Cover feature

A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ
Company, Lithonia, Georgia
First United Methodist Church, Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta First United Methodist Church was originally organized as Wesley Chapel in 1847, and has maintained a long tradition of excellence in worship. The present church was built in 1903, when Mr. Asa Candler purchased the former church site for the headquarters of Coca-Cola. After moving to the new location, the church changed its name to Atlanta First United Methodist Church. Many Methodist luminaries have served this congregation, including the venerable Pierce Harris.
The first pipe organ known to be installed in the church was a two-manual Roosevelt in 1885. When the present church was built, this instrument was moved. In 1919, the organ was re-actioned and rebuilt by Möller. Further changes occurred in 1953 when the organ was enlarged to 46 ranks by another firm. A new façade was built from new and existing pipes in a “pipe fence” array; while commanding in stature, the new façade did not pay homage to the architecture of the building and was poorly constructed. Fortunately, during the 1950s work, ten stops from the former Roosevelt instrument were retained; unaltered, they could be considered for inclusion in the new 2008 instrument. Over the succeeding years, the organ was rebuilt as sections failed and generally kept in working order. The organ provided the basic needs for service playing, but, quite simply, was too small for the space.
Jump forward to 2003 when senior pastor Rev. Wayne Johnson commissioned a feasibility task force to redefine the church’s mission and plan for future ministry. As with many downtown churches, the community around the church was displaced as office buildings replaced homes. Yet this church saw opportunity. The feasibility task force determined it needed to continue its television ministry, continue its education through the Candler School (founded at Atlanta FUMC, but now only affiliated through the denomination), and renovate and restore the church building. It was noted that the organ needed to be addressed as part of the building infrastructure. The task force engaged an architect to provide possibilities for the chancel renovation. J. Donald Land, director of music and organist, led the charge to consider the organ and its renovation or replacement.
A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company was one of several firms interviewed for the project. We viewed this as a real opportunity to build an instrument of significance in our hometown. It is not often that an opportunity develops to build a “Magnum Opus” in the same city as a firm’s location. The Schlueter family decided that the building of this instrument was more important than simple financial gain. Trust that our pencils were very sharp because of this unique opportunity to create art. In our interview, we discussed with the committee the opportunity for an organ of multiple divisions and a wide palette of colors, in an organ case that would complement the church. Specific emphasis was placed on preserving the stewardship of the past. In our design, pipework from the two previous instruments was incorporated in the various departments of the organ.
Quality organbuilding is never the result of one individual but of the synergy of a team. In this respect, our firm was ably assisted by the Atlanta First United Methodist Church clergy, music staff, church staff, and feasibility task force. 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. Specifically we would like to recognize Dr. Bob Smith, chair of the feasibility task force, who was charged with the selection of the architect and organbuilder; J. Donald Land, director of music and organist; Wally Colly, church liaison; senior pastor Rev. Wayne Johnson, deceased, whose vision propelled this project forward even in his absence; and current senior pastor Dr. Jim Ellison.
As part of the building renovation, the choir loft was to be lowered (it was eight feet above the pulpit). This meant that the organ case would need to begin from a much lower plane than the actual organ chamber. We designed the lower case walls to begin below the main organ chassis and act as a reflective shell for the choir. The interior layout of the organ was designed to allow the choir to hear the organ without taking the full brunt of large registrations. In effect, the organ “blooms” just forward of the choir loft.
At the center point of the organ, the chamber is only nine feet deep, so modest cantilevers were designed into the organ case to grow the chamber space without creating a large shelf above the choir that would hamper hearing the organ. Visually, these forward pipe towers give the illusion of a more forward presence.
The engineering that developed would require the organ divisions to be stacked one on top of another. Often stacked organs rely on the division above to form the ceiling for the lower division. This is a problem because the sound speaks into windlines, reservoirs or schwimmers, organ actions, or other parts. It is also mechanically difficult to service the above division because of the sea of pipes located below it; this is often remedied by placing additional perch boards over the pipes, thus adding more impediments to sound reflection. Our solution was a careful design that built dedicated floors and ceilings in each division.
The layout of the organ finds the Swell, String and Choir divisions located on the bottom level. The Solo and Great divisions are located in the top level of the organ, with the Pedal in an open two-story chamber in the center of the case. The Great is enclosed with a ceiling that allows it to speak into the center of the case and to blend with the lower divisions in the chancel, rather than going completely over the musicians’ heads. This purposefully built chamber has proved very effective in coalescing the many divisions of the organ and eliminates geographic specificity of the individual organ stops. The rear of the church houses the Antiphonal, Antiphonal Pedal and Trompetteria divisions of the organ. The Antiphonal is situated at the same height as the Great organ, thus promoting tuning stability.
Because the church has a very active television ministry, there was a concern about the console being exposed and commanding behind the pulpit. A lift was designed that allows the console to be lowered to reduce its visual signature, and, when not needed for other church events, the console can be lowered down and rolled into a side parking location. The platform then can be raised to increase the available space in the chancel.
The console and organ case are constructed of quarter-sawn white oak. We made a conscious effort to incorporate elements of the church building into the console and organ case. Our design engineers, Howard Weaver and Robert Black, saw to it that arches, quatrefoils, and acanthus leaves became part of our vocabulary. It was clear that portions of the organ case would require large grille openings to provide maximum divisional egress into the room. We did not desire to use cloth grilles in the organ case. These impede airflow, are long-term maintenance issues, and affect sound. We designed wood grilles with an open quatrefoil pattern, which allow both the free passage of sound and airflow for tuning stability.
In designing the console, we were very concerned about the ergonomics of its layout. Those who have had the opportunity to sit at larger consoles are aware of their visual and physical challenges. To overcome some of the issues of actually reaching the playing surfaces, we foreshortened the organ sharps as the keys ascended from Manual I to Manual V. The keyboards are not sloped, but with subtle adjustment to the manual relationships even Manual V is comfortable to reach. A similar consideration was given to the pedalboard and expression shoes, which were designed using proportions normally found in our three-manual consoles. Special attention was given to the layout of the pistons, toe studs, drawknobs, and tilting tablets. The end result is that all of the controls can be used and seen without the leaning and craning about that occurs on a large console. It is a very comfortable console to play.
Some interesting facts about the organ:
• the organ contains 93 ranks with 5,360 pipes represented in nine divisions;
• in excess of 10,000 board feet of lumber were used to build this instrument;
• the organ contains over 10 miles of wiring for switching and control;
• the organ uses wind pressures that range from 3½" to 11";
• the main manual windchests are slider, with reeds on electro-pneumatic windchests;
• three divisions of the organ are located in the rear chambers;
• the Trompette en Chamade in the rear of the sanctuary is made from brass;
• the organ weighs over 44,000 lbs.;
• the front organ case stands over 43 feet tall;
• the instrument contains pipes of lead, tin, zinc, brass, and wood;
• the wind for the organ is created by three blowers;
• the organ is controlled with a five-manual console.
The tonal design of this organ was the result of many discussions. Prior to scaling this instrument, organist Don Land and I were able to visit a number of recent instruments built by our firm. Doing this in a short time frame was very helpful to determine tonally where we had gone and where we were going. Don brought in local organists Tom Alderman, David Stills and Richard Morris for their input to the specification and console layout. Tom Alderman worked as a consultant to Don. As a triumvirate, we worked through the myriad of decisions involving the final stoplist, drawknob layout, couplers, pistons, toe studs, and other controls. In the end, I recognize that I was offered a tremendous level of trust and generally an unfettered hand in the tonal design and scaling of the organ.
