Cover Feature

Part 2: First United Methodist Church & First Congregational Church

Stephen Schnurr is director of music for St. Paul Catholic Church, Valparaiso, Indiana, and editor-at-large for The Diapason. His most recent book, Organs of Oberlin, was published in 2013 by Chauncey Park Press (www.organsofoberlin.com). He has authored several other books and journal articles, principally on pipe organ history in the Great Lakes states.

This article is the continuation of a feature in the August 2015 issue of The Diapason. This article was delivered as a lecture for the Midwinter Pipe Organ Conclave on January 19, 2015, in La Grange, Illinois. The research for this project provides a history of a number of pipe organs in the village, but not all. For instance, organs in residences and theaters are not surveyed. 

 

First United Methodist Church

The Methodists were first organized in La Grange in 1872, served by clergy who also shepherded congregations at Cass and Lyonsville. Franklin Cossitt, founder of La Grange, donated land for the church. Before construction began, several active persons in the congregation moved away, and the property reverted back to Cossitt. This land was eventually the site of the First Congregational Church.

The Methodists reorganized in 1884. In the first year, church expenses were $216 for the pastor, $52 for hall rental for services, and $10 for missions. A frame school, used by the earlier Methodists, was purchased for $2,000, located on the present site, along with two lots. The renovated structure was dedicated for worship on November 28, 1886. Electric lighting was installed at a cost of $75 in 1892.

Plans for a new church were begun in 1890. In 1892, E. R. Turnock was retained as architect. The earlier church was demolished and work commenced on a new edifice in May of 1893. A portion of the stone Romanesque building was completed for use in November.

The completed sanctuary was dedicated in three services on Sunday, January 6, 1895. The congregation begins its pipe organ history in 1907 with acquisition of Henry Pilcher’s Sons Opus 577, a two-manual, thirteen-rank, nineteen-stop instrument completed in March of that year at a cost of $2,300. Pilcher took the church’s Vocalion organ in partial trade. An addition was made to the building the following year, and another in 1917.

Planning for the present church building began in 1948. The cornerstone of the church of Gothic influence in stone was laid in 1950. Dedication occurred on September 25, 1952. With membership at over 1,550 persons, the congregation added a second Sunday service. A new education building was erected between 1961 and 1963, including a chapel. The sanctuary was renovated to its present configuration in 2012.

For the church’s present edifice,
M. P. Möller of Hagerstown, Maryland, supplied its Opus 8261, a three-manual, electro-pneumatic action organ. The contract was dated August 7, 1950, with completion set for eleven months, at a cost of $20,096. Henry Beard was the representative for the builder. The organ was dedicated with the church in 1952. Beard’s wife, Maud, sang soprano during the church consecration service. The pipework is installed in a chamber above and to the left of the chancel. Around 1960, the Möller firm added the exposed Positiv division, divided on either side of the chancel. (See First Methodist Church stoplist, page 21.)

 

First Congregational Church

The First Congregational Church was organized on March 18, 1881. A frame church was erected the following year. Franklin Cossitt, a founder of La Grange, was active in this church as well as Emmanuel Episcopal Church.

The cornerstone of the present building was laid September 10, 1892, for a stone edifice of Romanesque influence. Dedication occurred May 1893. This portion of the building is now known as the Founders’ Room and is the oldest church building in the village. The present sanctuary adjoining the 1893 church was built in 1907. In 1937, this sanctuary was remodeled with the addition of a chancel and a new organ. In 1951, the education building was constructed, which includes the Chapel of the Beatitudes.

The first organ in the church was built by the Verney Organ Company of Mason City, Iowa, and was likely installed around 1907. A contract dated April 24, 1937, was signed by the church for a new organ from
the Votteler-Holtkamp-Sparling Organ Company of Cleveland, Ohio. Job number 1600 for the builder was to cost $10,000, and parts of the Verney organ were to be reused in the new instrument. The Great and part of the Pedal divisions were located on the right side of the chancel in chambers, the Swell and remainder of the Pedal divisions were located on the left side. The Positiv division was positioned on the rear wall of the chancel, some fifteen feet from the floor. The organ was to be completed by October 1. On July 1 $2,500 was due, and another $2,500 on October 1.

The June 1937 issue of The Diapason had this to say about the unique and forward-thinking planning for this organ:

 

According to the builders, the design of the organ will do much to solve the problem of divided organs. The chambers are to be located on both sides and above the choir. Both chambers are to be opened up to the nave as well as to the chancel, and to such an extent that the chambers as such will cease to exist. A positiv of eight stops will be placed on the back wall of the chancel, midway between the two chambers. This will take the place of the choir. The pipework of the positiv is to be unenclosed, although it will be hidden from sight of the congregation.

The organ is to be entirely “straight” except for the great quintaton 16 ft., and Posaune, 16’ ft., which are also to be used in the pedal. Four stops of the great and the harp and chimes are to be in a swell-box. The typical great stops will be unenclosed. To augment the regular adjustable combination action, a ventil system is included. This consists of ventil pedals 1-2-3, stop release and cancel. The specification was developed by Cecil Smith, organist and director.

The importance of this organ in the Chicago area may never have been realized. This was one of very few organs by Walter Holtkamp, Sr., in the metropolitan area, perhaps his largest, and an early statement of his forward-thinking work. (See Votteler-Holtkamp-Sparling stoplist, page 21.)

In 1957, Frank J. Sauter of Alsip, Illinois, replaced the console with a new one from the Reuter Organ Company of Lawrence, Kansas. In 1977, the organ was sold for $12,500 to Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Chicago, for relocation there. There have been some tonal alterations to the organ. Also, it is possible that some slight changes were made to the organ’s specification when under construction at Holtkamp. Perhaps the Pedal 4′ Clarion may have been installed as a Clarinet. The Swell 4′ Oboe Clarion may have always been an 8′ Oboe. Further records are not available in the builder’s archives.

In 1965, the Reuter Organ Company installed an organ in the Chapel of the Beatitudes. The contract for Opus 1477 was dated September 12, 1963, for a two-manual, eight-rank, electro-pneumatic action organ, enclosed except for the Principal and Mixture ranks. The chapel organ was dedicated in recital by Clyde Holloway on March 1, 1965. (See Reuter Opus 1477 stoplist, page 22.)

In August of 1978, The Diapason announced that the church had contracted for a new, two-manual, 32-stop, 47-rank mechanical-action organ from Jan Van Daalen of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The organ was to be installed at the front of the church in a free-standing case and to be completed by December. The console is detached and reversed. After the organ was finished, the Brustwerk 8′ Musette was replaced with an 8′ Celeste. (See Van Daalen stoplist, page 22.)

 

 

Létourneau Pipe Organs, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada

First Presbyterian Church, 

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

 

From the Organist

From my position at the organ console, I look up into the faces of the choir and at the impressive façade of the new Létourneau organ directly behind the singers. The pipes soar up to the ceiling with the horizontal pipes of the Festival Trumpet above the heads of the back row of the choir. It is indeed an impressive visual experience and many long-time members of the congregation have said, “Our church finally looks finished.”

Even though the organ is visually impressive, the sound of the organ is even more impressive with its colorful ranks of pipes that can crescendo from a mere whisper to the thunder that one would expect from a great European cathedral organ. I had a sound in my mind I hoped we could make into a reality; Létourneau has given us that sound—and more.

In my opinion, the first requirement of a truly effective church organ is to lead congregational singing. After reading the text of each hymn, I decide how to color what is being sung with appropriate choice of registration. With the variety of sounds from which to choose, even challenging texts can be painted with sounds that reinforce what the poet is trying to say. In so doing, even the less musical singers in the congregation hear and experience greater meaning in what they are singing.

After church recently, a man—who will freely admit to not having a musical bone in his body—approached me to comment about one of the hymns for that day, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. His comment was specifically related to the phrase, “The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him.” He wanted to know how I made the phrase sound so “devilish,” so I introduced him to the 32′ Contre Bombarde in the Pedal division! Even a hymn stanza with a text that relates to angels can benefit by use of the Zimbelstern! When average members of the congregation can be led to a greater understanding of a hymn text by merely hearing a difference in registration, this is a win-win situation for a church musician.

Providing colorful anthem accompaniments is easily done on this organ. With three enclosed divisions, a full registration including reeds and mixtures can be easily tamed so that the choir is not overwhelmed. On the other hand, beautiful solo voices can be used to color and enhance what the choir is singing. The Flugelhorn, Harmonic Flute, Clarinet, Gamba, Fagotto, English Horn, and Oboe can all get a “workout” with a bit of creativity. Simply put, orchestral color is all here. Thomas Trotter used every one of the organ’s orchestral stops while playing his own transcription of Dukas’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and his performance brought the audience to its feet at the organ’s inaugural concert on April 8, 2016.

