New Organs: Schoenstein & Co. Opus 177

Schoenstein & Co. Pipe Organ Builders, Benicia, California; Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community, Charleston, South Carolina

The masked organ man

After installing more than seventy new pipe organs and dozens of rebuilds and renovations in almost every condition and environment I could think of, a new challenge was thrown into the mix, Covid! Installing a pipe organ at its best is a logistics challenge. Finding a time when we can take over a church six days a week for a month or more, being sure the organ (in a huge 18-wheeler), our crew, and hoisting equipment all arrive at the same hour, arranging for transportation and good lodging of our men who work a 63-1⁄2-hour week can be a coordination nightmare.

We were supposed to begin the installation of Opus 179 in the chapel of Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community in May 2020, but with Covid’s emergence and the fact we were working with an obviously vulnerable population, we were forced to postpone the installation to give the client and us time to prepare for the new Covid challenges. Finally all agreed we could begin in August 2020, and we set out to take every precaution we could to protect ourselves and the Bishop Gadsden community. We had facemasks, hand sanitizer, and implemented our own temperature monitoring system each morning before even departing the hotel.

Bishop Gadsden also instituted many layers of safety, beginning with mandatory masking and daily temperature checks at the parking lot gate. We would have to return to the hotel if we failed to pass. We were given color-coded stickers for our name badges to let others know we had been cleared to work. Management installed an electronic automated temperature station inside the chapel that we could use to monitor ourselves during the day. We were even not allowed to use the existing restrooms and instead had a porta-potty and a garden hose with dish soap. The portable restroom outside in the summer was one of the most unpleasant parts of the job for obvious reasons, but in addition to the hot and humid conditions, each time we would go out, we would come back in with dozens of mosquito bites! The hotel had its own set of policies in place, such as masking in common areas, the gym was closed, and even the complimentary breakfast was changed to just a simple paper bag with an apple, a muffin, and a carton of milk. Hard to imagine but I sure did miss the mystery meat and reconstituted eggs that we regularly get.

Just traveling from California to Charleston was challenging with Covid screening and facemask mandates in the airport and on the plane. In some ways, however, travel was a bit easier as there was almost no one traveling! There is a silver lining in everything if you look for it.

Even with the logistical challenges and the inconveniences that Covid thrust upon us, the installation was a total success. However, Covid still wasn’t done with Opus 179. The dedication of the organ was put off indefinitely! Nigel Potts kindly offered to give a preview concert on October 22, 2020, for those who could safely attend. The formal dedication and blessing of the Fei Family Organ took place on November 18, 2021. On the next day Jeffrey Smith, music director of St. Paul’s Parish K Street in Washington, D.C., played a recital covering a wide range of repertoire plus exuberant hymn singing by the happy audience.

—Chris Hansford

Schoenstein Installation Foreman

Design for versatility

When one thinks of a chapel at a retirement community, even a very nice one, what first comes to mind is a small, heavily carpeted room on the first floor with a piano and, possibly, a digital instrument played by a local keyboardist. The chapel at Bishop Gadsden in Charleston, South Carolina, could not be any more different. On the other end of the spectrum, their Southern-Colonial-style chapel is of generous size (approximately 50 by 70 feet and 25 feet tall), with tile floor, traditional padded pews, tall windows, an elevated pulpit, gold leaf engravings of The Lord’s Prayer, Credo, and Ten Commandments, and a painting of “The Presentation in the Temple” behind the altar. In the back of the room, an elevated gallery serves as the home for a free-standing instrument.

The challenge ahead of us lay in designing an instrument within limited space and height while also providing an array of color that will fulfill the needs of this community chapel and occasional visiting recitalists. The room, while sizable for the typical retirement home, has the quality of intimacy without feeling claustrophobic. The organ needs to fit the same bill: colorful intimacy without overpowering the space.

The result is Schoenstein & Co. Opus 179, a three-manual, fourteen-voice instrument. On paper, one may notice similarities to the color palette of Opus 153 at Christ & Saint Stephen’s in New York City (See Nigel Potts’s tonal demonstration on YouTube @ tinyurl.com/4eumtt3c). However, Opus 179 stands apart in how it is adapted to the room’s acoustic and tonal properties. The Bishop Gadsden Chapel accentuates the high-middle frequencies above 1⁄2′ (think page turns, clapping, and human speech), with an adequate distribution of bass tone; reverberation time around 1-1⁄2–2 seconds. Christ & Saint Stephen’s is a wide, low ceiling room with very little reverberation.

Were Opus 153 transplanted to the home of Opus 179, it would not be successful. After all, the room is as much the instrument as the pipes. Especially with the chapel at Bishop Gadsden, care was taken when pre-voicing this organ in the shop. A conservative approach allowed us to more easily bring the ranks up to their final mark instead of having to reign them in.

Another aspect of Opus 179 that we have found successful in previous instruments is the use of a third keyboard as, in essence, a coupling manual. Instead of relying on a plethora of couplers, however, they have dedicated drawknobs. Here one will find solo, accompaniment, and ensemble voices. Employing this technique makes the organ more versatile and enables the organist’s registrational creativity to shine. The third manual paired with double expression stops also gives the aural illusion of a third division! Sixteen ranks become that much more flexible.

Limited vertical height dictated a single-level instrument with a greater length than height. With the main chests lowered as much as possible into the mechanical level, the remaining space is not much more than six feet. The expressive Great division on the left houses the expected principal chorus of 8′, 4′, and 2′ Mixture III in addition to a softer 8′/4′ Corno Dolce/8′ Flute Celeste pairing, 8′ Harmonic Flute (Corno Dolce bass to tenor G), and Clarinet. Other than being hyper-conscious of Harmonic Flute windiness accentuation in the room, these ranks are consistent with previous instruments.

The Swell division, on the right side of the organ, has most of the instrument’s unification. The Bourdon serves as the Pedal Bourdon at 16′ (available in the Swell also) and continues as a Chimney Flute at 4′ C. The 8′/4′/2′ Salicional is the division’s unit echo diapason with a slight string edge as ample counterparts to both the Great chorus and Swell Gamba. The Oboe Horn serves as another color reed, a counterpart to the Great Clarinet, and also represents the softer 16′ reed available in the Pedal adding support without too much power. Inner shades regulate the 8′ Gamba, its Celeste (full compass), and the 16′/8′ Tuba Minor. Rounding out the instrument is an independent Pedal Violoncello and Contrabass unit sitting in front of the Great shades. Metal down to 16′ C, it provides independent foundational support for the entire instrument.

Typically, with instruments of a modest size of sixteen ranks, organists are often “stuck” with ordinary combinations of a principal here, a flute there, and maybe a couple of reeds. They may resort to hand acrobatics to achieve a different sound or color they want. Flutes may sound the same—the reeds too close in character. At Bishop Gadsden, each of the fourteen voices is unique. They evolve as they move from low C to high C. No two ranks sound the same. The Solo (third) manual opens the door for organists to more easily achieve the sound they are looking for, and double expression adds another dimension of creativity for the organist. The result is an organ that sounds as though it has ten more ranks than it actually has. Each one plays a vital and equal role in its success.