As the final specification became the math of scales, halving ratios, metal thickness, mouth widths, cut-ups, and languid bevels, I had the good fortune of having Daniel Angerstein and John Tanner to look over my notes. We have worked together on many projects over the years.
For tonal finishing, I was very ably assisted by a team led by Daniel Angerstein, with the assistance of John Tanner, Lee Hendricks, and Bud Taylor. I want to thank Daniel, John, Lee, and Bud for their input regarding division balance, dynamics, color, neutrality, fundament, harmonics, chiff (or lack of), treble ascendancy, and so many other factors. There must always be a final arbiter of design and direction and, in those instances where I followed a different path or tonal treatment, the civility for further discourse remained. I would like to personally single out Daniel Angerstein for his contribution to this project.
It is the daily give and take and discussion that allows art to flourish. It is a rule of organbuilding that you will not make everyone happy with your choices and decisions. The most important question is not “what will others think?” but “have I completed the work to the best of my ability and the charge or commission that I was given by my client to achieve their vision?” As a builder, it is important always to remember what the service role of the instrument will be, and that in the end, the instrument you are building is a tool for worship and is part of the church fabric. Just as your thumbprints are on the instrument, so must be the thumbprints of the church members.
On a project of this size, one challenge was keeping the organ in tune and making adjustments called for during tonal finishing. To make this happen, the voicers would work from 8 am to noon and then break. During lunch hour, members of our staff would take the opportunity to “punch-list” final items and adjustments. When the voicers returned, the room again would settle into the silence of single tones and “louder, softer, more flue, less flue,” etc. After the voicers left in the evening, the crew was again released to make adjustments until 9 pm, when the tuning crew arrived to perform the nightly vigil of preparing the organ for the voicers in the morning. Where stops required work beyond a reasonable ability to perform it in the chamber, we would prepare sample Cs and remove the stop for voicing in our shop. The completed stop would then be installed into the organ for final finishing. This ballet of work went on for weeks on end, and I wish to thank the dedicated members of my staff for the completion of this instrument and for the internal support provided from one staff member to another.
Special recognition must go to our craftsmen, Marc Conley and Robert Black, who were ever present in overseeing the design, engineering, and building of all of the myriad parts that constitute an instrument of this stature. They ensured that the final fit and finish met our standards of quality in engineering and execution. Marc served on the “sharp end of the stick” and worked untold hours at the church to see the project to its completion.
Tonally, this instrument reflects our desire to create organs that possess warmth and clarity. In this room, which promotes clarity of tone and gentle unforced voices, we found wonderful bass presence but the need for an ascendant treble. In the tonal design, all of the divisions of the organ are based on an 8' principal chorus. We differentiated these principal choruses, in addition to the vast array of flutes, strings, and mutations to allow the performance and support of many schools of repertoire. The organ was designed with numerous strings and celestes. It is an absolute joy to hear a transcription on the organ or the subtle undergirding of a choir. With the plethora of solo reeds in the organ, we were able to provide differing reed choruses in the various divisions and pure ensemble function for some of these departments. The organ has reeds designed after English, German, and French styles. The completed instrument pays homage to the important organbuilders and organbuilding styles of the past but is not a copy of any particular builder or style.
This instrument was designed to play a role in all musical styles of worship, from traditional to contemporary. To support the non-traditional role, the instrument is equipped with MIDI capability and a separate chamber audio system. This allows other tones not normally associated with the organ to be generated and controlled by the console. In this manner the organ can blend its voices with other sounds and participate in services that might normally exclude the pipe organ.
Early on, the client had discussed the inclusion of some digital voices in the organ. There was a desire for some stops in the organ that would be considered secondary or tertiary in nature and were the type of stops that might normally be drawn out of a MIDI sound module. They did desire that these stops be voiceable and individually tunable, which specifically excluded MIDI voices. In our interview, we were asked if we would consider working with Walker Technical Company in the installation of these voices. Even though the majority of our experience had been limited to 32' and 16' extensions and percussions, we were aware of the high quality of engineering and sound quality provided by Walker.
As we considered the inclusion of digital voices, the primary question was how? It is probable that, in consultation with the client, we could have left prepared-for stops in the console, to be completed by a third party without our direct involvement. In effect, the stops could have been added in a “don’t ask, don’t tell” fashion, which we considered unpalatable. I am well aware that this method of installing digital stops has allowed some firms to remain “intellectually honest,” but I consider this method to be, at best, morally untenable. If you are providing for additions to the organ in the console and relays, which forces a digital solution because the chamber, winding system, or structure could never accommodate the proposed installations, you cannot pretend you simply did not know, and worse, you have ceded part of your tonal vision to a third party. We considered that if this were the desire of the client, we would work to ensure as seamless an integration of the adjunct stops as possible and to consult on the stops and their voicing.
One fundamental concern with the inclusion of digital stops is where does one start and where does one end once the genie is “out of the bottle.” Our consideration was simple—even though there was a possibility to use digital voices, we strongly desired the organ to be able to stand on its own with the speakers and amps unplugged. There were instances where it would have been much easier to leave out that additional 16' register of pipes in lieu of a digital voice. I am proud to say we resisted this temptation and made organbuilder choices.
Bob Walker worked directly with our firm and Daniel Angerstein in voicing and tuning these stops, and we were very pleased with the final results. Where we desired the voicing and balances to be altered and changed, Mr. Walker was accommodating and worked to achieve a result in keeping with our overarching tonal philosophy for this instrument. The digital stops are as seamless as we had hoped, and the stops contribute around the periphery, as planned by the client, without overtly placing their presence on the stoplist. To the critics, I would say that our firm approached this instrument with integrity of design, and you can indeed play the organ successfully without any digital stop. There are now 93 ranks of wind-blown pipes where there were 46 ranks, and we have completed the tonal vision of our clients in a unified, cohesive manner.
In the end, how do we view this project? In truth, we are still overwhelmed by the opportunity presented to us and the fine work completed by our staff. It is as if we have been so close to the project it is difficult to see what we have done. Analytically, we are aware that the instrument is stunning to hear and see, and yet it will take time to back away far enough from the façade, console, and thousands of pipes to see and hear what others already know of this instrument.
Personally, I do know this—our firm was gifted with an opportunity to build an instrument that we could only have dreamed of at the beginning of our career. We are grateful for the trust placed in us by Atlanta First United Methodist Church and so very fortunate to have the talented and skilled staff that we enjoy. Our tonal philosophy is to “build instruments that have warmth not at the expense of clarity and clarity not at the expense of warmth.” We are thankful to have been given such a grand canvas upon which to express our tonal ideals.
In summation, I would like to thank my father and our company founder, Arthur E. Schlueter, Jr. He is the foundation upon which our company was built and continues to thrive. His continuing role as artist, mentor, and president provides the ongoing oversight of our firm. I am humbly proud to call him both Boss and Dad, as we together work to build instruments for worship.
—Arthur E. Schlueter III