The instrument has not only had overwhelming success on Sundays and in solo organ recitals, but it made a grand statement in a recent concert that I played with the Tuscaloosa Symphony. Works featuring the organ were Handel’s Concerto No. 13 in F Major (“The Cuckoo and the Nightingale”), Albinoni’s Adagio, and Rheinberger’s Concerto in F. With the orchestra in the chancel area and the organ at the opposite end of the church, the enthusiastic audience was literally surrounded by exciting sounds.

Létourneau’s Opus 129 excels not only in hymn playing and anthem accompaniment, but also as an eclectic instrument capable of playing any of the standard organ literature. If one wants to play French eighteenth-century music, all of the necessary stops are present. The Great features two separate Cornets—one being a rare 16′ bass Cornet—while the Choir division contains a third. Even the Pedal division contains the necessary elements for a 32′ Cornet! There is an abundance of reeds at 16′, 8′, and 4′ in the manual divisions while the Pedal includes a 32′ reed and two choruses of reeds at 16′, 8′, and 4′. Clearly, the essential foundation and reed tone for playing the entire French Romantic literature is also available.

It would be fair to say that the only limitation that this organ could have would be in the hands of the person who is playing it. Every sound that one would need to use in church services, weddings, and funerals is here in abundance. A recitalist could not wish for a more expressive or colorful instrument. Someone for whom I have high regard commented recently, “You know, I have always said there was no such thing as an eclectic instrument that could play all of the organ literature. After hearing this organ, I will seriously have to rethink that statement!”

—L. Jeffries Binford, Jr.

 

From the Builder

Opened in 1922, the present sanctuary at First Presbyterian Church was initially home to a Wurlitzer church organ in two opposing chambers above the chancel. The Wurlitzer was replaced in 1977 with a Casavant Frères pipe organ at the back of the sanctuary. The Casavant with its exposed pipework and minimal casework spoke from a raised platform into the nave through a sizeable central arch with secondary arches on either side. Its stoplist was fashionably Orgelbewegung with one-third of its 49 ranks being mixture stops; its small palette of softer colors limited its success in service playing.

Having formed a committee under the leadership of Dr. Daniel Potts to address the instrument’s shortcomings, the church invited us, among others, to put forward our ideas in 2005. Having visited a number of instruments in the south-eastern United States, the committee was enchanted with our instruments in Hodges Chapel at Samford University in Birmingham and at First Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. It soon became clear that Létourneau was the committee’s choice as First Presbyterian Church’s future organbuilder.

In 2009, First Presbyterian Church purchased Skinner Organ Company Opus 350 with the intention of redeploying it in the empty chambers above the chancel. Without so much as a 4′ Principal, the Skinner contrasted sharply with the Casavant at the other end of the sanctuary. A 15-rank instrument over three manuals and pedal, its Great was all of one rank—a colossal 8′ Diapason made from zinc and lead—plus five stops duplexed from the Swell. The Swell and Choir’s voices included the Concert Flute, a Flugelhorn, an English Horn, a Clarinet, and two more substantial 8′ diapasons. Later in its life, the Skinner was enlarged through the addition of three ranks made by the Æolian Organ Company: a pair of muted string ranks—today’s Choir 8′ Vox Ætheria II—and an 8′ Vox Humana.

Once the scope of the project had come into focus and various administrative approvals had been received, First Presbyterian Church signed a contract with Létourneau to build a new pipe organ in 2014. The instrument, Létourneau’s Opus 129, would incorporate pipework from the Skinner and Casavant organs as a measure of stewardship and, in the case of the Casavant, as a gesture towards continuity. The project presented an intriguing challenge to us as organbuilders: reuse pipework of vastly different vintages and tonal aesthetics alongside our own materials to provide a uniquely cohesive pipe organ. It was a task we approached with enthusiasm and seriousness in equal measure.

A team from Létourneau brought the Skinner to our workshops from its location in storage in December 2014. Two months later, we dismantled the Casavant organ in Tuscaloosa, and it too came back to St-Hyacinthe. A detailed evaluation of the Skinner, Æolian, and Casavant pipework was then carried out in our pipe shops with final adjustments being made to the organ’s tonal plan. Our experienced pipemakers were invaluable in compiling a detailed inventory of pipework with all the data being annotated in Opus 129’s file. Whether repairing the Skinner’s pipes for another century of service or lengthening the zinc pipes of the Casavant 16′ Prinzipal to produce a 16′ Violonbass, no challenge was too big or too small.

Originally voiced on low wind pressures, the Casavant materials were assimilated into the new tonal plan with some transposition and rescaling. For example, the former Great 8′ Prinzipal rank was reworked to become the Great 4′ Principal after we rescaled the rank four pipes larger (e.g., 8′ G# was cut down to give 4′ C). Likewise, the former Great 16′ Quintaden became the Swell 16′ Quintaton, but the addition of five new bass pipes effectively increased its scale for a fuller, rounder tone. Three Casavant reed stops were reused: the Swell 8′ Oboe, the Choir 8′ Cromorne, and the Pedal 4′ Schalmey. All were revoiced with new shallots and, in the case of the Schalmey, new caps were provided at the tops of the resonators.

Like its predecessor, Opus 129 resides at the back of First Presbyterian Church’s sanctuary. The casework was designed by Claude Demers and is made from richly stained red oak; it displays polished tin pipes from the Pedal 16′ Principal, 8′ Octave, and 4′ Choral Bass as well as the Great 8′ Principal. The horizontal 8′ Festival Trumpet is also prominently arrayed around the central part of the façade. The instrument is divided behind along its center line, with the Choir and Enclosed Great divisions on the lowest level to the left and right, respectively. The Swell division sits on top of the Choir on the left, though the resonators of the Swell 16′ Bombarde and its 32′ Pedal extension are offset so the lower portions of these pipes can stand one level lower within the Enclosed Great. The unenclosed Great division is above the Enclosed Great to the right of the Swell. The Great’s 16′ mutations and their Pedal 32′ extensions are just behind the façade in front of the Enclosed Great division, while the Pedal is divided between the extreme right and left of the instrument. The instrument is winded by two blowers located in a dedicated room beneath the instrument; their motors produce a total of 13 horsepower.

Division by division, the Great 16′ Violonbass and 16′ Bourdon together provide a solid foundation for a 16′ principal chorus while the Bourdon alone serves as the basis for the 16′ cornet décomposé. Meanwhile, the narrower 22⁄3′ Quint and 13⁄5′ Tierce together give a sesquialtera effect, adding spice to the principal chorus or offering another solo possibility. The Enclosed Great can build on its unenclosed counterpart with an array of foundation stops; it can also function as a separate Solo division thanks to transfers to other manuals. On 7 inches wind pressure, some of the Enclosed Great’s unique colors include a pair of flared gambas, a robust English trumpet rank, and two Skinner reeds, the 8′ Flugelhorn and the 8′ English Horn.

The Swell division is as well equipped for liturgical work as for the French Romantic repertoire. The smallest of the Skinner diapasons is the basis for the Swell principal chorus, which builds up to a five-rank Plein jeu mixture. The 8′ Chimney Flute combines with the 4′ Harmonic Flute and 2′ Octavin for a nimble chorus appropriate for the scherzos of Vierne and Duruflé. The Skinner strings’ distinctive warmth gives way smoothly to the two-rank Flute Celeste’s mysterious shimmer, which in turn dissipates into the delicate Æoline. Finally, the Swell’s 16′-8′-4′ trumpet ranks dominate the full Swell; these stops are equipped with dome-headed French shallots throughout and have harmonic trebles.

The Choir offers a number of colors and effects to set off the Swell. The Skinner 8′ Concert Flute is naturally at home here and blooms handsomely as one ascends up the manual. The two-rank Vox Ætheria stop has become a favorite of Jeff Binford for its uncommon blend of delicacy and pungency of tone; its use with the octave coupler is captivating. The full range of flutes and mutations through 1′ within the Choir gives the organ a second cornet décomposé as well as offering possibilities for Italian baroque music. Similar in appearance, the Choir’s two 8′ cylindrical reeds contrast strongly: the smooth Skinner 8′ Clarinet has the expected orchestral quality while the revamped 8′ Cromorne offers fizz and snap in its tone. The new 16′-8′ Fagotto rank is a very mild trumpet stop, which, with the tremulant, is a perfect sonority for Flor Peeters’s Aria.

