Cover Feature

Andrew Forrest

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.

Peragallo Pipe Organ Company, 

Paterson, New Jersey

St. Malachy’s—The Actors’ Chapel, New York City

Peragallo Pipe Organ Company, 

Paterson, New Jersey

St. Malachy’s—The Actors’ Chapel, New York City

 

The music ministry at St. Malachy’s Church in New York City 

On Monday, January 20, 2012, the New York Times published a feature article on the Paul Creston Memorial Pipe Organ, Aeolian-Skinner (1935), Opus 938, that was relocated to St. Malachy’s—The Actors’ Chapel, New York City, and rebuilt, renovated, and enhanced by the Peragallo Pipe Organ Company (2012) of Paterson, New Jersey. This vintage instrument has a storied past, which, coupled with its remarkable ‘rebirth,’ makes it a cultural landmark in its new home in the heart of New York City’s Theater District, the performing arts capital of the world.

In 2007, the late John Peragallo, Jr. received a call from a church in East Orange, New Jersey (formerly Hillside Presbyterian Church) about the organ, which had been damaged from a water leak in the roof. There was significant damage to the console, but the majority of the instrument, including the pipes and chests, remained mostly in good condition. However, the church no longer had the ability to maintain or use the organ and it was days away from being thrown away. Upon hearing this, Peragallo said to hold off on demolition. He returned the next day with his staff to dismantle the organ and began looking for a new home for it. John Peragallo, Jr.’s next call was to his friend, Reverend Richard D. Baker, pastor at St. Malachy’s—The Actors’ Chapel, to consider this instrument for installation at the church. With the guidance of then director of music Daniel Brondel, a proposal was developed in 2008. It was not until current director of music Mark Pacoe arrived in January 2009, that the project would gain traction. A comprehensive and multi-faceted fundraising and education campaign was launched in early 2009.

Over the next few years (2009–2012), St. Malachy’s Parish garnered widespread support for this extensive undertaking. St. Malachy’s is a relatively small parish that listed about 600 families on the register in 2009. Compared to its suburban counterparts that typically have rosters two and three times as large, St. Malachy’s is uniquely situated in the heart of the theater district and attracts regular visitors from around the world, as well as tourists on a daily basis. Fittingly, a campaign was developed to promote not only fundraising for this ‘King of Instruments,’ but also a liturgical and cultural outreach that resonates with all who visit and pray at The Actors’ Chapel. Through Fr. Baker’s vision, a high-quality music program, with its fine choral and liturgical tradition, was paramount in the challenge of acquiring such a fine, vintage instrument.

The new installation would be called the ‘Paul Creston Memorial Pipe Organ,’ honoring the legacy of the great American composer, who served as organist at St. Malachy’s from 1934–1967. During Creston’s time, there was a Kimball organ (15 stops) in the upper church and a Kilgen organ (20 stops) in the lower church (commonly referred to as The Actors’ Chapel, which was converted into the Encore Senior Center in 1978). Unfortunately, because of disrepair and other mitigating factors, both instruments were eventually removed in the late 1970s, when the church and the neighborhood were entrenched in difficult times and transition. Fr. George Moore was assigned to assess the dire existence of St. Malachy’s in the late 1970s, and became its pastor in 1978. Through Fr. Moore’s leadership, he re-galvanized St. Malachy’s influence and ministry in the neighborhood. Father Moore’s legacy is still felt today because of the measures he took then as a community activist and leader of the church. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Times Square and the Theater District became more attractive, commercial, and family friendly. The neighborhood surrounding St. Malachy’s was in the early years of a successful re-gentrification. While the church and surrounding areas were on the verge of ‘better days,’ it would be a very long time before a new pipe organ would sound again in the sacred place. In the 1980s, a two-manual electronic organ was installed and was used until obsolete in 2012. 

One of the most important challenges of this pipe organ project was how to promote St. Malachy’s rich history, its location, and its mission and ministry; this special place needed a worthy and versatile American classic organ, namely Aeolian-Skinner. The essential part of this campaign resides in the legacy of St. Malachy’s own distinguished composer and organist, Paul Creston. Future generations will benefit from the campaign and the new organ that embody Creston’s timeless ideals. Paul Creston is hailed as one of America’s leading 20th-century composers. During the 1940s–1960s, Creston’s music was performed regularly by leading orchestras across the nation, including the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Seattle Symphony, to name a few. Legendary conductors such as Leopold Stokowski, Arturo Toscanini, Eugene Ormandy, and Gerard Schwarz championed Creston’s music. In addition to Creston’s prolific compositional output, he also published authoritative books on music and devoted himself to teaching and academia, especially following his time at St. Malachy’s. ‘The Creston Creed,’ a self-penned statement about his philosophy of music and composition, expressed his strongest sentiments in the spiritual nature of creativity, music-making, and well-being. Creston’s ‘credo’ became the foundation of the Paul Creston Award that was established in 2009. This annual award honors a distinguished artist who embodies the Creston Creed, excellence in the arts, and is a significant figure in church music and the performing arts.

The first recipient of the Paul Creston Award (2009) was Frederick Swann, internationally recognized church musician and concert artist. At this inaugural Creston Award event, coupled with the official launch of the pipe organ campaign, an all-Creston program, ‘The St. Malachy’s Years’, was presented at the church. This unusual program included Prelude and Dance for solo accordion, his well-known setting of Psalm 23 for countertenor, and the Concertino for Marimba and Orchestra. Craig R. Whitney, former assisting managing editor of the New York Times and author of All the Stops: The Glorious Pipe Organ and Its American Masters, presented the keynote address about the Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ, Opus 938. Whitney’s address recounted American organ building in the 1930s, organ builder and Opus 938 consultant G. Donald Harrison, Opus 938’s relevance to the acoustical space and future usage at St. Malachy’s, and most interestingly, a novel and entertaining narration that enlivened Paul Creston’s legacy through the organ at The Actors’ Chapel. 

The second recipient of the Paul Creston Award (2010) was Bruce Neswick, then director of music at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City, now on the faculty at Indiana University, Bloomington. The award event featured a professional orchestra, the Salvatones (a professional choral ensemble), and the New York Boychoir. This program, ‘Creston’s New York’, included music by American composers Copland, Gershwin, Larsen, and Corigliano. 

The third recipient of the award was David Higgs, chair of the organ department at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Higgs was presented the award at ‘Voices United’, a benefit event for St. Malachy’s Outreach Ministries and Covenant House New York at the historic Beacon Theatre in New York’s Upper West Side in November 2012. Higgs presented the headlining recital for the inaugural season of the Paul Creston Memorial Pipe Organ in April 2013, co-sponsored by the New Jersey Metropolitan and New York City chapters of the American Guild of Organists. Higgs performed Creston’s rarely heard, complex solo organ work Fantasia. This co-sponsored event was the first of its kind between these two AGO chapters and coincidentally connected the heritage of Opus 938 from the New Jersey chapter to its new home in the New York chapter.

