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C. B. Fisk, Inc.,
Gloucester, Massachusetts
First Presbyterian Church,
Santa Fe, New Mexico

From the organbuilder
Since its incorporation in 1961, the Fisk workshop has been in Gloucester, Massachusetts, home of the oldest art colony in the United States. Just as artists have been drawn to the light and ocean-
scapes of Gloucester for decades, so have they been drawn to the desert light of Santa Fe. Thus, when C. B. Fisk received a letter in 1999 requesting a proposal for a pipe organ in the sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church, we were especially excited by the opportunity to work in the Southwest, with its own quality of light and architectural styles so different from those surrounding us in our New England home.
From our first visits to John Gaw Meem’s serenely beautiful 1930s sanctuary, it was evident that there were wonderful opportunities and challenges inherent in the project. When plans were made to restructure the chancel as part of a larger building project, the church wisely included us along with acousticians Kirkegaard & Associates, and architects Lloyd & Associates. The excellent result literally speaks for itself. While maintaining the simple beauty of the space, a modern approach to acoustics was applied. The walls at the chancel sides are now hard-plastered and subtly angled, allowing choir and organ to speak boldly into the sanctuary. Other changes were made invisibly above the ceiling in the sanctuary, leaving the latillas undisturbed, but improving the acoustical response so important to congregational singing. This commitment to the excellence of both sound and silence will pay dividends for generations to come.
Our first step was to take careful measurements and photos of the new chancel in order to construct a scale model of the front of the sanctuary. Much research was done on the vernacular church architecture of the Santa Fe area, with special attention to the surrounding historic missions. Charles Nazarian then developed the visual design within the model in consultation with the Fisk design team and the organ committee, whose members visited Gloucester several times throughout the process. Designing in the model also gave us the opportunity to communicate with the organ committee and the congregation through digital photography sent via e-mail.
The organ façade serves as a liturgical reredos and is divided in three—the detailed central case flanked on each side by the Douglas fir pipes of the 16′ Contrebasse. The painted casework is constructed of solid poplar, and the console of cherry. Both feature joinery designed for a dry climate. The casework and the wooden front pipes were hand-planed, providing a texture consistent with the hammered lead pipes in the central tower and the hand-carved spiral posts that support it. Great care was taken to choose materials, decorative elements, shaping and colors to create an organ design unlike any other, yet appearing to have always been there.
The mechanical design of a tracker organ must be as simple and as direct as possible in order to increase an organ’s utility and reliability, and to allow an unfettered transmission of musical expression. The active musical life in Santa Fe all but guarantees that the organ will be played often, calling for the highest levels of care and attention to detail in its design and construction. Our experience with creating light, responsive actions and our increasing use of modern materials such as carbon fiber have made Opus 133 a new standard of key action touch.
Rooted firmly in historic principles, the tonal design is a unique blending of elements chosen specifically to meet the musical needs of the church. Dr. Larry Palmer of Southern Methodist University and Dr. Linda Raney, music director, consulted closely with us over a period of several years. The final stoplist is the result of careful research and thoughtful discussion in many areas of importance—the musical requirements of the Presbyterian liturgy, including leadership and accompaniment, the acoustics of the church, and the breadth and flexibility needed in a recital instrument.
The Great division is largely Germanic in nature, with most of its stops based upon our research trips to study the best 18th-century examples of organbuilding. The Great chorus, among its other duties, is designed to support congregational singing. The Swell division, by contrast, takes its character from 19th-century French examples, and is perfectly designed and balanced to accompany the choir and instrumentalists. The Solo division on the third manual can be used to enhance a hymn melody and creates the greater flexibility needed to play a wide selection of the entire organ literature.
The organ’s 2,065 pipes were pre-voiced at our Gloucester workshop and then each pipe was meticulously adjusted on site in Santa Fe. This tonal finishing process took place over the course of five months beginning in the spring of 2008, as the voicers refined the individual voices of the organ and balanced the overall sonority with the acoustics of the sanctuary. Because of the altitude and thinner air of Santa Fe, special voicing techniques and a larger blower were required to help the pipes speak with a full tone. The temperament is the mildly unequal Fisk II, which, while favoring the common keys, allows for music of all styles to be performed. Wind pressures are 3 inches water column for the manual divisions and 4¾ inches for the Pedal.
C. B. Fisk wishes to thank the staff and congregation of First Presbyterian Church for the opportunity and privilege of building an organ in their remarkable and inspiring church. Without the constant support and hospitality of Dr. Raney, the members of the choir, and the organ committee, the pursuit of our art and our sojourn in Santa Fe would not have been half so rewarding and enjoyable.
—Gregory Bover
Project Manager

C. B. Fisk, Inc., Opus 133
First Presbyterian Church,
Santa Fe, New Mexico
29 voices, 31 stops, 41 ranks,
2,065 pipes

GREAT (Manual I)
16′ Bourdon
8′ Prestant
8′ Salicional
8′ Spillpfeife
4′ Octave
4′ Rohrflöte
2′ Superoctave
Mixture IV–VI
8′ Trumpet

SWELL (Manual II, enclosed)
8′ Violin Diapason
8′ Voix céleste (from C0)
8′ Stopped Diapason
4′ Prestant
4′ Flûte octaviante
22⁄3′ Nasard
2′ Octavin
13⁄5′ Tierce
Plein jeu IV
16′ Basson
8′ Trompette
8′ Hautbois

SOLO (Manual III)
8′ Harmonic Flute
Cornet V (from c1)
8′ Trumpet (from Great)
8′ Cromorne

PEDAL
16′ Contrebasse
16′ Bourdon
8′ Octave
8′ Bourdon (from 16′)
4′ Octave
16′ Posaune

Couplers
Swell to Great
Solo to Great
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Swell Super to Pedal
Solo to Pedal
Solo Super to Pedal

Controls
Tremulant
Wind Stabilizer
Balanced Swell Pedal

Key action: direct mechanical (tracker), except for certain large bass pipes
Stop action: electric with a modern multi-level combination action
Keydesk: 61 keys CC–c4, grenadilla naturals, rosewood sharps capped with cowbone; pedalboard: 32 keys CC–g1
Casework: a single case with façade pipes of wood and metal, standing in the front of the sanctuary, designed to harmonize with and adorn the historic Mission church interior

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C. B. Fisk, Inc., Gloucester, Massachusetts, Opus 124

Christ Episcopal Church, Roanoke, Virginia

The new organ at Christ Episcopal Church, Roanoke, Virginia, is Opus 124 of the Fisk firm: two manuals, 38 ranks housed in a mahogany case. Charles Nazarian, design consultant, developed the visual design of the organ with members of the Fisk shop, and in consultation with the organ committee.

The mechanical key actions for Opus 124 were made simple and direct to reduce the literal and figurative distance between musician and music. Some of the largest pipes are pneumatically controlled to preserve the lightness of touch. The Swell division was placed high in the case, with its pipes arranged from back to front in the 19th-century French style. The Great division was placed below and to each side to speak boldly into the nave. The manual divisions are winded from a single large wedge bellows to provide a unified breath for music requiring a flexible wind supply; a stopknob may be drawn to engage an integrated system of wind stabilizers. The mechanical stop action ensures maximum longevity for the instrument.

Rooted firmly in historic principles, Opus 124’s stoplist is a blending of elements representing several centuries of the most noteworthy schools of European organbuilding. If there is a strong nod in the direction of 19th-century Parisian builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, it is because in his work one finds the diversity, integrity, drama, and expressiveness of tone most becoming to the modern-day Episcopal worship service. The Hymnal 1982 and its many supplements resolutely celebrate all of these musical qualities; the sacred choral repertoire comes to life when supported by such rich, sharply defined, symphonic sounds.

Pipe scalings, pipe metal alloys and surface treatments, pipe constructions, and voicing techniques all follow historic precedents. One interesting example is the tapered, hammered lead Spillpfeife 8' on the Great; it is modeled after the elegant Spillpfeife found in the Hauptwerk of Friedrich Stellwagen’s 1637 transept organ at the St. Jakobikirche in Lübeck, Germany. Standing beside it on the Great windchest of Opus 124 is the hammered tin Violoncelle 8', scaled and voiced after Cavaillé-Coll’s numerous Violoncelle stops; the pipe bodies are overlength with tuning slots à pavillon in the French style, and the pipe mouths are fitted with Cavaillé-Coll’s singular harmonic bridges, or freins harmoniques, all of which contribute to the pipes’ characteristically rich, edgy timbre. The instrument is also home to a quartet of Cavaillé-Coll-inspired harmonic flutes. Due to their double-length construction, these flutes are voiced to sound their first, or octave, harmonic; this results in a very pure, slightly breathy tone with potential for great power in the treble range. The large-scaled Flûte harmonique 8' in the Great division, singing and voluptuous in tone, takes full advantage of this potential as the instrument’s primary solo flute. In contrast, the Swell Flûte traversière 8', of moderate scale, is voiced to be imitative of an orchestral traverse flute. Together with the Swell Flûte octaviante 4' and Octavin 2' it forms a chorus of harmonic flutes, all under expression—an indispensable combination for 19th-and 20th-century French repertoire, and ideal for choral accompaniment.