—David H. Anderson

Schoenstein Service Manager & Voicer

Success = People who get things done!

In 2006 Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community celebrated completion of its beautiful chapel modeled in the traditions customary to eighteenth-century South Carolina Anglican churches. The architect was Dan Beaman of the firm Cummings & McCrady. An organist with a custom digital instrument in his home, he would not leave the project without provision for a future pipe organ. The stout foundations for an organ gallery were key points on the first day of construction.

In fall of 2017, the dynamic and much beloved President/CEO of Bishop Gadsden, Bill Trawick, set about completing the chapel with the long-awaited pipe organ. He asked Nigel Potts, then canon organist and director of music at Grace Church Cathedral in Charleston, to work along with Dan Beaman as consultants on musical and architectural matters. Bishop Gadsden resident Patty Fei stepped forward to make the dream a reality by funding what was to become known as the Fei Family Organ in memory of her husband James and their daughter Christina.

While the organ was being built in California, Bill Trawick retired, and vice president, Sarah E. H. Tipton, became president/CEO. She and a fine staff supervised all the preparation for the organ’s installation. The architect in charge of designing the organ gallery and the organ casework was Ben Whitener of Cummings & McCrady. Our design director Glen Brasel worked closely with Ben and with Brett Gerbracht of JMO Woodworks, Charleston, in merging the organ’s inner works with the case. For steadfast support during the installation and continuing, we are ever grateful for the excellent help of Mike Anderson, facilities, and Catie Murphy, administration.

The continuing program of the chapel is under the direction of the Rev. Charles Jenkins. The chapel organist is Clara Godsell.

—Jack M. Bethards

Schoenstein & Co.

Builder’s website: schoenstein.com

Retirement community website: www.bishopgadsden.org

Photo credits: Louis Patterson and Bishop Gadsden Archive

GREAT (II - Expressive)

8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Harmonic Flute  42 pipes (Corno Dolce bass)

8′ Corno Dolce 61 pipes

8′ Flute Celeste (TC) 49 pipes

8′ Vox Celeste II (Swell)

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Corno Dolce (ext) 12 pipes

2′ Mixture III† 166 pipes

8′ Tuba Minor (Swell)

8′ Clarinet 61 pipes

Tremulant

Great Unison Off

Great 4′

†Mixture does not octave couple

SWELL (III - Expressive)

16′ Bourdon (wood, ext) 12 pipes

8′ Salicional 61 pipes

8′ Chimney Flute 61 pipes

8′ Gamba† 61 pipes

8′ Vox Celeste† 61 pipes

8′ Flute Celeste II (Great)

4′ Salicet (ext) 12 pipes

4′ Chimney Flute (ext) 12 pipes

4′ Flute Celeste II (Great)

2-2⁄3′ Nazard (from Chimney Flute)

2′ Fifteenth (ext) 12 pipes

16′ Bass Tuba† (ext) 12 pipes

16′ Contra Oboe (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Tuba Minor† 61 pipes

8′ Oboe Horn 61 pipes

Tremulant

Swell 16′

Swell Unison Off

Swell 4′

†In separate box inside Swell

SOLO (I)

SOLO STOPS

8′ Open Diapason (Great)

8′ Harmonic Flute (Great)

8′ Oboe Horn (Swell)

8′ Clarinet (Great)

16′ Bass Tuba (Swell)

8′ Tuba Minor (Swell)

ACCOMPANIMENT STOPS

8′ Corno Dolce (Great)

8′ Flute Celeste (Great)

8′ Gamba (Swell)

8′ Vox Celeste (Swell)

ENSEMBLE STOPS

8′ Salicional (Swell)

8′ Chimney Flute (Swell)

4′ Salicet (Swell)

4′ Chimney Flute (Swell)

2-2⁄3′ Nazard (Swell)

2′ Fifteenth (Swell)

Solo 16′

Solo Unison Off

Solo 4′

PEDAL

32′ Resultant

16′ Contrabass 32 pipes

16′ Bourdon (Swell)

8′ Open Diapason (Great)

8′ Violoncello (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Salicional (Swell)

8′ Chimney Flute (Swell)

4′ Octave (Great Open Diapason)

4′ Flute (Great Harmonic Flute)

16′ Bass Tuba (Swell)

16′ Contra Oboe (Swell)

8′ Tuba Minor (Swell)

4′ Clarinet (Great)

COUPLERS

Great to Pedal

Great to Pedal 4′

Swell to Pedal

Swell to Pedal 4′

Solo to Pedal

Solo to Pedal 4′

Swell to Great 16′

Swell to Great

Swell to Great 4′

Solo to Great

Great to Solo

Swell to Solo

MECHANICALS

Solid State Capture Combination Action:

5,000 memories

48 pistons and toe studs

3 reversibles

Programmable piston range

Piston sequencer

Record/Playback system

 

14 voices, 16 ranks, 995 pipes

Electric-pneumatic action

Schoenstein & Co., Benicia, California

First United Methodist Church, Montgomery, Alabama

When an organ builder approaches a new project there are many challenges, and acoustical environment is generally the most difficult. A good deal of credit for a beautiful musical instrument must go to the room that shapes its sound; likewise, a poor acoustic can limit the potential of even the best-designed organ.

We were delighted by the grand proportions of First United Methodist Church, Montgomery, Alabama, but its acoustical effect was disappointing. The church engaged Paul Scarbrough of Akustiks, Norwalk, Connecticut, to improve the acoustic profile. A detailed and lengthy study resulted in recommendations that were practical—achieving maximum result for time and money spent.

A great deal of credit for the success of our instrument goes to the organ committee and musicians for insisting on implementing the improvements. The key was to improve the reflection of the nave side walls. This created a more even, warm acoustic for the organ and for all music by increasing the reflection of sound during and immediately after it is produced. These considerations are far more important than long reverberation time. The room is now balanced acoustically, looks appealing, and serves myriad uses.

The musicians of First United Methodist Church were supportive clients who trusted our vision for the organ. The church’s long history of great music includes lots of organ-accompanied choral repertoire, and the congregation carries on the Methodist tradition of robust hymn singing. We designed the organ around these two primary musical needs. The Great division contains multiple diapasons to support the congregation, and a large Swell division with double-enclosure gives more expressive control for accompanying. The Choir division is housed in a shallow, tall chamber, requiring a two-level design with pipes arranged carefully for tuning stability and easy maintenance. This is also where the 16′ Bourdon of the organ resides, allowing the bass tone to be brought down to ppp under the whisper stops across the chancel in the Swell.

