New organs

Austin Organs, 

Hartford, Connecticut

Opus 2344 (1961 and 2014)

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church,

New Canaan, Connecticut

In New Canaan, Connecticut, just north of a town landmark known as “God’s Acre,” an imposing edifice rises from the staid landscape. St. Mark’s Church was erected in 1961. Approaching from the south, the church beckons your creative spirit as it heralds the artistry that pervades its sacred space. The entrance of the church, facing an elegant, grassy commons to the south, is easily accessed from the street. Entering the two large, intricately carved doors one finds oneself inside an impressive sanctuary that evokes the feeling of a Gothic cathedral. Triangular vaults rise up majestically from towering concrete columns. The altar is clearly the focal point of the room, but behind the altar stands an equally impressive reredos approximately 35 feet wide, standing some 40 feet in the air, displaying 184 intricately carved figures. It was designed by sculptor Clark Fitz-Gerald, whose works can be found in Columbia University, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Carnegie Hall, and Coventry Cathedral in England. 

Behind this acoustically transparent screen stands Austin Organs’ Opus 2344, dedicated by John Weaver in a concert on January 7, 1962. In 2014, Austin installed several new stops and completed an extensive tonal redesign of the instrument.

From the musician

In 2000, we started discussion about completing some major work on the organ. We thought it important to return to the company that gave birth to the instrument, so we called Austin Organs in Hartford for an evaluation and recommendations. Unfortunately the church was not ready to proceed with the project at that point, so the plan was placed on hold. When we revisited the project in 2008, I was surprised and pleased to reconnect with my former schoolmate from Westminster Choir College, Mike Fazio, who was now president and tonal director of the Austin company. 

As fate would have it, the company, now reborn under the auspices of the new owners, has revisited some of the original Austin organbuilding and voicing practices—their mindset moving beyond the so-common trend of “what’s happening now” and going back to some of the venerable earlier ideals. This philosophy is happily right in line with my own personal vision for this organ. I think that this key point in our collaboration helped lead to the successful rebirth of this instrument. Further, I believe that the combination of the talents of the outstanding Austin craftspeople, some who have been with the company for many years, along with the new administration, who respect the past but also embrace the future, to be a winning combination without equal. Working on this project, I was always confident in our conversations about the direction of the instrument, and I was pleased with the outcome, because we were consistently in sync. They always listened to my vision, and it felt like we were always on the same page with the ultimate goal.

When I arrived in 1998, it was already an organ to be proud of, and I was very happy to be playing this Austin, because it essentially worked well in this space. But today, with the tonal work and expansion, it has become much more versatile. While the organ certainly could have been defined as “American Classic,” I would now say that, while that character remains, we now have the impression of an “English Town Hall” instrument. The organ can handle a broader spectrum of literature, and I find that I can accompany the service in a much more exciting way. When I use the term “exciting,” I am not just talking about louder sounds, I am talking about the inclusion of some softer voices imparting more interesting nuance than there was previously. Utilizing the new timbres available in the pedal organ, the organ has developed a new undergirding that has truly helped its effectiveness in hymn accompaniment, among other things. The inventiveness of the Austin company in finding a creative way to add real pipes (installing a full-length 16′ reed in the Swell, and a full-length 32′ reed in the Pedal, and of course, the 32′/16′ Pedal Bourdon) was amazing! The 16′ Bourdon is also an excellent addition, as it helps support the lower voices in the choir and congregation. I am so proud to be able to boast that all of our additions are real pipes, real chimes, and a real harp, without having to resort to the digital versions. I am convinced that these real voices do add significant richness and quite amazing harmonic underpinning. I am therefore able to play the organ in a much fuller way than I could previously. This has improved both my musical creativity and the choir and congregation’s singing in response. 

—Brian-Paul Thomas

Organist and Choirmaster

From the builder

The organ has excellent tonal projection from its lofty position on the central axis of the church. Its tonal disposition is somewhat reminiscent of the late work of Austin’s most famous tonal designer, James Blaine Jamison (1882–1957). He began with the Austin Company in 1933, and his impact was rather dramatic. Early in his relationship with the company, he redefined the Austin Diapason scaling system and introduced his concepts for ensemble structure and voicing, which were quickly adopted and became common practice for a generation. Richard Piper (tonal director from 1952–1978,) continued the same trend, but imparted his own stamp on the company’s work. Piper had apprenticed for nearly a decade under Henry Willis III, working on many of England’s monumental instruments, his final work being the Dome Organ at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. Coming to Austin, he was able to impart a bit of English nuance to the Austin version of the American Classic tonal ensemble, but that nuance did not seem to be present in this instrument. My predecessor at Austin Organs, Bruce Buchanan, visited the organ in September 2000. His impression was congruous with my own, in that he proclaimed, “St. Mark’s organ is a version of American Classic with North-European leanings. This means brightness has been preferred to brilliance, and clarity to body.” It was interesting to find his notes some months after I had submitted my own assessment to the church with similar findings.

The St. Mark’s organ had been an interesting platform for Richard Piper’s tonal experimentation. The Great and Positiv were voiced on low pressure (2¾′′ wind). It would appear that the Great Organ had the strongest North-German influence: light Prinzipal scaling, heavy mixture scaling, and the foundation apparently based on the 16′ Quintaton. Overall, the division exhibited bright ensemble tone and the Positiv was much like it. The Swell was designed with somewhat stronger English influence. It, like the Choir, was voiced on 4′′ of wind presure. It was built with colorful flutes, and lush string tone; it also had a full reed chorus, yet not a proper Oboe; there was a high-pitched Plein Jeu, yet the department lacked a full principal chorus. The Choir flue chorus is made up of flutes, independent cornet mutations, and a Gemshorn and Celeste. The Choir reeds included a rather thin Krummhorn (3/4′′ scale) and an 8′ Trumpet, voiced on 6′′ of wind pressure. In the style of many fine Austin instruments of the period, this organ’s Pedal division had nine independent ranks of pipes, beginning with a generous 16′ Open Wood Contra Bass, through a Pedal Mixture and reed chorus. At some point in history, an electronic 32′ Bourdon extension was added, but had failed and was disconnected several years ago.

Approaching the organ’s tonal redesign, we had some specific goals in mind: improve the Diapason chorus, revoice/replace some existing reeds, and supplement the Pedal department. Other enhancements became possible as the project developed. For example, while we would have liked to build a new, movable, drawknob console for the instrument, a decision was made for the present time to maintain the existing console. It was certainly showing its age, but we decided to add new stopkeys in situ for the new voices. This approach would allow us to use more available funds for tonal work as a first step. It would seem that God had other thoughts. Within a month of signing the contract for the tonal work, the church was hit by an electrical storm that disabled the console, along with the church’s sound system. We removed the console to the factory, and installed a new multiplexed console and organ control system, featuring a fiber-optic connection between the console and the organ’s Universal Air Chest. While back “home” in the factory, the manual and pedal claviers were refurbished, all new wiring and stop controls were installed, and the elegant black walnut casework finish was also restored. 

Tonal matters

The first matter to address was the wind pressure. To achieve the aural presence we collectively desired, we recognized that the pressure needed to be increased. To that end, we chose to increase the wind pressure to 4′′ water column for the entire instrument. Next, we needed to make a decision regarding the disposition of the Great Organ’s 16′ Quintaton, which had been partly replaced (from 8′ C) several years earlier with Bourdon pipes. The breakpoint from the 8′ to the 16′ octave was abominable, and the effect of the Quintaton in general was counterproductive to our desired ensemble. The Great Mixture was overwhelming and the rest of the chorus was anemic. Our sweeping decision was to remove the entire Quintaton from the specification, and to achieve a manual 16′ voice, install a new Austin Internal Borrow action in the chest that would play the Pedal 16′ Spitz Flute as a Great stop. Previously, this stop was only available in the manual at 8′ pitch, and 16′ in the Pedal. Austin’s voicer Dan Kingman revoiced these pipes to create an excellent Viole de Gamba. Being mildly conical (1/2 taper), we adjusted the nomenclature to reflect that construction, calling it a Spitz Viole. As a manual 16′ and 8′ borrow, it has proven to be extremely successful. While we were sweeping through the organ, we chose to “wash” the 1960s voicing out of the Great Bourdon, which resulted in a flute with more warmth and fundamental. The Diapason and Principal were rescaled, and the Spitz Fifteenth replaced with a new set of Principal pipes that work well with this new chorus. The existing Fourniture was also replaced with new pipes, scaled and voiced to fit perfectly with the new scheme. The final element was the inclusion of a new reed stop for the Great. After much discussion, the choice was made to install an English Horn. Rather than yet another Trumpet, or something from the Clarinet family, we concluded that an English Horn would serve equally well as either a gentle solo or ensemble voice. 

