Cover feature

A. David Moore, Inc., 

North Pomfret, Vermont

All Hallows’ Parish, Davidsonville, Maryland

From the builder

Designing an organ for All Hallows’ Church involved some unique challenges for its builder. The small brick building dates to 1734, and was gutted by fire in 1940. Rebuilt much as it was (without the Victorian alterations), the original walls and brick floor were retained. It seems that until 2010, the parish never owned a pipe organ.

The decision to place the organ on the left side of the chancel included the requests that the casework be no taller than the altar window, that the instrument be no larger than the sacristy in the opposite corner, and that the case was to “fit” the furnishings of the room. Thus, the back and left sides of the organ are against the walls, and maintenance can be done only through the front and right side of the main case. The detached console and Positiv division are one unit, adjacent to the case front, and facing the choir on the other side of the nave. Three flats of Open Diapason and Principal basses face the congregation, and the side contains two flats of Open Diapason basses, one of which is in a door that can be opened for Great and Pedal tuning. Those offset basses are operated by a remote assisting mechanism in which a small amount of air travels down a 5/16″ diameter tube that feeds a small wedge bellows and valve below each pipe.

The Great is on a C and C# chest, with the smallest pipes in the middle. The Positiv is played from the upper keyboard; the chromatic chest is at floor level; and the pipes are tuned by removing a grille on the top of the case. The manual keys are suspended, with a backfall system that pulls up the Positiv pallets; angled trackers and a rollerboard operate the Great pallets. The Positiv stop knobs are in the console and the Great knobs project from the main case on the organist’s left. The basswood tables of the chests will not split; the sliders are of quarter-sawn maple; the slider seals are of Neoprene; there is no plywood in the organ; the wind pressure is almost two inches; and the temperament is Kirnberger III.

Though the acoustics are quite good and the sound of the organ is focused by a curved ceiling, there is a slight “flutter echo” heard by a listener in the center of the room. The maple case is of wood harvested on the Moore farm in North Pomfret, Vermont, and sawn on location by a Wood-mizer band sawmill. There are no carvings on the case, but some subtle ornamentation appears at the tops of the pipe flats. The cornice of the case was copied from the 18th-century American case in Old North Church, Boston, and the All Hallows’ sacristy cornice was changed to match it.  

In the Great, the metal pipes are 28% tin and 72% lead, with small amounts of copper, antimony, and bismuth; the metal was cast from old organ pipes. The 8′, 4′, 22⁄3′, 2′, and 13⁄5′ ranks are close to Hook pipe scales, and have fairly low cutups and moderate nicking. The Holpipe is a metal chimney flute, and has 12 stopped wood basses; a new Haskell bass serves the Viol; and the Hautboy is an exact copy of a Hook stop. The Positiv Stop’d Diapason is of wood, small in scale but with a good fundamental tone, and is copied from a Geo. S. Hutchings stop; the Flute is of stopped and open wood and has metal trebles; the Fifteenth has 24 Claribel-style open wood basses and metal trebles. The German scales for the Dulcian are a composite, and there are half-length resonators in the lowest octave. The basses have wood blocks and shallots made in one piece, and the dimensions for the shallot openings, bores, tapers, and inside resonator diameters are close to 18th-century North European practice. The use of wood for a shallot avoids the need for lead or leather facings. In terms of hardness, the wood is somewhere between lead or brass and a leathered surface, and the brass tongues are fairly wide and thick. Long tuning wires are labeled on the tops and are easily reached.

The installation of A. D. Moore’s Opus 34 was enjoyable, and there were many trips to Davidsonville for installation, final voicing, and tuning. The crew of builders—A. David Moore, Tom Bowen, John Atwood, and Lubbert Gnodde—stayed with Jan and Mike Power. Mike Menne is the organist at All Hallows’, and collaborated on the organ’s specification. Mr. Gnodde played the dedicatory recital on November 7, 2010, which included works by Alain, Bach, Sweelinck, Scheidemann, Buxtehude, Mendelssohn, Couperin, Langlais, and the “Flower Duet” from Lakmé by Léo Delibes, featuring Sharon Potts and Laurie Hays, sopranos.

—E. A. Boadway and A. David Moore

From the organist

All Hallows’ Parish, also known as South River Parish, is one of the original parishes established by Act of the General Assembly of the Province of Maryland in 1692. As a worshiping community, it existed as early as 1650, with its first written record that of the birth of Thomas Chaney on 1 March 1669. The original church building, now lost, was probably of timber construction, and either burned or deteriorated to the extent that a new building, at a new site, was constructed, with the aid of a levy of 20,000 pounds of tobacco, around 1727–1730. The church bell, in a separate wooden tower, bears the inscription “Belonging to St. All Hallows’ Church 1727” and was probably provided by Queen Anne’s Bounty. 

The 1727 building, still in use, is a modest brick, hipped-roof building, just under 30 by 60 feet. There are no records extant that show the original seating plan of the building, but in the 19th century a small balcony was taken down (probably originally for the use of some of the 200 slaves who had been baptized by the second rector), and at least twice remodeled in the Victorian taste of the times, with heavy dark wood furnishings, stained glass, and slip pews.

The church was nearly lost on 11 February 1940 when a disastrous fire broke out about an hour after a service, destroying everything but the brick walls. For the rebuilding, it was decided to return the building to the look and feel of the early 18th century with white walls, white box pews, and clear glass windows. 

There is no record of any pipe organ during the building’s first 280 years, so any description of musical accompaniment before the fire is purely conjectural. After the restoration, a series of electronic instruments was installed in the front of the room. When a new rector arrived in 2000, he hired his friend James Weaver, Curator of the Division of Musical Instruments at the Smithsonian and co-founder of the Smithsonian Chamber Players, to come to the parish and revive a flagging music program and small choir of willing and enthusiastic singers. During his tenure, Weaver established a high level of musical expectation but hesitated to begin a project to replace the dreary electronic. When he left to pursue other projects and I arrived, enthusiasm to begin an organ project was high and the process began.

Early on, it was determined that (1) the organ would have mechanical action, (2) it would be tonally appropriate to the age of the building, (3) it would be visually designed so as not to overwhelm the scale and balance of the architecture, and (4) the primary visual focus at the front of the room would continue to be the triple window behind the altar. The restoration of the early 1940s had created two large closets in the front corners of the building. One was used as a tiny sacristy, the other as storage and placement for the bass speaker cabinets of the organ. It was determined that the organ would be placed where the sacristy had been, and the sacristy moved to the other side. The Altar Guild was quite pleased, as they had improved facilities and more extensive storage. 

A number of organbuilders were consulted, both from the U.S. and abroad, in our search for a builder. Almost every builder proposed an instrument that would be the dominant visual focus in the room. Some of them were tonally based on no more than an 8′ flute. David Moore, recommended by St. Margaret’s Convent in Boston and United Church on the Green, New Haven, was the only one who demonstrated an enthusiasm to work within our constraints.

As the organ and case design progressed, David proposed a novel solution: place the console at right angles to the main case and put the second manual pipes in the console in the manner of a continuo. In that manner, the main case could be lowered to match the sacristy on the other side, maintaining the Georgian balance of the church interior, while providing the tonal resources we needed. It also made it possible for the organist to face the choir directly across the chancel, with excellent sight lines.

The tonal design had three major objectives: (1) to provide leadership for congregational singing, (2) to accompany a wide variety of choral music, and (3) within its modest resources, to play as wide a spectrum of organ music as possible. 

Early in the planning stages, it was determined that the foundation would be an 8′ Principal, with both an 8′ flute and string to provide solid unison tone. A full diapason chorus, including 22⁄3, would be included, but the modest size of the building made the inclusion of a mixture unnecessary. The suggestion of a Hook-style Oboe as the Great reed was inspired! We insisted on a Tierce as well, for both solo color and ensemble brilliance. Having used a continuo for a year and a half before the instrument was installed, a similar tonal scheme of 8′, 4′, and 2′ for the second manual seemed natural. David suggested a Dulcian to round out the resources of that manual, adding significantly to the color possibilities of the instrument.

The organ has proved a tremendous success. Visually, it slips effortlessly into its corner of the building. The three pipe flats of the case front echo the semi-circular arches of the tripartite east window, repeated in pipe flats on the case side. The most oft-repeated comment from parishioners was “It looks like it’s always been there!” It was decided to use the natural darker grey of lead/tin pipe metal in the display pipes rather than shiny tin to minimize visual distraction from the altar. The wood façade pipes of the 8′ flute of the second manual are painted white to match the case. Many people don’t realize they are pipes at all until they see the mouths near the floor! The use of removable slatted grilles at the top of the second manual case allows for both good tonal egress and tuning ease. 

Musically the organ has been a huge success. The modest stoplist of 13 registers, with two reeds, two mutations, and four unison flue ranks lends itself to performing a wide spectrum of music. Though much of the instrument is inspired by 19th-century American organbuilding, early music sounds extremely convincing. Bach sounds very convincing, Sweelinck variations show off varieties of tonal color, the Dulcian can sound like a Renaissance consort when used by itself but becomes a chameleon when combined with one or both of the Positiv flutes. The Hautboy functions as a ‘petit trompette’, smooth in the treble and bolder in the bass. It serves as a very attractive solo stop, but when combined with the principals, becomes bold and assertive. Add the Twelfth and Tierce and it becomes a fiery French Grand Jeu. The solid foundation tone makes the instrument an excellent vehicle for Mendelssohn, and the Viol, both alone and with the Holpipe, provides softer sounds. There is sufficient tonal variety for stirring hymn singing as well as accompaniment of Anglican choral music. 