A.E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company wishes to thank its staff including:
Arthur E. Schlueter Jr., president
Arthur E. Schlueter III, vice president/tonal and artistic direction
John Tanner, vice president of production/tonal finisher
Howard Weaver, senior design engineer
Rob Black, master cabinet-maker/organ engineer
Marc Conley, production supervisor
Bud Taylor, assistant production supervisor
Shan Dalton, office manager
Bob Parris, executive assistant
Barbara Sedlacek, office support
Mike Norris, woodshop foreman
Tony DiLeo, console builder
Bob Black, BSME, mechanical engineer
Joe Sedlacek, console wiring
Jeffery Chilcutt, CAD operator
Michael DeSimone, leathering and assembly
Dustin Carlisle, organ assembly
Sam Polk, organ assembly, tuning assistant
Kelvin Cheatham, organ assembly
Wilson Luna, assembly and wiring
Norma Renteria, leathering, assembly and wiring
Rockshawn Owens, organ assembly
Ruth Lopez, leathering and assembly
Kevin Cartwright, tuning & tonal assistant
Bob Weaver, leathering, assembly, tuning and service
Othel Liles, electrical engineer
Patty Conley, relay wiring
Herb Ridgely, Jr., sales & support
Mike Ray, electronics technician
David Stills, sales & support
Rick Stewart, sales & support
Dave Kocsis, program manager

The cover photo is by Michael Mitchell of Creative Expressions. Other photo credits as indicated.

GREAT (Manual II, unenclosed)
32' Contre Bourdon (Pedal)
16' Bourdon (Pedal)
16' Violone 73 pipes
8' First Open Diapason 61 pipes
8' Second Open Diapason 61 pipes
8' Violone (ext)
8' Harmonic Flute 49 pipes
(common bass from Rohrflote)
8' Rohrflote 73 pipes
5-1/3' Gross Quint 61 notes+
4' Octave 61 pipes
4' Prestant 61 pipes
4' Rohr Flute (ext)
3-1/5' Gross Tierce 61 notes+
2-2/3' Twelfth 61 pipes
2' Super Octave 61 pipes
2' Waldflote 61 pipes
2-2/3' Cornet III 183 notes+
1-1/3' Fourniture V 305 pipes
2/3' Scharf IV 244 pipes
16' Contra Trompete 85 notes+
8' Trompete (ext)
4' Clarion (ext)
16' Trombone (Solo)
8' Tromba (Solo)
8' Festival Trumpet (Solo)
Tremulant
Chimes (enclosed with Solo)
Cymbalstern
Great to Great 4'
MIDI on Great A
MIDI on Great B

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed)
16' Lieblich Gedeckt 73 pipes
8' Violin Diapason 61 pipes
8' Traverse Flute 61 notes+
8' Stopped Flute (ext)
8' Viola de Gambe 61 pipes
8' Viola Celeste 49 pipes
8' Viol Dolce Celeste II 122 notes+
8' Flute Celeste II 122 notes+
4' Prestant 61 pipes
4' Harmonic Flute 61 pipes
4' Unda Maris Celeste II 122 notes+
2-2/3' Nazard 61 pipes
2' Flageolet 61 pipes
1-3/5' Tierce 61 pipes
2' Plein Jeu Grave IV–VI 330 pipes
2/3' Plein Jeu Acuta III–IV 208 pipes
16' Bombarde 61 notes+
16' Contre Fagotto 85 pipes
8' Trompette 73 pipes
8' Oboe 61 notes+
8' Vox Humana 61 notes+
4' Clarion (ext 8')
4' Fagotto Clarion (ext 16') 24 pipes
Tremulant
Swell to Swell 16'
Swell Unison Off
Swell to Swell 4'
MIDI on Swell A
MIDI on Swell B

STRING ORGAN
(Manual III, enclosed with Swell)
16' Viol Celeste II 122 notes+
8' Viol d’Orchestra 61 notes+
8' Viol Celeste Sharp 61 notes+
8' Viol Celeste Flat 61 notes+
8' Dulcet Celeste II 122 notes+
4' Violina Celeste II 122 notes+
4' Dulcet Celeste II 122 notes+
8' Vox Mystique 61 notes+
Tremulant
String Unison Off

