One might expect the story behind creating a home pipe organ of this size to be an unusual one. But, in fact, it is rather straightforward.
I started playing the organ at fourteen and was fortunate to have Norman André as my first teacher, because he both played and built pipe organs. Working with him gave me a solid foundation not just in playing, but also understanding how a pipe organ functions and appreciating what constitutes a truly fine instrument. Since those early days, I have always played the organ for enjoyment, alongside my professional work as a consultant in the pharmaceutical field.
In 2000 I turned forty and decided it was time to have a pipe organ of my own that I could play any time I wanted. My work involved frequent international travel, and I took advantage of that to seek out and play the instruments of as many tracker builders as possible around the world. Whenever I found an appealing instrument, I would call and speak to the builder about the possibility of a new, sizable commission. You might not believe how many builders essentially laughed when they learned this organ would not be for a church or concert hall, but rather for a private music room. This helped narrow down the list considerably!
When I scheduled some work in Sydney, I was able to arrange to see the Beckerath organ in the Great Hall of the University of Sydney. The hair stood up on the back of my neck as I began to play this remarkable instrument, and I realized I had reached a turning point in my search. Upon returning home, I called Beckerath and spoke with Holger Redlich, who still leads the firm to this day. He did not laugh at the prospect I raised, and we arranged to meet upon my next business trip to Hamburg. The rest is history.
Something important that sets Beckerath apart from many of its competitors is they control every aspect of the building process from beginning to end. For them, pipework starts as ingots of tin and lead, which are melted down, rolled out, and planed to the correct thickness before being formed into pipes. The same person that builds the flue and reed pipes is often the same one who later voices them on-site. This kind of absolute quality control cannot be found with every builder. I was highly impressed with the dedication the company has to do the best work possible.
The first organ Beckerath built for me, finished in 2003, was a three-manual tracker in the French Symphonic style. I built an independent building on our property to house the organ and was thereby able to create a rewarding acoustic. Unfortunately, I had a stroke several years later and became unable to play, so my relationship with this extraordinary instrument came to end. I sold that organ to the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, where it still remains today in their chapel.
After years of physical therapy, I was able to regain a good deal of my playing ability. Fast-forward to 2020, my husband and I moved to a new residence in Sharon, Connecticut. The home included a large natatorium, which was not useful to us. The room did, however, have a triple vaulted ceiling and incredible acoustics. My mind immediately went to the possibilities of another home pipe organ. Because the room is wider than it is tall, a tracker didn’t seem like the best way to go this time, but I knew Beckerath could create another wonderful instrument for me.
This time my reference point had shifted from French Symphonic to American Symphonic because, over the years, I had the opportunity to get to know some lovely E. M. Skinner organs of the 1920s. I appreciated the lush, warm waves of sound these organs could create with fistfuls of 8′ stops. And I did not hesitate at all to ask a German firm to take on this challenge, because I already knew the depth of the chameleon-like skills Beckerath possessed from my work with them on the previous organ. There were two stops I wanted that Beckerath was not familiar with: the Swell 8′ Corno d’Amour and the Solo 8′ Clarinet. These were both supplied by A. R. Schopp’s Sons, and they are a magnificent match with everything else. The other new direction I convinced Beckerath to try for the first time was to extend several stops into the 32′ range using digital samples from Allen Organ Company—and again, I think these are highly successful. For sheer fun, Allen also supplied several percussion stops; to me, they sound like the real thing.
Among many, a couple of characteristics of this organ are worth highlighting. First, Beckerath supplies double flue pipes for the trebles of their 8′ and 4′ reeds. This helps smooth the transition to those high notes from the reed pipes that comprise most of the rank (it is fun to forget exactly where the rank breaks). Second, the three 8′ Swell string stops possess an additional top octave, which means actual pipes speak when the 4′ coupler is engaged.