In addition to a performance by the young Dutchman from David Moore’s shop, Lubbert Gnodde, further recitals in the inaugural series were presented by Mark Brombaugh, Bryan Mock, and myself, with repertoire ranging from late Medieval to William Albright. 

The instrument continues to serve as proof that a real pipe organ is within the realm of possibility for a small parish, and that it can provide more musical satisfaction than an electronic with a plethora of digital gadgets and twice as many stops.

—Michael Menne

Cover photo: Sabine Joyce

GREAT (I) 56 keys, CCРg3

8′ Open Diapason

8′ Holpipe

8′ Viol

4′ Principal

22⁄3′ Twelfth

2′ Fifteenth

13⁄5′ Tierce

8′ Hautboy

POSITIV (II) 56 keys, CCРg3

8′ Stop’d Diapason

4′ Flute

2′ Fifteenth

8′ Dulcian

PEDAL 30 keys, CCРg3

16′ Bourdon

Couplers

I–P

II–P

II–I

Glück Pipe Organs,

New York, New York

Faith Lutheran Church,

New Providence, New Jersey

The new pipe organ for Faith Lutheran Church was created for use in traditional worship and for the performance of solo organ literature with a reasonable degree of historical accuracy. Although conservative in its core concept and tonal structure, some unusual pipe forms and design elements take it beyond the realm of the tonal cookie-cutter.

The instrument replaces a very heavily unified organ from the 1960s that subsequently had been altered by a local tuner. Inspection revealed that it contained several ranks of flue pipes that could be rescaled and incorporated into the new organ. While the mouths of these salvageable ranks were “cut to speech,” the pipes had never been truly voiced or tonally finished. They were essentially raw pipes of good alloy, straight from the pipemaker. Retaining these heritage pipes accomplished three goals: it enabled us to broaden the scope of the instrument from two manuals to three, it made the congregation understand that pipe organs could be investments, not merely expenses, and it gave church members a deeply satisfying feeling of historical continuity.

The façade design

When this project began years ago, the bidding organbuilders were asked to design an organ for the front of the church as part of a comprehensive renovation. Despite my strong indication that I preferred a rear gallery location, I conceived two chancel designs, one unilateral, the other divided. As the years passed, larger considerations arose for this thriving church. Should they once again enlarge their present church and school complex, or build a new church on new land? The church retained respected organ, architectural, and acoustical consultant Scott Riedel of Milwaukee, whose calm advice and clear education resulted in the organ in place today, as well as enlarged facilities for the music department and an improved acoustic. 

In the end, I got my wish. The organ sings from an elevated, central position in the new rear gallery. The A-frame structure, characteristic of so many American Lutheran churches of the era, naturally calls for North European case morphology. The mahogany case, proportioned for a relaxed “fit” in the room, is accented with understated pipe shades and foliate carvings in maple.

Within this visual context, I engaged in a bit of iconography and mannerism. The central “Trinity” of pipes is non-speaking, allowing me the opportunity to increase their length and have them break through the cornice and soar heavenward. The remainder of the façade is composed of pipes from the Great 8′ Præstant. The twelve polished zinc pipes of the lowest octave, with their undulating mouth lines, represent the Apostles. They are, in turn, flanked by the spotted metal 4′ range, playing upon the number seven, which recurs often in scripture. In each “flat” of pipes, the outer two pipes are reversed to acknowledge the visual strength of the roofline, and pipe lengths are balanced by building every other pipe one semitone over-length. 

The console

When minister of music Dr. John Girvin asked that I address the needs of an easily navigable, mobile console with unobstructed sight lines, I took as a point of departure the Aeolian organ consoles designed for the homes of the aristocracy during the first quarter of the last century. In this restrained and modern version, the tablets operate vertically, rather than horizontally, so that there is no confusion as to whether a stop is on or off. Each divisional field is in the same location as it would be in a drawknob console. The console is equipped with a comprehensive combination action and record and playback system.

The organist can see and conduct over the console effortlessly, and musicians can even stand around it and read their music from atop its cabinetry. It glides anywhere in the new organ and choir loft on an undetectable, integrated dolly, since choral and instrumental ensembles of various configurations are a normal part of musical life at Faith Lutheran. I designed the new gallery rail to be somewhat visually opaque but tonally transparent, with rhythmic elements paying homage to the likes of Wright, Mackintosh, and Stickley.

Tonal structure

While assiduously avoiding the lure of the unthinking American Lutheran stoplist, the structure of the Great principal chorus nonetheless had to be the starting point. It is supplemented by an 8′ Harmonic Flute, a requirement of the French Romantic repertoire. Carried down in open metal to A10, the bottom nine notes are borrowed from the open 8′ Spitzflöte so as to have no break in the tone. Taking advantage of unit actions in the Swell, the unison flute and string are duplexed to the Great, making available the dense velour of the fonds d’huit. The 16′ Dexter Geigen, which begins at middle C, is a broad and rosiny string of both solo and ensemble capability, adding gravity to the right hand without weight. It was made from the 8′ Viola that was in the church’s original organ, a rank that had only extended to 4′ C, with a borrowed capped metal bass. 

The 8′ Trumpet is broad, warm, and round, with English shallots and bells of higher lead content than the division’s fluework. It nobly melds into the ensemble without making a brash entrance. It is actually an upward extension of the Pedal reed unit, playing on the Great but being of the Pedal.

The notably potent Swell department is home to the second, slightly brighter plenum. I did not want to overdevelop the unenclosed Positiv and leave the church with a vestigial, anemic Swell. While the Great Chorus Mixture IV assumes a predictable American formula, the Swell Mixture II–IV was composed for sparkle and clarity without losing its integrative powers. This is accomplished by having the quints and unisons either in balance or favoring the unisons at all times (which has great benefits in hymn accompaniment and contrapuntal music), and keeping a unison pitch at the top of the harmonic stack except for a very brief, essentially unnoticeable two-note break near the top of the keyboard. 

The Swell strings are firm and deliberately incisive. Two powerful wooden flutes of double-mouth construction come from the 1919 Hall organ formerly in the Swedenborgian church in New York City, a 38-rank instrument that I acquired when that building was remodeled. The 8′ Doppelgedeckt  seems exceptionally present at the console, yet is buoyant in the nave. The orchestral “spit” in the harmonic range of the 4′ Holzdoppelquerpfeife is extraordinary, and the stop is worthy of copying in the future. 

Faith Lutheran’s original organ had a handful of “wired” mutations, taken from the unified ranks of the small Swell division. Such practice can never meet with true success, because these harmonics must be independently scaled, voiced, and finished, and the laws of physics make it impossible for them ever to be in tune. The new organ’s independent Nazard and Tierce ranks are joined on one slider in deference to the budget. Although flute-scaled, the chameleon-like Cornetto II serves as a pointed Sesquialtera when drawn with the 8′ flute, yet forms a round Cornet of French flavor when drawn with the entire flute choir. The tierce remains unbroken throughout the compass, and was actually made from a fine 2′ rank that was in our stock, appropriately rescaled and revoiced.

The Swell 8′ Trompette, with Bertounèche shallots and harmonic resonators, is significantly more brilliant than its Great counterpart. The full-length resonators of the 16′ Basson assure grandeur and richness in anthem accompaniments. Half-length resonators always fall short of the mark, a imprudent expedient, especially in situations like this, where the worthier compromise is to extend the 16′ stop down from the 8′ Hautbois.

When Albert Jensen-Moulton, general manager of Glück Pipe Organs, devised the layout of the new organ, he placed the Positiv in “Brust” position, immediately behind the façade on the right side, in juxtaposition to the Great to its left and the Swell behind. It is in close proximity to the singers and instrumentalists, and enjoys the distinct physical separation sought in a Baroque tonal æsthetic. The metal flute choir (8′ capped, 4′ chimneyed, and 2′ open) forms the perfect continuo organ, its varied pipe forms avoiding the risk of duplicating or triplicating other manual stops. 

The instrument stands on slider soundboards, but the occasional extrapolation of ranks on electro-pneumatic unit actions expands the registrational possibilities, particularly in the Positiv. The center of gravity can be shifted by the warm and singing 8′ Spitzflöte, the other rank that was extended upward from the Pedal division. Once again, it is scaled and voiced as a Pedal stop, but balances perfectly here, with freedom of tonal finishing in the treble range. The 8′ Clarinet, poised for dialogue with the Swell tierce combination, has a more “antique” sound than its name implies, enhanced by the release characteristics of the pallets. Its color can be shifted quite effectively with other stops in the division, expanding its solo capabilities. The Positiv and Great manuals can be exchanged in order to accommodate music of the later French schools.

The Pedal is based upon the 16′ Holzviolon, an open wood string stop also selected from the Swedenborgian organ. It was in rough shape, with its mitered basses broken and only two octaves of wood pipes, but it was needed to lend pitch definition to the Pedal line. While we could have completed the treble with metal pipes, the very capable pipemakers at OSI crafted matching wooden trebles as well as Haskell re-entrant tubes for the bottom four notes. This stop enables the Pedal to steer in contrasting directions: a gentle, clarified, open chorus, by adding the 8′ and 4′ Spitzflötes, or a bolder sound, using the 8′ Octave and 4′ Fifteenth. The stopped wood 16′ Infrabass, retained from the previous organ, provides a solid foundation, and other mezzo-forte borrows from the manual divisions make up the rest of this flexible arrangement. The full-length 16′
Posaune has spotted metal bells in the bottom octave to inject brightness into the round, firm, rolling tone. It is extended to 8′ pitch, and is available on both the Great and Positiv manuals.

