Cover Feature

Austin Organs, 

Hartford, Connecticut

Opus 2344 (1961 and 2014)

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church,

New Canaan, Connecticut

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

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

From the musician

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

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

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

—Brian-Paul Thomas

Organist and Choirmaster

From the builder

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

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

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

Tonal matters

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

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

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

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

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

Conclusion

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

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

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

—Michael B. Fazio

Austin Organs, Inc.

President and Tonal Director

Glück Pipe Organs,

New York, New York

Saint Patrick Catholic Church,

Huntington, New York

Roosevelt Organ No. 408

In 2003, I purchased Frank Roosevelt’s three-manual, thirty-six rank Organ No. 408 before the wrecking ball struck Brooklyn’s Schermerhorn Street Evangelical Lutheran Church. The Roosevelt organ, contracted for in 1888, begun in 1889, and completed the following year, enjoyed renown while Franz Liszt’s student, Hugo Troetschel, presented 250 bi-weekly recitals during his 52-year tenure as organist. As the Roosevelt organ was being dismantled, a project was initiated for it to be reconstituted in its historic configuration for Princeton University under the aegis of the late David Messineo, university organist. Dr. Messineo’s vision was to install it within the 1916 Aeolian organ case in Proctor Hall, which had been designed by Ralph Adams Cram as the elegant graduate dining hall of the campus. The Aeolian was supplanted by a Gress-Miles organ in 1968, but we felt that bringing the Roosevelt there, with a replica of its original console and limited combination system, would give students an accurate idea of what an untouched Roosevelt sounded like, and more importantly, how it would have to be played without modern solid-state equipment. Upon Dr. Messineo’s death in June 2004, the project abruptly was ended, so I reserved the material within our company’s selection of heritage pipework until such time as a suitable home could be found for it. 

A decade after saving the Roosevelt from the landfill, it became obvious that it would take a very special type of church, synagogue, homeowner, or school to take the leap of faith to historically reconstruct a heritage cultural property that they could not hear or see. I was left with little choice but to market the Roosevelt as the core of a new instrument, but did not wish to disperse it rank-by-rank, the fate of so many antique instruments. With the understanding that its genes had to carry on in a different way, I knew it was unlikely that all of it could be used, and some contemporary tonal elements might be included to make it viable for modern musical ministry. The goal was to keep its spirit alive.

The opportunity presents itself

Saint Patrick Catholic Church is a vast, lofty, reverberant building constructed in 1962 and equipped with M. P. Möller’s Opus 9751 from the start. That gallery organ was the unfortunate product of the joint influence of the firm’s “special tonal consultant,” Ernest White, and their tonal director, John Hose. Too small for the room and voiced barely to energize the pipes, it was from its inception frustratingly inadequate for liturgical use. Sparse allocation of the organ’s twenty-one ranks among three manuals and pedal forced the elimination of essential voices in what likely should have been a well-appointed two-manual instrument. Subsequent alterations to the stoplist accomplished nothing, and the organ was still suffering mechanically after technical work was executed. Upon careful examination, I determined that insurmountable scaling irregularities precluded it from forming an effective core for a new instrument, and that the parish would accrue no benefit from retaining any of its mechanical infrastructure.

I entered into a situation for which ideas already had been presented, so as an architect, organist, and organbuilder, I had to make my case with clarity as the last man “at bat,” and had to risk proposing something so different that it would either be rejected or embraced. I proposed that the Roosevelt organ be incorporated into two new organs at either end of the building, controlled by twin mobile consoles that emphasized the elegant richness of natural materials so that the organs would not be seen as utilities. A single aggressive organ blasting from one end of the very long room would be less effective than two more elegantly voiced instruments dividing the task. With no substantive literature written for an “antiphonal” division, I chose a modified continental model. The labor is divided between the two organs, but the use of assisted rather than mechanical action would make them playable separately, together, or simultaneously by musicians at either end of the building.

Countless volunteer consultants offered their strong opinions about tonal design, builders, and the merits of pipeless sounds, with a nebulous consensus that the Möller organ should be rebuilt, supplemented by an “antiphonal” division, real or artificial. The prevailing notion that circuits and speaker cabinets could fill the artistic gaps with a shrug of the shoulders was proclaimed the path of least resistance. Swimming with vigor against that tide, I proposed two complete all-pipe organs of contrasting character, albeit constitutive elements of a grander whole.

There is always room for a pipe organ, even if there is not the willingness. Each house of prayer holds only so many people and will accommodate the appropriate number of pipes to accompany their voices. Despite the absence of sanctuary chambers and the cries of “no room for pipes,” I proposed the centuries-old practice of suspending the chancel cases from the sheer walls of the building, and designed the large gallery case to embrace the rose window. The organs’ cases complement the architecture without distracting from liturgical proceedings, and the chancel cases are located high enough to remain in tune with the gallery organ.

I am grateful to have worked with and for composer, conductor, organist, and tenor Matthew Koraus, FAGO, director of music, whose enormous talent, vision, commitment, and patience helped bring two new organs to the parish.

The new instruments

Roosevelt’s standard wind pressure of 31⁄2 inches determined the wind pressure used for the Saint Patrick instruments. The Roosevelt pipes, once cleaned and winded, would dictate to me the tonal direction of the organ’s new stops. Roosevelt’s work after the first few years deliberately followed a template from which the firm rarely deviated, so even the presumption of “what would the company produce today?” was treading on thin ice. The historical material was a point of departure in a new venture.

