Cover feature: Stephen Ketterer residence

Patrick J. Murphy & Associates Organbuilders, Stowe, Pennsylvania; Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Johnson City, Tennessee

 

From the builder

As is often stated by the Organ Clearing House, with the closing of many churches, pipe organs become available for purchase and relocation. Such is the situation that befell M. P. Möller Opus 7435R.

But first, a little background. M. P. Möller Opus 7435 was built for the First Presbyterian Church in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1946. Installed in divided chambers located high within the chancel, the organ contained three manuals and approximately 22 stops. In 1965 the instrument was rebuilt and enlarged by Möller to 25 stops. The rebuilding was typical for the time, along with refreshment of the windchest actions, a Scharf and extensive Bombarde unit (32′, 16′, 8′, 4′) were added.

By 2004 the instrument was once again showing signs of mechanical wear and tear as well as a need for tonal rebalancing. Patrick J. Murphy & Associates, located in Stowe, Pennsylvania (just ten miles away), was engaged to perform a comprehensive overhaul (to become our Opus 47) that included new electric slider windchests, new winding, additional foundational flues and reeds, as well as comprehensive revoicing. The majority of the Great was relocated outside of the cramped chambers to allow greater tonal development within the acoustically challenged space. Digital 32′ stops and percussions from Walker Technical Company were added as well as one of our very first signature low-profile drawknob consoles.

Unfortunately, no sooner had the instrument been dedicated than the First Presbyterian Church had a schism that resulted in several key leadership persons departing, including the organist and organ financial donor. The position of organist remained mostly vacant, filled primarily by a string of supply musicians, except for the last person to hold the post. Finally, after facing mounting debt and declining membership, the downtown building was sold in 2018, and the congregation relocated to a dramatically smaller facility outside of the city, leaving the building and most of its contents behind, including the organ. A new owner for the organ was sought.

In January of 2021 Patrick J. Murphy & Associates purchased, removed, and stored the organ at its own expense until a suitable new owner could be located. As is often the case, locating a similar situation that supplied chambers limited the number of opportunities to find a home.

Fortunately, in the spring of 2021, Nick Andrews, director of music at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Johnson City, Tennessee, who had learned of our work through word of mouth, inquired with us about either a new or rebuilt instrument. While my first visit to Johnson City was to discuss a new free-standing instrument that “might” utilize material from the existing 1960s Möller already installed second hand, the distinguished architecture of the room provided me with a vision of incorporating our Opus 47 into a new, free-standing instrument. Early on we engaged the superlative talents of Frank Friemel to produce an inspired design and rendering, after which he informed us that this was to be his swan song. Our staff performed all the remaining design and construction work except for the all-new case, which was entrusted to R. A. Colby Inc., located just 1.8 miles (and one turn) away from the church. Construction began in the fall of 2022, and installation started in the spring of 2023.

The new installation, now Opus 47R, incorporates our 2004 updates of new slider windchests, console, and pipework additions along with most of the pipes retained from Möller Opus 7435R, with all pipework regulated for the new space. The thoroughly revised interior layout sits atop all new and quite substantial framing and is supplied by a new winding system. This new structure is capped by our all-new two-inch-thick expression enclosures and shades. The façade pipes are a combination of formerly interior Moller 16′ Diapason pipes and façade pipes added in 2004, all professionally modified and painted by Organ Supply Industries to an exceptional result.

The pipe voicing, unfortunately partially entombed in its former location in Reading, came into full blossom within this acoustically friendly space. My first service hearing the instrument under Nick’s superlative playing gave me the closure of feeling like this could have been where this instrument was meant to be all along.

We wish to thank director of music Nick Andrews for his easy, straightforward manner and support, and also all the leadership members and congregation of Saint John’s for their support and for the opportunity to provide Opus 47R with a good home. We also wish to thank Frank Friemel, the staff at R. A. Colby, and Organ Supply Industries for their excellent work. And finally, I wish to thank everyone on my staff who worked tirelessly and diligently on this installation.

—Patrick J. Murphy

From the director of music

Saint John’s Episcopal Church is located in scenic Northeast Tennessee in the heart of downtown Johnson City. Known locally as “The Rock Church,” the original building was constructed of native river rock from the Nolichucky River in 1905. For many decades leading up to the late 1990s, the seating capacity of the 1905 nave restricted the rapidly growing parish, resulting in the use of overflow seating in the narthex of the church for multiple services on Sunday morning. In 2000, the congregation broke ground for a new nave with a seating capacity of up to 400 people. The new nave was completed and consecrated in November of 2001. Like the original 1905 structure, river rock was also incorporated into the new building. Designed by Memphis, Tennessee architect Jim Williamson, the nave is featured in the book Architecture for the Gods (Book II) by Michael Crosbie.

A 1960 Möller of 28 ranks was relocated to Saint John’s from an Episcopal church in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, in the fall of 2001 and was completed in early 2002. For the next twenty years, the aging Möller suffered ongoing mechanical and tonal issues. In January 2020, two years after I was hired as director of music, the organ mechanically failed from ciphers and wind leaks and was unusable for services. After submitting a written report to the church vestry, an organ committee was formed to investigate our next steps for the instrument. After initially meeting with several builders, the covid pandemic halted the progress of the organ committee until January 2021. In early 2021, I contacted Patrick Murphy to see if he would be willing to assess our instrument and make a proposal. While visiting onsite, I inquired about his Opus 47 (formerly of First Presbyterian Church, Reading, Pennsylvania, which had been listed on the Organ Clearing House website for some time) as a candidate for relocation. After examining the measurements of the room, it was deemed that Opus 47 would indeed fit within the footprint of the former instrument.

After a trip in May of 2021 to listen to and play several fantastic instruments of Patrick’s in Baltimore, Maryland, I made a recommendation to the organ committee to pursue the proposal for relocating Opus 47 to Saint John’s. In December of 2021, the vestry of the church voted to accept the proposal from Murphy and signed the contract. The installation for Opus 47-R began in June of 2023 and was completed a few months later in early September. The new casework has transformed the room, and it truly looks like it was always meant to be there! The instrument is full of rich 8′ tone on each division and houses a plethora of 16′ tone in the pedal division—as every instrument should! I am grateful to the entire team at Patrick J. Murphy & Associates who helped rebirth this amazing instrument! Opus 47-R has a very bright future for many decades to come!