The salient factors in place that contributed to the success of this project include a supportive pastorate, an enthusiastic and generous congregation, a Minister of Music who tirelessly educated himself through research and inquiry, and a truly knowledgeable, interdisciplinary consultant who guided the project without ever interfering with the artistic process. These elements paved the way for Glück Pipe Organs, our suppliers, our subcontractors, and all those involved in the enlarging of the church complex to achieve this long-anticipated goal.

—Sebastian M. Glück

Artistic and Tonal Director

Cover photo by Albert Jensen-Moulton

For information: 

212/608-5651

www.gluckpipeorgans.com

Glџck Pipe Organs Opus 13 (2011)

Faith Lutheran Church, New Providence, New Jersey

GREAT (Manual II)

16′ Dexter Geigen 34 pipes 50% tin, slotted, from C25

8′ Præstant 58 pipes polished zinc and 50% tin

8′ Harmonic Flute 49 pipes 50% tin, C1–G#9 from Spitzflöte

8′ Doppelgedeckt from Swell

8′ Viole de Gambe from Swell

4′ Octave 58 pipes 50% tin

2′ Fifteenth 58 pipes 50% tin

Chorus Mixture IV 232 pipes 50% tin

8′ Trumpet 28 pipes 30% tin, harmonic (Pedal extension)

Chimes 25 tubes G20–G44

Great Silent

16′ Swell to Great

8′ Swell to Great

4′ Swell to Great

8′ Positiv to Great

SWELL (Manual III)

8′ Viole de Gambe 58 pipes 50% tin, slotted

8′ Voix Céleste 46 pipes 50% tin, slotted, from C13

8′ Doppelgedeckt 58 pipes wood, double mouths, stopped

4′ Principal 58 pipes 50% tin

4′ Holzdoppelquerpfeife 58 pipes wood, double mouths, harmonic

2′ Gemshorn 58 pipes 50% tin

Cornetto II 116 pipes 50% tin

Mixture II–IV 176 pipes 50% tin

16′ Basson 12 pipes 50% tin

8′ Trompette 58 pipes 50% tin, harmonic

8′ Hautbois 58 pipes 50% tin

Tremulant

16′ Swell to Swell

4′ Swell to Swell

Chimes

POSITIV (Manual I)

8′ Spitzflöte 16 pipes 50% tin (Pedal extension)

8′ Viole de Gambe from Swell

8′ Bourdon 58 pipes 50% tin

4′ Rohrflöte 58 pipes 50% tin

2′ Recorder 58 pipes 50% tin

8′ Clarinet 58 pipes 30% tin

Tremulant

8′ Trumpet from Great

8′ Hautbois from Swell

8′ Swell to Positiv

Great/Positiv Transfer

PEDAL

16′ Holzviolon 30 pipes wood, C1–D#4 with re-entrant tubes

16′ Infrabass 30 pipes wood

8′ Octave 30 pipes zinc and 50% tin

8′ Spitzflöte 30 pipes zinc and 50% tin

8′ Gedeckt from Swell

4′ Fifteenth 12 pipes 50% tin

4′ Spitzflöte 12 pipes 50% tin

16′ Posaune 12 pipes zinc and 50% tin

16′ Basson from Swell

8′ Trumpet 30 pipes zinc and 30% tin

8′ Basson from Swell

4′ Hautbois from Swell

8′ Great to Pedal

8′ Swell to Pedal

8′ Positiv to Pedal

Great Chorus Mixture IV

C1 19.22.26.29

C13 15.19.22.26

C25 12.15.19.22

C37 08.12.15.19

C49 01.08.12.15

40 stops

32 ranks

Swell Cornetto II

C1 12.17 unbroken

Swell Mixture II–IV

C1 19.22

D15 15.19.22

F#43 12.15.19.22

C#50 08.12.15.19

D#52 01.08.12.15

Dr. Dennis Northway is Parish Musician at Grace Episcopal Church, Oak Park, Illinois, a former Dean of the Chicago AGO chapter, Artistic Director of the Handel Week Festival in Oak Park, Illinois, an employee of John-Paul Buzard Organbuilders, recently Councilor for Research and Publications of the Organ Historical Society, and Chair of the 2012 OHS National Convention. He is the co-author, with Stephen Schnurr, of Pipe Organs of Chicago and Pipe Organs of Chicago—Volume Two, author of To Touch the Garment’s Hem: meditations before a choir rehearsal, and editor of The ChicAGO Centenary Anthology.

As part of the Organ Historical   Society’s 57th national convention in metropolitan Chicago (to take place July 8–13, 2012), we will visit the corner of Milwaukee and Addison streets in Chicago. Located there is Carl Schurz High School, a Prairie-style building from 1909 given Chicago Landmark status. It boasts a 1,800-seat auditorium with a three-second reverberation time and a spectacular four-manual pipe organ. We hope you will join us in Chicago to hear this instrument! This is the story of that remarkable pipe organ as told in correspondence.

The story of Carl Schurz High School, and its four-manual 1935 Whitelegg-designed M. P. Möller pipe organ, Opus 6373, is well documented in the more than 250-page factory file now housed in the American Organ Archives of the Organ Historical Society. This is a landmark instrument—it is intact, and in need of restoration. The saga of the instrument, and the final negotiations and installation presented in correspondence, is an important and interesting case study of a ground-breaking pipe organ. The instrument was once appreciated and has recently been largely neglected. It has not been heard in concert in nearly 30 years. Fortunately, neglect and disuse have preserved a large instrument that represents a revolution in pipe-organ building in America.  

We begin with a Western Union telegram dated September 1, 1935 from organ consultant Calvin Brown to Richard O. Whitelegg (1871–1944), Tonal Director of Möller, which states:

SUGGEST YOU COME HERE EARLY NEXT WEEK STOP FOUR MANUAL DEAL WHICH BELIEVE CAN TURN YOUR WAY ANSWER BY WESTERN UNION¹

Whitelegg came to America and worked with the Welte firm that later became the Welte-Tripp organ company. Calvin Brown’s interest in Whitelegg’s work may stem from the latter’s work as the tonal supervisor for a four-manual instrument on the near South Side of the city in St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church.² This large instrument in a generous acoustic would have made a profound impression on the listener. 

The Schurz instrument, with its vanguard specification for the time, is also highly noteworthy with regard to the speed of its implementation and completion. The specification is dated October 29, 1935 and was accepted in contract form dated November 4, 1935 in Hagerstown, Maryland. The Swell and Great divisions, played from the four-manual console, were heard in public recital on December 19, 1935—six weeks and three days later!  

The remarkable specification below includes an identical version of the three Great mixtures: the III Mixture, the III–V Cornet, and the amazing IV Harmonics, detailed by John Gladden Barr (b. 1938) in his 1977 dissertation, “A Tonal History of Pipe Organs Built by M. P. Möller, Incorporated.” This “experimental” chorus had been built by Whitelegg and placed in the west wall of the Möller erecting room in 1934.³

The compositions, listed in the dissertation, are given below:

Mixture III

15th 15th 15th 

19th 12th 12th 

22nd 19th 8th 

#1–23 24–40 41–61

C–A# B–D# E–C

Unison: 44 scale at 8′ CC, 1/4 mouth

Quint: 2 notes smaller, 1/5 mouth

Cornet III–V

1st

8th 8th

12th 12th 12th

15th 15th 15th

17th 17th 17th

#1–12 13–24 25–61

C–B C–B C–C

Unison: 42 scale at 8′ CC, 2/7 mouth

Quint: 2 notes smaller, 1/4 mouth

Tierce: 4 notes smaller, 1/4 mouth

Harmonics IV 

17th 17th 10th 

flat 21st flat 14th 8th 

19th 19th 12th 

22nd 15th 15th 

1–39 40–51 52–61

C–D D#–D D#–C

Unison: 48 scale at 8′ CC, 2/9 mouth

Quint: 2 notes smaller, 1/5 mouth

Tierce: 4 notes smaller, 1/5 mouth

21st flatted [Septième]: 8 notes smaller, 1/5 mouth

Carl Schurz High School, Chicago, Illinois; 1935 M. P. Mљller, Opus 6373

GREAT (Manual II, 5″ wind)

16′ Double Diapason (metal, sc 35, 73)

8′ First Diapason (metal, sc 43, 61)

8′ Second Diapason (ext 16′ Dble Diap)

8′ Harmonic Flute (metal, sc 50, 61)

4′ Octave (metal, sc 56, 61)

22⁄3′ Twelfth (metal, sc 65, 61)

2′ Fifteenth (metal, sc 70, 61)

III–V Cornet (metal, 269 pipes)

III Mixture (metal, 183)

IV Harmonics (metal, 244)

Chimes (from Choir)

Great 16′

Great Unison Off

Great 4′

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed,
7″ wind pressure)

16′ Salicional (metal, sc 46, 97 pipes)

8′ Geigen Principal (metal, sc 46, 73)

8′ Rohr Floete (wood and metal, 73)

8′ Salicional (ext, 16′ Salicional)

8′ Voix Celeste (TC, metal, sc 59, 61)

4′ Geigen (ext, 8′ Geigen Principal)

4′ Chimney Flute (ext, 8′ Rohr Floete)

4′ Salicet (ext, 16′ Salicional)

2′ Flautino (metal, sc 73, 61)

V Plein Jeu (metal, 305 pipes)

16′ Contra Fagotto (metal, 97)

8′ Trumpet (metal, 73 pipes)