I have now had the opportunity to design two home organs with Beckerath, each consisting of very different and highly personalized specifications. As anyone with a home instrument will tell you, the ability to make music on a whim, whether for a few minutes or hours on end, is splendid. And having a pipe organ created by one of the world’s great builders is a true luxury. I owe my deepest gratitude to all the talented men and women who created this instrument for me, especially the installation crew: Siegmund Tessmer, Rolf Greve-Ruwoldt, Jan Martensen, and Axel Birnbaum, and to our tonal consultant, Jonathan Ambrosino.
If you are interested to hear recordings of the final result, there are numerous videos available on my YouTube channel.
GREAT (Manual I)
16′ Violone (digital ext Solo 8′ Cello)
8′ Principal Major 58 pipes
8′ Principal Minor 58 pipes
8′ Principal Celeste (low G) 51 pipes
8′ Chimney Flute 58 pipes
8′ Clarabella 58 pipes
8′ Dulciana Celeste II 109 pipes
4′ Octave 58 pipes
4′ Blockflote 58 pipes
2′ Offenflote 58 pipes
1-1⁄3′ Mixture III–VI 286 pipes
16′ Bassoon 58 pipes
8′ Trompete 70 pipes
4′ Clarion 70 pipes
Chimes
Tremulant
Swell to Great 16-8-4
Solo to Great 16-8-4
Echo to Great 8
SWELL (Manual II, enclosed)
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (ext 8′) 12 pipes
8′ Italian Principal 58 pipes
8′ Holzgedeckt 58 pipes
8′ Concert Flute (fr 4′ Fl, 1–12 Holz)
8′ Viola 70 pipes
8′ Viola Celeste (low G) 63 pipes
8′ Unda Maris (low G) 63 pipes
4′ Prestant (ext 8′) 12 pipes
4′ Traverse Flute 58 pipes
2-2⁄3′ Nazard (TC) 46 pipes
2′ Octavin 58 pipes
1-3⁄5′ Tierce (TC, ext Nazard) 17 pipes
2′ Chorus Mixture III–V 254 pipes
16′ Trombone (ext 8′) 12 pipes
8′ Trumpet 70 pipes
8′ Corno d’Amour 62 pipes
4′ Clarion (ext 8′) 24 pipes
Tremulant
Swell 16-4
Solo to Swell 8
Echo to Swell 8
SOLO (Manual III)
8′ Solo Diapason V (composite)
8′ Harmonic Flute 58 pipes
8′ Bourdon 58 pipes
8′ Dolce 58 pipes
8′ Cello 58 pipes
8′ Cello Celeste (low G) 51 pipes
4′ Cor de Nuit 58 pipes
8′ Clarinet 58 pipes
8′ Tromba 70 pipes
Harp
Celesta
Xylophone
Tremulant
Solo 16-4
Echo 8-4
ECHO (Floating, enclosed)
8′ Gemshorn (TC) 46 pipes
8′ Gemshorn Celeste (TC) 46 pipes
8′ Vox Humana 58 pipes
Tremulant
PEDAL
32′ Contrabass (digital ext 16′ Open)
32′ Bourdon Doux (digital ext 16′ Sub)
16′ Open Diapason (digital ext 8′ Oct)
16′ Subbass 32 pipes
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Sw)
16′ Violone (Gt)
8′ Octave 32 pipes
8′ Stopped Flute (ext 16′ Sub) 12 pipes
8′ Cello (So)
4′ Choralbass (ext 8′ Octave) 12 pipes
4′ Flute (Sw 4′ Traverse Flute)
32′ Bombarde (digital ext 16′)
16′ Trombone (Sw)
8′ Trumpet (Sw)
4′ Clarinet (So)
Great to Pedal 8-4
Swell to Pedal 8-4
Solo to Pedal 8-4
Echo to Pedal 8
9,999 Combination levels
Record/playback system
Adjustable division tremulants
Toe stud reversibles:
Great/Swell strings
Great Trompet I/III
Tromba off all couplers
SFZ
38 stops
47 ranks
2,694 pipes
7 pipe extensions
9 borrows
5 digital voices
4 percussions