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed)
16' Quintaton 61 notes+
8' Weit Principal 61 pipes
8' Voce Umana 61 notes+
8' Bourdon 61 pipes
8' Gemshorn 61 pipes
8' Gemshorn Celeste 49 pipes
8' Unda Maris II 122 notes+
4' Principal 61 pipes
4' Nachthorn 61 pipes
2-2/3' Nasat 61 pipes
2' Wald Flute 61 pipes
1-1/7' Septieme 61 notes+
1-3/5' Terz 61 pipes
1-1/3/ Quint 61 pipes
1' Sifflote 61 pipes
8/9' None 61 notes+
2' Choral Mixture IV 244 pipes
1/2' Terz-Cymbal III–IV 208 pipes
16' Corno di Bassetto 61 notes+
8' Clarinet 61 pipes
16' Dulzian 61 notes+
8' Holzregal 61 notes+
4' Rohr Schalmei 61 notes+
8' Tromba (Solo)
8' Harp 73 notes+
4' Celesta (ext)
Tremulant
Choir to Choir 16'
Choir Unison Off
Choir to Choir 4'
MIDI on Choir/Pos A
MIDI on Choir/Pos B

ANTIPHONAL (Manual I, enclosed)
16' Bourdon 97 pipes
8' Principal 61 notes+
8' Gamba 61 pipes
8' Salicional 61 pipes
8' Voix Celeste 49 pipes
8' Gedeckt (ext)
8' Flute Celeste II 122 pipes
4' Principal 61 pipes
4' Harmonic Flute 61 pipes
2-2/3' Nazard (ext 16')
2' Blockflote (ext 16')
2' Mixture IV 244 pipes
16' Contre Trumpet 61 notes+
8' Harmonic Trumpet 61 pipes
8' Flugel Horn 61 pipes
Tremulant
Antiphonal to Antiphonal 16'
Antiphonal Unison Off
Antiphonal to Antiphonal 4'

SOLO (Manual IV, enclosed)
8' Major Open Diapason 61 notes+
8' Violincello 61 pipes
8' Violincello Celeste 49 pipes
8' Doppelflote 61 pipes
8' Flauto Mirabilis 61 notes+
4' Claribel Flute 61 pipes
4' Eclat V 305 notes+
8' Tromba 61 pipes
8' English Horn 61 pipes
8' Harmonic Trumpet 61 pipes
8' Festival Trumpet 61 notes+
8' French Horn 61 notes+
16' Tuba Magna 73 notes+
8' Tuba Mirabilis (ext 16')+
4' Tuba Clarion (ext 16')+
Tremulant
Solo to Solo 16'
Solo Unison Off
Solo to Solo 4'
MIDI on Solo A
MIDI on Solo B

TROMPETTERIA
(Manual V, enclosed with Antiphonal in gallery)
8' Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)
16' State Trumpet 85 notes+
8' State Trumpet (ext)+
4' State Trumpet (ext)+
2' Tierce Mixture V 305 notes+
16' Trompette en Chamade TC
8' Trompette en Chamade 61 pipes
4' Trompette en Chamade 49 notes

PEDAL (unenclosed)
32' Contre Diapason 32 notes+
32' Contre Bourdon 32 notes+
32' Contre Violone 32 notes+
16' Principal 44 pipes
16' Wood Open 32 notes+
16' Violone (Great)
16' Bourdon 44 pipes
16' Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)
16' Quintaton (Choir)
8' Octave (ext 16')
8' Violone (Great)
8' Bourdon (ext 16')
8' Gedeckt (Swell)
4' Choralbass 32 pipes
4' Nachthorn 32 pipes
4' Rohr Flute (Great)
2' Octavin 32 pipes
2-2/3' Mixture V 160 pipes
32' Contre Bombarde 32 notes+
32' Contre Basson 32 notes+
16' Ophicleide 32 notes+
16' Trombone 12 pipes
16' Bombarde (Swell)
16' Contre Fagotto (Swell)
16' Corno di Bassetto (Choir)
8' Festival Trumpet (Solo)
8' Bombarde (ext 32')
8' Tromba (Solo)
4' Clarion (Solo)
4' Clarinet (Choir)
MIDI on Pedal A
MIDI on Pedal B

ANTIPHONAL PEDAL (enclosed)
32' Echo Bourdon 32 notes+
16' Principal 32 notes+
16' Bourdon (Antiphonal)
8' Octave 32 notes+
8' Gedeckt (Antiphonal)
16' Contre Trompette (Antiphonal)

+ Walker stops

Coupler Rail
Great to Pedal 8, 4
Swell to Pedal 8, 4
Choir to Pedal 8, 4
String to Pedal 8
Antiphonal to Pedal 8
Trompetteria to Pedal 8
Solo on Pedal (couplers follow through)
Swell to Great 16, 8, 4
Choir to Great 16, 8, 4
String to Great 8
Antiphonal to Great 16, 8, 4
Trompetteria to Great 8
Solo on Great (couplers follow through)
Swell to Choir 16, 8, 4
String to Choir 8
Antiphonal to Choir 8
Trompetteria to Choir 8
Solo on Choir (couplers follow through)
Antiphonal to Swell 16, 8, 4
Trompetteria to Swell, 8
String on Solo 8 (couplers follow through)
Trompetteria to Solo 8