8′ Fagotto (ext, 16′ Contra Fagotto)

8′ Vox Humana (in second enclosure,

metal, 61)

4′ Clarion (ext, 16′ Contra Fagotto)

Tremolo

Swell 16′

Swell Unison Off

Swell 4′

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed,
5″ wind pressure)

16′ Spitz Floete (metal, sc 40, 85 pipes)

8′ Diapason (metal, sc 47, 73)

8′ Spitz Floete (ext, 16′ Spitz Floete)

8′ Spitz Floete Celeste (TC, sc 52, 61)

4′ Principal (metal, sc 62, 73)

22⁄3′ Twelfth (capped metal, sc 72, 61)

2′ Fifteenth (metal, sc 76, 61)

8′ Clarinet (metal, 73 pipes)

8′ Vox Humana (from Swell)

Tremolo

Chimes (25 tubes)

Choir 16′

Choir Unison Off

Choir 4′

SOLO (Manual IV, enclosed,
8″ wind pressure)

8′ Stentor Diapason (metal, 73 pipes)

8′ Major Flute (wood and metal, 73)

8′ Gross Gamba (metal, sc 56, 73)

8′ Gross Gamba Celeste (metal, sc 56, 73)

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (metal, 73)

Tremolo

Solo 16′

Solo Unison Off

Solo 4′

PEDAL

32′ Resultant (from Diap and Spitz Fl)

16′ Diapason (5″ w.p., wood, 44 pipes)

16′ Second Diapason (Gt 16′ Dble Diap)

16′ Contra Bass (5″ w.p., stopped wood, 44)

16′ Spitz Floete (from Choir)

16′ Salicional (from Swell)

8′ Octave (ext, 16′ Diapason)

8′ Flute (ext, 16′ Contra Bass)

8′ Spitz Floete (from Choir)

16′ Trombone (8″ w.p., in Solo enclo- sure, metal, 56 pipes)

16′ Fagotto (from Swell)

8′ Trombone (ext, 16′ Trombone)

4′ Trombone (ext, 16′ Trombone)

Chimes (from Choir)

INTER-DIVISIONAL COUPLERS

Great to Pedal 8, 4

Swell to Pedal 8, 4

Choir to Pedal 8

Solo to Pedal 8, 4

Swell to Great 16, 8, 4

Choir to Great 16, 8, 4

Solo to Great 8, 4

Swell to Choir 16, 8, 4

Solo to Choir 8, 4

Choir to Swell 16, 8, 4

Solo to Swell 8, 4

Great to Solo 16, 8, 4

Choir to Solo

Swell to Solo

ACCESSORIES

12 General pistons (1–12 thumb, 1–6 toe)

8 Great and Pedal pistons and Cancel (thumb)

8 Swell and Pedal pistons and Cancel (thumb)

6 Choir and Pedal pistons and Cancel (thumb)

6 Solo and Pedal pistons and Cancel (thumb)

6 Pedal pistons and Cancel (affecting couplers, thumb and toe)

General Cancel (thumb)

Combination setter (thumb, with indicator light)

Pedal to Great pistons on/off (thumb)

Pedal to Swell pistons on/off (thumb)

Pedal to Choir pistons on/off (thumb)

Pedal to Solo pistons on/off (thumb)

Great to Pedal reversible (toe)

Test button and light (for current)

Chimes damper (toe reversible)

Harp damper [sic] (toe reversible)

All Swells to Swell reversible (toe, with indicator light)

Swell expression shoe (with indicator dial)

Choir expression shoe (with indicator dial)

Solo expression shoe (with indicator dial)

Crescendo shoe (with indicator dial)

Sforzando reversible (thumb and toe, with indicator light)

What follows is a virtual flurry of correspondence addressing various façade decisions, descriptions of changes in specification, commentary on blower placement, wiring, etc. We shall see that many letters crossed in the mail on the same day! Because of the close time frame and the extant fairly complete correspondence on this groundbreaking instrument, let us explore the documentation for insights into Opus 6373 and its manufacture.

On stationery from the Board of Education, City of Chicago, Carl Schurz High School, 3601 Milwaukee Avenue dated November 22 to the Möller Organ Company, we read:

Gentlemen–

Enclosed please find the print of organ console which is o.k. Please note notation on reverse side of the blue print—console is to be movable and we are planning to place it on the stage, with three junction boards—one in center, and one on each side. Please tell Mr. Whitelegg I have changed my mind about “Horn” for “Solo Organ”—and wish Stentorphone in its place as originally specified.

Sincerely,

LeRoy Wetzel

The dummy façade pipes in the display were intended from the outset, as noted in a letter from M. P. Möller, Jr. to LeRoy Wetzel (Schurz High School’s choir director) on November 25:

Mr. Whitelegg has passed into the factory instructions that the display pipes are to be of natural zinc finish. Your comments on this will be brought to his attention.

November 26 finds Whitelegg writing to LeRoy Wetzel at the high school:

In reply to your letter of the 22nd, referring to the movable console, we note you suggest having three junction boards, and while this can be done, it is really very impractical. This method would lead to all sorts of trouble—short circuits, etc., besides considerable additional expense. You should arrange to have the cables come up either at the left or right hand side of the stage, preferably right in the corner, with long enough cable to reach to the center of the stage.  

In regards to the console being movable, this being an all electric action, there will only be cable attachments and it will be possible to move the console wherever you desire; but really as regards having those union boards, that just isn’t done, as in all cases tried previously it ended up in having to make a permanent job of just the one set of cables.

We are planning to ship the first part of the organ by freight Saturday, comprising the platform, pedal pipes, pedal chests, etc., and we are having men from the factory reach there to take care of the installation. I expect to be in Chicago in about ten days time. The organ in the Church of St. John of God Roman Catholic will be ready for ok, and possibly you will be able to give the time to run over and try the instrument as soon as it is tuned up.

Regarding the location of the blower, I am still of the opinion that it is more advisable to place it in the fresh air inlet; there is always a 12 degree rise of temperature from the air entering the blower until the time it gets into the organ and considering that underneath the stage that temperature is running as high as seventy and eighty, would bring the temperature of the wind up to ninety degrees, which is somewhat high and could be harmful in the way of drying out woodwork, etc. However, this matter can be left for decision until the men arrive for the installation.

 This was to be a special organ in many ways. In a factory order from Whitelegg dated November 27, 1935, we read:

The type of organ bench required is the pattern made after the one sent to Hugh McAmis Studios, New York, only made of oak in finish to match the console. As this console will be out on the stage for many public occasions it is necessary to have this special organ bench in preference to the standard style.

November 27, Whitelegg writes to Calvin Brown, 4539 North Richmond Street:

Dear Cal: I have just received your letter referring to the location of the blower for the Carl Schurz High School. Mr. Wetzel has written mentioning that there was some opposition regarding the location of the blower. Frankly, there is everything in its favor as regards the location of the blower in the fresh air inlet. There is always at least a twelve degree rise in temperature from the air intake to the outlet, which just for a few exceptional occasions, the temperature will normally delivered from the blower be around about 70 degrees. On the other hand, if the blower is located immediately under the stage, the temperature there is any where from 70 to 80, and figuring the rise of temperature as it passes through the blower, will be considerably warmer or a higher degree of temperature than would be good for the woodwork. However, you can settle this matter when the installation commences, but my preference would be where I suggested.  

Regarding the location of console, we have heard from Mr. Wetzel and they are thinking of having the console on the stage with three union boards for attaching console, either on each side or the center. This, while it can be done, is right out of the question in every case where this
[s]ort of console attachment has been tried, and the result has been failure. Here are almost certain difficulties as regards short circuits or bad contacts and always ends up in a permanent connection being made. My suggestion is that if the console is to be on the stage, considering the orchestra pit as first requested, it would be better to decide on which side the console would be permanently located and then have cables long enough to extend to the center of the stage.

I expect to be in Chicago again within the next ten days or so, no doubt will be seeing something of you then.

Calvin Brown was the recipient of a letter from Whitelegg dated December 3 discussing the console, blower placement, belted generators, commission, and concludes:

We are making every effort to have this organ playing for the 19th, that would be the Swell and Great divisions, hence the reason for going ahead with all parts and the necessity to eventually send a large staff to Chicago to get the work done. Well, I expect to be in Chicago next week, probably this week-end and will give you a ring in case there should be anything required in regard to the Carl Schurz School for discussion.

The same day, from Möller sales manager E. O. Shulenberger⁴ (who was “on the road” in Chicago) to M. P. “Ted” Möller, Jr., we read: 

I spent all forenoon with Mr. Brown and the Schurz High School. First, because Brown asked me to go out, and secondly, because Buterbaugh⁵ who arrived here yesterday with Kenneth ’phoned and said he thought they would have Union trouble. I am quite sure that we will have some trouble before we are through. Every employee around the School, including half dozen or more engineers, electricians, janitors, and some others, amounting to about a total of fifty-five in all, are Union men, and the Chief Engineer, while courteous regarding certain things, says that the electrical union even interfered when he fixed one of the electric clocks. It was a sad mistake, I think, that we built the platform there. Maybe the steel workers won’t find it out, but there is every reason to believe they will. That and the electrical work is the most serious. I talked to the Chief Engineer, the Principal of the School, Mr. Wetzel, and some others, and they said they will do what they can, and I told Buterbaugh and Kenneth to work and not talk.