—Nick Andrews

Director of Music

Builder’s website: www.pjmorgans.com

Church’s website: stjohnstn.org/

Photo credits: Patrick J. Murphy

GREAT (manual II)

16′ Lieblich Gedackt (Swell)

16′ Gemshorn (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Principal 61 pipes

8′ Harmonic Flute (1966) 61 pipes

8′ Gemshorn 61 pipes

8′ Bourdon* 61 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Flute 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth (1966) 61 pipes

2′ Super Octave 61 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Mixture IV (encl w/Choir)* 244 pipes

8′ Trumpet (encl w/Choir)* 61 pipes

8′ Tromba (prepared for)

8′ Trumpet (Swell)

Great 16

Swell to Great 16-8-4

Choir to Great 16-8-4

Chimes (digital – 37 notes)

Great MIDI

Great/Choir Transfer

SWELL (manual III, enclosed)

16′ Lieblich Gedackt (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Diapason* 61 pipes

8′ Gedackt 61 pipes

8′ Viole 61 pipes

8′ Viole Celeste (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes

2′ Flautino 61 pipes

2′ Plein Jeu III–IV* 232 pipes

16′ Contra Trumpet (ext)* 12 pipes

8′ Trumpet* 61 pipes

8′ Oboe* 61 pipes

8′ Vox Humana (2023) 61 pipes

Tremulant

Swell-16-UO-4

Swell MIDI

CHOIR (manual I,  enclosed)

8′ Geigen (1966) 61 pipes

8′ Viola 61 pipes

8′ Concert Flute 61 pipes

8′ Dulciana 61 pipes

8′ Unda Maris (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Fugara 61 pipes

4′ Nachthorn 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard* 61 pipes

2′ Blockflute* 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce* 61 pipes

1′ Scharff III (1966) 183 pipes

8′ Clarinet 61 pipes

Tremulant

8′ Trumpet (Great)

8′ Tromba (prepared for)

Choir to Choir 16-UO-4

Swell to Choir 16-8-4

Harp (digital)

Celesta (digital)

Choir MIDI

PEDAL

32′ Double Open Diapason (digital)

32′ Contra Bourdon (digital)

16′ Open Diapason (digital)

16′ Principal (1946/2023) 56 pipes

16′ Gemshorn (Great)

16′ Violone (digital)

16′ Bourdon 44 pipes

16′ Lieblich Gedackt (Swell)

8′ Octave (ext)

8′ Bourdon (ext)

8′ Gedackt (Swell)

4′ Choralbass (ext)

III Mixture*  96 pipes

32′ Contra Trombone (digital, w/Choir)

16′ Trombone (ext, 2023) 12 pipes

16′ Contra Trumpet (Swell)

8′ Trumpet (Great)

4′ Clarion (Great)

Great to Pedal 8-4

Swell to Pedal 8-4

Choir to Pedal 8-4

 

46 ranks (47 when completed), 2,709 pipes

* = 2004

John Bishop

Listen to the voices.

Alan Laufman, who founded the Organ Clearing House in 1961, was in his final illness during the summer of 2000 when he asked me to join the company to help its work continue when he was finished. During that summer and fall, I sat with him for countless hours as he passed on the company lore and history, warning me of potential pitfalls and hinting about tricks he had picked up over the years. Among many other things, he warned that I would be spending a lot of time typing stoplists. When the company was young, he was working with a manual typewriter, carbon paper, and Wite-Out. (Remember those little bottles with a brush in the cap?) He kept a typewritten list of available organs: builder, year, location, number of manuals, number of stops. If you sent him a letter with $3.45 in stamps, he would send you a copy of the list. Updating the list meant retyping it completely. There were dozens of organs.

Happily, many stoplists are now available online from the websites of organ companies, churches, and the brilliant, comprehensive Pipe Organ Database created under the auspices of the Organ Historical Society (pipeorgandatabase.org), and it is easy to publish a stoplist on our website by attaching a link to a file or web page. “Click here to download specifications.” Still, I sometimes need to type the stoplist while referring to a photograph of the stop jambs. It is easy enough for a modest organ, but once you get over fifty stops, it takes a lot of flicking back and forth between screens to get it all accurately.

I review a dozen or more stoplists every time I spend a day at my desk. They are open as tabs on web browsers. I refer to them when talking on the phone. I type them, edit them, file them, and publish them. And while there are almost infinite variations, there are also similarities that apply to many American organs. I am often speaking or corresponding with people who have purchased an old church building who are altogether unfamiliar with organs, telling them how to gather the information I need to assess the marketability of an instrument. I might be speaking with a real estate developer sitting on the organ bench, mobile phone camera at the ready. I ask how many keyboards? “Three.” “Are there banks of knobs on either side of the keyboards?” “Yes.” “Do you see a group of knobs marked ‘Great’ on the right side?” “Yes.” “From the bottom up, you might read 8′ Diapason, 8′ Dulciana, 8′ Melodia, 4′ Octave, and so on?” “Exactly right. How did you know?” I just knew. It goes on: 4′ Flute d’Amour, 2′ Fifteenth, Mixture IV, 8′ Trumpet.

Is there one pedal stop? It is either Bourdon or Subbass, some smart people label it using the German Subbaß. Are there two pedal stops? I will bet lunch that it is one of these two pairs, 16′ Bourdon and 8′ Violoncello or 16′ Open Wood Diapason and 16′ Bourdon. How many three-manual organs have a Choir division that reads 8′ Concert Flute, 8′ Dulciana, 8′ Unda Maris, 4′ Flute, 8′ Clarinet? A ten-stop Swell division would have 8′ Viola da Gamba, 8′ Viole Celeste, 8′ Stopped Diapason, 4′ Principal, 2′ Octavin, Plein Jeu III, 16′ Bassoon, 8′ Trompette, 8′ Hautbois, and 4′ Clarion, a list that is familiar to thousands of organists.

Of course I am oversimplifying. I notice that my imaginary organ has 8′ Dulciana on both Great and Choir, fair enough because those are both common places to find that stop. If the organ was a little larger, we might have a Geigen Diapason on the Choir, or we might change the Great Dulciana to an Erzähler. One organ I played a lot when I was young had an 8′ English Diapason on the Choir. If the organ was a little larger, there would be an 8′ Diapason on the Swell, a few more independent Pedal stops like 16′ Principal, 8′ Octave, 4′ Choralbass (or Choralbaß), and 16′ Trombone. As I throw more stops at my imaginary organ, I am still using names that are common to many, even most American organs. So I raise the question, if pipe organ stoplists are so predictable, what’s new under the sun?

Making a list

If you leaf through a stack of printed stoplists, you will notice a common form that connects them all. Stops are separated by division, they are listed from lowest to highest pitches, maybe there is a mixture or two after the usual flues, and the reeds are last. When there are several flue stops of the same pitch, they are listed in order, principal, string, flute. The biggest apparent variety is the number of stops and number of divisions. So why don’t all organs sound alike?

