Cover feature

Parkey OrganBuilders,
Duluth, Georgia
Church of the Good Shepherd,
Lookout Mountain, Tennessee

From the builder
Our first contact with Church of the Good Shepherd was with John Wigal, choirmaster/organist, in early 2006. After receiving his call and having a pleasant conversation, a trip to Lookout Mountain was scheduled to review their current situation. Lookout Mountain is a wonderful mountain plateau area just outside of downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee. Today the mountain is host to a number of quiet neighborhoods and the famous tourist destinations of Rock City and Ruby Falls. Church of the Good Shepherd is an active Episcopal parish serving Lookout Mountain and serves as periodic host to the Chamber Orchestra of Tennessee.
The organ committee and Mr. Wigal realized the shortfalls of the original pipe organ installed in 1961, and spent considerable time in reviewing the options for renovations or replacement. We were honored by their interest in our firm, but concerned with the task of providing a suitable organ. The church nave was renovated extensively in the mid-1990s, with great attention to acoustics. The end results provided a significant improvement over the acoustics of the original nave, but the room was still limited by the
A-frame design of the building.
As discussions progressed, the committee investigated various firms for the organ project, talking with both local firms and larger organ builders. Lookout Mountain is a short two-hour drive from the Atlanta, Georgia area, making us one of the “local” builders of consideration. Our firm established shop in Atlanta in 1995, and has produced a number of projects and instruments over the last 14 years, ranging from renovations to complete new instruments. In 2003, we moved to our present location in the Norcross/Duluth area of the Metro Atlanta area. Our 15,000 square foot facility houses our operations with a modern woodworking facility, pipe voicing facility, and clean, separate erecting space. Our shop utilizes both CAD and CNC technology for modern organbuilding.
The majority of organs that we build provide the core foundation of music for church services and congregational singing. As the tonal director, I have studied extensively the designs of organs from Europe and America to draw on sounds that accommodate the appropriate denominational worship style and background. Our organs feature an eclectic base for the final ensemble, but each division is constructed with careful regard to complement the other divisions of the instrument. Our philosophy is that the sum of the parts will be the whole organ, and our performance will be judged on the whole organ and not the parts. Thus our Great divisions are often based on American standards with a solid chorus for the backbone of the instrument. Swell divisions are often heavily influenced by the French school of organ design, but with a level of treble ascendancy to improve options for choral accompaniment. The Choir and Positive divisions draw from and meld the schools of English and German organbuilding for choral and literature work. Pedal divisions are to be independent when at all possible, and should be both felt and heard in the space.
After much consideration and listening, the committee at Church of the Good Shepherd felt confident that we could handle the task of providing an organ for their parish. Visiting our instruments and shop, they expressed their confidence by selecting us to build the new organs for them. Though the present organ had many shortfalls, some materials did prove to be of quality for consideration in the new organs. Thus, some limited material was retained in the new instruments. The limited pipework retained was cleaned, repaired, rescaled and revoiced in conjunction with the new specification. The discussions of the Gallery Organ included use of an Antiphonal division for additional support of congregation singing. In our discussions, the committee conveyed their interest and desire that an Antiphonal division might yield additional benefits with a separate console as a stand-alone instrument, thus giving options for the second organ for the space. Soon it was decided that the organ project would be become two separate organs dovetailed together to function either separately or as one.
The present chambers for the Gallery Organ are located in the optimal position of the room; however, they presented some challenges with tonal egress over the gallery rail in addition to being deep with a constrictive ceiling, thus requiring creative pipe scaling. The new Gallery Organ (our Opus 8) is installed in the same position as the organ it replaced. The organ speaks on the long axis of the nave, and the Great and Pedal divisions are elevated high in the space. The Choir and Swell divisions are located on floor level of the gallery in chambers behind and below the Great and Pedal divisions.
The second of the organs at Church of the Good Shepherd—deemed the Chancel Organ—probably commanded the greatest amount of consideration for scaling and voicing. The existing reredos set the parameters for space limitations for the Chancel Organ case in addition to influencing the case design. Because no chamber space existed, we designed the Chancel Organ to be contained in two separate cases. Space did not allow for the inclusion of a swell box, so in an effort to retain independent stops as much as possible, stop selection, scaling, and voicing were crucial in balancing volume and overall ensemble chorus. In the consideration of our production schedule, one of the benefits of the Chancel Organ was that it allowed a seamless transition of instruments for Church of the Good Shepherd. Since the Chancel Organ was to be entirely new, it (our Opus 9) was actually built first. Once completed, we then proceeded with the removal of the old Gallery Organ and preparations for the new Gallery Organ. The church used Opus 9 for the interim until the Gallery Organ was installed in early 2008. The Chancel Organ was first used in summer of 2007, and made its official debut to the community with the Chamber Orchestra of Tennessee in October 2007.
The Gallery Organ (Opus 8) was completed in our shop in late 2007, and installation started in December 2007. Tonal finishing began in January 2008, and the final reed stops were installed and voiced in March. The entire organ was first heard on Easter Sunday of 2008.
The new organs feature three complete manual principal choruses between them. The Great division is the largest and richest of the foundations. The Chancel Organ features a more Germanic secondary chorus, with the third chorus located in the Choir division. The Choir principals are English in nature with more warmth and less articulation. Each division offers a colorful yet distinct 8′ flute. True to form with our tonal design, we look to our flutes to provide color and different timbre within each stop. There is no duplication of design within the 8′ or 4′ flute stops. The reed stops also provide their own color and add fire and commanding authority to the organ’s ensemble. The reeds range from a strong Germanic Trompete in the Great to a French Trompette chorus in the Swell at 8′ and 4′ pitches. The 16′ and 8′ pitches are completed with a Basson and Hautbois. A large 8′ Cromorne provides additional options for literature and solo work.
The final crown of the organ is the 8′ Fanfare Trumpet. Mr. Wigal and the committee were very clear on the design of this stop. The Fanfare Trumpet was to provide a strong solo line in both the treble and tenor range but was not to be offensive or overpowering. Therefore, the Fanfare Trumpet is voiced on seven inches of pressure, with resonators hooded to provide optimal projection from the case. Mixture work is carefully terraced across the divisions, starting with the Pedal division and proceeding through the Swell division, Great division, and Chancel division. Wind pressures range from 3″ to 33⁄4″, which allowed us to voice with prompt speech but to avoid a driven sound. All of our scaling and voicing work is handled completely in-house in our company to ensure the success of each organ. Since no two instruments or rooms are ever exactly alike, scaling and voicing strengths must always be tailored to each organ. Mr. Wigal served as the consultant for the project and provided excellent input and feedback for the development of the specification.
Mechanically, the organ utilizes electro-pneumatic slider chests with electric stop actions and electro-pneumatic unit chests. Winding is regulated through single-rise reservoirs. The casework and consoles are constructed of red oak with maple accents. The console interiors are provided in regular and burled walnut. Keyboards are done in bleached bone with ebony sharps. Drawknobs are turned ebony with laser-engraved maple insets. Tilting tablets are of solid maple. A multi-level capture and relay system was provided by Solid State Organ Systems. The rear case houses the bass of the 16′ and 8′ Pedal Principal and bass of the Great 8′ Principal. The Chancel Organ cases house the bass of the 16′ Quintaton and 8′ Principal.
The staff of our company is essential to the success of each instrument. It is through them that the organ committees and I can see fruition and success of every organ we build. We sincerely appreciate the confidence of the committee and staff of Church of the Good Shepherd for the opportunity to provide two new organs for worship and music. Additional information for these organs may be found at
<www.parkeyorgans.com&gt;.
—Phillip K. Parkey
President and tonal director

Staff:
Phillip K. Parkey – president, tonal director, and voicer, tonal finishing
Michael Morris – shop supervisor, case design and chest layout, installation, tonal finishing
Josh Duncan – office manager, wiring, installation
Otilia Gamboa – chest construction, pneumatic assemblies, wiring, installation
Wayne Mitcham – case and chest construction, installation
Josh Okeson – console, case, chest construction, installation, console wiring
Philip Read – console, case, and chest construction, installation
Tom Helms – tonal finishing