In the Swell, we regret that we were unable to add a new Diapason, as space would not allow it. However, the large scale Viola and Flute are rather successful, evoking “synthetic Diapason” tone, to quote the late G. Donald Harrison. A vintage 4′ Wald Flute was installed to replace the original, which was removed several years ago, having been replaced with the Koppelflute from the Positiv, where it was subsequently returned. The 8′ octave of the Rohrflute was moved off the main chest, and in its place we located the 12 lowest pipes of the 16′ Waldhorn (full-length). The rather pleasant 8′ (French) Trumpet was revoiced to blend well in the ensemble, and a new 8′ (English) Oboe was installed. As a compromise to allow the installation of the Oboe, we removed the 4′ Clarion, (which was rather thin) and extended the Waldhorn to 4′ pitch to complete the chorus. Also added to the organ was a vintage Austin Vox Humana. This particular type is affectionately known as a “Vox-in-a-Box,” as the pipes are entirely placed within an encased chest that hangs directly in front of the Swell expression shades and can be adjusted for dynamic by opening or closing the top cover of said box. The effect of the Vox Humana in this church is extremely successful—it shimmers like a “chorus of voices in the distance!” Finally, the high-pitched mixture was removed and replaced with a new IV–V Plein Jeu, starting at 22⁄3′ pitch. It provides a measure of gravitas to the ensemble, whether flues or reeds. 

In the Choir, we removed the thin, baroque Krummhorn, and replaced it with an 8′ Cremona, which is a hybrid stop that is constructed as a Clarinet in the lower registers, then it morphs into our Cromorne scale in the treble. This treatment delivers the color of a rich Clarinet in the tenor range and the brightness of a French Cromorne in the right hand. As a matter of course, the existing high-pressure Trumpet was reconstructed (new tuning inserts, etc.) and revoiced.

The changes to the Pedal division were rather dramatic. We were able to redesign the offset chests at the sides of the main organ to allow the installation of a 32′ and 16′ Bourdon. More dramatic yet, we chose to extend the Swell 16′ Waldhorn (a time-honored tradition) to become the 32′ Pedal reed. Organist Brian-Paul Thomas was very clear in his vision for this voice: he did not want a jackhammer or clatter, but smooth dark tone. Using this thought as a guideline, we scaled this stop moderately, and consequently, the 12 full-length resonators fit nicely in the space occupied by the former Quintaton, located in a split arrangement on either side of the Great chest.

The other two voices added to the organ were a set of Deagan Class A chimes, and a vintage Austin Harp. These two percussions also work very nicely in this space.

Conclusion

We find the new instrument is exciting, rich, and versatile. It has a delicious, smooth crescendo from pianissimo to fortissimo, never missing a step! These changes were made possible because of the amazing flexibility of the Austin Universal Airchest design. Having been at the helm of Austin since 2005, I am still constantly in awe of the versatility of the Austin system. 

In a future article, we would like to discuss the transformation of a few Austin organs. These instruments were built in the same time period (the mid-1960s). The tonal disposition of each organ was very similar, and they were stereotypical of the period, and desperate for change! The study of the resulting specifications will serve as empirical evidence for any church with an organ, especially an Austin, thinking that there is no hope for a rather bland tonal ensemble. The transformation of each organ was completed with remarkable success—each one unique. We are also embarking on a plan to make a collective recording of these instruments.

While history furnishes a wealth of motivation, we are confident that new avenues and designs are only just around the corner that may enhance earlier efforts. As surely as we are inspired by the triumphs of the past, we face the challenges of today by building organs that will continue to inspire interest beyond today, beyond tomorrow, and into the next generation. Art is only art when it represents the best efforts of the Creator, with both eyes open to even greater possibilities. We aim to create something significant for worship and the performance of great music, and in the greater sphere, to offer our own illumination of how music might be made.

—Michael B. Fazio

Austin Organs, Inc.

President and Tonal Director

Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders, Bellwood, Illinois

Trinity Lutheran Church, 

Auburn, Ilinois

Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders, Bellwood, Illinois

Trinity Lutheran Church, 

Auburn, Ilinois

Located a few miles southwest of Springfield, Illinois, Trinity Lutheran Church is home to a new organ consisting of pipe resources from a 1958 Casavant, Opus 2490 (II/9), which was expanded by adding a new 8′ Trumpet and Mixture II–III to increase tonal flexibility. Originally installed in a large space, the organ had to be completely reconfigured in order to fit in to the compact accommodations that were available on the left side of the chancel. Swell and Pedal pipes are located in a pipe chamber, and Great pipes are located on a chest that is cantilevered into the nave.  

Great pipes were revoiced on 70mm wind pressure in order to compensate for the change in environment from the previous location. Existing flue pipes were voiced mildly with generous toe diameters, and the added mixture was scaled and voiced to add brilliance with a “reedy” quality, in the absence of a proper Great reed. Open wood pipes of the Great 8′ Hohlflöte (Melodia) were revoiced with lower cut-ups in order to give the stop some light articulation on the new wind pressure. The existing console was updated to include a new solid-state switching system, which includes record/playback capabilities, as well as MIDI input. Used primarily for the accompaniment of hymns and choir anthems, this organ is the first pipe organ for Trinity.   

Scott Riedel of Scott R. Riedel & Associates in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, served as consultant for the project. The organ was formally heard in recital in December 2011, with Berghaus’s tonal director Jonathan Oblander as organist. 

—Kelly Monette and 

Jonathan Oblander

Photo credit: Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders

Austin Organs, Inc., 

Hartford, Connecticut 

Opus 2795

First Baptist Church, 

Washington, D.C.

Austin Organs, Inc., 

Hartford, Connecticut 

Opus 2795

First Baptist Church, 

Washington, D.C.

Fulfillment of a vision: the second five-manual organ in the City of Washington

First Baptist Church’s new Austin Organ installation marks the realization of a vision that has been several generations in the making for both the church and the organbuilder. First Baptist Church was organized in 1802 when Thomas Jefferson was president and Washington, D.C., was a village of only a few thousand people. The first worship space was in a building where the U.S. Treasury is now located. From that early time, First Baptist has provided continuous ministry in the heart of the nation’s capital. Since the division of Baptists North and South in 1845, First Baptist has been a vital link between major national Baptist bodies. It maintains membership in the District of Columbia Baptist Convention (which is triply aligned with the American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A., the Progressive National Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention). First Baptist Church is also affiliated with the Alliance of Baptists, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and the Baptist World Alliance. Several U.S. presidents have worshiped here, notably Harry S. Truman, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton. The church has occupied five buildings on four sites in the District of Columbia, including one that is now Ford’s Theater, where President Lincoln was assassinated. 

The first service in the new sanctuary at 16th & O Streets was held on January 12, 1890, and six pastors served in the years that followed. Following his installation as senior pastor in 1937, Dr. Edward Pruden led the church in a building campaign. In 1953, First Baptist tore down its previous building and started construction on its current neo-gothic sanctuary on the same site. The first worship service in the new sanctuary was celebrated on Christmas Day in 1955. The plans initially included a large organ that was to be installed in the chancel area and constructed to match the baptistry. Due to funding shortfalls, however, it was eventually decided that the previous M.P. Möller organ would be re-installed in the new building. Under the subsequent three-decade leadership of minister of music Alvin T. Lunde, proposals from myriad organbuilders were examined and considered. 

Ironically, it was the acquisition of a new nine-foot Steinway concert grand piano that revived the church’s hopes for a new organ. In 2007 First Baptist member Carol M. Kirby, who sits on the board of visitors for George Mason University, was assisting the school in acquiring new Steinway pianos for their Steinway School of Music. Through her leadership and introductions to Steinway, the church was able to purchase one of the last concert grand pianos signed by Henry Z. Steinway. The acquisition of the new piano inspired members of First Baptist to believe the time had come to complete the long-deferred dream of a new pipe organ for the church. In early 2010, First Baptist member Dr. Wayne Angell met with the newly installed Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Haggray and members of the church leadership team to investigate the possibility of moving forward with the organ project if the initial funding for the project could be raised. After receiving enthusiastic endorsement, Dr. Angell then worked to raise the funds to meet the cost of the organ. 

Austin’s history of building large instruments

In the early part of the 20th century, an ever-increasing number of important contracts steadily built the Austin Organ Company’s reputation for organs of impressive design and solid construction. A significant piece of Austin history was the company’s hiring in 1901 of the infamous Robert Hope-Jones (later known as the father of the Wurlitzer organ) to help direct the company into the symphonic realm. During this time Hope-Jones, through Austin, exposed the United States to the Diaphone, famously installed in lighthouses and fire stations around the country. The premier organ version of this somewhat musical “noise” to which Austin held the patent, however, is known as the Magnaton. Hope-Jones also brought us high-pressure voicing for both reeds and flue pipes. While the organ at First Baptist does not have a Magnaton, it does have some interesting higher-pressure voicing than is typical. Before discussing the particulars of this new instrument, let us present some history of our instruments built for concert halls and auditoriums. Hallmarks of their design include walk-in airboxes with vestibules (airlocks), significant wind pressures, generous scaling, and a wealth of orchestral and traditional organ stops. Even an incomplete chronology of these instruments and their clients is impressive:

Opus 120 was installed in the Auditorium of John Wanamaker’s New York Store in 1904.