The Pedal division offers tremendous variety, including a principal chorus from 16′ through mixture and two mutation stops to fill out the 32′ harmonic series. The 32′ Contre Bombarde extension of the Swell 16′ Bombarde has proven itself chameleon-like, slipping in easily under light or heavy registrations and being enclosed, its effect can be moderated with the Swell shades. The generously scaled Pedal 16′-8′-4′ reed sounds on 51⁄2 inches wind, giving the Trombone and the organist’s feet the final word.

Four of the Casavant windchests from 1977 were reused after undergoing the necessary modifications and a thorough restoration in our workshops. Otherwise, the organ’s windchests are all new with pitman-style electro-pneumatic actions. The instrument is played from a three-manual console with all manner of sub-octave, unison, and octave couplers, as well as the divisional transfers for the Enclosed Great division. Other features include 256 levels of memory, a Great-Choir manual transfer, an All Swells to Swell function, and a record-playback function.

Opus 129 stands as a showcase for our abilities in seamlessly incorporating older materials within a new instrument. Its creation—from conception through construction through installation through final voicing—was a process we savored intensely, and we are grateful to First Presbyterian Church for entrusting us with such a complex and rewarding project. The result is an unusually rich musical instrument capable of great power and subtlety, one that will serve worship at First Presbyterian Church for many generations to come. 

—Andrew Forrest, Artistic Director

Fernand Létourneau, President

Dudley Oakes, Project Consultant

GREAT – Manual II – 85mm pressure

16′ Violonbass 61 pipes rescaled Casavant

16′ Bourdon 61 pipes new

8′ Principal 61 pipes new (façade)

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes rescaled Casavant

51⁄3′ Gros Nasard 61 pipes new

4′ Octave 61 pipes rescaled Casavant

4′ Open Flute 61 pipes rescaled Casavant

31⁄5′ Grosse Tierce 61 pipes new

22⁄3′ Quint 61 pipes new

2′ Super Octave 61 pipes new

13⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes new

11⁄3′ Mixture IV–V 288 pipes new

Tremulant

Great 16–Great Unison Off–Great 4

8′ Festival Trumpet 66 pipes new (façade)

Nachtigall

Zimbelstern

ENCLOSED GREAT – Manual II – 180mm pressure

8′ Diapason 61 pipes Skinner

8′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes new, harmonic at a34

8′ Viole de gambe 61 pipes new

8′ Gamba 61 pipes new, flared

8′ Gamba Celeste 61 pipes new, flared

8′ Flugelhorn 61 pipes Skinner

8′ English Horn 61 pipes Skinner

16′ Double Trumpet 12 pipes ext 8′ Trumpet

8′ Trumpet 66 pipes new, harmonic at c37

4′ Clarion 24 pipes ext 8′ Trumpet

Tremulant

Chimes 25 tubes

SWELL (enclosed) – Manual III – 95 mm pressure

16′ Quintaton 61 pipes rescaled Casavant

8′ Diapason 61 pipes Skinner

8′ Salicional 61 pipes rescaled Skinner

8′ Voix Celeste 61 pipes rescaled Skinner

8′ Chimney Flute 61 pipes rescaled Casavant

8′ Æoline 61 pipes Skinner

8′ Flute Celeste II 110 pipes 1st rank: Casavant, 2nd rank: new

4′ Octave 61 pipes rescaled Casavant

4′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes rescaled Skinner

2′ Octavin 61 pipes new

2′ Plein jeu III–IV 232 pipes new

16′ Bombarde 61 pipes new

8′ Trompette 66 pipes new, harmonic at f#43

8′ Oboe 61 pipes Casavant with new shallots

8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes Æolian

4′ Clairon 78 pipes new, harmonic at f#31

Tremulant

Swell 16–Swell Unison Off–Swell 4

Enclosed Great on Swell

CHOIR (enclosed) – Manual I – 115 mm pressure

16′ Gedeckt 61 pipes Skinner with new bass

8′ Diapason 61 pipes Skinner

8′ Concert Flute 61 pipes Skinner

8′ Gemshorn 61 pipes Casavant

8′ Gemshorn Celeste 54 pipes Casavant

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes Casavant

8′ Vox Ætheria II 122 pipes Aeolian, new bass for 2nd rank

4′ Principal 61 pipes rescaled Casavant

4′ Flûte à fuseau 61 pipes Casavant

22⁄3′ Nasard 61 pipes Casavant

2′ Flûte à bec 61 pipes Casavant

13⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes Casavant

11⁄3′ Larigot 61 pipes Casavant

1′ Sifflet 61 pipes new

16′ Fagotto 61 pipes new

8′ Clarinet 61 pipes Skinner

8′ Cromorne 61 pipes Casavant with new shallots

8′ Fagotto 12 pipes ext 16′ Fagotto

Tremulant

Choir 16–Choir Unison Off–Choir 4

8′ Festival Trumpet Great

Harp digital Walker Technical Co.

Celesta digital Walker Technical Co.

Enclosed Great on Choir

PEDAL – 85mm, 95mm, and 140mm pressures

32′ Contra Violone digital Walker Technical Co.

32′ Contra Bourdon digital Walker Technical Co.

16′ Principal 32 pipes new (façade)

16′ Violonbass Great

16′ Subbass 32 pipes Skinner with new bass

16′ Bourdon Great

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt Choir

16′ Quintaton Swell

102⁄3′ Grosse Quinte 12 pipes ext Great 51⁄3′ Gros Nasard

8′ Principal 32 pipes new (façade)

8′ Violoncello Great

8′ Bourdon 32 pipes Skinner

8′ Lieblich Gedeckt Choir

62⁄5′ Grosse Tierce 12 pipes ext Great 31⁄5′ Grosse Tierce

4′ Choral Bass 32 pipes new (façade)

4′ Flute 32 pipes Casavant

22⁄3′ Mixture IV 128 pipes new

32′ Contre Bombarde 12 pipes ext Sw 16′ Bombarde

16′ Trombone 32 pipes new

16′ Trumpet Enclosed Great

16′ Bombarde Swell

16′ Fagotto Choir

8′ Tromba 12 pipes ext 16′ Trombone

8′ Bombarde Swell

4′ Tromba Clarion 12 pipes ext 16′ Trombone

4′ Schalmey 32 pipes Casavant with new shallots

8′ Festival Trumpet Great

Chimes Enclosed Great

 

Three manuals; 85 total stops; 75 ranks; 4,014 pipes

 

Great Mixture IV–V

 

c1 to b12 19 22 26 29

c13 to f18 15 19 22 26

f#19 to f30 12 15 19 22 26

f#31 to f42 8 12 15 19 22

f#43 to d51 5 8 12 15 19

d#52 to c61 1 5 8 12 15

 

Swell Plein jeu III–IV

 

c1 to b12 15  19 22

c13 to b36 12 15 19 22

c37 to b48 8 12 15 19

c49 to c61 1 8 12 15

Emery Brothers, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Christ Church in Short Hills, Short Hills, New Jersey

 

From the builder

It is no secret that tonal styles and the desires and expectations of organists have undergone significant changes in the last hundred years. Aeolian-Skinner Opus 1347, built in 1960, evidences most of the characteristics one would expect from an organ of that decade—lower wind pressures (Positiv speaks on 2 inches wind pressure), ample mixtures and upperwork, and as I heard a colleague once say, “plenty of Zs and umlauts.” Make no mistake—this instrument, as originally designed, made a strong, cohesive statement as a whole, and with the clever division of Swell and Bombarde on the third manual, provided a surprising amount of room for creativity in registration.

Aeolian-Skinner Opus 1347 was well designed and well built, thus its physical restoration formed the core of the project. In the course of this work, we stripped and releathered pouch boards, stripped and releathered reservoirs, including the installation of double gussets, fashioned and installed new primary valves on primaries and unit actions, releathered tremolos and shade engines, totally rewired the organ, and reconditioned the blower and motor. Everything wooden received a thorough cleaning and, where appropriate, a new coat of shellac. Pipes were all individually cleaned and polished by hand, stoppers stripped and repacked, and open flue pipes fitted with new stainless-steel tuning slides. All pipework was checked for voicing and regulation before leaving the shop, with final tonal finishing completed onsite.

However, in this project we were tasked not only with addressing the physical breakdown of the organ’s various mechanisms after five decades of continuous service, but also with maximizing the instrument’s strengths through some sensible and judicious tonal additions and revisions. In addition, the original console was built around the structure of the chancel—one corner was cut out to make room for a beam—and so with the desire for the console to be made movable, provision of a new console was necessary. With the church’s very active music program, including the frequent presence of visiting organists, a multi-level combination action (provided by Solid State Organ Systems) was absolutely necessary.

