we gave thanks for its extraordinary length of service. 

It is a rare opportunity to commission an organ for a new building, giving architect and organbuilders a chance to meet, to gain respect for each other, and to develop synergy. Though I have been involved in three new organ commissions in my career, this is the first for a new worship space. While the concerns of architects and organbuilders intersect, even overlap, they come to the drawing board from completely different perspectives. A working relationship needed to develop over time, and there were some surprises. The project managers, for example, were continually alarmed at the time, attention, and expense we devoted to acoustics. They soon perceived that music is a core value for this community.

Singing is at the heart of Anglican worship. We therefore needed an instrument that supports and encourages the human voice. Seminarians are passionate about their faith, and this is heard in their robust singing, thus we also required an instrument that could sing. While we looked at a number of superb builders, we were impressed by the impeccable craft of Taylor and Boody, who, not unlike medieval artisans, begin with the raw, basic materials, and build an instrument slowly, individually, and by hand. The result is visually and tonally an impressive work of art.

Musicians often say of Taylor and Boody Opus 70 that each individual voice has its own discrete character, and that the voices combine to create ensemble sounds of rare beauty. What could be better? We are delighted with the results of our collaboration, and our dedication to these builders is even stronger now than when we selected them. 

The consecration of the chapel and the organ on October 13 will be led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. We look forward to many years with this magnificent instrument, continually discovering its many qualities, but, more important for our purposes, being powerfully led by the organ into prayer, as new leaders are formed for the future Church. Soli Deo Gloria.

—The Reverend William Bradley Roberts, D.M.A., Professor of Church Music and Director of Chapel Music

The Building of Taylor and Boody Opus 70 for the Virginia Theological Seminary

Psalm 11:6. Fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!

Two powerful events at the Virginia Theological Seminary conspired to bring to life a new chapel and a new pipe organ: the tragic destruction of the 1881 seminary chapel by an accidental fire in October of 2010 and the destruction wrought in the mid-Atlantic region by a freak summer derecho windstorm on June 29, 2012. The fire spurred the creation and building of a new, elegant, and powerful worship space that bears witness to the dedication of the Virginia Theological Seminary to worship arts and liturgy. The windstorm felled over 20 of the old-growth white oak trees that graced the seminary campus, some of which were eventually incorporated into a new organ for the chapel. 

Prior to the fire, Taylor and Boody had already met with a renovation committee to see what could be done to update and improve the 110-year-old Adam Stein organ. We were already acquainted with the Virginia Theological Seminary leadership and had been talking about a new organ for the chapel. Following the fire, an organ committee was formed, composed of Jason Abel, musician at Christ Church, Alexandria, and assistant chapel musician at VTS; Scott Dettra, consultant, organist at Washington National Cathedral [now at Church of the Incarnation, Dallas]; Ray Glover, consultant, professor of church music emeritus, editor of The Hymnal 1982; Barney Hawkins, professor of pastoral theology and associate dean; Lloyd A. (Tony) Lewis, professor of New Testament [now emeritus] (and assisting clergy at St. Paul’s, K Street); William Bradley Roberts, professor of church music, director of chapel music, committee chair; Thomas Smith, musician at Redeemer, Bethesda [now musician at Christ Church, Georgetown, Washington], and assistant chapel musician at VTS; and Heather Zdancewicz, vice president for administration and finance. This committee worked diligently, considering several builders and visiting many instruments. We were pleased to have been chosen to build the organ for this important and influential Episcopal seminary. The connections seem to fit together. We are a Virginia organbuilder who could take on this important commission. There was also an historic connection between Staunton, Virginia, and the seminary. After the fall of Alexandria at the beginning of the Civil War, the seminary moved for a time to Trinity Episcopal Church in Staunton, Virginia, home church of George Taylor and John Boody.

Over the years, Taylor and Boody have worked together with many architects and acousticians to design and build worship spaces and concert halls. This is one of the things that we do best, but our experience at the Virginia Theological Seminary was unique. We were teamed with Robert A. M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) of New York, New York, a 300-person giant of a firm with hundreds of projects to their credit, including: 15 Central Park West, New York City; Tour Carpe Diem, Paris, France; the George W. Bush Presidential Library; the Comcast Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and the Disney Beach Club Resort, Orlando, Florida. They had, however, relatively little experience in liturgical buildings. Fortunately, the chapel building committee at VTS, led by the Very Reverend Dean Ian S. Markham and the Reverend J. Barney Hawkins IV, assisted by a well-informed committee from the seminary faculty and staff, had a very clear idea of what they wanted. The creative power of the RAMSA team led by Robert A. M. Stern and Grant Marani was harnessed to bring those concepts to life in a refined building plan. There were times when the organbuilders and musicians had to state their requirements clearly, but the end result is a unique and wonderful space that is emblematic of the seminary’s purpose, emphasizing the importance of worship, music, and liturgy in the education of Episcopal priests.