Visually, my mission was to design three organ cases that acknowledged the modernity of the church building but would bear my stamp as an architectural classicist. Following half a century of blank white walls, the size and depth of the cases, particularly those that flank the sanctuary, presented “the shock of the new” to some parishioners. With choirs, orchestras, and congregation surrounded and coordinated by sound, the new arrangement has been fully embraced. With a sumptuous mobile console at each end of the building, the liturgical and musical flexibility, and the ability for two musicians to play simultaneously, have fostered a new understanding of the organist’s duties in the parish.

The Gallery Great is anchored by a 16′ Violone, which was rebuilt from the Möller Pedal 16′ Principal. This gives the reader a good idea of just how under-scaled the Möller instrument was. The Roman-mouthed Roosevelt Great 16′ Double Open Diapason—gilded, stenciled, and sand painted—had to be abandoned with the magnificent case in Brooklyn, and sadly went down with the building. Soaring harmonic flutes stand alongside Roosevelt’s signature double-mouthed flute, as well as his wonderful 8′ Trumpet with tin-rich resonators and schiffschen shallots. 

The Great Chorus Mixture is composed slightly lower than most and voiced with some restraint. The original Roosevelt tierce mixture could not be retained as a second mixture for budgetary reasons, and with only one mixture in the division, I opted for a new quint mixture for clarity. The Roosevelt Great tierce mixture has found a new home; it is being included in our firm’s reconstruction of Roosevelt Organ No. 4 of 1873, his earliest surviving effort, at The College of Mount Saint Vincent, overlooking the Hudson River. The Great Mixture had been stolen from that organ in 1969, and the Brooklyn stop will sing again among its siblings. 

The Swell harbors the largest concentration of original tone with nine Roosevelt ranks. The warm 8′ Diapason, often absent from the American Swell, supplants the ubiquitous addiction to the 16′ Bourdon. The new Plein Jeu lends clarity to the Pedal when coupled, with no break from its 15-19-22 composition until G#33. With space and budget for only one Cornet combination, it was placed in the Swell, where it is under expression, can be folded into the reeds, and can enter into dialogue with either the Corno di Bassetto or Clarinet. The Swell reeds are rich and warm for anthem work, a balance made possible by the more brilliant manual reeds elsewhere in the organ.

The Choir division is cast with a nod toward traditional structure, without taking it too far into the neo-Classical realm.  The new muted undulant is completely uncharacteristic of Roosevelt’s work; both brothers preferred a second Choir 8′ string of contrasting character, and the Unda Maris appeared in a mere one percent of their 538-instrument output. Tenor C of the Dulciana is marked #400 408 ECHO Choir DULCET G. MACK JULY 1889; this rank was originally built as the 4′ Dulcet for Roosevelt’s 1892 four-manual, 109-rank magnum opus No. 400 for the Chicago Auditorium Theatre, the pipes for which were in production at the same time. The division’s flute choir and subtle Carillon are joined by a notably bold 8′ Corno di Bassetto. Two commanding Trumpets, one enclosed and one not, play from the Choir manual but are not necessarily of the Choir. The new Herald Trumpet, voiced on six inches wind pressure, is in the expression enclosure, and the 8′ Tromba is the former Swell 8′ Cornopean. At six-inch scale with harmonic spotted metal resonators, it was incorporated into the Saint Patrick Pedal as an 8′ and 4′ unit, with the top 17 pipes retained for its use as a powerful manual Trumpet for processions and fanfares and to cap the full organ without standing apart.

The Gallery Pedal is a stack of independent flue ranks, with Roosevelt’s seismic 16′ Open Wood Bass sitting beneath purely tuned 102⁄3′, 62⁄5′, and 44⁄7′ pitches in the bass to reinforce the 32′ line. The magnificently brassy, rolling 16′ Trombone, with its wooden shallots and blocks and sleeved zinc resonators, is so powerful that it triggered burglar alarms and summoned police during the tonal finishing phase of the project. 

The partially unified organ flanking the sanctuary supports and encourages congregational singing by helping to maintain coordination, tempo, and pitch. The front organ is of a lighter and gentler character than the main organ because of its use in more intimate services and its proximity to the parishioners and clergy, yet it is still large enough to use for the performance of a sizable segment of the concert literature.

The sparkling Great and Positiv inhabit the Gospel case and the mellower Swell, with its Skinner-style Flügel Horn, is in the Epistle case. Roosevelt’s splendid Clarinet takes up residence in the Positiv, and the three 16′ Pedal stops (string, flute, and warm reed) keep the bottom from dropping out. The instrument enjoys its own personality, with the resources to enhance liturgy and to acquit a respectable body of the literature. The two cases are widely spaced. There is directional distinction and balances must be heard in the room, yet the acoustic brings them together in the nave.

The combined organs easily lead large choral forces, support full congregational singing, and contain gentle, accompanimental voices at both ends of the building to provide subtle, evocative, and meditative effects for life cycle events and introspective portions of the Mass. Over the centuries, organbuilders and composers have established particular conventions regarding which stops and combinations of stops must “live” in particular divisions, and if these rules are set aside, many works cannot be played as intended. I have tried to honor those requirements in the design of this dual instrument.

Pipe organ building is an interdisciplinary craft, and every instrument, traditionally the vision of the tonal director, is a group effort. In addition to our significant suppliers (OSI, A. R. Schopp’s Sons, and Peterson Electro-Musical Products), these instruments were made possible by the capable staff of Glück Pipe Organs: Albert Jensen-Moulton, general manager; and technicians Joseph di Salle, Dominic Inferrera, Dan Perina, the late Peter Jensen-Moulton, and Robert Rast.

