Peragallo Organ Company, Paterson, New Jersey; Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Athens, Georgia
From the builder
“Beauty is an experience, nothing else. It is not a fixed pattern or an arrangement of features. It is something felt, a glow, or a communicated sense of fineness.”
—D. H. Lawrence
“It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it.” —Voltaire
The inspiration for each and every artistic creation is unique, and each specific architectural design approach gives rise to a distinct experience for its occupants. The architecture of Emmanuel Episcopal Church features a masterful plan and inspiring details that have the ability to move those who enter and lift them into a spiritual realm.
The inviting entrance contains a variety of adjacent spaces that contribute to a complete church experience, including a weekday chapel adorned with the Crucifix of San Damiano, practice spaces available to the music ministry, and specially crafted religious education classrooms to support the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd faith formation program for children. The central columbarium, labyrinth walkway, and gathering space with vaulted ceilings round out the spatial offerings of the church’s entrance.
Upon entering the sanctuary space itself, a blend of traditional and contemporary, old and new, awaits. The deft use of a mixture of oak and fine stone surfaces creates a warm and inspirational environment in which to worship through liturgy and music. In this space, the organist is able to exist in the moment and breathe, ready and empowered to create beauty through music.
Our longtime colleague, the Reverend Robert Salamone, served as rector of Emmanuel for some ten years. He guided the overall renovation plan of the building complex, completing project after project, shepherding his flock to a truly rewarding church experience.
Finally, it was time to complete the master plan with the means of truly lifting people to a higher cloud with the installation of a fine pipe organ. The music program at Emmanuel benefits from an abundance of talent in the college town of Athens (not to mention their pretty good football team), as this is the home of the University of Georgia. Peragallo Organ Company was tasked with creating an instrument that would thoroughly support the music program at the parish level and serve as a vehicle to provide for the larger college musical community. Beyond those important requirements, the organ pipework and cases needed to complement the architectural beauty of the room, while simultaneously feeling as though they had always existed.
The Peragallo design team has long been a proponent of gorgeous casework. Frank Peragallo’s years of woodworking wisdom, coupled with John IV’s youthful architectural creativity, integrate as multiple generations work together to create these unique masterpieces. Gleaning details from elements within the sanctuary and seamlessly incorporating them into a finished design is second nature.
The handcrafted twin chancel caseworks on either side of the high altar employ cantilevered construction to allow for the inclusion of a generous number of organ pipes in the limited available floor space. The placement of the divisions of pipework dispersed throughout the room allows us to balance the overall volume of sound throughout the space. The cases are designed to project the tone of the chancel divisions high above the heads of the choir, while the lower casework panels create an acoustical shell for the projection of the choral voices. The presence of the choir singers on the floor of this forward space was an important consideration in the tonal finishing process. Careful decisions by John Peragallo III and Anthony Peragallo in the final voicing of the pipework produced comfortable, well-rounded tonal choruses.
The four chancel divisions, the unenclosed Great and Pedal, and the expressive Swell and Choir provide the basis of both choral accompaniment and hymn singing. Placing full, expressive divisions behind the choir allows for the creation of truly effective and exciting choral literature.
The Resonance division is located in twin gallery caseworks high on the rear wall of the nave, giving the organist plenty of options to warmly envelop the congregants during hymn singing. Finally, the floating Celestial division cascades sound down from on high with yet another balanced Principal chorus.
As the organist serves the dual role of both accompanist and director, our signature low-profile terraced keydesk provides the required sight lines with the choristers and ancillary musicians. Given the preference to maintain a reduced overall height, managing seven divisions of stops across three claviers can be a challenge. To that end, we chose to allow the Resonance division to function along with the Great—as an extension of the Great division with the pipework of the Resonance being one scale larger.
Tonally, lots of flexibility has been built into the stoplist to create effective registrations, and a plethora of fundamental tone allows the organist to unfold layer upon layer of texture. The presence of all of the strings of the instrument on the Great clavier gives the organist the option to register solo reed combinations on the alternate manuals and execute a proper diminuendo right down to a whisper.