Opus 182 for the Jamestown Exposition, Jamestown, Virginia, was the first concert organ for which we won an award. A succession of instruments in concert halls followed, including Opus 199 in the Greek Hall of Wanamaker’s Philadelphia store, Opus 252 in the ballroom of the Hotel Astor, New York City, and Opus 279 in John M. Greene Auditorium of Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts. Of these, the Greek Hall organ survives, relocated from the store, as does the Smith College organ, which we rebuilt a number of years ago. Opus 323, built for the City Hall Auditorium of Portland, Maine in 1912, is today one of the most famous municipal concert instruments in the United States. The Spreckels Organ, Opus 453, installed in 1914 outdoors in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, certainly needs no introduction. 

Opus 500 (120 ranks), for the Festival Hall of the Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915, was completed and delivered in less than six months. Opus 558 for Medinah Temple in Chicago crossed paths with Opus 500 on the shop floor in 1915. Opus 573 for the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City followed shortly thereafter. Opus 913, built for the mysterious Bohemian Club of San Francisco, is also located outdoors like the San Diego organ. 

Opus 1206 was built in 1924 for the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Opus 1416 was built in 1926 for the Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition in Philadelphia, and was the largest new instrument built at one time by the Austin Organ Company, having 162 speaking ranks. We restored this instrument in the early 2000s. Finally, Opus 1627 for Horace Bushnell Memorial Hall in Hartford is a still-later example of Austin’s concert hall instruments. This organ, dating from 1929, was restored by Austin in 1989. 

This list only scratches the surface. The legacy and memory of these monumental instruments echo around our shop in the records and photographs of their construction and subsequent history. The machines and fixtures on which they were built continue to turn out new instruments, including the First Baptist organ.

Critical elements of the tonal design

With the reality of the purchase of a pipe organ on the horizon, the church was fortunate to have minister of music Dr. Lon Schreiber on staff. Three decades earlier, he had overseen the “other” five-manual organ in the City of Washington installed at National City Christian Church. After reviewing a stack of proposals that stood two feet high, he contacted Austin Organs through Austin representative William E. Gray. Drawing on his experience as former president of M.P. Möller, and certainly having designed more large organs in this country than any single person alive, he and Lon developed a stoplist of slightly more than 100 ranks, along with some digital augmentation, across five manuals. Bill Gray had a concept for two large organ cases in the chancel (the existing organ has been covered with two decomposing drapes since 1955). The Austin design staff turned this concept into a rendering, and the church enthusiastically endorsed Austin Organs, Inc. to build the new organ for First Baptist.

Austin’s staff drew upon more than a century of design and voicing experience for this project. Each stop was meticulously scrutinized for scale, design, and voicing. The gallery organ project was revised early in the contract to utilize some pipework from the church’s former organ. This, along with several replacements of pipework in lieu of digital, brought the rank count to 118.

The scaling and refinement of this concept was completed by the combined experience of some of the most seasoned voicing staff in the country, including assistant tonal director Dan Kingman, senior voicer Fred Heffner, reed voicer Sam Hughes, and voicers Holly Odell, Annie Wysocki, David Johnston, and tonal director Mike Fazio.

After several visits to the church, it was determined that this large worship space called for an instrument voiced on significant wind pressures. The main airchests are set at 7 inches wind pressure, 10 inches for the Mounted Cornet, and 12 inches and 22 inches for the reeds. In our experience, heavy wind-pressure voicing delivers tone colors and intensity not possible with light-pressure organs. 

The manual divisions of this instrument have multiple diapason, flute, and reed choruses. The mixtures are reasonably pitched and scaled, and the voicing is gently ascendant without stridency. The flutes are subtly voiced for variety, blend, and individualistic tonal colors. Ample mutations, rich string tone, and complete reed choruses expand the tonal palette, allowing the musician to create a kaleidoscope of sound.

The Resonance division is a new concept for Austin, its deployment in this organ due to Bill Gray’s tonal design. The Resonance Organ is composed of the actual voices of the Pedal Organ, but adding 29 pipes, extending from 32 to 61 pipes per rank. Mechanically, it has been possible utilizing an almost forgotten chest design: the Austin Duplex Chest Mechanism. The voices are full, round and deliciously extravagant. The Diapason (a generous 40 scale) was voiced with leathered lips. This practice, once frowned upon, delivers the most natural-sounding Diapason tone for this scale pipework voiced on this pressure. It must be heard to be appreciated.

In the French tradition, the Resonance was a type of Solo organ, but Opus 2795 also has a Solo division. It is composed of several digital voices, provided by Walker Technical Company. It also has a five-rank (305 pipes) Mounted Cornet, installed at the top of the organ, voiced on 10 inches wind pressure, and the Austin Tuba Magna voiced on 22 inches wind pressure that is enclosed in a separate expression box. Inside this expression box are the speakers for the digital voices. A few additional voices inside the Swell and Choir have their speakers mounted in those chambers as well. This allows the tone to resonate with its associated pipework, and express naturally, rather than from an artificial volume control. Again, none of the digital voices are considered ensemble voices; they are only superfluous solo stops.

Following a tradition of tonal innovation, we have also included three new Austin voices in this instrument: a new hybrid Cromorne, the 4′ Spiel Flute, and a 2′ Zauberflöte (listed on the specification as the Descant Flute in the Resonance). The Cromorne is a new scale based on the Austin Clarinet, which morphs into the French Cromorne scale. Our hybrid combination, along with special shallots, gives us the best of both worlds. The Spiel Flute (“Play” Flute) is based on our standard Blockflöte scale, with soldered-on canisters, special mouth widths, and an open bass. The new Zauberflöte is similar to the examples from our instruments of the 1920s. The differences are in the scale and pitch; this type is much larger and has an open bass rather than the typical chimney-flute type. This stop was created to join the chorus of a large 8′ (metal) Hohlflöte and a 4′ Cantus Flute, where we wanted a flute chorus with significant color and strength.

The Choir contains the only stop in the organ to extend in wood past the 4′ range: the Holz Gedeckt. Most of the 16′ extensions (except of course the façade) are wooden as well. Atop the Choir enclosure, we find the 16′ extension of the Gemshorn. This stop was constructed from beautiful vintage 16′ open wood diapason pipes manufactured of perfectly clear-grained sugar pine. The tone is somewhat string-like, but rich and warm. The Pedal (Resonance) Bourdon, made of heavy poplar, is the largest scale made in the Austin factory. These pipes are the first new 16′ Bourdons made in the Austin shop in nearly two decades. They were completed by cabinetmaker Bruce Coderre, finished by Richard Walker, and voiced by Dan Kingman. The 8′ octave of this stop was made of ‘new’ M.P. Möller pipework. Following the demise of Möller, Austin purchased their entire inventory of wooden 16′ and 8′ pipework. The Choir Gedeckt also has a ‘new’ M.P. Möller bass octave of smaller scale.

Each reed chorus contains stops of unique personalities. In the Great division, we find Trumpets of the English style. The Resonance reed chorus is distinctly in the American-Symphonic tradition. The Choir has a smaller German Klein Trompete, and of course the hybrid Cromorne, while the Swell Organ has reeds that echo the brightness of the Trompettes of the French tradition. All the reeds were made in the Austin factory, with exception of the 64/32′ Posaune, Chamade, and the Gallery Swell Trompette and Clairon (from the previous organ). It is notable that every reed from 32′–16′ boasts full-length construction; that there are no half-length reed basses in any department of the organ results in unmatched tone color and voicing stability.  

The organ also boasts three Tuba stops. The Resonance 8′ Octave Trumpet is made to Austin’s small Tuba/Horn scale, and voiced as a Tromba. The Solo Tuba Major is made from the early Austin Tuba patterns, dating to the 1920s. Mounted horizontally on the gallery rail, low in the church, is the brass Trompette-en-Chamade. It was manufactured using the dark Waldhorn shallots, and begins its harmonic range at middle C. 

An early visit to two Austin organs in Hartford allowed First Baptist’s organist Lon Schreiber to hear two very different examples of horizontal trumpets. The problem became immediately apparent in that he wanted both! So, the Chancel 8′ Trompette-en-Chamade (located on the gallery rail) has been designed to be a darker Tuba, commanding yet neither harsh nor bombastic. High above in the Gallery organ’s Great division, atop the expression boxes, one will find the very bright harmonic Trompette Royale (horizontal). This location allows the stop to be voiced bright and full-out.