Just like regional accents in any language, there are countless ways an organ stop like Principal or Gedeckt can sound. When an organ is being planned, the person or people responsible for how it will sound make decisions about what materials to use to make pipes, what wind pressures should be to complement the acoustics of the room and placement of the instrument, what scales should be used (the ratio between length and diameter of a pipe), and how each stop should be balanced with all the others.

The choice of materials is a good place to start. Hard metal like tin produces a bright tone; soft metal like lead produces a darker tone; and lead and tin are mixed in alloys through the spectrum. It is rare to find pipes made of pure tin because that metal is too hard to work with when doing the meticulous finicky work of voicing. Adding ten or twenty percent lead softens the metal enough to allow the voicer to manipulate the metal more easily, but the tone still benefits from the hardness. It is also rare, even a mistake, to make pipes of pure lead because the metal is so soft and heavy that the pipes cannot support their own weight. As the revival of classic organ building got rolling in the last third of the twentieth century, some organ pipes were made with such high lead content that the pipes collapsed after only a few years. Builders realized that when duplicating the high lead content found in antique pipes, they failed to consider that modern metallurgy produces purer materials while ancient lead was full of impurities. Throw a handful of impurity into the melting pot, and the lead gets stronger. It is the opposite of skimming the floating stuff off the top of your chicken stock pot.

The same applies to making wood pipes. Softwoods like spruce or fir produce darker tones, while hardwoods like oak or maple produce brighter sounds. It is common to find neat little 2′ Principals made of oak in portable continuo organs that produce crystal clear tones, and in the Taylor & Boody organ at Grace Church in New York City, the beautiful Choir 8′ Principal Dolce that forms the façade just behind the organ bench is made of white oak.

Wind pressure is a critical choice because it determines what style of voicing is possible. Bright, transparent choruses in Classic-style organs require low pressures, while the broad, rich, and even powerful voices in a Romantic or symphonic organ are produced by high pressures. The symphonic style of pipe organs was made possible in the early-twentieth century by the introduction of the electric blower, allowing voicers to use great volumes of air at high pressures without worrying about the aches and pains of the people pumping the bellows. The fact that all the organ symphonies of Widor were written for a huge organ that was hand-pumped speaks volumes about the skill and resourcefulness of the organbuilder.

Like the choice of materials, scaling is an essential part of planning an organ. Middle C of an 8′ Principal could be 1-3⁄4 inches or 2-1⁄4 inches in diameter, depending on the tonal character desired. Varying the scale of wood pipes is a matter of changing the dimensions of the cross section. Low CCC of a 16′ Double Open Wood might be twice the width and depth of the same note in a wood 16′ Violone. The Double Open will produce a hefty, broad bass tone, while the Violone with keener tone will provide more clear definition of pitch with crisp speech.

Color my world.

Thirty years ago, when we chose a paint color, the person in the store looked up a formula and used a machine with a lot of tubes of basic colors to put the correct number of ounces of each color into the can of base paint, one tint at a time. The same action is done now with computerized machines that produce the accurate little squirts of color. Those color-blending machines in your neighborhood hardware store are just like choosing registrations for a piece of organ music. Draw a little blue (8′ Diapason) and red (8′ French Horn) and you get a lovely purple.

Some organists register their music in a formulaic way. “I always use flutes 8′, 4′, and 2′ in this passage” or strictly use registrations printed in a score. That approach misses the opportunity to create your own tone color. Consider Bach’s Fugue in E-flat Major, the “Saint Anne,” BWV 552ii. Start the elegant main subject on principals 8′ and 4′. Perfect. You might say that is the way I have always done it, but one organ I often played has a beautiful 8′ Oboe that I combined with the 8′ Principal to create a gorgeous sound that allowed the counterpoint to be heard clearly and gave harmonic richness to the soaring passages. I sometimes added the 4′ Octave midway before changing to something sparkling for the sprightly 6/8 section.

If you are preparing to play a particular piece on a particular organ for the first time, take a few minutes to play the first few measures on fifteen different combinations. If you were cooking, you would add some olive oil (rich and earthy), oregano (aromatic), garlic (bitter and spicy), butter (smooth and creamy), and diced tomato (flavorful and moist), and you get a wonderful sauce.

Start with an 8′ Trumpet (rich and earthy), add a 4′ Octave (a touch of brilliance), add the 2-2⁄3′ Quint (harmonic blend), and you have the start of a French Grand Jeu. Why is that such a satisfying sound? The pipes of the Trumpet have rich overtones at the first, second, third, and fourth overtones (4′, 2-2⁄3′, 2′, 1-3⁄5′). In our three-stop combination, the Quint is emphasizing the second overtone. Beautiful. Go ahead and add the 2′ and 1-3⁄5′ to complete the Cornet. Play around with those overtones. Draw the 8′ Oboe and 2-2⁄3′ Quint for a nice solo combination. If the 1-3⁄5′ is not too loud, it will sit delicately on top of the Oboe and Quint. If it is loud and spicy, it might be too much. Maybe emphasize 8′ pitch by adding a stopped flute, or better yet, a chimneyed flute because it also emphasizes the second overtone. Use your ears and listen.

Staying with the French tradition of overtones, start with an 8′ Gedeckt or Stopped Diapason, add 4′, 2-2⁄3′, 2′, and 1-3⁄5′. That is the classic Cornet. But do not leave it at that just because the score says so. Try all the possible combinations of those five stops, with and without the tremolo. There are lots of possibilities, and one of them is just right, or if it is not such a great organ, one of them is better than the others.

Here is some more ear training. Hold a single note on an Oboe or Cromorne and flick the 2-2⁄3′ on and off a few times. You can train your ears to hear the second overtone (Quint) in the solo voice of the reed. This trick works best in the tenor octave where the overtones are heard most clearly. Once you can easily identify that harmonic, try the same trick with 1-3⁄5′ until you are certain you can hear the fifth overtone in the solo reed voice. Now you can use your ears discriminately to choose the most luscious registration.

Mind your Zs and Qs.

A friend who is a brilliant organist associated primarily with a large symphonic organ once told me he had no use for organ stops with Zs or Qs in their names. Quintadena, Sesquialtera, Terz (Terzian), Zimbel, Prinzipal, and Dulzian are all stops you would find in a modern low-pressure organ, perhaps with open-toe voicing and high tin content—not your favorite sounds if the rolling, robust, even mysterious sounds of a symphonic organ are your thing. On the other hand, that somewhat snobby comment from my friend would be the reverse for many organists who love the brilliant instruments of Visser-Rowland, Holtkamp, or Zimmer where there are lots of Zs and Qs. There is something for everyone.

How good can it sound?