All told, the Great and Swell divisions contain seven 8' flue stops of widely varying timbres. When drawn together they form what the French refer to as the fonds d’huit, or 8¢ foundations, a combination of stops frequently called for in 19th- and 20th-century scores. What is unusual about Opus 124’s fonds combination is that every one of the voices is open and full-length (or harmonic and double-length), resulting in a sonority of extreme opulence and depth.

The organ’s five reed stops are also worthy of note. The Great Trompette 8' is modeled after the Trompette stops of 18th-century French organbuilder François-Henri Clicquot and exhibits the free-wheeling, bass-heavy brashness of that builder’s reeds. The Swell Trompette 8' and Hautbois 8' are both modeled after Cavaillé-Coll and are therefore more restrained, refined, and vocal. The Swell also contains a German reed, the Dulcian 16', whose construction and voicing are based on a stop found in Arp Schnitger’s famous 1670 instrument in the St. Cosmaekirche in Stade, North Germany. It adds another dimension to the otherwise French Swell division and allows for very convincing performance of Renaissance and early Baroque repertoire. The Pedal Posaune 16' is a full-blown, large-scaled Schnitger reed and provides a powerful, foundational underpinning to large combinations on the manuals.

The temperament is the mildly unequal Fisk II, which, while favoring the common keys, allows for music of all styles to be performed. Wind pressures are 3≤ water column for the manual divisions and 4≤ for the Pedal.

David C. Pike, tonal director

Gregory Bover, project manager



Photo credit: Thomas Baugh


GREAT (58 notes)

16' Prestant

8' Octave

8' Violoncelle

8' Spillpfeife

8' Flûte harmonique

4' Octave

4' Offenflöte

2' Superoctave

Mixture IV–VI

Grand Cornet V (c1– f3)

8' Trompette




SWELL (58 notes, enclosed)

8' Diapason

8' Viole de gambe

8' Voix céleste

8' Flûte traversière

4' Principal

4' Flûte octaviante

22⁄3' Nazard

2' Octavin

13⁄5' Tierce

Plein jeu IV

16' Dulcian

8' Trompette

8' Basson et Hautbois


PEDAL (30 notes)

16' Prestant (Great)

16' Bourdon

8' Octave (Great)

8' Violoncelle (Great)

8' Spillpfeife (Great)

4' Octave (Great)

16' Posaune

8' Trompette (Great)


Couplers

Swell to Great

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Swell Super to Pedal



26 voices, 38 ranks, 1,910 pipes

Wind: stable, flexible, tremulant

Key action: direct mechanical except for certain large bass pipes

Stop action: mechanical

Keydesk: built into the case, two manuals and pedals; manuals 58 keys CC–a3, naturals of grenadil, sharps of rosewood capped with cowbone; pedalboard 30 keys CC–f1

Casework: a single cabinet of Honduras mahogany, free standing in the front of the sanctuary; front pipes of polished hammered spotted metal

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Russell & Co. Organ Builders,
Chester, Vermont
First Presbyterian Church, Ithaca, New York