The team at First Church—music director James Seay, assistant director and organist Joshua Coble, and consultant Andrew Risinger—recognized that the best way to achieve a truly wonderful organ sound is excellent acoustics. We hope the new organ and resonant church serve this congregation for generations to come.

—Bryan Dunnewald
Schoenstein & Co.

Photo credit: Louis Patterson

GREAT (Manual II)

16′ Double Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ First Open Diapason 61 pipes

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

8′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes

8′ Salicional (Choir)

8′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Choir)

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Choir)

2-2⁄3′ Sesquialtera II 115 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

2′ Mixture IV 201 pipes

16′ Ophicleide (Choir)

8′ Tuba (Choir)

8′ Solo Trumpet (Choir)

Chimes (digital)

Great Unison Off

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed)

16′ Contra Gamba (ext 8′) 12 pipes

8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Stopped Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Echo Gamba 61 pipes

8′ Vox Celeste 61 pipes

8′ Cor Seraphique† 61 pipes

8′ Voix Angelique (TC)† 49 pipes

4′ Gemshorn 61 pipes

4′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes

2′ Octavin 61 pipes

2′ Mixture III–V† 236 pipes

16′ Posaune† 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet† 61 pipes

8′ Posaune (ext 16′)† 12 pipes

8′ Oboe 61 pipes

4′ Clarion† (ext 16′) 12 pipes

Tremulant

Swell 16′

Swell Unison Off

Swell 4′

†On high pressure under double expression

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed)

16′ Bourdon 24 pipes

8′ Salicional (Bourdon bass) 49 pipes

8′ Unda-Maris (TC ) 49 pipes

8′ Lieblich Gedeckt 49 pipes (Bourdon Bass)

4′ Salicet (ext 8′) 12 pipes

4′ Lieblich Gedeckt (ext 8′) 12 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth (TC, fr Nineteenth)

2-2⁄3′ Nazard (fr Lieblich Gedeckt)

2′ Fifteenth (ext 4′ Salicet) 12 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce (TC) 42 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Nineteenth 54 pipes

16′ Ophicleide† (ext 8′) 12 pipes

8′ Tuba† 61 pipes

8′ Solo Trumpet†† 61 pipes

8′ Corno di Bassetto 61 pipes

8′ Oboe (Swell)

Tremulant

Choir 16′

Choir Unison Off

Choir 4′

Cymbelstern

†High pressure

††Retained from previous organ, unenclosed with Great

GALLERY (floating)

8′ Open Diapason 49 pipes (Chimney Flute bass)

8′ Chimney Flute 61 pipes

8′ Dulciana 49 pipes (Chimney Flute bass)

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Chimney Flute (ext 8′) 12 pipes

PEDAL

32′ Resultant

16′ Open Metal 32 pipes

16′ Diapason (Great)

16′ Gamba (Swell)

16′ Bourdon (Choir)

8′ Principal 12 pipes

8′ Flute (Great)

8′ Stopped Diapason (Swell)

4′ Fifteenth 12 pipes

4′ Flute (Great)

32′ Contra Posaune (ext Sw) 12 pipes

16′ Ophicleide (Choir)

16′ Posaune (Swell)

8′ Tuba (Choir)

8′ Posaune (Swell)

4′ Corno di Bassetto (Swell)

8′ Solo Trumpet (Choir)

Chimes (Great)

Couplers

Great to Pedal

Great to Pedal 4′

Swell to Pedal

Swell to Pedal 4′

Choir to Pedal

Choir to Pedal 4′

Swell to Great 16′

Swell to Great

Swell to Great 4′

Choir to Great 16′

Choir to Great

Choir to Great 4′

Swell to Choir 16′

Swell to Choir

Swell to Choir 4′

Great to Choir

Choir to Swell

Gallery on Great

Gallery on Swell

Gallery on Choir

Gallery on Pedal

 

All Swells to Swell

Manual I/II Transfer

All Divisionals Become Next

 

MECHANICALS

Solid State capture combination action:

• 5,000 memories

• 56 pistons and toe studs

• 6 reversibles including Full Organ

• Programmable piston range

• Piston sequencer

Record/Playback system

Electro-pneumatic action

33 voices, 41 ranks, 2,423 pipes

Builder’s website: schoenstein.com

Church website: fumcmontgomery.org

Rosales Organ Builders, Los Angeles, California, Opus 42; Parsons Pipe Organ Builders, Canandaigua, New York, Opus 51; St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, La Jolla, California

 

In any artistic endeavor, the goals of the artist guide every step of the process to achieve his desired result. When multiple artists collaborate, the result can be a wonderful synergy of goals, something that a single artist would not have created on his own. The new organ at Saint James by-the-Sea in La Jolla, California, is a wonderful synergy of multiple artists working together to create something quite special and unique.

Church building and history

The current sanctuary of Saint James by-the-Sea seats about 450 and was finished in 1930. It is built in the Spanish Colonial style with walls of poured concrete and a wooden ceiling 33 feet above the floor at the peak. This provides a pleasant acoustic, especially for small ensembles and choirs, although the ceiling height and material limit reverberation. The building was finished during the Great Depression, when money was tight limiting the size of the organ installed by Henry Pilcher’s Sons. At three manuals and 33 stops, it is unlikely that the Pilcher filled the two large organ chambers on either side of the chancel. The four-manual Austin that replaced it in 1975 filled only three-quarters of the chamber space. Austin Organs, Inc., Opus 2585 was a major pendulum swing away from the Pilcher in terms of style, and it shared many characteristics with other organs of that era. Although the stoplist was not as top heavy as some other instruments of the day (each division had at least one 8′ open flue stop), the scaling provided weak bass tones, and the voicing style emphasized the upper harmonics. The room acoustics were a major contributor to the weak bass, small-scaled bass pipes did nothing to counteract this. The Great and Positiv divisions were placed in four flower box displays, two on either side of the chancel. These displays were located in front of four chamber openings that limited how much sound could escape the chambers behind. A sizable Antiphonal division hung on the back wall below a round window.

Project history

Our participation in the project in La Jolla began in early 2018 when director of music Alex Benestelli contacted Manuel Rosales about rebuilding the existing organ at Saint James. Thomas Sheehan, who currently serves as organist and associate director of music at Washington National Cathedral, had been hired by Saint James as organ consultant. Parsons was invited to collaborate with Rosales in presenting a proposal. Through many discussions, it was decided that rather than rebuild the failing Austin mechanisms, we would provide a new mechanical chassis along with new casework and many new pipes. Some pipes from the Austin would be retained as they would provide useful voices in our new tonal scheme.

A letter of intent was signed in October 2018, and following presentation of a façade rendering, the contract was signed in September 2019. Because of electrical issues with the Austin, it was decided to remove the organ sooner rather than later, and this was done in January 2020. With the organ removed, the church could prepare the chambers to receive the new instrument. The four new cases that hang on the chancel walls are taller and heavier than the previous flower box cases, requiring new steel structure to be engineered and installed. The Antiphonal could occupy the existing steel structure, although this would need to be stiffened to meet current codes even though the division was being reduced to a solo reed and a unit Principal.