The Concerts at St. Malachy’s series was initially developed to benefit the organ campaign through diverse and distinct programming, featuring instrumental, choral, Broadway, opera, chamber and symphonic performers. Concerts at St. Malachy’s programs have included the Fairbanks Trio (Asimov, Nagin and Hopkins), Danilo Pina (piano), ‘Love Notes—from Broadway to Opera’ (NY Bar Association), the Three Cantors—from Sanctuary to Stage, the Salvatones, the Orchestra of St. Malachy’s, the New York Boychoir, Face the Music, the Auburn University Show Choir, the Virtuosi (wind) Quintet, Sweet Plantain String Quartet, and Simon Boyar, Daniel Brondel, Deborah Jamini, and Joanna Arnold Darrow in a performance of Creston’s music. For the inaugural year of the new organ, Concerts at St. Malachy’s launched the ‘Fridays in October’ post-theater organ recitals at 11 p.m., and the ‘Fridays in December’ pre-theater organ recitals at 6:30 p.m. Other special performances included silent films, the Educational Outreach Series for school-age children through college-level music appreciation classes, massed choral performances and collaborations between St. Malachy’s Choir and tri-state regional choral societies, as well as full-length feature recitals. Inaugural-year recitalists included David Higgs, Mark Pacoe, David Ball, Jon Johnson, Michael Hey, Crista Miller, James Wetzel, Jonathan Ortloff, and Vincent Carr.

 

The builders 

The new installation of Aeolian-Skinner Opus 938 (1935) was completed by the Peragallo Pipe Organ Company of Paterson, New Jersey. The Peragallo Pipe Organ Company was founded in 1918 by John Peragallo, Sr., who developed his craft as an apprentice with the E. M. Skinner Company. His son, John Peragallo, Jr., who was a member of the American Guild of Organists, joined the company in 1949. 

Now in its fourth generation, the sons of John Jr., John Peragallo III and Frank Peragallo, having grown up in the business, now head the company. John III received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and also studied organ with Russell Hayton of Montclair and Leonard Raver of the Juilliard School. He also pursued musical studies at the New York School of Liturgical Music. Frank studied cabinetmaking with the Salesian Brothers of Don Bosco. 

John III and Frank are now joined by their sons, Anthony and John IV. Anthony received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Montclair State University. John IV received the Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture and a Master’s of Architecture degree from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. 

The firm’s leadership is well rounded, with diverse skills and business acumen, and has distinguished the Peragallo Pipe Organ Company in fine pipe organ building and restoration. 

 

The organ 

The Paul Creston Memorial Pipe Organ includes 73 stops, 43 ranks of pipes, and 19 digitally sampled stops. These are all playable from two keydesks. A repurposed E. M. Skinner keydesk from Opus 524 is located in the gallery. The Aeolian-Skinner keydesk original to Opus 938 is located on the floor of the chancel. Both keydesks were completely updated with new key claviers and pedalboards, rocker tablets for stop control in the gallery keydesk and new drawknobs for the chancel keydesk. 

The tonal design was slightly modified with the addition of Walker components, primarily to expand the existing small pedal division and for a new floating division in the chancel for support of choral accompaniment. Several ranks of pipes were also added, including a Great four-rank mixture (12-15-19-22), 16′ Violone (façade, with 8′ Violoncello on the Great), and a hooded solo reed, the Actors’ Trumpet, on eight inches of wind pressure. The ranks of the original Dolce Cornet III of the Swell division were separated and installed independently as a 22⁄3′ Nazard, 2′ Flautino, and 13⁄5′ Tierce. The Grave Mixture II of the Great Organ was also separated and installed as the 22⁄3′ Twelfth and the 2′ Fifteenth. 

The casework of the instrument was designed and handcrafted to match the Gothic architectural style throughout the church. The façade includes the original pipes from the Aeolian-Skinner, along with the Violone 16′ comprising the towers. The case is adorned with gold accents found in the ceiling of the church and also features hand-crafted trefoil moldings and tower crowns featured throughout the nave. 

The superb acoustic of the church, at about three seconds, is a result of the high, narrow, neo-Gothic vaulting of the room. The room seats 350 comfortably, and provides an intimate and aesthetically pleasing setting for the dynamically subtle yet powerful instrument. While only steps away from the bustling theaters of Broadway and the frenzy of Times Square, St. Malachy’s is a hidden gem, a sanctuary where tourists, parishioners, neighbors, and people from all walks of life feel welcomed. 

For more information about St. Malachy’s—The Actors’ Chapel, the music calendar, and the Paul Creston Memorial Pipe Organ, see www.actorschapel.org or ‘Creston Memorial Pipe Organ’ on Facebook. 

We recognize those who made this restoration and relocation possible: Reverend Richard Baker, Mark Pacoe, Peggy Pugh, Daniel Brondel, Benjamin Lorello, Andy Nerhbas, John Peragallo Jr., and the parishioners and supporters of St. Malachy’s Parish. 

Information about the construction and rebuilding of this fine instrument can be found at www.peragallo.com.  

—Mark Pacoe, Director of Music, 

St. Malachy’s Church

—John Peragallo IV, Architectural Designer, Peragallo Organ Company

—John Peragallo III, Principal, Tonal Director, Peragallo Organ Company

Foley-Baker, Inc.,

Tolland, Connecticut

St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, 

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Foley-Baker, Inc.,

Tolland, Connecticut

St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, 

Minneapolis, Minnesota

 

From the builder

The Welte name is mostly known for its roll-player mechanisms, the Mignon reproducing piano, and their Orchestrion. However, as builders of traditional pipe organs, Welte’s output was small; organs were but one in a family of Welte “products” typical of the era’s massive instrumental output. In 1912, Welte opened a factory in Poughkeepsie, New York, but their earliest organs were purchased from other builders and fitted with Welte players. Since Welte was of German ownership, the First World War threw things into disarray, and after the war, ownership changed hands. A larger reorganization in 1925 by former Kimball man Robert Pier Elliot had Welte building its own organs of fine quality and for any venue: residence, theater, or church. But the firm struggled to gain a strong financial footing. It suffered a setback in 1927, repurchase and relocation in 1929, and finally absorption by Kimball of Chicago in 1931. Today, there are few surviving examples of Welte organs, and, even after our 42 years in business, we had never worked on one. St. Mark’s Minneapolis would be a new experience. 

The cathedral’s consultant was David Engen of Maple Grove, Minnesota. His request for proposal offered a general description of the organ’s overall condition. Our assumption was that we would see huge diapasons, pencil-scale strings, and tibia-like flutes, all on a massive chassis. In fact, the St. Mark’s Welte had been tonally and mechanically modified on two different occasions by M.P. Möller. Much of the Welte material was long gone, although the organ remained capable of producing an impressive volume of sound.

But it was clear the various rebuilds had compromised the instrument. The chamber was packed with non-Welte chests, flexible wind lines, dangling wires, and a chamber entrance door that barely opened, due to added ranks and equipment. There were reservoirs everywhere, fully 17 in the main organ. Tuning access was bad enough, while actual service work required unnecessarily heroic effort. One reason the organ continued to generate an impressive sound was the chamber’s placement and hard walls. More than projecting sound, the chamber almost seemed to amplify it. The cathedral’s impressive acoustics certainly helped as well. 

The organ was on its third console and had a dated relay system spread throughout four different areas of the building. In the basement, the large Spencer blower’s motor needed all new bearings. Adding insult to injury, HVAC ducts installed in the 1950s had seen the removal of the organ’s important static reservoirs, further compromising the wind supply.