From the builder
The term magnum opus is often used in the organbuilding trade to denote the apotheosis of an organbuilder’s career. It is an impressive expression, and the organs that receive such an accolade are usually equally impressive. It is interesting to note, however, that the distinction of magnum opus can be an ephemeral one. What a builder thinks of as his ‘biggest and best’ may be eclipsed just a few years later with an opus magnum novum. In any event, at the outset of a project an organbuilder has termed his magnum opus, he inevitably approaches the creation of the instrument with great reverence and dedication. When we received the contract to build our opus 47 for First Presbyterian Church in Ithaca, New York, we knew this would be our magnum opus and, regardless of whether a grander organ would leave our shop in years to come, took on the project in this way, making no little plans to design and build a pipe organ worthy of this special moniker.
First Presbyterian is a grand Romanesque stone structure built in 1894 and located in the heart of downtown Ithaca. The sanctuary seats 500 under a high barrel vault, coffered and richly ornamented with plaster florets. The church enjoys a large, vibrant congregation and an equally active music program, including a sizable adult choir, children’s choir, and handbell choir. In conjunction with the organ project, the sanctuary was renovated to remedy the less-than-desirable acoustics. Previously, the entire floor of the room was carpeted, and the pews were cushioned in heavy velvet. A completely new ceramic tile floor, new and less-absorbent seat cushions, hardened wall surfaces, and a new rear wall designed to reflect sound randomly all contribute to a lively and supportive acoustic, approaching three seconds of reverberation.
The preceding instrument began its life in 1901 as Austin’s opus 39—a three-manual instrument of 47 ranks, including a five-rank Echo organ added in 1930. The organ was installed in the front of the church behind a handsome white oak case crowned with a magnificent central tower rising nearly the full height of the sanctuary. Designed in traditional early 20th-century style, the organ contained the typical myriad of foundation stops, with sparse trimmings of upperwork, undergirded by an ample and satisfying pedal department. Sixty-five years later, Austin was called to rebuild the organ in keeping with the tonal thinking of the day. The result was completely new pipework typical of late 1960s construction and voicing; the Echo organ, thanks to the organist, Dorothy Arnold, was retained and unchanged. With many manual stops sharing common basses, and the pedal division largely borrowed from the manuals, there was little foundation tone. The scaling of the new pipework exacerbated this condition, with halving ratios that resulted in a thin bass and a treble ascendancy unwelcome in so dry a room. The impressive 16¢ and 8¢ 1901 façade was completely replaced by much narrower-scaled pipes with English bay mouths, leaving large, odd-looking gaps between the pipes.
By the 1990s, the organ proved to be inadequate for the many demands the church’s music program placed upon it. Mounting mechanical problems toward the end of the decade that rendered the instrument increasingly unreliable led the church’s organist, George Damp, and the director of music, Larry Doebler, to realize that a completely new instrument was needed to correct the tonal inadequacies of the existing instrument and to fill the needs of the extensive music program. The church named John Schwandt as consultant on the project. Dr. Schwandt recommended requesting proposals from lesser-known builders of high quality. After a national search, Russell & Co. of Chester, Vermont was selected in late 2002 to build the new organ.
A profusion of new romantic organs in recent years, as well as a renewed reverence and interest in the work of early 20th-century American builders, specifically Skinner, was the milieu for the design and construction of this instrument. While Russell & Co. have built several large instruments along French romantic lines, an American romantic/ symphonic organ presented a new challenge: how to take all the lessons learned from our previous instruments, combine them with a century of progress in American organbuilding, and produce an organ capable of accompanying congregational song, playing choral and orchestral literature, and still be able to play the solo organ repertoire, all the while staying true to a ‘symphonic’ ideal.
This challenge was met valiantly with an effective partnership between our firm and George Damp. Having spent all his professional life as an organist, teacher, and church musician, George brought years of experience and a clear idea of what he wanted to the drawing board—a grand, large-scale organ that would make Ernest Skinner proud, but would also not disappoint the likes of G. Donald Harrison. While orchestral voices and ensembles were of great importance, so too was the presence of well-developed and blended choruses in each division.
Our initial proposal was for a three-manual organ with a separately enclosed Solo and Choir sharing one manual. However, during our early discussions with the church music staff, it became clear that to fill all the demands placed upon it, a significantly larger, four-manual instrument would be better suited and would eliminate several reluctant compromises in the original design. Having completed the rebuild of a four-manual Æolian-Skinner, opus 1433, for First Unitarian Church in Worcester, Massachusetts, and the building of a new, large three-manual French romantic organ for the Cathedral of St. Paul, also in Worcester, we felt ready to tackle our first new four-manual organ. During the selection process, George visited Worcester’s First Baptist Church, home to a rebuilt Reuter for which we constructed a new, large four-manual Skinner-style console. Skinner consoles have long been renowned for their visual elegance, impeccable craftsmanship, and intuitive and comfortable ergonomics. It was agreed First Presbyterian should possess such a console to complement the new organ.
First Presbyterian has long been host to performances of choral and chamber music by numerous local ensembles, and the acoustical renovation that preceded the organ installation only made the space more attractive for outside groups’ use. Knowing this, we included in the initial proposal a small division designed for use as a continuo organ at chancel level. George was hesitant at first—it seemed like a water and oil situation to have such a division included in a grand romantic organ. However, with a large, higher-pressure instrument as the main organ, George and Larry Doebler agreed that it would be futile to attempt to use it in continuo playing, and not only agreed to the division’s inclusion, but encouraged its enlargement. What started out as a small five-stop division grew into a full-fledged low-pressure Positiv, complete with a Sesquialtera and a very gently voiced four-rank Scharff. Its elegant case makes use of the crown and columns of the large throne chair that used to sit in the middle of the chancel, blending the case with the rest of the chancel decoration.
While spacious, the two front organ chambers had previously housed 47 ranks of pipes, including a very small pedal division. One of the project’s greatest challenges was to make 79 ranks of pipes fit in these same chambers—including a large-scale independent pedal division with three 32' stops—while maintaining easy access to each pipe and mechanism. After much experimenting in the forgiving world of computer-aided design, a layout that achieved both of these goals was reached. Aside from the Antiphonal and Positiv, the entire instrument is installed behind the organ case, with the Great, Solo and Choir divisions to the congregation’s left, and the Swell and Pedal on the right. There is no ceiling over these chambers, allowing for a great deal of sound to ascend into the barrel vault over the chancel, creating a wonderful blending chamber of sorts, which then projects the sound well into the room. Even from the center of the chancel, it is difficult to tell from which side sounds are coming.
The Antiphonal organ is located high up in the right rear corner of the sanctuary. The Antiphonal Swell division, consisting of the original Echo organ with two additions, is housed in the former Echo organ chamber. The two stops of the Antiphonal Great sit on a newly constructed ledge in front of the chamber, with the pipes from the 8' Prestant forming a simple and elegant façade.
The console constructed for opus 47 models the console at First Baptist in Worcester. Built of quarter-sawn red oak and walnut with a hand-rubbed oil and stain finish, it complements the elegance of the renovated sanctuary and restored organ case. With manual keys of 10th-cut ivory and ebony, and pedals of maple and ebony, the console immediately has a luxurious tactile feel. Through many consultations with George as well as with the organists working in our own shop, the selection and layout of controls were designed to be as intuitive to the player as possible. The stopjamb layout takes its cue from the tall consoles of English cathedrals; this provides the vertical space to lay out the complete choruses of each division in one line, making drawing every plenum quick and straightforward. Though a complete list of playing aids and mechanicals accompanies the specification, several are worth noting here. With the choral accompanist in mind, the Swell is provided with ten divisional pistons, and pedal-to-manual combination couplers with discrete memories are available on each division. A 99-level combination action is included with 16 general pistons and a sequencer; additionally, each piston can be easily modified as to which stops it affects, releasing the player from the distinction and restraints of divisional and general pistons. Divisional cancels are also provided by pushing the division nameplate on the stopjamb.
The key and stop action throughout the instrument is electro-pneumatic, a departure from our usual practice of employing slider and pallet chests. The chests are modeled on late 1960s Aeolian-Skinner pitman chests, with several of our own modifications. Even the Positiv, speaking on 23⁄4" pressure, plays on a pitman chest and works beautifully, resulting in quick and desirable pipe speech, ideal for its anticipated continuo use.
A design goal from the outset of the project was to make the organ large enough to have four complete manual divisions (seven, including the Positiv and Antiphonal Great and Swell), but to keep costs manageable, all the while not sacrificing quality. To this end, we looked to the existing Austin pipework, all having been new (with the exception of the Echo) in 1969, to see what might be reused in the new organ. While hard to believe this neo-baroque pipework could blend its way into an American romantic organ, we found much of the pipework was well constructed and cut up low enough to permit its successful rescaling and revoicing in a very different style.
Of the 40 completely new ranks of pipes added to the organ, all new choruses and flutes are constructed of 94% lead alloy, a practice we have long employed, allowing our voicers to achieve a degree of tonal superiority unattainable with the use of lighter, higher tin content alloys. In general, this allows the 8¢ line to be weighty and warm, progressing through a velvety chorus to light and silvery upperwork—all mixtures in the organ are also of the same high-lead content. The epitome of this construction and voicing style is the 8¢ Montre on the Great, a 42-scale Diapason more English than French, despite its name. Being placed outside the Great expression box, the Montre’s tone is commanding, warm and strong, and is paired with the enclosed 44-scale 8' Principal for lighter choruses. True to the design objective, choruses through at least 4¢ were provided in the three main manual divisions (Great, Swell, Choir), resulting in three very independent divisions that terrace and blend successfully for the performance of French literature. With the old Great 8' Principal revoiced as the Swell Diapason, and the 45-scale English Diapason in the Choir of special variable scale, the five combined 8' Diapasons create a rich, singing tone that serves as a lush solo color, as well as the basis for the aforementioned well-blended choruses.
One of the hallmarks of an American symphonic organ is the abundance of orchestral reeds, so carefully developed by the likes of Skinner a century ago. Fittingly, opus 47 has a delicious array of imitative stops spread out amid the manual divisions. The demand for these stops allowed us to use several ranks we had been storing in our stockroom for many years while the popular organ style called for very different reed stops. In the Choir division, the Clarinet finds its traditional home, and comes to Ithaca as a restored Johnson Bell Clarinet. In our study of early 20th-century American organs, a common finding was that the Choir division, while potentially having enough foundation tone, nearly always lacked the trumpet-class reed timbre to assert itself against the Swell organ. In this light, the second Choir reed deserves special note as an unusual stop, even in this age of rediscovered orchestral sounds. The 8' Waldhorn uses restored Aeolian pipes from the Higgins estate in Worcester, Massachusetts. This medium-scaled, capped trumpet is not quite a French Horn, and not quite a Trumpet, but something in between. It has a chameleon-like quality in that it is a beautiful and haunting solo voice, but when drawn with the full Choir, it acts as a chorus reed, giving the Choir a definite presence amidst full organ.
Two new reeds, the English Horn in the Solo, and the Orchestral Oboe in the Antiphonal Swell, were beautifully voiced by Chris Broome, turning out exactly as we had wanted them, and possessing striking imitative qualities.
For climactic moments in both repertoire and accompaniments, two solo chorus reeds are provided in the Solo division. The enclosed Tuba Mirabilis has harmonic resonators from tenor F# and is voiced on 15" pressure, providing the traditional dark, smooth and powerful tone suggested by its name. The 8' Silver Trumpet, played on 10" pressure, serves to contrast with the Tuba for a different effect. Envisioned in the same manner as the Solo Trumpet Harmonique at Yale’s Woolsey Hall, the pipes are constructed with French shallots and placed outside the Solo enclosure, yielding a brighter and brassier tone. While neither stop is oppressively loud, when combined they yield a tone of refined power that can top full organ with single notes.
Another criterion from early on in the project was to have a profusion of string stops of varying power and brightness to enable a truly orchestral string crescendo from pp to ff. While there are the usual strings sprinkled throughout the Choir and Swell, the Solo strings truly cap the string chorus, possessing incredible intensity and brilliance. Although the Solo was originally designed with one pair, the discovery of two ranks of Skinner orchestral strings in our stockroom led to the addition of a second set to be the pinnacle of the string chorus. Voicer Ted Gilbert worked wonders with these two pairs—the Gamba is the quieter of the two, possessing an almost woody quality, whereas the Cello represents the extreme limit of bright, powerful, shimmering string voicing. Twelve ranks of string or undulating tone in the organ, from the Swell Flauto Dolce through the Solo Cello, provide a seamless powerful crescendo, made even more effective with the use of double expression in the Solo.
No symphonic organ is complete without an expression system that can fully restrain the power of the instrument and instantly change the dynamic of the stops drawn. To this end, no fewer than six Skinner-replica whiffletree expression motors are used in this organ. While the Swell, Choir, and Antiphonal Swell are enclosed and expressive as expected, the Solo and Great warrant description of their expressive capabilities. From the outset, we had designed the Great to be partially enclosed, mainly the reeds and upperwork. Additionally, the Solo was to speak through its own shades into the Great box, providing the division with the aforementioned double expression.
The Great organ’s expressive capabilities were expanded early on with the decision to enclose the entire division with the exception of the 8' Montre and 16' Principal. Through careful scaling and voicing, the division doesn’t suffer its enclosure with the shades open, and contains the tonal resources necessary to lead enthusiastic congregational singing with all 500 seats filled, as well as serving its traditional role in the performance of organ literature. However, with the added benefit of 16-stage expression, these same tonal resources can be manipulated to match any congregation size, as well as provide another enclosed division of power for choral accompaniment.
At the same time, to give the Solo and Great more independence from each other, we added a second set of shades to the Solo, allowing the division to speak directly into the chancel. This provides the Solo division with a third expressive option. As installed, the Solo swell box is behind the Great box and four feet higher. The primary Solo shades open into the Great, with the Solo chancel shades being at the very top of the Solo box, four feet high, and opening directly into the room. While giving an acceptable dynamic range, these smaller shades provide an enormous timbral range, noticed especially with the strings. With the full Solo string chorus playing and the main Solo shades open, the full weight of the 8' stops comes through—one can almost hear bows drawn across the strings. However, when the upper shades open, the full range of upper harmonics from these stops erupts from the box, filling out the sound just when you thought it couldn’t be any brighter and more sonorous.
The control of all these expression options is met with four swell shoes, including the crescendo shoe. The Solo shoe normally controls the chancel shades. However, when the “Solo Double Expression” drawknob is drawn, the Solo shoe operates both sets of Solo shades, as well as the Great shades, in a set sequence to give the maximum crescendo possible. Additionally, a second drawknob closes the Solo chancel shades should that be desired, and sets the Solo shoe to control only the main Solo shades. The Great and Antiphonal Swell expression functions are independently assignable to any shoe, including crescendo. When not assigned, the shades default to a position settable by the organist. Harris Precision Products retrofitted two of their standard drawknob units with potentiometers to set these defaults, and thus these controls are seamlessly integrated into the console via rotating drawknobs. All Swells to Swell is provided to afford simple control over the entire dynamic range of the organ, and indicators are provided below the coupler rail to show the position of each set of shades.
The use of such sophisticated expression functions allows the organist to present the full dynamic range of the orchestra, and the use of the smaller Solo chancel shades allows for the ultimate in dynamic and timbral expression, a feature unique to this organ, and one we hope to further develop and use in subsequent installations.
To complement the varied and colorful manual divisions, a large, independent Pedal division affords the appropriate bass sonority for whatever registration is drawn on the manuals. Consisting of eleven independent ranks and 29 stops, the Pedal organ is augmented by judicious borrowing from the manuals. Four 32' stops are provided to underpin the instrument and provide a true feeling of gravitas. From the initial planning phases of the project, it was made clear that no digital voices were to be used in the organ; thus, all 32' stops play real pipes, or are derived. The Bourdon, of generous scale, is voiced gently for use with the softest registrations, but with enough quint in its tone to be made stronger as more pedal stops are added. The 32' Principal, an extension of the 16¢, uses Haskell pipes to GGGG#, the rest of the 32' octave being a resultant. The full-length 32' Contra Posaune, also masterfully voiced by Chris Broome, gives plenty of weight and power to full organ, but without being brash or rattling. For a ‘second’ 32' reed, the Harmonics is a 102⁄3' cornet, derived from the Great 16' Double Trumpet and 16' Gemshorn, giving the semblance of 32' reed tone underneath smaller tutti registrations.
With the added features of sophisticated expression, as well as the inclusion of more fully developed choruses, First Presbyterian’s instrument represents a logical and successful extension and merging of the two dominant styles of 20th-century American organbuilding: the symphonic and American classic schools. The instrument serves as a platform for the successful performance of a wide body of organ literature, as well as fulfilling its accompanimental roles. In its design, construction, voicing and tonal finishing, we feel truly proud to call this instrument our magnum opus, regardless of what instruments leave our shop in years to come, and thank First Presbyterian for the opportunity to set our sights high and build an organ we have so long dreamed of creating. We therefore commend this instrument to the glory of God and the people of First Presbyterian Church as a product of our finest craftsmanship. May it long bring joy and inspiration to those who hear and play it, just as it has inspired us as organbuilders in its creation.
Those working on the project included: Stephen Russell, David Gordon, Gail Grandmont, Carole Russell, Theodore Gilbert, Jonathan Ortloff, Larry Chace, Frank Thompson, Matthew Russell, Peter Walker, Allan Taylor, Eric Johansson, and Andrew Lawrence.
—Jonathan Ortloff