From the organist
The Church of the Good Shepherd is so very pleased with the outcome of our new organ and its contribution to our worship here atop Lookout Mountain. In 1961 when the current nave of Good Shepherd was built, the building committee made a firm commitment to a new organ at that time, and chose the firm of Hillgreen, Lane and Co. The installation of that organ was done by D. Byron Arneson of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Unfortunately, the organ was plagued with mechanical problems and tonal insufficiencies throughout its life. In the 1990s, renovations to the nave saw the removal of sound-absorbing carpet and curtains as well as the removal of a portion of sound-absorbing material of the rear wall. Although each decade had brought with it attempts to create a better instrument out of the Hillgreen, Lane organ, none of these attempts were able to do much beyond making the instrument more mechanically reliable. By my arrival in 2002, it was apparent that something must be done.
Early in 2005, a parishioner expressed the desire to present a gift to the parish specifically for the improvement of the organ. A committee was quickly formed with representatives from the choir, vestry and congregation (including one former organist/choirmaster), and work was begun. The committee set out with three important goals in mind: improve the organ’s ability to lead the singing of the congregation; improve/increase the available stops for accompanying the choir(s); increase the variety of available colors.
The committee felt it was important to create an antiphonal organ at the front of the nave that could function in a variety of ways. We desired an antiphonal organ that would allow for basic accompanying of the choirs or small services from the front of the nave, serve as a continuo instrument for choral or instrumental concerts, boost the tonal presence of the organ in the front of the nave for large services, as well as be a foil to the main instrument for literature.
The committee spoke with five builders during its discussions and listened to examples from three of these. In an effort to show good stewardship, the committee desired to retain something of the old organ in any new project. During our discussions and listening sessions with Phil Parkey, it became clear to us that Phil and his firm were willing and able to accomplish our listed goals. It also became clear that Phil was listening to our requests and filtering them with his own high standards, expertise and experience to create the best result for our parish. During the planning stages, the process became very much a guided collaboration between the committee, Phil Parkey, and me, with the end result being an organ that will meet the needs of this parish for many years to come.
The organ has been an enormous success and has generated excitement both in the parish and the community for the music program at Good Shepherd. In October 2007 the Chamber Orchestra of Tennessee performed a concert with the new Chancel Organ featuring two organ concerti of Handel (op. 4, nos. 4 and 6), the Adagio by Albinoni, and the Bach Concerto for Two Violins, with the organ serving as the continuo instrument. In October 2008 the main organ was heard in a wide-ranging dedicatory recital by Professor Trudy Faber of Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio.
The Chancel Organ has led various smaller worship services and has served to support instrumental and choral concerts. The main organ has served admirably to accompany both soloists and combined choral ensembles and to provide the foundation for good congregational song. Each stop has its own timbre, distinct from the others of its family and the combinations are well balanced and complementary within and between divisions. We welcome visitors to the Lookout Mountain community to stop and hear this fine instrument.
—John E. Wigal
Director of music/organist

Church of the Good Shepherd
Lookout Mountain, Tennessee
Gallery Organ, Opus 8
3 manuals, 38 ranks
Drawknob console

GREAT (Unenclosed)
16′ Contra Viola Swell
8′ Principal 61 pipes
8′ Rohrflote 61 pipes
4′ Octave 61 pipes
22⁄3′ Quint 61 pipes
2′ Super Octave 61 pipes
11⁄3′ Mixture III–IV 232 pipes
8′ Trompette 61 pipes
8′ Fanfare Trumpet Chancel
Chimes 21 notes
Tremulant
Great 16
Great Unison Off
Great 4
Stops: 9
Ranks: 10

SWELL (Enclosed)
16′ Bourdon 61 pipes 8′ Claribel Flute 61 pipes
8′ Viola 61 pipes
8′ Viola Celeste 56 pipes
4′ Principal 61 pipes
4′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes
22⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes
2′ Octavin 12 pipes
2′ Plein Jeu III 183 pipes
16′ Basson 12 pipes
8′ Trompette 61 pipes
8′ Hautbois 61 pipes
4′ Clairon 61 pipes
Tremulant
Swell 16
Swell Unison Off
Swell 4
Stops: 13, Ranks: 13

CHOIR (Enclosed)
8′ English Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Gedeckt 61 pipes
4′ Spitz Principal 61 pipes
4′ Koppel Flute 61 pipes
22⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes
2′ Block Flute 61 pipes
13⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes
8′ Cromorne 61 pipes
8′ Fanfare Trumpet Chancel
Tremulant
Choir 16
Choir Unison Off
Choir 4
Stops: 9
Ranks: 8

PEDAL
32′ Contra Bass (ext 16 Princ, 1–12 digital)
32′ Contra Bourdon (ext Bdn, 1–9 digital, 10–12 are in pipes)
16′ Principal 32 pipes
16′ Contra Viola Swell
16′ Bourdon Swell
16′ Quintaton Chancel
8′ Octave 12 pipes
8′ Viola Swell
8′ Bourdon Swell
8′ Gedeckt Chancel
4′ Choral Bass 32 pipes
4′ Flute Swell
22⁄3′ Mixture III 96 pipes
16′ Posaune 32 pipes
16′ Basson Swell
8′ Trompete 12 pipes
4′ Hautbois Swell
4′ Clarion Swell
8′ Fanfare Trumpet Chancel
Chimes 21 notes
Stops: 18
Ranks: 6

CHANCEL (Unenclosed)
Playable as a single division from the Gallery console
8′ Principal
8′ Gamba
8′ Gedeckt
4′ Principal
4′ Rohrflote
2′ Blockflote
II Sesquialtera TC
1′ Mixture III
8′ Fanfare Trumpet 61 pipes
(Located in Chancel case)
Stops: 9
Ranks: 1

Couplers
Swell to Great 16
Swell to Great 8
Swell to Great 4
Choir to Great 16
Choir to Great 8
Choir to Great 4
Chancel to Great 8

Swell to Choir 16
Swell to Choir 8
Swell to Choir 4
Great to Choir 8
Chancel to Choir 8

Chancel to Swell 8

Great to Pedal 8
Great to Pedal 4
Swell to Pedal 8
Swell to Pedal 4
Choir to Pedal 8
Choir to Pedal 4
Chancel to Pedal 8

Great/Choir Transfer

Chancel Organ, Opus 9
2 manuals, 12 ranks
Tilting tablet console

MANUAL I
8′ Principal 61 pipes
8′ Gamba Manual II
8′ Gedeckt Manual II
4′ Octave 61 pipes
4′ Flute 12 pipes
III Mixture 183 pipes
Manual II to I

MANUAL II
8′ Gamba 55 pipes
(1–6 common with Gedeckt)
8′ Gedeckt 61 pipes
4′ Rohrflote 61 pipes
2′ Blockflote 61 pipes
II Sesquialtera TC 98 pipes

PEDAL
16′ Quintaton 32 pipes
8′ Gamba Manual II
8′ Gedeckt Manual II
4′ Flute Manual II
Manual I to Pedal
Manual II to Pedal

Cover photo by Chris Crevasse

Parkey OrganBuilders,
Duluth, Georgia, Opus 10
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church,
Marietta, Georgia
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church made the commitment to a pipe organ in the late 1970s as part of the construction of their new sanctuary. Though a new pipe organ was not in the plan, the church purchased a Votteler-Holtkamp-Sparling organ from First & Calvary Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Missouri. A dedicated group of members aided by a consultant/organbuilder moved the organ to Marietta, Georgia, and completed the installation of the organ in late 1980.
By 1980, the organ had been moved, altered, and enlarged. During the mid-1990s, Tim Young, the current organist, took the job as parish musician and began to evaluate the instrument and bring it into line with the needs of the church’s music program. Over time it was realized that the organ was far too large in sound to balance the room, and, unfortunately, some of the additions had not been as successful as originally hoped.
We were invited to look at the organ in 1997 and make a proposal to replace the console and relay switching system. In 2000, our firm completed a new three-manual drawknob console complete with new relays and capture system by Solid State Logic (now Solid State Organ Systems). This vastly improved the control of the organ, and the movable console allowed some changes of the choir space and chancel area.
In 2004, we made a number of changes, with new pipework to improve the diapason/principal choruses for a better balance in the room. Part of our tonal work included the addition of mutations to the Choir division in place of some of the redundant 8′ stops added in the 1950s by the Kilgen Organ Company. The changes worked very well and were well received by the membership.
By 2005, the church was discussing a major renovation of the sanctuary. The organ was showing its age in the mechanical/windchest department. Due to immediate need, chestwork was constructed and installed in the Great division in 2006. The church council later voted to include the pipe organ in the sanctuary renovation.
The sanctuary renovation was the impetus to remove the entire organ and recreate it as one cohesive instrument. By 2007, working with Tim Young, we completed the details of an ongoing tonal revision and layout of the organ, and a contract was signed in early 2008.
The organ was removed in summer 2008. Work began with new windchests and winding systems. The new organ features electro-pneumatic slider chests of our design and construction. The winding system is provided by single-rise box regulators. Chamber layouts were changed for improved tonal design and egress and to accommodate the relocation of the choir in the chancel. A new case and façade were designed in conjunction with Frank Friemel and added to the organ to replace the grille cloth and curtains of 1980. The case contains the bass of the 8′ Principal and 16′ Violone. It is built of clear red oak and finished to coordinate with the church’s interior finishes and woodwork. Acoustical improvements were made to the worship space to enhance the congregational singing and tonal presence of the organ and other instruments.
From the first we had planned for tonal changes to fill voids in the specification and create a better balance for congregational singing and choral accompaniment. The Clarinet and Oboe stops were retained from the 1929 Holtkamp organ, as were some of the flutes and strings. One rank of interest is the 8′ Ludwigtone from the 1929 Holtkamp; it was retained in the Choir division. The principal ranks are new, providing three complete principal choruses—one in each manual division. New trumpet ranks were added to the Swell, Great and Pedal divisions.
The Great division features a principal chorus of American heritage found in organs of the mid to late 1800s. The Swell division is based on an American Classic design that became prevalent in the 1930s. The Swell division starts with the backbone of an 8′ Violin Diapason and builds through to mixture. The strings and flutes retained in the Swell division promote a bit of romantic flair not lost in the history of the organ. The Choir division features many nuances of an English Choir division, again hosting its own diapason chorus through to mixture. The Choir principal (called Geigen) displays a lighter, articulate tone, useful for choral work. The 4′ Fugara is a string principal, adding a singing quality to the division while providing good blend with the Geigen.
The principal choruses combine to provide a solid foundation for congregational singing much as found in the Silbermann organs of the 1700s. Our flutes throughout the organ offer a wide variety of color, utilizing both open and closed variations in wood and metal. The reeds provide both color for solo work and fire for the final cap of the ensemble.
Tim Young worked closely with us during the reinstallation and tonal finishing of the instrument. The physical installation was completed in December 2008, and the final tonal work was completed in early 2009. Matthew Brown of Salisbury, North Carolina, a student of Gillian Weir, was a featured recitalist in April 2009. He demonstrated the flexibility of the organ through the works of Sweelinck, Bach, Harris, Vierne, Demessieux, and Calvin Hampton.
Our appreciation goes to Tim Young, organist; Ann Murphy, music director; and Ralph Daniel, charter organ committee member, for their help and cooperation on our Opus 10.
—Phil Parkey