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

A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ
Company, Lithonia, Georgia
New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C.
The rich history of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church is intertwined with the history of the United States, as it has played an important role during many crucial junctures of our history. The church traces its heritage to Scottish artisans who worshiped on the grounds of the White House as it was being constructed in the 1790s. As a regular worshipper during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln rented his own pew. From the early twentieth century it became customary for presidents to attend services on Lincoln Day and sit in Lincoln’s pew. Eighteen sitting presidents have worshipped at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, and the cornerstone of the present church was set by President Truman.
Reverend Dr. Peter Marshall preached many famous sermons to a large national audience during World War II. During the annual Lincoln Day service in 1954, the Reverend George Docherty preached a sermon entitled “One Nation Under God,” calling for the addition of the phrase “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. The congregation that day included President Eisenhower, who, with his friends in Congress were prompted to add the phrase to the Pledge of Allegiance. Dr. Martin Luther King preached from their pulpit during the 1960s civil rights struggle. This church has long had social justice and responsibility at its very core, which cannot be adequately summarized in just a few lines.
I want to thank the church leadership, musicians, and members of the organ committee for their unwavering support of the Schlueter firm and me. So often when I had an idea, or desired to consider a change, the response invariably was “You are the organbuilder—we trust you. Do what you think is right.” Their measured dialogue, input, and trust were vital in the creation of this instrument and allowed our best work to flourish. I would also like to thank Texas organbuilder Mac Range, who served as a consulting resource between the church and organ company.
During my first visit with the church, I met with Pastor Roger Gench, director of music Dr. Stan Engebretson, and organ committee chairman Douglas Porter. I have to confess that at this meeting (being unfamiliar with the church and its instrument) my first inclination was to see if it would be possible to preserve the extant Skinner. However, after study of the organ, it became clear that the instrument was Aeolian-Skinner largely in name only, with the additional work of at least five other organbuilders. The church was considering the correct course in pursuing a new instrument.
The original organ built by John Brown in 1874 was rebuilt into a new instrument by the E. M. Skinner firm in the 1920s. Then in the 1950s the organ was enlarged and moved to the present church by Aeolian-Skinner. In the ensuing years there were various other additions to the organ and a replacement console. The organ chassis was a collection of E. M. Skinner, Aeolian-Skinner, and supply house actions—parts and pipes that were very much showing their age and were at the point of requiring rebuilding or replacement.
The placement of the former organ was in a rear gallery location. Often this location can be a benefit; however, in this church architecture it was a significant detriment. The organ was laid out with the Choir division in a pit below the rear choir gallery. The Swell division was stacked above the Choir division, with a Great division in front of this and a contemporary Positiv division flown over the Great chests and directly in front of the Swell chamber. The result was tone trap upon tone trap. The significant overhang of the balconies relative to the main sanctuary floor created even more sound traps. Add to that pew cushions on the main floor and the gallery. The result was that the organ started out bottled-up and fighting to speak from its location, and the sound that did get out was eaten up in the room and did not provide adequate support for congregational accompaniment.
Prior to our involvement, the church sought out the opinions of a variety of organists. The venerable organist, composer, and former Washingtonian, Dr. Douglas Major, served as an adviser and consultant to the project. He recommended that the organ and choir should be relocated to the front of the church. This simple act of forthrightly suggesting an alternate location for the organ and choir cannot be understated. His vision and recommendation are to be applauded, and as a builder, I consider the placement suggestion the single most important contribution to the success of this instrument.
In designing a major new element for the church chancel, we committed to the careful inclusion of elements from the church architecture. It was especially important to balance the visual beauty of the organ case with the Celtic Cross, retaining it as the central visual element in the room. We paired brushed zinc façade pipes with Lyptus® wood for the organ case. The choice of this wood species was influenced by the history of the church and its continuing social consciousness, including responsibility to the environment. As a sustainable, plantation-grown lumber, Lyptus® provides a beautifully grained wood that finishes well and complements the older walnut that is in the church furnishings, without adding to the deforestation of a native species.
It was interesting to see the expression of many of the church members the first time they saw the organ case. Incorporated into the organ casement is Isaiah 6:3, “Holy Holy Holy Is The Lord of Hosts The Whole Earth Is Full of God’s Glory,” and 1 John 4:7, “Beloved Let Us Love One Another For Everyone Who Loves Is Born of God And Knows God.” These scriptures, carved in mahogany panels that were gilded and polychromed, became visual reminders of our responsibilities in faith as organbuilders and servants of the church.
In designing a new specification that would incorporate some of the existing organ resources, a detailed study of the organ stops was conducted. It became evident that there had been a large degree of re-use and re-tasking of pipework during many different eras. There were opus numbers on pipework that were not attributable to either Skinner company or John Brown, but that did have marks from the E. M. and Aeolian-Skinner voicers and had been relabeled with inked opus numbers. Some of the pipework had been re-tasked multiple times. A good example was a 13⁄5′ Tierce in the Swell that had been a Great 4′ stop, prior to being a Swell 2′ stop, before becoming a 13⁄5′ Tierce. With rebuilding upon rebuilding, and stop reassignment and repitching, the organ had collected eight harmonic flutes of various pitches and significant scaling problems as they related to other organ stops. Scaling and voicing issues were scattered throughout the instrument among all stop families. Other peculiarities could be found in the Gemshorn, Erzahler, and Flauto Dolce. All of these stops, while differing in nomenclature, shared the exact same scaling, halving ratio, and mouth width. The Salicional and Voix Celeste in the Swell had been deslotted in a former life and various replacement pipes added to these ranks. The majority of reeds in the organ used French shallots, and these reeds provided a very brittle timbre in the church acoustic.
The organ did have many individual beautiful sounds, but they did not coalesce into a unified ensemble. Additional “diamonds in the rough” included the 8′ Clarinet and the 8′ Vox Humana, which dated from the John Brown organ and had been originally retained by
E. M. Skinner and later Aeolian-Skinner. There was clearly an aural reason these stops made the passage of over one hundred years and through the hands of several organ companies. When we studied the construction of these and other stops, and worked with voicing samples in the church, there was no question that these select stops had to be retained, albeit in different roles and/or registers.
Certainly it was clear that less could be more. The organ had grown to over 72 ranks over the years, attempting to overcome issues with the organ placement, room acoustic, and pipe scaling. During the organ removal, we discovered that the organ actually started to sound significantly better after over one-third of the resources had been removed, leaving fewer pipes and chests to occlude the pipe speech. We also moved pipe samples from the rear chamber location to the proposed chancel location. This proved invaluable as we considered the specification design, pipework scaling, and wind pressures.
During the church’s study of our firm, there were several visits to the Schlueter organ (III/47) at First Presbyterian Church in Savannah, Georgia. This instrument, featured in the April 2006 issue of The Diapason, was patterned loosely around the formative specification designs of early American Classicism. We allowed the English influence of American Classicism to flourish in this specification, with a nod toward the romanticism of early American twentieth-century tonal design. While not desiring a direct copy, there was an overall approach to specification and voicing style in the Savannah instrument that was the type of sound that embodied the core of what the church wanted for choral and congregational accompaniment.
The initial specification tendered had 58 ranks over three manual divisions and pedal. Later this grew to 62 ranks with donations made by the Schlueter family. We provided these additions outside of the contract budget because, as artisans, there were several stops that we personally wanted to include in this organ, including a second set of strings in the Swell division, the Great mutation stops, and other changes and stop substitutions.
Each division was designed around an independent 8′ weighted principal chorus. The divisional choruses, while differing in color, are designed to compound one another as a unified whole. The enclosed divisions were designed to be foils to the Great division, to provide weightless accompaniment for choral work, support repertoire, or massed in support of Romantic or transcription repertoire. The strings, when taken as a whole compounded entity, allow the organ to feature a divided string organ division located between the Swell and Choir divisions to be companioned by means of couplers. Considering the stoplist design and room acoustic, we chose to employ reeds with English shallots and voicing practices. Built with Willis tuba shallots, the 16′/8′ Tromba on 16 inches of wind pressure serves as the solo reed. Being enclosed in the Choir expression box allows full dynamic control of this heroic reed.
The organ is built with a steel and wood structure encased by the organ façade and millwork. The lower level of the organ contains the Swell and Choir, while the Great and Pedal divisions of the organ are located in the upper level.
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 repetition problems or pressure limitations. Electro-pneumatic unit chests were provided for all large bass pipes, offset chests, and reeds.
In addition to the frontal expression shades, we designed louvers for the sides of the organ case that open rearward into the corners of the balcony. This was to purposely focus some of the organ energy into the gallery. With the removal of the soft pew pads, this area is used to coalesce the organ sound and maintains the sonic energy in the upper portion of the room, giving an impression of a longer reverberation time than the room actually has. Additional enhancement to the room acoustic came from removal of carpet, which was replaced with natural cork.
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 Lyptus® with an interior of ebonized walnut and ebony. The console features modern conveniences for the performer, such as multiple memory levels, programmable crescendo and sforzando, transposer, MIDI, and the ability to record and play back performances.
With new pipework, existing pipework, and changes to room acoustics, it was decided early on that all of the pipework would be voiced at the church. New pipework was 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. A portable voicing machine was installed to the side of the chancel and all of the pipes were voiced prior to their installation in the chambers for final voicing and tonal finishing. Voicing an organ in this manner is quite literally a process of months, involving the movement of thousands of pipes, but was the only way to achieve the results we wanted. An organ of this scale and scope, with this amount of raw voicing work to be done onsite, required a large team. This effort was accomplished by Daniel Angerstein, Peter Duys, Lee Hendricks, Gerald Schultz, and Bud Taylor. It becomes a rote line from the articles of our work, but again I want to single out Dan for his contributions. Over the weeks and months of tonal work, he faithfully led our team’s tonal finishing efforts. He worked to patiently bring forth the voices as they had been planned and envisioned. Indeed, his fingerprints adjoin our own on this instrument.
The building and installation of a pipe organ is a monumental undertaking. The title “organbuilder” presumes long hours, travel, and the temporary suspension of personal lives. This year, in addition to rebuilding projects, A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company built six new instruments. Our firm is so blessed to have the dedicated staff whom I proudly call my colleagues. I would particularly like to mention our management and road crew, including Arthur Schlueter Jr., Marc Conley, John Tanner, Shan Dalton, Marshall Foxworthy, Patrick Hodges, Jay Hodges, Wilson Luna, Rob Black, Pete Duys, and Bud Taylor for the untold hours of travel and work that they put into these projects. These are but part of the Schlueter Organ Company; a full roster of our staff and additional information on our firm and projects can be viewed at <www.pipe-organ.com&gt; or by writing A. E. Schlueter, P.O. Box 838, Lithonia, GA 30058.
I have heard the collective work of organbuilders described as “stained glass for the ears.” As I thought about this, I considered New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, which is known for its sacred and secular stained glass windows, chronicled in the book Stories in Stained Glass (1998, Foster, Boswell, Hunter). To paraphrase the foreword by George W. Bergquist: “Generations from now, when the stained glass windows will have acquired the patina of time, they will continue to demonstrate that visual beauty of their sort powerfully reinforcing preaching, testimony and prayer.” How beautifully phrased. It is our sincere wish that our work will be an aural complement to the visual one as our instrument acquires the “patina of time.”