From the organist
Now in my fifth decade of deep affection for the pipe organ, its music, and its role in worship, I am brought to this point of extraordinary magnificence in the creation of the opus 47 Russell & Co. organ. During these five decades, I have witnessed many trends and fads in organbuilding. The commitment of this church to the pipe organ as its primary medium for the leading of congregational song is all the more inspiring to me.
This instrument transcends the fads of recent decades. The organ/sanctuary committee, formed by this church in the fall of 2000 and guided by our organ consultant, John Schwandt, selected several organbuilders to consider for the project. This committee authorized my colleague Larry Doebler and me to travel far and wide to experience the work of the builders we had selected as finalists, each of whom subsequently visited the church to inspect the sanctuary space and existing organ. In the end, we all had no doubt that Russell & Co. was the appropriate choice for us.
While we were confident that our new organ would be very fine indeed, we could not have anticipated the level of magnificence that has been achieved here by Stephen Russell and his colleagues. In my 50 years of playing pipe organs, I have never been privileged to play an organ so elegant, expressive and versatile as this one. The word synergy is one that I have never before been comfortable using. This powerful word, meaning “combined or cooperative action or force,” is the perfect term to describe the wondrous emergence and continuing presence of this organ. Beginning with the collective sharing of the original committee, the guidance of Anita Cummings, pastor of this church at the outset of the project, the beneficence of Mrs. Dorothy Park, church member and donor of funds for this organ, the courage and vision of church members to undertake and fund the acoustical transformation of the sanctuary from sonically “dead” to vibrant and moderately reverberant, and the mutual respect and creative sharing of organbuilder, consultant and resident organist, have resulted in the ultimate synergy: the harmonious blending of thought, craft, sound and space that is far greater than the sum of its parts.
I offer gratitude and the highest of commendations to master organbuilder/voicer, Stephen Russell, his dedicated staff, and the many others who have had a hand in the three-year process of the emergence of opus 47!
—George Edward Damp

From the church
The history of our new Russell organ begins with the construction of our current sanctuary in 1894. In 1901, the Austin Company installed our first permanent organ (the oak façade that currently supports the visible organ pipes behind the choir is part of that original installation). In 1930, the Echo organ (above the southwest entrance to the sanctuary) was added. In 1969, Austin built a completely new organ in the chancel, one typical of that period—an instrument that, with its sheer power and rough voicing, overwhelmed our beautiful, but acoustically rather dead, sanctuary.
Problems with the Austin organ started to appear in the early 1990s. Minor problems continued to occur, and it was clear that something needed to be done. An organ/sanctuary committee was formed that, early in its existence, possessed the keen insight that the sanctuary itself was a part of the organ (the box that the organ’s voice is dispersed into), and that any renovations to the organ must be accomplished within the acoustical framework of the sanctuary.
As a result, the committee hired an organ consultant, John Schwandt, and an acoustical consultant, Scott Riedel, to guide them through the decision-making process of repairing our organ. Each made an initial, individual presentation to the committee, but most memorable was their joint participation in a lengthy “town meeting” with the committee and members of the congregation. The meeting ended with a focus for the project—to improve our worship experience by enhancing both music and the spoken word through renovations to both the organ and the sanctuary.
Early on in this process, then-pastor Anita Cummings and organist George Damp approached Mrs. Dorothy Park with the invitation to become a supporter of this exciting adventure for the church. After several subsequent discussions, Mrs. Park indicated that the church deserved the finest organ created by the finest builder, and that she would cover the cost of the organ if the congregation would pay for the acoustical renovations.
A clear consensus decided that Stephen Russell was the right person to build the new organ. At the same time, Schickel Architecture of Ithaca was selected to design the renovations to the sanctuary. Several significant changes to the sanctuary were implemented to improve the acoustical environment. Certainly the most outstanding component of the sanctuary renovations is the reconstruction of the rear wall of the sanctuary. Its subtle sunburst pattern surrounding a high circular window is both extremely pleasing to the eye as well as functional in randomly scattering sound.
Suffice it to say, every aspect of the organ, from its general layout to the voicing of each individual pipe (all 5,000 of them) was accomplished with the unique features of our sanctuary in mind. The outcome is truly a gift for the ages, something that First Presbyterian Church can share with Ithaca and the surrounding area for decades to come. One can only hope that the generosity of Mrs. Park and the efforts of those involved in this project will be more than repaid by the joy and exhilaration shared by all those who experience our wonderful new organ.
—Tom Owens,
Elder and member of session,
First Presbyterian Church

From the consultant
It is a privilege to offer a few words regarding Russell & Co. opus 47. In a world that so desperately hungers for and needs beauty, it is satisfying to have been a part of a long process that has ultimately yielded a thing of great beauty that will inspire the generations yet to come.
My primary involvement in this project occurred before contract-signing. It is my fervent belief that consultants should provide general education and thereby enable church committees to make an informed decision about what is best for their congregation’s worship and community life. However, before we could start to talk about organs, it was very important to have the bigger picture in perspective, namely the inferior acoustical properties of the room. The committee wisely considered the importance of good acoustics that benefit congregational prayer, singing, oratory, as well as but not limited to instrumental music. Scott Riedel provided acoustical consultation; the action taken on most of his recommendations yielded a vastly improved sacred space.
The pipe organ, while not the only possible instrument for worship, remains the best single instrument to lead corporate worship because of its ability to sustain tones from soft to loud and from every pitch level. A well-designed and constructed pipe organ should enable an organist to creatively and expressively accomplish this musical leadership, often interpreting music of many different styles. It was my recommendation that an organ of rich, warm tone and with ample variety of color from all pipe families (principal, flute, string, and reed) be considered. The great organbuilders of the past were not striving to build instruments after someone else’s style, but to create organs suited to the rooms in which they were installed and reflecting the cultural identity of their time and place. That Russell opus 47 resembles in some aspects organs of the early half of the 20th century is entirely irrelevant. The fact remains that it is not an E. M. Skinner organ, an Æolian-Skinner organ, a Kimball organ, or any other organ. Rather, I believe that this instrument transcends labeling of any kind. Opus 47 has richness of color, overall warmth, and clarity. In previous periods of organ building, rich fundamental tone and clarity were thought to be mutually exclusive attributes; one could not have both. The refined voicing and the mechanical perfection of the pitman windchest exemplify an organ that will allow for music of any style. Congratulations are due to the committee and congregation for investing in their future so well!
—John D. Schwandt

Russell & Co. Organ Builders, Opus 47
First Presbyterian Church, Ithaca, New York, May 2006

GREAT – II (Expressive)
16' Principal* 49 pipes, 1–12=Pedal
16' Gemshorn* 12
8' Montre* 61
8' Principal 61
8' Bourdon 61
8' Flûte Harmonique 49
8' Gemshorn 61
4' Octave 61
4' Rohrflöte 61
22⁄3' Nasard 61
2' Fifteenth 61
11⁄3' Fourniture IV–V 297
16' Double Trumpet 61
8' Trumpet 61
Chancel Great Off
MIDI on Great
*Unenclosed