At Foley-Baker, we love to save old organs. However, it was clear that at St. Mark’s, there wasn’t an old organ to save, just parts of one. Trying to determine what was possible and affordable would take both positive and practical thinking. If the organ were to be rebuilt, the results had to be worth the investment. 

We spent days measuring pipe scales and gathering details. There were interesting finds, such as high in the tower, where the Möller crew had stored some of the 1928 Welte pipework. There was much damage; some ranks were incomplete, while others were beyond repair. Our tonal director Milovan Popovic laid out rank after twisted rank on the large tower room floor. Out of this survey we found three Welte stops to reclaim: the Swell 4′ Clarion, Great 8′ Second Open Diapason, and the large-scale Swell 8′ Vox Humana. All three became valuable additions. 

As our familiarity with the cathedral’s music program and organ grew, so did our concepts for the renewed instrument. Tonally, we had 1920s Welte mixed with 1980s Möller. In 2012 it is perhaps too easy to criticize Möller’s radical changes as heavy-handed; they were in the spirit of the time, and had introduced a variety of useful colors, including mutations, large-scale strings, and solo reeds. In time, we decided just where and what reused ranks would work and what new ones had to be added to create a bold, cohesive American sound to fill the cathedral’s large nave.

The chamber size and shape dictated the same stacked layout as had existed from the beginning. For us, multi-level organs raise red flags for service accessibility. Without careful design, the new and larger instrument had the potential for being another service nightmare. Our solution was to start from scratch, using a new chassis designed and built at Organ Supply Industries. The elegant simplicity of their slider chests promised minimal maintenance and assurance of accessibility. Their built-in schwimmer-regulators greatly simplified the winding, adding space for more stops and wider passage boards.

Given the scales and pressures, effective swell boxes would be essential. The original Welte shades were rebuilt and fitted to new boxes of 11⁄2-inch-thick medium density fiberboard. The combination of the two makes for a marvelous range of expression; massive ensembles can whisper or roar.

In addition to restoring the 1928 Spencer blower, we were able to find and install appropriate static reservoirs. Unlike 1928, however, this equipment now stands in separate rooms dedicated for the purpose. The result is that, despite wind pressures from five to 20 inches, an indicator light is necessary to know that the wind is on. As we have done elsewhere, we designed and installed an automatic, in-chassis humidity system that requires minimal service attention and combats Minnesota’s problematic humidity swings. 

The low-profile Schantz console dating from 1990 was reused, with modified stop jambs, new drawknobs, and burled mahogany jamb faces for a sharper appearance. (Schantz graciously provided and installed new, easy-to-read piston buttons.) We installed a new electronic relay that is easily accessed by simply raising the now-hinged console lid.

Years of change had seen many stops swapped between divisions. The Choir Diapason had been moved into the Solo as a 4′ Octave. We returned it to the Choir at 8′ with a new bass octave. The Welte Second Open found in the tower became our Great Diapason. Other stops were also returned to their original 1928 locations. The renewed instrument is a blend of remaining Welte pipework, selected Möller ranks, and important new registers. All retained ranks were cleaned, repaired, and revoiced, perhaps none more important than original large pedal basses and their Welte chests. These provided the weight and heft we envisioned as a foundation for the new instrument. 

The reed stops presented their own challenge, with ranks by five different builders and, in some cases, using scales and pressures dictated by available—or unavailable—space. Working with Chris Broome of Broome & Co. LLC, we examined the potential of each rank for our new scheme. In the end, we designed and had built an all-new Great reed chorus. Having found the original 1928 Welte 4′ Clarion, we were able to use it to recreate Welte’s original Swell reed chorus; industrial strength pipes with a just-right massive sound. A small-scale yet piercingly loud Möller Trumpet, which had been taking up valuable room in a corner of the Great, was revoiced into an ideally scaled Choir Trompette. Chorus reeds now serve to cap wonderful choruses, enriched by solo stops such as the Skinner Clarinet or Kimball Corno d’amour. 

The new organ’s sound ties together all the good qualities that go into creating it: the new specification, high pressures and large scales, the chamber’s ability to project sound and the swell shutters’ ability to contain it, and the new layout and chassis, which provided optimal placement for all stops. As the bottom photo on the front cover clearly displays, even 1928 pipes can look (and sound) like new. We were really thrilled to hear Canon Musician Ray Johnston play the “new” organ at the inaugural concert on May 18, an outstanding program that included brass and the cathedral’s choirs. To him and David Engen we owe thanks for supporting us in this challenging and rewarding project.

Upcoming concerts involving the rebuilt organ are posted on the cathedral’s website. All photos of the cathedral and reconditioned instrument are by Mark Manring (www.manring.net). All other photos are from Foley-Baker, Inc. files.

—Mike Foley

 

From the canon musician

St. Mark’s Cathedral has long been known for its various music programs and concerts. Built as a parish church in 1910 and designated a cathedral in 1941, it has during that time seen six directors of music as well as a number of rebuilds and additions to the original four-manual Welte installed in 1928. As musical tastes changed throughout the century, the tonal plan of the organ became distorted, becoming a combination of classical and romantic sounds, leading to a loss of identity for the instrument. 

The various additions also led to a chronic lack of space within the organ chamber, preventing access for tuning and repair to pipes bending over with metal fatigue. Equally worrying was the damage done to the winding as abundant leaks had resulted in pressure drops throughout the organ. 

In 2010 the cathedral launched a capital campaign, included in which was repair to the organ’s winding. However, on closer inspection it soon became apparent that problems ran very deep and fixing the leaks would in fact be a waste of money. Major action was required. The choice was stark—total reconditioning or a new instrument. This was an easy decision: much of the original Welte chorus was in good condition and had such quality and character that it could become the basis of a major overhaul. 

Next came the biggest challenge—persuading the vestry and the congregation that a lot of money needed to be spent to keep the organ in working order. To many, of course, the organ sounded just fine, as it always had. As is often the case, organists’ abilities to mask faults and ciphers go unnoticed by the majority. However, thanks to many organ tours and presentations by both committee and builder, and the fact that music and the pipe organ are such an integral part of worship at the cathedral, we were able to reach our target of $1.2 million.

In consultation with our selected firm, Foley-Baker Inc., a new specification was drawn up that necessitated replacing one-third of the pipework and relocating ranks from the gallery to the main organ. Of primary concern was an instrument to accompany the liturgy, from providing subtlety and color for the cathedral choir’s large repertoire to giving stimulating leadership to congregational hymnody. If the organ could do both those things well it would surely prove to be an admirable recital instrument also. 

While not a particularly large four-manual instrument, at least by American standards, it has exceeded all expectations as a concert instrument: almost endless color, a vast dynamic range, and a character that is totally suited to the building, all exquisitely voiced. It is unashamedly in the English romantic style, and, having played many of the great cathedral organs in the U.K., I am delighted that we now have such a fine instrument in that tradition, as well as an organ that is true to its original intention.

—Ray Johnston

 

From the committee chair

In May 2012, the refurbished St. Mark’s organ was inaugurated for concert audience and worshipers. Those were thrilling experiences, the result of meticulous planning and craftsmanship by Canon Musician Raymond Johnston and Foley-Baker, Inc.