—Arthur E. Schlueter III

Artistic and Tonal Director

A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company

3 manuals, 62 pipe ranks

GREAT
16′ Violone (extension)
8′ Principal
8′ Violone
8′ Gemshorn (CH)
8′ Gemshorn Celeste (CH)
8′ Bourdon
8′ Harmonic Flute
4′ Octave
4′ Spire Flute
22⁄3′ Twelfth
2′ Super Octave
13⁄5′ Seventeenth
11⁄3′ Fourniture IV
2⁄3′ Scharf III
8′ Trumpet
8′ Tromba Heroique (CH)
Chimes (digital)
Tremulant

SWELL
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (extension)
8′ Principal
8′ Rohr Flute
8′ Viola
8′ Viola Celeste
8′ Salicional
8′ Voix Celeste
4′ Principal
4′ Wald Flute
22⁄3′ Nazard
2′ Octavin
13⁄5′ Tierce
2′ Plein Jeu Mixture IV
16′ Contra Oboe (extension)
8′ Trumpet
8′ Oboe
8′ Vox Humana
4′ Clarion
Tremulant
Swell to Swell 16
Swell Unison Off
Swell to Swell 4

CHOIR
16′ Gemshorn (extension)
8′ Weit Principal
8′ Holzgedeckt
8′ Gemshorn
8′ Gemshorn Celeste
8′ Flauto Dolce
8′ Flauto Dolce Celeste
4′ Principal
4′ Koppelflote
22⁄3′ Nasat
2′ Schweigel
13⁄5′ Terz
11⁄3′ Quint
2′ Choral Mixture III
8′ Clarinet
16′ Tromba Heroique (extension)
8′ Tromba Heroique
4′ Tromba Heroique (extension)
Zimbelstern
Harp (digital)
Tremulant
Choir to Choir 16
Choir Unison Off
Choir to Choir 4

PEDAL
32′ Violone (digital)
32′ Bourdon (digital)
16′ Principal
16′ Violone (GT)
16′ Gemshorn (CH)
16′ Bourdon
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (SW)
102⁄3′ Quint
8′ Octave (extension)
8′ Violone (GT)
8′ Gemshorn (CH)
8′ Bourdon (extension)
8′ Gedeckt (SW)
4´ Choral Bass
4´ Cantus Flute (GT)
22⁄3′ Mixture V
32′ Contra Trombone (digital)
32′ Harmonics (wired cornet series)
16′ Trombone (CH)
16′ Contra Trumpet (GT)
16′ Contra Oboe (SW)
8′ Tromba (CH)
8′ Trumpet (GT)
4′ Clarion (GT)
4′ Cremona

Inter-manual couplers
Great to Pedal 8, 4
Swell to Pedal 8, 4
Choir to Pedal 8, 4
Swell to Great 16, 8, 4
Choir to Great 16, 8, 4
Swell to Choir 16, 8, 4
Cover photo: Dr. Stan Engebretson

Cornel Zimmer Organ Builders, Inc., Denver, North Carolina
Media Presbyterian Church, Media, Pennsylvania