—Sebastian Matthäus Glück

Builder’s website:

www.gluckpipeorgans.com

Church websites:

stpatrickchurchhunt.org

stpatrickhuntingtonmusic.weebly.com

GALLERY GREAT – Manual II

16′ Violone 61 m

8′ Open Diapason 61 m

8′ Violoncello (ext 16′) 12 m

8′ Concert Flute [a]

8′ Doppelflöte 61 w R

4′ Principal 61 m

4′ Flauto Traverso (harm.) 61 w&m

2′ Fifteenth 61 m

IV Chorus Mixture 244 m

8′ Trumpet 61 m R

Zimbelstern

8′ Herald Trumpet (Choir)

GALLERY SWELL – Manual III

8′ Diapason 61 m R

8′ Cor de Nuit 61 w R

8′ Salicional 61 m R

8′ Voix Céleste 61 m R

4′ Principal 61 m R

4′ Flûte Harmonique 61 m R

22⁄3′ Nazard 61 m

2′ Octavin (tapered, harm.) 61 m R

13⁄5′ Tierce 61 m

III–IV Plein Jeu 212 m

16′ Bassoon (ext 8′ Hautboy) 12 m

8′ Trumpet 61 m

8′ Hautboy 61 m R

8′ Vox Humana 61 m R

Tremulant

GALLERY CHOIR – Manual I

8′ Violoncello (Great)

8′ Dulciana 61 m R

8′ Unda Maris (TC) 49 m

8′ Gedeckt 61 w R

4′ Gemshorn (cylindrical) 61 m R

4′ Flûte d’Amour 61 w R

2′ Blockflöte 61 m

II Carillon 122 m

8′ Corno di Bassetto 61 m

Tremulant

16′ Herald Trumpet (TC, fr 8′)

8′ Herald Trumpet 61 m

8′ Tromba [b] 17 m R

GALLERY PEDAL

32′ Double Diapason [c] 12 w

16′ Open Wood Bass 32 w R

16′ Violone (Great)

16′ Subbass 32 w R

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt 12 w R

    (ext Choir 8′ Gedeckt)

8′ Principal 32 m

8′ Violoncello (Great)

8′ Bass Flute (ext 16′) 12 w R

8′ Gedeckt (Choir)

4′ Fifteenth 32 m R

4′ Gedeckt (Choir)

2′ Bauernflöte 32 m

32′ Harmonics [d] 38 m

16′ Trombone (maple shallots)

32 m R

16′ Bassoon (Swell)

8′ Trumpet 32 m R

8′ Bassoon (Swell)

4′ Clarion (ext 8′) 12 m R

CHANCEL GREAT– Manual II

8′ Open Diapason 61 m

8′ Spitzflöte 61 m

4′ Principal 61 m

2′ Fifteenth (ext 8′ Open) 24 m

IV Mixture 244 m

CHANCEL POSITIV – Manual I

8′ Rohrgedeckt 61 w&m

4′ Offenflöte (ext Gt 8′ Spitz) 12 m

2′ Nachthorn (ext 8′ Rohr) 24 m

11⁄3′ Quintflöte 49 m

    (top octave repeats)

1′ Zimbelpfeife (8′ Rohr)

8′ Clarinet 61 m R

Tremulant

CHANCEL SWELL – Manual III

8′ Viola 61 m

8′ Viola Céleste (TC) 49 m

8′ Holzgedeckt 61 w

4′ Fugara (ext 8′ Viola) 12 m

4′ Koppelflöte 52 m

      (C1–G#9 Gedeckt)

2′ Piccolo (ext 8′ Holzged) 24 m

8′ Flügel Horn 61 m

Tremulant

CHANCEL PEDAL

16′ Contrabasso (ext Sw Viola) 12 m

16′ Sub Bass (ext Pos Rohr) 12 w

8′ Principal 32 m

8′ Spitzflöte (Great)

8′ Viola (Sw)

8′ Rohrbordun (Positiv)

4′ Choral Bass (ext 8′ Princ) 12 m

4′ Offenflöte (Positiv)

16′ Waldhorn (ext Flügel Hn) 12 m

8′ Flügel Horn (Swell)

4′ Clarinet (Positiv)

[a] C1–B12 common with Doppelflöte, C13–C61 from Flauto Traverso

[b] Unenclosed; extension of Pedal 8′ Tromba

[c] Independent 102⁄3′ stoppered pipes play with 16′ Open Wood for C1–B12; breaks to 32′ Open Wood at C13

[d] 102⁄3′ wood + 62⁄5′ metal + 44⁄7′ metal (with internal chimneys); composition changes as it ascends the scale, with mutations dropping out

m = metal

w = wood

R = Roosevelt

Chancel Organ: Opus 16 (16 ranks, 1,058 pipes)

Gallery Organ: Opus 17 (46 ranks, 2,564 pipes)

Dedicated September 14, 2014

Gallery: Blackinton slider chests; chancel: electric valve chests with reeds in electropneumatic pouch chests.