SWELL – III (Expressive)
16' Lieblich Gedeckt 61
8' Diapason 61
8' Bourdon 61
8' Viola 61
8' Viola Celeste 61
8' Flauto Dolce 61
8' Flute Celeste 49
4' Octave 61
4' Nachthorn 61
2' Octave 61
2' Plein Jeu IV–V 296
16' Fagotto 61
8' French Trumpet 61
8' Oboe d’Amour 61
8' Vox Humana 61
4' Clarion 61
Tremulant
MIDI on Swell
Swell Sub
Chancel Swell Off
Swell Super

CHOIR – I (Expressive)
8' English Diapason 61
8' Hohlflöte 61
8' Quintadena 61
8' Erzahler 61
8' Erzahler Celeste 49
4' Octave 61
4' Koppelflöte 61
22⁄3' Nazard 61
2' Flute 61
13⁄5' Tierce 61
16' Corno di Bassetto 12
8' Waldhorn 61
8' Clarinet 61
Chimes Ant. Swell
Tremulant
Choir Sub
Choir Off
Choir Super
MIDI on Choir

POSITIV – I
8' Gedeckt 61
8' Spillflöete 61
4' Prestant 61
2' Principal 61
11⁄3' Quint 61
22⁄3' Sesquialtera II 122
1' Scharff III–IV 232
Tremulant
Zimbelstern
Positiv Off

SOLO – IV (Expressive)
16' Cello 12
8' Concert Flute 61
8' Cello 61
8' Cello Celeste 61
8' Gamba 61
8' Gamba Celeste 61
8' English Horn 61
8' Tuba Mirabilis 61
8' Silver Trumpet* 70, double trebles
Chimes Ant. Swell
Tremulant
Solo Sub
Solo Off
Solo Super
MIDI on Solo
*Unenclosed

ANTIPHONAL GREAT – II
8' Prestant 61
8' Stopped Flute 61
Antiphonal Great Off
Antiphonal Great Super

ANTIPHONAL SWELL – III
8' Gedeckt 61
8' Viole Aetheria 61
8' Vox Angelica 49
4' Flute d’Amour 61
8' Orchestral Oboe 61
8' Vox Humana 61
Chimes
Tremulant
Antiphonal Swell Sub
Antiphonal Swell Off
Antiphonal Swell Super

PEDAL
32' Principal (GGGG#) 4
32' Contra Bourdon 12
16' Open

Russell & Co. Organ Builders,
Chester, Vermont
First Presbyterian Church, Ithaca, New York

New Organs

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The new organ at St. James's Episcopal Church, Richmond,
Virginia, was designed and built by C. B. Fisk, Inc., of Gloucester,
Massachusetts. Opus 112 of the Fisk firm, the three-manual instrument of 62
ranks is housed in a linen white case. The specification reflects the many
roles a modern American church organ must play: leading hymn singing,
accompanying choral music, and playing hundreds of years of organ repertoire.

As the church was rebuilt following a disastrous fire of
1994, C. B. Fisk was a partner in design discussions with Fred Cox and Sarah Grier of the architectural firm of Marcellus, Wright, Cox, and Smith, and with
acoustician David Klepper of Klepper Marshall King. All shared a common goal of
creating a space that would enhance the ability of the organ to speak clearly.
The extra height of the new barrel-vaulted ceiling and the creation of
additional space in the tower allowed us to place all but the largest pipes
within the sanctuary itself while leaving ample space for choir in the balcony.

The visual design of the organ was developed by Charles
Nazarian in consultation with the architects and other members of the Fisk
shop. An exact scale model of the rear portion of St. James's sanctuary was
built and the design created within it in order that the organ retain its own
identity, yet harmonize with the Greek Revival character of the church. The
organ's key actions were made simple and direct to reduce the literal and
figurative distance between musician and music. A servo-pneumatic lever,
developed by C. B. Fisk and similar to a Barker lever, can be engaged to assist
when divisions are coupled. The Swell and Positive divisions, both under
expression, were placed to the left and right above the amphitheater console,
with their pipes arranged from back to front in the 19th-century French style.
The Great division was placed above them to engage the ceiling and speak boldly
down the nave. The stop action is electric solenoid with combination action by
Solid State Logic. The manual divisions are winded from a single large wedge
bellows to ensure a unity of breath. For music enjoying a flexible wind supply,
a stopknob may be drawn to disengage an integrated system of wind stabilizers.
The facade pipes are of polished tin starting with CC of the Great 16'
Prestant.

The tonal design of Opus 112 evolved in consultation with
Robert Anderson and is the result of much thoughtful discussion with regard to
the requirements of the Episcopal liturgy and the solo organ literature,
together with careful study of the acoustical properties of the restored worship
space. The eclectic stoplist is a unique, historically informed blending of
stops representing many of the great eras and schools of organbuilding. If
there is a strong nod in the direction of the 19th-century master builder
Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, it is because in his work one finds, more than
anywhere else, the diversity, integrity, and expressiveness of tone most
becoming to and enriching of the Episcopal worship service. While rooted firmly
in historic principles, the organ's tonal profile is fresh and innovative, a
modern-day fusion of diverse elements, offering a singular and resolute musical
statement.

The finish voicing of Opus 112 was accomplished by a team of
five voicers working in rotation over the course of eight months, listening to
each of the organ's 3,439 pipes: alone, within its own rank, and finally in
combination with various other stops. The organ is tuned in a modified version
of the slightly unequal temperament first developed by Charles Fisk for House
of Hope Presbyterian Church, St. Paul, Minnesota. This temperament flavors the
common keys for the performance of earlier music but still allows music to be
played in all keys.

The first of the inaugural recitals occurred on April 18
& 19 with organist Olivier Latry of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame,
Paris.  Further inaugural recitals
include a Hymn Festival with Gerre Hancock, St. Thomas Church, New York on May
2 at 5:00 pm;  Donald Sutherland,
Peabody Conservatory of Music, Baltimore on October 3 at 7:30 pm; and Lynne
Davis, National Regional Conservatory, Caen on November 1 at 7:30 pm.

--Steven Dieck

President, C.B. Fisk, Inc.

St. James's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia

C. B. Fisk, Inc., 
Gloucester,  Opus 112: 49
voices, 62 ranks, 3,439 pipes.

Great, 61 notes, Manual I

                        16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             
Prestant

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Octave

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Violoncelle

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Spillpfeife

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Flûte
harmonique

                        4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Octave

                        4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Flute

                        22/3'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>       
Quinte

                        2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Doublette

                        13/5'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>       
Tierce

                                                Mixture
IV-VI

                                                Cornet
V

                        16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             
Bombarde

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Trompette

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Trommeten

                        4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Clairon

Positive, 61 notes, Manual II, enclosed

                        16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             
Violone

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Principal

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Salicional

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Unda
maris

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Bourdon

                        4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Octave

                        4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Rohrflöte

                        22/3'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>       
Nasard

                        2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Doublette

                        2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Quarte
de Nasard (prep)

                        13/5'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>       
Tierce

                                                Mixture
IV

                        16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             
Cor
anglais

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Basson

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Cromorne

Swell, 61 notes, Manual III, enclosed

                        16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             
Bourdon

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Viole
de gambe

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Voix
céleste

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Flûte
traversière

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Cor
de Nuit (prep)

                        4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Prestant

                        4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Flûte
octaviante

                        2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Octavin

                                                Plein
jeu IV

                        16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             
Basson

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Trompette

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Hautbois

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Voix
humaine

                        4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Clairon

Pedal, 32 notes

                        32'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             
Bourdon
(ext)

                        16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             
Contrebasse

                        16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             
Prestant
(Gt)

                        16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             
Violone
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> 
(Pos)

                        16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             
Bourdon
(Sw)

                        102/3'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>   
Quinte
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> 
(ext)

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Octave

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Violoncelle
(Gt)

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Spillpfeife
(Gt)

                        4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Octave

                                                Mixture
IV (prep)

                        32'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             
Contre
Bombarde  (ext)

                        16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             
Bombarde
(Gt)

                        16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             
Posaune

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Trompette
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> 
(Gt)

                        8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Trommeten
(Gt)

                        4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'>                 
Clairon
(Gt)

                                                Couplers
& Controls:

                                                Swell
to Great

                                                Positive
to Great

                                                Swell
to Positive

                                                Octaves
graves

                                                Great
Ventil

                                                Great
to Pedal

                                                Swell
to Pedal

                                                Positive
to Pedal

                                                Positive
to Pedal 4

                                                Flexible
Wind

                                                2
Tremulants (fast & slow)

                                                Clochettes

                                                Balanced
Swell Pedal

   

Cover feature

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Kegg Pipe Organ Builders, Hartville, Ohio

The Sharkey-Corrigan Organ, Texas A&M International University, Laredo, Texas

From the President of the University

Like a birth in the family, a new organ fills the community with expectation, optimism, and joy. Our experience of imagining an organ for Laredo very much mirrored a family’s strategy for acquiring progeny: plan and hope. In August 2003, at Texas A&M International University we opened and dedicated to the people of South Texas our new fine and performing arts center. Conceived to offer the best possible venues for music, dance, and drama, the university planners insisted upon including both a recital hall and a theater. From the very first discussions, the recital hall was to have generously live acoustics to ensure that music played in that room, regardless of dynamic, envelop both player and listener in that three-dimensional experience we all cherish in great halls. A large expanse behind and above the stage in the recital hall, conspicuously vacant at the completion of the building, was simply marked “organ” on the architect’s rendering.
A few days after the gala opening of the new center, E. H. Corrigan, native Laredoan and longtime patron of the arts in Santa Fe, New York, Washington, San Antonio, and Laredo, called and asked that we talk about how to fill that space. Mr. Corrigan’s generous determination to bring to Laredo and South Texas a world-class instrument led first to a national call for proposals, then a contract with Kegg Pipe Organ Builders to build the instrument.