In its original design, the Bombarde division featured independent reeds at 16′, 8′, and 4′ pitch. This was altered later, when Aeolian-Skinner removed the 8′ Trompette from the Bombarde and moved it to the Great. The 16′ Contra Trompette was then placed on unit action and trebles provided for it to speak at 16′ and 8′ pitch. This compromised the strength of the Bombarde reed chorus, and in the end the most sensible step was to put the Trompette back in the Bombarde, which also made room for a new 8′ Major Trumpet on the Great. This new stop leans towards solo strength, while remaining usable in full chorus.

Mutations in the Positiv were originally pitched an octave higher than usual (11⁄3′ Nasat, 4⁄5′ Terz), and the 4′ Rohr Schalmei was not particularly successful. Re-pitching the mutations presented no difficulty, and the solution for the Rohr Schalmei presented itself when the desire to replace the Swell Krummhorn with an Oboe came up. The Krummhorn was revoiced onto the lower Positiv wind pressure, and a new Hautbois built for the Swell.

The new Antiphonal organ comprises six ranks, all playing on electro-pneumatic action, designed to complement and provide a foil to Aeolian-Skinner Opus 1347 and to bolster congregational singing. Within a compact footprint (both cases measure 41″ x 72″) are housed five of the six ranks (the Trompette en Chamade is mounted on the wall between the two cases), the blower, static reservoir, step-up blower and high-pressure reservoir, double-pressure divided wooden wind trunk, solid-state relay, four wind chests, and two additional reservoirs. Pipes 1–23 of the 4′ Principal make up the right-hand façade. When played with the main organ, the Antiphonal organ has the effect of “pulling” the sound into back third of the room. The full-length, flamed-copper Trompette en Chamade was carefully designed to provide a rich and commanding solo voice that would stand up well to the full organ.

I am most grateful for Bynum Petty’s help in scaling and designing the tonal additions included in this project. I also extend hearty thanks to Brian DeWald (briandewaldwoodworking.com), who built and finished the new Antiphonal organ casework and assisted with installation; Dan Cole (pipeshader.com), who assisted in the casework design and provided promotional materials showing renderings of the Antiphonal organ; and Samuel Hughes, who restored all the reed pipes in the organ. New pipes and chests were built by A. R. Schopp’s Sons, Inc.

—Adam F. Dieffenbach

Emery Brothers

 

Emery Brothers staff involved with this project included: Adam Dieffenbach, Steve Emery, Rosemary Hood, Parfyon Kirshnit, Jon Kracht, Clem Mirto, John Nester, Ardie Peeters, Rich Spotts, and Ryan Stout.

 

From the organist and choirmaster

The Aeolian-Skinner organ at Christ Church was dedicated on Easter Sunday, April 17, 1960. The instrument was typical of the era with a neo-baroque design that included bright principal choruses and ample upperwork. Joseph Whiteford voiced the organ on the aggressive side to cope with a dry acoustic and a low ceiling height in the nave. The organ was altered slightly in 1967 by the builder (Opus 1347-A) to adjust for the addition of heavy carpet across the center aisle. 

When I came to Christ Church, the organ had served the parish for over 50 years, with minimal maintenance and annual tunings. The only change made to the organ was the addition of a remote solid-state capture action to operate the console. Because of failing leather, outdated wiring, and a worn console, the church formed an organ committee to address the needs of the music program as well as the acoustic issues in the church. While the committee did look at several possible replacements for the instrument, in the end the organ was restored because of the overall fine quality of the original installation.

With the guidance of the rector, wardens, and vestry, the decision was made to first renovate the church in several stages. Each stage was completed during the summer months to avoid conflicts during the program year. The first year included the removal of all the carpeting in the church and the installation of new hardwood floors in the entire nave. The second year included new plaster ceilings in the nave to cover the wood lathe ceiling panels and restoration of the stained glass windows. The last year included the removal of the organ, renovation of the ceilings and floors of the choir, and new lighting throughout the church. At that time the woodwork in the church was refinished, removing the white pickled oak stain so popular in the 1950s. 

The organ work performed by Emery Brothers for over a year and a half included new leather, new wiring, a new console, and a new Antiphonal division. The console is built in the style of the original, but is movable and contains additional drawknobs for the Antiphonal and Pedal divisions. The keyboards, music desk, and walnut key cheeks were retained. Only minor changes were made to the chancel organ specification. While the renovated church now has a warm acoustic that requires little amplification for speech, the length of the nave and low ceiling height called for the addition of an Antiphonal organ to support congregational singing. For festivals and weddings, a horizontal reed was added under the center of the Transfiguration window. The scaling and design were by Bynum Petty, installation by Adam Dieffenbach, and tonal finishing by Steve Emery and Charles Callahan. The console replica and the Aeolian-Skinner digital samples were supplied by Walker Technical of Zionsville, Pennsylvania. The organ was rededicated by Alan Morrison with an American Guild of Organists workshop and recital in November.

I believe that in the end we stayed true to the original design of the organ. With very minor changes we have made the organ more flexible and better equipped to serve the parish for the next 50 years.

It is truly a blessing for a parish to have such an instrument. May it lead and inspire worship each and every week for generations to come!

—Andrew Paul Moore, DMA

Organist and Choirmaster

 

From the rector

When I arrived at Christ Church in Short Hills in 2010, I discovered, to my delight, that it had a really fine Aeolian-Skinner organ. It had a sound that seemed to be saying, “Yes, I’m a cousin to some of those wonderful organs you’ve heard in other churches that have great music in worship.”

Now, I’ve lived in France and love the sound of a great French organ playing. And I’m Dutch, so those marvelous trackers sound to me like the DNA of my youthful upbringing in the Dutch Reformed Church. But the sound of the organ in Short Hills was American. I don’t say that in a prideful way, not even in a “better than others” way. But there was something about this organ that could sound the repertoire ranging from an English cathedral choir chanting a psalm, to full-blown-out Reger. It sounded it all well and with its own twist on things.

I’ve served churches with electronic organs and wheezing electro-pneumatics. I was just so grateful this instrument was neither. Unfortunately, this organ was a bit like that date that is really great the first time but doesn’t grow better as the time goes on; in fact, just the opposite.

After having been at the church a little more than a year, I began to wonder why people hardly sang the hymns in the back half of the nave? I began to wonder if it were just me, or if the sound really did fall off a cliff when we reached a certain pew in the retiring procession each week? We began to notice greater hissing noise, more frequent repairs, and costly service.

Then in 2011, Andrew Moore joined us, and he could make the instrument sing as I’d never heard it before. But he could also diagnose its illness, and he told us the prognosis was dim. The good news was that little work had been done to the instrument since it had been installed in the 1960s, so little harm had been done. He also confirmed that the congregation’s lack of singing in the back half of the church probably had to do with such little organ support. The acoustics didn’t work in our favor, and the sound just wasn’t getting back there.

We hosted an organ education night at which Stephen Emery from Emery Brothers in Allentown, Pennsylvania, came to show us worn leathers, ill-fitting pouches, tarnished pipes, cotton wrapped wires, and more. We led tours through the chambers, and people who had always taken the sounds of the organ for granted now were in awe of how it actually works—and why it didn’t. They saw piles of pipes that had been removed from their windchests and were unable to function.

Adam Dieffenbach from Emery Brothers proposed a complete renovation of the existing instrument and suggested a new Antiphonal for the rear wall, both to provide sound back there, as well as to pull the sound from the pipes in the front. Because of space issues, they proposed adding a limited number of digital stops to round out the instrument’s full sound and complete Whiteford’s original concept for the instrument.

“How to pay for it?” is every parish’s question and every rector’s challenge. But in this case we had two wardens, John Cooper and Cynthia McChesney, who recognized not only the need to do the restoration work, but also its stewardship. We had competitive bids for both rebuilding and replacement. Replacement never caught any of our imaginations. That would be more expensive, but also, we realized this was a very fine instrument with a fairly unique American sound, the likes of which simply are not being made today in the same way.

Through John and Cynthia’s leadership in fundraising and both Andrew Moore’s and my direct involvement in asking individuals for support, the entire amount needed was raised in about four months. That included a substantial cushion, of which we used every last dime as we made changes to both the organ project and the worship space.

Our people realized that this was the right time to act, not only because of the present need of the instrument, but also out of respect for the amazing talent of Andrew Moore. Every age has its gifts, and the wise church appreciates and supports those gifts when they happen.

Our choir went from five section leaders and three volunteer members to four section leaders and more than twenty volunteers over the last five years. Singing has vastly improved. This summer, the entire choir is going to England to be the choir-in-residence for singing the daily office at Bristol Cathedral. More than fourteen new music groups used our space last year, both religious and secular, bringing so many people through the doors of the church.