Another important reason to use your ears when you are registering music at the organ is the condition of the tuning and pipe speech of your chosen organ. If Hauptwerk and Rückpositiv are not in tune with each other, do not couple them together, or you will get a nasty zinging of high-pitched pipes like a swarm of bees. If the Trumpet is flat against the rest of the organ because it is hot in the church, do not use it. Your listeners would rather hear a reduced registration than the fingernails-on-the-blackboard sensation that comes from bad tuning, and most of them would never know that you would have preferred to use the Trumpet just then if it sounded a little better.

For over thirty years I maintained an organ in Boston that had large tin pipes in the façades of Pedal, Great, and Rückpositiv cases. There was a long, thin window at the peak of the ceiling that ran the length of the building, and at a certain time of the year, sunlight beaming through that window would parade across the organ’s façade at 10:00 in the morning, just the time to be finishing your prelude and starting the opening hymn. Over the years there was a procession of organists, and I showed them all how to pay attention to that sunlight because for a brief time, the Principal pipes would be heated up by the sun and go sharp from the rest of the organ. Is it too fussy to pay attention to tuning to that kind of detail? I guess it depends on your ears, but the pitch of organ pipes changes with temperature. You can add that to your knowledge base. Science is a real thing.

If you are choosing a solo combination for the cantus firmus of a chorale prelude and your precious Oboe has a squawker on the second note of the melody, do not use it. There is sure to be another combination that sounds good enough, and your listeners will never know you did not get your first choice. A lot of wedding marches will be spoiled when the fourth F-sharp of the Trumpet is a lulu. Take it up a half step, or if transposition is not your strongest suit, you can go down a half step by imagining the key signature of D-flat and using the same notes. As you choose stops to combine, play chromatic scales up and down the keyboard on every stop you plan to use and listen for uneven voicing. Maybe a few notes are too soft or too loud. Maybe a few pipes are slow to speak, have too much unpleasant chiff, sound raspy, or cause some woodwork to vibrate and buzz. Choose a different stop or combination of stops. The point is to make the organ sound as good as it can. It is all about listening.

As you listen and experiment like this, write down issues you found that caused you to change your mind about what stop to use. That list becomes a guide for your service technician. If the console log book says that the third D-sharp of Swell Flute d’Amour is too soft, it will get corrected during the next service call. Conscientious organ technicians are pleased to find that list, because they know they can make the organ sound better for you.

A few months ago, during a nice restaurant dinner with a colleague who was voicing an important new organ, I asked what he hoped to achieve with the completed instrument. “I want to build something beautiful that will enrich the people who hear it.” It is your duty as organist to use each organ you play to its best advantage.

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

Parsons Pipe Organ Builders, Canandaigua, New York; Saint Benedict Cathedral, Evansville, Indiana

Given the opportunity for a major instrument in a large Catholic cathedral with superb acoustics, most builders might be forgiven for playing to type. These acoustics and this liturgy implies something French in nature, no? We know the great legacy the French have given to music and Catholicism; surely one thing follows another. And yet our Opus 52 for Saint Benedict Cathedral in Evansville, Indiana, had a different genesis and, in the end, a result well apart from the above pattern. The process, and the result, has been not merely a pleasant surprise, but—this project has proved to us—the right instrument for this place and these people.

Our first encounter with Saint Benedict’s contemplated a modest reworking of their 1930s Wicks. That first visit allowed us to be impressed by the opportunity before us. The parish of Saint Benedict was established in 1912, placed in pastoral care of the monks of Saint Meinrad Archabbey (which organists know today for the fine Goulding & Wood organ there). Designed in Lombard Basilica form, the edifice is grand: 150 feet long, 65 feet wide, and 63 feet tall. When completed in 1928 the ceiling was fitted with sound-attenuating Celotex tiles. In 1934, when it became possible to afford an organ, the parish acquired a two-manual, 20-rank Wicks, Opus 2367. In the practice of many 20th-century Catholic churches, the organ was divided in cases to either side of the rear window, with choir seating in between. This arrangement was never satisfactory, as the choir was buried between the organ cases yet unable to hear it clearly or project properly. A renovation in 2019 improved the acoustics and enlarged the gallery to accommodate sizable musical forces and a significant pipe organ.

As discussions continued, the original rebuilding idea gave way to a new three-manual organ, with a nave section to accompany singers up front. Still, the stoplist remained economical in feel until the already-generous lead donors decided they could do even more. Embellishments included a second fanfare reed, a full-length 32′ Trombone to join the open 32′ Contrebasse, and strengthened manual flute and principal choruses throughout.

Certain choices formed around vintage material, reworked along our musical ideals while still disclosing their heritage. Although the 1934 Wicks was a modest instrument, its musical content was distinctive. Wicks’s tonal director at this time, Henry Vincent Willis (a grandson of Father Willis and first cousin to Henry Willis III), evolved a version of late English Romantic heroic voicing much in the vein of Richard Whitelegg at M. P. Möller in the same period. With reconditioning, re-voicing, and upperwork, these pipes form the strong unenclosed Great chorus at the organ’s core. Additionally, the parish acquired a 1937 Austin from First Unitarian Church, Oakland, California, designed by James B. Jamison. Jamison’s ideals were in line with Willis’s; the Swell chorus fuses Wicks and Austin material (again revoiced and rebalanced) to match the Great’s in similar style. Fully winded and copiously nicked, these pipes sing with bright but not overdone trebles. The Mixture, expanded to four ranks, is especially silvery without being so loud as to complicate choral accompaniment.

Sharing an enclosure, the enclosed Great/Choir takes the design in different directions. The Harmonic and Spitz flutes are the expected Great registers, with the benefit of expression and joined to the organ’s boldest strings. The Gamba fills out the Great foundations; with its celeste, the two cap the string ensemble as a Solo pair might. The Choir’s foundations—the reedy Violin Diapason and stringy Fugara, of tapered construction—find kinship with the Great and Swell. The Choir 2′ Principal and III Mixture are the organ’s leanest; the chorus here can be based just as effectively on the 8′ Bourdon in the neoclassical manner. In contrast to the liquid tones of the Swell’s, the Choir’s flutes are more pointed and focused, balanced so that any combination makes sense while remaining clear. The mild color reeds top this ensemble, particularly with the woody 16′ Clarinet Bass underneath.

Finally, we had the luxury of providing Pedal flues with the range of clarity and depth a large organ requires, from the soft, ultra-clear Gemshorn to a pervading Open Wood whose treble range offers solo potential. The narrow-scale wood 32′ Contrebasse is a flexible chameleon, purring quietly alone while growing stronger as more 16′ tone is added.