From the senior pastor
If one were to remove all that was sacred from the library of the great music of the Western world, one would be left with a very empty room. And while beautiful music certainly has merit in and of itself, that which is written sola gloria Dei has accompanied the faithful saying their prayers for nearly two millennia. The pipe organ has been at the center of this sacred enterprise for nearly half that time and is undergoing a kind of renaissance in our time. The Elizabeth Strine Memorial Organ is a wonderful instrument that represents the merging of the ancient mechanical art of organ construction with the new cutting edge of digital technology. This is an analogy of what Chesterton called the “romance of orthodoxy,” which is the timeless truth of the gospel heard anew in the language and thought world of every age. This beautiful instrument and renovated steeple are a renewed affirmation of a commitment to proclaim the good news of God’s reconciling work to this community and the world. It also says that we plan to continue saying our prayers at Media Presbyterian indefinitely.
This organ would not exist without the generous contribution of Walter Strine and his family in loving memory of their wife and mother, Elizabeth Strine. Elizabeth Margaret Sterling Strine faithfully served Media Presbyterian Church as organist for over 35 years. A Media High School and Philadelphia Conservatory of Music graduate, “Betty” was both an accomplished accompanist and a renowned piano and organ teacher who taught thousands of Delaware County students. A professional leader who helped to expand our area’s performing arts scene, she served as the first female president of the Media Community Concert Association and was later instrumental in developing the Media Theatre for the Performing Arts. Mrs. Strine died September 7, 2002 at the age of 94. The first question of the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Confession of Faith asks “What is the chief end of man'” to which is answered: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” May this organ be a tool by which this present and future congregations enjoy and glorify God as we move towards eternity.
—The Reverend William L. Borror

From the organ task team chair
Our former pipe organ was an instrument put together from several sources. It started life as a turn of the twentieth century orchestral transcription player for the Bock family mansion in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, built by the former Aeolian Company of Boston, Massachusetts. At that time, pipe organs were home entertainment systems for the wealthy. Although it had two manuals and pedals, it was never intended to be a church instrument. In the mid 1930s this instrument was acquired by Media Presbyterian Church and installed in the sanctuary’s front upper right hand chamber. The organ console was attached to the front wall beneath the chamber. To its side was seating for the choir. It served until about 1961, when the organ and choir were relocated to a larger space in the back gallery.
The relocated gallery organ was enlarged to three manuals by a local organ builder. A new console was fabricated by Austin Organs, Inc. of Hartford, Connecticut. Additional pipes and components from various unknown sources were incorporated into the instrument. Concurrently, a small Echo division consisting of five pipe ranks remained in the upper front chamber. Although this instrument served the church until February 2006, it was tonally deficient and incapable of creating a proper sound for worship and meditation. Three years ago, senior pastor Rev. William Borror requested that an organ task team be formed as part of the church capital campaign. The seven-person team assessed the former instrument’s condition and studied remediation alternatives. A busy two years followed, whereby the team considered the church’s musical requirements, studied proper organ design and tone, solicited proposals, and listened to and evaluated typical instruments by each builder. In an April 2006 presentation to the Session, the organ task team recommended that a new instrument be designed and built by Cornel Zimmer Organ Builders of Denver, North Carolina.
The new Zimmer organ, Opus 94, is a three-manual and pedal instrument comprising 96 stops, derived from 23 pipe ranks and 63 digital ranks. The solid walnut console controls five divisions: Great, Swell, Choir, Chancel and Pedal, and has 107 drawknobs, 21 tilting coupler tabs, tracker touch keyboards, an abundant multi-level combination capability to assist with stop registration, and full MIDI capability. The two-tone casework with walnut trim and gold accented pipes harmonizes with the sanctuary’s architectural themes. All new pipes were fabricated in the Zimmer shop or by Luc Ladurantaye of Canada. In addition, selected Aeolian pipe ranks from our former organ were refurbished, rescaled where applicable, and revoiced. The recycled pipes blend perfectly with the other new pipe ranks. All voicing and tonal finishing was done by the Zimmer staff.
The organ’s digital equipment was engineered by Walker Technical Company of Zionsville, Pennsylvania. Thanks to digital technology, we were able to acquire a more versatile organ than if we had adhered to an all-pipe instrument. Due to lack of space, an all-pipe instrument of this same specification would be impossible to install in the gallery.
The tonal orientation of our new organ is based on the American Classic design. Fundamentally, this instrument will allow the organist to perform music of all periods and play it in style. Due to the broad range of music performed in our church, the American Classic tonal design best fulfills our purposes. Upon examination of the stop specification, one can discover fully developed principal and flute choruses, an abundance of solo and chorus reed stops, and multiple celeste ranks. Also included are chimes, a harp and a zimbelstern. The twelve-stop chancel division is a self-contained organ designed to supplement the main gallery organ and provide accompaniment for small vocal ensembles. Hence, after 155 years of existence, Media Presbyterian Church now has an organ specifically designed for its sanctuary.
This new organ would not have happened had it not been for the very generous gift by Walter M. Strine, Sr. Given in memory of his wife, Elizabeth, longtime organist at Media Presbyterian Church and teacher of many piano students, this new instrument enables Media Presbyterian Church to enhance its worship and better serve the cultural community. We thank Cornel Zimmer and his highly talented staff for designing and building this fine organ. Their expertise and work ethic enabled the project to proceed very smoothly. We are grateful for this new relationship with the Zimmer organization.
Special thanks to the organ task team members who gave their time and skills to work with me and address the many questions and concerns that come with such a project: Martha Harriz, Harry Tully, Richard Zensen, Scott MacDonald, and Beth Kalemkarian. During the project, we mourned the loss of Don Harriz, team member and longtime choir member, who would have thoroughly rejoiced at the completion of this project. Additional thanks to the senior craftsmen who did a masterful job in preparing the back gallery to accommodate the new instrument. Special thanks to Michael Trinder, friend and organist colleague, who reviewed the specifications and contributed helpful suggestions. Thanks also to Art Kalemkarian, Jr. (BSEE) for his consultation on electrical and audio issues.
Finally, from my viewpoint as an organist, the installation of a new organ for our church was a very exciting and perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity. It is an event in which I will always delight. I personally thank Rev. William Borror, the Media Presbyterian Church, and the Strine family for entrusting me to chair this project. May the end result bring glory to God both now and in the future.
—Arthur P. Kalemkarian, Sr.
Organ task team chairman
and curator of the Elizabeth M. Strine Memorial Organ