Oh, every once in a while someone will complain that the trumpets in the back are too loud, but then the person standing next to her will say, “I think it’s just great!” There you have it; life in the Church! And in our case, we feel our worship. Our welcome and invitation to others has vastly improved, all because we acted rather than argued about whether to be responsible for something our ancestors here had left us as a gift in the first place. And we feel we’ve left the next generation something better than we could have ever imagined.

—The Reverend Dr. Timothy Mulder

Rector, Christ Church in Short Hills

 

Aeolian-Skinner Opus 1347, Joseph Whiteford, 1960. 

Renovation/additions and Antiphonal division, Emery Brothers, 2015: 63 ranks, 3,625 pipes.

GREAT

16′ Quintaton 61

16′ Rohrbourdon (Sw)

8′ Principal 61

8′ Bourdon 61

8′ Quintaton (ext) 12

4′ Octav 61

4′ Rohrflote 61

22⁄3′ Quint 61

2′ Super Octav 61

IV Mixtur 244

III Scharf 183

8′ Major Trumpet (6″ wp) 61

8′ Trompette en Chamade (Ant)

Chimes

Zimbelstern

SWELL

16′ Rohrbourdon 61

8′ Rohrbourdon (ext) 12

8′ Klein Erzahler 61

8′ Erzahler Celeste (TC) 49

4′ Geigen 61

22⁄3′ Nasat 61

2′ Octav 61

III Cornet 183

8′ Hautbois 61

8′ Menschenstimme 61

8′ Trompette en Chamade (Ant)

Tremolo

BOMBARDE

8′ Geigen Principal (digital)

8′ Viol Pomposa 61

8′ Viol Celeste 61

4′ Flute Harmonique 61

V Plein Jeu 305

16′ Contre Trompette 61

8′ Trompette 61

4′ Clarion 61

Tremolo

POSITIV

8′ Nasonflote 61

4′ Koppelflote 61

22⁄3′ Nasat 61

2′ Blockflote 61

13⁄5′ Terz 61

11⁄3′ Quint 61

III Zimbel 183

8′ Krummhorn 61

Tremolo

8′ Major Trumpet (Gt)

8′ Trompette en Chamade (Ant)

ANTIPHONAL (Emery Brothers)

8′ Rohrflute 61

4′ Principal 61

2′ Octave 61

II Rauschquint 11⁄3′ 122

8′ Trompette en Chamade 61

PEDAL

32′ Contrebass (digital)

32′ Subbass (digital)

16′ Contrebass 32

16′ Subbass 32

16′ Quintaton (Gt)

16′ Rohrbourdon (Sw)

16′ Rohrflute (Ant) 12

8′ Principal 32

8′ Gedectpommer 32

8′ Rohrbourdon (Sw)

4′ Octave (ext) 12

4′ Gedectpommer (ext) 12

V Mixtur 160

32′ Contrebombarde (digital)

32′ Contre Trompette (digital)

16′ Bombarde 32

16′ Contre Trompette (Bombarde)

8′ Bombarde (ext) 12

8′ Krummhorn (Pos)

4′ Bombarde (ext) 12

4′ Krummhorn (Pos)

8′ Trompette en Chamade (Ant)

Chimes (Gt)

 

Couplers

Gt/Ped 8

Sw/Ped 8-4

Bomb/Ped 8-4

Pos/Ped 8

Ant/Ped 8

 

Sw/Gt 16-8-4

Bomb/Gt 16-8-4

Pos/Gt 16-8

Ant/Gt 8

 

Sw/Pos 16-8-4

Bomb/Pos 16-8-4

Ant/Pos 8

 

Gt/Sw 8

Ant/Sw 8

Gt/Pos Trans

Gt/U

Bomb 16-U-4

Pos 16-U-4

Sw 16-U-4

All Sws to Sw

Pre/Next/Full

A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company, Lithonia, Georgia

First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Galveston Island, Texas

First Presbyterian Church, Galveston Island, Texas

Galveston Island has a rich history and played a significant role in the birth of Texas. Three miles wide and twenty-seven miles long, it is a popular vacation destination, but also a permanent home to nearly 50,000 full-time residents.  

Our story starts when Hurricane Ike reached Galveston Island in September 2008. The destruction to the island was on a scale and scope that only can be described as apocalyptic. The winds that bore down on the island carried a storm surge into the sanctuaries of First Presbyterian Church and First Evangelical Lutheran Church, which were flooded as well as damaged by falling water. With the restoration work required by the church properties, it would be nearly five years before either church could consider repairs to the pipe organs. 

It was at this point that our firm was brought in to consult with both churches. We were contacted while we were in the area working at Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston (chronicled as the May 2014 cover feature in The Diapason). While it is not unusual for us to work in a city (or region) on several projects, it is rare to simultaneously build two instruments within walking distance of each other.

As I visited these churches, I viewed instruments that had been silenced for a number of years. Without playing these organs, I was left to survey the remnants of these instruments, extant organ pipes, and the history of these churches and their music programs; I would hold their stewardship and heritage in my hands. I am thankful and humbled by the trust placed in the A. E. Schlueter firm and me.

Early discussions reinforced to me that even though we were building two new organs, both churches wanted the instruments to be rooted in the previous instruments’ style. Neither was to be a slavish copy, but evocative of the pipe organs they had. This was a rare opportunity to build instruments patterned after two of our country’s prominent late nineteenth and early twentieth-century American organ builders. We allowed ourselves to be enveloped in tonal styles of the past while also considering the tonal developments that had occurred in the Pilcher and Hook & Hastings firms prior to their closing. This homage to history and stewardship has preserved the sounds that have supported generations in the Galveston Island community for over 100 years.

 

First Evangelical Lutheran Church

Founded as First German Evangelical Lutheran in 1850, the church annually hosts the official Galveston Island Oktoberfest on the church grounds. In 2013, the church auctioned a car during this annual event to help raise funds for the restoration of an organ to the chancel.

The third organ installed in the church’s former nave was Henry Pilcher’s Sons Opus 1334 of 1926. It was relocated to the new church chancel area in the 1950s, with an attempt to modernize the chancel organ stoplist by including some upper work via several highly unified stops, and some stop substitutions and exchanges. However, even with these changes, the basic fabric of the 1926 organ remained intact. During Hurricane Ike in 2008, the chancel organ console was partially submerged in water, and the wiring to the console under the nave floor was soaked with sea water. 

There is a second organ in First Lutheran’s rear gallery. In 1973, a new three-manual, 27-stop, 41-rank mechanical-action instrument was installed by Freiburger Orgelbau of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. This organ proved to be well suited for baroque music, while the Pilcher in the chancel, with its romantic scaling and voicing, continued to serve the basic service needs of the church, including weddings and funerals. The gallery organ was spared during the storm and continues to support worship in its unaltered form. While there is no desire to change the gallery organ from its mechanical action, there have been discussions to have the new chancel console be able to eventually remotely play the gallery organ. The new three-manual chancel console was designed with this in mind. 

Our new chancel instrument is built in homage to the style of the former Pilcher. We incorporated the Pilcher’s unaltered pipework; some stops such as the Swell 8′ Diapason had leathered lips that had suffered severe water damage. While some builders have erroneously removed this leather in an attempt to “modernize” the sound of the pipes, this does not honor the former builders who made these tonal choices. We restored these pipes with their leathered lips. Other vintage pipework was similarly treated to return pipes to a former state. However, to open the organ to a wider body of repertoire, we incorporated hybrid stops (Gemshorn), the formants of a principal chorus, and upperwork and mutations that were in keeping with the stop design and voicing of the original instrument. The entire organ is under expression with a large exposure of chancel and nave shades. This allows the power of this instrument to be under complete dynamic control while almost entirely unenclosed when fully open. 

The organ has 25 ranks, divided between Great, Swell, and Pedal divisions. Since the console included the third manual, we allowed some of the unit stops on the organ to be registered from the third manual. The Great strings are so treated, as are the Swell reeds. 

The new movable chancel organ console is normally situated toward the front of the right transept chapel, which houses the 1915 altar from the former church. Because of its forward exposed location, it was important to keep its stature diminutive. We designed a terraced drawknob console with inbuilt casters to reduce its visual signature and allow for mobility. 

Since both pipe organs are normally played during a service, the new organ console’s division orientation of the keyboards was made the same as the gallery organ’s console. This eases the transition from one console to the other, even though they are very different instruments.