In a letter written while he was in the Möller Chicago office in the McCormick Building, 332 South Michigan,
E. O. Shulenberger writes to M. P. (Ted) Möller, Jr., on December 4, 1935: 

Dear Ted:

I have your letter of December 2d. The boys worked last night until ten o’clock, and got part of the steel-work of the platform up, and so far without any interference. I understood that Brown’s commission was to be figured on the basis of contract price, less motor wiring, starter and platform, which as I remember was $13,650.00, or whichever was my original estimate, plus a Clarinet. That is what Mr. Whitelegg told me at the time. I will try to find out, if possible, about the grille, but I am not sure that I can make the contact today, and if I don’t leave the city later today, I will the first thing in the morning. I understood, however, that the sawed out grille as approved by the architect was what was wanted, and the architect, Iam [sic] informed, is final regarding all of those matters.  

I wrote you about the junction yesterday, and have suggested that the wiring be done to a junction board, placed on an apron of the stage, and the wiring from there permanent, since there will be no air. I think Mr. Brown will work that out, and he has the confidence of Mr. Wetzel, and would be the best medium to take it up.

I advise strongly against Kenneth attempting the motor wiring, and have told Buterbaugh toget [sic] an estimate from an electrical contractor out there, and send the estimate to Hagerstown. All the employees there are union men, and are watching what is going on. So far they have not interfered with the steel-work, but the Chief Engineer, who is in charge of the entire building and equipment, is a union man, and told me if the Delegate came in and found our men doing electrical wiring, he would start real trouble. The Chief Engineer said he don’t care, but that they are checked up very frequently, and what we might save by Kenneth doing it, might be more than lost by trouble that would be caused, and furthermore, difficulty with the inspectors could be expected.

Whether the generator is direct-connected or belt-driven probably won’t be an issue, but as we have all decided that the place for that blower is in the engine-room, there is plenty of room for a direct-connected generator. It would be impossible to put the blower and air duct where Mr. Whitelegg suggested and keep the organ in tune, as the temperature in there yesterday was below thirty, with a terrific draft, and no-one here wants to put it there. The engine-room is not hot, never above seventy, generally considerably below, and has all kinds of space. 

On December 10, 1935 Richard Whitelegg writes to LeRoy Wetzel:

The last of the Carl Schurz High School organ will be leaving the factory next Saturday, and this is almost certain unless some unforeseen difficulty arises, that the organ—at least the Swell and Great divisions—will be available for the 19th. I had expected to be in Chicago by this time, but there have been several matters which have detained me and again I must go up to New York, but I am still hoping to be in Chicago within the next three or four days.

It is indeed a considerable effort to get that organ completed in the short time: I gave it preference and hence the reason why the organ will be available as promised. I do not think that there is any other part of the world that an organ of that size could be handled on such short notice: however, nothing has been spared to make it one of the finest organs that ever left the factory.

On the tonal side of the instrument, you are going to find a very much more aggressive organ tonally than the one in your church: we have all the Great work unenclosed and the Mixtures—flu [sic] work a very sweet agressive⁶ tone, likewise with the reeds. However, I am sure after you have used the instrument a little while it will appeal to you much better than the late, Heavy Phonon Diapason type of organ.

Mr. John Buterbaugh will, I expect, have arrived in Chicago by this time. He has installed many of the larger Möller organs and in my opinion is one of the most capable organ builders we have at the present time. Mr. Buterbaugh will be in complete charge of the installation, and you will find him very tactful, diplomatic, and ready to co-operate in every way. In any case, I expect to be around myself for two or three days prior to the 19th, so will be seeing you.

M. P. Möller, Jr. writes December 14, 1935 to R. O. Whitelegg, in care of the Chicago office⁷:

In reference to your telephone call from New York this morning, I was very surprised that you were still in New York as I thought the New York work was to simply be the conference with DeTar on Wednesday and that you would be in Chicago on Thursday. I haven’t had a report as to what progress they are making, but as the organ must be playing by the 19th, or just what the schedule is. I really had not been worrying about it, as I presumed you were there and were taking care of all details.  

The third load is going today, containing the Choir and Solo organs and I presume practically everything except some parts of the case.

Whitelegg responds, in a report to
M. P. Möller dated December 16, 1935:

The plans there are to have the Great and Swell divisions playing on the 19th, which is all I promised at the time of signing the contract. 

I plan to give three or four days to the St. John of God organ, and also set up the tonal values of whatever is playing at the High School, and then return to the factory, possibly the end of this week.  

Yours truly, 

R. O. Whitelegg

P.S. Since the above was dictated, I’ve been over to Carl Schurz School. The work is progressing satisfactorily, Mr. Wetzel stated that he is ordering the balance of the contract tomorrow, and he is also asking for the list of suggestions on the other prepared for pipes, which I am sending to him from this office.⁸

Whitelegg writes then to M. P. Möller on December 20, 1935:

Dear Sir: Regarding Carl Schurz High School, the organ was available for use last night as planned, and is truly remarkable. In Mr. Wetzel’s own words, he expected a fine organ, but it has exceeded anything that he hoped to have.

E. O. Shulenberger writes to Calvin Brown, 4539 North Richmond Street on December 23, 1935:

I understand that the boys got the organ playing at the time wanted and can not do any more now until after the Holiday Season. I hope everything has come through satisfactory [sic] to every one.

We find a memo from the Hagerstown Möller factory to the offices in Chicago dated December 31, 1935:

The last load of the Carl Schurz High School organ will arrive at the High School on Monday morning, January 6.

Richard O. Whitelegg writes to J. B. Buterbaugh on January 17, 1936: 

Please let me have a report as to the progress of the Carl Schurz High School, in order that I can plan my future movements. I will be busy in the factory until the 25th, and plan to spend a few days at the completion of the organ you are installing.

Because it was a strict union house, and because of the heavy use of the auditorium during the day, we find sent to the attention of Mr. Whitelegg from Buterbaugh the following: “I am starting to do regulation this evening as we must work nights from now on.”

The prepared-for stops, the Vox Humana, Chimes, and Trombone 16′ & 8′ were called for by Calvin Brown on January 22, 1936 for the sum of $1,330.00.

The Vox Humana stopknob was ordered from H. W. Cramer by M. P. Möller, Jr., January 31, 1936.

The weekly installation report to the factory dated February 1, 1936 and signed by John Buterbaugh states: “Chimes installed. Organ tone regulated except Solo,” with a listed probable completion date of organ as February 12.

The following week’s installation report, dated February 8, 1936 states:

Solo and Choir finished, some regulation and final tuning of Great and Swell.  Probable completion date of organ is February 13th and dedication planned in about a month. Signed John Buterbaugh.

C. W. Nowell⁹ provides a report of All Electric Consoles (no pneumatics in consoles) built by Möller; a copy of this is in the file and is reproduced here. It may be surprising to some that Möller produced these in this period. Note the exceptional number of magnets in the Schurz console and the unique report configuration of that entry. (See chart.)

John Buterbaugh, who oversaw the installation of the instrument, writes from the Hotel Milshire on February 18, 1936:

The organ in the High School is entirely finished and is an exceptionally fine job according to all who have heard it. I have gone over it with M. Wetzel and he says it is beyond his expectations.

Calvin Brown writes to E. O. Shulenberger on February 28, 1936 and states: 

I am very much pleased with the job and your boys did an excellent job and I hope to have some more for your firm shortly.

G. N. Snyder, writing from the Chicago office of M. P. Möller to Richard O. Whitelegg March 13, 1936 reports: 

Mr. Buterbaugh and I drove out to the Schurz High School yesterday, and had the pleasure of meeting with Mr. LeRoy Wetzel. This is a case where the folks are most over-joyed with the organ and all those who had anything to do with its installation, etc. I have heard no man speak more highly of anything than he. He incidentally mentioned that Dr. Barnes had visited him a day previous, and that Dr. Barnes was most enthusiastic about the organ, making the statement that it sounded like a fifty thousand ($50,000.00) dollar organ.

Warfield Webb¹⁰ writes to Möller on April 20, 1936 and says: 

Understand you recently installed a large and expensive organ in the Carl Schurz High School, Chicago. As a writer for many, many kinds of publications, wonder if anything in the nature of a story about this organ has appeared in a music or school publication. . . Understand this organ is one out of the ordinary found in a school. Perhaps you may be able to give me some interesting data.

E. O. Shulenberger, Secretary and Sales Manager, responds on May 1, 1936:

The organ there is very much out of the ordinary as found in schools and has attracted an unusual amount of attention, so it should make a very good story. I am sure that Mr. Leroy Wetzel, head of the music department of that school, would be glad to assist you in getting any or all information, and Dr. William H. Barnes, the organ architect, South Wabash Avenue, has also made a lot of study on it. He has written an article to be published in the American Organist on the particular organ, but as this publication has not yet come out, I have not seen the copy.

Whitelegg writes to “Mike” Buterbaugh August 13, 1936:

I hope to be able to see and hear this organ after visiting Kalamazoo when that organ is completed.

L. B. (“Mike”) Buterbaugh, writing from the Chicago office, Suite 1742 McCormick Building, 322 South Michigan on October 12, 1936, reports, “The organ itself is in very fine shape.”

There is a great deal more in the file; however, this array of documents gives us a glimpse of what it took to get a large instrument in quickly. This also hints to the truth that all large instruments take a great deal of negotiation, in all aspects of construction and design, to fabricate and install. Opus 6373 is a monumental organ and completely intact. You are cordially invited to hear it live at the Chicago national convention of the Organ Historical Society this summer!

Listen to Dennis Northway play the Schurz Victory March on Möller Opus 6373 at: www.TheDiapason.com.

