Goulding & Wood Pipe Organ Builders Cover Feature

Kegg Pipe Organ Builders, Hartville,

Ohio, 30th anniversary

Kegg Pipe Organ Builders began building new pipe organs in 1990, and 2020 marks thirty years with project opera 64, 65, and 66 presently under construction. Opus 64 is a new 47-rank four-manual instrument for Christ the King Chapel at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. Opus 65 is a new console and restoration of the California Organ Company/Reuter organ in the St. Francis Auditorium at the Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe. Opus 66 is a new organ for Little Flower Church in St. Louis, Missouri. 

I discovered the pipe organ at age eleven and by age thirteen, I had a playing pipe organ of nine ranks in my basement. I had very tolerant parents. After graduating high school, I began working at the Schantz Organ Company in the console department. After a year there, I went back to school to study architecture and mechanical engineering, after which I returned to the Schantz company to train as a reed voicer. I spent five years with Schantz as a production reed voicer and tonal finisher. I then joined Casavant Frères, Limitée where I was a sales representative. I also installed and voiced a number of Casavant organs during my five years with them. I then went to A. R. Schopp’s Sons, a fourth-generation pipe making company and a leader in the United States pipe organ supply industry, where I was general manager. After an enjoyable time there and with three different churches asking me to do work for them, which I took as a sign, I left my friends at Schopp to found Kegg Pipe Organ Builders. 

Wanting to start small and build the business carefully, I began in a 1,500-square-foot shop and built my first three instruments by myself, gradually adding employees as business demand grew. In 1994, the company moved into a 5,000-square-foot building with three employees where we built many instruments including the landmark 78-rank instrument for the Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Canton, Ohio. After ten years in that location, the company with five employees received a commission to build another landmark 70-rank instrument for the new concert hall at Texas A&M International University in Laredo, Texas. This instrument demanded a larger space, and in 2004 the company moved into its present shop enjoying 16,000 square feet of space. The company employs eight at this writing, three of whom are under the age of 35.

Early on in my career, I felt that instruments designed and built in a more Romantic style than was popular in the 1970s and ’80s would better suit traditional American church music. It also appealed to me more with my interest in warmer sounds. This was first demonstrated in my third organ built for the First Baptist Church in Canton, Ohio, which was the Kegg family church. This organ, completed in 1990, comprises two manuals and 25 ranks, with the Great under expression, save for the 8′ Principal. In 1990, an enclosed Great was most unusual and considered heretical by many. The organ caused quite a stir in 1990 with its large scales, warm sound, and Swell Vox Humana. A new Vox Humana was, again, highly unusual at that time. 

Another point of departure for me was my interest in all-electric chest action. This style of action had long been vilified due to its usual poor construction. All-electric action offers many advantages including ultra simplicity, ease of repair from water damage, and the ability to offer judicious borrowing of stops at different pitches and/or manuals. Its primary disadvantage is the poor pipe speech that is associated with it. I worked at developing chest construction with the goal of making this action indistinguishable from a pneumatic pouch windchest. My successful result has met that goal. While not inexpensive to build, it is reasonable at scale and offers our clients all the advantages with none of the disadvantages. Our instruments only employ pneumatic chests for large basses and high-pressure stops. This reduces or eliminates the leather wear found in pneumatic instruments. 

We employ schwimmer air regulator control. These air regulators that are built into the chests regulate pressure more efficiently than standard reservoirs and are easier and less expensive to maintain. While you will find standard reservoirs in our instruments for large pipes and occasional other use, you will find very few in our instruments compared to other engineering traditions. All this is done with the goal of making the Kegg instrument one that is musically responsive, colorful, interesting for the musician and listener, cost effective to purchase, and inexpensive to maintain. 

I spent a great deal of time working with the American Organ Institute in Norman, Oklahoma, when it was operating, encouraging young people who were interested in the pipe organ craft, understanding that new generations must be brought into our craft. Two AOI graduates presently work for the Kegg company. We look for those interested in a career in the pipe organ craft and have had several summer interns over the years. 

With thirty-plus years in business, our work can be found in homes, concert halls, churches, and synagogues. With a new generation in house, we look forward to the next thirty years of serving our clients. 

—Charles Kegg

The Kegg team

Philip Brown

Michael Carden

Cameron Couch

Joyce Harper

Philip Laakso

Bruce Schutrum

Paul Watkins

Website: http://www.keggorgan.com/

Photo: Basilica of Saint John the Baptist, Canton, Ohio (photo courtesy: Kegg Pipe Organ Builders)

Opus 3, First Baptist Church, Canton, Ohio

GREAT

16′ Bourdon TC (Chimney Flute)

8′ Principal 61 pipes

8′ Chimney Flute 61 pipes

8′ Gemshorn 61 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Flute (ext) 12 pipes

2′ Fifteenth (ext) 12 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Mixture IV 244 pipes 

Sesquialtera II TC 98 pipes

8′ Trumpet (Swell)

Tremulant

Chimes (Deagan 25 notes)

SWELL

16′ Bourdon 61 pipes

8′ Bourdon (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Viole 61 pipes

8′ Viole Celeste TC 49 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Koppelflute 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

2′ Flute (ext) 12 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Larigot (Nazard)

1′ Mixture IV 244 pipes

16′ Contra Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Oboe 61 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes

Tremulant

PEDAL

16′ Principal 32 pipes

16′ Subbass 32 pipes

16′ Bourdon (Swell)

8′ Principal (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Subbass (ext) 12 pipes

4′ Octave (ext) 12 pipes

32′ Harmonics (derived)

16′ Trumpet (Swell)

4′ Oboe (Swell)

Full complement of couplers

Opus 28, Basilica of St. John the Baptist, Canton, Ohio

GREAT

16′ Violone 61 pipes

8′ Principal 61 pipes

8′ Hohlflute 49 pipes (bass from Pd 16′ Bourdon)

8′ Bourdon (Pd 16′ Bourdon) 17 pipes

8′ Violoncello (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Gemshorn 61 pipes

5-1⁄3′ Rohrquinte 61 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Koppelflute 61 pipes 

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

IV Fourniture 244 pipes

16′ Contra Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet (ext) 12 pipes

8′ French Horn (Solo)

4′ Clarion 61 pipes

Tremulant

Chimes (Deagan 25 notes)

Zimbelstern

SWELL

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt 61 pipes

8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Gedeckt 61 pipes

8′ Clarabella 61 pipes

8′ Salicional 61 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste 61 pipes

8′ Aeoline 61 pipes

8′ Unda Maris TC 49 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Flute 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes 

2′ Flautino 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes 

IV Plein Jeu 244 pipes

IV Scharf (PJ 8va)

16′ Double Trumpet 61 pipes

16′ Oboe TC (Oboe)

8′ Trumpet (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Oboe 61 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes

4′ Clarion 61 pipes

Tremulant

CHOIR

8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Stopped Flute 61 pipes

8′ Spitzflute 61 pipes

8′ Flute Celeste TC 49 pipes

8′ Dolce 61 pipes

8′ Dolce Celeste TC 49 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Flute 61 pipes

2′ Piccolo 61 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Larigot 61 pipes 

1′ Sifflute 61 pipes 

8′ Cornopean 61 pipes

8′ Clarinet 61 pipes

Tremulant

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)

SOLO

8′ Doppelflute 61 pipes

8′ Gross Gamba 61 pipes

8′ Gross Gamba Celeste 61 pipes

4′ Hohlpfeife 61 pipes

8′ Orchestral Oboe 61 pipes

8′ English Horn 61 pipes

Tremulant

16′ Contra Trumpet TC (Great)

8′ Neumann Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Tuba Mirabilis 61 pipes (high pressure)

8′ French Horn

8′ Blair Trumpet II (draws Tuba and Antiphonal Trumpet Magna)

8′ Trumpet (Great)

8′ Cornopean (Choir)

8′ Oboe (Swell)

8′ Clarinet (Choir)

4′ Clarion (Great)

Chimes (Great)

String FF Ensemble (collective)

String PP Ensemble (collective)

Unison Ensemble (collective)

Reed Ensemble (collective)

ANTIPHONAL (Floating)

8′ Gedeckt 61 pipes

8′ Salicional 61 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste TC 49 pipes

8′ Flute Celeste II 110 pipes

8′ Unda Maris II 98 pipes (bass from Flute Celeste)

4′ Fugara 61 pipes

4′ Flute (ext) 12 pipes

4′ Unda Maris II (ext) 24 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet Magna 61 pipes

Tremulant

PEDAL

32′ Resultant (derived) 

32′ Bourdon (1–12 electronic)

32′ Lieblich Gedeckt (1–12 electronic)

16′ Open Diapason (wood) 32 pipes

16′ Bourdon 32 pipes

16′ Violone (Great)

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)

16′ Dulciana 32 pipes

8′ Octave (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Diapason (Swell)

8′ Diapason (Choir)

8′ Violoncello (Great)

8′ Bourdon (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Dulciana (ext) 12 pipes

4′ Super Octave (ext) 12 pipes

4′ Still Flute (ext) 12 pipes

32′ Contra Trombone 32 pipes

32′ Harmonics (derived)

16′ Trombone (ext) 12 pipes

16′ Trumpet (Swell)

8′ Tromba (ext) 12 pipes

4′ Clarion (ext) 12 pipes

4′ Clarinet (Choir)

4′ Oboe (Swell)

Full complement of couplers

Opus 64, Christendom College, Front Royal, Virginia

GREAT

16′ Violone 61 pipes

8′ Solo Diapason IV (from Gt Prin, Gt Octave, Pd Prin, Pd C. Bass)

8′ Principal 61 pipes

8′ Violone (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Rohrflute 61 pipes

8′ Harmonic Flute 49 pipes (1–12 from Rohrflute)

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Flute (ext) 12 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes 

1-1⁄3′ Mixture IV 244 pipes

16′ Tromba 61 pipes

8′ Tuba (Choir)

8′ Tromba (ext) 12 pipes

4′ Tromba Clarion 61 pipes

Tremulant

SWELL

16′ Gedeckt 61 pipes

8′ Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Gedeckt (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Salicional 61 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste 61 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Salicet (ext) 12 pipes

4′ Spitzflute 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

2′ Flute 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes

2′ Mixture IV 244 pipes

16′ Bassoon 61 pipes

8′ French Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Oboe (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes

4′ Clarion (ext) 12 pipes

Tremulant

CHOIR

8′ Geigen Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Voce Humana 61 pipes

8′ Melodia 61 pipes

8′ Flauto Dolce 61 pipes

8′ Flute Celeste TC 49 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Open Flute 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Tuba (high pressure) 61 pipes

8′ Clarinet 61 pipes

Tremulant

Chimes

SOLO

8′ Solo Diapason IV (from Gt Prin, Gt Octave, Pd Prin, Pd C. Bass)

8′ Flauto Dolce (Choir)

8′ Flute Celeste (Choir)

8′ Doppelflute 61 pipes

8′ English Horn 61 pipes

Tremulant

8′ Tuba Magna (high pressure) 61 pipes

8′ Tuba (Choir)

8′ French Horn 61 pipes

PEDAL

32′ Bourdon 32 pipes

16′ Open Diapason (wood) 32 pipes

16′ Subbass (ext) 12 pipes

16′ Violone (Great)

16′ Gedeckt (Swell)

8′ Principal 32 pipes

8′ Subbass (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Violone (Great)

8′ Gedeckt (Swell)

4′ Choral Bass 32 pipes 

2′ Cantus Flute (Gt Harmonic Flute)

32′ Trombone 32 pipes

32′ Harmonics (derived)

16′ Trombone (ext) 12 pipes

16′ Tromba (Great)

16′ Bassoon (Swell)

8′ Trumpet 32 pipes

4′ Clarion (ext) 12 pipes

4′ Clarinet (Choir)

Pedal Divide

Full complement of couplers

Virtuoso control system

Opus 66, Little Flower Catholic Church, St. Louis, Missouri

GREAT

16′ Gemshorn (ext, Choir) 12 pipes

8′ Solo Diapason III (from Gt Prin, Gt Octave, Pd Prin)

8′ Principal 61 pipes

8′ Harmonic Flute (Choir)

8′ Gemshorn (Choir)

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Harmonic Flute (Choir)

2′ Fifteenth (ext) 12 pipes

2′ Mixture IV (cancels 15th) 244 pipes 

8′ Tuba 61 pipes (high pressure, separate enclosure)

8′ Trumpet (Swell)

8′ Clarinet (Choir)

Chimes (Deagan, 25 notes)

SWELL

16′ Gedeckt 61 pipes

8′ Geigen Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Gedeckt (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Salicional 61 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste 61 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Salicet (ext) 12 pipes

4′ Open Flute 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

2′ Octave (ext) 12 pipes

2′ Piccolo (ext) 12 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce TC 37 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Larigot (Nazard)

16′ Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Oboe 61 pipes

4′ Clarion (ext) 12 pipes

Tremulant

CHOIR

8′ Gemshorn 61 pipes

8′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes

8′ Dulciana 61 pipes

8′ Unda Maris TC 49 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Flute (ext) 12 pipes

2′ Octave (ext) 12 pipes

V Cornet (Swell)

8′ Oboe (Swell)

8′ Tuba (Great)

8′ Clarinet 61 pipes 

Tremulant

PEDAL

32′ Resultant (derived)

16′ Open Diapason (wood) 32 pipes

16′ Bourdon 32 pipes

16′ Gemshorn (Choir)

16′ Gedeckt (Swell)

8′ Principal 32 pipes

8′ Bass Flute (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Gemshorn (Choir)

4′ Octave (ext) 12 pipes

4′ Flute (Choir)

32′ Harmonics (derived)

16′ Trumpet (Swell)

8′ Trumpet (Swell)

4′ Clarinet (Choir)

Full complement of couplers

Buzard Pipe Organ Builders, Champaign, Illinois; Pilgrim Lutheran Church, Carmel, Indiana, Opus 45, 2017; Central United Methodist Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas, Opus 46, 2018–2019

Opus 45

“What have you done here!?,” asked Todd Wilson as he leapt off the organ bench to greet me the day before Opus 45’s dedication. Hoping this was a friendly question, I asked to what exactly he was referring. “This organ just about plays itself!” Yes, it was a very friendly question and a complimentary one—even better.

What Mr. Wilson was referring to speaks to the heart of our organs’ playing mechanisms. Opus 45 was the first of our new organs in which our proprietary “Pallet Unit Chests” were used alongside our electrically operated slider and pallet windchests. More about this later. 

Pilgrim Lutheran Church’s new long-hoped-for campus became a reality upon sale of their previous facility, the land being needed for a new entrance ramp to I-465. Early during their planning process, the organ committee selected Buzard Pipe Organ Builders for the instrument, and their architect, Jack Munson of Indianapolis, Indiana, asked us for dimensional and acoustical specifications. Imagine my delight and surprise when nearly ten years later Pilgrim Church’s cantor, Sarah Gran-Williams, called to tell me they were “ready for the organ!” And, imagine my further delight to discover Jack Munson had followed all of our recommendations, producing an intimate but lofty room, featuring four seconds of even reverberation, a nearly silent HVAC system and a perfect space for the organ case, choir, piano, and organ console!

The instrument at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Carmel, Indiana is the 45th new pipe organ built by Buzard Pipe Organ Builders of Champaign, Illinois. It comprises 31 independent speaking stops and 37 ranks of pipes, distributed across two manual keyboards and the pedal keyboard. The instrument is housed in a free-standing case made of poplar, red oak, and walnut measuring 24 feet wide, 12 feet deep, and 35 feet tall. It was designed in concert with the building’s Prairie style architecture; every shape, line, and element of the room’s design is present in the organ case. 

The Great and Pedal divisions are located in the top level of the case. The Swell division is placed in the center above the impost. The lower level contains the winding and mechanical systems and the Pedal 16′ Trombone. The blower and static reservoir are installed in a room located away from the sanctuary. The upper façade comprises polished tin pipes from the Great 8′ Open Diapason; the copper Festival Trumpets bisect the case in its center; the lower façade and two towers feature pipes from the Pedal 16′ Open Diapason beginning at low E (low C through D# are made of wood and lie horizontally behind the case) and the 8′ Pedal Principal.  

We housed the color stops of the Great division in an expression box to provide additional expressive quality and accompanimental flexibility to this two-manual organ. Throughout our history we have tried to be “Traditional Visionaries” in situations in which space or financial resources were limited, resulting in subdivided Swell and Great divisions. This technique, originally utilized to overcome limitations, is becoming more a hallmark of our tonal style, in which equal emphasis is placed upon musical rendering of solo literature, accompanying, and congregational singing.

Buzard organs are custom designed, scaled, and voiced for each individual congregation’s musical tradition and acoustical environment. This means they differ one from another in execution, but an unmistakable musical thread runs through every Buzard pipe organ. The stop names are consistent from organ to organ, but the scaling and voicing of each is entirely determined by the specific circumstances that impact the creation.  In this way, Buzard organs are works of functional art, designed and crafted to each and every client’s identity, while at the same time demonstrating a consistent personality of tone quality and artistic style.

This instrument honors its Lutheran patrimony by a slightly brighter outlook in the Principal choruses, inclusion of a German Romantic Clarinet and Oboe, and the slightly lighter 16′ Pedal registers. But it is a Buzard organ through and through in the enveloping warmth and majesty of Full Organ, its delicacy and sensitivity of tone in softer registrations, and its thrilling Swell reed battery. It has been called “a cathedral organ in a parish church.”

Back to Mr. Wilson’s observation of the playing actions. Buzard organs use electrically operated slider and pallet windchests to eliminate leather, providing an action that encourages sophisticated tonal results and stable tuning. Beginning with Opus 45, our organs’ unit stops (stops which play in multiple locations or at multiple pitches) and Pedal stops are played on actions identical to the slider chests—but without the slider stop actions. Our “Pallet Unit Chests” provide a key-channel expansion chamber for the wind for every pipe, just as the main slider chests, and they utilize identical magnets as the slider chests to open the unit chests’ pallets, giving the unit stops the exact same speech and repetition characteristics as the main slider chests. We are pioneers in the development of sensitive and responsive electric key actions. One can truly feel the difference; the musical result is palpable.

Our pipes are made of thick, high tin-content pipe metal (as well as wood and copper) rather than zinc. We support them in felt-lined traces and European racking systems that prevent the pipes from collapsing and further firms the tone produced. Additional support for the large façade pipes is provided by lining the interior of the feet with copper.  Although far more expensive than the metal zinc, we believe traditional tin-rich pipe-metal produces better tone and is more in keeping with the permanent nature of a pipe organ investment.

We regulate our wind supply using single-rise reservoirs, schwimmer regulators, and concussion bellows to deliver a copious and steady wind supply, with a fine degree of flexibility. Our Tremulant actions send an adjustable timed-pulse to electric solenoids under the schwimmers, which both push and pull on the schwimmer plate to provide a perfect sine wave much like the human voice singing with “vibrato.” These actions are absolutely silent in their operation and extremely effective in both flue and reed stops.

Expression shutters are made of 2-inch-thick poplar, laminated to prevent warpage during seasonal changes, with heavily felted sound traps. Our expression boxes’ walls and ceilings are made of 1-inch MDF (the equivalent of 2 inches of solid hardwood) with 1½-inch-thick poplar stiles and rails, to produce an extremely effective swell expression. The shutters are moved by adjustable electric servo-motors.

Buzard organ consoles are intuitive in their layout and solidly built to last for generations. Their proprietary ergonomics of manual-to-pedal alignment allow for many playing hours without fatigue. The logical layout of drawknobs and couplers, toe-studs and expression pedals, encourages both technical accuracy and musical playing. Keyboards are plated in thick bone and ebony; the cabinets are made of 1½-inch-thick hardwoods.

We build all of our organs in sound reflective and protective cases, even when the organs are installed in chambers, as you will see we did in the second organ featured in this article for our Opus 46 organ at Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. We do this to provide excellent projection of sound into the room especially when chambers are located off the axis of the room (as in Opus 46) and to protect the organ from severe temperature fluctuations and potential building failure such as leaking roofs.

Cantor Sarah Gran-Williams said it best: “Buzard Organs sing, and they help us sing!” And, as Todd Wilson said: “This organ just about plays itself!”