I was privileged to chair the organ planning committee during the last phase of its pre-construction work. This was undertaken in the context of St. Mark’s “Opening Our Doors” capital campaign, which, by any standard, was a clear success, raising over $3 million. I was also privileged to co-chair the capital campaign with Inez Bergquist, Doug Eichten, and Courtney Ward-Reichard. The capital campaign had three highly visible purposes: restore the exterior of the 100-year-old building to stop leaks and deterioration; improve a long list of interior infrastructure items; and repair/restore the pipe organ. The first two of those purposes were easy for members and contributors to see and understand, especially when ice formed inside the church and fell on folks in procession during Sunday worship. The organ was a different matter.

Even though much of the organ was well beyond maintenance and some of it dead or ciphering, it still sounded pretty good much of the time. Most of this was attributable to Ray Johnston’s talents and the marvelous acoustic characteristics of the St. Mark’s Cathedral space. We conducted behind-the-walls tours of the chambers to show potential donors the points of failure and the grossly antiquated control mechanisms, leaking air handlers, and failing wiring. We were also careful to explain that much of the tuned pipework and blower could be restored and would be maintained.  At the end of the many days, the congregation did contribute and one very generous, anonymous donor provided most of the funds needed for the more than $1 million organ project.

While Foley-Baker did their work, the entire instrument was removed and a digital organ was rented and used with speakers around the cathedral. Many regular attendees commented that they could “hear the difference” and had come to understand why it was appropriate to rebuild a fine pipe organ. That was brought home once again to me on Sunday last, when Ray Johnston offered Samuel Sebastian Wesley’s Choral Song and Fugue as the service postlude. Most of the congregation stayed to hear it and to celebrate the glory of the rebuilt organ.  

—Fred Moore

Peragallo Pipe Organ Company, Paterson, New Jersey

Cathedral of Ss. Simon and Jude, Phoenix, Arizona

 

From the Builder

 

Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.

—Daniel Burnham

As organbuilders, we are uniquely privileged to experience many rewarding moments in the process of seeing a new pipe organ come to life. Those moments are all the more amplified when this process includes a vibrant ministry that will realize the full potential of the new instrument. From our first interactions with the staff and organ committee at the Cathedral of Ss. Simon and Jude, we sensed that the pipe organ was going to serve as the cornerstone of sacred music within the Diocese of Phoenix. The instrument would need to musically support and visually complement a refreshingly unapologetic traditional ministry of sacred music. The organ’s timbres would need to function in both humble and glorifying ways to illuminate to the congregant the power through which chant, hymnody, and improvisation can reveal the sacred mystery to us all.

We were immediately in awe of the unwavering faith of this congregation. The extended lines wrapping around the church of people of all ages waiting to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the sight of people crawling on hands and knees down the middle aisle to beg forgiveness, the perpetual procession of groups gathering to recite the Rosary—all attest to the tremendous faith of this special place. The large cross that adorned the altar of Sun Devil Stadium during the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1987 is now a familiar beacon as you approach the cathedral. With this steadfast faith and this prominent cross as a starting point, we set out to design an organ to complement this parish.

The tonal design of the instrument is the collaborative effort of John Peragallo, III; Mark Husey, consultant for the project; and Matthew Meloche, the director of sacred music at Ss. Simon and Jude. The specification is in keeping with the tonal concepts and philosophies one can expect of a Peragallo instrument. Each division is tonally complete and features a wealth of foundation stops. The gallery casework showcases an unenclosed Grand Orgue, expressive Positif and Récit divisions, and a substantial Pédale. An Antiphonale organ provides pitch and accompaniment for the song leader and serves as a counterpoint to the Grand Orgue. The Solo provides easy keyboard access to the chamades and a plethora of solo color. Each division possesses not only the requisite tools one would expect to see but several noteworthy perks.

At the urging of the consultant, we included a manual 32′ Flûte Conique. The overall effect of adding this subtle flue to the chorus is most favorable in executing French music from both the Classical and Romantic schools. The Grand Orgue is also equipped with softer accompanimental stops from the expressive divisions to offer a seamless crescendo and versatility in registration.

The Positif Expressif houses the powerful Tromba Magna. This high-pressure reed, fitted with German tapered shallots that are modified with a straight bore, benefits from the extremely effective expression of the Positif chamber. When adding the Tromba to the chorus with the box closed, it can serve as a bigger chorus reed. With the box fully open, the Tromba broadens the Grand Jeu while not overpowering the balance of the ensemble. 

Another notable inclusion is the large-scaled 8′ Cor di Bassetto in the Récit division. Sitting alongside the traditional Hautbois and Trompette, this throaty color is available at 16′ pitch on the Solo. The Récit also includes a Sept/Neuf (11⁄7′ and 8⁄9′) that imparts a reedy shimmer to the full chorus and also serves as part of the collective VIII Cornet à la Neuvieme.

The versatile nature of the organ’s mechanism afforded the ability to create composite stops for the Solo division, such as the III Grande Montre that is drawn from the three largest-scaled Montre stops. Likewise, the II Flûte Majeure, II Flauto Veneziano Celeste, and VII Cor de Violes go one step in depth and volume beyond their divisional counterparts. The Solo provides access to two collective Cornets, as well as the Tromba Magna, at a variety of pitches.

Finally, the Solo offers access to several colorful reeds at pitches other than those found in their respective divisions. For example, the Chalumeau à Cheminée sits well in the Positif chorus at 4′ pitch along with the 8′ Cromorne and the 16′ Cor Anglais. The Chalumeau and the Cor Anglais are both available at 8′ pitch on the Solo.

The Pédale division holds four independent 32′ pitches of varying color and power, and the façade pipework includes both the 16′ Violone and 16′ Montre. The 16′ Bombarde reeds are fitted with special bored German shallots. 

The Trompette en Chamade features English shallots with flared resonators in polished zinc splayed in a spectacular arrangement high in the casework.

The digital makeup of the floating Antiphonal organ ensures that it will always be in tune with the gallery organ when called upon.

The design and fabrication of the organ’s casework was carried out under the direction of Frank Peragallo. The design follows cues of the cathedral’s unique arches reflected in the doubly curving towers. The sightlines and hierarchies seek to elevate the eye upward.

The organ also features chamber wall designs borrowing from concepts developed for structurally insulated panels that are used in green building systems. These walls perform a double function of keeping the chamber temperatures even in the Arizona heat and creating a stark pianissimo effect when the expression shades are closed. New techniques for racking were developed for the double curves within the towers and the Trompette en Chamade.  

The organ’s console design features curving details gleaned from the organ casework and the cathedral’s ecclesiastical appointments. The music desk incorporates a Southwest motif with inlay of three wood species: maple, oak, and cherry.

At the pinnacle of the casework, a hand-carved cherry Étoile Sonora (spinning star zimbelstern) adorns the case and rotates when activated. The star’s design represents the five charisms of Mary Ward, the five Loreto Sisters who founded the school, and the founding pastor, Father Paul Smith. The Loreto Sisters have faithfully served the Diocese of Phoenix since 1954.

After four months of engineering and planning and six months of fabrication, the organ was fully assembled at the factory in Paterson, New Jersey. An open house was held for the community before it was disassembled and loaded onto the truck for the four-day journey to Arizona.