Pasi Organ Builders, Inc., Roy, Washington, Opus 19 Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral, Houston, Texas

Pasi Organ Builders, Inc., Roy, Washington, Opus 19

Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral, 

Houston, Texas

From the organbuilder

The instrument is placed in the rear gallery on either side of the 40-foot-high Resurrection Window. This massive window necessitated a divided layout for the organ’s five divisions of pipes, and several unique design solutions were used to compensate for the lack of a traditional central organ case. During the organ’s design, construction, and voicing, this instrument developed a unique character of its own—thanks in large part to the building’s wonderfully reverberant acoustics.

The visual design of the instrument combines architectural features found in this building with elements from historic European organs. The organ is entirely encased in white oak woodwork, with decorative carvings above the façade pipes. Both the carvings and the façade pipe mouths are gilded with 23-carat gold leaf. The wooden case serves a vital tonal function by blending and focusing the sound of the 5,499 organ pipes, while also protecting them from dust.

The console’s four manual keyboards are covered with cow bone and ebony, and the pedal keyboard is made of maple and rosewood. The 111 stop knobs, controlling the organ’s five divisions of pipes, are on either side of the keyboards. The stop knobs and toe pistons are made of pau ferro. Other species of wood found in the organ include tulip poplar, redwood, sugar pine, basswood, walnut, hornbeam, and Douglas fir.

The organ is laid out vertically in order to take advantage of the given space. The pipes of the Great division are placed on windchests above the impost on the east side of the window. The Swell division is placed above the Great, hidden behind the façade pipes and gilded carvings. The Positive division is located above the Swell, almost hugging the building’s 72-foot-high ceiling. The Grand Choir and Pedal divisions are located on the west side of the window, with the Spanish Trumpets (Trompeta) speaking from the very top above the Pedal division. They are placed horizontally, just behind the façade, in order to sound in the most assertive manner possible.

Two electric blowers supply wind to the organ via six bellows measuring approximately 4 feet by 8 feet. The bellows and blowers are located behind and inside the organ’s two cases. This wind system imparts a gentle flexibility to the organ’s sound, allowing the pipes to sound more like a choir of human voices rather than an inexpressive machine.

The organ’s tonal scheme draws most of its inspiration from the great North German and French organs of the 17th and 18th centuries. Its resources are further leavened with many stops inspired by 19th- and 20th-century models. This enhances its flexibility in playing choral accompaniments and interpreting the monumental solo organ literature of the 19th and 20th centuries. The organ is tuned in “Mark Brombaugh Mild,” an unequal temperament that favors the keys nearest to C major while still remaining harmonious in the most distant keys.

With the exception of the free-reed Clarinette 8′ stop, all of the metal pipes were made in the Pasi shop—from the casting and rolling of the metal through to the completed pipes. They are made of various alloys of tin and lead, with trace impurities of copper, bismuth, and antimony to help stiffen the metal. To enhance the intensity of the lead pipes’ sound, the metal is hammered following casting in order to tighten its molecular structure. The three 32′ stops, as well as the large pipes of several other stops, are made of tulip poplar wood.

The three traditional manual divisions—Great, Positive, and Swell—are placed above the console on the east side of the window, and have normal suspended mechanical key action and mechanical couplers. The Grand Choir and Pedal divisions on the west side of the window are modeled after the
Résonance division in the famous 1775 Jean-Esprit Isnard organ at St. Maximin, Provence. Most of the Grand Choir pipes are shared between the two divisions, but have independent stop knobs and actions for each division. 

This divided layout of the organ, combined with the comprehensive tonal scheme necessitated by the cathedral’s vast interior space, posed a special challenge in the design of the key action. Running a horizontal mechanical key action from the console to the west case 30 feet away would have been impractical. Our solution was to use the electric proportional key action developed by NovelOrg of Longueuil (Montreal), Quebec. 

The NovelOrg proportional key action is an all-electric action with sophisticated electronic control that allows the valves in the windchests to follow exactly the motion of the key. Applying this action to the remote Grand Choir and Pedal divisions makes it possible to retain the sensitive control of pipe speech found in a traditional mechanical key action. In addition to the regular mechanical couplers, the Great, Positive, and Swell keyboards are coupled to the Grand Choir through the NovelOrg proportional action. The stop action is electric, and the solid-state combination action allows up to 20 organists to each have 55 levels of memory, providing for the storage and recall of thousands of stop combinations.

The staff of Pasi Organ Builders, Inc., constructed, installed, and voiced the organ over a period of three years. The Pasi staff and other artisans who contributed to this project are as follows:

Markus Morscher: design, casework, windchests, wood pipes, bellows, pipe racking, and installation

Michael Spieler: casework, windchests, wood pipes, bellows, console key action, pipe racking, and installation

Rochus van Rumpt: metal flue pipes (including fabrication of the largest façade pipes on-site), reed pipes, installation, and voicing

Mark Brombaugh: design, installation, and voicing

Arpad Magyar: metal flue and reed pipes

Maurine Pasi: pipe shade carving and gilding

Jennifer Von Holstein: carving design and administration

Robert Wech: design

Raphi Giangiulio: metal flue and reed pipes, design

Gyöngyi Czimbor: assistant in the Pasi wood and pipe shops

Douglas Brewer: installation

Bruce Shull: voicing

Dominik Maetzler: combination action wiring

Martin Pasi: design, flue and reed pipes, installation, voicing, and administration.

—Martin Pasi

From the consultant

What a joy it has been to work with the clergy and musicians of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, with the architects and building contractor, and especially with Martin Pasi and his entire team. I remember very well the first meeting of the organ selection committee in 2006, when Cardinal DiNardo spelled out his vision for the project. The task of the committee, under the leadership of Crista Miller, was to find the right company to build an organ that would accompany, complement, and even augment the most perfect musical instrument—the human voice. In addition, the committee needed to be certain that the organ would function first and foremost for the Catholic liturgy. I remember how enthusiastic the cardinal was about the idea of installing a tracker-action organ that would draw from the great traditions of the past while also offering something special for our time. 

The overall concept of the organ is unique, but also firmly rooted in tradition. The left side (when looking at the large Resurrection Window) is played from the upper three manuals with traditional mechanical key action. This side has an especially large and expressive Swell division, useful for choral accompanying and organ music of the 19th and 20th centuries. The principal choruses of the Great and Positive are Germanic, while the many individual stops and small combinations make possible the performance of a wide range of organ music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, including French classical repertoire. The right side of the instrument, played from the bottom manual and pedals, uses the electric proportional key action. The right side of the instrument contains the largest pipes, including three 32′ stops. This side also includes a massive principal chorus (with a large progressive mixture), impressive reed choruses, and full foundations appropriate for the French symphonic organ repertoire and festive congregational accompaniments.

I shall mention here only a few of the individual stops. The undulating Suavial (Voce umana) on the Positive is of great historical significance, although it is infrequently heard on this continent today. The two brilliant battle Trompetas on the Grand Choir are drawn from the Spanish and Latin American traditions. And the free-reed Clarinette, also on the Grand Choir, produces a very rare and exotic sound. From the quietest stops to the massive principal and reed choruses, the instrument produces a marvelous effect in the clear but reverberant acoustics of the co-cathedral. The residents of Houston owe Martin and all his associates at Pasi Organ Builders a debt of gratitude for this wonderful addition to the growing list of impressive new organs in our city.

—Robert Bates

Professor of Organ

Moores School of Music

University of Houston

From the director of music

When I came to the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in October 2004, one of my first duties was to provide music for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new 1800-seat church, to be completed in April 2008. There was discussion of moving the church’s small Pilcher organ into the new church, but I knew from my graduate assistantship under Hans Davidsson’s Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative that there are many bright stars in contemporary American organbuilding. Martin Pasi gave an intriguing presentatation on a new dual-temperament organ in the Omaha Cathedral at the first annual EROI Festival in Rochester. I had arranged for a demonstration on pipe making to the Eastman organ studio and vividly remember Martin as being incapable of allowing even a throwaway demo pipe to sound anything less than beautiful.

In January 2006, I was happy to lead an archdiocesan organ committee charged with procuring a new world-class instrument for the Co-Cathedral. We began by reviewing the fine organs in sister cathedrals in larger cities—New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago—and U.S. cathedrals where great pipe organs have emerged, and with them, a tradition of fine sacred music.

Our situation was somewhat challenging, in that the Resurrection Window, planned long before the instrument, is placed in the middle of the organ. This could have eliminated the possibility of a mechanical-action instrument. Enter the extraordinary Martin Pasi and his firm, Pasi Organ Builders, Inc. To accommodate the window, they implemented a dual-action system, mechanical and electro-mechanical. This success speaks for itself, in a thrill for both the player and numerous audience members. 

The firm’s nineteenth instrument is their largest to date and their first four-manual organ. It contains such luxuries as a free-reed Clarinette and a set of horizontal trumpets in a tribute to the Hispanic heritage of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. This organ accompanies the liturgy in a modern way, inspired by historic traditions of 17th-century north and south Germany, Italy, Spain, and 17th- to 19th-century France. Moreover, this versatile instrument, eclectic without compromise, has proven to blend beautifully with orchestral instruments and to render well choral accompaniments of the English tradition.   

Many people deserve thanks. Hearty congratulations to Martin Pasi and his  associates at Pasi Organ Builders. His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, and Auxiliary Bishop Vincent M. Rizzotto were all key, as well as Fayez Sarofim and the Brown Foundation and their gift to Houston. Zeigler Cooper Architects and Linbeck Construction were invaluable. As consultant, Robert Bates contributed at all phases, continuing with the ongoing lunchtime recital series, and national conferences. Pastor and rector, The Very Reverend Lawrence W. Jozwiak has been immensely helpful, as was the organ dedication committee chaired by John Burchfield, and the many who contributed program funds.  