The nave section is designed on the unit principle, something we generally avoid but seemed warranted here, given limited space coupled to a purely accompanimental program at this end of the cathedral. The Diapason is the organ’s leanest; an independent Twelfth is critical to a plausible-sounding chorus “effect.” Other ranks provide support at various levels of color and dynamic. The shimmering Unda Maris leads to the organ’s other soft celestes and beyond, and is especially ravishing as it disappears to celestial near-inaudibility. Formed from both open wood and metal pipes, the Concert Flute is a room-filling voice and becomes particularly emotional with tremolo. The Flügelhorn, of Skinner pattern but with harmonic trebles, is a do-everything stop, lyrical in solo and compelling in chorus. The pointed Pontifical Trumpet lies in between the Great/Pedal Bombarde and the Tuba. Thanks to the Opus-Two system and some invisible coupling intelligence, one can readily dialogue the Tuba and Pontifical Trumpet against the tutti.

Given the strength of the flue choruses, the chorus reeds might be unexpected: solidly English, yet not even at the power of where chorus reeds tend to fall in actual English instruments. Here again, the pre-existence of Wicks and Austin trumpets led us away from the overt and towards a mild grandeur, a recipe that ended up being superior for vocal support. This idea lines up nicely with where our organs have headed for several years now: organs that lead without competing, focused principally on Sunday morning without forgetting the occasional Saturday recital.

And it’s important to remember where we were: a Roman Catholic cathedral not in Paris or Toulouse, but firmly in the heartland of southwest Indiana. The music here spans the gamut, and an organ must take its accompanimental role not casually but with true seriousness. Tempting as such a space might compel one to blaze away with Trompettes and Cornets, those sounds would be largely antithetical to this organ’s core role: standing by one voice or a hundred, in sanctuary or gallery, helping singers to match pitch, with a measured treble ascendancy that stays clear without overwhelming the voices any organ hopes to lead.

In that regard, these darker reeds revealed themselves as assets, and with a sheer grandeur of tone compelling in their own right. The Austin chorus, reconceived and rebuilt by Christopher Broome, follows an early-20th-century English pattern: a 16′ Fagotto rich in heavy cream; a snappier but still well-bred 8′; a 4′ in between the others. The resolutely American-type Oboe makes a logical partner to the trumpet family. How these four reeds are balanced makes possible any number of lesser full swells, together with orchestral potential in coupling the Fagotto to either of the chipper 4′ and 2′ harmonic flutes. Even the Fagotto and Mixture by themselves make a convincing ensemble. A similar ideology is at work in the enclosed Great, where the Full Mixture—a one-stop chorus that gains an 8′ at middle C—fuses with those Trumpets as an alternative full Swell on the other side of the gallery.

Approaching the tutti, however, it seemed desirable that certain reeds rise to meet the power of the fluework and the grandeur of the space. The Pedal Bombarde is primarily a bass melody stop loosely in the French manner; its availability on the Great allows for occasional climaxes beyond the other reeds. The Pontifical Trumpet augments the ensemble further, especially when introduced behind closed shutters. These stops lead up to the magnificent Choir Tuba. Built by Shires in England, voiced by Christopher Broome, and placed directly behind the shutters, it offers clang and brawn in equal measure. The 32′ Trombone, extended from the Great double, is intentionally not dominating. Enclosure augments its usefulness in accompaniment.

As the organ design evolved, the cathedral’s musical team was keen to point out the problems of the old arrangement. Our instrument is in one large case against the rear wall, exposed to frame the central stained glass window by F. X. Zettler Studios of Munich. In this arrangement, the choir can hear both organ and themselves more clearly than ever. The unenclosed Great sits in the open center, on windchests so arranged as to be concealed by the case posts. One level down are Pedal trebles; behind both levels, the 32′ Contrebasse is stacked horizontally against the rear wall. The Swell stands in a large enclosure on the right, with the enclosed Great/Choir in a similar chamber on the left. The chassis is largely traditional, with slider chests for the main departments fed by a copious wind supply with wedge bellows. Single-note actions are employed for extended registers and those of higher pressure. The nave section is in a newly formed chamber behind a non-speaking façade. Built by J. Zamberlan & Co. and finished in our shop, the identical consoles were kept as simple as possible, with seven divisions over three, not four manuals. Various transfer couplers add flexibility for the nave and enclosed Great. Storage is abundant, with a pullout drawer beneath the manuals and music cabinets built into either side.

In designing our instruments, a chief goal is to make every pipe and mechanism easily reached for tuning and maintenance. Our designer Peter Geise works closely with Travis Tones and Ric Parsons to work out, refine, alter, and finalize every pathway inside any organ. (The saddest sound from any organ comes from tuners needlessly bonking their heads.) On the tonal side, the integration of old and new remains an art unto itself, merging existing and fresh material toward a tonal and musical result of complete unity. This is the particular skill of our tonal director Duane Prill, an Eastman-trained and practicing church organist, and voicer of some 35 years. Every flue pipe here has passed through his skilled hands, reviewed at length again in site finishing with Jonathan Ambrosino.

Projects of this magnitude take years to come to fruition, requiring individuals with the character, backbone, and sense of humor to overcome inevitable twists and turns. Throughout this project’s decade-long duration, we have had the pleasure of working with numerous individuals at the cathedral. Their goal was nothing less than an extraordinary instrument, not only for this active cathedral but also as a model for liturgy and music across the diocese.

Specifically, we thank director of music Mr. Jeremy Korba. From day one, Jeremy worked endlessly to optimize the outcome by uplifting the skills and talents of those around him. His signature phrase—“It’s all good”—sums up our experience. We also thank the Very Reverend Godfrey Mullen, OSB, former rector (currently rector at Cathedral of Saint Peter, Belleville, Illinois), and Father Alex Zenthoefer, current rector and vicar general of the Diocese of Evansville. Their support has been unwavering, with a wisdom and generosity of spirit even in the face of challenges associated with the cathedral renovation and subsequent pandemic.

The quiet and substantial generosity of Deacon David Allan Cook and his wife Virginia made this organ possible. They walked into the newly renovated cathedral and asked the simple question, “What else do you need?” Not only the organ but also an endowment for its future maintenance were funded solely by Mrs. Cook, as a gift to the cathedral and the community at large. It was especially sad when Deacon Cook passed away only while the organ was being installed. Our prayers go with Deacon Cook and to the entire Cook family.

For our firm, blessed with supportive clients over now decades, Saint Benedict’s has stood out for its sheer support, hospitality, and friendliness. They traveled the path with us from minor to major project and were gracious with the shift in schedule that change presented. When the three 53-foot tractor trailers showed up, scores of volunteers were ready to unload. When we needed to shift materials around the building, these same good people magically reappeared. Every midday we were fed plentifully, whether for a crew of two or fourteen. It’s easy to do one’s best work for such good people. To all the people of Saint Benedict’s, and to the glory of God, we dedicate our Opus 52.