Console design

This console is the third five-manual drawknob console built by Austin in 120 years. It is also the largest. In addition, it is only the second five-manual console in the city of Washington! It is manufactured of selected red oak with custom-carved moldings and an elegant black-walnut interior. The basic design and layout was conceived by Austin’s vice president Raymond Albright, with cabinetmaker Bruce Coderre and designer/draftsman David Secour. The console was stained and finished by Richard Walker. Austin’s Bill Gray and First Baptist’s Lon Schreiber worked with Albright, with valuable support from Austin CEO Richard Taylor, Bill Hesterman, and organist Frederick Swann, drawing inspiration from the five-manual Aeolian-Skinner console at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. The organ control system was custom-designed by Atlanta-based International Organ Technologies in collaboration with Albright, who holds a degree in electrical engineering. This Virtuoso system employs a very stable processor that connects the console to the chamber with fiber-optic cables. The system includes a virtually unlimited number of memory levels for the combination action. The keyboards were made to original Austin key design by Pennells & Sharpe Ltd. of Brandon-Suffolk, United Kingdom. They have bone natural coverings with walnut sharps. The console is built upon the sturdy, Austin-patented steel frame. The internal dolly allows the console to be easily moved by one person. The console was shown at the AGO national convention held in Nashville last summer.

Mechanical design

The Austin Universal Airchest was developed in the early 1890s by John T. Austin, who was granted a U.S. Patent for this innovation in 1893 at the age of 23. We are certainly proud of the Airchest, and we also truly believe that it is the very best action and system for an organ that can be built. The original 1893 design (of which several remain in service) was improved and updated several times over a 30-year period, until the current design (which we term the “modern action”) was universally employed in 1923. The older organs can be retrofitted with this action, and most have been, but this 1923 action remains the current version and is still made on the same patterns, jigs, and machines. The First Baptist organ not only employs this windchest design but also the conveniences of Austin Airchest construction: full-height, walk-in airboxes, fitted with vestibules (airlocks), so that one may enter the airbox while the organ is being played. Because of the heavy wind pressures, the regulators are of an older, more substantial construction. The 20-hp blower was custom-manufactured by Robert Otey of Washington State to provide the rather substantial pressures and volume of wind required.

Conclusion

The new Austin organ at First Baptist represents two important company ideals: first, the continuation of a fine tradition of large organs in a time-honored style; second, an exciting challenge for our company to recapture the spirit of many legendary Austin organs. This project is the result of the skill, dedication, and vision of many people: Richard Taylor, a veteran of Aeolian-Skinner and Austin Organs, and Michael Fazio, who acquired Austin Organs, Inc. from the original stockholders in January 2006; Bill Gray for his design input and representation; and the Austin factory staff: Victor Hoyt, Stewart Skates, Rafael Ramos, Tony Valdez, Dan Kingman, Fred Heffner, and Michael Chiaradia, along with designer Donald Hand, who learned his craft from Percy Stark, designer of the 1915 Mormon Tabernacle organ. Some of these artisans are now teaching their craft to new apprentices, ensuring that the Austin organ legacy will continue for future generations. The chest room/mechanical department is headed up by Victor Hoyt, with Michael Chiaradia, Bill Mullen, Rafael Ramos, Arthur Hertzog, and Pedro Flores. The console and cabinet shop crosses over to include the craftsmanship of Bruce Coderre, Richard Walker (who not only sets pipes, but is the company wood finisher), and Ray Albright. Manufacturing pneumatics and mechanical components of all kinds: Keith Taylor assisted by Sarah Rigby, Jessinia Flores, and Jonathan Roberts. The pipeshop is ably staffed by Stewart Skates, Tony Valdez, and Colin Coderre. Our office staff consists of Alan Rodi, a recent Wesleyan graduate who serves as general assistant and media specialist; Curt Hawkes, a 20-year Austin employee who serves as our historian and project manager; and David Secour, CAD designer. Together, they have spent countless hours sharing the Austin story on Facebook (Facebook.com/AustinOrgans), YouTube (Youtube.com/AustinOrgans), and the recently revamped Austin website (Austinorgans. com). Please visit these sites for further information on this and other projects. 

The fall dedication concert series launches on September 15 at 4 pm with the inaugural recital by Lon Schreiber, and continues on October 20 at 4 pm with Ken Cowan, and November 24 at 4 pm with Christopher Houlihan.

—Michael Fazio, Alan Rodi, 

Curt Hawkes

Orgues Létourneau Limitée, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec

Opus 125

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Orgues Létourneau Limitée, 

Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec

Opus 125

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church,

Murfreesboro, Tennessee 

From the builder

Whether organbuilder or organist, most of us savor the process of planning for a grand instrument with four or five manuals, multiple 32′ stops, and an extravagant Solo division on heavy wind. But such projects are rare; the development of more modest instruments is undoubtedly a greater exercise of an organ builder’s creativity. Pipe organs should be flexible and colorful no matter what their size; playing even the smallest instruments—and listening to them—should always be a rewarding experience.

Each Létourneau instrument is carefully planned to sit comfortably within its surroundings, not just in terms of its physical size but also in the organ’s tonal inclinations. The pipe organ must be a powerful and expressive tool in the church’s music ministry, so it is hardly unusual to develop and later tweak an organ’s specification to a denominational liturgy or a specific repertoire the organ needs to serve. The instrument at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is an example of these sentiments in practice, with the result that our Opus 125, a small but uncommonly capable pipe organ, fits seamlessly into its new home.

From our first meetings with the organ committee at St. Paul’s, it was clear this dynamic group put a high value on music and quality. The parish itself observed consistent growth throughout the twentieth century and the church’s facilities expanded commensurately, culminating in the dedication of a new sanctuary in 2002 with seating for 300 people. For the sanctuary’s opening, the parish’s aging M. P. Möller unit organ was relocated, though it was clear this was a stopgap solution. The little Möller was out of its depth, and as the church’s organ committee recognized, it needed to be replaced with a larger instrument properly scaled for the worship space.

Sitting in an apse-like space at the front of the sanctuary, the new organ’s casework was designed to complement the surrounding architecture and furnishings, while displaying some influences from the organ cases of Hook & Hastings. The polished tin façade pipes are taken from the bass of the Great 16′ Violonbass in the central flat, while the basses of the Great and Pedal 8′ principals fill in the outer two flats. The instrument is located immediately behind the church’s choir, and one of our goals with the organ’s internal layout was to keep as much of the organ above impost level as possible. Not only does this help the organ project sound unimpeded down the nave, but it equally spares the choir from exposure to excessive decibels.

The Swell division is centered behind the façade where it addresses the room fully; the individual swell shades are 13⁄4 inches thick, and, coupled to a responsive mechanism, the Swell offers a tremendous dynamic range. The lowest octave of the 16′ Bassoon is sited at ground level underneath the Swell, but its full-length resonators rise up such that the pipes speak into the Swell box. Meanwhile, the Great division is divided into two chests—C and C# sides—on either side of the Swell, where its elevated position and the Swell sidewalls actively direct sound down the nave. Like the Swell 16′ Bassoon, the Great 8′ Trompette’s Pedal extension, the 16′ Trombone, features full-length resonators for superior tone.

As with the parish itself, it was a joy to get to know and work with the church’s director of music, Angela Tipps. A student of the legendary Dr. Wilma Jensen, Angela is Professor of Organ at Middle Tennessee State University and is the founding director of the acclaimed Nashville Chamber Singers. Our discussions focused on how we could extract maximum flexibility out of a small instrument, and a collective decision was made early on to build the organ with electro-pneumatic windchests. This cleared the way for the limited number of borrowings and extensions between and within divisions respectively.

The result of our discussions is a stop-list with a wide variety of foundation tone ranging from the delicate Swell 8′ Bourdon to the keen Swell strings to the rich Great 8′ Open Diapason. Out of 23 ranks in the manuals, some 13 ranks play at 8′ or 4′ pitches. Both manual divisions have mild 16′ flue stops that are duplexed to the Pedal; the Swell 16′ Bourdon has a particularly gentle and effective character. The presence of two 8′ trumpet stops in the specification permits a choice in dynamic and color, with the bolder Great 8′ Trompette living up to its French nomenclature. The Pedal division is relatively modest, but with a number of intelligently borrowed stops and elegant balancing between the ranks, there is always more than one choice to balance the manual registrations. Equally, the Pedal’s traditionally dominant role in tutti combinations is pleasingly fulfilled.

The organ is played from a two-manual console, with terraced stopjambs that combine a comfortable playing position with excellent visibility. The console is built with a rigid internal structure and casters to enable mobility within the church’s chancel area. It features a complete system of divisional and general pistons with 256 levels of memory and a general piston sequencer.

No successful organ project is the product of one person or one company, and Opus 125 was no exception. We were assisted at every turn by the good people of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and we would be remiss if we did not single some of them out for thanks. Ed Rogers was a key member of the organ committee and did much of the research and stoplist evaluations that led to us being a frontrunner in their selection process. George Carlson graciously volunteered hours of his time to serve as our man on the ground in Murfreesboro, and we know the organ’s installation was accomplished in record time in no small part due to his tireless coordination. Vestry member and choir member Wendi Watts was another tremendous supporter of the St. Paul’s organ project, whose steadfast resolve to see it through was an inspiration to all of us. Finally, the Rev. Polk Van Zandt listened to the church musicians’ and parishioners’ hopes for a new instrument to enhance worship and to provide new ministry opportunities. Without his invaluable support, the campaign for the new organ would never have been achieved so readily or in such a short period of time.