We collaborated with MDEP of La Jolla, who engineered steel frames that would hold the organ and allow maximum access for service. MDEP received the 2023 Award for Historic Preservation from the Structural Engineers Association of San Diego for their work on the Saint James organ project. The existing chancel concrete openings were enlarged to improve tonal egress and service access to the mechanisms located in the cases. The ceilings of the organ chambers were also thickened with added material to promote tonal projection.

Organ case

The four chancel cases and Antiphonal case are constructed of quarter-sawn white oak and stained to complement the church furnishings. Multiple elements from the church architecture are echoed and tied together in the cases. These include the seashell and sword that are symbols of Saint James. These elements along with the wooden grillework and columns were all fabricated on our CNC router. Façade pipes from the 16′ and 8′ Diapasons on the Great and Pedal and the 8′ Principal in the Antiphonal are of 80% tin and are polished with a fine abrasive to mute the reflectiveness of the pipes. Pipe mouths and some case elements are covered with gold leaf to help warm the color palette of the organ.

Tonal design

The goal of the tonal design of the new instrument is to accompany choral anthems and congregational singing. This encouraged a design including many color stops, a large majority of which are under expression. In the end a total of 59 ranks are under expression in three enclosures. Thirty-three stops are of 8′ pitch, and sixteen of the ranks are reed pipes. Only one reed, the nautically themed Tromba Marina, is located outside of an expression box above the west door in the Antiphonal. Voicing of all flue pipework was completed by Duane Prill, and reeds were voiced by Chris Broome and David Schopp. In turn these pipes were tonal finished in the church by Manuel Rosales with assistance from the Parsons staff.

The chamber on the south side of the chancel contains the three principal manual divisions: Great, Swell, and Choir. The Great is divided into two sections: the first Principal chorus based on 16′ pitch is unenclosed in one of the four new chancel cases. The remainder of the Great is enclosed with the Choir including the independent Tromba chorus on ten inches of wind. The Choir contains many color stops including a full complement of mutation stops. The large Swell division is located behind the Unenclosed Great and contains all of the expected stops for accompanying choral literature.

The north side of the chancel contains the Pedal and Solo divisions. In part, this was due to the fact that the floor was eighteen inches lower on this side, so there was more ceiling height available for the taller bass pipes. In spite of this, the longest wooden pipes of the 16′ Open Diapason and the Haskelled 32′ Contrebasse had to be laid down along the back wall of the chamber. All of the wood pipes of these two stops as well as the bass octaves of the Swell and Great flutes were built in our shop. The 32′ Contra Bombarde is located in the Solo expression chamber and is a commanding voice on 17.5 inches of wind. However, the expression shades allow it to be closed down and used with a much wider variety of manual stops.

Mechanical design

Because this was a collaboration, the mechanical design required careful management of the process in terms of pipe materials, scales, winding, chest designs, and even racking methods. The majority of the pipework stands on slider and tone channel windchests. The pallets are provided with pneumatic assists (balanciers) to improve action speed and repetition. The remainder of the stops play from all-electric or electro-pneumatic chests. In order to create the wide variety of colors in the tonal design, a wide range of wind pressures were necessary, ranging from 2.75 inches for the Antiphonal Principal to 17.5 inches for the Tuba and 32′ Contra Bombarde. Wind is provided by five blowers in three locations totalling 13.5 HP. The blowers feed sixteen reservoirs of different constructions including bag bellows and single-rise regulators with both cone and curtain valves to serve specific purposes throughout the organ. Numerous concussion bellows smooth out unwanted ripples in the wind and are disengaged when the tremulants are active.

Whenever we design a new instrument, we always strive to make the design as serviceable as possible. Our philosophy is simple: if an organ is easy to service, it is more likely that it will be maintained and indeed serve the church for hundreds of years. This drives every layout decision and suggests where we might add additional ladders or make a part more easily removable if there is something behind it that might need service. We have encountered many organs where this was not given consideration, and major sections of the organ need to be removed in order to make small adjustments or repairs. This was an extraordinary challenge at Saint James because the organ we were installing was larger and contained more 16′, 8′ (and even 32′) stops than existed in the previous instruments. The scales of the pipes we were installing were also larger, which consumed a significant amount of space. Through careful layout, it is possible to navigate through the organ and adjust the mechanism as needed. Many hinged walkboards and ladders provide service access to mechanisms. Extra ladders and perchboards are provided to reach pipes that are tall or hanging from the ceiling or just simply harder to access.

Console

The new movable four-manual console is built of quarter-sawn white oak and stained to match the new cases. The interior wood is cherry with accents in African padauk. It was designed to be as low-profile as possible with a drop-sill keydesk. Manual naturals are covered in bleached bone with sharps of African blackwood as are the custom drawknobs. The side panels on both ends of the console are doors that open to reveal storage cabinets for the organist and organ technician. Two music racks are provided: a decorative wood rack with book-matched madrone burl, and a clear scratch-resistant polycarbonate rack for improved visibility. The control system by Opus-Two handles the myriad of complex functions available to control the instrument, including Sostenuto, melody coupling, through-coupling, transposer, and record/playback. The system includes 1,000 assignable folders, each with 250 levels of memory.

The initial installation began in June 2022. Components from the five cases, the Antiphonal and the north side organ chamber containing Pedal and Solo stops completely covered the nave and parish hall. Two more phases of installation followed, with tonal finishing beginning in February 2023. Staggering the installation process allowed the three tractor-trailer loads of organ to be safely and efficiently unloaded and organized in the church’s small sanctuary. Much of the organ was complete and playing in time for Easter, and the organ was officially accepted on July 23, the Feast of Saint James. The organ will be dedicated October 1, 2023, with a concert by Ken Cowan, which will kick off a year of festivities to celebrate the new organ. It now begins its life in service to the church of Saint James by-the-Sea, truly a unique instrument and the fruit of the labors of many artists.