Ten Peragallo employees flew to Phoenix for six weeks of installation of the new organ. Each morning the crew drove from their outpost in northern Phoenix to the cathedral, passing dozens of hot air balloons and witnessing the priceless morning sunrises of the greater Phoenix valley. It took only one week to rebuild the massive organ casework and chambers in the balcony. The console was placed on display on the main floor of the cathedral so parishioners could have a chance to view it before it was raised up to the balcony.

One week later, the initial sounds were heard and the four-week voicing process began. This culminated with the blessing of the organ by Bishop Thomas Olmsted, shepherd of the Diocese of Phoenix, on November 21, 2016.  

This installation in Phoenix is our family’s first instrument west of the Mississippi River since John Peragallo, Sr., took the American Master Organ Company Opus 3 by rail to the Rialto Theatre in Butte, Montana, in 1917. One hundred years and 743 organs later, four members of the Peragallo family and ten craftsmen on our dedicated staff headed out across the country once more. We are proud to extend our tradition and look forward to building more instruments and reaching more parishes across the country in the years to come.

We are grateful for the support of the Most Reverend Thomas James Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix; the Very Reverend John Lankeit, Cathedral Rector; Matthew J. Meloche, director of sacred music; Mark Husey, consultant; Pam Lambros, parish stewardship and communications coordinator; the Cathedral Organ Committee; and all those that supported the cathedral music initiatives and this project.

—John Peragallo, IV 

Architectural Designer

 

From the Consultant

Environments of congregations that support professional musical excellence in America seem as rare and delicately balanced as ecosystems of planets that can support intelligent life in the known universe. The alchemical blend of visionary leadership, talent pool, and patronage all need to be in alignment for music of a professional standard to be the norm, and typically manifest after many years of careful cultivation. The Cathedral of Ss. Simon and Jude in Phoenix was built as a parish church in 1965 and elevated to a cathedral in 1969. While an exhaustive history of the cathedral’s sacred music program is mercurial and fascinating, that is not my story to tell; Matthew Meloche’s appointment as director of music in November of 2013 has produced an exceptionally well-trained professional choir that sings unaccompanied chants and polyphony for a weekly Solemn Choral Mass broadcast on television and archived on YouTube. At his initiative and through the support of cathedral clergy and an exceptionally generous donor, Peragallo Opus 743 was built as this cathedral’s first pipe organ, replacing two electronic instruments in various stages of decay.  

While the cathedral’s richly celebrated choral Masses include a wealth of unaccompanied choral music, the liturgy’s psalm, hymns, voluntaries, and improvisations demand an instrument with a diverse tonal palette capable of dramatic dynamic flexibility, attributes that undoubtedly come into play should the instrument find itself exploring the breadth of accompanied choral repertory. The three independent principal choruses (two of them enclosed) on the main organ contrast brilliantly in terraced dynamics when played alone and when coupled form a sumptuous plenum.

The addition of the 32′ on the Grand Orgue provides for a most unusual, subtle gravitas that makes for a spectacular Grand Plein Jeu for French Classic repertory. A most colorful battery of reed stops is available, complete with a powerful enclosed Solo Tromba in an “air-tight” swell box, which goes from a comfortable forte when played against a modest combination of stops, to a thrilling stentorian tone that rivals the glory of Peragallo’s signature chamades. The duplexing and unification that form the instrument’s Solo division might elicit an arched eyebrow from some purists (as it did from me, who am anything but). I would extend some of the liberties afforded to Isnard’s 1772 Resonance division at St. Maximin-en-Var in Provence, though I realize this is a stretch. While the Solo division has only one rank to call its own, its Grand Montre, Flauto Venezia, and Cornet stops are laudable composites that yield breathtaking results and must be heard to be fully appreciated. The judicious use of digital voices also should be mentioned: the expanded repertory that can be explored through their use, and the versatility afforded to their voicing and balance, is considerable. In summary, this instrument is what it is and does what it does without apology: brilliantly.

I played Peragallo Opus 643 at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Columbia, South Carolina, for ten years, and the success of that instrument in leading sung worship is documented on over 700 videos with nearly four million views as of this writing. I am proud to have introduced the Peragallo family to the good people of Ss. Simon and Jude. I applaud Matthew Meloche, his clergy, and their patrons for blazing new trails in organ building while upholding the best of Catholic musical orthodoxy, providing a broken world with beauty and hope when we need it most. I predict that Peragallo Opus 743 will likewise inspire subsequent renewal in sacred music on a local as well as global scale. Ad majorem Dei gloriam.

—Mark Husey

 

From the Director of Sacred Music

It has been a great pleasure of mine, since 2013, to continue the good work of my predecessor Adam Bartlett in promoting legitimate Catholic sacred music at the Cathedral of Ss. Simon and Jude, the Mother Church of the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona. Perhaps the most quoted liturgy document of the past 50 years has been Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy promulgated by the Second Vatican Council. In that rather broad document a few specific musical items are mentioned: chant, polyphony, and the pipe organ.

Though the cathedral’s history with Gregorian chant long predates myself and my immediate predecessor (the 11:00 a.m. Solemn Mass has had the authentic Gregorian Introit sung at it for a decade or more), it was under Bartlett and then my watch that polyphony—especially that of Palestrina, Byrd, and even of modern composers—began being promoted and used extensively. The final piece of the puzzle for the cathedral was to move the choir from the north transept where they were relocated several decades back to the choir loft and the installation of a pipe organ.

The pipe organ design put forth by the Peragallo’s and the tonal specifications put together over many months pushed beyond the cathedral’s initial vision.  With time and the advice of great musicians (Mark Husey, Dr. Daniel Page, Ryan Dingess, Bruce Ludwick, among others), a wonderful instrument came forth. The many tonal colors of the organ make it an ideal instrument for creative improvisations on Gregorian chant themes, and many of its ranks seem to be made to accompany congregational settings of the chanted Ordinary of the Mass.

The dedication series of six concerts (played by Dr. Paul Weber, Dr. Skye Hart, Dr. Emma Whitten, Dr. Meaghan King, Mr. Mark Husey, and Mr. Jonathan Ryan) was eye opening to many cathedral parishioners and visitors from around the diocese. The pipe organ is used to accompany congregational music regularly at the Diocese of Phoenix televised Mass, which is viewed by over 60,000 people each Sunday. His Excellency, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, in his homily during the Vespers service at which he blessed the pipe organ, joyfully celebrated this instrument and the inspiration it would bring to parishioners and Catholics from around Arizona. It is my hope that this instrument will begin a resurgence in the Diocese of Phoenix and be the first of many pipe organs to find its way into Catholic parishes here that may have never had one.

—Matthew J. Meloche

 

See time lapse video of week one of the organ being built at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=579Rc0svbbg.  