The big reeds, Emmanuel Crown Trumpets, are available on each clavier as non-coupling stops with the option of also sounding at 16′ pitch to punctuate the melody of the hymntune in the tenor range. Its counterpart, the Tuba Mirabilis, is expressive and can function effectively as both a chorus reed and non-coupling solo stop.
The Emmanuel Crown Trumpets, signature Peragallo chamades, are located in the upper screens of the Resonance cases on the rear wall of the church. The reeds feature Aeolian-Skinner-style Bombarde shallots and flared polished zinc resonators, producing a useful vehicle to carry processional and fanfare solos.
In the instruments we create, we strive to truly embody that beauty that transcends both the aural and the visual to transport one’s being closer to God.
We express our heartfelt thanks to the Reverend Robert Salamone, the Reverend Katie Bradshaw, Robert Davis, and Dr. Benji Stenger for their hard work and unwavering support of the organ project. Without them and their faith in us, this project would not have been the success that it is now. It is the sincere wish of the entire Peragallo family and staff that this instrument will serve to inspire fine music for many generations at the beautiful parish of Emmanuel.
—The Peragallo Organ Company
John Peragallo III
for the Peragallo family
From the organist and music director
I started as organist at Emmanuel in the summer of 2024. It is a strange yet wonderful thing to begin work at a church that is only months away from the installation of a new pipe organ. I was not here during the many years of dreaming and planning the instrument; yet I get to enjoy the fruits of that labor. I am deeply grateful for the musicians before me; the vision of former rector, Father Robert Salamone; the many hours that Bob Davis has invested in this project; the support of our current rector, the Reverend Katie Bradshaw; and the generosity of our donors. After a visit to the Peragallo shop in July of 2024, I was quickly caught up on the particulars of Emmanuel’s new instrument and the details of the installation.
The new organ was blessed and first played in services on November 24, 2024, Christ the King Sunday, and was received enthusiastically by the parish. The organ well supports congregational singing, especially when making use of the Resonance division. The possibilities for choral accompanying are ample. I especially appreciate the warmth and richness of the 8′ tones. The eclectic stoplist offers many colors and diverse options for organ voluntaries and service music. The console itself is comfortable and intuitive to navigate, featuring the luxuries that make an organist’s job easier: plentiful memory levels, a sequencer, record/playback capabilities, and even Bluetooth page turning.
Installing a new pipe organ is a significant investment for any church, with an impact that is visual as well as aural. It is also the mark of a growing, thriving parish that values music. The enthusiasm and curiosity the organ has piqued in young people and the broader Athens community is encouraging. It is my hope that this instrument be a vehicle for our praise to God and serve our congregation and community for many years to come.
—Benji Stegner, D.M.A.
Joyful Noise Campaign Chair
When the Reverend Robert Salamone retired from Emmanuel Episcopal Church, he left two remarkable and enduring gifts to his parish of 17 years. Father Robert’s first gift was a debt-free master campus plan, including a newly built building, more than doubling the original space, and a fully renovated nave and parish hall. Father Robert’s second gift was a specific plan to add the last piece of campus renewal—a new pipe organ designed and built by his close friends at a 100-year-old firm in New Jersey, the Peragallo Organ Company.
The new Emmanuel organ plan involved two primary steps. The first required removing an existing two-manual and pedal Schantz organ of 27 ranks, harvesting all of the original pipes and keeping them in storage at the Peragallo shop in New Jersey. The new organ design would include 42 ranks with a total of 2,300 speaking pipes across six divisions playable from a three-manual and low-profile keydesk. The Schantz pipes would be evaluated, cleaned, and returned to Emmanuel as part of the new organ design.
A carefully developed capital campaign called the “The Joyful Noise Campaign” launched in March 2023. It offered interested contributors the option of “sponsoring” one or more of the required new pipes. By August of 2023, we announced success in reaching the fundraising goal, and plans were made to install the new organ in September 2024.
In July of 2024, our new director of music, Dr. Benji Stegner, and I were invited by the Peragallos to fly to Paterson, New Jersey, to check on the progress of the organ. Words fail to accurately describe seeing the process of individual crafting of the casework and windchests. Each of the cases are designed to match the architectural details of Emmanuel’s nave. In another space in the Peragallo workshop, we witnessed the console being fitted with custom ivory stops against a rosewood backplate.