Parsons Opus 52 will be dedicated by Nathan Laube on Saturday, February 8, 2025, at 7 p.m.

—Parsons Organ Builders

Cover photo: Mark Murry (Evansville Aerial)

GALLERY

Key action: electric-slider, with electric unit action. Stop action: electric

GREAT (Manual II, unenclosed) (* enclosed with Choir)

16′ Sub Principal (on façade) 61 pipes

16′ Gemshorn* (Choir)

8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Principal (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Harmonic Flute* 61 pipes

8′ Gamba* 61 pipes

8′ Gamba Celeste* 61 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Principal (ext 16′) 12 pipes 4′ Spitz Flute* 61 pipes

2-2/3′ Twelfth 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

1-3/5′ Seventeenth 54 pipes

Mixture IV 244 pipes

Full Mixture IV* 244 pipes

16′ Trombone* 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet* 61 pipes

4′ Clarion* (ext 16′) 24 pipes

8′ Tuba* (Choir)

8′ Bombarde (ext Ped Bomb) 17 pipes

Chimes (digital)

SWELL (Manual III,  expressive)

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt 61 pipes

8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Open Flute 61 pipes

8′ Chimney Flute (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Salicional 61 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste 61 pipes

8′ Flauto Dolce 61 pipes

8′ Flute Celeste 61 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Traverse Flute 61 pipes

2′ Piccolo 61 pipes

Mixture III–IV 221 pipes

16′ Contra Fagotto 61 pipes

8′ Trompette 61 pipes

8′ Oboe 61 pipes

4′ Clarion 61 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes

CHOIR (Manual I, expressive)

16′ Gemshorn 61 pipes

8′ Violin Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes

8′ Gemshorn (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Gemshorn Celeste 61 pipes

4′ Fugara 61 pipes

4′ Gemshorn (ext 16′) 12 pipes

4′ Chimney Flute 61 pipes

2-2/3′ Nasard 61 pipes

2′ Principal 61 pipes

2′ Block Flute 61 pipes

1-3/5′ Tierce 54 pipes

1-1/3′ Larigot 61 pipes

1′ Sifflöte 61 pipes

Mixture III 183 Pipes

16′ Bass Clarinet (ext 8′) 12 pipes

8′ Tromba (Great)

8′ Clarinet 61 pipes

8′ English Horn 61 pipes

8′ Tuba 61 pipes

8′ Concert Flute (Nave)

8′ Pontifical Trumpet (Nave)

Cymbelstern (bells)

Harp (digital)

Celesta (digital)

Orchestral Bells (digital)

PEDAL (unenclosed)

32′ Contrebasse 32 pipes

32′ Bourdon (digital)

16′ Open Wood 32 pipes

16′ Principal (Great)

16′ Contrebasse (ext 32′) 12 pipes

16′ Bourdon 32 pipes

16′ Gemshorn (Choir)

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)

8′ Octave (façade) 32 pipes

8′ Flûte (ext Open Wood) 12 pipes

8′ Bourdon (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Gemshorn (Choir)

8′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)

4′ Choral Bass (ext 8′) 12 pipes

4′ Flûte (ext. Open Wood) 12 pipes

32′ Contra Trombone 12 pipes (ext Great 16′)

16′ Bombarde 32 pipes

16′ Trombone (Great)

16′ Fagotto (Swell)

16′ Clarinet (Choir)

8′ Bombarde (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Tromba (Great)

8′ Fagotto (Swell)

4′ Clarion (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Tuba (Choir)

Chimes (digital)

NAVE

Key action: electric unit action.

Stop action: electric

 

Voice Analysis (all voices enclosed)

8 voices, 8 ranks, 560 pipes

16′ Bourdon 97 pipes

16′ Dulciana 85 pipes

8′ Diapason 73 pipes

8′ Concert Flute 61 pipes

8′ Unda Maris (TC) 61 pipes

22⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

8′ Flügelhorn 61 pipes

8′ Pontifical Trumpet 61 pipes

NAVE GREAT(Manual II)

8′ Diapason

8′ Concert Flute

8′ Chimney Flute

4′ Octave

4′ Chimney Flute

2′ Fifteenth

Mixture II

8′ Flügelhorn

8′ Pontifical Trumpet

NAVE SWELL (Manual III)

16′ Dulciana

8′ Chimney Flute

8′ Dulciana

8′ Unda Maris (TC)

4′ Octave

4′ Chimney Flute

4′ Dulciana

2-2/3′ Nazard

2′ Piccolo

8′ Flügelhorn

8′ Pontifical Trumpet

NAVE PEDAL

16′ Bourdon

16′ Dulciana

8′ Diapason

8′ Chimney Flute

4′ Octave

8′ Pontifical Trumpet

Accessories

General Tremulant

Nave Tremulant

Flexible Wind

Pedal Divide

All Swells to Swell

Crescendo On Nave Expression

Pedal Stops on Manual Combinations

Couplers

Intra-Manual

Gt to Gt 16

Gt Unison Off

Gt to Gt 4

Sw to Sw 16

Sw Unison Off

Sw to Sw 4

Ch to Ch 16

Ch Unison Off

Ch to Ch 4

Sw Nave Unison Off

Inter-Manual – Rocker tabs on nameboard

Sw to Gt 16

Sw to Gt 8

Sw to Gt 4

Ch to Gt 16

Ch to Gt 8

Ch to Gt 4

Nave Sw to Gt

Sw to Ch 16

Sw to Ch 8

Sw to Ch 4

Gt to Ch 8

Enc. Gt on Ch

Nave Sw on Ch

Ped to Ch

Ch to Sw 8

Sw to Ped 8

Sw to Ped 4

Gt to Ped 8

Ch to Ped 8

Ch to Ped 4

Nave Gt to Ped 8

Nave Sw to Ped 8

Ped Unison Off

Manual I-II Transfer

 

Manual compass: C–c 61 notes

Pedal compass: C–g 32 notes

 

Builder’s website: parsonsorgans.com

Cathedral website: www.saintbenedictcathedral.org

Peragallo Pipe Organ Company, Patterson, New Jersey; Saint Malachy Catholic Church, Brownsburg, Indiana

From the builder

When you arrive at a church for the first look and are greeted by the entire staff, you are off to a good start! That was the case with Saint Malachy. Hector Salcedo, the music minister, was joined by the pastor, Father Sean Danda, and the associate pastor, Father Michael Clawson, the business manager, John Kiefer, and the facility manager, Doug Tapscott, and finally the technical wizard, Michael Jasiak, as we walked through the door. This collegial team listened as we discussed everything from acoustics, organ location and casework design, tonal specifications, funding the instrument, and of course—where the best Italian trattoria in the area would be found.