Even though the gallery organ, with its classic baroque sound, was not damaged by Hurricane Ike, the parish still longed for the return of the beloved chancel organ, with its warmth, grandeur, and rich tonal palette. The completed chancel organ has a nobility in its sound. It has its own unique identity as the “other” instrument in the church as well as resources to perform repertoire that would be challenging for the gallery organ, in spite of its size. The chancel has a rich sound that First Lutheran parishioners are thrilled to again experience.

I would like to thank the members of the organ committee with whom I worked and particularly recognize the efforts of the Reverend Dr. Douglass Guthier (retired) and organist/choirmaster Don Hermanson. Their mission to see the restoration of the organ to the chancel spanned years.

 

First Presbyterian Church

The congregation was organized in 1840. The present church, completed in 1889 after 16 years of construction, is considered one of the best examples of Norman architecture in the region. The church is known for its stained glass windows, including work by Tiffany.

The organ at First Presbyterian Church has had a unique history. Originally built in 1896 by the Hook & Hastings firm in Boston, the organ had mechanical action with three manuals and 30 ranks. Housed in a large oak case with stenciled wood and metal pipes positioned in the front right side of the church, the organ would be altered and changed a number of times over the years. In the 1940s its action was electrified, but it fell into disrepair in the 1970s. Under the direction of Roy Redman, it was rebuilt into a mechanical-action organ with new slider chests and enlarged to 54 ranks. At the time this work was completed, the instrument was purported to have been one of the larger mechanical-action organs built west of the Mississippi. In the 1990s, the mechanical action was discarded; a detached replacement console was installed, and the organ was converted to electric action. Even with numerous changes over time, the organ case,  façade, and the original pipework were constants. The organ remained in service until it was silenced by the hurricane. 

As our firm assessed the instrument we developed a plan that was centered on preserving the stewardship of the church heritage. It was important that the case and façade be retained without any visual change. There was a desire to keep the tonal style of Hook & Hastings but also to add resources to permit a broader capability of choral and congregational accompaniment. The Redman firm, which rebuilt and enlarged the organ in the late 1970s, had been kind in its treatment of the vintage Hook & Hastings pipework even as it enlarged the organ. We are grateful for the care they took, which allowed the Hook & Hastings pipework to be retained for reuse.

In consultation with the church and in consideration of the back and forth changes from mechanical to electric actions in the organ’s history, it was decided to employ slider action controlled by electric key action. Such an action would be very reliable in the island environment and allow layout and structural considerations that would not be possible with mechanical action.

As we studied the new organ design, it was clear that it would require a number of internal changes in structure and organ access and egress. Working with the architect we were able to define and open up a rear access for the instrument in the adjoining social hall stairwell. This allowed independent access to the Pedal, Choir, and Great divisions of the organ. The Swell is accessed through the original side door in the organ case. Without needing passage through the organ to access all of the interior workings we were able to raise the Swell organ to the impost level of the case so that the organ speaks out over the Choir rather than through it. The Choir and Great sit beside each other on the top level of the organ. 

To visually stay below the organ façade while raising the interior levels of the organ divisions, we developed “coffin” style slider chests that sit on the floor of the upper deck of the organ chassis. The Great chest is designed with pipes offset and arranged to allow it to sit in the front corner of the church where the arched ceiling timbers intersect. The pipes literally fit around the architecture. From this location the tonal energy of the Great division is splayed uniformly into the sanctuary to support congregational singing.

Unique with the building of this instrument is that we left the organ case and façade in situ for the entire time of our work. We very carefully removed the former organ chassis while temporarily restructuring to support the organ façade and case. The lower center section was removed to replace the case panels that had been altered for tonal egress in the 1970s. With the new interior elevations of the organ divisions, these lower grilles were no longer needed and new solid panels were built. The restored lower case helps to focus and direct the choir voices from the choir loft. A corollary benefit is that the raised elevations took the sound of the lower division of the organ out of the choir members’ ears. The new organ chassis is built of steel and heavy timbers with solid ceilings and floors for the enclosed divisions. As is our practice, the expression boxes were built overly thick to fully contain the enclosed divisions. 

To control the organ, we built a traditional three-manual drawknob console. The console exterior is built of oak and finished to match the organ case. The design of the console frame evokes the organ casement. The console interior is paneled in rich mahogany with ebonized accents.

Prior to removing the organ, we brought a voicing machine to the church to evaluate the pipes. This allowed us to hear the pipework in the sanctuary, establish wind pressures, and gauge the tonal balance of the stops in the room as they existed and importantly, could exist. We held these sounds in our heads and our hearts as we developed the new specification.

With the exception of pipes that were beyond repair due to condition, almost all of the Hook & Hastings pipework found a home, in part or whole, in the new instrument. In some instances, we did reallocate pipes from their position in the original 1896 stoplist where they better served the revised tonal design. 

The original reeds were retained and rebuilt and include the original shallots and reed tongue thicknesses where this was possible. The condition of the reeds after over 100 years of age and multiple hands required substantial rebuilding, and we took great care to preserve these stops.

While the specification has a large 8′ center at its core, we included upper work and mutations to add color, variety, and the treble ascendant completions of the principal and flute choruses. The completed instrument retains its past voice but with additional resources that let it take part in a broader range of music as it supports worship in this historic church.

I would like to personally take the opportunity to thank the organ committee members Jennifer Klein Salyer, director of worship arts; Ruben Rincon, Jr., organist; Mike Cowan; David Salyer; and Lesley Sommer. Their efforts and support were invaluable.

 

In closing

We would like to thank these congregations who treated us like extended family while we completed these instruments. They buoyed us with their support and prayers and genuinely have become our friends and extended congregations. As a way of thanks and in the form of a tithe, both instruments ended up with additional stops that were given as gifts from the Schlueter family. 

We consider it one of our greatest strengths to be able to work in different styles and engineer solutions that would be difficult for other firms. The design of both of these instruments required custom engineering, particularly in the case of First Presbyterian Church and the 1896 organ case. A hallmark of our work is to be sensitive to the architecture and history of the churches we work with. I am confident this is what we did in Galveston.

While we would never claim the tonal mantle of the Pilcher or Hook & Hastings firms, we hope that Schlueter’s fingerprints have melded with sonic impressions left by these predecessors. We hope that if these past luminaries were able to visit, our work would be equally pleasing and identifiable to them.

Building these two instruments required the talents of many people. I would be remiss if I did not thank the members of the Schlueter team who spent the long hours away from home to do so. We are grateful for the efforts of Arthur E. Schlueter, Jr., Arthur E. Schlueter, III, John Tanner, Marc Conley, Patrick Hodges, Rob Black, Jeremiah Hodges, Peter Duys, James (Bud) Taylor, Jr., Bob Weaver, Al Schroer, Shan Dalton-Bowen, Barbara Sedlacek, Michael DeSimone, Dallas Wood, Clifton Frierson, Ruth Lopez, and Kelvin Cheatham. 

Visit our website at www.pipe-organ.com, e-mail us at [email protected], or write to us at P. O. Box 838, Lithonia, Georgia 30058.

—Arthur E. Schlueter, III

Visual and Tonal Direction

A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company

 

First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 

Galveston Island, Texas

GREAT (expressive)

16′ Gemshorn 12 pipes

8′  Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Hohl Flute 61 pipes* 

8′ Gemshorn 61 pipes

8′ Dulciana 61 pipes*

8′ Unda Maris (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Rohr Flute 61 pipes*

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

III–IV Mixture 208 pipes

16′ Oboe TC (Swell)

8′ Trumpet (Swell)

8′ Oboe (Swell)

Chimes (existing tubes and actions 

    rebuilt)

SWELL (expressive)

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt 12 pipes*

8′ Diapason 61 pipes*

8′ Stopped Diapason 61 pipes*

8′ Salicional 61 pipes*

8′ Voix Celeste 61 pipes*

4′ Diapason 61 pipes*

4′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes*

22⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

2′ Flageolet 61 pipes* 

13⁄5′ Tierce (TC) 49 pipes

16′ Oboe TC (ext)

8′ Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Oboe 61 pipes*

Tremolo

POSITIV (preparation for future)

16′ Gemshorn (Great)

8′ Stopped Diapason (Swell)

8′ Gemshorn (Great)

8′ Dulciana (Great)

8′ Unda Maris (Great)

4′ Gemshorn (Great)

4′ Unda Maris II (Great)

16′ Oboe (Swell)

8′ Trumpet (Swell)

8′ Oboe (Swell)

PEDAL

32′ Acoustic Bass (resultant)

16′ Gemshorn (Great)

16′ Subbass 32 pipes

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)