Our vaunted expectations for the organ, both our needs and our wants, established clear indications for design. Since the organ is to inspire and undergird an academic program, we asked that it accommodate repertoire of all periods. Placement in a concert hall would allow for an intimate relationship between the organ and programs of great diversity—choral, band, orchestral. The instrument must be adequate to support a full range orchestral repertoire. While a tracker would be ideal for organ recitals, we asked for the flexibility of a movable console on the stage below the pipes. A plethora of reeds and solo stops, a solo division under expression, and a full positiv division in the forward position rück style provide a variety normally only found on a much larger instrument.
Today, like a family grateful for a trouble-free birth, we recognize that this project was from the first somehow marvelously blessed to be in the hands of Kegg Pipe Organ Builders. “I will be in Laredo on April 24, 2006. The organ will be done by late June,” Charles Kegg promised the anxious organ committee in the fall of 2003. And it was. Voicing is rich and full, a strategy to exploit the marvelous acoustics in the hall. Visually, the organ is nothing short of spectacular, the first instrument of its kind built in South Texas and on the Texas-Mexico border.

The dedication recital, by Dr. David Heller of Trinity University, San Antonio, did, in Dr. Heller’s words, “put the organ through its paces.” A capacity crowd listened attentively and roared to its feet on the last note of Craig Phillips’ Fantasy Toccata. In addition to numerous solo recitals and concerts with the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra for this year, we are at present planning an organ symposium for the summer of 2007; the topic: “The Concert Organ: Its Music and Its Performers.”

Ray M. Keck, III, PhD



From the Consultant and Artist


Selecting a builder for a new organ in a new concert hall is a rare opportunity for any consultant—and it poses a different set of questions with regard to its tonal design. At the onset of the project, the following criteria were established for the new organ: 1) It should have the ability to perform a wide range of the solo repertoire for organ; 2) It should work effectively with an orchestra, both as soloist and as a member of the ensemble; 3) It should possess the capability for effective collaborative performances with soloists and vocal and instrumental ensembles; and 4) It should serve effectively as a teaching instrument.

Recognizing that this new installation was for a concert hall and not a church, the desire was expressed for a flexibility that would allow for the performance of non-traditional literature, such as transcriptions and literature from the “concert hall” era of the pipe organ in the earlier 20th century. After careful study and analysis of the proposals submitted, TAMIU awarded the contract to Kegg Pipe Organ Builders of Ohio because of the firm’s innovative tonal design, the manner in which the proposal met our criteria, and the potential impact that such an instrument would have on the public. The end result has surpassed our expectations!

Each division of the Sharkey-Corrigan organ has a highly distinctive character. The Great Principal chorus is an evenly-voiced plenum based on 16' pitch and crowned by the Sharp Mixture III. This main body of the division is enhanced with a full complement of 8' registers (in the manner of 19th-century French organ building) and completed with a reed chorus that blends richly into the ensemble. One of the most beautifully voiced stops in the organ is the Harmonic Flute 8', which soars in the upper octaves, making it one of the most effective solo stops in the entire organ.

The Positiv division, cantilevered out in front of the main case of the organ, is a perfect foil to the Great division with its Principal chorus based on 8' pitch (and of a different tonal character from the Great). Completing the Positiv are two marvelous Baroque style reeds—the Holz Regal 16' (with a darker character, perfect for running bass lines), and a brighter Krummhorn.

The Swell division has a complete array of tonal resources for both the solo literature as well as the accompaniment of vocal and instrumental ensembles, capped off by a powerful reed chorus at 16'-8'-4' pitches. Of special note here is the Vox Humana 8'that makes the performance of Franck’s organ works an absolute joy for both the performer as well as the listener.

The Solo division gives this new organ its truly distinctive character with its combination of solo and ensemble registers. The Diapason 8' is especially effective when all of the divisions are coupled together, by reinforcing that particular pitch line. The Tromba chorus at 16'-8'-4' works extremely well in a full-organ registration much like the Bombarde division of a 19th-century French organ. The dark and haunting Clarinet along with the piquant English Horn provide the performer with greater opportunities for solo voices, particularly in transcription literature. One of the unique features of this instrument is the Solo Tuba, which is housed in its own expression box, making it useful not only as a solo stop but as an ensemble register as well, particularly in building up a crescendo to imitate the brass section of an orchestra.

And finally, the Pedal division provides effective support for the entire instrument, featuring an independent Principal chorus, softer flue stops, string stops to support the orchestral strings of the Solo division, and a full reed chorus based on 32' pitch. Judicious duplexing of manual stops to the pedal provides even greater tonal flexibility for the performer.

As an artist, I can honestly state that this organ is one of the most flexible and musically satisfying instruments I have ever played. Each stop carries its weight, and each stop does what the drawknob tells you. The balance between the divisions is so finely honed that one can select registrations with complete ease. It was a joy to conceive and put together an inaugural recital that combined the works of Hancock, Bach, Franck, Duruflé, and Phillips with more non-traditional repertoire by Lefébure-Wely, Ramón Noble, and Edward Elgar. And if all of that were not enough, the design of the console and the operating system for the combination action (one of the most user-friendly systems I have seen to date) made the entire experience of recital preparation and performance a breeze.

Texas A&M International University and the city of Laredo have a musical instrument in which they can take great pride. It will serve them well in the years to come and help cultivate future generations of organists and organ aficionados.

Dr. David A. Heller

Trinity University

San Antonio, Texas



From the Builder


The new Texas A&M International University organ was at once a formidable challenge and a golden opportunity. The challenges were many: to build into a reasonable size instrument a tonal design that could play with conviction organ literature of all styles, accompany great choral works, and also crown the resident Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra in romantic splendor. Dr. Ray Keck, university president, organist, project lightning rod, and Bach aficionado, also made known his desire for accurate renderings of Bach. All this was to be done with an instrument that is not exceptionally large and with some significant space limitations. We are delighted to have been chosen for this landmark instrument.
Our tonal design was based on the simple fact that this was to be the only instrument on campus (indeed the only concert-size organ in a large geographical area), and needed to be used for teaching, practice, recital, and with orchestra. It needed to have a full spectrum of dynamic range from very delicate to confronting a full orchestra—and win. For practice and teaching, the majority of voices needed to speak at comfortable volume levels that would focus on color and deliberately counteract aural fatigue.

In addressing these needs, we started with four independent Principal choruses, each with its own character and purpose that provide proper polyphonic clarity. The articulation is not pronounced, but precise speech is always apparent. The Great chorus is full and noble. The Positiv is light and delightful, equal in impact to the Great. The Swell is richer than the Great with its slotted 8' and deeply textured Plein Jeu. The glory of these choruses is that Bach, Buxtehude and Bruhns are sheer delight, and it is not until six or seven preludes and fugues later that the organist realizes that not even a single unison coupler has been touched! When the couplers are engaged, the new organ at TAMIU begins a remarkable transformation. The same stops that gave such clear distinction to divisions in the Baroque literature now become contributors to a more global full organ sound. Beginning with the softest Flauto Dolce it is possible to build a seamless crescendo to full organ that is an intricate fabric of sound, at once cohesive and fabulously rich in texture and color.

Each stop in the organ does exactly what one would expect and need it to do, but there are several specific tonal features that will enjoy further exploration here. The Great has two reed choruses. The Trompetes are light and are intended for early works where the chorus reeds are subordinate to the flues. The Tromba chorus is intended for those works where the reeds must command the respect of the principals and dominate them. For those in-between works, the Tromba chorus is located in the Solo box such that they can be reined in as required.
There are three Cornets in the organ. The Great has a Principal Cornet that is commanding. Built décomposé, it can be tailored. The Positiv Cornet is of lighter principal character and has a flatted seventh added to the normal third and fifth, giving the stop a lovely edge that is very distinct. The Swell Cornet is of flutes and is serenely gentle.

The Solo Diapason IV 8¢ is a collection of unenclosed principal stops from the Great and Pedal, all playing at 8' pitch. This quartet of 8' principals gives the organ a velvet Diapason line. The stops are drawn from the Great Principal, Great Octave, Pedal Octave and Pedal Choralbass.

The Tuba is located in the very heart of the organ case, in its own swell box. On 18" wind, this stop can solo above the full ensemble or with shade control can be subtly brought into the full ensemble, blending easily with it and expanding it horizontally.

The case design here presented a particular challenge. The TAMIU organ is located in a low balcony above the hall stage. There is not a lot of height to allow the organ to visually soar. The solution was to build a Rückpositiv that is lowered into the back stage wall. This has the visual effect of anchoring the organ to the stage in addition to providing the classical forward position for the division. The main case is considerably wider than it is high. Organ cases are happiest when their proportions are as pipes: tall and slender. This was not possible here, and much care was taken to give the case as much verticality as possible. The lowered Positiv case helps with this. The center three towers of the main case stand forward of the side Pedal towers. The change of depth is accomplished as the outside pipe flats curve. The result is very satisfying in the room.