Orgues Létourneau Limitée, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec

Opus 125

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Orgues Létourneau Limitée, 

Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec

Opus 125

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church,

Murfreesboro, Tennessee 

From the builder

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—Fernand Létourneau, President

—Andrew Forrest, Artistic Director

—Dudley Oakes, Vice President for Sales

Orgues Létourneau Limitée

From the organist/director of music

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—Angela Tipps

Organist and Director of Music

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

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

GREAT (85mm wind)

16′ Violonbass 61 pipes

8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Spindle Flute

  (C1–B24 wood) 61 pipes

8′ Violoncello 12 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Open Flute 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

11⁄3′ Mixture II–IV 213 pipes

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

8′’ Trompette 66 pipes

SWELL (expressive, 80mm wind)

16′ Bourdon (wood) 61 pipes

8′ Gamba 61 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste (from G8) 54 pipes

8′ Bourdon 12 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Traverse Flute (harmonic) 61 pipes

2′ Octavin (harmonic) 61 pipes

11⁄3′ Larigot 61 pipes

16′ Bassoon-Oboe (full length) 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet 66 pipes

8′ Oboe 12 pipes

PEDAL

32′ Resultant (derived from 16′ Subbass

  and 16′ Bourdon)

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

16′ Violonbass (Gt)

16′ Bourdon (Sw)

8′ Principal (100mm wind) 32 pipes

8′ Violoncello (Gt)

8′ Bass Flute (from Subbass) 12 pipes

4′ Choral Bass (85mm wind) 32 pipes

16′ Trombone (from Gt 8′ Trompette, 

  full length) 12 pipes

16′ Bassoon-Oboe (Sw)

8′ Trompette (Gt)

Full complement of inter- and intramanual couplers

Electro-pneumatic windchests

21 independent stops

26 ranks

1,459 pipes

Kegg Pipe Organ Builders, 

Hartville, Ohio: Sacred Heart Church, 

New Philadelphia, Ohio

Kegg Pipe Organ Builders, 

Hartville, Ohio

Sacred Heart Church, 

New Philadelphia, Ohio

From the organbuilder

I recently agreed with a colleague who said you can determine a pipe organ builder’s priorities by the design of his smaller instruments. Large instruments are easier to design because you have all the sounds required. Nothing needs to be left out; the only decision is where to place everything. In smaller instruments, decisions must be made regarding how to best use the resources available, and these reveal just what is most important to the builder. While our firm has built many large pipe organs, we have made something of a name for ourselves with our smaller instruments, and it is in these instruments where you can discover our personal priorities for a parish pipe organ.

Some builders would say that any organ of 12 stops would be simply 12 stops. Since I was a young man discovering the pipe organ, I have always felt that the best use of funds, and the desire for an interesting specification, indicate that careful borrowing of stops between manuals and pedal was the better design choice for the smaller instrument than the academic approach. To do this requires some kind of unit windchest action. Many years ago I chose to work with the all-electric unit action to see if it could be built such that the undesirable pipe speech characteristics associated with this action could be corrected with careful execution. This action offers complete freedom of chest layout, and it can offer long, trouble-free life. After research and development and years of use, the Kegg all-electric action is now a highly evolved system, using oversized valves that feed copious wind to each pipe by way of an expansion chamber. The expansion chamber then conditions the wind to the pipe such that it has a gentle attack and release. With this action, borrows are economical while retaining integrity of pipe speech. Unity of speech is assured, regardless of the size of the instrument, or how many stops and couplers are in use.

Our new instrument for Sacred Heart Church in New Philadelphia, Ohio is an example of what I consider close to ideal for a parish church. At 12 stops and 15 ranks, it is not small. It is large enough to include a great deal of color and variety, while still being affordable, and it can physically fit into many spaces. The key to successful unit organ design is restraint, careful scaling, and of course finish voicing of the organ in its final location. Scaling of the pipes must be treated differently for a successful result on an extended set of pipes. It is a different treatment than you would give to the same pipes for a straight stop, and it eliminates the “unit” sound that older highly unified organs usually exhibit.

The stoplist of a successful unit organ must contain a core ensemble that is essentially straight. In the design of this organ, the Great contains a chorus of 16-8-4-IV with no borrowing. There are two flute ranks of different character. The wood Gedeckt is typical. The Spitzflute is delicate in the bass and increases in volume as you ascend the scale. This makes a softer 8′ that can still sit above the Gedeckt well when used at the 4′ pitch, and also provides a sparkling 2′. Note that the flutes are distributed differently on each manual. Unification is minimized within each manual and the sounds, both individually and in combination, are very different on each manual. This is another example of carefully “breaking the rules,” while providing an interesting organ to play. The unification of the stops is musically invisible.

Kegg organs of this size are surprising because they give the player and the listener the impression that they are larger than they actually are. Several key design features contribute to this, including musical effects that are usually found only on larger instruments. Some of these design features are effective swell shades, a string celeste pair that are not too soft, more than one enclosed reed stop, at least one reed stop that continues to 16′ completely within the swell box, and if possible, a special sound that is not expected from a smaller instrument. In the case of the Sacred Heart organ, we have all of these things.

The organ is entirely enclosed, with the exception of the 8′ Great Principal and the 16′ Pedal Bourdon. The effective swell shades allow the strings to be more aggressive because you have control over them. The 8′ stops are of similar volume, allowing combinations to blend while retaining individual color. The Spitzflute’s milky sound gives the impression of a very soft stop with the shades closed. Having a Trumpet and an Oboe on an organ of 12 stops is a happy discovery for the musician. One reed stop doesn’t have to play all the reed parts. The Oboe can be gentle, while the Trumpet can shine. You are not limited to one “medium” stop trying to be all things for all music. Having the Trumpet extended to 16′ pitch and enclosed provides the exciting sound of fiery reeds behind closed shades that is frequently heard only on larger instruments. An additional special sound on this organ is the Sesquialtera II on the Great. The flexibility of our chest action permits using the lowest rank of the Mixture for the tenor-C 22⁄3′ partial, thus only needing the additional 37 small pipes of the TC 13⁄5′ to be independent for this stop, and these pipes can be bold. Thus we have a strong leading solo voice that takes little room in the organ, plus it is another sound that is not expected in an instrument of 12 stops.