—Peter Geise, Technical Director

Parsons Pipe Organ Builders

 

Parsons Pipe Organ Builders website: parsonsorgans.com

Rosales Organ Builders website: rosales.com

Saint James by-the-Sea Church website: sjbts.org

Photo credit: Ron Belanger

 

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

16′ Double Diapason 56 pipes (low F, façade)

16′ Violone (Austin) * 61 pipes

8′ First Diapason (façade) 61 pipes

8′ Second Diapason * 61 pipes

8′ Flûte harmonique * 61 pipes

8′ Bourdon * 61 pipes

8′ Violoncello (ext 16′) * 12 pipes 4′ First Octave 61 pipes

4′ Second Octave * 61 pipes

4′ Spire Flute * 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Octave Quint 61 pipes

2′ Super Octave 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce 54 pipes

Fourniture IV–V 281 pipes

16′ Contra Tromba * 61 pipes (high pressure)

8′ Tromba (high pressure) * 61 pipes

4′ Tromba Clarion* 61 pipes (high pressure)

Tremulant

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)

Chimes (Walker)

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed)

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Austin) 61 pipes 8′ Geigen Principal 61 pipes

8′ Rohrflöte 61 pipes

8′ Viole de gambe 61 pipes

8′ Voix céleste 61 pipes

8′ Flûte douce 61 pipes (Aeolian-Skinner)

8′ Flûte céleste (TC) 49 pipes (Aeolian-Skinner)

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Flûte traversière 61 pipes

2′ Octavin 61 pipes

Plein Jeu IV–V 281 pipes

16′ Contra Bassoon 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Bassoon (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Oboe 61 pipes

8′ Vox Humana (Gottfried) 61 pipes

4′ Clarion 61 pipes

Tremulant

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed)

16′ Erzähler (ext 8′) 12 pipes

8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Gedeckt (Austin) 61 pipes

8′ Erzähler (Austin) 61 pipes

8′ Erzähler Celeste 49 pipes (TC, Austin)

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Koppelflöte (M. P. Möller) 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard (Austin) 61 pipes

2′ Octave 61 pipes

2′ Blockflöte (Austin) 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce (Austin) 54 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Larigot (Austin) 61 pipes

Mixture III 183 pipes

16′ Bass Clarinet (ext 8′) 12 pipes

8′ Trompette 61 pipes

8′ Corno d’Amore 61 pipes (E. M. Skinner & Son)

8′ Clarinet 61 pipes

Tremulant

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)

8′ Tromba Marina (Antiphonal)

Great Reeds on Choir

SOLO (Manual IV, enclosed)

8′ Doppelflöte (Wicks) 61 pipes

8′ Concert Flute (vintage) 61 pipes

8′ Gamba 61 pipes

8′ Gamba Celeste 61 pipes

4′ Hohlpfeife (Austin) 61 pipes

Cornet V (TF, mounted) 195 pipes

8′ French Horn (Casavant) 61 pipes

8′ English Horn 61 pipes

Tremulant

8′ Tuba Mirabilis 73 pipes

8′ Tromba Marina (Antiphonal)

Great Reeds on Solo

8′ Harp (Walker)

8′ Orchestral bells (Walker)

4′ Celesta (Walker)

Tower Chimes (existing Deagan)

PEDAL (Unenclosed; * enclosed with Solo)

32′ Contrebasse 32 pipes

32′ Bourdon (Walker)

16′ Open Diapason (façade) 32 pipes

16′ Contrebasse (ext 32′) 12 pipes

16′ Bourdon (Austin) 32 pipes

16′ Violone (Great)

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)

16′ Erzähler (Choir)

10-2⁄3′ Quint (Smart Quint)

8′ Flute (ext 32′) 12 pipes

8′ Octave (façade) 32 pipes

8′ Open Diapason (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Bourdon (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Violoncello (Great)

8′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)

4′ Choral Bass 32 pipes

4′ Bourdon (ext 16′) 12 pipes

32′ Contra Bombarde * 32 pipes (full length)

16′ Bombarde * (ext 32′) 12 pipes

16′ Tromba (Great)

16′ Bassoon (Swell)

8′ Trumpet* (ext 32′) 12 pipes

8′ Tromba (Great)

8′ Bassoon (Swell)

4′ Clarion * (ext 32′) 12 pipes

4′ Tromba Clarion (Great)

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)

8′ Tromba Marina (Antiphonal)

4′ Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)

Chimes (Walker)

ANTIPHONAL (Floating, unenclosed)

8′ Principal (façade) 61 pipes

4′ Octave (façade, ext 8′) 23 pipes

8′ Tromba Marina (hooded) 61 pipes

ACCESSORIES

Cymbelstern (7 bells)

Pajaritos (small Spanish birds)

All Swells to Swell

GR/CH Manual Transfer

COUPLERS

Great to Pedal 8

Swell to Pedal 8-4

Choir to Pedal 8-4

Solo to Pedal 8-4

Antiphonal to Pedal

Great Unison Off

Swell to Great 16-8-4

Choir to Great 16-8-4

Solo to Great 16-8-4

Antiphonal to Great

Choir 16-UO-4

Swell to Choir 16-8-4

Solo to Choir 16-8-4

Great to Choir 8

Great Enclosed Flues on Choir

Pedal on Choir

Swell 16-UO-4

Choir to Swell

Solo to Swell 16-8-4

Solo 16-UO-4

Antiphonal on Solo

Great Enclosed Flues on Solo

CONSOLE

Custom-built four-manual drawknob console designed and finished to complement existing church furnishings. Includes the following features:

• built-in casters for mobility within the chancel

• adjustable organist bench by rotary 
handle

• inlaid music rack and polycarbonate music rack that are interchangeable

• manual keyboards furnished with bleached bone key coverings and blackwood sharps

• pedalboard furnished with maple naturals and ebony sharps

• stops and intra-manual couplers controlled by drawknobs

• inter-manual couplers controlled by rocker tablets located above top manual

• three balanced expression pedals and programmable Crescendo pedal

• LED lighting for music, pedal, and nameboard with dimmer control

• convenience receptacles–120vac, USB (device charger), and MIDI

• standard indicator lamps (Wind, Sforzando, etc.)

• multi-level combination action with minimum 2,000 levels of memory

PISTONS

30 General (some duplicated, thumb and toe)

8 Great

8 Swell

8 Choir

8 Solo

5 Pedal

General Cancel

Memory Set

Great to Pedal reversible

Swell to Pedal reversible

Choir to Pedal reversible

Solo to Pedal reversible

Reversible (settable)

32′ Bourdon reversible

Cymbelstern reversible, with LED indicator

Pajaritos

Sforzando reversible, with LED indicator

Great Sostenuto, with LED indicator

Swell Sostenuto, with LED indicator

Choir Sostenuto, with LED indicator

Solo Sostenuto, with LED indicator

Pedal Sostenuto, with LED indicator

Sostenuto

Memory Up and Down

All Pistons Next reversible, with LED indicator

Sequencer (Next and Previous)

Go To (memory level)

Library

DISPLAYS

Main

Last General Pressed

Memory Level: Lock and Clear

Crescendo

Drawer Display

Crescendo Std.

Transposer display

Record/Playback display

PIPE SUMMARY

Great 1,196

Swell 1,196

Choir 1,042

Solo 695

Antiphonal 145

Pedal 288

Total 4,562

Bryan Dunnewald

Schoenstein & Co., Benicia, California; Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, Virginia

When organist Douglas Brown approached us to build an organ for Union Presbyterian Seminary of Richmond, Virginia, he had a singular focus: maximum dynamic and tonal color range fitting within a small organ loft. Over the years our multum in parvo approach has led to versatile instruments in small spaces, and Union Presbyterian Seminary joins an unusual group of organs in this style that contain only one double-enclosed stop. (The other two are Bishop Spencer Place, Kansas City, Missouri, and Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, High Point, North Carolina.)