I approach every organ in a comprehensive manner. Placement of divisions within the room and in relation to each other is as important as scaling and voicing. The case design is a classic five tower design plus Positiv with a contemporary flair. The gilded pipe shades are a stylized interpretation of the university seal, which includes a globe showing the Western hemisphere. The internal layout has the Great high and in the center. The Swell is behind it. The Pedal upper work is below the Great. The Positiv is below and forward of the Great. Thus the main manual divisions are centered in the hall with their physical relationship matching their musical relationship. This enhances polyphonic music when the organ is played uncoupled and blends the divisions together when the divisions are combined. The Solo division is in the right side of the case and the Pedal basses are in the left side. For those that are interested in unusual pipe design, the 32' Trombone is large scale and is built with Haskell bass pipes, which are not common when used with reeds. They save considerable lateral space over mitering when height is severely restricted.

Working with the TAMIU staff could not have been easier or more delightful. We are indebted to Dr. Ray Keck, university president, who envisioned the instrument from the start and drove the project; Dr. David Heller, consultant and artist of the opening concert, for his thoughtful help and encouragement; physical plant manager Richard Gentry for his instant and complete help during installation; and of course to E. H. Corrigan for his generous funding of the entire project. The organ bears the name of Sharkey-Corrigan in memory of Mr. Corrigan’s mother.

My personal thanks also to the Kegg staff including Fred Bahr, Phil Brown, Joyce Harper, Mike Carden, Phil Laakso, Walt Schwabe, Rick Schwabe, and Tom McKnight. In addition to these people being the finest craftspeople I know, they are also the finest friends.

Charles Kegg

Kegg Pipe Organ Builders

Kegg Pipe Organ Builders

Texas A&M International University, Laredo, Texas

52 stops, 69 ranks, 4003 pipes

GREAT Manual II (3.5" wp)

16' Violone

8' Principal

8' Violone (ext)

8' Rohrflute

8' Harmonic Flute

4' Octave

4' Spitzflute

22⁄3' Twelfth

2' Fifteenth

13⁄5' Seventeenth

11⁄3' Full Mixture IV

2⁄3' Sharp Mixture III

16' Contra Trompete

8' Trompete (ext)

Tremulant

16' Tromba (Solo)

8' Tromba (Solo)

4' Clarion (Solo)

Zimbelstern (5 handbells, adjustable speed, volume and delay)


CONTINUO manual II

(duplexed from Positiv)

8' Gedeckt

4' Koppelflute

2' Flute

2' Principal

11⁄3' Quinte

This division also has its own small one-manual console including blower control and transposer switch that will lower the played pitch by one half-step for use with historical instruments. This console may be used in place of the large main console for chamber work.


SWELL Manual III (4" wp)

16' Bourdon (metal)

8' Principal

8' Bourdon (ext)

8' Salicional

8' Voix Celeste

8' Flauto Dolce (Solo)

8' Flute Celeste (Solo)

4' Octave

4' Flute

22⁄3' Nazard

2' Piccolo

13⁄5' Tierce

2' Plein Jeu V

16' Basson

8' Trompette

8' Hautbois (ext)

8' Vox Humana

4' Clairon

Tremulant

Swell 16-UO-4


POSITIV Manual I (2.75" wp)

8' Principal

8' Gedeckt (wood)

4' Octave

4' Koppelflute

22⁄3' Quinte TC (from 11⁄3¢)

2' Octave

11⁄3' Quinte

Sesquialtera II–III

1' Mixture IV

16' Holz Regal

8' Krummhorn

Tremulant

Positiv 16-UO-4


SOLO Manual IV (5" wp)

8' Solo Diapason IV*

8' Gamba

8' Gamba Celeste

8' Flauto Dolce

8' Flute Celeste TC

8' Clarinet

8' English Horn

Tremulant

16' Tuba TC (ext)

8' Tuba (18≤ wp, separate enclosure)

4' Tuba (ext)

16' Tromba

8' Tromba (ext)

4' Clarion

*From Great 8' Principal, 4' Octave, Pedal 8' Octave, 4' Choralbass


PEDAL (5" wp)

32' Subbass (56 pipes)

16' Open Diapason (wood)

16' Violone (Gt)

16' Subbass (ext)

16' Viole (44 pipes)

16' Bourdon (Sw)

8' Octave

8' Violone (Gt)

8' Subbass (ext)

8' Viole (ext)

8' Bourdon (Sw)

4' Choralbass

4' Cantus Flute (Gt Harm Fl)

22⁄3' Mixture IV

32' Trombone (full length, 68 pipes)

32' Harmonics (derived)

16' Trombone (ext)

16' Trompete (Gt)

16' Basson (Sw)

8' Trombone (ext)

8' Trompete (Gt)

4' Clarion (ext)

4' Clarinet (Solo)

4' Krummhorn (Pos)



Inter-manual couplers

Great to Pedal 8, 4

Swell to Pedal 8, 4

Positiv to Pedal 8, 4

Solo to Pedal 8, 4



Swell to Great 16, 8, 4

Positiv to Great 8

Solo to Great 16, 8, 4



Solo to Swell 8



Swell to Positiv 16, 8, 4

Solo to Positiv 8



Great / Positiv Transfer (including keys, pistons and couplers)

All Swells to Swell



Photos by Charles Kegg unless otherwise indicated.

Cover feature

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A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company, Lithonia, Georgia

First Presbyterian Church, Savannah, Georgia

The new pipe organ for First Presbyterian Church, Savannah, Georgia is a custom-built instrument comprising 47 ranks of pipes with an eclectic specification paying homage to the American Classic school of organbuilding. A core concept of our company’s tonal ideal is “to design instruments that have warmth but not at the expense of clarity and clarity not at the expense of warmth.” We believe this to be one of the most important considerations in an instrument that draws its lineage from the organbuilding schools of Germany, France, and England. Of utmost concern was adequate support of the choir and congregation taking into account the acoustics of the church and the literature required of the organ in this worship setting.

The church musicians and organ committee had a clear vision for the type of organ they desired for worship when they contacted our firm three years ago. They listened to many instruments in order to define their ideals. Certain styles of organ design were clearly not suitable for First Presbyterian. Ultimately, they gravitated toward the collective work of Aeolian-Skinner circa 1940s–1950s as directed by G. Donald Harrison. As our firm worked with the church to develop a specification, it was decided that our work was to be in the spirit of this great builder but not a stop for stop copy. Key points of departure are found in the presence of an 8' Principal chorus in each manual division, a more dominant Choir division than would have been found in the period, and the choice of English reeds. Many of our decisions were guided by voicing sample pipes in the church prior to construction of the organ. While setting samples in the church it became evident that the French reeds often found on a Harrison-era organ would not be suitable in this acoustical environment.

During the planning and tonal finishing stages of the organ we worshipped with the choir and congregation in order to gauge critical balances and dynamic levels. We were also able to use the talents of the church musicians and other Savannah organists, each bringing their own playing and registration style to the instrument. This has been very important in the sound of the organ as it is heard in its final form.

A primary challenge was where the organ would be located. The church was built in the late 1940s and was designed to be enlarged by removing the front chancel wall. Until this came to pass, a temporary front chancel wall was built containing a large stained glass window depicting the Stations of the Cross. As the dream of a pipe organ lay dormant for many years, the congregation grew to accept the chancel design with its stained glass window and stone arch as key elements of the sanctuary. These elements were a cornerstone of the visual integrity and symmetry they wanted to maintain. Numerous design studies were undertaken with free-standing organ cases inside and outside the arch and its impact on the chancel stained glass window.

A visual design emerged from our engineering study that provided a focal point for the stained glass window with Christ as the center. The solution was to build a large chamber on the front of the sanctuary and to utilize a suspended light box for display of the window. In this manner we were able to speak around and under the window with a large degree of tonal freedom and minimal tonal occlusion. The organ chamber is built of solid concrete to concentrate the sound of the organ forward without a loss of energy. This allowed us to work with more modest scales and wind pressures than might have been required under other circumstances due to placement and chamber depth. During the installation and subsequent tonal finishing we were very pleased with the transfer of energy from this organ chamber design and construction.

The organ case was built of native white oak, finished to match other woods in the sanctuary. The lower case panels are designed as a reflective surface for the choir. The organ grille panels were designed to provide a decorative allure while acting tonally transparent. Our treatment of the organ grille panels allowed us to eliminate the use of grille cloth that is often tonally absorptive and does not allow a free exchange of air between the sanctuary and the organ chambers.

Ever mindful that an organ is musical only when it is in tune, we took great efforts in the design to provide a stable environment. A primary consideration was to place all of the manual and pedal pipework at one common level, thus avoiding differing thermo climes and the resulting tuning issues. The organ blower is located beneath the organ and draws its air from the bass of the Swell and Choir chambers. In this manner air is drawn from the same environment as the pipes to promote tuning stability. Metal windlines were used to dissipate heat buildup. The chambers were also designed with air returns in the ceiling to draw the ambient sanctuary air back into the chamber. This system is coupled to the sanctuary HVAC and runs whenever it is engaged. Thus no special controls are needed to set proper conditions in the church in respect to the organ. This careful attention to layout and other issues that affect the environmental conditions of the organ has enabled us to maintain a one-degree variance between all divisions, which promotes tuning stability.