GREAT
16′ Sub Principal 29 pipes
(1-32 from Pedal Violone)
8′ Principal 61 pipes
8′ Bourdon 61 pipes
4′ Octave 61 pipes
4′ Spitzflote 61 pipes
2′ Super Octave 61 pipes
III Fourniture 183 pipes
8′ Trumpet 61 pipes
4′ Clarion 12 pipes
Chimes
Zimbelstern
Great 16–Unison Off–4

SWELL
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt 61 pipes
8′ Violin Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Stopped Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Salicional 61 pipes
8′ Voix Celeste 61 pipes
4′ Principal 61 pipes
4′ Flute Harmonic 61 pipes
2′ Flute 61 pipes
III Plein Jeu 183 pipes
16′ Basson 12 pipes
8′ Trompette 61 pipes
8′ Oboe 61 pipes
4′ Oboe Clarion 12 pipes
Tremulant
Swell 16–Unison Off–4

CHOIR
8′ Geigen 61 pipes
8′ Flute 61 pipes
8′ Ludwigtone 61 pipes
8′ Dulciana 61 pipes
8′ Unda Maris TC 49 pipes
4′ Fugara 61 pipes
4′ Chimney Flute 61 pipes
22⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes
2′ Flautino 24 pipes
13⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes
III Mixture 183 pipes
8′ Clarinet 61 pipes
8′ Trumpet Gt
Tremulant
Choir 16–Unison Off–4

PEDAL
32′ Contra Bourdon 32 notes
16′ Diapason 32 notes
16′ Subbass 32 pipes
16′ Violone 32 pipes
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt Sw
8′ Octave 32 pipes
8′ Flute 12 pipes
8′ Gedeckt Sw
4′ Choral Bass 32 pipes
4′ Open Flute 32 notes
III Mixture 32 notes
16′ Bombarde 32 pipes
8′ Trumpet 12 pipes

Couplers
Great to Pedal 8, 4
Swell to Pedal 8, 4
Choir to Pedal 8, 4
MIDI to Pedal