8′ Octave (1–12 Great) 20 pipes

8′ Gemshorn (Great)

8′ Subbass 12 pipes

8′ Gedeckt (Swell)

4′ Choral Bass 12 pipes

4′ Gedeckt (Swell)

32′ Harmonics (Wired Cornet)

16′ Trompette 12 pipes

8′ Trompette (Swell)

8′ Oboe (Swell)

*From original Pilcher Organ

 

Coupler Rail

Great to Pedal 8-4

Swell to Pedal 8-4

Positiv on Pedal 8

Swell to Great 16-8-4

Positiv on Great 8

Swell to Swell 16-UO-4

Positiv on Swell

Positiv to Positiv 16-UO-4

Swell to Positiv 16-8-4

MIDI on Pedal, Great, Swell, Positiv

 

25 ranks

 

First Presbyterian Church, 

Galveston Island, Texas (III/54)

GREAT 

16′ Contra Dulciana (Choir)

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)

8′ Diapason 61 pipes* 

8′ 2nd Diapason 41 pipes* 

(balance from Ped Dbl Open Diap)

8′ Gamba 61 pipes*

8′ Doppel Flute 61 pipes*

8′ Bourdon (TC) 49 pipes*

    (H&H bass from Doppel) 

4′ Octave 61 pipes*

4′ Doppel Flute 12 pipes*

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes*

IV–V Mixture 11⁄3′ 281 pipes

16′ Contra Oboe (Swell)

8′ Cornopean (Swell)

8′ Oboe (Swell)

8′ Clarinet (Choir)

8′ Tromba (Swell) (non-coupling)

Tremolo

Chimes (Great) (25 notes)**

Zimbelstern (multiple bells)

CHOIR (enclosed)

16′ Contra Dulciana**

8′ English Diapason 61 pipes* 

8′ Concert Flute 61 pipes* 

8′ Dulciana 61 pipes*

8′ Unda Maris (TC) 49 pipes 

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Traverse Flute 61 pipes*

22⁄3′ Nasat (TC) 49 pipes 

2′ Flautino 61 pipes*

13⁄5′ Terz (TC) 49 pipes

11⁄3′ Quint 12 pipes

IV Scharf-Zimbel 2⁄3′ 244 pipes

8′ Clarinet  61 pipes*

16′ Tromba (Sw) (non-coupling)

8′ Tromba (Sw) (non-coupling)

4′ Tromba (Sw) (non-coupling)

Harp (61 notes)**

Tremolo

Choir to Choir 16-UO-4

SWELL (enclosed)

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt 12 pipes*

8′ Geigen Diapason 61 pipes*

8′ Stopped Diapason 61 pipes*

8′ Salicional 61 pipes*

8′ Voix Celeste (TC) 49 pipes*

8′ Muted Strings III 159 pipes*

4′ Geigen Octave 61 pipes

4′ Fern Flute  61 pipes*

22⁄3′ Nazard (TC) 49 pipes

2′ Flageolet  24 pipes*

13⁄5′ Tierce (TC) 49 pipes

IV–VI Plein Jeu 2′ 330 pipes

16′ Contra Oboe TC (ext)

8′ Cornopean  61 pipes*

8′ Oboe 61 pipes*

8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes*

4′ Clarion (fr Cornopean) 24 pipes

8′ Tromba 61 pipes

Tremolo

Swell to Swell 16-UO-4

PEDAL

32′ Violone**

32′ Bourdon**

16′ Double Open Diapason 73 pipes*

16′ Open Wood**

16′ Contra Dulciana (Choir)

16′ Subbass 32 pipes*

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)

8′ Octave 12 pipes*

8′ Diapason (from 16′)

8′ Subbass 12 pipes*

8′ Stopped Diapason (Swell)

4′ Choral Bass 32 pipes

4′ Doppel Flute (Great)

4′ Lieblich Flute (Swell)

III Mixture 22⁄3′ 96 pipes

32′ Contra Trombone**

32′ Harmonics 

16′ Trombone 32 pipes* 

    (wood resonators)

16′ Contra Trumpet (Crnpn) 12 pipes

8′ Cornopean (Swell)

8′ Oboe (Swell)

4′ Clarion (Swell)

4′ Clarinet (Choir)

8′ Tromba (Swell)

 

Inter-Manual Couplers

Great to Pedal 8-4

Swell to Pedal 8-4

Choir to Pedal 8-4

Swell to Great 16-8-4

Choir to Great 16-8-4

Swell to Choir 16-8-4

Choir/Great Transfer (On piston, divisional pistons transfer)

 

MIDI Controls (programmable as preset stops): MIDI on Pedal A, B; Great A, B; Swell A, B; Choir A, B

 

* Hook and Hastings pipework

**Digital 

 

44 ranks

Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders, Bellwood, Illinois

Zion Lutheran Church (WELS), Columbus, Wisconsin

Located about twenty miles northeast of Madison, Zion Lutheran Church (WELS) is home to a rejuvenated instrument that originated from a blend of old and new ideas and materials. Consultant Wayne Wagner, director of music Matt Kanzenbach, and the builder agreed to retain as much of the Wangerin organ from the old church as possible, while expanding the stoplist in order to include new tonal possibilities that the instrument was missing. 

Selected Wangearin pipework, along with vintage ranks from Berghaus’s collection and new pipes, yielded a stoplist of 34 stops, 24 ranks, and 1,727 pipes over two manuals and pedal. Selected chests from the Wangerin organ were retained, restored, and integrated with new chestwork. The well-crafted and durable Wangerin pipework was cleaned, repaired, and revoiced. Certain ranks were relocated to better suit the stoplist and to allow for new pipes to take their place.

The entire instrument speaks directly across the sanctuary from its position above the choir. The main central division is the Swell, with a set of hardwood expression shutters, controlled by a 16-stage electric motor. It contains most of the original Wangerin diapason chorus, along with strings, flutes, and reeds. New flue additions include a 2′ metal flute, a 11⁄3′ Larigot, and a brilliant Scharf mixture. An English Oboe and French Clarion are new reed additions that provide additional color and brilliance. 

Divided on either side of the Swell box, the newly enhanced Great is founded on an entirely new chorus, complete with mutations and mixture. Retained wood flutes (both stopped and open) and dulcianas allow for softer accompaniments and solo textures. A new 8′ Principal leads the division with natural, singing sound, and its polished pipes form part of the façade. 

The Pedal division is a combination of Wangerin stops along with a new 8′ Principal stop that is extended to 4′ pitch. The large-scale Trumpet in the Swell is also extended 12 notes to 16′ pitch for tutti textures. The Pedal has variety of voices that can effectively balance any manual combination.

All new chests and winding were constructed of poplar, and the handsome custom casework is of rift-cut red oak. A new blower encased in the organ gives quiet, steady, and dependable wind to the entire instrument. 

A new combination action by Peterson Electro-Musical Products is installed in the original console, which was completely stripped and refinished. The ICS-4000 control system gives the organist multiple memory levels, piston sequencing, and record/playback settings. 

Completed in October 2015, the finished instrument makes a bold visual and musical statement, and it is capable of leading hymns and liturgy of the church as well as performing various schools of repertoire. On October 25, the organ was dedicated and first used in worship. A recital featuring Wayne Wagner and various Zion musicians was performed that afternoon.

—Jonathan Oblander, Tonal Director

 

Keith Williams

Buzard Pipe Organ Builders, Champaign, Illinois

Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, Charleston, South Carolina

1963 Noehren organ, St.
Richard of Chichester Episcopal Church, Chicago, Illinois

Robert Noehren (1910–2002) was an influential performer, recording artist, and teacher. He was for many years university organist and head of the organ department at the University of Michigan. Not satisfied with the work of contemporary American Neo-Baroque organbuilders, he founded his own enterprise, which built a total of 21 organs between 1954 and 1978. Noehren described his tonal style as an attempt to meld North German (Schnitger) principals with French classic and romantic reeds (Clicquot and Cavaille-Coll.)

Noehren himself performed the dedication recitals on his organ at St. Richard of Chichester Episcopal Church in Chicago, Illinois, on December 29, 1963. As originally installed, it had 1,885 pipes. Noehren also made recordings of the organ following its completion, which afford us insight into Noehren’s tonal philosophy and playing style on his own instrument. 

The organ remained basically unchanged over its 50 years at St. Richard’s. In 1996 the original electro-mechanical relay and setter board combination action were replaced with solid state equipment. At the same time a Zimbelstern was added and a 32’ Resultant stop was added to the Pedal, drawn from the original Subbass.