In closing, organists and organbuilders alike get periodically swept up in emphasizing the number of stops or ranks in a pipe organ rather than the instrument’s essential musical character. Like our clients, we are pleased that our pipe organ for St. Paul’s Church has proved to be as flexible and colorful as anyone could hope. Opus 125 stands as a testament to the faith and vision of St. Paul’s parish; we are collectively delighted that this instrument has so quickly established itself as a key component in St. Paul’s music ministry.

—Fernand Létourneau, President

—Andrew Forrest, Artistic Director

—Dudley Oakes, Vice President for Sales

Orgues Létourneau Limitée

From the organist/director of music

Opus 125’s story began more than ten years ago, when the parish of St. Paul’s built a new worship space. The congregation had outgrown what is now our chapel, and a lovely nave with excellent acoustics was completed in 2002. Funds for a new organ were not included in the capital campaign, however, so the six-rank M.P. Möller Artiste from the old worship space was moved into the nave. Needless to say, the instrument simply could not keep up!

When I became the organist and director of music in 2004, the senior warden of our vestry asked what our options were regarding adding to or replacing the current organ. We obtained a proposal from a builder in our state to renovate and augment “Ethel” (as the Möller had now been named by the choir) and even at a very reasonable $150,000, rebuilding Ethel proved too much for the vestry to add to an already tight budget. It seemed as if an organ project of any kind was out of the question.

It was the determination of Ed Rogers, a choir member who is also an experienced organist, who kept the momentum going. He knew exactly what kind of sound I had in my head and set to work to find a good match. Ed spent countless hours listening to examples from builders’ websites and even visiting churches on his own to narrow the field. 

Ed quickly settled on Létourneau as the right builder for St. Paul’s and took several of us to visit the Abbey of Gethsemani, a Trappist monastery near Bardstown, Kentucky; Christ United Methodist Church in Louisville; and Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Each of these instruments was very different, yet just right for their spaces. I fell in love with their common denominators: warm principals and lush strings. 

The parish received some very generous donations to its small organ fund, and this helped the vestry decide to use these donations as seed money for a new instrument rather than simply repair the Möller. Within a matter of months of launching a new pipe organ campaign, the entire amount was pledged—and all this in the worst economy since the Great Depression!

By the end of 2011, the contract was signed and Opus 125 was being built. The excitement was palpable as Andrew Forrest regularly sent pictures of the progress from the shop. Every few weeks the congregation was greeted in the narthex by pictures of its newest member. We were also fortunate to have choir member George Carlson volunteer to serve as project manager. An ex-Marine, ex-engineer, and ex-verger in the Episcopal Church, George was the perfect person to prepare the site for installation.

On Tuesday, June 19, 2012, the huge truck containing Opus 125 arrived from Canada. More than 50 congregation members met in the parking lot to help unload. After a prayer—in French and in English—everyone from age eight to over 80 carried in those precious pipes. It was a great day in the life of St. Paul’s.

It seems that the instrument was assembled in no time at all, and we all became very attached to Michel, Michel, and Eric from Létourneau. They were very cordial in allowing congregation members to watch, and even let our rector install the last piece! The tremendous care and craftsmanship with which this instrument is built is remarkable: it’s as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. 

The voicing process completely amazed me. The skill and tenaciousness of the voicers to get just the right sound is what makes Opus 125 such a wonderful instrument. With only 26 ranks, certain stops had to play dual roles: the Great 8′ Open Diapason had to serve as a solo stop as well as the foundation of the principal chorus. Likewise, the Swell 8′ Oboe had to be used as a solo stop as well as a light ensemble reed for choral accompanying. To me, that is the beauty of this instrument: each stop maintains its own character while still being part of an ensemble sound. 

It has been a whirlwind year for St. Paul’s. From the dedication service with Bishop John Bauerschmidt celebrating the Eucharist and my teacher Wilma Jensen accompanying the anthems, to a Nashville AGO program for organ and instruments featuring my colleagues from Middle Tennessee State University, to the dedication recital by Sewanee’s Dr. Robert Delcamp—all have been well-received by our parish and community. We even hosted two organ crawls for children: one on the eve of the dedication service for the families of our parish, and another during the school year for our Cub Scout pack. To the people of St. Paul’s, the installation of Opus 125 completes the vision of the “new” nave of 2002.

From the beginning, I wanted an organ that could do three things: lead congregational singing, accompany choral anthems, and play a wide variety of solo organ repertoire. The Létourneau team accomplished all three goals, with only 26 ranks. As Wilma Jensen said when she was preparing to assist with the dedication service, “This is a very flexible instrument, which should accommodate the many needs of the Episcopal liturgy quite well.” Of course, she is absolutely right; I could not have asked for better variety or a more versatile instrument. Colleagues who play Opus 125 consistently mention the lush strings, the soaring flutes, and the warm 8′ principal around which the organ is built: all the sounds I fell in love with many years ago. 

—Angela Tipps

Organist and Director of Music

Cover and page 26 photos by Fant Smith; other photos by Kenneth Stein,
www.photosbystein.com

Orgues Létourneau Limitée, Opus 125 St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

GREAT (85mm wind)

16′ Violonbass 61 pipes

8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Spindle Flute

  (C1–B24 wood) 61 pipes

8′ Violoncello 12 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Open Flute 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

11⁄3′ Mixture II–IV 213 pipes

22⁄3′ Cornet III (F18 to F54) 111 pipes

8′’ Trompette 66 pipes

SWELL (expressive, 80mm wind)

16′ Bourdon (wood) 61 pipes

8′ Gamba 61 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste (from G8) 54 pipes

8′ Bourdon 12 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Traverse Flute (harmonic) 61 pipes

2′ Octavin (harmonic) 61 pipes

11⁄3′ Larigot 61 pipes

16′ Bassoon-Oboe (full length) 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet 66 pipes

8′ Oboe 12 pipes

PEDAL

32′ Resultant (derived from 16′ Subbass

  and 16′ Bourdon)

16′ Subbass   (wood, 100mm wind) 32 pipes

16′ Violonbass (Gt)

16′ Bourdon (Sw)

8′ Principal (100mm wind) 32 pipes

8′ Violoncello (Gt)

8′ Bass Flute (from Subbass) 12 pipes

4′ Choral Bass (85mm wind) 32 pipes

16′ Trombone (from Gt 8′ Trompette, 

  full length) 12 pipes

16′ Bassoon-Oboe (Sw)

8′ Trompette (Gt)

Full complement of inter- and intramanual couplers

Electro-pneumatic windchests

21 independent stops

26 ranks

1,459 pipes

Noack Organ Company, Georgetown, Massachusetts

Richard Houghten,
Milan, Michigan
Church of the Incarnation,
Dallas, Texas

From the consultant

Church of the Incarnation has a music program any traditionalist would envy. Each Sunday has two music-rich morning services and an afternoon Evensong. Professional singers anchor the strong choir, while talented volunteers are also welcomed; the ensemble sings 52 weeks a year. Wonderful acoustics and a true reverential atmosphere complete the picture, with incense adding a final touch at Evensong. The only issue was the organ.

Scott Dettra invited me to survey the 1994 Noack in the fall of 2012, a trip that brought to mind earlier visits to the parish. The first was in 1992, to research the original 1960 Aeolian-Skinner then still in place. Like other Texas projects for the Boston company, Opus 1370 had been meticulously installed by James Williams and his wife Nora and tonally finished by Roy Perry. But the musical result was a long way from the justly famous Perry-finished Aeolian-Skinners in Kilgore, Longview, or Shreveport. This was due partly to the tonal design (more eccentric than some), but mostly to a chancel chamber of complex shape and unhelpful depth, and the manner in which the Aeolian-Skinner had been installed within it.

When I next stopped by Incarnation in March 1995, the Noack Organ Company had provided a new organ, re-using about half the Aeolian-Skinner pipes and a few mechanisms. In an adroit bit of engineering, Fritz Noack had placed his Great on two compact slider windchests within each chamber arch, fronting the whole with a handsome tin façade. He then arranged the three swell enclosures to form a wall behind the Great, ensuring its tone would reflect outward. The fact that the bold 16′ and 8′ Great Diapasons were in façade, with the chorus close behind, made an immeasurable difference in terms of clarity and impact in the nave. The increased bass and brilliance was exactly what was needed for congregational leadership, and in the room the organ had unquestionable excitement. Unfortunately, the enclosed departments were as inconsequential as the Great was effective, particularly a cramped Swell whose reeds and shutter motions barely registered behind so much as Great foundations. Two later additions, a searing gallery chamade and a hapless 32′ reed, did not help.

When Scott Dettra arrived in August 2012, his immediate concern was the chronic failure of pallets inside the slider windchests. Their glued tails detached with some frequency, causing frustrating chest-wide ciphers. Clearly some remedy would be necessary, along with a review of other items that kept the organ from reaching its full potential. New Swell reeds seemed in order, as well as some review of the leftover Aeolian-Skinner material, much of which sounded pale from under-winding. The console had its own issues, principally stemming from the unbushed keyboards; weighted and balanced to emulate the feel of tracker action, they ended up feeling merely sluggish and uncertain.