The Immanuel Chapel is a beautifully crafted building. The red brick exterior is not a copy of any building on the VTS campus, but a new creation that harmonizes with the existing historic campus architecture. The RAMSA architects and the builders, Whiting-Turner Contracting of Greenbelt, Maryland, have already won awards for craftsmanship in the chapel’s construction. The building gives the impression of refinement, solidity, and grace that will be enduring. The worship space is in the form of an equal-armed Greek cross with the center defined by a large, circular, black aluminum chandelier. All the furnishings are uniquely designed by the architects and are moveable should the seminary ever want to modify the arrangement. The ceiling is divided into coffers for good sound dispersion. The floor is slate and the walls are hard plaster on concrete block. The acoustic is brilliant in the empty space, toning down to a comfortable and discernible reverberation with full congregation. The air handling is remarkably silent. Mark Holden of Jaffe-Holden was the acoustician, with a peer review done by Bob Mahoney.

The new Opus 70 organ stands 8.3 meters (27 feet) tall at the end of one of the arms of the cross. The case is solid quarter-sawn white oak finished with a clear matte-finish water-based lacquer. The 80% burnished tin Open Diapason 16′ from low F is en façade. The shape of the case is classical but restrained in complexity of moldings and decoration, allowing the organ to be at home in this clean, contemporary space. The effect is powerful and compelling, letting the worshiper know that music is important to the seminary. 

The Great organ is at the impost level. The Swell box, made of heavy wood, is in the center, above the Great. The Swell pipes are in major thirds, with the treble pipes in the front. The Swell reeds are placed at both ends of the channels so that tuning can be done from both sides of the box. The Swell shutters are mechanically operated and are on three sides of the box. This makes for a dramatic crescendo and refined control of the Swell sound. The Pedal is on two chests at floor level behind the organ. It speaks directly through tracery grilles on both sides of the lower case and also into the ambulatory that is connected to the chapel acoustic. 

The key action is mechanical tracker with the tracker runs done in rectangular carbon fiber 4mm x .6mm. Of all the modern materials that have been used for trackers, carbon fiber is, by far, the best. The carbon fibers are extruded through a die and embedded in epoxy. It comes on a roll a mile long. When the material is taken off the roll, it is perfectly straight and extremely rigid. This reduces the number of guides and hence friction. It is nearly impossible to break and impervious to moisture. The roller boards are made of 3/8-inch square solid aluminum rollers with black walnut bearings. The key levers are thermally treated poplar, which has great stability. All these things together make for a key action that is crisp, precise, and responsive. We do like some mass in the key action, so we make the pallet valves out of white oak. The key coverings are polished cow bone and the sharps are Gabon ebony. The stop action control is by electric solenoids with a combination action by Solid State Organ Systems using Harris drawstops with engraved knobs.

The slider windchests are all solid wood with yellow poplar grids, quarter-sawn yellow poplar sliders, Western red cedar tables 6 mm thick, Eastern white pine toeboards, and quartered white oak pipe racks. The pipe racking was done in a traditional manner with red-hot burning irons fitting the pipes to the racks. This leaves a ring of inert charcoal in contact with the lead-tin alloy pipes. All the pipes were made in the Taylor and Boody workshop of lead-tin alloys. All pipes were hammered with our 50-lb. pneumatic foundry hammer with the exception of the front pipes, which were hand scraped and polished.

The chance to use the 20 white oak trees downed in the derecho and acquiring the logs from the three large oak trees that were removed from the site of the chapel construction was one we could not pass up. We have always been interested in whole-tree utilization. Other Taylor and Boody instruments such as Opus 27 for St. Thomas Fifth Avenue, New York City, have been built from a group of trees harvested in one location. In commercial timbering, the very best logs go for veneer and we never see them. The middle grade are used for saw logs, but usually only for flat-cut boards cut around the outside of the logs. The top logs are used for industrial lumber building timbers and railroad ties. In historic European organs, because the labor-intensive cutting, transportation, and preparation of timber made the wood so valuable, the whole tree was used. There was a hierarchy of use so the best wood went into the pipes, keys, and windchests. Lesser quality was used for the case and carvings, and the lowest for the timbers and supports.