Another significant and unusual sound in this organ is the 16′ Violone. This stop is an extension of the Viole and is slender in scale in the Cavaillé-Coll tradition. It is entirely enclosed within the swell box. The incisiveness of this stop blends well with the substantial Bourdon. It is a very present help when registering an intriguing Pedal line. It would be a welcome addition to any instrument, but particularly in one where only a single 16′ Bourdon is usually found.

While this instrument would be effective in an intimate room, Sacred Heart Church seats approximately 400 people, was built in the early 20th century, and enjoys a superb acoustic with an empty reverberation time in excess of three seconds. Placement is ideal, high in the rear gallery. The gallery is rather shallow and there is a fine rose window that commands respect. Conventional wisdom would place the organ case in the center, as was the previous instrument. Because the gallery is only 10 feet deep, even a reasonably shallow organ case would mean that the choristers would be divided on either side of the case and/or console and not be able to hear each other well. The solution was to place the organ case entirely on one side, rather than in the center. This clears sight lines for the window and keeps musicians together, leaving all remaining space in one contiguous block. The choirs are already enjoying their new togetherness, with confidence and blend being immediately elevated. The free-standing case is away from each wall, leaving an insulating space. Every part of the instrument has a roof over it. These help greatly with tuning stability, projection, and blend.

The organ case has several features of note. On the long side is a pipe shade panel that has carved and gilded representations of the symbols of the four Apostles: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They are, in order: a human form, a lion, a bull, and an eagle. These appear on the capitols of each column in the church, which served as the inspiration for these particular examples. The forward-facing façade will have a pipe shade that will be an illumination. It is being created now by Jed Gibbons of Chicago and will be installed in the coming weeks. The corner tower extends the visual height of the case. Wanting the organ to visually balance this tall room, I designed the 8′ Principal with long feet and forced length. The tallest pipe in this tower is almost 16′ in length. The forward façade is speaking, the side façade is mute. All pipes are polished, to reflect the filtered color from the fine windows. The constant change in light is delightful.

The console is our premium stepped-terrace drawknob design, with warm LED lighting for music rack and pedal. It is movable and includes a comprehensive combination system with unlimited piston memory, performance record/playback, and transposer. Manual keys are wood with bone and rosewood coverings. As with all our instruments, the bench is adjustable, and there is a large, center pencil drawer.

The Sacred Heart organ is an instrument that has a wide dynamic range, provides warmth, fire, and excitement for homophonic music, two contrasting choruses for polyphonic music, and balanced independence for trios. Its reeds provide color and fire. Its flutes and strings are full of warmth and sparkle. In an age when substitute instrument dealers would have you believe that you must have three manuals and 75 stops to play a hymn, it is gratifying to build, play, and listen to an instrument of only 12 stops that is so satisfying.

No pipe organ project can come to be without the support of clergy and the enthusiasm of musicians. Father Jeff Coning has been an unending fount of firm support for both his staff and this project. Music director Beth Fragasse has led the project with understated elegance, and always in a straight line toward the conclusion. To them and the congregation of Sacred Heart parish we shall be always grateful.

We invite you to come see this newest addition to the Kegg family and to explore further on our website our ideas for organs of all sizes.

—Charles Kegg

Kegg Pipe Organ Builders

Charles Kegg, President/Artistic Director

Philip Brown

Michael Carden

Joyce Harper

Philip Laakso

Thomas Mierau

Bruce Schutrum

[email protected]

330/877-8800

www.keggorgan.com

Kegg Pipe Organ Builders

Schoenstein & Co., 

Benicia, California

Grace Episcopal Church,
Hartford, Connecticut

A Symphonic Church Organ??

What does “symphonic organ” mean? The definition of this often-misunderstood term is best prefaced by what it is not. The symphonic organ does not attempt to imitate precisely the instruments of the symphony orchestra. It is not designed specifically to render orchestral transcriptions. It is not a refined theatre organ! The term “symphonic” does not relate to specific sounds, but rather to an overall versatility in musical performance. Most will agree that the modern symphony orchestra is the ideal instrumental medium for interpreting musical images both emotional and intellectual. Shouldn’t an organ have these qualities?

In 1993 we completed our first symphonic-style organ for Wynne Chapel of Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas. At 30 stops, 35 ranks, it was certainly a miniature in comparison to Yale University’s Woolsey Hall organ of 142 stops, 197 ranks, which is considered by most to be the premier American symphonic organ. Located in a small chapel and almost entirely enclosed, the Dallas organ was able to give the effect of a very large comprehensive instrument without excessive loudness. We thought we had gone as far as we could in miniaturizing the symphonic concept.

As part of his research on the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co., Jonathan Ambrosino visited First Presbyterian Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Their chapel needed a companion to the Aeolian-Skinner in the church. Jonathan, having heard our Wynne Chapel organ, suggested that they might like something along the same lines although there was room for only 15 ranks. Holt and Marcia Andrews, associate music directors, contacted us and initiated an absolutely fascinating challenge, which we fulfilled in 1996.

The vital question we addressed for the Spartanburg project was, “what is the musical job to be done?” Why does a church, let alone a small chapel, need a symphonic-style instrument? After receiving hundreds of letters from organ committees over the years suggesting all the things they wanted their new organ to do, it became obvious to me that in most situations a symphonic-style instrument is exactly what they need. Above all, a church organ must wear well, and that means having a variety of tone under effective expression. This is especially vital in accompaniment, which is the church organ’s biggest single job.