This parish is so welcoming, with a generous gathering space with warm greeters flanked by social areas before entering the nave. You can feel that this place is built and operates well beyond just “Sunday Mass” and provides its parishioners with a full offering of social gatherings. All throughout the installation we were surprised with community events the church would host such as the county fair and hog roast! Approaching the church from the corn fields, one is taken with the free-standing bell tower and the church leaping high into the sky.

This nave is grand, with a seating capacity of over 1,200 and a very unconventional 270-degree in-the-round floor plan. The challenge quickly became how to situate an organ that could cover the full breath of floor space. The acoustical environment was perfectly bright and semi-reverberant, with plenty of height and lots of hard surfaces.

The first order of business was the tonal design. The back and forth with Hector was great—with many late-night conversations. The resulting instrument grew to “cathedral” proportions with a French design controlled from our low-profile terraced four-manual console. The console is movable, as the parish concert series is most active. Within minutes of completion, before the tools were even packed, Hector combined forces with the Diocesan Cathedral Choir and director Andrew Motyka, and accompanied a performance of the Duruflé Requiem as part of a parish Mass.

Frank Peragallo and John Peragallo IV designed a stepped, angled casework to project the tone of the instrument around the church. This proved most effective, and the ceiling’s reflectiveness added to the success of the full tonal coverage. Finally, the addition of a Celestial division, positioned high in the center of the room, offers the organist another tool in accompanying congregational hymnody and moving the solo colors around the room.

The repurposed Reuter pipes were reworked and placed on a new chassis, with the only “new” rank of pipes being the Trompette en Chamade with flared resonator bells. Rather than it being a true commander, it tops the chorus nicely and can be pulled in smoothly for big endings. We left the “party horn” for the Celestial organ where the Walker digitally sampled Tuba Magna offers a powerful yet comfortable alternative to the pipe “chamade.”

The tonal specification provides complete divisions in typical French style. There are three expressive divisions to properly accompany choral singing. A variety of celestes, solo reeds, and percussion are available. The tonal finishing was performed by John Peragallo III with Anthony Peragallo, a fourth-generation organ builder; they were able to successfully blend the repurposed pipework into a true bouquet of sound.

The Solo division, which lives on the fourth clavier, allows the organist to access a variety of stops from various divisions—such as the Great Cornet décomposé, the Positif 8′ Cromorne, and 16′ Clarinette playing at 8′ pitch. The Trompette en Chamade is also available at 16′, 8′, and 4′ pitches non-coupling for easy access. Hector’s skills at improvisation are evident as he employs these stops without concern for the plenum of the other divisions. The Solo is also home to an additional principal chorus of large scale and fiery chorus reeds.

As mentioned, the heavenly Celestial division floats down from on high, offering a nice alternative with a full complement of flutes, strings, reeds, and an additional principal chorus and a tower carillon.

Considerable thought, design, and engineering was put into the planning of this beautiful instrument, so that three important functions of a church organ would be achieved: the leading of worship in song, satisfying the performance requirements of the major musical compositions written for “The King of Instruments,” and finally, enhancing the architectural magnificence of the building. We firmly believe these goals have been fulfilled with the new Peragallo organ at Saint Malachy Church. Since its installation the organ has supported an ambitious concert series and weekly liturgies, taking the music to a new level of inspirational praise.

Many thanks to all at Saint Malachy who assisted in this noble project including Reverend Sean Danda, pastor, Mr. Hector Salcedo, director of music, John Kiefer, business manager, Michael Jasiak, videographer, who documented the entire project; and finally, the talented staff of the Peragallo Organ Company.

—John Peragallo III

From the music director

Saint Malachy Catholic Church in Brownsburg, Indiana, has a history dating back more than 150 years. It was founded by natives of Ireland who immigrated to America in the late 1840s. In 2014 the parish relocated to a site outside town in the beautiful countryside. The parishioners insisted on building a bigger church, and after much effort, our current magnificent structure became a reality. Since the project’s inception, the possibility of having a pipe organ was considered.

In 2017 I was hired as music director of the parish, and I had the dream of fulfilling the task of seeing a pipe organ installed in our church. Of course, purchasing a pipe organ is not an easy task. I first subscribed to an email list to receive notifications of any second-hand pipe organs for sale.

In May 2019 I received an email announcing the sale, at an affordable price, of Reuter Opus 1368 (1962), three manuals, 33 ranks, at the Northminster Presbyterian Church, located in Indianapolis. What a great opportunity to be able to play the organ before buying it, and even better, to take my pastor to listen to it! He was so enthusiastic that after a month he signed the contract. Goulding & Wood removed the instrument, and we put the organ in storage until we were able to raise the necessary funds.

The organ was originally built in 1958 for the American Guild of Organists convention in Houston, Texas. It then had two manuals, 25 ranks. In 2006 Schantz built a new three-manual console; following that, Goulding & Wood added the 16′ Principal extension to the Pedal.

After making a short list of organbuilders, we interviewed three of them, and decided that Peragallo was the best option for us. Their unique approach as well as their quality workmanship were just what we were looking for. John Peragallo III is also an organist, so he knows what an organist needs. We had many conversations about the tonal palette and the best option to enlarge it. We wanted an organ to support the liturgy by accompanying the congregation, choir, and cantors, while also providing sufficient tonal resources for organ literature. We decided to expand the organ with more pipes and with digital stops from Walker Technical Company. There was no doubt that the French style would cover all our needs. We also needed a moveable console for the different activities we have in our parish, and thus decided to build a new console.

Frank Peragallo inspected the organ in storage and pointed out major defects and other concerns. After many conversations, we decided to build a completely new chassis, keeping only the pipes.

Our church has a semicircular shape where the sides open a little more at an angle. This meant that if we built an organ parallel to the wall, the sound would be projected in a direction other than the center of our church. We decided to angle the casework in such a way that near the chancel it would be narrower, and it would widen as you move away from it. Frank Peragallo created the design, and we loved it from the first sketch. He used visual elements from our own church to make the organ look like it had always been there. Even the music rack is reminiscent of the railing that surrounds the sanctuary.

This pipe organ was built in a short period of time thanks to our many generous donors and the incredible crew of the Peragallo Pipe Organ Company. It was amazing to see how many people were eager to have a pipe organ in our parish.

—Hector Salcedo

Hector Salcedo studied composition, organ, and improvisation at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome. He was an assistant organist in the Vatican and a member of the Cappella Giulia and the Choir of the Vicariato della Basilica di S. Pietro.