 

Grand Orgue – Manual I 

32′ Flûte conique Positif and Pédale 

16′ Contre Violone 61 pipes

8′ Montre 61 pipes

8′ Flûte harmonique 61 pipes

8′ Bourdon à cheminée 61 pipes

8′ Gambe 61 pipes

8′ Cor de nuit (ext Bd Dx 16′)  Récit 

8′ Cor de chamois Positif 

8′ Cor de chamois Céleste Positif  

4′ Prestant 61 pipes

4′ Flûte ouverte 61 pipes

4′ Cor de chamois Céleste II Positif

2′ Doublette 61 pipes

2′ Flûte à bec (ext 4′ Fl) 12 pipes 

II Cornet (c2–c6) 98 pipes

III/IV Grande Fourniture composite

IV Fourniture  244 pipes

III Cymbale  183 pipes 

16′ Contre Trompette  61 wps

8′ Trompette 61 pipes

4′ Clairon (ext 8′ Tr) 12 pipes 

Tremulant

8′ Trompette en Chamade Solo

Positif Expressif – Manual II 

16′ Flûte conique 61 wps

8′ Montre 61 pipes 

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes 

8′ Cor de chamois 61 pipes

8′ Cor de chamois Céleste (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Principal italien (ext 8′ Mt) 12 pipes 

4′ Flûte à fuseau 61 pipes

2′ Octavin 61 pipes

11⁄3′ Larigot 61 pipes

1′ Piccolo (ext 4′ Fl) 12 pipes 

II Cymbale 122 pipes 

16′ Cor anglais 61 wps  8′ Cromorne 61 pipes

4′ Chalumeau à cheminée 61 pipes

8′ Tromba magna 61 pipes 

4′ Clairon magna (ext 8′ Tr)

Tremulant

Positif 16′

Positif Muet

Positif 4′

Harp 49 wps 

Celesta 12 wps 

8′ Trompette en Chamade Solo  

Récit – Manual III

16′ Bourdon doux 61 wps  

8′ Montre 61 pipes

8′ Flûte à cheminée 61 pipes

8′ Viole de gambe 61 pipes

8′ Voix Céleste (TC) 49 pipes

8′ Flauto Dolce Céleste II 122 wps  

4′ Prestant 61 pipes

4′ Flûte traversière 61 pipes

22⁄3′ Nasard (TC) 30 pipes

2′ Doublette 61 pipes

2′ Quarte de nasard (ext 4′ Fl) 12 pipes

13⁄5′ Tierce (TC) 30 pipes

III/IV Plein jeu 220 pipes 

IV Cymbale composite 

II Sept/Neuf 122 wps  

16′ Basson 61 pipes

8′ Trompette 61 pipes

8′ Cor di bassetto 61 pipes

8′ Hautbois 61 pipes

8′ Voix humaine 61 wps

4′ Clarion (ext 8′ Tr) 12 pipes

Tremulant

Recit 16′

Recit Muet

Recit 4′

8′ Trompette en Chamade Solo

Solo – Manual IV

8′ Grande Montre III G.O. composite   

8′ Flûte majeure II G.O. composite 

8′ Cor de Violes VII Récit composite 

8′ Flauto Veneziano Céleste II 

Récit composite 

4′ Flûte magique G.O. fr. 8′ Fl har

V Grande Cornet G.O. composite  

VIII Cornet à la neuvieme Réc composite 

16′ Cor di bassetto Récit

8′ Cromorne Positif  

8′ Trompette en chamade 49 pipes 

8′ Chalumeau à cheminée Positif 

8′ Cor anglais Positif 

16′ Tuba magna (1–12 wps) Positif 

8′ Tromba magna Positif 

4′ Clairon magna Positif 

Tremulant

Clochettes 37 wps  

Solo 16′

Solo Muet

Solo 4′

Antiphonale – Floating 

8′ Montre 61 wps

8′ Flûte angelique 61 wps

8′ Viole angelorum 61 wps

8′ Voix seraphique 61 wps

8′ Unda maris II 122 wps

4′ Prestant 61 wps

4′ Flûte bouchée 61 wps

2′ Doublette 61 wps

8′ Cor d’orchestre 61 wps

Tremulant

Antiphonal Octave Célestes

Antiphonale Pédale 

16′ Contrebasse 32 wps

16′ Bourdon 32 wps

8′ Octavbasse 12 wps

8′ Bourdon 12 wps

4′ Flûte couverte 32 wps

8′ Cor d’orchestre Ant.

4′ Cor d’orchestre Ant.

Pédale Tremulant

Pédale

32′ Flûte ouverte 32 wps 

32′ Contre bourdon 32 wps 

32′ Flûte conique 32 wps 

16′ Contrebasse 32 wps 

16′ Montre 32 pipes

16′ Violone Grand Orgue 

16′ Flûte conique Positif 

16′ Bourdon 32 wps  

16′ Bourdon doux Récit 

8′ Octavbasse 32 pipes

8′ Bourdon 12 wps

8′ Flute doux Récit

4′ Doublette (ext 8′ Oct) 12 pipes 

4′ Flûte octaviante Grand Orgue

IV Fourniture composite

32′ Contre Bombarde 32 wps 

16′ Bombarde 32 pipes

16′ Contre Trompette Grand Orgue 

16′ Basson Récit

8′ Bombarde (ext 16′) 12 pipes 

8′ Trompette en chamade Solo 

8′ Tromba magna Positif 

4′ Cromorne  Positif 

Campanile Cathédrale Solo

Étoile Sonora

 

wps  = Walker pipe sample 

 

Four manuals and pedal, 51 ranks

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

 

 

Juget-Sinclair Organbuilders, Montréal, Québec, Canada: 

St. Joseph’s Oratory, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Juget-Sinclair Organbuilders, Montréal, Québec, Canada

St. Joseph’s Oratory, Montréal, Québec, Canada

 

From the builder

The idea to fully restore the Beckerath organ at St. Joseph’s Oratory came from then Organist Titulaire Philippe Bélanger. We came up with different proposals, some involving changes to the instrument, some not, but for the moment we were firmly in the world of the hypothetical; no harm in talking about changes to the instrument—it was only a mental exercise then. Any thought that this might actually occur was accompanied by cold sweat and sleeplessness—after all, perhaps no other instrument has had a greater influence on organ building in Québec, and its influence has been worldwide.

Eventually, to our great relief, the authorities at St. Joseph’s Oratory wisely came to the conclusion that an outside expert and a proper bidding process were required. George Taylor was hired, deus ex machina, and three Québec companies were asked to bid on a very thorough RFP that specified no changes to the tonal specification. “No changes” may seem an obvious requirement, but it is not. Most musicians sitting at the console are soon surprised by what seems missing from the specification, despite its 78-stop, 5-manual footprint. But any thought of making changes leads straight to dilemma.

One example is instructive: the idea had naturally surfaced to add a trumpet to the Récit (yes, a 78-stop instrument with French pretensions and no Trompette on the Récit!). Now, how to add it—it could be added to the back of the chest grid; that way no one could complain about any stop being removed. Or, the Musette 4′ could be removed and replaced with a trumpet. The Musette could be racked mute on a wall in the swell box, for its own protection. I was amused by these two possibilities—the first pleases the musician at the console, who finds the original specification intact—plus, it provides the trumpet they always needed. The second pleases the restorer 50 years (or more!) from now, who finds a windchest that has not been denatured by holes bored through the frame to accommodate the extra toe board, and inevitably returns the Musette to its toe holes. 