The phenomenon of installation will forever be the most impressive time span I have ever witnessed in construction! On the designated date in late September, an 18-wheel transfer truck pulled into the Emmanuel parking lot, and the unloading of the truck began. Soon after, every pew was covered with blankets, pipes, and every imaginable case, panel, windchest, blowers, and all support infrastructure pieces filled the Emmanuel nave. I could not even take a guess at how many individual items were delivered and subsequently installed by a team of ten over a period of two and a half weeks. Surprisingly, we were only out of the nave one Sunday. Three additional weeks of individual pipe tuning and voicing followed. On November 23 Emmanuel celebrated the premiere of the new organ in a stunning Evensong service.
Plans for a formal dedication on March 23, 2025, are in process and will include the Peragallos, Father Robert Salamone, and guest organist Jason Roberts. Emmanuel’s connection to and gratitude for the Peragallo family will flourish far into the future.
—Bob Davis
Vestry Liaison
Joyful Noise Campaign Chair
From the former rector
It is an honor and moment of thanksgiving for me to pen these few words. I have been associated with the Peragallos for more than fifty years, and I have asked them to assist in three organ projects going back to 1968! Our latest project involved the planning, building, and completion of the new Peragallo organ at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Athens, Georgia.
It has been said that the essential purpose of an organ, above all other instruments, is to give honor and glory to God. The new organ at Emmanuel certainly does this. And when combined with the organist’s and congregation’s very soul and spirit, one is brought to a space where they encounter the magnificent beauty of God. It is at this transcending moment, that we truly give praise, glory, and honor to God.
What a wonderful thing indeed!!
I am so thankful that relationships can build many things of beauty.
—The Reverend Robert Salamone
Builder’s website: www.peragallo.com
Church’s website: www.emmanuelathens.org
Photo credits:
Eric Nesmith
John Peragallo IV
GREAT (manual II)
16′ Violone 61 wps
8′ Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Bourdon 61 pipes
8′ Flûte Harmonique 49 pipes (1–12 from 8′ Bourdon)
8′ Violoncelle 61 pipes
8′ Gambe Celeste II (Choir)
8′ Viole Celeste II (Swell)
8′ Erzähler Celeste II (Choir)
4′ Octave 61 pipes
4′ Flûte Octaviante 61 pipes
4′ Unda Maris II (Choir)
2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes
III Cornet 183 wps
IV Fourniture 244 pipes
IV Cymbel 244 wps
16′ Posaune 61 wps
8′ Tromba 61 pipes
4′ Tromba Clarion (ext 8′) 12 pipes
8′ Emmanuel Crown Trumpets (Res)
Chimes 37 wps
Great MIDI 1,2 *
SWELL (manual III, enclosed)
16′ Lieblich Gedackt 61 wps
8′ Singen Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Chimney Flöte 61 pipes
8′ Viole 61 pipes
8′ Viole Celeste (TC) 49 pipes
4′ Prestant 61 pipes
4′ Nachthorn 61 pipes
2 2⁄3′ Nasat (50–61 repeats) 49 pipes
2′ Octavin 61 pipes
1 3⁄5′ Terz (TC, 50–61 repeats) 37 pipes
IV Plein Jeu 244 pipes
16′ Contra Fagotta 61 wps
8′ Trompette 61 pipes
8′ Oboe 61 pipes
8′ Vox Humana 61 wps
4′ Clarion (ext 8′) 12 pipes
Tremblant
8′ Emmanuel Crown Trumpets (Res)
16′ Swell *
Swell Unison Off *
4′ Swell *
Swell MIDI 1,2 *