Swell to Great 16, 8, 4
Choir to Great 16, 8, 4
MIDI to Great

Swell to Choir 16, 8, 4
MIDI to Choir
Choir to Swell 8
Choir/Great Transfer

A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company, Lithonia, Georgia
Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Florida
The early morning hours of December 23, 2007 were of significance and great loss for the Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church. Due to contract negotiations with the symphony, the then-locked-out musicians of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra performed at Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church with a “Messiah Sing” on the evening of December 22. The proceeds of this performance were to benefit the Health and Welfare fund of the members of this institution. This was the last performance ever held in the sanctuary. Sometime in the morning hours of the 23rd a fire started and in a matter of hours consumed the church to the foundation. On the brink of Christmas, the stunned members and staff assembled on the church grounds in front of the still-smoldering pyre of their sanctuary, to console, pray, and plan. From this immeasurable loss they resolved to bolster their presence in the Jacksonville community with a new church and renewed dedication to their ministry.
Reverend Dr. Kyle Reese assembled a team to plan and oversee the rebuilding of the sanctuary. They vowed to have the church open no later than December 23, 2009, when they would again open the church to the public with a performance of Handel’s Messiah. In addition to Pastor Reese, key members who were to play a role in our building an instrument were O’Neal Douglas, chairman of the Sanctuary Renovation Task Force; Bill Mason, organ committee chairman; Reverend Tommy Shapard, Minister of Music and Worship; and Brenda Scott, organist. A constant presence on this construction project was O’Neal Douglas, who served as a living Gantt chart. He invested untold hours to assure the clear communications and coordination between all the different trades involved to build this church by the required completion date.
Lost in the fire was a three-manual, 48-rank Möller that had been installed in 1989. As one of the last instruments from Möller, it was a very good example of their building style and had been well loved by the congregation. Prior to working with our firm as a sales representative, Herbert Ridgeley Jr. represented the Möller firm. He had worked with then minister of music Reverend Kendall Smith on the installation of this Möller instrument. Marc Conley of our staff had worked on this instrument when he was employed by Möller. With these past affiliations, we began the initial discussions with the church as they considered a replacement pipe organ and evaluated firms that might build this instrument. In the words of Tommy Shapard, the charge of the organ committee was “to design an instrument with a variety of colors and levels of expression available in the new instrument to give our congregation and choir the opportunity to sing together more vitally and creatively as a worshipping body.”
I will always recall an exchange that took place early in our meeting with the organ committee. As we talked about a proposed stoplist, we were five minutes into the discussion when Chairman Mason raised a finger and jokingly said, “Arthur . . . from this point forward whenever we say Baptist, we want you to think Presbyterian.” He was referring to the landmark III/62 instrument our firm was building at that time for New York Avenue Presbyterian in Washington and its ties to President Lincoln and theologian Peter Marshall. (See cover feature, The Diapason, July 2010.) I came to find a much deeper meaning in his offhand quip. In public and private discussions, I have heard other builders refer to a “type” of organ they design by denomination. Personally, I do not believe one serves any church well by imprinting their view of any particular denomination—a generic “this is it” approach to stoplist and tonal design of an instrument. This is true regardless of whether it be Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Episcopal, or any other denomination. There are and always will be the subtle and not so subtle differences in a church’s worship style. Often in my professional career I have had a church explain their “traditional” worship only to find a worship style that I might personally find to be contemporary, or often a church that describes itself as “contemporary” to be traditional. The euphemism “blended” often used by many churches to describe their music in worship does not solve any identity issues either. As a builder, it is incumbent upon you to experience a church’s worship with your own eyes and ears and then really listen to how your client will use the organ in their worship. This is the only surefire way to refine a stoplist and scale sheets into a cogent amalgam that will allow you to design, voice, and tonally finish an instrument that truly serves the vision of the church you are working for.
A very real challenge in the design of this instrument was that the church moved very fast in the design of a building to assure their December 23, 2009 first service. By the time a contract was signed with our firm, the basic design of the building was locked in place and key building materials had been ordered. We had to work with the architect to design space for an instrument in a building that was already well defined. To allow for an instrument, space would have to be created. As a design team, we found that if we changed the width of the hallway access to the baptistery on the right and left and had a concrete lentil poured above the hallway and above the baptistery, room could be provided for a 43-foot-wide chamber of varying depth and elevations. Taking into account the sloping ceilings in the chambers, we planned a left-to-right division orientation of Swell, Great/Pedal, and Choir. The enclosed divisions of the organ have tone openings on their front and also on the side openings into the center Great and Pedal division. These side openings provide a coalescence and focus for the enclosed resources into the central axis of the instrument.
The chancel façade is designed to frame the baptistery. The façade is silver with polished mouths and features pipework from the 16′ Principal, 16′ Violone, 8′ Octave, and 8′ Diapason. The casework has a maple finish to match the church furnishings. To support the needs of audio-visual functions in their ministry, a projection screen was incorporated into the center section of the upper organ case.
The completed organ is 60 ranks, divided among three manual divisions in the chancel and a floating Antiphonal division in the rear of the church. My specification and scaling for this instrument has its roots in American Classicism, with an emphasis on the English elements found within this stylistic construct. All of the organ divisions are weighted around 8′ chorus structure. The Great is designed around a diapason chorus that has richness and warmth but that still maintains clarity in its phrasing. The Swell features an independent 8′ Principal, which allows the 8′ Swell string scales to be narrower, since these stops do not need to provide the core 8′ flue foundation. The Gemshorn in the Choir is generously scaled, with a wide mouth to support a function in this division analogous to a foundational Spitz Principal. The mixtures in the enclosed divisions are pitched at 2′ and provide a logical completion to the enclosed division principal choruses. This allows completion of the 8/4/2 chorus ladder without breaks in pitch or the need for independent 2′ principals as single stop draws. In addition to avoiding the stridency sometimes found in mixtures with pitches above 1′, this treatment of the mixtures also frees up the 2′ pitch registers for independent manual flutes.
While individually differing in color, the two enclosed divisions have parallel flue pitch registers for support of choral accompaniment. With a large, effective shade front, these divisions provide ample resources of weight and color against the human voice.
The organ reeds were designed with English shallots, which prove much more favorable in a dryer American acoustic. As is our common practice, the organ reeds are placed on separate reservoirs, separate tremolos, and individual unit electro-pneumatic windchests. This treatment allows the reeds to be freed from the strictures of the manual flue wind pressures. This allows complete freedom in scale, shallot design and treatments, and tongue thickness. With a separate tremolo, achieving the correct depth and speed on the reed stops does not become as elusive as it can sometimes be when flues and reeds share a common plenum.
For a large festive solo voice, the chancel organ features a high-pressure English Tuba. This stop is located in the Choir division, and under expressive control it can be used as a darker ensemble reed when it is dynamically caged. It is carried down to the 16′ register to effectively ground the Pedal division.
A very complete Pedal division was desired, with multiple pitches represented from 32′ through 4′. Just the 16′ registers alone represent nine of the 24 stops in the Pedal division. In addition to independent Pedal registers, full advantage was taken of manual-to-pedal duplexes. The result is a plethora of stops under the organist’s control, with a full range of colors and dynamics.
Early on in the design of this instrument, we prepared for a 10-rank Antiphonal. Due to the beneficence of several members, the church was able to contract for this “prepared for” item and have it installed with the chancel instrument. Visually, the rear organ takes its design from the chancel façade. Positioned between the two cases is an 8′ Trompette En Chamade with brass bells. Cognizant of its position in the church and the presence of the high-pressure English Tuba in the chancel organ, the stop was voiced on a moderate 7½ inches pressure. By its position, it has presence and lacks the offensiveness that is sometimes associated with this stop. The core of the Antiphonal organ includes a complete 8′ principal chorus, a lyrical 8′ Gedeckt, and an ethereal pair of 8′ Erzahler Celestes.
Foundational support for the Antiphonal division is provided by a Pedal 16′ Stille Gedeckt and 8′ Stille Principal in the Antiphonal Pedal division. In addition to providing foundation for the rear division, these stops are also very useful in larger organ registrations by adding definition and dimension to the chancel bass presence.
Never to be forgotten in an instrument of this size is the need for quiet contemplative moments. Early in our meetings we talked about the need for the organ to have the resources for what we began to refer to as “the whisper.” In the Choir division, we added a Ludwigtone stop. This is a wooden set of pipes with a dividing wall in the center of the pipe that has two separate mouths. Its unique construction allows each pipe to produce two notes, one of which can be tuned off-beating. In our stoplist as the Flute Celeste II, when it is drawn with a closed box, full couplers, and the Antiphonal Klein Erzahlers added to it, with a light 16′ Pedal stop, there is a moment of being surrounded by an ethereal magic that is at once all enveloping and yet without any weight.
Mechanically this organ uses our electro-pneumatic slider chests, with the organ reeds placed on electro-pneumatic unit chests. Conventional ribbed box regulators are used for the winding system.
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 maple, with an ebonized interior. The console features modern conveniences for the organist, such as multiple memory levels, programmable crescendo and sforzando, transposer, MIDI, and the ability to record and play back organ performances.
To allow full control in the tonal finishing of this instrument, we set sample pipes on the windchests in the organ chambers and then removed the pipes from the chambers to continue work with a portable voicing machine located in the chancel. This allowed us to work unimpeded and be more accurate with cutups and initial nicking, feathering, and flue regulation than could have possible within the confines of the organ chambers and the sea of pipework on each chest. After “roughing in” the pipework voicing, the stops were reinstalled in the organ chamber for final voicing and tonal finishing. In a process that lasted months, the tonal finishing was completed by a team including Daniel Angerstein, Peter Duys, John Tanner, Marc Conley, and Bud Taylor. In addition to our tonal finishers, our installation team included Marshall Foxworthy, Rob Black, Patrick Hodges, Jeremiah Hodges, Kelvin Cheatham, Joe Sedlacek, and Wilson Luna. I am thankful for their dedication and the long hours they put into this project to make sure that our tonal ideals for this instrument were not only achieved but exceeded.
The new sanctuary was finally at a point of completion by November 16 that we were able to begin the installation. The organ was brought up divisionally to allow autonomous work by our staff in multiple divisions. This allowed 40 ranks of the organ to be brought online when first heard in public on December 23, 2009. On this day, our staff was able to return home to be with their families during Christmas, and two family members, Art Schlueter Jr. and Arthur Schlueter III, were able to begin their Christmas together at the public opening of this church with Handel’s Messiah. Forever in my memory will be standing tall as father and son during the Hallelujah Chorus. As with all organ projects, there was still work to be done to complete and finish the organ, but it was a satisfying conclusion to a year that saw the installation of multiple new instruments by our firm and the fulfillment of a promise to this congregation and community.
A final chapter to this story must be told. To assist their search for an organbuilder and evaluate plans for a new instrument, the organ committee engaged local Jacksonville organbuilder, Jim Garvin, as part of their working group. As I developed my proposal for the church, he was a ready translator to discuss the minutiae of the organ proposal—from chest design, stop type, material construction, winding systems, etc. As a builder, I found it a great pleasure to work with Jim, who ably served as a liaison between the organbuilder and the church. Sadly, during the building of this instrument Jim began a battle with cancer. Even as he was weakened by his fight with the cancer, he never wavered in his role as consultant through the organ installation and dedication. I am happy to say that he lived to sing and worship with this instrument. One of our collective proudest moments was at the inaugural organ dedication with Dr. Al Travis. With a solid look in the eye and a firm stance, we exchanged handshakes as equals who had both worked to the best of our abilities on behalf of Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church. Earlier this year Jim lost his fight with cancer. His funeral was held at Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church, where I again returned to hear organ and choir, but this time to say goodbye. I will forever be grateful for my consultant and colleague I worked with in the completion of this project. Reminiscent of the way the project started, I once again heard Handel, as Jim’s final request for his service had been the Hallelujah Chorus.
Additional information on our firm and projects can be viewed at www.pipe-organ.com or by writing A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company, P.O. Box 838, Lithonia, GA 30058.
—Arthur E. Schlueter III, tonal and artistic direction

All photos taken by Tim Rucci (www.timrucci.com)

Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church
Three manuals, 60 ranks

GREAT—Manual II
(unenclosed) (16 ranks)
16′ Violone 61 pipes
8′ Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Violone 12 pipes
8′ Flute Harmonique 49 pipes
(1–12 Pedal Bourdon)
8′ Bourdon 61 pipes
4′ Octave 61 pipes
4′ Spire Flute 61 pipes
22⁄3′ Twelfth 61 pipes
2′ Super Octave 61 pipes
IV Mixture 11⁄3′ 244 pipes
III Klein Mixture 2⁄3′ 183 pipes
16′ Double Trumpet 61 pipes
(English shallots)
8′ Trumpet 12 pipes
16′ English Tuba (Choir) (non-coupling)
8′ English Tuba (Choir) (non-coupling)
4′ English Tuba (Choir) (non-coupling)
Chimes (Choir)
Zimbelstern 9 bells
Great to Great 4′
Tremulant

CHOIR—Manual I (enclosed)
(13 ranks)
16′ Gemshorn 12 pipes
8′ Hohl Flute 61 pipes
8′ Gemshorn 61 pipes
8′ Gemshorn Celeste 49 pipes
8′ Flute Celeste II 80 pipes
(Ludwigtone)
4′ Principal 61 pipes
4′ Spindle Flute 61 pipes
2′ Harmonic Piccolo 61 pipes
11⁄3′ Quint 61 pipes
III Choral Mixture 2′ 183 pipes
8′ Clarinet 61 pipes
(English shallots with lift caps)
8′ English Tuba 61 pipes
(non-coupling)
Tremulant
Choir to Choir 16′
Choir Unison Off
Choir to Choir 4′