The console revision was entrusted directly to Richard Houghten, who in turn relies upon his trusty associate Vladimir Vaculik and also Joseph Zamberlan. Houghten’s work saw new keyboards from Organ Supply Industries, a revamped pedalboard area, new expression shoes, and other small refinements. As for the organ itself, the process unfolded as such things do: the rector commissioned a task force to review the situation, then invited three qualified builders to visit, draw their own conclusions, and sell a project. The church endeavored to convey that this wasn’t an ordinary sales effort, and that they took organbuilders’ time and effort seriously. Instead of a rigid Request for Proposal, each builder was encouraged to devise its own solution after hearing Scott’s concerns; a stipend was provided to defray travel expenses.

There was one obvious wrinkle: none of the bidders was Noack. A seeming indifference from that concern, coupled to the poor 32′ reed addition, caused many on the Task Force to think: why return to the source of the problems? Midway through the bidding process, I got a call from Didier Grassin, the new president of Noack. Didier, Scott, and I had worked together at Washington Cathedral, and far from a sales call, Didier’s seemed one of genuine enquiry alongside concern for his company’s good name. I laid out the picture as I saw it, that he was welcome to consider a situation unfavorably disposed to his firm.

Undaunted, Didier flew to Dallas, took stock of things, and tendered a proposal that boldly suggested the best course of action. Noack would address not merely the symptoms but the problems: moving the Solo so that the Swell could grow to its proper height and no longer bottle up its tone; increase wind pressures; fix the windchests; fit new shutter fronts on all enclosures; replace or revise those stops that had not stood the test of time, while reviewing and as necessary improving those that had. And, all of this at a price within the church’s budget, one that would save the pride of Noack while giving Incarnation an opportunity it could not refuse.

If the first job of a builder is to provide a musical work of art, the first task of the consultant is to prevent a “horse-opera.” Noack’s proposal didn’t seem like a risk so much as it seemed too good to be true, particularly as they could not point to any project like the one they were proposing. But apparently not even Texans can resist the charms of a Frenchman, and Didier presented his case with such conviction and sincerity (and one whopper of a guaranty)—backed by Fritz Noack’s own endorsement and acknowledgment of original shortcomings—that the church said yes.

Noack removed what was necessary to Massachusetts, including most of the enclosed pipework and the Pedal 32′-16′ reed. At the Noack workshop, new shutter fronts were constructed, along with those windchest elements that needed revision for tonal changes. Noack’s voicer, David Rooney, reviewed all of the Swell, Choir, and Solo flues; he also voiced a handsome new Choir Geigen. In most cases, Rooney returned the Aeolian-Skinner material to its original voicing, while taking the 1994 material to a new and richer place. He and ex-Casavant voicer Jean-Sébastien Dufour worked together on the Pedal Trombone, transforming a lazy jackhammer into something noble and appropriate. Dufour voiced a new Swell reed chorus and mild Tuba (with pipes provided by A. R. Schopp’s Sons), also reworking several other reeds.

Back on site, the windchest pallets were re-glued, the wind system reworked, and pressures adjusted higher on Swell and Solo. As a result, the slider chest actions work promptly and repeat well, without “treble burble.” The musical transformation is equally one of balance and tone. In some instances, the change has been slight; the Great and Pedal are essentially as they were, merely better regulated and tuned. The Solo, placed farther back in the chamber but now on 8-inch pressure, is more refined and about as strong, while the Choir makes a similar but more organized impact than it did previously. The greatest makeover has occurred in the Swell: the strings are vibrant, the foundations make sense, the chorus says something, and the new chorus reeds are first class—the star feature of the entire project. Most importantly, rather than a weakling swamped by the Great, the Swell now pulls its weight and provides the very soul of the ensemble. Capping the whole is the mild Tuba and revamped Pedal Trombone, with a strong 16′ region and milder 32′ octave. As a final touch, Noack reduced the wind pressure on the gallery chamade, making it if not more of a Massachusetts lady, then certainly a touch less Texan.

In organ write-ups, one often reads that “expectations were exceeded.” If that holds true here, it must be said that expectations were realistic from the outset. The bones of this organ were strong; if the weak parts could be made equally strong, a workable instrument would result. But in a rebuild, many elements are pre-determined, beyond the control of those doing the work or the available budget. Thus, while all hoped for a credible result, I suspect even Noack is surprised at just how well everything turned out. This is an unexpectedly grand organ, and in the end a thoroughly American one, however much individual aspects might hint at this or that precedent. In hindsight, we can see now that no one should have underestimated the abilities either of the Noack team or of the resolve of Didier Grassin to keep the Noack nameplate proudly on this console. As another customer of mine recently reflected, “Art rarely happens without risk.”

—Jonathan Ambrosino

From the builder

The challenge of creating a successful organ in a side chamber is always daunting. In a perfect world, an organ should be gently present in the chancel, accompanying the choir while being able to boldly support congregation singing in the nave. A chamber such as at the Church of the Incarnation puts the organ in the most unfavorable of conditions. The voicing has to be pushed to get the acoustical energy out (in this case through two narrow openings fronting the chamber), and that gentle articulation that gives life to organ sound is all but lost in the wash. There are many rabbits a skilled organbuilder can pull out of his hat, but the organ-in-chamber situation is probably the most tricky one to solve. There cannot be a better illustration of this than at the Church of the Incarnation, where organbuilders battled this challenge, bringing at each period of its history, the rabbit of their time.

While the original 1960 organ relied on higher pressures, the 1994 rebuild addressed the limitations by bringing as much pipework as possible out of the chamber. This created a successful, clear, and articulate Great, positioned at the two openings of the chamber. The three enclosed divisions were brought as close as possible to the arch, but it may ultimately have been counterproductive by creating congestion, as each swell box forms a physical barrier to any sound generated by other divisions.

Furthermore, for budgetary reasons, the 1994 Swell and Choir had retained the rather short swell shades from 1960, making the amount of opening relatively small compared to the face of those enclosures: for example, less than half of the front of the Swell enclosure had shutters. Even at its fullest, only so much sound could be forced out.

The 2015 project did not throw away previous layers of history, but rather built on them. The most notable change concerns the Swell, which gained a great deal of power thanks to an expanded and reinforced enclosure, new heavy swell shades, and a new reed chorus. Its new dynamic is such that it now wants to be used with care!

Once the basic principles were set, the rest of the work unfolded naturally. Mechanical issues were addressed, pressures were increased where necessary (e.g., the Solo now placed further back was raised to 8 inches), Aeolian-Skinner strings re-united to their original celeste ranks, reeds renewed or revoiced appropriately.

While the logistics of the work entailed certain complexities (the organ was out of commission only two Sundays during the entire project), the task was clear thanks to the way the musicians and consultant were able to articulate most precisely their musical objectives, while trusting the organbuilder to define the means to attain them. There is no doubt that the cordial communication between all the parties has been one key to the success of the work.

Similarly, the project would not have happened without a team of skilled and dedicated organbuilders: Mary Beth DiGenova, Brett Greene, Eric Kenney, Dean Smith, Aaron Tellers, helped by Amory Atkins, Dean Conry, Alex Gilson, David Preston, and Graham Schultz, and of course the talented voicers David Rooney and Jean-Sébastien Dufour.

—Didier Grassin

President, Noack Organ Company

Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, Opus 1370, 1960. New organ in new church; 43 voices, 54 ranks, 3,203 pipes.

Noack Organ Company, Opus 127, 1994. New organ, incorporating many Aeolian-Skinner pipes; 58 voices, 72 ranks, 4,087 pipes.

1998 Festival Trumpet, rear gallery, 61 pipes

2007 32′ Trombone extension, 12 pipes

2015 Renovation, re-engineering, revoicing, six new ranks; 59 voices, 74 ranks, 4,110 pipes

Richard Houghten, 2014. New keyboards, balanced swell shoes, other console modifications.