CHOIR (manual I, enclosed)
16′ Flöte Conique 73 wps
8′ English Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Stopped Gedackt 61 pipes
8′ Gambe 73 wps
8′ Gambe Celeste 73 wps
8′ Erzähler 73 wps
8′ Erzähler Celeste 73 wps
4′ Principal 61 pipes
4′ Spireflöte 61 pipes
2′ Recorder 61 pipes
1 1⁄3′ Larigot (50–61 repeats) 49 pipes
III Scharf 183 wps
16′ Clarinet 73 wps
8′ Trumpet 61 wps
8′ Cor Anglais 61 wps
8′ Cremona 61 pipes
Tremblant
16′ Choir *
Choir Unison Off *
4′ Choir *
8′ Tuba Mirabilis 61 wps
8′ Emmanuel Crown Trumpets (Res)
Harp 49 wps
Choir MIDI 1,2 *
Tuba Non-Coupling *
PEDAL
32′ Open Wood wps
32′ Contra Bourdon wps
32′ Flöte Conique (Choir)
16′ Principal wps
16′ Violone (Great)
16′ Sub Bass wps
16′ Flöte Conique (Choir)
16′ Lieblich Gedackt (Swell)
8′ Octave Bass 32 pipes
8′ Flöte en Bois wps
8′ Still Gedackt (Swell)
4′ Choral Bass 32 pipes
4′ Offenflöte (Great)
II Fourniture 64 pipes
32′ Contra Bombarde wps
16′ Trombone 32 pipes
16′ Posaune (Great)
8′ Trumpet wps
4′ Corno di Bassetto (Celestial)
8′ Emmanuel Crown Trumpets (Res)
Pedal MIDI 1, 2 *
RESONANCE PEDAL
16′ Geigen Diapason wps
16′ Bourdon wps
RESONANCE (manual II)
8′ Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Flauto Tedesco 61 wps
4′ Octave 61 pipes
4′ Flauto Veneziano 61 wps
2 2⁄3′ Twelfth 61 wps
2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes
IV Fourniture 244 wps
III Cymbel 183 wps
8′ Harmonic Trumpet 61 wps
Tremblant
8′ Emmanuel Crown Trumpets
61 pipes
Resonance off Great *
CELESTIAL (floating, enclosed)
16′ Contra Viola wps
8′ Principal wps
8′ Doppelflöte wps
8′ Viole Celeste II wps
8′ Flauto Dolce Celeste II wps
4′ Octave wps
4′ Violetta Celeste II wps
8′ Corno di Bassetto wps
8′ French Horn wps
Tremblant
4′ Celestial *
Celestial Carillon * 58 wps
Celestial Expression on Swell *
Couplers
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Choir to Pedal
Resonance to Pedal
Celestial to Pedal
Swell to Pedal 4
Choir to Pedal 4
Swell to Great 16
Swell to Great
Swell to Great 4
Choir to Great 16
Choir to Great
Choir to Great 4
Swell to Choir 16
Swell to Choir
Swell to Choir 4
Great to Choir
Resonance on Swell
Resonance on Choir
Celestial to Swell
Celestial to Great
Celestial to Choir
Manual Transfer
Combination System
1,000 levels of memory
Piston sequencer with next and previous thumb pistons
Programmable Crescendo and Sforzando
Thumb Pistons
1–14 General * (incl. page turner pistons)
General Cancel
1–6 Swell
1–6 Great
1–6 Choir
1–3 Resonance
1–3 Celestial
1–5 Pedal
Setter, Up, Down
Reversible Thumb Pistons
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Choir to Pedal
Swell to Great
Sforzando *
Next
Previous
Page Forward
Page Back
Up
Down
All Swells to Swell *
Toe Pistons
1–12 General *
1–5 Pedal
Reversible Toe Pistons
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Choir to Pedal
Sforzando
Cymbelstern
32′ Contra Bourdon
32′ Contra Bombarde
Next
Previous
Page Forward
Page Back
MIDI
Interface providing: Instrument In and Out
Sequencer In and Out
Accessories
Adjustable bench with backrest
Movable key desk
Music rack and light
Pedal light
Digital programmable crescendo and bar graph
Digital programmable sforzando and indicator
Swell expression and bar graph
Choir / Celestial expression and bar graph
Sequencer
iPad page turning
wps = Walker pipe sampled
* = illuminated thumb pistons
42 ranks, 2,430 speaking pipes, 7 divisions