SWELL—Manual III (enclosed) (14 ranks)
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt 61 pipes
8′ Geigen Principal 61 pipes
8′ Viole de Gamba 61 pipes
8′ Viole Celeste TC 49 pipes
8′ Rohr Flute 12 pipes
4′ Geigen Octave 61 pipes
4′ Nachthorn 61 pipes
22⁄3′ Nazard TC 49 pipes
2′ Flageolet (from 16′) 24 pipes
13⁄5′ Tierce TC 49 pipes
IV Mixture 2′ 244 pipes
16′ Bassoon 61 pipes
(English shallots with lift caps)
8′ Trumpet 61 pipes
(English shallots)
8′ Oboe 12 pipes
4′ Clarion 12 pipes
Tremulant
Swell to Swell 16′
Swell Unison Off
Swell to Swell 4′

ANTIPHONAL—floating division (10 ranks)
8′ Weit Principal 61 pipes
8′ Gedeckt 61 pipes
8′ Klein Erzahler 61 pipes
8′ Klein Erzahler Celeste 49 pipes
4′ Principal 61 pipes
III Mixture 2′ 183 pipes
8′ Trompette En Chamade 61 pipes

ANTIPHONAL PEDAL
16′ Stille Gedeckt 12 pipes
8′ Stille Principal 32 pipes

PEDAL (7 ranks)
32′ Violone (digital)
32′ Bourdon (digital)
16′ Principal 32 pipes
16′ Violone (Great)
16′ Gemshorn (Choir)
16′ Subbass 32 pipes
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)
8′ Octave 32 pipes
8′ Violone (Great)
8′ Gemshorn (Choir)
8′ Bourdon 12 pipes
8′ Gedeckt (Swell)
4′ Choral Bass 12 pipes
4′ Bourdon 12 pipes
IV Mixture 22⁄3′ 128 pipes
32′ Posaune (digital)
32′ Harmonics (wired Cornet series)
16′ Trombone (ext Tuba) 12 pipes
16′ Double Trumpet (Great)
16′ Bassoon (Swell)
8′ English Tuba (Choir)
8′ Trumpet (Great)
4′ Clarion (Great)
4′ Oboe Clarion (Swell)

Inter-manual couplers
Great to Pedal 8′, 4′
Swell to Pedal 8′, 4′
Choir to Pedal 8′, 4′
Antiphonal on Pedal

Swell to Great 16′, 8′, 4′
Choir to Great 16′, 8′, 4′
Antiphonal on Great

Swell to Choir 16′, 8′, 4′
Antiphonal on Choir

Antiphonal on Swell

MIDI controls (programmable as preset stops) (with record/playback) (audio included)
MIDI on Pedal
MIDI on Great
MIDI on Swell
MIDI on Choir

Combination system with a minimum of 128 levels of memory

A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company, Lithonia, Georgia
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall. The levee system failed, and over 80% of New Orleans was flooded. For weeks, portions of the city remained under water, with heat and moisture completing the destructive cycle that Katrina began. While waiting for the water to dissipate, we knew that the damage to persons and property would be immense.
Our firm was called by the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to evaluate and salvage the damaged instruments on the campus. Founded in 1917, the seminary sits on a 75-acre campus in the hardest-hit 9th Ward area of New Orleans. The Division of Church Music Ministries aims “to equip leaders for excellence in music ministry among Southern Baptists through performance, education, and technology.” Our charge was to assure that the musical resources were available for their mission.
What we found upon our arrival is perhaps best described by Seminary President Dr. Charles S. Kelly, Jr.:

Hurricane Katrina well and truly earned its designation as the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States. Our campus, like most of the city, was devastated. Our homes, many of our buildings, most of our grounds, and virtually all of our musical instruments were hit very, very, hard. The recovery process was long, difficult, and messy beyond anyone’s ability to describe. . . . What made our plight even more difficult was the massive damage to the rest of the campus and the severe losses sustained by our faculty, staff, and student families. The larger picture of what had to be done to reopen the campus and care for our families made allocation of the necessary dollars for the recovery of our lost and severely damaged instruments a very difficult thing to do.

Our work on the campus involved the protection and removal of many of the significant music instruments including multiple grand pianos, a harpsichord, and the 1954 Möller (III/27) and 1966 Aeolian-Skinner Opus 1468 (IV/38) pipe organs. Of prime concern was protecting the instruments to prevent further damage. In addition to water, the storm brought massive amounts of airborne contaminants into the instruments, and, with heat, mold.
The Möller organ, located in the Sellers Music Building Recital Hall, was damaged when the roof gave way, flooding the organ with thousands of gallons of water that passed through the two chambers and filled the pitman chests and winding system. When we arrived several weeks later and opened the chests, there was still a significant amount of water in the organ.
The Aeolian-Skinner was damaged when the 150-mile-per-hour winds blew out the window behind the organ. For hours on end, the outside became the inside as the storm vented its fury on the Skinner. As with the recital hall organ, we found water in the organ many weeks after the storm.
It was inevitable that there would be long and intense negotiations with insurance companies about the losses and rebuilding. The enormity of Katrina simply overwhelmed insurers. One could go on at length about the negotiations and the efforts and education that were required with the insurance companies. Suffice it to say that at one point the insurers appraised the older, smaller Möller at a greater amount than the larger, newer Aeolian-Skinner.
The Möller organ’s status was very clear cut because of the extreme damage to the chassis and its utilitarian design. The Aeolian-Skinner and its disposition was a thornier issue. The damage to the organ was severe, but with heroic measures it could have been restored. The problem was that a true restoration would involve tremendous expense that could exceed the organ’s replacement cost. The insurance company did not understand that if you replace the chests, swell box, some pipework, the winding system, and the console with new materials, the organ would cease to be Opus 1468. While we fought for funds for restoration, the client and our firm resolved that either the Skinner would be unaltered and restored without change, or if changes were required, that the resources would be folded into a new instrument. As negotiations concluded, funds available for the Skinner were not sufficient for a true restoration.
In addition to wide-ranging discussions about how the instruments would be used, we also traveled with Dr. Becky Lombard, professor of music theory and keyboard studies, to hear many of our recent instruments. We evaluated how these differing specifications might relate to the needs of the seminary and the church music program. From these visits it became apparent that we would build two distinctly different instruments.

Sellers Recital Hall (III/34)
The recital hall organ is used primarily for teaching and for literature performance. Space was limited, but we felt that the organ could be enlarged to provide additional resources not present in the 1954 instrument. With the performance of literature being the goal, choices had to be made about meeting the requirements of specific periods—yet the stoplist couldn’t be too era-specific.
The decision was made to design an instrument that could create the colors of all periods of music history. We also had to consider accompaniment of voice, both solo and choral. In this diminutive hall with seating for around 100, we had to create a rich, full palette without overwhelming the performer or listener. Tonally, the voicing is in a very clean, unforced style. There is crispness to registrations that will promote clean, articulate playing.
This organ had to be able to transform itself into any number of service instruments that the student might encounter in music ministry. The organ we designed is three manuals with 34 ranks of pipe resources. It is equally tempered to accommodate contemporary worship and use with piano accompaniment, and also offers full MIDI capability. This was the first instrument delivered to the campus.