—Crista Miller 

Chair, Organ Selection Committee

Director of Music and Organist

Letter from Daniel Cardinal DiNardo in the dedication program booklet

From my days as a child, hearing the great von Beckerath organ at St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh, to hearing today the opus XIX organ hand-crafted by Martin Pasi and Associates for the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, I have recognized and appreciated the importance of a good pipe organ to serve the liturgical music needs of the Church. But, this is not merely a personal observation. The Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy attests: 

In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument that adds a wonderful splendor to the Church’s ceremonies and powerfully lifts up the spirit to God and higher things. (Sacrosanctum concilium, 120) 

In 2006 our organ committee was reviewing and approving plans for the new pipe organ in Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral. At that time, I specifically requested that the organ be capable of serving three essential purposes: 1) Accompany the people’s singing at the Mass and rites of the church; 2) Provide choral accompaniment; and 3) Play traditional and classical organ repertoire. These purposes are recapitulated by the Bishops of the United States in their recent instruction on sacred music highlighting the use of the organ: 

Among all other instruments which are suitable for divine worship, the organ is “accorded pride of place” because of its capacity to sustain the singing of a large gathered assembly, due to both its size and its ability to give “resonance to the fullness of human sentiments, from joy to sadness, from praise to lamentation . . .” In addition to its ability to lead and sustain congregational singing, the sound of the pipe organ is most suited for solo playing of sacred music in the Liturgy at appropriate moments. Pipe organs also play an important evangelical role in the Church’s outreach to the wider community in sacred concerts, music series, and other musical and cultural programs. For all of these reasons, the place of the organ should be taken into account from the outset in the planning process for the building or renovation of churches. (Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship, 87–88).

For all of these reasons, the opus XIX pipe organ was commissioned. And, now, we celebrate its completion and inaugurate it on its profound mission. It is my sincere hope and prayer that this pipe organ will, indeed, lift all of our minds to God and higher things: through sustained congregational singing; through the accompaniment of our choirs; and through the concerts, which invite members of our wider community into the Church to experience the immensity and magnificence of God through the mysterious and powerful musical sentiments expressed by this organ. 

I want to sincerely thank Rev. Lawrence W. Jozwiak, the rector of the co-cathedral, the organ committee, and all who have made this magnificent instrument a reality. And I thank all of you for your continued prayers and blessings upon the Church in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

—Daniel Cardinal DiNardo

Archbishop of Galveston-Houston

Pasi Organ Builders, Opus 19

Four manuals, 76 stops

GREAT II

16′ Principal

8′ Praestant

8′ Spitzfloete

8′ Harmonic Flute

8′ Gamba

6′ Quinte

4′ Octave

4′ Nachthorn

3′ Quinte

2′ Octave

13⁄5′ Terz

8′ Cornet V (c1)

2′ Mixture V

22⁄3′ Rauschpfeife IV

16′ Trumpet

8′ Trumpet

8′ Trompette

4′ Clairon

POSITIVE III

16′ Quintadena

8′ Praestant

8′ Gedeckt

8′ Salicional

8′ Suavial (g)

4′ Octave

4′ Rohrfloete

3′ Nazard

3′ Sesquialtera II

2′ Octave

2′ Gemshorn

13⁄5′ Tierce

11⁄3′ Larigot

1′ Scharff IV

16′ Dulzian

8′ Cromorne

8′ Trumpet

8′ Trechterregal

SWELL IV

16′ Bourdon

8′ Praestant

8′ Viola

8′ Celeste

8′ Rohrfloete

4′ Octave

4′ Harm. Flute

4′ Violetta

31⁄5′ Gross Tierce

22⁄3′ Nazard

2′ Octave

2′ Octavin

13⁄5′ Tierce

1′ Flageolet

2′ Mixture V 

16′ Bassoon

8′ Trompette

8′ Oboe

4′ Clairon

8′ Voix Humaine

GRAND CHOIR I

32′ Principal

16′ Praestant

16′ Violone

16′ Bourdon

8′ Octave

8′ Flute

4′ Octave

3′ Plein Jeu Harmonique III–V+

16′ Posaune 

16′ Bombarde 

8′ Trompette 

8′ Trumpet 

8′ Clarinette 

4′ Schalmay 

8′ Trompeta

4–16′ Trompeta

+Grand Choir only

PEDAL

32′ Principal 

16′ Praestant

16′ Violone

16′ Bourdon

8′ Octave

8′ Flute

4′ Octave

4′ Mixtur VI*

32′ Bombarde* 

32′ Trombone* 

16′ Posaune 

16′ Bombarde 

8′ Trompette 

8′ Trumpet 

8′ Clarinette 

4′ Schalmay 

2′ Cornet*

8′ Trompeta

* Pedal only

Zimbelstern (seven rotating bells)

Separate tremulants for the Great and Positive divisions, one normal and one Voix Humaine tremulant for the Swell division.

Normal mechanical-action unison couplers.

Optional electric-assist couplers to the Great, Positive, and Pedal.

Electric-assist couplers to the Grand Choir, and for all Octave Graves.

Electric stop action; 18 general and 38 divisional pistons on 2,750 levels of memory.

Wind system: twin blowers producing pressures ranging between 80 and 120 mm.

Three double-rise bellows for the Swell, Grand Choir and Pedal divisions. Two Baroque wedge bellows for the Great and Positive divisions.

Johannes Klais Orgelbau, Bonn, Germany, Opus 1881

First Church Congregational, Fairfield, Connecticut

From the Director of Music

Serving at First Church as interim director of music and organist, I soon discovered some of the shortcomings of the almost forty-year-old electronic organ. Played for weekly worship services, weddings, funerals, and a variety of other events, it became apparent that this instrument was nearing its final days. The organ committee, having been expertly guided by Justin Bischof as organ consultant, in addition to the considerations for the instrument, also addressed their concern for the acoustics and the importance of the spoken word, and the musical sound of the choirs and the organ.  

The organ will fill several roles. Most importantly, it will provide musical leadership for worship through congregational singing and will be used to accompany choirs and soloists. It can also produce a glorious sound that has the power to move the souls of the faithful. Additionally, it will serve as a concert instrument capable of hosting a wide variety of organ literature from all periods.

Visually, the organ case is a beautiful architectural element in the worship space. Klais Orgelbau, the pipe organ committee, and their consultant have designed, built, and installed a magnificent instrument that will not only fill these roles but far surpass them.  

—Dr. Paul Knox

From the Architect 

A renovation project such as this one, involving an historic building with a strongly defined character, is always challenging. People tend to resist any change to a space with which they are so familiar. Therefore, I was extremely aware of the need to be sensitive in my approach, and my goal was to accomplish the necessary changes in such a way that they respected the original design without being constricted by it.  

The major thrust of the project involved a reconfiguration of the chancel and nave spaces to allow for the installation of the Klais pipe organ. The new instrument was placed in the area formerly occupied by the pulpit, the choir, and the old electronic instrument. As a result, the pulpit and choir were pushed forward into the nave space. Our mandate was to accomplish this while removing as few pews as possible in the process.  

The design concept incorporates a gently curving raised platform for the pulpit, the choir, a piano, and the new organ console. This platform was designed to be used as a stage for weekly worship services, as well as for non-religious events such as concerts and plays. To accomplish the design, it was necessary to remove an existing proscenium arch at the front of the nave, which presented major acoustical and visual impediments for the new instrument. In addition, it was necessary to remove and relocate three stained glass windows designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. These windows would otherwise have been buried within the confines of the pipe chamber. They will be moved to the rear of the nave, where they will replace three of the original “catalog” glass windows. 

The project was accomplished in two phases. Phase one, completed in the summer of 2009, involved modifying the physical layout of the sanctuary to accommodate the new organ, as well as some necessary rehabilitation of the venerable nave space. Phase two, completed in the summer of 2010, involved the installation of the instrument itself—and it was indeed a marvelous thing to watch.

—Neil Hauck

From the Organ Consultant

Every pipe organ installation is a unique journey. Countless considerations contribute to a very complex process that includes aesthetic, liturgical, financial, and technical components.  The First Church Fairfield ten-year journey has been exciting, at times daunting, and ultimately, fulfilling beyond what any of us could have imagined. The Burr gift enabled the church to explore the dream of having a world-class pipe organ in their historic church, thereby forever changing the worship fabric in so many wonderful and meaningful ways.

The new Klais organ has been a source of joy and inspiration since the first notes were sounded last October, and will be for literally hundreds of years to come. The instrument is a joy to play and experience, as it feels as if it has “always been there” in the room. It is an ideal instrument for hymn playing and accompanying, with its warm and rich principal choruses. As a concert instrument, it is versatile and very exciting in the room, in playing repertoire of all periods.  

So many fine people had the vision, passion, and love that saw this project through to its glorious conclusion: David Spollett, pastor, who was tireless in his support and guidance; Charlotte Dyslin and Margaret Gettig, committee chairs, who ensured with their exceptional leadership that the project came to fruition; Neil Hauck, architect, who was a sympathetic and inspired aesthetic leader;  Heather Hamilton, the former director of music, who helped get the project off the ground and brought me into the process; and finally, Philipp Klais, whose world-class expertise in the ancient art of organbuilding and generosity of spirit was an inspiration to all of us throughout our journey.