GREAT – 61 notes, unenclosed, 31Џ4″ wind pressure

16′ Diapason 1–7 A-S Pedal 16′ Kontra Bass, 8–61 Noack 1994, partly in façade

8′ Diapason 1–61 Noack 1994, partly in façade

8′ Second Diapason 1–61 A-S Great 8′ Principal

8′ Spielflöte 1–12 Noack 1994, 13–61 A-S Positiv 4′ Gemshorn

8′ Bourdon 1–61 Noack

4′ Octave 1–61 A-S Great 4′ Octave

4′ Harmonic Flute 1–61 A-S Swell 4′ Flute Harmonique

22⁄3′ Twelfth 1–61 A-S Great 22⁄3′ Grossnasat

2′ Fifteenth 1–61 A-S Positiv 2′ Oktav

13⁄5′ Seventeenth 1–61 A-S Positiv 13⁄5′ Tierce

Mixture IV 1–61 A-S Great Mixtur IV–VI, reworked

Sharp III 1–61 Noack 1994

16′ Trumpet 1–61 A-S Swell 16′ Bombarde (1–12 half-length)

8′ Trumpet 1–61 Noack 1994

4′ Clarion 1–61 Noack 1994

SWELL – 61 notes, enclosed, 5″ wind pressure

16′ Bourdon 1–12 Noack 1994, 13–61 A-S Swell 8′ Gedeckt

8′ Diapason 1–8 A-S Choir 16′ Gamba EEE–BBB, rescaled 8 notes, 9–61 Noack 1994, revoiced 2015

8′ Gamba 1–61 A-S Choir 8′ Gamba

8′ Celeste 1–61 A-S Choir 8′ Gamba Celeste

8′ Chimney Flute 1–19 Noack 1994, 20–61 A-S Positiv 22⁄3′ Quintflöte, revoiced 2015

4′ Octave 1–61 A-S Swell 4′ Prestant, revoiced 2015

4′ Koppelflöte 1–61 A-S Positiv 4′ Koppelflöte

2′ Principal 1–61 Noack 2015

Mixture IV 1–61 Noack 1994, revoiced 2015

Cornet III, g20–d51 22⁄3′: Noack 1994, revoiced 2015

2′: A-S Great 2′ Hellflöte, revoiced 2015

13⁄5′: Noack 1994, revoiced 2015

8′ Oboe 1–61 Noack 1994, recycled early 20th-C. American

16′ Bassoon 1–61 Noack 2015

8′ Trumpet 1–61 Noack 2015 (A-S 8′ Fanfare Trumpet shallots)

4′ Clarion 1–61 Noack 2015

Tremolo

CHOIR – 61 notes, enclosed, 4″ wind pressure

16′ Gemshorn 1–12 A-S Great 16′ Spitzflöte, 13–61 Noack 1994 8′ Flute Dolce, exchanged and revoiced 2015

8′ Geigen 1–61 Noack 2015

8′ Gedackt 1–61 A-S Positiv 8′ Holzgedeckt (all metal pipes)

8′ Flute Douce 1–61 A-S Swell 8′ Flute Celeste II, rank 1

8′ Flute Celeste FF 6–61 A-S Swell 8′ Flute Celeste II, rank 2

4′ Principal 1–61 Noack 1994, revoiced 2015

4′ Rohrflöte 1–61 A-S Great 4′ Rohrflöte

2′ Blockflöte 1–61 A-S Choir 2′ Blockflöte

11⁄3′ Larigot 1–61 A-S Great 16–8′ Spitzflöte + random A-S trebles

Mixture III 1–61 A-S Choir Mixture III

8′ Trompette 1–61 A-S Swell 8′ Trompette

8′ Clarinet 1–49 1994 Noack Swell 16′ Bassoon, revoiced 2015, 50–61 A-S Choir 8′ Krummhorn flue trebles

8′ Vox Humana 1–49 A-S Swell 8′ Vox Humana, 50–61 A-S Great Mixture IV–VI, doubled trebles

  Tremolo

SOLO – 61 notes, 8″ wind pressure

enclosed

8′ Harmonic Flute 1–12 A-S Choir 8′ Wald Flute (stopped wood), 13–61 Noack 1994, revoiced 2015 (harmonic 31–61)

8′ Salicional 1–61 A-S Swell 8′ Viola Celeste, revoiced 2015

8′ Celeste 1–61 A-S Swell 8′ Viola Pomposa, revoiced 2015

4′ Open Flute 1–61 1994 Noack, revoiced 2015

8′ French Horn 1–61 1994 Noack (recycled early 20th-C.); revoiced 2015

8′ English Horn 1–61 A-S Swell 8′ English Horn, revoiced 2015

Tremolo

unenclosed

8′ Tuba 1–56 Noack 2015

57–73 A-S Great 8′ Fanfare Trumpet

8′ Festival Trumpet 1–61 Noack 1998, gallery, pressure lowered 2015

PEDAL – 32 notes, unenclosed, 4″ wind pressure

32′ Bourdon (ext) 1–4 Noack 1994, 102⁄3′ (these notes also play 16′ Stopt Bass), 5–12 A-S 32′ Bourdon

16′ Open Wood 1–32 Noack 1994 (recycled early 20th-C.)

16′ Diapason Great

16′ Stopt Bass 1–32 A-S

16′ Gemshorn 1–12 Choir, 13–32 A-S Great 16-8′ Spitzflöte

8′ Diapason 1–32 A-S Pedal 8′ Principal

8′ Gedackt 1–32 A-S Great 8′ Bourdon

4′ Octave 1–32 A-S Pedal 4′ Choralbass

Mixture IV Ranks 1 and 2: A-S Pedal Mixture II

Ranks 3 and 4: from A-S Swell Plein Jeu IV

32′ Trombone (ext) 1–12 Noack 2007; revoiced 2015, 6″ wind pressure

16′ Trombone 1–32 Noack 1994; revoiced 2015, 6″ wind pressure

8′ Trumpet 1–32 A-S Pedal reed unit, revoiced 2015

4′ Clairon (ext) 1–12 A-S Pedal reed unit, revoiced 2015

Buzard Pipe Organ Builders, Champaign, Illinois: 

Opus 41, Trinity Lutheran Church, Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Buzard Pipe Organ Builders,

Champaign, Illinois

Opus 41, Trinity Lutheran Church, 

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

From the artistic director

Sometimes great new organs result when materials from older instruments are recrafted and repurposed. Many of the best builders throughout history have reused former instruments to varying degrees in their new work. Our Opus 41 began life as a Möller organ, rebuilt and enlarged several times during its history. We happily agreed to reuse the best of the existing materials, all the while considering this project a commission to build a new organ. The façade’s casework, for example, is the original Möller woodwork, redesigned and renewed, now including speaking pipes of the Great and Pedal 8′ Principals.

We respect our clients’ musical and liturgical needs, and the good work of those builders who preceded us. In this case, Trinity Lutheran Church wanted us to build them an organ that would meet the rich musical and liturgical needs of traditional Lutheran worship, honor the gifts of past donors of the existing organ, and respect the deep German heritage of the congregation and the wider community. They loved the tonal depth of our organs, but wondered if we could perhaps stretch our “Anglo-American” style and thereby create a unique work of art—just for them. 

My organ-playing roots go deep into the performance of the great works of Bach, and the exciting “turning of the tables” that the Organ Reform Movement brought to our profession at the time I was just beginning organ study. My love for romantic textures and symphonic registrational colors developed as a synthesis of these colors into the well-precedented framework of classic organbuilding, not from a rejection of the lessons the Organ Reform Movement taught. An organ for Lutheran worship must be classically conceived, with a hierarchical ordering of the divisions and the choruses within those divisions. (Oh . . .  but that’s also how we go about designing an Anglican organ as well . . .) 

The greatest artists throughout history are those who have taken existing styles and stretched them to make their own new style. So it is with styles of organbuilding. It is the classic discipline that we follow (which extends from the pipe scaling and voicing through the use of slider and pallet windchests), which allows us to craft our sound to meet a wide variety of contexts. For example, an organ for Lutheran worship should not be exclusively thin, top-heavy, and screechy (as are many examples of Organ Reform organs); on the other hand, its Principals probably shouldn’t be Diapasons because its music places a greater importance on transparency of tone. A successful organ—style, denomination, and musical use notwithstanding—needs to be able to text-paint the words being sung or the mood being communicated by the composition. A significant part of Lutheran hymnody expresses profound darkness alongside the joyous light of redemption. Therefore, ought not its organ also be able to portray darkness as well as light? Shouldn’t the organ be able to thunder and shake the floor—even when playing softly?

We were blessed to receive a strong endorsement of our work by Kantor Rev. Richard Resch from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and gratefully accepted an invitation to build this organ from Trinity Lutheran Church’s director of music, Brian Heinlein. We were asked to create the quintessential “Lutheran organ” for Trinity parish’s expansive and impressive music program, combining the overall effect of our own “house style” with the specific items that differentiate the two. The result of the full organ, and the ability to make seamless crescendos and diminuendos, is that of a Buzard organ—one simply gets to full organ a bit differently!  Principals are light in nature, flutes transparent. Strings are typically rich and warm, and in one instance explore colors created by tapered pipes. Reeds, while quite similar to those found in our other new work, are slightly adjusted to the nature of what was wanted.

The most recent previous rebuild had been undertaken by the former Schlicker Organ Company. A significant amount of the pipework added during this rebuilding was new. The Schlicker organ used low wind pressures and therefore low cut-ups in the flue pipes. Thus it was economically and artistically responsible to reuse them, altering the scales as appropriate, and cutting the mouths higher to meet the new tonal context. The original Pedal 16′ open wood Diapason was retained, modified with new beards and proper tuning panels. The original Swell/Pedal 16′ Lieblich Gedeckt was too small of scale to do its job, so we made four new pipes, which are mitered and bolted to the ceiling of the Swell expression box. 