Leavell Chapel (IV/83)
The chapel organ was designed with a different focus. While literature will be performed regularly, the organ’s role in service playing determined the overriding design. Each week chapel services are held and the organ is called on to support congregational singing and to accompany soloists. Collaborative performances with the organ and piano are quite common. The organ is also used to play for services with small numbers in the congregation and, at the end of each semester, for a “packed house” during graduation ceremonies, so a wide dynamic range was needed. The chapel is a cavernous space with seating for over 2000.
When the Aeolian-Skinner was installed, it had 38 ranks with “prepared for” Choir and Positiv divisions and additional Pedal and Great registers that were never added. The room had been acoustically altered from its 1966 incarnation, and the gently voiced Great and Swell on the Skinner did not have the presence required for this hall. Because of other uses of the chapel, the room had been softened with acoustically absorbent material, and this was to remain in place.
The new organ was conceived as a four-manual with Great, Swell, Choir, and Solo divisions. It is located on the central axis of the room on a shelf. The dimensions of this space are 36 feet wide and 18 feet deep.
It was important to the school that the room remain visually unaltered; so, the old façade and casework were restored. The Skinner 16′ Sub Principal was revoiced into a 16′ Violone for the Great division. The college wanted to leave the window at the rear of the organ, which was a concern thermally and acoustically. To overcome this problem, the new windows were designed as insulated units rated to resist a storm stronger than Katrina. We placed the enclosed expression boxes across the rear span of the space with inward partitions to provide our own back chamber wall. With a height of over 16 feet, the expression boxes provide a forward focus for the organ in addition to the needed thermal barrier, while still allowing light through the windows above the organ.
In designing the specification and scaling, I wanted to provide the resources that would allow the performer a vast array of color and weight, suitable for any repertoire. The organ was built with the classical underpinnings of principal, flute, and reed chorus structure to support classical and sacred repertoire; in a bow to Romanticism, I included elements of the American romantic or symphonic organ. This blending provides an instrument that would be evocative of early American Classicism, albeit with cleaner and more articulate flue choruses.
In concert with this eclectic tonal design, an expressive, floating Solo division was included. Included in this division are some of the rarer high-pressure stops, including French Horn, English Tuba, Solo Gamba and companion Celeste, and the hauntingly beautiful 8′ Philomela and 4′ Flauto Major.
We were able to retain about half of the Skinner resources, which were revoiced and rescaled for the new instrument. Some stops were either too damaged, or the material suspect, to consider their reuse. The original Skinner reeds were French in design and small-scaled. We felt that the size and acoustic of the chapel, in conjunction with the stoplist design, would be better served with English shallots, thicker tongues, and higher wind pressures. In addition to chorus reeds, the organ has a full battery of high wind pressure solo reeds that were duplexed in a floating Trompeteria division at multiple pitches with separate couplers.
In keeping with the accompanimental nature of the organ, each division is designed around an independent 8′-weighted principal chorus. The divisional choruses, while differing in color, are designed to be compounded as a unified whole. The mixtures in this instrument are pitched lower than what might be found in many contemporary instruments. Where additional treble ascendency is required, secondary higher-pitched mixtures were also included in each division, scaled and voiced to serve as a functional foil to the divisional chorus without stridency.
The strings and flutes in the expressive divisions are designed to build weightless accompaniment for choral work, or massed in support of romantic or transcription repertoire. The organ features a divided string division located among the Swell, Choir, and Solo divisions, to be compounded by means of couplers. Ever present, to be blended with this string chorus, is the 8′ Vox Humana, which has its own enclosure and tremulant.
With the exception of some 32′ Pedal registers and percussions, the organ does not include digital augmentation. We wanted the organ to stand on wind-blown resources. In support of this decision, we added an additional register to the Pedal—the independent 16′ Wood Open. Installed to the right and left of the center organ core and on 7½ inches of wind pressure, it provides a solid fundamental that is truly felt in the room.
Our experience in servicing instruments in this region has made us aware of the need for stability in the materials and action choices, due to the temperature extremes and constant humidity. The organ chest action is electro-pneumatic slider, with all reeds on electro-pneumatic unit action. The flue pipes and the reed pipes are thus on actions that maximize the speech characteristics of each type of pipe. This also allows the flues and reeds to be placed on differing wind pressures and tremulants. The wind is regulated with dual-curtain valve, spring and weighted reservoirs.
The wind pressures on this instrument vary from 4 to 18 inches. To control these resources, the expression boxes are built 1½ inches thick, with interlocking shades. Multiple motors are used on the shade fronts to allow a full dynamic gradation. The four-manual, drawknob console, built of mahogany and ebony, includes features such as multiple-level memory, transposer, Great/Choir manual transfer, piston sequencer, programmable crescendo and sforzando, record/playback capability, and MIDI.

Installation and voicing
The removal, building, and installation of these instruments were herculean tasks. It is an understatement to say that the staff of the Schlueter firm took up residence in New Orleans. I simply cannot give enough credit to the leadership of our senior organ builders Marc Conley, John Tanner, Rob Black, and Bud Taylor for the untold hours of travel and work that they put into these projects. Organ building cannot be achieved as the result of any one individual, but requires a skilled team. These individuals continue to exceed expectations in the creation of art.
From the outset, we decided that these two instruments would be voiced in the rooms, with the pipes arriving to the installation only prevoiced to allow full latitude with cut-ups and any required nicking. All of the samples were set in the chambers on their windchests and then the pipes were removed from the chambers. We brought a portable voicing machine and layout tables into spaces adjacent to the organ chambers to voice the pipes prior to their reinstallation in the chambers for final voicing and tonal finishing. Because of the size of these two projects, it was necessary to work as a team in tonal finishing, led by Daniel Angerstein, with the able assistance of John Tanner, Marc Conley, Bud Taylor, Kevin Cartwright, Lee Hendricks, and Gerald Schultz. As with so much of our previous work, I want to single out Dan and his contributions. In the many weeks of tonal finishing, he patiently brought forth the organs as they had been envisioned by the client and the builder.

Final thoughts
As we designed the two organs, it became clear that the organs that were desired could not be afforded by the school with the balance of their settlements. Over the years, we have been privileged to gift resources to churches. As owners, my father and I looked inward and decided that the importance of a continuing role of the organ in worship was a worthy cause. This required us to consider a donation, and without revealing the dollar value of our gifts, suffice it to say that there is a four-manual, 83-rank instrument where there had been a 38-rank instrument, and a 34-rank instrument where there had been a 27-rank instrument.
We would like to thank Dr. Charles Kelly, Dr. Becky Lombard, and Dr. Kenneth Gabrielse for their contributions and support during this project. Thanks also to our dedicated staff, listed on our website (www.pipe-organ.com).
Our tonal philosophy is to “build instruments that have warmth not at the expense of clarity, and clarity not at the expense of warmth, and to serve God in our efforts.” We pray that in future years our gifts endorse the importance of the organ in worship, and we hope that our instruments will plant the seeds of worship through music, for future students who pass through this institution.
—Arthur Schlueter III

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Leavell Chapel, four manuals, 83 ranks
GREAT – Manual II (unenclosed)
16′ Violone (73 pipes) (1–24 façade)
8′ First Open Diapason (Pedal)
8′ Second Open Diapason
8′ Principal (1–12 façade)
8′ Stille Principal (from Cornet)
8′ Violone (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Harmonic Flute (49 pipes)
(1–12 common bass)
8′ Bourdon
4′ Octave
4′ Diapason (Pedal ext, 12 pipes)
4′ Nachthorn
22⁄3′ Twelfth
2′ Super Octave
V Cornet TC
2′ Mixture VI
1′ Scharf IV
16′ Contre Trumpet (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Trumpet
8′ Tromba Heroique (Choir)
8′ English Tuba (Solo)
Tremolo
Gt/Gt 16′–Unison Off–4′
SWELL – Manual III (enclosed)
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Geigen Principal
8′ Rohr Gedeckt
8′ Viola de Gamba
8′ Voix Celeste
8′ Dolce
8′ Dolce Celeste (54 pipes)
4′ Principal
4′ Harmonic Flute
22⁄3′ Nazard
2′ Flageolet
13⁄5′ Tierce
22⁄3′ Plein Jeu V
1′ Klein Fourniture IV
16′ Contra Bassoon (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Trumpet
8′ Oboe
8′ Vox Humana
4′ Clairon
Tremolo
Sw/Sw 16′–Unison Off–4′
CHOIR – Manual I (enclosed)
16′ Gemshorn (ext, 12 notes)
8′ Principal
8′ Hohl Flute
8′ Gemshorn
8′ Gemshorn Celeste (49 pipes)
4′ Principal
4′ Koppel Flute
22⁄3′ Nasat
2′ Principal
13⁄5′ Terz
11⁄3′ Larigot
11⁄3′ Choral Mixture IV
8′ Clarinet
8′ Tromba Heroique (high pressure)
8′ English Tuba (Solo)
8′ Trompette En Chamade (Trompeteria)
Tremolo
Chimes (digital)
Harp (digital)
Zimbelstern (9 bells)
Ch/Ch 16′–Unison Off–4′
SOLO – Manual IV (enclosed)
8′ Philomela
8′ Gamba
8′ Gamba Celeste
4′ Flauto Major
8′ French Horn
8′ Tromba Heroique (Choir)
8′ English Tuba (high pressure)
Tremulant
Solo/Solo 16′–Unison Off–4′
TROMPETERIA – Manual IV
16′ Tromba Heroique (Choir)
8′ Tromba Heroique (Choir)
4′ Tromba Heroique (Choir)
16′ English Tuba (Solo)
8′ English Tuba (Solo)
4′ English Tuba (Solo)
8′ Trompette En Chamade (high pressure)
Trompeteria Unison Off
Trompeteria on Great
Trompeteria on Swell
Trompeteria on Choir
PEDAL
32′ Violone (digital)
32′ Bourdon (digital)
16′ Open Wood
16′ Principal (ext, 12 pipes)
16′ Violone (Great)
16′ Gemshorn (Choir)
16′ Subbass
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)
8′ Octave Bass
8′ Violone (Great)
8′ Bass Flute (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Spitz Flute
4′ Choral Bass
4′ Nachthorn
22⁄3′ Mixture V
32′ Harmonics (wired cornet series)
32′ Contra Trombone (digital)
16′ Trombone (ext, 12 pipes, enclosed in Ch)
16′ Contre Trumpet (Great)
16′ Contra Bassoon (Swell)
8′ Tuba (Solo)
8′ Tromba (Choir)
8′ Trumpet (Great)
4′ Tromba Clarion (Choir)