Thinking like an Orchestrator

To start the design process, I tried thinking of each stop in an organ as a player in an orchestra. How do orchestrators reduce instrumentation and still produce a symphonic effect? The model for this, of course, is Hollywood and the great studio orchestras for pictures, radio, and recordings. Throughout the “Golden Age” of Hollywood music from the early ’30s to the early ’60s, orchestras limited by budget and studio size were able to produce effects in a wide variety of repertoire, sounding like an ensemble twice the size. How did they do it? A typical set-up would be: one flute (doubling piccolo), one oboe (doubling English horn), four players (doubling a combination of saxophones, clarinets, bass clarinet, flute, oboe, and bassoon); one horn; three trumpets, two trombones, tuba; piano, harp, percussion (one traps and one mallets/tympani); eight violins, three violas, two ’cellos, and two double basses. 

What does this show us? First, the huge string section and full woodwinds of the symphony orchestra can equal the brass and produce a mighty ensemble ff. In the reduced instrumentation, the brass section has to take the stage and be the power center. Second, there is at least one of every symphonic tone color including the three that always make a small orchestra sound big—horn, harp, and tympani. Using different tone colors than one would find in a traditional chamber orchestra of the same size gives the illusion of a much larger ensemble. The use of doubling, which we might compare to unification in an organ, adds even more variety with only slight additional expense. Third, to produce solid bass, the tuba is generally written with the double basses rather than with the brasses.

Here is how we adapted these ideas to the organ.

Tonal Qualities

1. Diapasons. The most important element of organ tone is the diapason. Even in a small organ it is best to have two contrasting characters of diapason tone and at least one well-developed chorus. However, in small rooms or dry acoustics, powerful upperwork can be very unattractive.

2. Trumpets. The ultimate power of the full ensemble is the organ’s “brass”—8′ and 16′ tone representing the trumpet and trombone of the orchestra. In smaller acoustics, power is best achieved with unison tone of great warmth and intensity. The proper character is usually achieved through high wind pressure.

3. Flutes. Of prime importance is vividly differentiated tone color including mutations and one powerful, open solo flute.

4. Strings and hybrids. What seems a luxury is really practical—two celeste stops: a pair of genuine orchestra strings, and a pair of soft ethereal voices. Most small organs rely on one compromise celeste pair to do these two very different jobs. Such stops usually tend toward flute or diapason tone. Although they may be attractive, they do not elevate an instrument into the symphonic class. Keen strings are absolutely necessary, but so are the less assertive, dolce tones. Both should be represented, and the string pair should be full compass to low C.

5. Color reeds. Normally a small organ would have just one color reed, such as an oboe. To enter the symphonic class, a contrasting tone such as clarinet is more important than a second mixture, for example. Color reed tone is useful in both solo and accompanimental roles. 

6. Powerful Pedal bass. The symphonic organ has representatives of each tone color in the Pedal department. A Bourdon is not enough; there must also be open flue tone and reed tone to provide clarity, point, and drama. If possible, 32′ tone should be included.

7. Effective expression. A symphonic organ must be able to produce a crescendo from ppp to fff. It should also be able to produce full organ effects at less than full organ volume. Part of this has to do with the proper terracing of voices, but solid expression boxes with responsive shades are vital, too.

8. Contrasting expression. There must be at least two divisions under expression for an organ to start claiming symphonic status. In a small instrument, as many voices as possible should be under expression. In the symphonic concept, unexpressive voices are a luxury normally reserved for large instruments. In some cases layout demands that certain voices be unexpressive, for example where the Swell must be behind the Great, but this should be an exception.

A full exposition of these ideas was presented in an article with several sample stop lists titled “Organ Design and the Kraft Music Hall” in the October 2002 issue of The Diapason. Since then, in addition to Antiphonal divisions at First-Plymouth Congregational Church, Lincoln, Nebraska, and Park Cities Presbyterian Church, Dallas, Texas, we have completed similar instruments for Georgetown University and our organ at Christ and St. Stephen’s Church in New York City, which was given a thorough narrated demonstration on YouTube (search “Schoenstein Tonal Demonstration”).

Grace Episcopal Church, Hartford, Connecticut

Our latest instrument along these lines is blessed with the most ideal environment an organbuilder could wish. The room is small seating only 112 but has a very pleasant, appropriately resonant acoustic producing clarity along with warmth of tone. The organ is situated on the main floor at the west end projecting straight down the nave. There are no transepts. The choir is in stalls at the rear of the nave. The liturgy is Anglo-Catholic with an excellent music program headed by Kyle Swann, who is also Lecturer in Opera at Yale University School of Music.

The organ is entirely enclosed with the exception of the open wood Double Diapason, a wonderful luxury in an instrument of this size. The Great chorus is 8′ Diapason, 4′ Principal, and 2′ Mixture. Although it is most desirable to have an independent 2′ Fifteenth, choices must be made, and we elected instead to have a Celeste to the Corno Dolce, which is a tapered hybrid stop of flute quality with a tinge of string edge. It is unified at 16′ and 4′ pitches. The Harmonic Flute uses the Corno Dolce as a common bass, the break point of which is very hard to determine by ear. The Clarinet offers a strong contrast to the Swell Oboe Horn.

The doubling principle is carried into the Swell where we have a Salicional, which is a small-scale diapason unified at 8′/4′/2′ pitch, a wood Stopped Diapason, a highly contrasting narrow-scaled metal Chimney Flute, and a Tierce. The capped Oboe Horn is a very versatile color reed. Two orchestral-style strings and a 16′/8′ Tuba Minor, which is in the trumpet family but of darker tonal character, are under double expression within the Swell. In hymn playing, for example, it is possible to introduce the 8′ Tuba Minor without notice while playing only the 8′ Diapason and 4′ Principal on the Great. A dramatic Full Swell effect can be achieved with ease. The same is true with the strings that change to a mild, almost Aeoline character with both boxes closed and then bloom smoothly as they are brought into full power.