Watts Chapel, housed in a beautiful, historic late Victorian building from 1896, is a semi-circular room with the organ placed above and behind the dais. This allows the organ to speak directly into the chapel, a great advantage. After careful measuring, we determined that an organ of eight ranks would be all that can fit in the tight space. The organ would be entirely enclosed, save for a few bass and façade pipes, and only the most essential stops would be chosen. We knew that the double-enclosed Trumpet would be a key part of the organ’s success.

One of the primary advantages of double-expression is the ability to create more dynamic range while retaining the smooth crescendo and decrescendo of a swell box. In larger organs, we double-enclose the softest and loudest stops of the organ to expand both sides of the dynamic spectrum. In smaller organs, we double-enclose only the Trumpet to increase the dynamic range upward. The double-enclosed Trumpet expands an organ’s tonal range in several ways: a) the Trumpet stop can be voiced louder and thus play from pp to fff; b) the Trumpet can serve as both a solo and ensemble stop; and c) the rest of the organ’s expression can essentially be controlled separately. Where in the jobs mentioned above we had an 8′ Trumpet double-enclosed, here we were able to add a 16′ octave.

Another advantage to double-expression is its ability to change a stop’s identity. By “setting” the inner swell to the appropriate dynamic level, the organist can use the single Trumpet stop as a quieter ensemble stop, apt for choir accompaniment. The organist could also open the inner shades enough for a “standard” swell chorus reed. And if the shades are open all the way, the Trumpet can gain enough power to be a solo reed fit for wedding processions and English choral anthems.

When using the Trumpet in these various ways, the overall effect would be severely limited by having the whole organ under the same expression. However, thanks to double-expression, the rest of the organ can be controlled independently of the Trumpet. This allows for more dynamic control while maintaining the Trumpet’s relationship to the rest of the organ. For example, if the Trumpet is being used as a quieter accompaniment stop it can still crescendo and decrescendo in even proportion to the rest of the organ.

Douglas Brown, director of music, played the dedicatory service on September 25, 2022. From the seamless introductory crescendo in Balfour Gardiner’s Evening Hymn to a heroic performance of Widor’s “Toccata” from the fifth symphony, Brown has already demonstrated the breadth of color and dynamic available on such a small organ. The instrument is now in consistent use for services and events, and we are especially proud to have this opus give musical inspiration and training to future generations of Presbyterian ministers.

 

Builder’s website: schoenstein.com

Seminary website: upsem.edu

GREAT (Manual I, enclosed †)

16′ Bourdon (ext 8′) 12 pipes

8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes (bass in façade)

8′ Open Diapason mf (Lieb. Ged. bass)

8′ Dulciana (Swell)

8′ Lieblich Gedeckt 61 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Lieblich Gedeckt (ext 8′) 12 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth (TC, fr Nineteenth)

2′ Fifteenth (Swell)

1-1⁄3′ Nineteenth 54 pipes

8′ Trumpet (Swell)

8′ Clarinet ††

†All pipes except 1–11 of the Open Diapason and 1–12 of the Bourdon are in the Swell box

††Prepared

SWELL (Manual II, enclosed)

8′ Dulciana (Lieb. Ged. bass) 49 pipes

8′ Vox Celeste (TC) 49 pipes

8′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Great)

4′ Dulcet (ext 8′) 12 pipes

4′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Great)

2-2⁄3′ Nazard (fr Lieblich Gedeckt)

2′ Fifteenth (ext 8′ Dulciana) 12 pipes

16′ Bass Trumpet (ext 8′) † 12 pipes

8′ Trumpet † 61 pipes

Tremulant

†In a separate expression box inside master expression box

PEDAL

32′ Resultant

16′ Bourdon (Great)

8′ Open Diapason (Great)

8′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Great)

4′ Fifteenth (Great 8′ Open Diapason)

4′ Dulcet (Swell)

4′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Great)

16′ Bass Trumpet (Swell)

8′ Trumpet (Swell)

4′ Clarinet (Great) †

†prepared

Couplers

Intermanual

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Swell to Pedal 4′

Swell to Great 16′

Swell to Great

Swell to Great 4′

Intramanual

Swell 16′

Swell Unison Off

Swell 4′

MECHANICALS

Solid-state capture combination action:

     5,000 memories

     12 General pistons

     Great to Pedal Reversible

     Programmable piston range

     Piston sequencer, two + toe levers

     Record/Playback system

2 manuals, 7 voices, 7 ranks, 456 pipes

Schoenstein & Co. Pipe Organ Builders, Benicia, California; Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, Miami, Florida

Building for an unfinished room: The value of experience and documentation

Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was established in 1854 by royal charter of Queen Isabella II of Spain. The school was based in Havana, Cuba, until 1961 when Fidel Castro, an alumnus of Belen, expelled the Jesuits, forcing the school to relocate to Miami. Belen has a long history of rigorous academics and emphasis on the arts. It is no surprise, therefore, that when the school began planning for a new chapel they chose Jorge Hernández, an alumnus of Belen, to be its architect. We were honored to be selected as organ builder for this historic school.

When we set out to design a new organ, almost every job begins with a careful understanding of the client’s musical needs and the room that will house the instrument. An important part of our study is the tonal test where we listen to pipes of varying scale and loudness in the location of the new instrument. This directly impacts how we design the organ to accommodate the acoustic profile of the room. As we began working on the new organ for the Chapel of Our Lady of Belen, however, the building was not yet constructed. Thus, there was no way to test on-site, no way to get a “feel” for the room, and only the architect’s plans to give us a sense of the space.

We therefore obtained every resource we could to get an idea of the new building’s “sound.” The first documents we saw were the architectural drawings, giving us the room’s shape and dimensions. We recommended adding an acoustical engineer to the design team and were pleased when Scott R. Riedel & Associates was selected. They not only influenced the design of the chapel, but also provided us with critical information about how the organ would sound in the finished space. All of this study told us that the chapel would have a resonant acoustic with even sound across the spectrum. The organ would be placed in the rear gallery, speaking directly into the nave.

With a better understanding of how the chapel will look and sound, we studied master scaling, voicing records, and acoustical data from previous organs in similar environments. The school’s music program called for an American-Romantic style with a focus on leading liturgies and accompanying choral singing. Consultant Luis Cuza was very helpful in refining the stoplist based on Belen’s specific needs.

The result, Schoenstein Opus 182, is a three-manual design with evenly proportioned divisions. The Great and Swell are ensembles centered around a variety of 8′ diapason tone. The Swell chorus reeds are English with Willis-style shallots. In the Choir we paired a Bourdon with our Salicional (an echo principal), drawing inspiration from the French Fonds doux. The Belen organ also features the Tuba Ignati, a special solo reed that carries a full-bodied sound with lots of French brilliance.