This dilemma cannot be resolved and let us not pretend it can. Any restoration, no matter how respectful, will remove some original material. In a museum setting, an ancient clavichord may be copied rather than restored so that the original continues to exist, unmolested, as a document for future generations. The copies allow musicians to play instruments that are as close as possible to the originals and to be informed by the experience. This is clearly not an option for organs, and to add to the conundrum, they exist primarily to accompany a changing liturgy. Organs occupy a strange space somewhere between typewriter and violin—between pragmatism and art—actually both at once. 

But surely this is not of concern for an instrument of only 50 years? What made this project difficult to define in the early stages? In a way, it was an organ of conflict—wonderful to play, a beast to play; the specification is huge, but with huge holes; it is a historic monument, but only 50 years old. There are organbuilders the world over who consider themselves the spiritual sons of Rudolf von Beckerath, and the torchbearers of his tradition. The tension created by these issues  made the appointment of George Taylor, outside expert, a stroke of genius that perhaps made the project the success that we believe it is.

It was decided to make no changes to the musical qualities of the instrument, but to rebuild the key action completely. If a line can be drawn in an organ between the musical and the mechanical, it is surely at the pallet itself, and this became an important distinction. In this instrument, the pallet openings on all divisions are unnecessarily wide—up to 30 mm with only 5 mm of travel at the nose, a terribly inefficient design, if efficiency is what you are after. Naturally, the question arose whether or not to change the pallet design—to provide as much or perhaps more wind and reduce pluck at the same time. But inevitably, the nature of the pipe attack would be changed, even if the quantity of wind was not. It was decided that in order to preserve the musical integrity of the instrument, the pallet dimensions should not be altered. This made for an interesting case study—without reducing pluck, to what extent could the action be made more agreeable to play, with up to four manuals coupled? The action, as we found it, was slow to repeat, but the spring force felt at the keyboard was nearly right. By reducing mass in the action train, we would be able to improve repetition, but the pluck would not be greatly reduced. Would musicians find the action to be improved, and if so, by how much?

A complete rebuild of the action was undertaken, using the tools available to us: reduce mass, reduce friction, and ensure proper functioning of all the elements. New roller boards were built for the Grand-Orgue, Récit, Bombarde, and Positif divisions. This was perhaps responsible for the greatest reduction in action mass; the original design follows laws of physics that we apparently no longer have access to. The mass of the rollers was adding a lot of inertia to the action, but there was also friction and flexibility. All trackers were replaced with carbon fiber—1 mm rod for vertical runs and ½ x 3mm section for horizontal runs. This material, as well as being very light and strong, has the benefit of remaining straight, so alignment is easy. But we did notice a tendency for people to think that as long as carbon fiber was involved, success was ensured. In reality, it is a material, like any other, whose qualities need to be understood for success.

The organ was first stripped of its action, and the console was removed and taken to the shop. There was a feeling of revisiting 1960 at this stage. We found cheeks on the sides of the console that clearly had held a sling used to hoist the console up over the gallery rail. The hole in the ceiling was still there, at the perfect location, ready for us to run a heavy rope through, and the console was soon lowered to the floor of the nave and brought to the shop. Then, restoration continued with two teams, one at the shop restoring the console and building new action parts, the other on site restoring windchests and pipework.

Restoration of each division of the organ was undertaken one after another, starting at the top with the Récit. Pipes were removed and taken to be cleaned and straightened in the chapelle des familles. This soundproof room just below the organ loft is intended for crying babies and their parents during Mass—ideal for pipe restoration, and roomy enough for a fairly complete pipe shop. At the same time, the Récit windchests were turned over and restored in place. This top-to-bottom approach allowed us to break a large instrument into manageable chunks, and had the additional benefit of allowing any dust we created to settle below, to the next division scheduled for restoration.

Particular attention was paid to the console, as it had lost the stark Germanic austerity—apparently not held in much esteem in the intervening years—that now seems oddly exotic. The original plastic stopknobs had long ago been replaced, so new maple ones were made, copying examples from the other Montréal Beckeraths. A sequencer was added, as were divisional pistons, using the same unorthodox arrangement found on the 1963 Beckerath in Pittsburgh—with inter-manual divisionals placed at e-f and b-c, between the sharps. Holes had been cut into the stop jambs over the years to accommodate various versions of instantly obsolete combination action. These were filled and veneered with matching pear wood. The goal was to restore and update the console so that future additions to the combination action would not deface the console. To this end, Solid State Organ Systems provided touch screen functionality via a wireless iPad, so that future changes can be handled here.

The five largest pipes of the Grand-Orgue Montre 16′, visible in the large central pipe flat, had been repaired once and collapsed twice since 1960. It was decided that new pipes were needed, built with knowledge reacquired since 1960, of how to make pipes that will stand. The rest of the tin façade pipes were removed, cleaned, repaired, polished, and returned to their holes. The twelve façade pipes that make up the first octave of the Pédale Montre 32′ are of zinc, and were cleaned in place. The entire operation required full scaffolding in front of the façade, which provided a clear signal to the public that a major project was underway.

Winding to the Montre 16′ was originally provided pneumatically to the bottom five pipes of the stop, to reduce wind demand on the channel. We continued this practice through the rest of the first octave, as there was considerable robbing going on, starting from F. Surprisingly, we had never heard complaints about this, but we were sure that if it was not improved, we would. New pneumatic offset chests were constructed following the design of the old one, which functions perfectly.

Voicing was undertaken in a spirit of respect for the builder. Sunken languids were raised, speech problems were taken care of, and stops were equalized, but every effort was taken to stay true to the intent of the builder. After pipes were straightened and cleaned, voicing was checked on a voicing jack before returning the pipes to their chests. Racking and pipe stays were improved and solidified where needed, but in general this had been well done originally. Façade pipes in danger of recollapse were relieved of about half of their weight by hanging them from springs, and should be safe now.

Reaction to the restoration has been very positive, to our great pleasure and even relief, but it has also been instructive. Musicians tend to feel that the voice of the organ has changed—not for the worse—but we are quick to stress that every effort was taken not to change the voicing one iota. But we’ve seen this before—the simple act of removing dust from an instrument changes its timbre. And we wonder if something else isn’t at work: the action is so changed that one’s approach to playing the instrument is different, and it does sound different—it can be more virile, and it sounds more precise, because it can be played more precisely.

In our work building new organs, Juget-Sinclair started with small instruments and has slowly grown, taking on larger and larger work. This restoration has given us the opportunity to take on a major instrument with new challenges of design and infrastructure. The success of this project fills us with confidence for the future, and we feel validates our approach of maintaining a small shop that builds as much as possible in-house. The variety of skills that we are able to foster through this approach serves us particularly well in restoration, where one never knows what challenges will arise. And we hope, in an ever-shrinking new organ market, that this is a model that will keep us occupied for some time.

The following participated in the restoration, which amounted to over 8,000 hours of work: Jocelyn Bélair, Robin Côté, François Couture, Dean Eckmann, Jean-Dominique Felx, Denis Juget, Céline Richard, Stephen Sinclair, Raymond Batroussy, Arnaud Duchenaux, Richard Houghten, and Vladimir Vaculik.