Opus 46

In our Opus 46 organ at Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas, we were given the wonderful opportunity to explore the nature of what a third manual keyboard could be, in light of our practice of enclosing a substantial portion of the Great. More than half of the Great is enclosed in an independent expression box with its own slider windchest. This allows the Enclosed Great to couple to any location we want and at any pitch. The Enclosed Great includes a flute chorus, a string, and four colorful reeds, so it can function like the unison basis of a Choir division. Additionally, by modifying and adding to the inhabitants of the Swell division’s Principal chorus, the Swell can serve as a Positiv division in the context of the classic secondary foil to the Great Diapason Chorus—as well as the enclosed powerhouse of the organ.  

Therefore, with an enclosed portion of the Great, and suitable treatment of the Swell, we were free to consider a different way to approach the third manual division. This Solo division is loaded with tone colors at both higher and lower volume levels than the Great or Swell, so it can be a material contributor on the pianissimo and fortissimo ends of a seamless crescendo/diminuendo. When approached with this idea, organist Scott Montgomery embraced this vision—our next logical step in the evolution of the “Buzard Sound” and contemporary American organbuilding. Because the Enclosed Great and the Swell can move everywhere independently, Scott began to dream and consider the manifold uses to which such a tonal scheme could be used. Accompanying receives the first consideration of importance, because the rich choral program under Dr. Frode Gundersen’s direction regularly performs literature from literally every tradition. The organ can accompany the entire body of choral literature, and it can support hymnody and musically render just about any piece ever written for the organ. This is our goal. You can accompany Stanford and then play Vierne successfully; you can play Sweelinck for the opening voluntary and Sumsion for the closing voluntary, each with the effects the composer intended. And, because the instrument speaks clearly to the listeners in the nave—even though installed in off-axis chambers—the entire organ has an uncanny single voice, no matter how soft or loud it is registered.

In addition to exercising our evolving tonal style, Tonal Director Brian Davis and Production Director and Chief Engineer Charles Eames overcame what had seemed an impossible off-axis installation situation. Special scaling and voicing techniques, the addition of reflective panels above the pipes in the chambers, siting the divisions strategically for their best projection, constructing the organ in solid cases within the building’s chambers, utilizing slightly higher wind pressures and other techniques—and the tremendous improvement in the church’s acoustics provided by a comprehensive sanctuary renovation project—gave the organ the best chance of success.  

When Scott Montgomery heard the organ’s first sounds as the organ came to life, all his fears concerning the off-axis installation were dispelled. He knew this would be a very special and important organ in the American lexicon. We rise to challenges and consider them opportunities to learn and improve. We’d love for you to visit this organ! Just call ahead!

—John-Paul Buzard, Founder, President, and Artistic Director, Buzard Pipe Organ Builders

Builder’s website: buzardorgans.com/

Pilgrim Lutheran Church: pilgrimindy.org/

Central United Methodist Church: centraltolife.com/

Photo credit: John-Paul Buzard

 

Opus 45, Pilgrim Lutheran Church, Carmel, Indiana

31 independent speaking stops, 37 ranks

GREAT – 3½″ wind

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (wood)

8′ Open Diapason (façade)

8′ Flûte à Bibéron 

8′ Gedeckt Flute (ext 16′ Gedeckt)

8′ Viola da Gamba

4′ Principal

4′ Spire Flute 

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth

2′ Fifteenth

1-1⁄3′ Fourniture IV

16′ English Horn

8′ Minor Trumpet (ext Sw 16′ Bassoon)

8′ Clarinet

Tremulant

Cymbalstern (14 bells)

8′ Festival Trumpets (copper, chamade)

SWELL (expressive) – 3¾″ wind

8′ Open Diapason

8′ Stopped Diapason (wood)

8′ Salicional

8′ Voix Celeste (TC)

4′ Principal

4′ Harmonic Flute (round mouths)

2-2⁄3′ Nazard 

2′ Octavin (harmonic)

1-3⁄5′ Tierce

2-2⁄3′ Grave Mixture II

1′ Plein Jeu III

16′ Bassoon

8′ Trompette

8′ Oboe

4′ Clarion (ext 16′ Bassoon)

Tremulant

8′ Festival Trumpets (Gt)

PEDAL - various pressures

16′ Open Diapason (wood and façade)

16′ Bourdon (wood)

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Gt)

8′ Principal (façade)

8′ Bass Flute (ext 16′ Bourdon)

8′ Gedeckt Flute (Gt)

4′ Choral Bass (ext 8′ Principal)

4′ Open Flute (ext 16′ Bourdon)

16′ Trombone (wood)

16′ Bassoon (Sw)

8′ Trumpet 

4′ Clarion (ext Sw 16′)

8′ Festival Trumpets (Gt)

 

Opus 46, Central United Methodist Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas

43 independent speaking stops, 49 ranks 

GREAT – 5″ wind

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt

8′ Open Diapason (façade)

8′ Flûte à Bibéron

8′ Gedeckt Flute (ext 16′)

8′ Viola da Gamba

4′ Principal

4′ Spire Flute

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth

2′ Fifteenth

1-1⁄3′ Mixture IV

16′ English Horn

8′ Trumpet

8′ Clarinet

8′ Vox Humana

Tremulant

Tremulant

Cymbalstern (Walker)

Chimes (Walker)

8′ Tromba (Ped 16′ Trombone)

4′ Tromba Clarion (ext 8′ Tromba)

8′ Major Tuba (Solo)

SWELL (expressive) – 6″ wind

8′ English Open Diapason

8′ Stopped Diapason

8′ Salicional

8′ Voix Celeste (CC)

4′ Principal

4′ Harmonic Flute

2-2⁄3′ Nazard

2′ Doublette

2′ Octavin (harmonic)

1-3⁄5′ Tierce

2-2⁄3′ Grave Mixture II

  1′ Plein Jeu III

16′ Bassoon

8′ Trompette

8′ Oboe

4′ Clarion

Tremulant

8′ Tromba

8′ Major Tuba (Solo)

SOLO (expressive) – 7″ wind

8′ Grand Open Diapason (double mouths)

8′ Harmonic Flute

8′ Viola da Gamba (E. M. Skinner style)

8′ Gamba Celeste (CC) (E. M. Skinner style)

8′ Flûte Cœlestis (double mouth, wood)

4′ Principal Forte

4′ Flûte

Tremulant

8′ Major Tuba (15″ wind pressure)

8′ Harp (Walker)

4′ Celesta (Walker)

8′ Chimes (Walker)

PEDAL – 5″ wind 

32′ Double Open Diapason (Walker)

32′ Subbass (Walker)

32′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Walker)

16′ Open Diapason (Walker)

16′ Bourdon

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Gt)

8′ Principal (façade)

8′ Bourdon (ext 16′)

8′ Gedeckt Flute (Gt)

8′ Spire Flute

4′ Choral Bass (ext 8′ Principal)

4′ Open Flute (ext 8′ Bourdon)

32′ Contra Trombone (Walker)

16′ Trombone (7″ wind)

16′ Bassoon (Sw)

8′ Tromba (ext 16′ Trombone)

8′ Trumpet

4′ Clarion (ext 16′ Trombone)

8′ Major Tuba (Solo)

8′ Chimes (Walker)

Photo: Opus 46, Central United Methodist Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Schoenstein & Co., Benicia, California; The Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Two perspectives

Sterling Anglican music program, perfect acoustics, an engaged parish—heaven-on-earth for an organbuilder, but only if the right people are on board to help. Many of our projects have been aided by excellent professional consultants, but this one might not have happened at all without the steady hand of Sean O’Donnell. He was mentor, organizer, and problem solver. In addition to all the usual issues such as navigating the changing of the fabric of a beloved architectural gem to accommodate the organ, his diplomatic skill was an immense help to the rector in convincing the parish of the need for change even though the existing instrument was relatively new. We were very pleased when the parish extended Sean’s engagement to supervise all of the architectural, electrical, and mechanical preparations for our installation. A highly experienced and skilled organ technician, he knew exactly what we needed. He also followed the time-honored practice of the best organ consultants—leaving the musical decisions entirely to musician and builder.

—JMB

The consultant’s role

Next to the church building itself, a pipe organ is usually the most valuable and longest-lived asset a church will have. Acquiring or restoring one is a daunting task that has not likely been undertaken in recent memory, or even within living memory. There are a great many goals to discern, details to attend, and challenges to meet—to help with this process, the community will often hire a consultant. The consultant’s role is not to do this work for the community, but to provide the education, information, and tools the community needs to create an instrument that will serve their needs far into the future. The overall process is iterative: defining project goals will be followed by exploring instruments that meet those goals, but that exploration will inform, refine, and even change those goals.

As the project comes into tighter focus, the consultant recruits qualified firms to submit proposals, ensuring that the firms understand the unique needs and goals of the church. As the proposals are evaluated, the consultant guides the committee by providing resources to clarify concepts that may be unfamiliar, and by making sure that all aspects of the project have been clearly addressed. There are many musical options available, and many talented organbuilders. With the right information and a little guidance, a community can easily acquire a fine pipe organ well suited to their current and future needs, and even enjoy the process.

It was a great joy to work with Church of the Redeemer. They embraced the challenges and myriad details with enthusiasm and dedication as they worked through whether to restore or rebuild their existing instrument, acquire a vintage instrument, or, as they ultimately decided, commission a new instrument.

There was much to learn, and the first part of the process was a series of listening exercises, starting in their own church so that folks who sit in the same seats every Sunday (like so many of us) could listen from the organist’s perspective, from the choir’s perspective, and from various places in the nave. We even had a set of test pipes that we were able to install in two different instruments to hear how much the room affected their sound. From there we branched out, listening to organs in a variety of styles by current and historic builders. After each listening session, the organist and the committee spent a few minutes listing words or short phrases describing the instrument: words like clarity, mystery, clean, flexible, warm, etc. As they developed a vocabulary, we began to discuss which of those attributes they wanted in their pipe organ, and focused on those options. Through all of this the organs were demonstrated by the same organist, using the same set of pieces drawn from Redeemer’s repertoire.

Choosing from among the organbuilders who so eagerly shared their knowledge and creativity was the next challenge, and the committee ultimately commissioned the instrument from Schoenstein & Co. From start to finish it was important to ensure that potential builders understood both the possibilities and the limitations of the project, and that the organ committee had mastered the architectural and structural issues, scheduling and budgets, subcontracts and side jobs, and the many, many other details comprising a project of this magnitude.