Photo credit: Michael Harker

 

Builder’s website: www.peragallo.com

Church’s website: stmalachy.org

GRAND ORGUE  (manual I)

16′ Violone 61 wps

8′ Montre I 61 wps

8′ Montre II 61 pipes

8′ Violoncelle 61 wps

8′ Flûte Harmonique* 49 pipes

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes

8′ Cor de Nuit (Récit)

8′ Cor de Chamois Celeste II (Positif)

4′ Prestant 61 pipes

4′ Flûte Fuseau 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Quinte 61 wps

2′ Doublette 61 pipes

2′ Flûte à Bec (ext) 12 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce  61 wps

III Fourniture 183 pipes

IV Cymbale 244 wps

16′ Contre Trompette 61 wps

8′ Trompette 61 wps

4′ Clairon 61 wps

8′ Trompette en Chamade (Solo)

16′ G.O.

  G.O.Unison

  4′ G.O.

Chimes

G. O. Midi 1

  G. O. Midi 2

POSITIF (expressive, manual II)

16′ Quintaton 61 wps

8′ Montre 61 wps

8′ Flûte à Cheminée 61 pipes

8′ Viola Pomposa 61 wps

8′ Viola Celéste 61 wps

8′ Cor de Chamois 61 pipes

8′ Cor de Chamois Celéste (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Flûte Traversière 61 pipes

4′ Unda Maris II (composite)

2′ Octavin 61 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Larigot 61 pipes

1′ Sifflet 61 pipes

III Fourniture 183 wps

III Scharf 183 pipes

16′ Clarinette 61 wps

8′ Trompette Doux 61 wps

8′ Cromorne 61 pipes

Tremulant

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Celestial)

16′ Positif

Positif Unison

4′ Positif

Positif Midi 1

Positif Midi 2

RECIT (expressive, manual III)

16′ Bourdon Doux 61 wps

8′ Montre 61 pipes

8′ Flûte Bouchée 61 pipes

8′ Viole de Gambe 61 pipes

8′ Voix Celéste (TC) 49 pipes

8′ Flauto Celeste II 122 wps

4′ Prestant 61 pipes

4′ Flûte Ouverte 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nasard 61 pipes

2′ Doublette (ext) 12 pipes

2′ Flûte à Bec 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes

III–IV Plein Jeu 244 wps

16′ Basson 61 pipes

8′ Trompette 61 pipes

8′ Hautbois  61 wps

8′ Voix Humaine 61 wps

4′ Clarion (ext) 12 pipes

Tremulant

8′ Trompette en Chamade (Solo)

16′ Récit

Récit Unison

4′ Récit

Récit Midi 1

Récit Midi 2

SOLO (manual IV)

16′ Montre (G.O.)

8′ Montre 61 wps

8′ Flûte Majeure 61 wps

8′ Bourdon (G.O.)

4′ Octav 61 wps

4′ Flûte Octaviante (G.O.)

2-2⁄3′ Quinte (G.O.)

2′ Octavin (G.O.)

1-3⁄5′ Tierce (G.O.)

V Fourniture Harmonique 305 wps

III Tierce Cymbale 183 wps

16′ Bombarde Harmonique 61 wps

8′ Trompette Harmonique 61 wps

4′ Clairon Harmonique 61 wps

8′ Cor Anglais 61 wps

8′ Cromorne (Positif)

8′ Clarinette (Positif)

16′ Trompette en Chamade (G.O.)

8′ Trompette en Chamade* 49 pipes

Tremulant

Solo Unison

Chimes

CELESITAL (floating)

8′ Principal 61 wps

8′ Flûte à Pavillon 61 wps

8′ Viole Sordone 61 wps

8′ Viole Celéste 61 wps

4′ Octav 61 wps

4′ Flûte Amabile 61 wps

2-2⁄3′ Nasat 61 wps

2′ Octavin 61 wps

1-3⁄5′ Tierce 61 wps

V Fourniture 305 wps

8′ Tuba Mirabilis 61 wps

8′ Corno di Bassetto 61 wps

Tremulant

16′ Celestial

Celestial Unison

4′ Celestial

PÉDALE

32′ Contre Basse 32 wps

32′ Contre Bourdon 32 wps

16′ Flûte Ouverte 32 wps

16′ Montre 32 pipes

16′ Violone (G.O.)

16′ Bourdon 32 wps

16′ Bourdon Doux (Récit)

8′ Octav Basse 32 pipes

8′ Bourdon (ext 16′) 12 wps

8′ Flûte Doux (Récit)

8′ Cor de Chamois (Positif)

4′ Doublette 32 pipes

4′ Flûte Ouverte (G.O.)

IV Fourniture 128 pipes

32′ Contre Bombarde 32 wps

16′ Bombarde 32 wps

16′ Contre Trompette (G.O.)

16′ Basson (Récit)

8′ Trompette (G.O.)

4′ Cromorne (Positif)

8′ Trompette en Chamade (Solo)

Tower Carillon

wps = Walker pipe sampled

* 1–12 wps

 

Couplers

Grand Orgue à Pédale 8, 4

Recit à Pédale 8, 4

Positif à Pédale 8, 4

Solo à Pédale 8, 4

Celestial à Pédale, 8

Récit à Grand Orgue 16, 8, 4

Positif à Grand Orgue 16, 8, 4

Solo à Grand Orgue 8

Celestial sur Grand Orgue 8

Récit à Positif 16, 8, 4

Solo à Positif 8

Celestial sur Positif 8

Grand Orgue à Positif 8

Celestial sur Récit 8

Solo à Récit 8

Celestial sur Solo 8

Manual Transfer G.O./Positif

 

Pedal Movements

Celestial / Solo

Positif

Récit

Crescendo

 

Combination System

General 1–12 thumb and toe

Récit 1–6 thumb

G.O. 1–6 thumb

Positif 1–6 thumb

Solo 1–6 thumb

Celestial 1–4 thumb

Pédale 1–5 toe

Cancel

Grand Orgue à Pédale thumb and toe

Récit à Pédale  thumb and toe

Positif à Pédale thumb and toe

Récit à Grand Orgue thumb

Positif à Grand Orgue thumb

Solo a Grand Orgue thumb

Recit a Positif

Etoile Sonore toe

Tûtti thumb and toe

Next and Previous thumb and toe

Contre Basse 32 toe

Contre Bourdon 32 toe

Contre Bombarde 32 toe

Ipad Page Back thumb and toe

Ipad Page Forward thumb and toe

All Récit à Récit thumb

Bass Coupler thumb

G.O. Melody Coupler thumb

 

40 ranks / 50 Walker pipe sampled

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