Standard couplers and MIDI

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Sellers Recital Hall, three manuals, 34 ranks

GREAT
16′ Pommer (Choir)
8′ Gedeckt Pommer (Choir)
8′ Principal
8′ Bourdon
4′ Octave
4′ Nachthorn
4′ Gedeckt (Choir)
2′ Super Octave
11⁄3′ Fourniture IV
16′ Contre Trompette (Swell)
8′ Trompette (Swell)
8′ Clarinet (Choir)
8′ Festival Trumpet (Pedal)
Tremolo
Chimes
Great 4′

SWELL (expressive)
16′ Contra Viola (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Gedeckt
8′ Viola de Gambe
8′ Viola Celeste (49 pipes)
4′ Principal
4′ Spitzflute
22⁄3′ Nazard
2′ Blockflute
13⁄5′ Tierce
2′ Plein Jeu III–IV
16′ Basson-Hautbois (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Trompette
8′ Festival Trumpet (Pedal)
8′ Hautbois
4′ Hautbois (ext, 12 pipes)
Tremolo
Swell 16′–Unison Off–4′

CHOIR (expressive)
16′ Pommer
8′ Koppel Flute
8′ Viola
8′ Viole Dolce
8′ Viole Dolce Celeste TC
4′ Principal
4′ Gedeckt (ext, 24 pipes, from 16′)
2′ Gemshorn
11⁄3′ Larigot
8′ Clarinet
8′ Festival Trumpet (Pedal)
Celesta (digital)
Harp (digital)
Tremolo
Choir 16′–Unison Off–4′

PEDAL
32′ Bourdon (digital)
16′ Principal (digital)
16′ Contra Viola (Swell)
16′ Sub Bass
16′ Pommer (Choir)
8′ Principal
8′ Viola (Swell)
8′ Bourdon (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Gedeckt (Choir)
4′ Choral Bass (ext, 12 pipes)
4′ Bourdon (ext, 12 pipes)
4′ Viola (ext, 12 pipes)
32′ Posaune (digital)
16′ Contre Trompette (ext, 12 pipes)
16′ Hautbois (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Trompette (Swell)
8′ Hautbois (Swell)
4′ Hautbois (Swell)
4′ Clarinet (Choir)

Standard couplers and MIDI

On a personal note
“New Orleans Spared”—Such was the erroneous headline of the newspaper in Savannah, Georgia, on the morning after Hurricane Katrina. At the time, the Schlueter firm was completing the organ at First Presbyterian Church in Savannah (featured in The Diapason, April 2006). My father, members of the installation crew, and I had stared anxiously at the news the previous evening and wondered about our friends in New Orleans and outlying areas. Our firm has worked in the aftermath of a number of major hurricanes and storms in recovery and restoration efforts. Unlike these other disasters, every day the situation in New Orleans grew steadily worse.
Almost exactly one year prior to Katrina, we had completed the rebuilding, relocation, and enlargement of the IV/74 instrument for the First Baptist Church in New Orleans. We made many acquaintances during this period, and through the Internet we were able to find many of our friends who had fled to other cities and states. We prepared for what would face us when the water receded and we could make our way into the city.
It was surreal as the shop vehicles were packed with our own stores of food, water, fuel and medicine for the trip. As we neared the Gulf Coast, the sheer enormity of the disaster began to unfold. We crossed Lake Pontchartrain’s 24-mile causeway on a road that had been reduced to a single lane, following the collapse of entire spans of the eastbound lanes. As we arrived in the evening, the scene before us was a macabre black hole that enveloped the city. From the elevated roadway, the marginally lit downtown of New Orleans was surrounded by a dark, lightless void for miles and miles, indicating the extent of the flooding. We arrived in the city under martial law, and had to learn the intricacies of identification and going through armed checkpoints.
With the daylight, the enormity of the flood was overwhelming. Driving into the 9th Ward, you could see watermarks that were many feet over one’s head. Homes, businesses, and structures sported the hieroglyphics of spray paint, with X’s, O’s and slashes to indicate that the structures had been searched and what had been found. Traveling around places once familiar, we found abandoned cars, collapsed buildings, and most distressingly, an absence of life. When we talked with people we knew and asked what we could do, the answer was always the same, “Pray for us.”
In the ensuing months that stretched out over two years for the three instruments we worked on, we became emotionally involved with the city and its people. We came to New Orleans to work on behalf of the First Baptist Church of New Orleans and the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and to restore part of their community. When we visit today, there are still signs of Katrina that only the passage of time will erase, but undeniable is the resilience of the people as they seek to rebuild their community. It is our hope that our response to Katrina on behalf of this community exemplifies “laborare est orare.”
—Arthur Schlueter III

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

Goulding & Wood, Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana
Opus 28 (1996) and Opus 49 (2009)
First United Methodist Church, Rocky Mount, North Carolina

From the organbuilder
One of the greatest pleasures we have as organbuilders is seeing the development of our relationships with the congregations whose churches house our instruments. We have found that our organs serve as catalysts for ongoing shared experiences with musicians, clergy, and lay people across a wide spectrum of geographic, demographic, and denominational ranges. We are grateful for our ever-growing circle of friends, many of whom feel like family. Nowhere is this truer than with the people of First United Methodist Church in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. We have continued to maintain close ties with the congregation even as the staff musicians have changed through the years. As such, it was with great excitement that we received word that the church was interested in fulfilling the preparations left on our Opus 28 instrument from 1996. As the conversation continued, the church further inquired about the realization of an Antiphonal division as well.
Discussion over this Antiphonal organ had been brief at the time of the chancel instrument installation. Console preparations to control the division were included, but no timeline was established for moving forward. Part of this preliminary design was to situate the instrument on the rear wall of the main sanctuary, allowing it to also speak into the adjacent chapel. The two rooms are perpendicular in orientation, with the back wall of the sanctuary serving as the side wall of the chapel. Although no definite decisions were made in 1996, the assumption was that the small Kilgen extension organ that served the chapel would provide a repository for the pipework of this very modest division.
As we considered the project more fully, it became apparent that the resources of the Kilgen organ were insufficient for either chapel or sanctuary use. Rather than using any sort of unit chest design, we proposed building an instrument employing a slider windchest with all new pipework. To maximize the flexibility of the organ for chapel use, we split the slider chest grid at middle C and furnished separate stop controls for bass and treble slides. The chapel console then accesses the instrument through divided stops, much in the way of a seventeenth-century English organ. This concept similarly influenced the specification, although the organ is not an attempt to copy any historical style. At the same time, the choice of a wooden Stopped Diapason, an elegantly thin Dulciana with matching celeste, and treble Cornet derives from English precedents. In scaling and voicing, however, the pipework adheres to the acoustical environment of both chapel and sanctuary, balancing with the tonal style of the chancel instrument so as to contribute to a satisfying musical ensemble when paired together.
In order to negotiate the dual uses of the organ, and to maximize the division’s expressive capabilities, the organ speaks through shade frames behind each façade. Upon turning on the chapel console, the shade frame facing into the main sanctuary closes and remains fixed, focusing all the sound into the chapel. Conversely, turning on the chancel console closes the chapel shades and allows the sanctuary side shade to be assigned to either the Swell or Choir shoe. All stops reside within the expression enclosure, including the 16′ Stopped Diapason. Within the chapel, the organ has a wide dynamic range, from the faint whisper of the Dulciana with the box closed to a satisfying full organ that fills the room with warmth. Although the chapel has a modestly sized floor plan, it has the same ceiling height as the main sanctuary. The proportions of the room, then, create a generous acoustical environment. The large cubic volume accommodates the abundant sound of the organ, while the placement of the instrument high on the wall distributes sound evenly, resulting in a musical presence that is embracing but never oppressive.
Mechanically, the organ is arranged in two levels, with the bass chest above the treble chest. Access for tuning and maintenance is easy throughout the layout despite the small size of the case. All mechanical systems and winding, including the blower, are located inside the case, yet the organization is logical and efficient. The division of the windchest into bass and treble facilitates imaginative use of the organ within the chapel. By drawing different combinations for right and left hands, two-manual repertoire can be rendered convincingly. Cornet voluntaries and trios with obbligato pedal are especially effective.
Tonally, the organ is typical of our organs in favoring fairly high cut-ups, substantial scaling, and thick-walled pipework, all of which encourages fundamental development. The Open Diapason is modestly scaled at 149 mm, taking into account the intimate context of the chapel. By contrast, the Stopped Diapason is a full 85 mm by 114 mm, adding thickness and weight to ensembles. Similarly, the 4′ Recorder is scaled at 81 mm with a 20th halving ratio and constructed of linen lead with a gentle 2:3 ratio taper. The Dulciana is a slender 88 mm at 8′ C and bearded for the first two octaves. Mouth widths are narrow, allowing for high cut-ups; all stops below 2′ pitch have 2/9 mouths, with the exception of the 4′ Recorder, whose first two octaves have 1/5 mouths. Only the treble of the 2′ and the Fourniture have 1/4-width mouths, restraining the upper end from growing glassy or obtrusive.
The current project also completed the chancel organ, rounding out the reed choruses in particular. The Great division received a new 16′ Fagotto, lending gravitas and weight to the ensemble. The Swell’s battery of reeds is now capped with a powerful 4′ Clairon, and the 16′ Basson is extended to 32′ pitch for the Pedal division. Other additions to the Pedal are a blending 8′ Trompete and solo 4′ Schalmei. Crowning the organ in the chancel is a commanding 8′ Bombarde with generous fundamental development and rich power. This reed also provides an effective contrast with the brilliant 8′ Fanfare Trumpet located within a section of the Antiphonal case partitioned from the main division. As such, it does not speak into the chapel, nor is it accessible by the chapel console. As an Antiphonal solo color, however, it is a thrilling presence in the room, able to stand up against full organ from the front. The only flue preparation was the 8′ Harmonic Flute on the Great, and the addition of this color opens up its own wealth of repertoire.
As with all of our recent work, the metal pipework for both the new instrument and the preparations was built by A. R. Schopp’s Sons, Inc. of Alliance, Ohio. Bob Schopp, David Schopp, Joe Russo, and their entire staff are a terrific resource and helpful partners in achieving the musical goals we seek. This job also required some sophisticated alterations to the chancel console solid-state systems, modifying controls built before the organ in back was even designed. We are grateful to Duncan Crundwell, Mark Gilliam, and Alan Bragg of Solid State Organ Systems for providing these changes and the new control systems, all of which worked from the start without a single glitch. Norman Y. Chambliss III of Chambliss and Rabil Contractors, Inc. ably and cheerfully coordinated the room modifications, including preparation of the rear wall to accommodate the steel support structure. Dr. Marcia Heirman, director of music for First United Methodist Church, has been a great friend to our shop throughout her tenure, and this project was especially fulfilling to embark upon with her. We look forward to watching as she continues to develop the music ministries of the church and incorporates the organ into the worship life of the congregation. We also wish to recognize the important work, sincere friendship, and unflagging support of the late Harry Pearsall. Harry was instrumental in the 1996 organ project, and we enjoyed keeping in touch with him through the intervening years. He was the first one to notify us of the prospect of this project in the spring of 2007, and he anticipated the completion of the organ with great eagerness. Unfortunately, Harry passed away in August shortly before the installation of the Antiphonal organ. We shall miss Harry’s kind smile and gentle presence on our future trips to Rocky Mount, and we are grateful to have this instrument as a testament to his perseverance and commitment to liturgical music in the church. May his dedication and stewardship serve as a reminder to all who hear the organ that, in the words of senior pastor Bob Bergland, music is “means of grace that people may come into the presence of God and have that experience of God’s nearness.”
—Jason Overall