Of particular note is the large, independent Pedal division—a luxury for a modest-sized organ! Contained therein is a set of three independent diapasons at 16′, 8′, and 4′. These stops allowed us to scale the diapasons for all four divisions with fewer stops having to fulfill multiple musical roles. The large-scale 8′ Principal in the Pedal anchors the whole organ and lets the 16′ Open Wood provide rich, warm bass tone. The 4′ Choral Bass is then scaled to add clarity with a uniform timbre across its compass. A Tromba and Chalumeau offer more variety and French-flavored fire to the division, leaving the 32′ and 16′ reeds enclosed for maximum flexibility.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Belen was opened in the summer of 2022, and we began installing the organ immediately after the opening. We were pleased that the new organ required minimal on-site adjustments. The chapel provides a warm, ringing acoustic well-suited to the organ, and we were happy to hear our design choices fit well in the new space.

All of the work done to make this new organ is now filed away where it can help guide us again on future projects. This information has proven invaluable to us in jobs of every kind. Even for the more “normal” project, where our tonal test gives a wealth of information, we rely heavily on documentation of previous instruments. We have found these records plus experience is of great value.

We were fortunate to work with a talented team at Belen led by the Reverend Guillermo García-Tuñón, president; Jonathan Sánchez, music minister; and Ricardo Echeverria, executive director of facilities. Luis Cuza and Joanne Schulte served as organ consultants. The organ was dedicated in a recital by Nathan Laube on March 5, 2023, as the final performance of the Miami Winter Organ Festival. As the music program and school continue to expand, we hope this new organ, housed in a beautiful new chapel, will inspire young students for generations to come.

—Bryan Dunnewald

Schoenstein & Co.

Builder’s website: schoenstein.com

School’s website: www.belenjesuit.org

GREAT (Manual II)

16′ Contra Viole 61 pipes

8′ First Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Second Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes

8′ Viole (ext Contra Viole) 12 pipes

8′ Bourdon (Choir)

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Silver Flute (Choir)

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Mixture (III–IV) 187 pipes

8′ Tuba Ignati (Choir)

8′ Trumpet (Swell)

SWELL (Manual III – Enclosed)

16′ Lieblich Bourdon 12 pipes (ext Stopped Diapason)

8′ Horn Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Stopped Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Gamba 61 pipes

8′ Gamba Celeste 61 pipes

4′ Principal Conique 61 pipes

4′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 12 pipes (ext Principal Conique)

16′ Contra Posaune 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Posaune 12 pipes (ext Contra Posaune)

8′ Oboe 61 pipes

Tremulant

Swell 16

Swell Unison Off

Swell 4

8′ Tuba Ignati (Choir)

CHOIR (ManuaI I – Enclosed)

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes

8′ Salicional 61 pipes

8′ Unda-Maris (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Silver Flute 61 pipes

4′ Salicet 12 pipes (ext Salicional)

2-2⁄3′ Nazard (TC) 42 pipes

2′ Harmonic Piccolo 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce (TC) 42 pipes

8′ Tuba Ignati 61 pipes

8′ Corno di Bassetto 61 pipes

Tremulant

Choir 16

Choir Unison Off

Choir 4

Cymbelstern

PEDAL

32′ Resultant

16′ Open Wood 32 pipes

16′ Contra Viole (Great)

16′ Lieblich Bourdon (Swell)

8′ Principal 32 pipes

8′ Horn Diapason (Swell)

8′ Flute (Great Harmonic Flute)

8′ Viole (Great)

8′ Bourdon (Choir)

4′ Choral Bass 32 pipes

4′ Flute (Great Harmonic Flute)

32′ Contra Posaune(ext Swell) 12 pipes

16′ Contra Posaune (Swell)

8′ Tromba 32 pipes

8′ Tuba Ignati (Choir)

4′ Chalumeau 32 pipes

COUPLERS

Great to Pedal

Great to Pedal 4

Swell to Pedal

Swell to Pedal 4

Choir to Pedal

Choir to Pedal 4

Swell to Great 16

Swell to Great

Swell to Great 4

Choir to Great 16

Choir to Great

Choir to Great 4

Swell to Choir 16

Swell to Choir

Swell to Choir 4

Choir to Swell

SPECIAL COUPLERS

Manual I/II Transfer

All Swells to Swell

MECHANICALS

Solid-state capture combination action:

5,000 memories

52 pistons and toe studs

15 reversibles 

Programmable piston range

Piston sequencer

Record/Playback system

 

30 voices, 33 ranks, 1,833 pipes

Electric-pneumatic action

 

Photo credit: Louis Patterson

Schoenstein & Co. Organ Builders, Benicia, California; Saint Michael’s Abbey, Silverado, California

Treasure in the hills: French Romantic organs in a silver boomtown

When searching for sung daily offices, a French-style abbey church, and two French Romantic organs, one might look in Europe, but not in Silverado, California. The city and its namesake canyon, located east of Los Angeles in the Santa Ana range, hold scenery found in old Western films: dusty mountainsides that turn pink at dusk, tumbleweed blowing across the winding two-lane road, a creek with little more than eight ounces of water in its bed, old mine shafts from the silver boom.

Yet here in the California mountains stands Saint Michael’s Abbey, a spectacular new Romanesque building patterned after nineteenth-century French cathedrals. Everything about it is exceptional: the location, the building, the people, the liturgy, the music. Our challenge was to build an organ worthy of these extraordinary attributes.

The Abbey and the Norbertine Fathers

The Norbertine Fathers trace their heritage back to twelfth-century northern France and have several monasteries across the globe. The fathers who founded Saint Michael’s Abbey were fleeing communist rule in Hungary in the 1940s. After arriving in New York and staying with fellow canons regular in Wisconsin, they eventually settled in California in 1961.

With deep ties to France and a passion for singing, the fathers sang in the first abbey church—a smaller edifice with dry acoustics and no pipe organ. When they had the opportunity to build a new church, they chose to pattern it after French cathedrals, with round arches and barrel vault ceiling.

A twenty-year pipe dream

Father Jerome Molokie, an organist and canon regular at Saint Michael’s, was first introduced to our work on a visit to San Francisco in 2002. As plans for the new abbey church began to materialize, Jack Bethards and Father Jerome sketched ideas for two organs, one in the quire and one in the tribune (rear balcony).

Thanks to Father Jerome’s advocacy, the abbey purchased one of our French choir organs, Opus 116A, which was in need of a new home. They made this purchase several years before the new abbey church was completed, showing total confidence in the organ as a priority in the design of the new facility.