With the solid support of the rector, Fr. Michael Dangelo, organist Michael Murray, and the church staff, and with the hard work and dedication of the organ committee chaired by the indefatigable Leslie Horst, The Church of the Redeemer has acquired a beautiful new pipe organ, supremely well suited to their style of worship. More importantly, it was a project they entered into with confidence and excitement and completed with pride, looking forward to generations of worship enhancing music.

­—Sean O’Donnell, Consultant

A great voicer is very much in the same musical plane as a first chair member of the woodwind section in one of the Big Five symphony orchestras. A great conductor in a great concert hall is nothing without great players. Just like artistic musicianship, voicing requires skill, practice, experience, and, most of all, good musical taste. Timothy Fink, an all-round skilled organbuilder, heads our pipe shop and shares voicing duties with Mark Hotsenpiller, our head voicer.

—JMB

A voicer’s vision

The Church of the Redeemer possesses a fabulous room for church music. The nave’s acoustic properties enhance sound in a way that leaves the listener overwhelmed, overjoyed, and ultimately sonically satisfied. What a treat for an organbuilder’s commission.

The room into which any organ sounds is its resonator. A guitar has a body, a piano has a soundboard, but the organ needs a room. The qualities that make this one so lovely are: cubic volume, proportions, materials of construction, and shape of reflecting surfaces. The room is of modest size allowing an organ of modest size to fill it with sound. The proportions are classic (the architecture is based on English Gothic), meaning they are not exaggerated in one dimension. Heavy masonry construction assures that the entire frequency spectrum is reflected and the variability of the reflecting surfaces breaks up these reflections, delighting our ears.

The result of these properties is a room with an ideal reverberation period—not a long reverberation period. The musical magic happens in the milliseconds immediately after the sound is produced. The length of time the high energy lingers is Early Decay Time. This is the portion of the reflected sound to which our musical minds respond. The nave at Church of the Redeemer reflects sound at nearly the full frequency spectrum for a generous portion of the total reverberation time.

The projection of sound into the room is important, too. The organ chamber is a modestly proportioned room in an elevated position at the nave’s crossing. The short side of its rectangular shape is open to the chancel with the long side open to the nave. It too is constructed of substantial masonry materials assuring all sound frequencies are reflected out of the chamber. Here we located the Great, Swell, and some of the Pedal organs. Below the chamber and in a space between the chancel and a side chapel, we located the Choir organ. The console resides on the opposite side of this arrangement giving the organist some hearing distance from the organ. Between these two the choir’s singers are arranged in the traditional academic style. Finally, 32′ and 16′ octaves of the Pedal Open Wood are located at the back wall of the nave and the south transept. This was done out of necessity since there was no room in the chamber for these large pipes. Much care was taken to harmonize these beauties with their surroundings. Sonically, they provide a thrilling musical “push” to the organ’s ensemble.

Tonally, the organ was commissioned to function in the Anglican tradition. Mr. Murray’s love of English Victorian and Edwardian tone provided focus to this scheme. It is in our tradition to provide new organs with plenty of foundation, but the multiple diapasons in the scheme might appear to be excessive. The idea here was to use a variety of Diapason tone for musical subtlety, not power. The acoustical environment highlights the subtle difference in timbres.

To make sense of this list of Diapasons consider the following: the Great Open Diapason No. 1 is the tonal center of the organ. It possesses the largest scale and mouth width and easily supports the chorus set above. Numbers 2 and 3 progress smaller in scale and mouth width providing subtlety of musical variation. This gives the musician exacting control over the tonal center of the organ. Choruses can be thinned or fattened, stop combinations adjusted for power, or the Diapasons can simply be appreciated for their sublime solo qualities. The No. 3 is also available at 16′ and 4′, further extending the possible combinations. Sitting above these stops is a proper Principal 4′ and Mixture 2′. These reduce in scale as the pitch rises assuring that these higher pitches are suggestions of the fundamental.

The Swell Horn Diapason “No. 4” is similar in scale to the Great No. 2, but with narrow tuning slots and higher wind pressure. These attributes give it a distinct quality that bends musically to the closing of the Swell shades. It supports a Gemshorn 4′, a tapered principal. Its hybrid tone quality allows chameleon-like abilities when combined with other Swell stops. Finishing the chorus is a Mixture 2′, small in scale and carefully pitched such that it will be properly subdued with the shades closed.

The Choir Dulciana 8′ “No. 5” is the smallest of the Diapasons but with a wider mouth. Its subdued yet singing quality coupled with its expressive location next to the singers begs them to sing along. Add the 4′ Dulcet and a mini chorus is formed.

The Pedal Open Wood 32′ serves as two stops. The 8′ portion is named Grand Open Diapason 8′ “No. 6” and is comparable in scale to the Great No. 1 but on higher wind pressure. Its noble solo demeanor demands independent appearance on the Great and Choir manuals. The 32′ and 16′ portions form the Pedal Open Wood producing a stunningly solid foundation for the entire organ.

With space diminishing, the organ’s flute stops are at a minimum but still well represented. Two harmonic flutes are provided. The Great Harmonic Flute 8′ soars down the nave to listener’s delight. The Swell Flageolet 2′ has harmonic trebles imparting its sound with both blending and power qualities expected of English full Swell effects. Three stopped flutes are available: one on the Great at 8′, one on the Swell at 16′ and 8′, and one on the Choir at 8′, 4′, and 22⁄3′. They find their distinction by varying the scale and construction. The Great Bourdon 8′ is the largest scale but made of metal. The next smaller scale is in the Swell and is made of wood with pierced stoppers. The Choir Leiblich Gedeckt is smallest in scale and made of metal with narrow chimneys.

Of course, space was left for the very necessary strings and celestes. The bite and warmth of the Swell Gamba 8′ combines seamlessly its neighbor stops. Add the complementary full compass Celeste 8′ (maybe a coupler or two), and heaven is in sight. Just for contrast, the expressive Choir Unda-Maris 8′ gives an added sonic dimension to the organ’s palate. While bringing the organ to a decrescendo another color can be receded to delighting the listener with unexpected beauty.

Six ranks of reeds were somehow incorporated into this organ. Three types of trumpets, a tuba, and two color reeds provide an extensive color palate. The Great Trumpet 8′ leans toward a French quality, assuring it will stand up with all those Diapasons. The Swell Posaune and Cornopean represent a time-tested Schoenstein combination. This uses a bright, larger Cornopean at 8′ with the smaller, darker Posaune at 16′ and 8′. (The 16′ octave and a 32′ extension, all under expression, are available in the Pedal.) The musical possibilities with this arrangement are endless. The final bit to sweeten the organist’s orchestrations, both stops can be drawn together on the Choir manual as the Tuben 8′. Countering this effect is a proper Tuba 8′—unenclosed. Its 16′ extension in the Pedal employs wood resonators of powerful full and dark character.

The Oboe and Corno di Bassetto are the color reeds. The Swell Oboe Horn 8′ combines with the flue stops yet retains the piquant treble quality necessary for solo passages. The Corno di Bassetto 8′ features well in its ability to render chordal effects along with piano solo melodies.

Rounding out the tonal palate is the Schoenstein action system. Each pipe is controlled by its own valve. This allows the transmission of entire ranks to another division without the use of couplers. Each division is designed to stand for its purpose. However, by carefully selecting stops to be playable on another division or extending beyond their assigned range opens a huge door to new tonal possibilities. It unlocks the musical value already built into the organ.

­—Timothy Fink, Schoenstein & Co.

—Jack M. Bethards, Schoenstein & Co.

Photo credit: Louis Patterson

 

GREAT (Manual II)

16′ Double Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Grand Diapason (Ch)

8′ Open Diapason No. 1 61 pipes

8′ Open Diapason No. 2 61 pipes

8′ Open Diapason No. 3 12 pipes (ext 16′)

8′ Harmonic Flute 49 pipes (Sw Horn Diapason bass)

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Octave (ext 16′) 12 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

2′ Mixture (III–IV) 187 pipes

8′ Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Corno di Bassetto (Ch)

Cymbelstern

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed)

16′ Lieblich Bourdon (ext 8′) 12 pipes (unenclosed)

8′ Horn Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Stopped Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Echo Gamba 61 pipes

8′ Vox Celeste 61 pipes

4′ Gemshorn 61 pipes

2′ Flageolet 61 pipes

2′ Mixture (III–IV) 192 pipes

16′ Contra Posaune 61 pipes

8′ Cornopean 61 pipes

8′ Posaune (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Oboe Horn 61 pipes

Tremulant

Swell Sub Octave

Swell Unison Off

Swell Super Octave

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed)

8′ Dulciana 61 pipes

8′ Unda-Maris (TC) 49 pipes

8′ Lieblich Gedeckt 61 pipes

4′ Dulcet (ext 8′) 12 pipes

4′ Lieblich Flute (ext 8′) 12 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard (fr Lieb Ged)

8′ Corno di Bassetto 61 pipes

Tremulant

8′ Grand Diapason 29 pipes (unenclosed, ext Ped 16′ Open)

8′ Tuba (unenclosed) 61 pipes

8′ Tuben II (Swell)†

8′ Trumpet (Great)

Choir Sub Octave

Choir Unison Off

Choir Super Octave

† Draws Sw Cornopean and Posaune

PEDAL

32′ Double Open Wood† 12 pipes

16′ Open Wood 32 pipes

16′ Open Diapason (Gt)

16′ Lieblich Bourdon (Sw)

8′ Open Bass (ext 16′ Open) 12 pipes

8′ Dulciana (Ch)

8′ Stopped Diapason (Sw)

4′ Harmonic Flute (Gt)

32′ Contra Posaune 12 pipes (ext Sw 16′)

16′ Ophicleide 12 pipes (ext Ch 8′ Tuba)

16′ Posaune (Sw)

8′ Tuba (Ch)

Gt & Ped Combinations Coupled

†Stopped quint pipes 1–5, open pipes 6–12. Resultant 1–5

Intermanual couplers

Swell to Great

Swell to Choir

Choir to Great

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Choir to Pedal

Notes

Intramanual couplers read through Intermanual couplers; for example thus: when the Swell Super Octave coupler is drawn, Swell stops will sound at Unison and Super Octave pitch on the Great if Swell to Great is drawn.

Manual Sub Octaves do not couple to the Pedal.