We took these logs, some up to 30 inches in diameter, and split them down the center with a 60-inch chainsaw. The half logs were then placed on our band sawmill at 45 degrees and most of the cutting was done in a radial fashion to produce the maximum amount of lumber with the year rings oriented in vertical or quarter-sawn direction. This lumber is the most stable, dries without defect, and in oak produces the beautiful flake grain pattern that we so cherish. We air-dried the wood on our yard for about a year and then finished off the drying in our dehumidification dry kiln. The results were well worth the effort. This also provides environmental economy and a connection to the saints of VTS who walked beneath those ancient trees.

What kind of organ is appropriate for a seminary? In many of our projects Taylor and Boody has used historic models in the North European style for our projects. Our Opus 65 project at Grace Church, New York City, was a departure from this Schnitger model. Particularly in the construction of the swell boxes and the voicing of the enclosed divisions, the Grace Church organ taught us how effective these divisions can be for choral accompaniment. In the development of the VTS organ we knew that this type of organ would serve the Episcopal seminary well. Coupled with this wide range of expression in the Swell organ, we wanted the Great and Pedal to retain the power and vocal qualities essential to good hymn singing. In the words of Aaron Reichert, who along with Christopher Bono voiced the organ:

Should not the organ sing with as good a vowel as one asks of their choir? The balance of the organ is based on, and in direct relationship with, the fervor with which the VTS community sings. Each division can accompany the other, a soloist, a choir, an orchestra, a congregation, or all combined; coincidentally, being so versatile in accompaniment makes the organ quite a good soloist as well.

The two-manual specification of 34 stops allows for a balanced chorus on each division. There are two mixtures and five manual reeds, giving the organ sufficient power to accompany the robust singing of the seminary congregation. There is also a good complement of string stops: a Salicional on the Great, and Gamba, Celeste, and 4′ Salicet in the Swell, makings for a string chorus. It is useful that both the Great and Swell have Trumpets and solo reeds, the Oboe in English style, and a sweet Clarionet on the Great. The Pedal Open Diapason 16′, which is transmitted from the Great, is quite round and full, having full-length wooden basses. A large-scaled 102⁄3′ Quint Bass gives a synthetic 32′ for a convincing pedal point for English choral music. 

This instrument has already proven to be a stimulant to the musicians at VTS. There is often a student or visiting organist learning, discussing, and enjoying the organ. As Bill Roberts said in the mission statement for the organ search: “Procuring a fine organ will enrich the worship life of the community for years to come. It will contribute to the formation of young women and men who are being trained to lead the Church, modeling the power of music to transform lives and bring worshippers into the presence of God.” We also as organ builders believe this and we are honored to have been able to contribute to this landmark project. Soli Deo Gloria.

—George K. Taylor and John H. Boody

Opus 70—The Builders 

George Taylor, John Boody, Larry Damico, Emerson Willard, Christopher Bono, Kelley Blanton, Robbie Lawson, Thomas Karaffa, Robert Harris, Erik Boody, Aaron Reichert, Bobbi J. Regi, Katina Lawson, Alessio Giacobone, Christopher Witmer, Jenna Dennison, Chris Peterson, Steven Jett.

Chapel design by Robert A. M. Stern Architects New York, New York.

Design Partner: Grant F. Marani. Senior Associates: Rosa Maria Colina, Charles Toothill. Associates: Esther Park, David Pearson, Leticia Wouk-Almino. Team: James Brackenhoff, Kevin Kelly, Marc Leverant, Marissa Looby, Katie Casanta Rasmussen, Frank Stevens, Mark Talbot, Jessie Turnbull, Chriska Wong.

Landscape Architect: Michael Vergason Landscape Architects. Liturgical Consultant: Terry Byrd Eason Design.

Inaugural Year Events 

November 6, 2015, 7:30 p.m., Scott Dettra, dedicatory organ concert  

January 10, 2016, 4 p.m., Janet Yieh

March 18, 2016, 7:30 p.m., Marilyn Keiser

April 22, 2016, 7:30 p.m., Dorothy Papadakos accompanies the silent movie, “Hunchback of Notre Dame”

Photo credit: Robbie Lawson