—Stephen Sinclair

 

A musician’s perspective

In spite of widespread secularization in Québec during the quiet revolution of the sixties, the attendance of about 50,000 Québecers at the celebration of the canonization of Brother André Bessette in Montréal’s Olympic Stadium on October 30, 2010 underscored the extent to which he is still very much this city’s beloved son. Shortly after making profession as a monk with the Congregation of the Holy Cross in Montréal in 1874, Brother André became a doorman at the College of Notre Dame. In the ensuing years, healings attributed to his prayer and intercession quickly gained for him a reputation as a faith healer. Increasing numbers of congregants drawn by the “Miracle Man of Montréal” quickly outgrew the small chapel he had erected in 1904 on the north slope of Mont Royal. The building of the current basilica commenced in 1924 and was completed in 1967. Today, St. Joseph’s Oratory stands as a towering testament to the life of this humble brother and is a prominent destination for pilgrims, tourists, and music lovers alike.

Given the oratory’s importance in the life of Montréal from its earliest days, the organ that was to be built here was going to have great civic importance from the outset. And given the immense grandeur of this sanctuary, the instrument would be of monumental proportion. After bids were considered, the fathers of the Congregation of the Holy Cross sent a letter on February 25, 1958 to Rudolf von Beckerath that he had been awarded the contract for the construction of the basilica organ. The contract was signed on June 23 of the same year and the builder was committed to deliver an organ within thirty months. Shortly thereafter, Beckerath submitted a design and several sketches. Among the various requests, Raymond Daveluy, titular organist, requested alterations to the stoplist that would allow the playing of a Récit de tierce, and the architects requested that the case embody more vertical lines. In early 1960, 167 crates arrived by sea, and installation commenced. The inaugural recital was given by Parisian organist André Marchal on November 13, 1960. The opening piece, Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in D Major, was played by Raymond Daveluy. Marchal followed with a program featuring the works of Louis and François Couperin, Clérambault, Daquin, and Tournemire. He also played de Grigny’s Tierce en taille, Franck’s Choral No. 3, Bach’s Fantasy and Fugue in G Minor, Langlais’ Te Deum, and ended the program with an improvisation.

That the building of the oratory organ would be entrusted to a German firm and not to Casavant Frères was a shock to the nationalist sensibilities of many. Coming only thirteen years after the war in which Québecers were conscripted to fight against Germany, this decision unleashed quite a firestorm in the Québec media of the day. However, there was a growing sense among many North American organists and musicians in the 1950s that the organ reform—as it was manifest in the work of Harrison, Holtkamp, and also Casavant Frères during the postwar period—did not go far enough in restoring principles of organ construction from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Many of these young organists became familiar with organ reform in Holland and Germany on their European journeys. 

Then in 1957, Rudolf von Beckerath installed a 44-stop, four-manual instrument in Trinity Lutheran Church in Cleveland, Ohio. The instrument featured a freestanding case designed according to the werkprinzip, mechanical key and stop action, lower wind pressure, and classical voicing inspired by the instruments of Arp Schnitger. While in North America, Beckerath paid a visit to Montréal in 1957 in response to an invitation from a group of local organists—Kenneth Gilbert, Raymond Daveluy, and Gaston and Lucienne Arel. In the aftermath of that meeting, the respective church administrations of these organists signed contracts with Beckerath. The instruments were delivered and inaugurated at Queen Mary Road United Church in 1959, at St. Joseph’s Oratory in 1960, and at Église Immaculée Conception in 1961. 

These three Montréal Beckerath organs succeeded in bringing the current wave of organ reform, not only to Montréal and to Canada, but to North America as a whole. Indeed, along with the Beckerath at Trinity Lutheran and the Flentrop organ installed in the Busch-Reisinger Museum of Harvard University in 1958, these instruments took North American organ reform to an entirely new level. Beckerath’s renown was spreading quickly, and many young North American organbuilders went to apprentice with him—including George Taylor, Fritz Noack, and John Brombaugh. 

Meanwhile, back at home, Casavant Frères realized that changing conceptions of organbuilding and design required a new paradigm and decided to embrace the organ reform. Casavant’s Charles Perrault and tonal and artistic director Lawrence Phelps brought to North America Karl Wilhelm in 1960 and Hellmuth Wolff in 1963 to run a mechanical organ department; since then, very few mechanical action organs have been imported into Québec. Each of these directors, in turn, went on to start their own workshops and shortly became major players, not only in Canada, but in the organbuilding world internationally. Going even further, Casavant recruited Gerhard Brunzema—already an authority in the organ world—as tonal and artistic director of Casavant Frères in 1972. Thus, the Beckerath instrument at St. Joseph’s Oratory had profound impact locally, but was also a key part of that influential wavefront of reform that was both international and historic in scope. 

Though quite young as organs go, the oratory instrument had developed several problems requiring attention. During its 1960 installation, construction of the basilica was still underway. The stone floor had yet to be installed and many interior modifications were still being made in the sanctuary and in the organ loft. This resulted in a premature internal accumulation of dust in the instrument such that, in that same decade, the instrument was already in need of cleaning and some internal components had to be replaced. By the turn of the century, the organ was again in need of a thorough cleaning and many pipes were in danger of collapse. The first initiatives toward restoration were taken in 2005 by Philippe Bélanger, who was organist at the time. Following a grant from the Québec Ministry of Culture overseen by the Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Québec, the project was underway. George Taylor—having apprenticed with Rudolf von Beckerath and having restored the 1963 Beckerath organ at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Pittsburgh in 2009—was named consultant for the project. The firms of Casavant Frères, Juget-Sinclair Organbuilders, and Orgues Létourneau were asked to submit bids; Juget-Sinclair was selected to undertake the restoration.

From the organist’s point of view, the changes to the instrument are subtle, but striking. Though playing with manuals coupled on any instrument of this size is not exactly light, the touch is considerably lighter and even more responsive than before. The action used to have a certain sponginess—releases were a little sluggish and manual couplers had a mildly sodden heaviness. These have been significantly improved—the touch is lighter, there is increased precision of attack, crispness in release, and there seems to be a better calibration of attack and release between divisions when the couplers are engaged. Also, there is a remarkable clarity and brilliance to the sound. The crystalline shimmer of the plenum is especially arresting. Not least, the combination action now avails the player with all current conveniences—there are copious general pistons, multiple levels of memory, and a sequencer.

The renovated instrument was celebrated in two inaugural concerts in October 2012. On October 7, Frédéric Champion, laureate of the first Canadian International Organ Competition, played a concert to a capacity audience. The recital featured works by Bruhns, Florentz, Cabanilles, Robin, and Bach, as well as Champion’s own transcriptions of Debussy, Liszt, and Saint-Saëns. The following week, there was a second inaugural concert presented by Les Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal under the direction of Gilbert Patenaude. The first half of the concert featured a cappella choral works, while the second half featured Louis Vierne’s Messe solennelle en ut dièse, op. 16. The choir, situated around the altar, was accompanied by the father-son team, Jacques and Vincent Boucher, with the father playing the choir organ, and son playing the Beckerath. It was a stunning performance with impeccable coordination between organ loft and chancel. With over 4,000 in attendance, this was truly a celebration worthy of this grand instrument.

—David Szanto

 

 

Beckerath, 1960/restored by Juget-Sinclair Organbuilders, 2012

St. Joseph’s Oratory, Montréal, Québec, Canada