Our tonal director, Brian Davis, created this magical synthesis. Even before tonal finishing began, we could all tell that this was going to be a very special organ for everyone concerned. Each of our organs is a custom-designed and custom-built musical instrument, because we draw upon an intimate knowledge of many styles and schools of voicing, as well as aspects of tonal design, for the particular musical contexts at hand. Add to that sensitivity for one’s individual style and you have the making of art.

Ours is one of few modern commercial organbuilding firms that dares to believe it can create a unique place in the profession and its history by developing an individual artistic style. All of our visual and tonal designs, the engineering and execution, are accomplished in-house by our own artists and craftsmen. True, our style is inspired at its core by what some specific instruments have had to say to me. But it is the timeless concepts of classic organbuilding that provide the perfect framework to allow our style to thrive on its own, or be molded, shaped, and finessed to satisfy other contexts. When an organ bears the Buzard name, you know that the Art is never “outsourced!”

—John-Paul Buzard, President & Artistic Director

From the tonal director

The project for Trinity Lutheran Church in Sheboygan was full of tonal challenges from the very beginning. We were commissioned to build an organ for the parish that would meet the needs of the Lutheran liturgy as well as perform the huge treasury of music written for the church. On top of that, this instrument also needed to be able to convincingly play more modern and romantic repertoire. The old instrument had been redone several times by various firms and was leaning in the direction of bright and thin. Some stops individually sounded pretty, but had nothing else in the organ with which to blend. Herein was the largest problem of the old instrument. It did not meet the first and foremost requirement in organs that I voice, which is that the stops must blend, blend, blend! A copy of a set of pipes from “Saint So and So” doesn’t automatically mean that it will be successful in a coherent instrument! You can scale things properly so that they will blend, and still capture the essence of the sound you are seeking.

And so we set forth on conceiving a tonal design that would blend well, fill the sanctuary with sound, and satisfy the musical needs of the congregation. Scales needed for the job were drawn up. When old pipes could be fit into the scheme they were reused. Several were liberally rescaled to make them work in the new sound scheme. Where there were gaps in the scaling concept, new pipes were ordered to fill these in. In this way, a pool of properly scaled pipework was ready to be voiced, with the intention of having a bit brighter sound than what we would do otherwise. Nicking is light, and the pipes have a light speech to them, which is charming but never dominates the tone itself. The result is an organ in which the flues are warm and singing and crowned by upperwork that is bright, but does not overshadow the lower pitches. It is very much a concept from the Organ Reform Movement. Many organs in Europe that inspired the Organ Reform Movement are like this and perform as such in their own environment. That is the key! We do not copy what we see and hear in older organs but rather strive to recreate the essence of this sound in our rooms, changing what is necessary about pipe construction in order to achieve this.

The reeds in the organ are what give the instrument its special character. Overall they are brighter than what we normally would use, as the instrument as a whole is also this way. Stops more traditional to what one would find in a Lutheran organ are also employed in the instrument. The Schalmei, Dulzian, and Fagott are all present in the organ as well as a variety of trumpets. Following the concept of creating what is needed, rather than just copying what was done in an organ of the past, led to new sounds coming out of a Buzard organ. Many hours of consulting with our pipe maker, Christoph Ulmer at Killinger Pfeifen Freiberg, went into developing these reeds. He would look at the scale and shallot suggestions I proposed, shake his head and call me a crazy Texan, and then use them to create unique and truly beautiful voices for the organ, which make the instrument so versatile. Only one old reed was of use in the new instrument. The old swell Oboe 4′ had a new bottom octave made for it. The stop was originally too soft to be useful, but the scale and lengths of the pipes were good. The shallots were therefore milled open here at our shop and new tongues were cut so that the revoiced Oboe would sing at an appropriate volume.

Reusing old pipework in a rebuild of an organ is infinitely more difficult than simply starting from scratch with a totally new instrument. I am honored by the trust placed in us by Kantor Richard Resch and the music director at Trinity Lutheran, Brian Heinlein. The support of the entire congregation was wonderful! You will not find better people to work with anywhere. It is my hope that our creation will serve God and them as well for years to come!

—Brian K. Davis, Tonal Director

From the director of music

The organ at Trinity Lutheran Church was first installed by the Möller Organ Company in 1927. Over the next 85 years the instrument was rebuilt or revoiced three different times by three different organ companies. The tonal scheme changed dramatically during that time period as the organ increased in size from 20 to 39 ranks. In the late 1990s, we realized something needed to be done to break the cycle of organ alterations that were being made once every decade. Plans were made to install a completely new instrument, but the project never moved forward.

Ten years later we contacted John-Paul Buzard Pipe Organ Builders and asked them for a proposal for an extensive organ renovation that would use the best components of the old organ to craft a new instrument. We desired an instrument that was similar to the neo-baroque sound to which we were accustomed, but with more warmth and foundational pitches than were present in the existing instrument. We also wanted an organ that would last for 100 years without a need for major repairs or modifications. The Buzard Company identified exactly what we were looking for and built us an instrument that exceeded our expectations in every aspect.

Most of the principal chorus and mixtures were reused from the previous instrument. Under the skillful hand of tonal director Brian Davis, the mixtures were voiced to maintain the brilliance we desired, but without being as harsh and strident as they were previously. Many of the existing flutes were also rescaled and revoiced. Prior to renovation, the instrument contained three 8′ flutes that were almost indistinguishable from one another. Today we now have four 8′ flutes with unique timbres and varying dynamic levels. All new strings were also added to the instrument. When the Swell Salizional and flutes are played together, they blend so perfectly that one would think it was a Stopped Diapason.

The most noticeable tonal improvements were made in the reeds. Aside from a reused Oboe, all of the reeds in this instrument are new. The Swell reeds have a fiery brilliance that contrasts nicely with the darker timbre of the reeds in the Great division. Where the previous instrument had all half-length reeds, we now have new full-length 16′ reeds that provide a solid foundation to the new organ sound. While the Festliche Trompete is absolutely thrilling to hear, the new Dulzian is equally as impressive. Its tone is a cross between a Krummhorn and a Clarinet and possesses the best characteristics of each stop.

All of these improvements result in an instrument that looks and sounds as it never has before. Parishioners have commented on how much easier it is to sing with the new organ than with the previous instrument. The sound is clearer and the pitches are in the proper proportions between high and low registers. Through the skillful engineering of Chuck Eames, all 52 ranks of the instrument fit in the same space as the previous instrument, and yet the pipes are more accessible for tuning and maintenance.

As Lutherans, our weekly time together in the Divine Service is filled with sung liturgy and hymns. We have identified the pipe organ as the best instrument to lead congregational singing, as it is able to “text-paint” the hymns in meaningful and varied ways. This project has preserved the best pipework given to us by our predecessors and blended it seamlessly into a new instrument that will serve many generations in the years to come. Soli Deo Gloria.

—Brian Heinlein

Director of Music

Buzard Pipe Organ Builders, Opus 41 

Trinity Lutheran Church, Sheboygan, Wisconsin

GREAT

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Sw)

8′ Prinzipal (polished tin in façade)

8′ Rohrflöte

4′ Oktav

4′ Flöte

22⁄3′ Quint

2′ Oktav

Mixtur IV

16′ Englisch Horn

8′ Trompete

Tremulant

Zimbelstern (digital)

Chimes (25 notes, digital)

8′ Festliche Trompete 

    (horizontal inside case)

* Festliche Trompete stops are not affected by any couplers in any division, nor by couplers between divisions.

SWELL

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (wood)

8′ Spitzflöte

8′ Holz Gedeckt (from 16′)

8′ Salizional

8′ Schwebung (TC)

4′ Prinzipal

4′ Kleinflöte

22⁄3′ Nasat

2′ Flachflöte

13⁄5′ Terz

Groß Mixtur IV

16′ Fagott

8′ Trompete

8′ Oboe

4′ Klarine (from 16′)

Tremulant

8′ Festliche Trompete (Gt)

POSITIV

8′ Harfenpfeife

8′ Metal Gedeckt

4′ Prinzipal

4′ Blockflöte

Kornet II

2′ Oktav

2′ Pfeife

11⁄3′ Larigot

Zimbel III

8′ Dulzian

Tremulant

16′ Festliche Trompete (Gt)

8′ Festliche Trompete (Gt)

4′ Festliche Trompete (Gt)

PEDAL

32′ Untersatz (digital)

16′ Holz Prinzipal

16′ Subbass

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Sw)

8′ Oktavbass (polished tin in façade)

8′ Gedeckt (ext 16′ Subbass)

8′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Sw)

4′ Choralbass (ext 8′)

4′ Nachthorn

Mixtur IV

32′ Kontra Posaune (digital)

16′ Posaune

16′ Fagott (Sw)

8′ Trompete (ext 16′)

8′ Schalmei

8′ Festliche Trompete (Gt)

40 independent speaking stops, 52 ranks across three manuals and pedal