Mechanicals

Solid state capture combination action:

100 memories

52 pistons and toe studs

5 reversibles

Programmable piston range

Record/playback system

TONAL ANALYSIS

PITCH SUMMARY

16′ and below 3 12%

  8′ 16 64%

  4′ and above 6 24%

25 100%

TONAL FAMILIES

Diapasons 12 48%

Open flutes 2 8%

Stopped flutes 3 12%

Strings 2 8%

Chorus reeds 4 16%

Color reeds 2 8%

25 100%

Three manuals, 25 voices, 31 ranks

Electric-pneumatic action

Builder’s website: https://schoenstein.com

Church website: www.redeemerchestnuthill.org

Schoenstein & Co., Benicia, California

Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Schoenstein & Co., Benicia, California

Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Selling the idea

A new pipe organ is, aside from the church building itself, often the most significant investment a congregation can make. When I knew I had the opportunity to see the commissioning of a new instrument for Saint John’s Episcopal Church, it was important for me that this project be a transformational experience for the parishioners. I wanted them to have an understanding of how a pipe organ works and become experienced enough listeners so that they would “know the difference” in the sound. I also believed a pipe organ project, when done right, could unite a parish community in a powerful way.

In the summer of 2015, I offered several organ demonstrations in which parishioners came to the console and had a glance into the organ chamber. They saw me “pull out all the stops,” open the swell shades, and I demonstrated different types of sound colors. In the ensuing months I would share with them some of the serious mechanical problems that made playing the 1966 M. P. Möller organ a constant challenge.

When the project took off, some lead donors and I first talked of rebuilding the existing organ. After fundraising was proving very successful, we believed a new instrument was the best use of funds. The Vestry ultimately approved a proposal from Schoenstein & Co. for a new instrument specifically designed to render music for a traditional Anglican service. Parish-wide enthusiasm culminated with a large crowd of more than 150 people on the day the new organ was delivered in July 2018. I will never forget people of all ages coming to help carry pipes and parts into the church. It was a very hot day, so the Schoenstein crew was relieved that with all the help, the truck was completely unloaded in just a few hours!

The new Schoenstein organ played for worship the first time on September 9, 2018, with a large congregation in attendance. It is no understatement to say that this instrument has completely changed the choral and congregational singing of the parish. Parishioners can clearly tell the difference, with descriptions of “pleasing sound,” “warmth,” and “clear bass.” As for me, I am falling in love with many anthems all over again. The possibilities for choral repertoire seem limitless, as my colleague Adam Pajan demonstrates every time he plays an accompaniment.

Beautiful, rich 8′ tone is essential for playing an Anglican service, and this new organ delivers. There are twelve separate 8′ foundation stops in the manuals. While each one has a distinct quality, they blend to form a sound that invites everyone to sing. Gone are the days when the 4′ Fugara, played down an octave, was the best “diapason!”

The new organ has much more solid bass that is powerful but never “tubby.” The 16′ Open Wood does much to support the congregation’s singing, and the soft 16′s, the Swell Bourdon and Choir Dulciana, still have clear fundamental tone. The upper work (2′ stops and mixtures) is restrained and adds brilliance to full ensembles.

There is so much variety in every tonal family, but I believe the biggest success is in the reed voicing. In the Swell, the 16′ Contra Fagotto has an 8′ extension that is a darker contrast to the brighter 8′ Cornopean. The Flügel Horn, sort of like a muted trumpet, makes a compelling addition to the 8′ foundations. This stop has been put to good use in “Hills of the North,” an anthem for women’s voices by Herbert Howells. Howells specifically calls for “darker” sounds in some places.

It is easy to forget that this new Schoenstein organ has merely thirty-eight ranks. The inner swell box, when closed, gives a restrained and darker sound to the Mixture, Cornopean, and Contra Fagotto. It also means that a huge crescendo can be achieved by simply opening both sets of swell shades. A comparable effect on other instruments would usually require adding a sequence of many other stops.

In the end, it is no surprise to me that parishioners love both the sound and façade of the new organ. A most welcome surprise was the way in which this project rallied us all together. May this new organ offer praise to God and lift the hearts of worshippers for many generations to come.

—Joseph Arndt, Music Director

Saint John’s Episcopal Church

The organ’s inner beauty

When most people think about an organ, the first thing that comes to mind is the console or the organ case with display pipes. This would certainly be true of our latest organ at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. With a handsome console and vibrantly stenciled display pipes, these visual portions certainly stand out. The casework and its display pipes offer an opportunity to utilize elements inspired by the room’s architecture to create a memorable and cohesive design. If done well, this often results in the phrase, “it looks like it’s always been there,” a compliment the builder always appreciates.

Many also believe the visible display pipes encompass the entire sound-producing portion of the organ. There is no compelling reason for them to think that forty display pipes would not suffice to produce all the beautiful tones they hear each Sunday at worship. And since organ chambers are usually off limits (for good reason), any secrets held within are kept safely guarded. After all, the display pipes are meant to conceal what is behind.

But what happens inside the organ? Although not thought of as beautiful in the traditional sense, the interior of the pipe organ is attractive in many ways. The supporting framework or chassis, the expression shades, wind lines, regulators and electrical cables all create a different kind of beauty—that of organized engineering. The care that goes into this process, starting with the design on the drawing board and following through to the end of the installation, is attended to by skilled craftsmen and artists whose work may never be seen or appreciated except by the very few.

The chassis—made up of wooden legs, bearers, and other supporting structure—are all made from the highest quality materials and finished as if they were to be viewed by the public. Tubing that conveys the wind to the display pipes is arranged not only along the most efficient path but is bundled neatly and secured, imitating exhaust tubes of a classic Duesenberg SJ. The cabling that transmits the desires of the organist to the appropriate pipes can be found meandering its way throughout the instrument in the neatest manner.

Why are all these things done with such care and pride, when no one except the organ technician will see them? The main reason is an organ that exhibits careful design and thoughtfulness for the placement of each component demonstrates the commitment and pride of the builder and wins the respect of organ technicians. An organ whose workings are accessible for easy service will be maintained well over the years because it is a joy to work on. The occasional issue that arises will be easy to resolve due to the wisely considered layout of the systems. Accessible components allow everything to be maintained at the highest level.

How does the congregation come to appreciate this unseen portion of the organ? One way is to start with the unloading of the organ on delivery day. The response will vary by church, but at Saint John’s the one-hundred-fifty-some members who assisted in that task certainly have a good idea of what makes up the total pipe organ. Helping to carry in the thousands of organ pipes and parts, they gained a hands-on knowledge. Throughout the installation, members would stop by to observe the progress and ask questions. Any naysayers to the acquisition of a new organ are often converted to strong supporters during this interval.

Another way to involve the church members is through education sessions during the installation. Music Director Joseph Arndt offered these directly after worship during the installation period to demonstrate certain aspects of the organ before the case and display pipes were put in place. Easily observed at this point is the working of the inner and outer expression shades of the Swell. A visual demonstration of an aural effect is a tremendous teaching device. Interested members also posted short videos to Facebook and other social media. The reaction to such postings continues to generate interest.

The local news media is another venue that should not be overlooked. Two crews from local news channels visited the church during the installation, first for unloading day and then later in the process when the first pipes started to play. A local viewer saw the installation on the news broadcast and came by the church for a personal visit. It turns out she was a friend of a Schoenstein family member she had been out of touch with for many years. Because we still have close ties with the Schoenstein family, we were able assist her in reuniting with her friend.

While the external portions of the pipe organ are often a work of art, there is just as much, if not more, to see behind the façade. The expert skills of the artisans who built the instrument are on full display and remain a testament to those who bring their talent to the task. As with other endeavors built for the ages, future generations will appreciate the “inner beauty” of their pipe organ.

—Louis Patterson,

Vice President and Plant Superintendent

Schoenstein & Co.

Collaboration

I had the privilege of meeting Joseph Arndt and becoming involved in the music ministry at Saint John’s Episcopal Church once the contract for the new instrument had already been signed. While some details of the specification were still open for discussion, the overall concept for the organ was clear: it needed to be a servant to the liturgy and the music that adorns it.

In the following months, Joseph and I spent many hours in discussion about which components really needed to be in place and which ones, while beneficial and meritorious in their own right, might acquiesce to those that could potentially better fulfill the vision. Our conversation continued to evolve following a visit to a recent Schoenstein organ, which helped inform what would become the final specification.

The Choir division saw the most dramatic transformation toward a division with diverse 8′ color, intended primarily for accompanying and solo effects. Mutations moved to the Great, where they now play a role as members of the principal chorus. Double expression in the Swell division allows it to function like an additional manual. The amount of color and power that can be controlled to a dynamic level appropriate for choral accompaniment makes the Schoenstein an overwhelming success. Each voice is individually beautiful, making the collective all the more so. It is an honor to support Joseph as Artist in Residence and to have acted as a kind of advisor and friend in the planning process. Making music at Saint John’s is more fulfilling than ever, and the future is bright indeed.

—­Adam Pajan, Artist in Residence

Saint John’s Episcopal Church

 

GREAT (Manual II)

16′ Double Diapason 61 pipes

8′ First Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Second Diapason (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Silver Flute 61 pipes

22⁄3′ Twelfth (TC) 42 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

13⁄5′ Seventeenth (TC) 42 pipes

11⁄3′ Mixture III–IV 187 pipes

8′ Trumpet 61 pipes

SWELL (Manual III, expressive)

16′ Lieblich Bourdon (ext 8′) 12 pipes

8′ Horn Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Stopped Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Gamba † 61 pipes

8′ Gamba Celeste † 61 pipes

4′ Gemshorn 61 pipes

4′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes

2′ Flageolet 61 pipes

2′ Mixture III–V † 236 pipes

16′ Contra Fagotto † 61 pipes

8′ Cornopean † 61 pipes

8′ Fagotto (ext 16′) † 12 pipes

8′ Oboe Horn 61 pipes

Tremulant

† Stops under double expression

CHOIR (Manual I, expressive)

16′ Double Dulciana (ext 8′) 12 pipes

8′ Dulciana 61 pipes

8′ Unda-Maris (TC) 49 pipes

8′ Concert Flute 61 pipes

8′ Lieblich Gedeckt 49 pipes (Concert Flute Bass)

4′ Concert Flute (ext 8′) 12 pipes

4′ Lieblich Gedeckt (ext 8′) 12 pipes

22⁄3′ Nazard (fr Lieb Ged)