A major element of playing flexibility comes from a third manual that borrows stops from both the Great and the Swell. These are both Solo stops and ensemble stops for maximum contrasting possibilities with either Great or Swell. In addition, a few stops from the Great appear on the Swell and vice versa.

The Pedal has four 16′ stops representing each tonal family: diapason, flute, string-hybrid, and reed, a luxury not usually found on organs this size, but important in the symphonic concept.

The instrument was completed on June 26, 2017, and will be heard in a dedicatory recital by Thomas Murray on October 29, 2017. The priest-in-charge is the Rev. Rowena J. Kemp, and the director of operations in charge of preparing the installation site was parishioner Tom Phillips. This was a project we enjoyed thoroughly, especially due to the strong cooperation, encouragement, and enthusiasm of the entire parish.

— Jack M. Bethards

President and Tonal Director

Schoenstein & Co.

Schoenstein website: 

www.schoenstein.com

Grace Episcopal Church website: 

http://gracehartford.org

Bigelow & Co. Organ Builders, American Fork, Utah

First United Methodist Church, Salt Lake City, Utah

From the builder

Bigelow & Co. specializes in mechanical action instruments that are both historically informed and innovative. It was, therefore, a bit of a reach to tackle the rebuild of what had once been a tubular pneumatic instrument. In retrospect, it has been a fascinating experience, made all the more enjoyable by the enthusiasm and support of the organist and many others at First United Methodist Church, Salt Lake City.

First United Methodist Church dedicated its new building on May 22, 1906, and the organ was dedicated six months later on December 7. The oldest document in the church’s archives pertaining to the organ is a contract with the firm of “Geo. Kilgen and Son,” dated January 29, 1924, in which the first item reads: “To electrify the organ now located in their church using the most modern type action with silver contacts, brass encased magnets and paraffine [sic] cables.” That contract included several tonal changes as well, such as replacing the Great Mixture with a Flute Celeste, replacing the Dolce Cornet with a Vox Humana, and so on.

From the 1924 contract stoplist and other physical clues we made an educated guess as to the 1906 stoplist:

GREAT

16′ Dbl. Open Diapason*

8′ Open Diapason*

8′ Viol d’Gamba*

8′ Dulciana

8′ Melodia

8′ Dopple Flute [sic]*

4′ Octave*

4′ Flute d’Amour*

22⁄3′ Twelfth

2′ Fifteenth*

III Mixture

8′ Trumpet*

SWELL

16′ Bourdon (TC)*

8′ Open Diapason*

8′ Salicional

8′ Aeoline

8′ Stop Diapason*

8′ Quintadena

4′ Fugara*

4′ Flute Harmonic*

2′ Flageolet*

III Dolce Cornet

8′ Cornopean*

8′ Oboe*

PEDAL

16′ Open Diapason*

16′ Bourdon*

8′ Violincello [sic]*

*Ranks that survive with all or most of
their pipes

A photograph from 1915 reveals a handsome case with stenciled façade pipes (all speaking) covering an opening sixteen feet wide and twenty feet high.  Unfortunately, in conjunction with a 1960 “Sanctuary and Chancel Beautification Project,” the beautiful oak casework was discarded and the façade pipes hidden from view. The organ was re-leathered and modified at that time. But, alas, by the 1980s the old ventil chests and actions were failing again. A hybrid electronic instrument provided a quick and economical solution. After Scott R. Mills was hired as organist, the congregation moved toward a more comprehensive restoration of their historic instrument, including a faithful reconstruction of the original oak casework and stenciled façade.

Realizing that many of the original pipes had been discarded or seriously altered, the church purchased nearly forty ranks of Kimball and Austin pipework, including harp and chimes, from the nearby Masonic temple, where that organ had been sitting idle for over twenty years. After examining what was left of the original Kilgen organ and additions, listening to whatever was playable, reviewing the inventory acquired from the Masonic temple, and perusing old photographs, we contracted with the church to “restore” and enlarge their historic organ. Adding only two new stops (four ranks of small pipes), the current three-manual specification was developed.

Most pipes of the Great, Swell, and Pedal divisions stand on their original ventil or unit chests, re-leathered and re-electrified by Bigelow. It is interesting that the ventil chests are in the style of Roosevelt, and may have come from an earlier Farrand & Votey instrument. That firm had been active in Utah in the 1890s, when they had recently acquired Roosevelt’s patents. One wonders: did the previous Methodist church, located about a block away, have a Farrand & Votey organ that Kilgen subsequently moved and adapted to the new space? The discovery of very old modifications to those chests and to the swell box make such a scenario seem likely.

The main Choir chest is a new Blackington-style slider chest by Organ Supply Industries. That firm also supplied electro-pneumatic unit and offset chests used variously throughout the organ and several single-rise regulators.

A 1930s “Style A” console was acquired from the Austin factory, and Jack Nelson of Nelson Woodworking re-surfaced the old worn-out ivory keys with new unbleached bone. The new stop-action magnets and control system are from Syndyne.

With the completion of this instrument, Bigelow is pleased and proud to claim responsibility for all three of Salt Lake City’s most recent three-manual organs, all very different from each other, and each one uniquely beautiful.