From the organbuilder
It is indeed a thrilling opportunity for an organ builder to work in a warm and inviting space, especially one with the historical significance of Media Presbyterian Church. From the beginning of the project, honoring the architecture of the church was of great importance. The organ was to be primarily an instrument to support the many musical needs of a vibrant congregation, but would also be required to serve as a solo instrument. All of this needed to be accomplished while not overwhelming the choir, which shares the gallery space with the organ. With these requirements in mind, we set out to design an organ with a broad dynamic range, capable of appropriately interpreting a wide variety of musical styles.
Considering the organ’s location, it was important to achieve an audible balance to lead the congregation and to fill the sanctuary without overwhelming the choir. Fortunately, the sanctuary’s acoustics work in the organ’s favor, and the sound projects well from the balcony with normal relaxed voicing. The new casework and pipe façades, designed and built by our company, spread the Great, Swell, Choir and Pedal divisions over three locations in the choir gallery. This spreading of sound sources creates a broader spatial projection of the organ’s resources, and yet the blend heard in the sanctuary is quite pleasing.
The organ has a broad tonal palette of contrasting yet compatible choruses and solo voices. Moderate pipe scales in the Great and Pedal principal choruses react well with the room’s acoustics to provide a solid foundation for congregational singing. Along with the new Great and Pedal principal choruses, the Swell contains six ranks of Aeolian pipework from the previous organ. These diapasons, flutes and strings work well in the accompaniment role of the Swell. The Choir division is of great importance as it is centered directly behind the choir. It has a wealth of accompaniment stops, including several sets of soft celestial stops and a complete principal chorus. Also found in the Choir division is the Tuba, a powerful reed voice that lends itself to solo lines as a crowning reed over full organ.
The Chancel organ provides another visual and spatial aspect to the organ’s presence. It can support choirs that may perform in the chancel area, reinforce the quieter registrations of the main organ for congregational singing with sound sources at two locations in the sanctuary, and lend itself to music that employs echo or antiphonal effects. The Festival Trumpet found in the Chancel division is an appropriate foil to the Tuba found in the Choir, and is extremely flexible as it is under expression with the other stops of the Chancel organ.
We chose to retain several stops from the previous organ that were quite beautiful and would blend well with the new organ. Tonal director Jim Twyne and his assistant, Sheldon Kargis, voiced these pipes, as well as the new pipes built by our own pipe maker, Tommy Linder, and Luc Ladurantaye of Canada. The stunning casework and console were designed by Cornel Zimmer and built by master cabinetmaker George Zong with assistance from David Caldwell. Eric Molenaar completed the wiring of the console and windchests with assistance from Nathan Bryson.
Cornel Zimmer Organ Builders is deeply grateful to Media Presbyterian Church and the Strine family for the opportunity to build a new instrument for this wonderful setting. It is our sincere hope that it will serve this congregation for many generations and will stand as a testament to the glory of God.
—Nathan Bryson, project manager, and Jim Twyne, tonal director
Cornel Zimmer Organ Builders, Inc., Denver, North Carolina

GREAT (Unenclosed, Manual II)
16' Gemshorn*
8' Principal 61 pipes
8' English Diapason (Choir)
8' Harmonic Flute*
8' Bourdon 61 pipes
8' Gamba*
8' Gemshorn*
8' Gemshorn Celeste*
4' Octave 61 pipes
4' Prestant (Choir)
4' Flute Ouverte 61 pipes
2  2/3' Twelfth*
2' Fifteenth 61 pipes
1 1/3' Mixture IV 244 pipes
16' Posaune*
8' Festival Trumpet* (non-coupling)
8' Tuba (Choir) (non-coupling)
8' Trumpet*
8' Cromorne* (enclosed with Choir)
Chimes*
Tremulant

SWELL (Expressive, Manual III)
16' Lieblich Gedeckt*
8' Geigen Diapason 61 pipes+
8' Rohrflute 61 pipes
8' Viola 61 pipes+
8' Viola Celeste 61 pipes+
8' Still Gedeckt 61 pipes+
8' Flute Celeste 61 pipes+
4' Principal 61 pipes+
4' Flute Triangulaire*
22'3' Quint*
2' Octavin 61 pipes
13'5' Terz*
2' Plein Jeu IV 244 pipes
16' Basson*
8' Festival Trumpet (Great) (non-coupling)
8' Tuba (Choir)
8' Trompette*
8' Hautbois*
4' Clairon*
Tremulant
Swell to Swell 16'
Swell Unison Off
Swell to Swell 4'

CHOIR (Expressive, Manual I)
16' Dulciana*
8' English Diapason*
8' Gedeckt*
8' Concert Flute*
8' Dulciana*
8' Unda Maris*
8' Erzahler*
8' Erzahler Celeste*
4' Prestant*
4' Koppelflute*
2 2/3' Nazard*
2' Blockflute*
1 3/5' Tierce*
1 1/3' Larigot*
1' Sifflute*
1' Scharff III*
16' Corno di Bassetto*
8' Festival Trumpet (Gt) (non-coupling)
8' Tuba* (non-coupling)
8' Petite Trompette*
8' English Horn*
4' Musette*
Tremulant
Choir to Choir 16'
Choir Unison Off
Choir to Choir 4'
Harp*

CHANCEL (Expressive, floating)
8' Cor de Nuit*
8' Dolcan*
8' Dolcan Celeste*
4' Spitz Principal*
4' Flauto d’Amore*
4' Unda Maris II*
2' Flautino*
8' Flugelhorn*
8' Vox Humana*
Tremulant

CHANCEL PEDAL
16' Bourdon*
8' Bourdon*

PEDAL
32' Contra Bourdon*
32' Contra Violone*
16' Principal*
16' Violone 32 pipes
16' Bourdon*
16' Gemshorn (Great)
16' Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)
16' Dulciana (Choir)
8' Octave Principal 32 pipes
8' Lieblich Flute (Swell)
8' Gemshorn (Great)
8' Rohr Bourdon*
4' Choral Bass 12 pipes
4' Doppel Flute*
2 2/3' Rauschpfeife II*
32' Contra Basson*
16' Posaune*
16' Basson (Swell)
8' Trumpet (Great)
8' Festival Trumpet (Great)
8' Tuba (Choir)
4' Rohr Schalmei*
4' Clairon*
Chimes (Great)

*Stops by Walker Technical Co.
+Aeolian pipework

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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