16′ Ophicleide (ext 8′) 12 pipes

8′ Tuba 61 pipes

8′ Flügel Horn 61 pipes

8′ Corno di Bassetto 61 pipes

Tremulant

PEDAL

32′ Resultant

16′ Open Wood 32 pipes

16′ Double Diapason (Gt)

16′ Double Dulciana (Ch)

16′ Lieblich Bourdon (Sw)

8′ Principal 32 pipes

8′ Horn Diapason (Sw)

8′ Dulciana (Ch)

8′ Flute (Gt Harmonic)

8′ Stopped Diapason (Sw)

4′ Fifteenth (ext 8′) 12 pipes

4′ Flute (Gt Harmonic)

2′ Twentysecond (ext 8′) 12 pipes

16′ Ophicleide (Ch)

16′ Contra Fagotto (Sw)

8′ Tuba (Ch)

8′ Fagotto (Sw)

4′ Corno di Bassetto (Ch)

Normal couplers and accessories

Three manuals, 31 voices, 38 ranks

Electric-pneumatic action

Great 771 pipes

Swell 870 pipes

Choir 451 pipes

Pedal 88 pipes

Total 2,180 pipes

TONAL ANALYSIS

PITCH SUMMARY

16′ and below 5 16%

  8′ 16 52%

  4′ 4 13%

Above 4′ 6 19%

31 100%

TONAL FAMILIES

Diapasons 14 45%

Open Flutes 5 16%

Stopped Flutes 3 10%

Strings 2 6%

Chorus Reeds 4 13%

Color Reeds 3 10%

31 100%

Photo credit: Louis Patterson

Builder’s website: www.schoenstein.com

Church website: www.sjtulsa.org

Emery Brothers, Allentown, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Adam F. Dieffenbach

Our installation of this organ was scheduled to commence on March 16, 2020. As stay-at-home orders and other government measures came into effect, these plans changed. However, this was hardly the first detour for the mighty Möller on its path to Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral.

Opus 6425 was installed in Schwab Auditorium at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania, in 1936. Designed by Möller’s illustrious, imported tonal director Richard Whitelegg, the organ’s thirty-three ranks are replete with warm, bold diapasons, evocative flutes, colorful and varied strings, and four iconic reeds, all at eight-foot pitch: Trumpet, Oboe, Clarinet, and Vox Humana. The organ was fully enclosed, including all three open 16′ flue ranks—Wood Diapason, Metal Diapason, and Gemshorn. It also included, and retains today, a set of Deagan Class-A chimes and a forty-nine-note harp. When the stylistic demands of the organ world changed, this broad-shouldered organ fell into disuse, the console cable was eventually severed, and benign neglect allowed it to survive the ravages of mid-century revisions and replacements. It was in this pristine—although inoperable—condition that we first came to know Möller Opus 6425.

Our relationship with the instrument began in 2013 when we were invited to collect its constituent parts, already dismantled by another firm, with a view to restoring the organ and installing it in a church in Philadelphia. In fact, my first day as an employee at Emery Brothers was spent unloading the last truckload of parts from State College. It took some time for restoration and relocation plans to come into focus, but we eventually entered into a contract for just that: restoring the organ to like-new condition, with no tonal changes, but with an updated solid-state control system, and a redesigned layout to fit the new space.

However, plans to install the organ in this first location were discontinued, and with roughly three-quarters of the restoration work done, Möller Opus 6425 went back into storage, its future uncertain. Then, over the next few years we continued to keep our eyes open for a new home for the organ while we continued to work through our existing backlog of projects.

At the same time, we were caring for an ailing, heavily modified and digitally hybridized 1903 Austin organ at Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral. Wind leaks from the Universal windchests, now over 110 years old, were so loud that the blower had to be turned off during the service to allow the spoken word to be heard in the church. When discussions around a long-term plan for the organ began, we immediately thought of Möller Opus 6425. All the windchests and reservoirs had been releathered, the reed pipes restored by Sam Hughes, and all the flue pipes cleaned and ready for voicing.

Some additions would be needed, including a new console and an organ in the rear gallery to support congregational and choral singing from that location. The decision was made early on to call this part of the instrument the “Nave Organ” because it has an important role as a standalone organ to support singers in the nave of the church. The decision was also made to add a few select ranks to Opus 6425 to fill out its specifications towards use in the cathedral. These were:

• 16′/8′ Tromba/Trombone (Great/Pedal)

• 32′ Harmonics (12 notes extending Trombone, 36 pipes, Pedal)

• 32′ Bourdon (12 pipes, extending existing 16′ Bourdon, Pedal)

• 16′ Double Trumpet (Swell)

• 8′ Tuba (Choir)

Around this time, we also learned of Möller Opus 6512, a two-manual Whitelegg Möller organ in a church building that was up for sale. This donor instrument provided the Tromba/Trombone pipes we added to Opus 6425 in the Great/Pedal chamber, and also allowed us to populate the Nave Organ with voices sympathetic to Opus 6425. Most of the other ranks added to Opus 6425 to create the Nave Organ came from the existing cathedral Austin. For instance, cathedral organist Wesley Parrott cleverly pointed out that the Austin Swell 4′ Traverse Flute, sub-coupled and matched to the Austin Choir 8′ Melodia, created a beautiful flute celeste effect, which we placed in the Nave Great.

In addition to its role in supporting congregational and choral singing from the rear gallery, the Nave Organ houses many of the organ’s solo voices, such as the Flugelhorn, Cromorne, Doppelflute, and Cornet (decomposé). The Nave Organ was installed first, and while assembly of the Chancel Organ was still underway, was the only organ in the cathedral for several months. Its sixteen ranks do a remarkable job of filling the room. Its design is perhaps the only real departure from a true Whitelegg installation, as the diminutive organ chambers would likely have housed an Echo or Celestial division. As it stands, several of the boldest flue voices in the organ reside in the Nave Great, including the largest diapason in the organ (42 scale, linen lead).

In its new arrangement, Opus 6425 surrounds the chancel, referred to in the cathedral as the presbyterium. the Great and Pedal divisions share an elevated chamber on the north side of the presbyterium. The Swell and Choir are stacked in the south chamber, with the Choir below and the Swell above. Each of these three divisions has two shade fronts—one facing the nave and one facing the presbyterium. The Nave Organ is split between two matching cases eleven feet above the gallery floor, with the Great in the north case and the Swell in the south case. Basses of both the 16′ Diapason and 16′ Gedeckt are mounted along the back wall, framing the rose window.

With five expressive divisions, eight shade fronts, and a total of 145 individual shades, expression control is an important aspect of our design for this installation. This is accomplished by way of an expression matrix, with a default setting and four settable expression pistons. While this isn’t the first time a church organ has had an expression matrix, to our knowledge this is the first range- and direction-settable expression matrix. In other words, any of the organ’s eight shade fronts can be set to function in either direction, for any range of travel on any of the four expression shoes in the console. This has led to a lot of experimentation and will provide endless flexibility in expression control for this deeply expressive organ. For instance, one of the settings currently in use has all shades assigned to one swell shoe, with all shades closed at the midpoint of its travel. As it is pushed forward, the Chancel Organ shades all open. Push the heel down, and the Nave Organ shades all open.

Having recently completed our relocation of Aeolian-Skinner Opus 878 into Stoneleigh, headquarters of the Organ Historical Society in Villanova, Pennsylvania [featured on the cover of the December 2019 issue of The Diapason], we elected to work with a partner to do some of the “heavy lifting” for the much larger cathedral installation. JR Neutel and the staff of Reuter Organ Company proved an excellent choice for this role, providing the new four-manual console, as well as the engineering and the lion’s share of the onsite installation labor for the project, and any new windchests and reservoirs required for added stops. As Pennsylvania and other states began reopening, we rescheduled and then commenced installation in September of 2020. The organ was dedicated in an inaugural recital featuring Tyrone Whiting, Jeff Brillhart, and Clara Gerdes-Bartz on October 24, 2021.

This project was made possible by generous funding from the Wyncote Foundation as recommended by Fred Haas and Rafael Gomez. We are also deeply grateful for the support of the cathedral community, including The Right Rev. Daniel G. P. Gutiérrez, Bishop; The Very Rev. Judith A. Sullivan, Dean; Canon for Music and the Arts Thomas Lloyd; Cathedral Organist Wesley Parrott; Canon for Administration Lynn Buggage; and Sexton Lamont Murray. Our network of suppliers and subcontractors for this project included Sam Hughes, Reuter Organ Company, Opus Two Instrument Control Systems, Organ Supply Industries, Rudewicz & Associates, and COE Percussion.

GREAT

16′ Double Open Diapason 12 pipes (ext Second Open Diapason)

8′ First Open Diapason  73 pipes

8′ Second Open Diapason   73 pipes

8′ Claribel Flute 73 pipes

8′ Gemshorn 73 pipes

4′ Octave 73 pipes

4′ Harmonic Flute 73 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

III Mixture 183 pipes

16′ Trombone¹ (ext Tromba) 12 pipes

8′ Tromba¹ 73 pipes

Tremolo

8′ Tuba (Ch)

Chimes (G–g) (25 tubes)

Great 16 - Unison Off - 4

Nave Swell on Great

Nave Great on Great

Nave on Great Pistons

Pedal Combinations on Great

SWELL

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt 73 pipes

8′ Geigen Principal 73 pipes

8′ Rohr Flute 73 pipes

8′ Salicional 73 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste (TC) 61 pipes

4′ Principal 73 pipes

4′ Triangular Flute 73 pipes

IV Mixture 244 pipes

16′ Double Trumpet² 73 pipes

8′ Trumpet 73 pipes

8′ Oboe 73 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 73 pipes

Tremolo

Swell 16 - Unison Off - 4

Nave Swell on Swell

Nave Great on Swell

Nave on Swell Pistons

Pedal Combinations on Swell

CHOIR

8′ Concert Flute 73 pipes

8′ Viola 73 pipes

8′ Viola Celeste (TC) 61 pipes

8′ Dulciana 97 pipes

8′ Unda Maris (TC) 61 pipes

4′ Flute d’Amour 73 pipes

4′ Dulcet (ext Dulciana)

2-2⁄3′ Dolce Twelfth (ext Dulciana)

2′ Dolce Fifteenth (ext Dulciana)

8′ Clarinet 73 pipes

Tremolo

16′ Trombone (Gt)

8′ Tromba (Gt)

8′ Tuba (by F. J. Rogers, 15 inches pressure) 73 pipes

8′ Harp (TC) (49 bars)