—Michael Bigelow

From the organist and 

choir director

The vital ministry of First United Methodist Church (FUMC) of Salt Lake City, Utah, began just a few short months after the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 when the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads were finally joined at Promontory Point on the north shore of the Great Salt Lake. Methodist missionaries began arriving in Utah to organize churches and schools. 

The first Methodist worship services were held in downtown Salt Lake City in an unfinished hay loft over a livery stable in May 1870. A year and a half later, the cornerstone was laid, and by December our congregation was holding services on the opposite block in the basement of our first new building. By 1905, it was determined to build a larger building (about a block away) to house the growing congregation. Frederick A. Hale, a prominent architect in the Mountain West, designed the building in the Victorian Eclectic architectural style. Although he was responsible for several church buildings in Colorado, this was his only one in Utah.

The FUMC organ has been in its original location since 1906, thus known as one of the oldest organs in the area. There are two older organs in Utah. First Congregational Church actually touts the oldest organ in the region (Farrand & Votey, 1892; renovated in 1992 by H. Ronald Poll & Assoc.), and First United Methodist Church of Ogden, Utah, possesses an organ which has been in storage for some time.

The earliest photo we have of our sanctuary is dated “Easter 1915.” The pipes were stenciled and were various shades of green in color. The organ console sat near the pipes so that the organist had a view of the congregation. The stage area was open. To get to the choir loft below the stained glass windows, members had to pass through the organ chamber—the door can be seen in the middle of the photo. We have members who have recalled as little children “running through the pipes” to get to the choir loft.

In the 1930s, the front façade pipes received the first of three paint-overs that occurred over the years with a dull gold color. The organ console was moved down to the main floor of the sanctuary during the tenure of organist and music director Dr. Frank W. Asper, who served from 1924–1939. He conducted a 30-voice choir and gave weekly organ recitals before worship. Dr. Asper was also a Mormon Tabernacle organist, serving from 1924–1965.  

In 1960, at the time of the sanctuary and chancel beautification project, the organ façade pipes were moved back and a translucent screen placed behind a wooden grille. A set of crosses were placed in front of the screen and lights installed behind the screen. The pipes were no longer visible. Permanent pulpits were added with flower boxes and a new seating arrangement with benches for the choir loft. Since then, there have been several remodeling and renovation efforts, the last major one in 1989. The organist at the time requested that the church have the organ fixed so that it would be reliable. One can be grateful that they did not discard the historic pipes or chests. Due to financial restraints at the time, the church augmented the working components of the organ with an electronic Rodgers organ. The façade pipes were brought back out to be seen in the sanctuary with new woodwork framing the pipes. The inaugural concert was given by American concert organist and principal organist of the Wanamaker Organ, Keith Chapman, about three months before his untimely death.

When I was hired as the organist in 2008, I could tell that the organ was in need of significant repair. So we embarked on that possibility. The pipes were tuned and amid the ciphers, we could hear the potential warmth and beauty that the organ had to offer.

In November 2009, we launched a fundraising campaign to raise money to restore the organ and sanctuary back as close as possible to its original roots, keeping with its integrity, period, and design. The organ project included re-establishing the organ’s unique 1900s tonal style, its organ case from the 1915 photo, a vintage console, and augmenting its character with other vintage components. After looking around the country for vintage components, we found what we needed in our own backyard at the Salt Lake Masonic Temple. The organ at the Masonic Temple was originally in the American Theatre, a 3,000-seat silent movie theatre and the largest in Utah at the time, which was located on Main Street in downtown Salt Lake City. The instrument was originally built by the W. W. Kimball Company. The Austin Organ Company enlarged the organ in 1915 (Opus 609). In 1917, Alexander Schreiner, later a Mormon Tabernacle organist for 53 years, was playing on this organ as a high school student purportedly making more money than his teachers. Near the end of the silent movie era, local organists had the vision to preserve the organ and move it from the American Theatre to the new Masonic Temple building that had been finished in 1927.

By 2014, with donors attending and supporting organ recitals by community organists, grant writing, and a very successful crowd-funding campaign, we had raised sufficient funds to hire Bigelow & Co. of American Fork, Utah. We removed the Rodgers console and purchased a console that had been built in about 1930 that had previously been part Austin Opus 1702 in the Old St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Cincinnati, Ohio. Bigelow restored the original finish of the console and replaced the insides with state-of-the-art controls. We hired Tony Devroude of Artisan Organ to stencil the pipes. With his experience and expertise, Tony was able to recreate the original paint colors and stenciling designs, returning the original façade pipes back to their majestic beauty. He established the colors and designs by carefully peeling away layers of paint. Tony also turned the beautiful round middle tower base, crafted much of the case ornament including the four pineapples on top and the wooden dummy “stubby” pipes in the two arched openings. Finally, we removed the carpet in the front of the sanctuary and the 1960s paneling and opened up the chancel area. Thus, we have brought back the “look and feel” of the original sanctuary space with the tremendous sound of the organ now known as the Wesleyan Heritage Organ, Bigelow Opus 38 (2015).

“Methodism was born in song.” The music and liturgy of the worship at First United Methodist Church of SLC will return to its former glory. This was a true church and community effort. We are grateful to the members of FUMC, the many, many donors in the community, to the many workers with the remodeling of the sanctuary, and especially to the remarkable craftsmanship of Bigelow & Co. and for their meticulous care and expertise in preserving this historical organ. Our hearts are full of gratitude for their tireless efforts in making our dream become a reality.

Preserving these instruments (First Methodist and the Masonic Temple) with their treasured history provides a significant connection with our past and provides a sustaining commitment to who we are as a people in our worship to God.

—Scott R. Mills, Principal Organist/Music Coordinator

Bigelow & Co., Opus 38