The tribune organ was considered to be the old cliché—a pipe dream—until after the abbey was completed and the Janet Curci Family Foundation came forward as benefactor of the new instrument. We had a singular directive from the abbey: build an organ to play French Romantic repertoire. Designing such an organ is easy on paper, but achieving the French Romantic sound required us to return to our detailed study of French organs.

A French Schoenstein?

The tribune organ at Saint Michael’s is our largest French Romantic organ, but it is far from our first. In 1985 we made a thorough study of French Romantic organs for two reasons: first, to add new tone colors to our eclectic symphonic organs; and second, to find the secrets of the Orgue de Choeur—miniature instruments that carry the main load of French service music. We thought these “little giants” could be the answer for American Catholic churches who at that time were moving singers and organists from the gallery to often-inadequate makeshift spaces near the sanctuary.

The study tour included twenty-five organs, with fifteen documented in detail. We engaged Kurt Lueders to be our guide. Jack Bethards, David Broome, Brant Duddy, Steuart Goodwin, and Robert Schopp made up the study team. These many hands made it possible to take detailed scale measurements of flues and reeds, take photographs, make recordings, and document special features of each instrument.

Upon our return, sample pipes were made and voiced. Eventually we built several instruments in strict French Romantic style, all ten ranks or smaller. Small instruments in this style work well in this country; however, a large instrument that is true to the French style requires a cathedral acoustic. After nearly forty years, we found that acoustic and musical need at Saint Michael’s Abbey.

The tribune organ

Although the tribune organ is a luxury unto itself, its tonal design had to be economical. Cavaillé-Coll’s signature “four fonds” (Montre, Flûte harmonique, Gambe, Bourdon) are only effective when each can be heard as a meaningful addition to the ensemble. The beauty of these organs is the ability to make myriad tonal variations with simple voices. No voice is superfluous.

With so many stops of the same type throughout the organ, it is critical to vary scale, construction, and voicing in an organized manner to achieve a satisfying tonal result. In addition to several diapasons, there are six open flutes (four of which are harmonic), five strings, three stopped/tapered flutes, and a variety of French-style reeds. Most fonds are treble-ascendant and slotted, and the live acoustic allowed for a Cavaillé-Coll approach to chorus scaling all the way up through the Fourniture.

Exceptional uses

Saint Michael’s Abbey has already incorporated the organ into its exceptional offerings of daily offices and Masses, all of which are sung. To hear a full quire of priests who sing several times each day feels otherworldly, especially when one recalls they are just an hour from Hollywood. Hearing that singing in a cathedral acoustic, accompanied by the choir organ, with musical commentary from the tribune organ throughout, is astounding.

The tribune organ was dedicated in what the abbey hopes is the first of many recitals by acclaimed artists. Paul Jacobs played a varied program on December 2, 2023, reminding us how versatile a successful organ can be, no matter its accent.

We hope the tribune organ, coupled with the choir organ, singing, mosaics, windows—all of what makes the abbey special—will inspire the fathers and visitors for decades to come. It was a privilege to contribute to an exceptional institution’s offerings and a joy to build an organ for such an exceptionally beautiful place.

Many people helped bring this project to fruition, including the Janet Curci Family Foundation; Father Jerome Molokie; Father Justin Ramos; Father Gregory Dick; Kevin Shaffer, director of construction; Gabriel Ferrucci, business advisor; Enzo Selvaggi, case design advisor; and the Schoenstein & Co. staff:

Jack Bethards

Louis Patterson

Bryan Dunnewald

David Anderson

Erik Asprey

Dean Belgarde

Drue Berti

Ann Bharoocha

Glen Brasel

Timothy Fink

Christopher Hansford

William Holt

Valentin Ivanov

Yolanda Mascote

Humberto Palma

Patricia Schneringer

­—Bryan Dunnewald, Tonal Director, Schoenstein & Co.

schoenstein.com

www.stmichaelsabbey.com

Photo credit: Louis Patterson

Grand-Orgue (I)

16′ Bourdon (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Montre 61 pipes

8′ Flûte harmonique 61 pipes

8′ Gambe 61 pipes

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes

4′ Prestant 61 pipes

4′ Flûte douce 61 pipes

2′ Doublette 61 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Fourniture (IV) 244 pipes

8′ Trompette 61 pipes

4′ Clairon 61 pipes

Grand-Orgue 16′

Positif expressif (II)

8′ Salicional 61 pipes

8′ Unda-Maris (TC) 49 pipes

8′ Cor de nuit 61 pipes

4′ Flûte 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

2′ Flageolet 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce 54 pipes

16′ Basson 61 pipes

8′ Trompette 61 pipes

8′ Clarinette 61 pipes

Trémolo

Positif 16′

Récit expressif (III)

8′ Flûte traversière 61 pipes

8′ Viole de gambe 61 pipes

8′ Voix céleste 61 pipes

4′ Flûte octaviante 61 pipes

2′ Octavin 61 pipes

8′ Trompette 61 pipes

8′ Basson - hautbois 61 pipes

8′ Voix humaine 61 pipes

Trémolo

Recit 16′

Recit 4′

Pédale

32′ Soubasse† (ext) 12 pipes

16′ Contrebasse 32 pipes

16′ Soubasse 32 pipes

16′ Bourdon (Grand-Orgue)

8′ Flûte (Grand-Orgue)

8′ Salicional (Positif expressif)

8′ Bourdon (Grand-Orgue)

4′ Flûte (Grand-Orgue)

32′ Bombarde 32 pipes

16′ Bombarde (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Bombarde (ext) 12 pipes

†Quint length pipes C–F#

Couplers

Grand-Orgue/Pédale

Positif/Pédale

Récit/Pédale

Positif/Grand-Orgue

Positif/Grand Orgue 16′

Récit/Grand-Orgue

Récit/Grand-Orgue 16′

Récit/Grand-Orgue 4′

Récit/Positif

Récit/Positif 4′

Console

1. Three-manual and pedal French-style open drawknob console with bench and music rack all of hardwood designed and finished to complement the organ case.

2. Bone and ebony covered keys with articulated touch.

3. Polished ebony drawknobs on brass shanks.

4. Solid state, capture combination action:

• 5,000 memories—assignable, lockable with back-up and level indicator

• 14 General pistons and toe studs (8 left, 6 right)

• 6 Grand-Orgue pistons

• 6 Positif pistons

• 6 Récit pistons

• 1 Set piston

• 1 General cancel piston

• 2 memory level pistons

• Programmable piston range for each memory folder.

5. Grand-Orgue to Pédale reversible piston and toe lever.

Positif to Pédale reversible piston and toe lever.

Récit to Pédale reversible piston and toe lever.

6. Two balanced expression pedals of brass.

7. Piston Sequencer (European mode, controlled by (+) toe stud and piston, and (–) piston. Indicator showing piston employed.

8. Record/playback system.

9. Pedal light, coupler rail light, and music light.

 

Three-manual and pedal Tribune Organ

31 voices — 34 ranks

Electric-pneumatic action