Chimes (Gt)

Choir 16 - Unison Off - 4 - 22⁄3

Nave Swell on Choir

Nave Great on Choir

Pedal Combinations on Choir

PEDAL

32′ Bourdon 12 pipes

32′ Resultant

16′ Diapason 32 pipes

16′ Double Diapason (Gt)

16′ Bourdon 32 pipes

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Sw)

16′ Gemshorn (Gt) 12 pipes

8′ Octave (ext Diapason) 12 pipes

8′ Major Flute (ext Bourdon) 12 pipes

8′ Claribel Flute (Gt)

8′ Gemshorn (Gt)

4′ Triangular Flute (Sw)

32′ Trombone (ext 16′ Trombone, 1–12 III Harmonics) 36 pipes

16′ Trombone (Gt)

16′ Double Trumpet (Sw)

8′ Tromba (Gt)

8′ Double Trumpet (Sw)

8′ Tuba (Ch)

4′ Double Trumpet (Sw)

Chimes (Gt)

NAVE GREAT

8′ Open Diapason1 61 pipes

8′ Doppleflute 49 pipes (Roosevelt, 1–12 from Melodia)

8′ Melodia² 61 pipes

8′ Bois Celeste² (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Octave¹  73 pipes

2′ Super Octave¹ (ext 4′ Octave)

II Grave Mixture¹ 122 pipes

8′ Flugelhorn 61 pipes (from Reuter, revoiced)

8′ Cromorne³ 61 pipes

Tremolo

8′ Tuba (Ch)

Tower Bells (13 bells)

Chimes (Gt)

Great on Nave

Nave Great 16 - Unison Off - 4

NAVE SWELL

16′ Gedeckt¹ (ext 8′ Gedeckt) 12 pipes

8′ Viole² 73 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste² (TC) 61 pipes

8′ Gedeckt¹ 73 pipes

4′ Open Flute³ 73 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

2′ Piccolo¹ (ext 8′ Gedeckt) 12 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes

16′ Fagotto⁴ (ext 8′ Fagotto) 12 pipes

8′ Fagotto⁴ 73 pipes

Tremolo

Zimbelstern

Nave Swell 16 - Unison Off - 4

NAVE PEDAL

32′ Resultant

16′ Open Diapason (Nave Gt) 12 pipes

16′ Gedeckt (Nave Sw)

8′ Open Diapason (Nave Gt)

8′ Gedeckt (Nave Sw)

4′ Open Diapason (Nave Gt)

4′ Gedeckt (Nave Sw)

16′ Fagotto (Nave Sw)

8′ Fagotto (Nave Sw)

4′ Cromorne (Nave Gt)

COUPLERS

Great to Pedal 8, 4

Swell to Pedal 8, 4

Choir to Pedal 8, 51⁄3, 4

Nave Great to Pedal 8, 4

Nave Swell to Pedal 8

Swell to Great 16, 8, 4

Choir to Great 16, 8, 5-1⁄3, 4, 2-2⁄3

Nave Great to Great 8, 4

Nave Swell to Great 8, 4

Swell to Choir 16, 8, 4

Nave Great to Choir 8, 4

Nave Swell to Choir 8, 4

Choir to Swell 8, 4, 2-2⁄3

Nave Great to Swell 8

Nave Swell to Swell 8

Great/Choir Transfer

Notes

1. From 1937 M. P. Möller Op. 6512

2. From 1903 Austin Organ Company Opus 73

3. From inventory

4. From 1960 M. P. Möller Op. 9453

 

53 ranks, 86 stops, 3,606 pipes

 

Photo credit: Adam F. Dieffenbach

The First Church, UCC, Nashua, New Hampshire

Austin Organs, Inc., Hartford, Connecticut, Opus 1406

From the Minister of Music and Consultant

When I was appointed Minister of Music in 2008, the organ was to be on the docket for a long-anticipated restoration early in my tenure. Upon learning about the vision for this instrument that was started under Dr. Robin Dinda, FAGO, in the early 1990s, two things were clear: the Young Memorial Console built by Austin in 1996 prepared the organ for significant expansion, and a new floating Solo division was to be part of this vision.

Over the years, attempts were made to undo tonal changes from the 1970s and 1980s (primarily light upperwork in the Great), which sacrificed some of the instrument’s most beautiful original softer stops. At some point in the past two decades, the original enclosed Great 8′ Gemshorn (once stored inside the organ casework) disappeared, as well as the original 8′ Harmonic Tuba. A significant, but somewhat misguided change to the entire Great division in the early 2000s continued to take the instrument away from its original symphonic roots. The “return” to these 1926 roots ultimately became the basis for our church’s $2.3 million Capital Campaign for Ministry, Music, and Mission in 2014.

This vision would be to restore the organ to its 1926 tonal specification and nomenclature and add new upperwork, scaled and voiced in typical 1920s Austin character. The original tonal design had no mixtures or mutations and only one 2′ stop (in the Swell). The existing stewardship of our 1996 three-manual console guided us in adding the prepared floating Solo division, with an eye toward more liturgical function rather than tonal tradition. In effect, we now have a III/47 versatile main instrument, with a 13-rank Solo (with two composite stops) bringing the total rank count to 60—an instrument easily suited for four manuals, but keeping former stewardship and sightline considerations in check for a three-manual console, with many options.

The Solo was designed with double-sided nave and chancel sets of swell shades. This allows use of the Solo division not only as a powerful solo voice (or part of the greater organ ensemble) but also adds the possibility of accompanying a choir from that area of the sanctuary with closed shades and Pedal stop additions. Consequently, the new division also assists our 5-octave bell choir, through a tonal reference closer to their placement in the church.

Austin concentrated on securing Austin (or similar) pipework from the original era, and where vintage pipes could not be sourced, Austin provided new pipework made to patterns Austin used in the 1920s. As a result, we have a thrilling instrument with a 21st-century eye towards its 1926 heritage—an impressive, warm sound over six divisions, and one of the most flexible accompanying instruments in Northern New England. Four celestes (three string and one flute) add wonderful warmth. Original color stops like the Vox Humana and vintage Harp (and classic fan tremulants) deliver sounds of yesteryear. The organ features complete string, flute, and diapason ensembles, with reeds (some independent and some unit treatments), and has retained the original two full-length 16′ reeds under expression! The versatility of the instrument is astounding, especially when one utilizes sub/super-coupling and unisons off. The return of 23 ranks of extension octaves (73 notes) provides a thrilling shimmer that can compete with the best of Boston’s local craze with Skinner and Aeolian-Skinner.

Two of the organ’s returned softest stops, the Swell 8′ Echo Salicional, (1930 Midmer-Losh) and the Enclosed Great 8′ Gemshorn  (1925 Austin) have added sensitive softer dynamics, which now allow the instrument to offer every variation from ppp to ffff. Masterful tonal finishing led by Daniel Kingman, Austin’s senior voicer and associate tonal director, truly kept everything warm, lush, and never shrill. Full organ never “screams.” Additions to the instrument include the three-rank Solo Vox Seraphique (15th, 17th, 19th), a 1924-vintage harmonics stop that is designed to pair with the Major Gamba and Celeste to create a unique shimmer and color combination; this is a rare effect found in perhaps only a very small handful of instruments. The large-scaled Mounted Cornet IV in the Solo is designed to pair with the Solo’s Doppelflute, and also pairs with the new linen-lead pattern, leather-lipped Grand Diapason on the Open Great. This near-Stentorphone color alone fills the room with a sound long forgotten (and greatly misunderstood) in the days of American Classic and Neo-Baroque revival.

Complex “borrows” of stops, either as new divisional extensions, or in the Pedal, add amazing variations to registration. Cross-coupling of the Enclosed Great and Choir (to the Choir and Swell respectively) allows a flexibility unparalleled for an organ of this size. The mechanics are truly an engineering marvel, and every ounce of possibility was brought out of this instrument’s re-design, thanks to collaboration with the Austin staff.

I am privileged to sit at this console every week and was truly honored to serve as the principal consultant for this important and historic work. Thanks are due in particular to Charles Morris who acted as the church’s representative. The team at Austin was accommodating of nearly anything asked of them. The extension of the case and grillework for the new Solo division truly looks like it has always been in the sanctuary. The resulting instrument thrills congregation, recitalists, and audiences alike. By offering a minimum of seven public programs featuring the Anderson Memorial Organ annually on our First Music Concert Series, the organ’s voice is widely heard in this region and has garnered much regional attention, in print and on television—as the most significant organ project in the state of New Hampshire in a decade. It is an honor to be at the helm of this historic ministry, now with an instrument that will continue to praise God for generations to come. Soli Deo Gloria.

—Joseph R. Olefirowicz, CAGO

Minister of Music

Principal Organ Consultant

From the Builder

On our preliminary visit to the church, we were introduced to an instrument built by Austin some 90 years previous that was barely an echo of what had been installed. The contract was signed on December 19, 1925, with promised completion by September 1, 1926. By today’s standards, this timeframe would be unheard of, since a 3-manual, 42-stop instrument would surely require a minimum of 16 to 24 months. In 1925, however, the company was in the epoch of its greatest production, shipping nearly two organs per week. This contract was signed on behalf of Austin by Elisha Fowler of Boston, formerly of the Hutchings Company, but since 1919 served as New England (and later Midwest) sales representative for Austin. Also a seasoned tonal designer, Mr. Fowler likely had strong influence in drawing up the tonal specification for this organ. One interesting element in the contract stated that:

The Austin Organ Company hereby guarantees tonal satisfaction to Mrs. Frank Anderson, donor; Earl F. Nauss, minister; and Maurice Hoffman, organist; and agrees to exchange any and all pipes which do not satisfy and to continue to do so until results satisfactory to the committee named have been attained.

Perusing the files, no pipes appeared to have been returned by order of the committee; a happy circumstance that must have caused sighs of great relief in Hartford!

The organ was initially scaled rather heroically on wind pressure of seven inches water column. The Great Principal Diapason was 40 scale (nearly 6¾ inches diameter at bottom C). There was an accompanying “Small Diapason” of 46 scale, which is a scale that would be typical of instruments built in the late 1960s to 1970s. A revision in March of 1926 shows that the Principal Diapason bass was changed to 43 scale and the Small Diapason to 49 scale. This would be more in keeping with other similar instruments of the time in typical rooms. In today’s thinking, the 43 scale/17th ratio is typical of German Normalmensur, while the 49-scale Diapason (with a narrow mouth) is typical of a Violin Diapason and would be a bit more incisive. Likewise, the Swell Diapason bass was changed from 40 scale to 43. This provided the power and color in the manual range, without excessive heaviness in the pedal; it also consumed less windchest real estate.