The instrument was installed above the gallery of the church, hanging from the ceiling on two beams in an exposed position. The Swell was enclosed at the rear of the beams, with the large, shared Great-Positiv windchest in front (see photograph below). The Pedal division was on two chests on the floor at the rear of the balcony.

By 2014 the congregation’s dynamic has changed, and they no longer required their organ and wished to find an appropriate new home for it. Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Charleston, South Carolina, was in the market for an organ for their new sanctuary building and decided that the available Noehren organ would suit their needs admirably. Holy Spirit purchased the instrument and contracted with Buzard Pipe Organ Builders to remove and rebuild the organ for their new church.

The new installation required an entirely new layout for the organ, as well as casework sympathetic to the beautiful new sanctuary. The new casework carries all the new bass pipes of the Great and Pedal principals, replacing collapsed pipes that were formerly shared between both these stops. The organ was redesigned internally with a new layout, new floor and building frames, new Swell box, and a new and greatly augmented wind system and new blower.

The action in the organ is electro-mechanical. Originally the pipe valves were of the Reisner “floating valve” type patented by Roger Miles and George Gress. Despite the claim made by some that this kind of action never wears out, the valves in this organ were no longer reliable after 50 years. We have replaced all of the actions with new magnets and rewired the entire organ. This also enabled us to provide larger toe holes to properly wind bass pipes.

A peculiarity of Noehren’s original design was a sharing of low octaves throughout the instrument. For example, the bottom octave (1–12) of the Great 4′ Octave borrowed the tenor octave (13–24) of the 8′ Principal. The cumulative effect of these compromises (which Noehren felt were justified because they reduced cost and saved space) was a weakening of tone throughout the instrument’s lower range. We undertook to provide additional pipework in almost all cases to correct these deficiencies, and so new, independent bottom octaves have been provided for the Great 4′ Octave, 4′ Spitzfloete, and 2′ Octave, as well as the Positiv 8′ Gedeckt and 2′ Principal. The Swell flutes have retained the old system of borrowing, due to space limitations; however, their blend and balance have been carefully refined.

The organ has gained a new 4′ Koppel Flute in the Positiv; a new, large-scaled Subbass rank in the Pedal, and new Chimes. A new Oboe rank, specially designed with a Baroque influence, replaces the original Swell Trompette. This Oboe has an interesting character, somewhere between an Oboe and an English horn. It can both color the flues in the Swell in combinations, as well as providing an excellent solo sound.

Some rescaling was undertaken, as well as numerous repairs and very careful regulation of all the pipework, especially removing inconsistencies in the flue voicing. The Cromhorne and Trumpet ranks were rebuilt for speech and tuning stability. The Mixture stops, originally each of five (!) ranks, were reconfigured. The Swell Plein Jeu was lowered significantly in pitch and now cleverly works as both the expected “crown” of the division as well as providing a much more useful substitute principal chorus in combination with the Swell foundations.

Installation of the organ was completed in autumn of 2016, the final stage of which was a comprehensive tonal finishing of the organ in the superb and lively acoustic of the new church. The end result is a still-bright but much warmer sound, which fills the handsome new sanctuary admirably. The organ can lead the congregation in hymns and liturgy, accompany choral anthems, and serve as a convincing vehicle for a wide range of solo organ repertoire. The sound of the instrument is by no means typical of the sound of a new Buzard instrument, but we are proud to have been able to make this instrument much more versatile and put it into as-new condition for the Holy Spirit congregation. 

The organ was dedicated in a worship service and recital by Stephen Buzard on Sunday, February 12. A dinner and introduction to the organ was held at the church for the local American Guild of Organists chapter the following evening.

The organ as rebuilt comprises 26 independent stops, 37 ranks, and 1,853 pipes.

—Keith Williams

 

Buzard staff that were involved in the Holy Spirit project included:

John-Paul Buzard, President & Artistic Director

Charles Eames, Vice-President & General Manager

Brian Davis, Tonal Director

Keith Williams, Service Director

David Brown, Service Foreman

Shane Rhoades, Production Department Foreman

Mark Dirksen, Business Manager

Riley Ano, Tonal Assistant

Trevor Dodd, Service Technician

Viktoria Franken, Tonal Associate

Christopher Goodnight, Cabinetmaker

Max Konrad, Service Technician

Michael Meyer, Cabinetmaker

Dennis Northway, Service & Sales Associate

Jeremy Taylor, Cabinetmaker

Stuart Weber, Senior Service Technician

John Wiegand, Service Technician

 

Bibliography

Schnurr, Stephen J., Jr., and Dennis E. Northway. Pipe Organs of Chicago, Volume II. Oak Park, IL, Chauncey Park Press, 2009, pp. 109–111.

Houghton, Richard. “The Organs of Robert Noehren—Simplicity, practicality and economy.” Journal of American Organbuilding, Vol. 10, No. 3 (September 2015), pp. 8–14.

 

Original (1963) stoplist

GREAT (21⁄2″ w.p.)

16′ Quintadena (TC) 44

8′ Principal (1–12 Pedal) 44

8′ Rohrfloete 56

4′ Octave (1–12 from 8′) 44 

4′ Spitzfloete (1–12 from 8′) 44 

22⁄3′ Nasat (TC, Positiv Larigot)

2′ Octave (1–12 from 4′) 44

2′ Spillfloete (1–12 from Fl 4′) 44 

13⁄5′ Terz (TG) 37

III–V Mixture 244

16′ Dulzian (TC, Pos. Cromhorne) 

8′ Trumpet 56

SWELL (21⁄2″ w.p.)

8′ Bourdon 56

8′ Gamba 56

8′ Voix Celeste (TC) 44

4′ Flute Octaviante (1–12 Bdn) 44 

2′ Octavin (ext 4′) 12 

III–V Plein Jeu 244

8′ Trompette 56

4′ Clairon (ext) 12

Tremulant 

POSITIV (21⁄2″ w.p.)

8′ Gedeckt (1–12 Gt Rohrfloete) 44 

4′ Rohrfloete (Gt) 12

2′ Principal 56

11⁄3′ Larigot 56 

III–V Scharff 244

8′ Cromhorne 56

PEDAL (21⁄2″ w.p.)

16′ Subbass 32

8′ Principal 32

4′ Octave 32

2′ Octave (ext) 12

V Mixture 128

16′ Posaune (ext) 12

8′ Trumpet (Gt)

4′ Trumpet (Gt) 

 

Couplers

Sw/Gt

Pos/Gt

Sw/Pos

Sw/Gt 16

Gt/Ped

Pos/Ped

Sw/Ped

 

Setterboard pistons 1–4 all divisions and generals

 

34 stops

42 ranks

1,885 pipes

 

2017 stoplist

GREAT (21⁄2″ w.p.)

16′ Quintade (rescaled, in Sw box) 56 

8′ Principal (1–24 new, 1–21 façade) 56

8′ Rohrfloete 56

4′ Octave (1–12 new) 56

4′ Spitzfloete (1–12 new) 68

22⁄3′ Nasat (TC, Positiv Larigot)

2′ Octave (1–12 new) 56

2′ Spillfloete (ext)

13⁄5′ Terz (TG) 37

IV Mixture (11⁄3′) 224

16′ Dulzian (TC, Pos. Cromorne)

8′ Trumpet 56

SWELL (3″ w.p.)

8′ Bourdon 56

8′ Gamba 56

8′ Voix Celeste (TC) 44

4′ Flute Octaviante (1–12 Bdn) 56

2′ Octavin (ext 4′)

IV Plein Jeu 224

8′ Oboe (new) 68

4′ Clairon (ext)

Tremulant

POSITIV (21⁄2″ w.p.)

8′ Gedeckt (1–12 new) 56

4′ Floete (new, wood & metal) 56

2′ Principal  56

11⁄3′ Larigot 56

III Scharf 168

8′ Cromorne 56

Zimbelstern

Chimes (new)

PEDAL (21⁄2″ w.p., 4″ Subbass)

32′ Resultant (Subbass & Quintade)

16′ Subbass (new, larger scale) 32

16′ Quintade (Gt)

8′ Principal (1–21 new in façade) 32

8′ Quintade (Gt)

4′ Octave 44

2′ Octave (ext)

IV Mixture 128

16′ Posaune (ext, 1–12 1/2-length) 12

8′ Trumpet (Gt)

4′ Trumpet (Gt)

 

Couplers

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Positiv to Pedal

Swell to Great 16

Swell to Great

Positiv to Great

Swell to Positiv

 

Accessories

General Cancel (thumb)

Combination adjuster (thumb)

Memory Lock (key)

Balanced Swell expression shoe

Zimbelstern volume adjustment knob

 

26 independent stops

37 ranks

1,853 pipes