Goulding & Wood, Inc.
Robert Duffy—case design and construction/supervision, installation
Mark Goulding—project team leader, installation
Robert Heighway—console design and construction, case construction, structure, installation
Phil Lehman—business manager, office support
Tyler MacDonald—slider chest construction, installation
Jason Overall—project development, onsite regulation
Tim Piotrzkowski—winding, chest construction, installation
Kurt Ryll—engineering and design
David Sims—voicing, console and system wiring, onsite tuning and regulation
Michael Vores—structure, winding, case construction, installation
Brandon Woods—tonal design and voicing

From the director of music
A long anticipated completion of the original 1996 Goulding & Wood (Opus 28) organ was realized in November 2009 as the company installed 1,048 additional pipes at First United Methodist in Rocky Mount. The installation included the addition of an Antiphonal division for the main organ, a new console in the chapel, the completion of the reed choruses in the chancel, a new fanfare trumpet in the antiphonal division for use in the sanctuary only, and a harmonic flute solo stop on the Great. Completed, the organ now fills the sanctuary with 69 ranks of beautiful and warm timbres.
The most obvious addition to the organ is the stunning Antiphonal division with a beautiful double façade, whose presence at the rear of the sanctuary fits so well architecturally it seems as if it has always been there. The chancel side of the double façade allows this division to be played independently from a new one-manual, split console in the chapel to serve as a new chapel organ. Independently, this organ is catalogued as Opus 49 by Goulding & Wood. The organ now embraces and surrounds the congregation with music and fills the large sanctuary without overpowering and overwhelming.
The organ completion was dedicated in the worship service on January 10. Upcoming dedication recitals will be presented by Dr. Monica Sparzak of Fayetteville, North Carolina, February 21; Dr. William Weisser of Edenton Street United Methodist in Raleigh, March 14; Christin Baker, sub dean of the East Carolina AGO chapter and an East Carolina University student, April 11; and Dr. Marcia Heirman with Lawrence Goering on May 16; all of these recitals will be at 4 pm. Coming in the fall will be Dr. Marilyn Mason, University Organist and Chairman of the University of Michigan Organ Department in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Dr. Michael Stefanek of Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Jeffrey Thompson of Goldsboro, North Carolina. Dates and times for the fall 2010 recitals will be announced later.
—Dr. Marcia Heirman

Goulding & Wood, Inc.
Opus 28 (1996) and Opus 49 (2009)
First United Methodist Church
Rocky Mount, North Carolina

Opus 28 Chancel Organ
(prepared pipework installed in 2009 listed in bold)
GREAT (Manual II)
16′ Violone
8′ Principal
8′ Violone (extension)
8′ Harmonic Flute
8′ Bourdon
4′ Octave
4′ Block Flute
2′ Super Octave
22⁄3′ Sesquialtera II (tenor c)
11⁄3′ Mixture IV
16′ Fagotto
8′ Trumpet
8′ Bombarde
8′ Fanfare Trumpet (hooded, in
Antiphonal case)
Tremulant
Great to Great 16
Unison Off
Great to Great 4
Chimes

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed)
8′ Geigen
8′ Geigen Celeste (tenor c)
8′ Stopped Diapason
4′ Principal
4′ Clear Flute
2′ Octave
11⁄3′ Quint
2′ Plein Jeu III–IV
1′ Cymbale II
16′ Basson-Hautbois
8′ Trompette
8′ Hautbois (extension)
4′ Clairon
8′ Fanfare Trumpet (Antiphonal)
Tremulant
Swell to Swell 16
Unison Off
Swell to Swell 4

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed)
16′ Rohr Gedeckt (extension)
8′ Rohrflöte
8′ Salicional
8′ Salicional Celeste (tenor c)
8′ Flauto Dolce
8′ Flute Celeste (tenor c)
4′ Principal
4′ Spielflöte
22⁄3′ Nazard
2′ Spitzflöte
13⁄5′ Tierce
11⁄3′ Larigot
1′ Sifflöte
8′ Oboe
8′ Bombarde (Great)
8′ Fanfare Trumpet (Antiphonal)
Tremulant
Choir to Choir 16
Unison Off
Choir to Choir 4

PEDAL
32′ Resultant (from Rohr Gedeckt)
16′ Principal
16′ Subbass
16′ Violone (Great)
16′ Rohr Gedeckt (Choir)
8′ Octave
8′ Pommer
8′ Violone (Great)
8′ Rohr Gedeckt (Choir)
4′ Choralbass
4′ Koppelflöte
2′ Octavebass
11⁄3′ Mixture II
32′ Contre Basson (extension/Swell)
16′ Posaune
16′ Basson (Swell)
8′ Trompete
8′ Basson (Swell)
4′ Schalmei
8′ Bombarde (Great)
8′ Fanfare Trumpet (Antiphonal)

Opus 49 Antiphonal/Chapel Organ

MANUAL
8′ Open Diapason (1–13 in façade)
8′ Stopped Diapason
8′ Dulciana
8′ Unda Maris
4′ Principal (1–6 in façade)
4′ Recorder
2′ Fifteenth
22⁄3′ Sesquialtera II (from middle c)
11⁄3′ Fourniture II–III
Tremulant

PEDAL
16′ Stopped Diapason (extension of
Manual stop)
8′ Stopped Diapason (Manual stop)
Manual to Pedal Coupler

Chapel console: One-manual mahogany keydesk with natural keys in maple and sharps in rosewood. Stop controls divided bass and treble (b-24/c-25) except Fourniture, Dulciana, and Unda Maris.

Chest action: Goulding & Wood’s exclusive design of electro-pneumatic slider and pallet windchest.

Casework: Dual façades with two sets of speaking display pipes. Woodwork designed and painted to match church interior.

Goulding & Wood, Inc.
823 Massachusetts Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46204

800/814-9690
[email protected]
www.gouldingandwood.com