The tonal palette of this instrument was certainly typical for the era and boasted a plethora of fundamental stops; absent were mixtures or mutations. Similar organs of the period—for example, Opus 1409 at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Bridgeport, Connecticut, an instrument of 75 stops—boasted upperwork and a full set of independent mutations in the Swell, including a Nazard, Flautina, Tierce, Septieme, and Twenty Second. (An interesting side note, this organ appears to be the first instance found of an Austin with double expression—a box within a box—in the Swell department.) Mixtures were found in several instruments of the period, but usually confined to the Swell Organ. A notable exception is Austin Opus 1416, for the Sesquicentennial Exposition, built in 1926. At 162 ranks—it was for many generations the largest pipe organ built by Austin under a single contract. Each of the principal divisions has multiple ranks of mixtures; and of course, reed choruses, flute choruses, strings, mutations, etc.

Armed with this history, we surveyed the condition of this venerable instrument in Nashua. The organ had been a victim of several attempts at “tonal modernization” over the years. Diapasons had been removed and replaced with lighter-scaled pipework; a rather large mixture was added to the Great; and the Tuba was removed and replaced with a poorly recycled supply-house Trumpet. Also, the enclosed divisions had several stops removed, altered, or replaced entirely with random pipework. Many hours of discussion were spent attempting to recreate, or frankly create a new tonal specification that would echo the vision for this instrument, as if a time machine had transported us back to 1926, but with greater resources available, such as were reserved for larger instruments as mentioned above.

The result of fraternal collaboration between Joseph Olefirowicz and the Austin staff was to create a tonal design that could have been lifted from Austin’s archives. The overall limit of the “new” specification was perhaps a bit exhaustive, but the result is an extremely versatile instrument with amazing tonal variety and possibilities.

In our grand scheme, a significant addition was the inclusion of a new Solo division. There was space allowed on the 1996 console, and we were offered the possibility of utilizing a pass-through storage area located on the far right of the organ case. To transform this space into an organ chamber would require the construction of some new casework with additional tone openings. The existing organ has some unique carving that resembles vines within its openings. We scanned images of this casework and created a CAD file that was turned into magnificent scaled panels identical to the original. The Solo was voiced to speak on 10 inches wind pressure, typical of the era, which required the installation of an additional blower. To accommodate this requirement, we pulled a vintage Spencer blower from our inventory and sent it back to the factory for refurbishment and a new motor equipped with a variable frequency drive controller.

Upon completing the design phase, reality struck a severe chord when the actual challenge of building this instrument necessitated sourcing the required pipes to achieve the desired result. In some cases, it was as simple as making (or finding) an octave or a few pipes to restore scaling; many of the 73-note extension octaves had been lost to time, but happily we were able to source replacements for all of those lost from vintage inventory. In other cases we required complete stops; many were procured from Austin’s inventory. Some stops were new manufactured pipes made to vintage Austin patterns. An example is the 8′ Bassoon in the Great.  While perhaps not typical of the time, there was a desire and need for a lighter chorus reed in the exposed division. This particular pattern was originally used in Opus 1010 (c. 1921 in the Eastman Theatre, Rochester New York) and also in Opus 1109 (1922, at the Cincinnati Music Hall). The original patterns were located in our archive and used for this instrument. Likewise, vintage patterns likely used for the original pipes in 1926 were used for the replacement Tuba in the Great. Conversely, we chose a vintage E. M. Skinner pattern for the Solo Tuba—for variety of dynamic and color. The Solo English Horn was sourced from vintage inventory, a 1924 Austin instrument.

We feel that this instrument embodies not only the 1920s tonal concepts, as detailed herein, but Austin’s design paradigm—a concept we refer to as Symphonic-Liturgical Tonal Design

It is arguable that the most advanced form of musical expression we celebrate today is the symphony orchestra. It is a comprehensive and versatile entity. Evidence of this fact is provided by reviewing any concert program. On any given evening, one can encounter a most sublime movement from Ravel; just a moment later, the terrific thunder crash of a powerful Wagnerian overture! These variations in repertoire, dynamic, and emotion are all delivered by the same performers and the same instruments. In much the same way, a well-designed tonal palette in an organ capable of supporting these timbres and styles gives an organist the ability to perform with similar flexibility.

Why do we consider this ability to be important?

The pipe organ in church today must bridge the gap between traditional solo organ literature, liturgical accompaniment, choral support, and yet have the ability to perform contemporary accompaniment and literature. One can only imagine where the next trend might lead! The tone of the instrument must be pleasing—but not that alone—for the instrument must be capable of fulfilling its role in the liturgy. In summation: the organ must be extremely versatile and able to be play almost any literature, and the organ’s tonality also has to be outstanding in its conceptualization, voicing, and disposition.

We feel that the Austin organ is built of the most solid construction to support the extra demands placed on a symphonic organ. Our design (the famed Austin Universal Airchest System) assures the church of steady wind, ease of maintenance, and maximum utilization of available space. We strive to build the most comfortable organ consoles with the finest control systems available.

The sound of an Austin organ plenum (tonal ensemble) is unique. To achieve our desired level of warmth and simultaneous transparency requires not only our specific style of voicing, but very close attention to pipe scaling, regulation, and of great importance, explicit confidence in our Austin Universal Airchest System.

Celebrating 125 years of pipe organ building experience, and our dedicated staff comprising one of the oldest pipe organ factories in the country; we are ready to build one of the finest instruments possible, and then provide ongoing support and service.

—Michael Fazio

President & Tonal Director

Austin Organs, Inc.

Austin team members involved with Opus 1406 renovation:

Raymond Albright

Michael Chiradia

Bruce Coderre

Colin Coderre

Jacob Dowgewicz

Michael Hart

Curt Hawkes

Victor Hoyt

Dan Kingman

Rafael Ramos

David Secour

Stewart Skates +

Richard Taylor

Tony Valdez

Anne Wysocki

Mike Fazio

GREAT ORGAN (* = enclosed Great)

16′ Major Diapason 73 pipes

8′ Grand Diapason 73 pipes

8′ Principal Diapason 73 pipes

8′ Small Diapason (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Flauto Major (Ped 16′ Dia) 41 pipes

8′ Violoncello * 73 pipes

8′ Gemshorn * 73 pipes

8′ Bourdon * 73 pipes

8′ Flute Celeste (Ch)

8′ Unda Maris (Ch)

4′ Octave 73 pipes

4′ Principal * 73 pipes

4′ Harmonic Flute * 73 pipes

22⁄3′ Twelfth 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

IV Fourniture (19-22-26-29) 244 pipes

16′ Tuba * (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Harmonic Tuba * 61 pipes

8′ Bassoon 73 pipes

4′ Clarion * (ext) 12 pipes

Harp (Ch)

Chimes 25 tubes

Tremulant *

SWELL ORGAN

16′ Bourdon 73 pipes

8′ Open Diapason 73 pipes

8′ Rohr Flute 73 pipes

8′ Viole D’Orchestre 73 pipes

8′ Viole Celeste (TC) 61 pipes

8′ Echo Salicional 73 pipes

4′ Fugara 73 pipes

4′ Flauto Traverso 73 pipes

4′ Violina (ext)

22⁄3′ Nasard 61 pipes

2′ Flageolet 61 pipes

13⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes

III Mixture (15-19-22) 183 pipes

16′ Contra Posaune 73 pipes

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)

8′ Cornopean 73 pipes

8′ Oboe 73 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes

Tremulant

CHOIR ORGAN

16′ Quintade (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Geigen Principal 73 pipes

8′ Concert Flute 73 pipes

8′ Flute Celeste (TC) 61 pipes

8′ Dulciana 73 pipes

8′ Unda Maris (TC) 61 pipes

8′ Quintadena 73 pipes

4′ Geigen Octave (ext)

4′ Flute D’Amour 73 pipes

2′ Piccolo 61 pipes

11⁄3′ Larigot 61 pipes

16′ Tuba (Gt)

8′ Harmonic Tuba (Gt)

8′ Clarinet 73 pipes

4′ Tuba Clarion (Gt)

Harp (Austin) 61 bars

Chimes (Gt)

Tremulant

SOLO ORGAN

8′ Doppelflute 73 pipes

8′ Major Gamba 73 pipes

8′ Gamba Celeste 73 pipes

4′ Flute Ouverte 73 pipes

4′ Gambette (ext) 12 pipes

4′ Gambette Celeste (ext) 12 pipes

III Vox Seraphique (15-17-19) 183 pipes

IV Mounted Cornet (TC) (8-12-15-17) 196 pipes

8′ Cor Anglais 73 pipes

8′ Tuba Mirabilis 73 pipes

Tremulant

Nave Shades Off

Chancel Shades Off

PEDAL ORGAN

32′ Diapason (Resultant)

32′ Bourdon (Resultant)

32′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Resultant, Sw)

16′ Open Diapason 32 pipes

16′ Violone (Gt)

16′ Bourdon 32 pipes

16′ Flute Bass (ext, Solo) 12 pipes

16′ Quintaten (Ch)

16′ Lieblich (Sw)

8′ Octave (Gt)

8′ Major Flute (Solo)

8′ Gross Flute (ext 16′ Diap) 12 pipes

8′ Flauto Dolce (ext 16′ Bdn) 12 pipes

4′ Super Octave (Gt)

4′ Flute (Sw)

32′ Grand Cornet (Resultant)

16′ Tuba (Gt)

16′ Posaune (Sw)

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)

8′ Harmonic Tuba (Gt)

4′ Clarion (Gt)

Chimes (Gt)

Pedal to Pedal 4

EXPRESSION PEDALS

Choir/Enclosed Great

Swell

Solo

Register Crescendo

CONTROLS

999-levels of memory

Bridal signal (HCTB)

Clock

Continuo

“Go-to” function

Manual Transfer

Piston sequencer

Playback

Transposer

Ventil (mixtures)

Ventil (reeds)

Builder’s website: http://austinorgans.com

Church’s website: tfcucc.org

Photo credit: Len Levasseur