To provide control over the volume of the organ’s resources, the organ contains two expressive boxes, one for the Swell division and one for the Choir division. Built with extra-thick shades that overlap and interlock, the expressive boxes provide wide dynamic control with electro-pneumatic servo-motors faithfully duplicating the performer’s movement of the expression shoes at the organ console. This degree of expression finds additional favor with control of the high-pressure hooded Tromba Heroique in the Choir division. Constructed with small Willis tuba shallots on 16? wind pressure, this dynamic reed is duplexed to the Great division and can be tamed for use as a chorus reed by its enclosure. Indeed, the degree of control allowed by truly effective expression allows the use of a variety of stops for choral and congregational accompaniment and tonal layering that is not often possible in other instruments.

Our firm built electro-pneumatic slider chest actions of the Blackinton variety with our electro-pneumatic primary design. This type of chest action has the ability to operate over a wide pressure range without the repetition problems and pressure limitations often associated with electric pull-down slider chests. Electro-pneumatic unit chests are provided for all large bass pipes, offset chests, and reeds.

One fabled and often debated element in organ mechanical design is the winding system of the modern organ. Often in art one can consider that anything that draws attention to itself is probably too much. This maxim is used as an internal compass in our decision-making processes. Our concern is a winding system that provides a solid wind supply without being sterile. The winding on the Savannah organ is accomplished through the use of ribbed and floating lid regulators fitted with weights and springs. The organ reeds are placed on independent wind regulators to allow a pressure differential from the flue stops and to permit independent tremulant control. All of the windchests are individually fitted with tunable concussion bellows to allow fine regulation. In this manner, we achieved stable winding that still maintains a presence of life.

The resources of the organ are controlled by a three-manual drawknob console. Built in the English style, the console sits on a rolling platform to allow mobility. The console exterior is built of white oak with an interior of mahogany and ebony. The console features modern conveniences for the organ performer such as multiple memory levels, programmable crescendo and sforzando, transposer, MIDI, and the ability to record and play back organ performances.

As the music ministry continues to grow, the organ is prepared for additional stops in the Great, Swell, and Choir divisions. There is also preparation for an Antiphonal division with a horizontal Trompette en Chamade in the rear of the sanctuary. These design considerations allow the organ to grow with the needs of the congregation.

The organ chassis, inclusive of the organ case, console, windchests, winding system and wood pipes were built entirely by the Schlueter craftsmen. Delivery and installation of the organ took five weeks with the tonal finishing lasting six weeks beyond the installation. Tonal finishing was completed under the direction of Arthur Schlueter III and Daniel Angerstein with the assistance of Lee Hendricks, John Tanner, Marc Conley, and Al Schroer. As is the practice of our firm, the tonal finishing of the organ has occurred with several repeat trips to work with the pipes and evaluate the results. We find that this method of tonal finishing results in a finer degree of voicing than is possible from one concentrated trip. It is expected that over the course of the year we will continue to make small changes and refinements.

Quality organ building is never the result of one individual but is the result of the synergy of a team. In this respect our firm was ably assisted by the clergy, music staff, church staff, organ committee chairman and the members of the organ committee. These individuals readily gave of their time and talents and provided invaluable assistance from the inception of the organ project to its installation and tonal finishing. Their effort, coupled with that of the craftsmen of our firm, has resulted in the creation of this unique instrument. We would like to take this opportunity to thank each of the individuals involved with this project. We would also like to publicly thank the members of the First Presbyterian Church in Savannah, the organ committee, and individual members including but certainly not limited to minister Stephen Williams, parish associate Nelle McC. Bordeaux, Ray McClain, organist, Jim Adams, music director, and organ committee chairman Bill Ricks.

Established in 1973, the A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company is located of 20 miles east of Atlanta in the town of Lithonia, Georgia. The facility contains over 22,000 square feet of space dedicated to building organs for worship and recital. Created as a family business, the company is operated under the guidance of Arthur Schlueter, Jr. and Arthur Schlueter III. Together they provide direction to over 25 artisans in the building and rebuilding of pipe organs. In a desire to be mindful of the reason for the instruments, the seal of the company incorporates “Soli Deo Gloria,” God alone the glory. Additional information on our firm and projects can be viewed at .

—Arthur Schlueter III



A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company wishes to thank its staff including:


Art Schlueter Jr.—president

Arthur Schlueter III—vice president/ tonal and artistic direction

John Tanner—vice president of production/tonal finisher

Howard Weaver—senior design engineer

Shan Dalton—office manager/ administrative assistant

Bob Parris—executive assistant

Marc Conley—shop foreman/tonal finisher

Randy Wilson—assistant shop foreman

Rob Black—master cabinetmaker/CAD organ design

Sam Polk—organ assembly, tuning assistant

Al Schroer—voicing, organ assembly & tuning

Dallas Wood—organ assembly, tuning assistant

Michael DeSimone—leather & small parts

Katrina Thornton—financial secretary

Barbra Sedlacek—office support

Joe Sedlacek, Sr.—console wiring

Joe Sedlacek, Jr.—organ assembly

Mark Montour—CNC operator/woodwright

Dustin Carlisle—organ assembly

Jeffery Chilcutt—organ assembly

Kelvin Cheatham—organ assembly

Kevin Cartwright—tuning & service

Bob Weaver—tuning & service

Othel Liles—electrical engineer

Patty Conley—organ assembly

Herb Ridgely, Jr.—sales and support staff

Don Land—sales and support staff

David Stills—sales and support staff

Noel Jones—sales and support staff

A. E. Schlueter: First Presbyterian Church, Savannah, Georgia,

III manuals, 47 ranks

GREAT (Unenclosed)

16' Sub Principal

8' Open Diapason

8' Principal

8' Harmonic Flute

8' Bourdon

8' Gemshorn (Choir)

8' Violone

4' Octave

4' Flute

2' Fifteenth

IV–V Fourniture 11?3'

8' Clarinet (Choir)

16' Tromba Heroique (non-coupling) (Choir)

8' Tromba Heroique (non-coupling)
(Choir)
4' Tromba Heroique (non-coupling) (Choir)

Zimbelstern

Chimes (Choir)

Tremulant


SWELL (Expressive)

16' Lieblich Gedeckt

8' Geigen Principal

8' Chimney Flute

8' Viole de Gambe

8' Viole Celeste

8' Flauto Dolce

8' Flute Celeste

4' Geigen Octave

4' Nachthorn

22/3' Nazard

2' Recorder

11/3' Tierce

IV Full Mixture 2'

16' Bassoon

8' Trumpet

8' Oboe

4' Clarion

Tremulant

Swell to Swell 16'

Swell Unison Off

Swell to Swell 4'


CHOIR (Expressive)

16' Gemshorn

8' Principal

8' Holzgedeckt

8' Gemshorn

8' Gemshorn Celeste

4' Principal

4' Spindle Flute

2' Fifteenth

11/3 ' Larigot

1' Sifflote

III Scharf 2/3'

8' Clarinet

16' Tromba Heroique (non-coupling)

8' Tromba Heroique (non-coupling, high-pressure, hooded)

4' Tromba Heroique (non-coupling, high-pressure)

Harp (digital)

Tremulant

Choir to Choir 16'

Choir Unison Off

Choir to Choir 4'


Antiphonal (prepared for)


PEDAL

32' Violone (digital)

32' Bourdon (digital)

16' Contra Bass (digital)

16' Sub Principal

16' Gemshorn (Choir)

16' Subbass

16' Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)

8' Octave

8' Gemshorn (Choir)

8' Bourdon

8' Gedeckt (Swell)

4' Choral Bass

4' Cantus Flute (Great)

2' Flute (Swell)

III Mixture 22/3'

32' Contra Trombone (digital)

16' Trombone

16' Bassoon (Swell)

8' Tromba (Choir)

8' Trumpet (Swell)

4' Tromba (Choir)

4' Clarinet (Choir)



Inter-Manual Couplers

Great to Pedal 8', 4'

Swell to Pedal 8', 4'

Choir to Pedal 8', 4'

Antiphonal to Pedal 8'



Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'

Choir to Great 16', 8', 4'

Antiphonal to Great 8'

Swell to Choir 16', 8', 4'

Antiphonal to Choir 8'

Antiphonal to Swell 8'

Choir/Great Transfer (latching piston)

(divisional pistons transfer)



MIDI Controls (with record/playback)

MIDI to Great

MIDI to Swell

MIDI to Choir

MIDI to Pedal



Combination system with a minimum of 128 levels of memory

Six thumb pistons each division

12 General pistons—thumb and toe

Great to Pedal—thumb and toe

Swell to Pedal—thumb and toe

Choir to Pedal—thumb and toe

Swell to Great—thumb

Choir to Great—thumb and toe

Swell to Choir—thumb

32' Violone—reversible—thumb

32' Bourdon—thumb

32' Contra Trombone—reversible—thumb and toe

Sforzando—thumb and toe (programmable)

Crescendo Pedal (programmable)

Set Piston—thumb

General Cancel—thumb



Additional Features

Zimbelstern—9 bells

Chimes—32 notes

MIDI (programmable as preset stops)

Data File Sequencer provided for Playback/Record of organ performance

Transposer

Programmable Sforzando

Programmable Crescendo

Tracker touch keyboards

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