It has been an honor to be a part of this historic and joyous process, as it has allowed me to become a part of the First Church family. I will always be eternally grateful for our time together and look forward to watching their music program grow over the years as a result of this fine instrument.

—Justin Bischof, D.M.A.

From the Organ Builder

Our intention for the new pipe organ in First Church Congregational, Fairfield, was to design and build a pipe organ that would become an integral part of the church as well as a singing church member. Positioned in the front of the church, right behind the altar, it was very important for us to create an instrument that would be an independent sculpture but at the same time an integral part of the church—an instrument designed in a way that the church would look incomplete without the pipe organ. 

The instrument consists of 36 stops on three manuals and pedal (two stops have been prepared), slider windchests, mechanical key action, and electric stop action. It has a very clear layout following historic traditions. From the free-standing console, trackers run straight into the lower part of the instrument. On the level of the front pipes, one finds the Great in the center, surrounded on both sides by the Pedal divided into C and C-sharp sides. On the level above, the two enclosed divisions, Swell and Choir, are placed side by side to each other. The blower with the big main reservoir is placed in the basement of the church, below the organ.

The organ does have a generous staircase in order to guarantee optimal tuning and maintenance access to every part of the instrument. Our intention was to build a pipe organ based on the traditions of the past with a vision for the future, a singing servant to the liturgy.

—Philipp C. A. Klais

From the Pipe Organ Committee

The installation of our new Klais pipe organ represents the culmination of ten years of study, discussion, decision-making, and prayer. The pipe organ committee, formed in the fall of 2000, with a generous gift from Lewis and Alice Burr, was charged with the task of finding a pipe organ to replace our failing electronic organ. Surrounded by the beauty of our church, we were reminded during our deliberation of everything we owed to those who have gone before us. Decisions were made by previous generations to expand, improve, and maintain what has been given us, and our decisions, in turn, needed to serve the generations that will follow us.  

With this in mind, along with the wishes of the Burr family, our first major determination was to recommend to the congregation that the existing electronic organ be replaced with a tracker pipe organ, an instrument that produces superior sound and one that will be more cost effective in the long run, as its life expectancy is over 200 years. The mechanical action of the tracker organ provides the most sensitive touch for the organist and requires less expenditure in maintenance. We also concluded that we needed a versatile organ with a warm sound that would provide enough flexibility for congregational singing, anthem accompaniments, and a broad range of solo organ repertoire.

By the end of the summer of 2001, after considerable discussion, we had narrowed the field of potential organ builders to two companies, both with the recommendation for placement of the organ along the center axis of the church. Because one person serves as both organist and choir director, it was necessary that the choir and organ be placed together, centrally located at the front of the sanctuary.  

During the following years, a number of essential repairs and improvements to the church buildings were identified, along with the necessary sanctuary renovations to prepare for a pipe organ, which necessitated a three-year capital campaign. Finally, in February 2008, near the end of the campaign, the congregation voted to enter into an agreement with Johannes Klais Orgelbau, Bonn, Germany. The enthusiasm of the Klais team for the project, the creativity of the design team, and Philipp’s true understanding of the part that a pipe organ plays in worship and his genuine interest in our church led us to this decision. 

All of our subsequent dealings with Klais have reinforced our initial decision. They have designed, constructed, installed, and voiced a magnificent instrument that has exceeded our expectations. We are grateful to the entire Klais team of organbuilders, whose superb workmanship has produced an instrument that will inspire singing and enable our church to continue an exemplary ministry of music in our community for many years to come.

—Charlotte Dyslin and Margaret Gettig

From the Pastor

First Church Congregational of Fairfield, Connecticut, an Open and Affirming member of the United Church of Christ, was called together by God in 1639 to live in covenant, repair a broken world, and build a society founded on justice and peace.  

Everything in that life begins with the worship of God, which fills us with joy, lifts our spirits, informs our minds, and empowers us to go forth as Christ’s servants in the service of others. Music plays a key role in our worship, inspiring our souls, warming our hearts, and moving us to action.  

The Klais pipe organ has greatly enriched our worship of God and strengthened our service to the community. Its beautiful sound, created by the rushing wind moving in our midst like the Holy Spirit, motivates and encourages us in our ministries. Its power, beauty, and versatility have greatly deepened the spiritual experience of all who join us in worship, inspiring us to deeper faith as followers of Christ. The Klais pipe organ has also enriched the community of metropolitan Bridgeport and Fairfield County and will be an asset for the congregation and community for generations to come.  

We note with the deepest gratitude the gifts and bequest of Lewis W. Burr and his wife Alice Bulkley Burr. Lewis and Alice were dedicated to our church and community, and their generosity has borne great fruit in so many areas, not least this pipe organ. Their commitment has inspired hundreds of others to join them in supporting this project, and we honor their memory and give thanks to God for their faithful and loving generosity.

We also express our deepest thanks to the pipe organ committee, co-chaired by Margaret Gettig and Charlotte Dyslin. The committee members diligently labored for almost eleven years to bring the dream of a pipe organ to reality. Their dedication, creativity, indefatigable spirits, and complete faith in God inspired me throughout this process. We owe them our heartfelt thanks. We are also profoundly grateful to our consultant Justin Bischof and to Philipp Klais and his entire team from Klais Orgelbau. It was a joy to work with Philipp throughout the process. 

We are delighted and thrilled to be the recipients of this remarkable instrument and honored to be entrusted with its care, a gift for the ages. Our prayer is that the rushing winds of the organ will fill our hearts and spirits as a holy inspiration for greater living.

—The Reverend David W. Spollett

Photo credit: H. Durston Saylor (unless indicated otherwise)

Johannes Klais Orgelbau, Bonn

Opus 1881, 2010 

I. CHOIR   C-c4

8′ Burrdon (sic!)*

8′ Dulciana

4′ Flötenprincipal

22⁄3′ Quinte

2′ Waldflöte

13⁄5′ Terz

8′ Coreinette (sic!)*

Tremolo

* original names Bourdon and Clarinette have been modified

II. GREAT   C-c4

16′ Violon

8′ Principal

8′ Flute harmonique

8′ Gamba

4′ Octave

2′ Superoctave

2′ Mixtur IV

8′ Trompete

8′ Tuba (prepared for)

III. SWELL   C-c4

16′ Burrdon

8′ Geigenprincipal

8′ Rohrflöte

8′ Aeoline

8′ Vox coelestis

4′ Traversflöte

4′ Violine

22⁄3′ Harmonia aetheria IV

16′ Basson

8′ Trompette

8′ Basson Hautbois

Tremolo

PEDAL   C-g1

32′ Flute (prepared for)

16′ Open Wood

16′ Subbass

16′ Burrdon (from Swell)

8′ Principal

8′ Burrdon

4′ Octave

16′ Posaune

16′ Basson (from Swell)

Couplers

Choir to Great

Swell to Great

Swell to Choir

Swell Suboctave

Swell Superoctave

Choir Suboctave

Choir Superoctave

Choir to Pedal

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Swell Superoctave to Pedal

36 stops on three manuals and pedal

Slider windchests

Mechanical key action (electric coupling action)

Electric stop action

Setter combination system with 1,000,000 combinations, divided into 1,000 levels with 100 groups each featuring 10 Generals and 6 Divisionals for each division

Surrounded by farmlands planted in thick carpets of corn, Grinnell, Iowa, is considered one of the most livable small towns in America. Founded in 1854 by abolitionist minister Josiah B. Grinnell, it is home to the college that now bears his name, first established in Davenport in 1846 as Iowa College. Within twenty-five years of its founding, Iowa College relocated to Grinnell, and in 1909 its name was changed officially to Grinnell College. Today it remains an outstanding liberal arts school that pioneered the Social Gospel Reform Movement, a tradition that continues to present times.
Herrick Chapel was dedicated in May 1907 and first housed an organ by Lyon & Healy. This instrument served the college for about thirty years until it was rebuilt by the Kimball Organ Company in 1940. Dedicated by Clarence Dickinson, the Kimball organ had an astonishingly short lifespan. In 1948 it was replaced by Opus 1091 of the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, retaining only the forty-six case pipes from the Lyon & Healy instrument. On May 19, 1949 the organ was dedicated by none other than Virgil Fox.
Opus 1091 proved to be, in every sense of the word, an extraordinary instrument. Its feet firmly planted in two distinctly different soils, not only did it feature a Flute Celeste, English Horn, Clarinet, and Vox Humana, it also boasted a Harp/Celesta percussion stop, thought to be one of the last, if not the last such device made by Aeolian-Skinner. These Ernest Skinner-style stops were juxtaposed with a low-pressure floating Positiv division and G. Donald Harrison’s renowned American Classic scaling and halving-ratios. As if that were not diversity enough, Opus 1091 also included three electronic 32-foot stops (Bourdon, Bombarde, and Fagott) that were downward extensions of their pneumatic siblings, and which were designed and executed by Michael Harrison, son of the firm’s forward-looking president.
When Opus 1091 was surveyed in 2003, it was found to be in pristine, perfectly restorable condition. Always the fortunate recipient of responsible and sympathetic care over the years, the organ seemed to be waiting for the restoration that had been predicted by its builder upon its completion some fifty years earlier. Perhaps not surprisingly, the only casualty proved to be the electronic 32-foot stops, of which only the loudspeakers remained.
Restoration of the organ began in mid-2006, when Richard Houghten of Milan, Michigan removed the console for restoration. The following January began the systematic removal and restoration of the pipework and chassis within the organ chamber. After the chamber had been emptied of its contents, repair and restoration of the organ’s environment could take place. Walls, ceilings, and floors were cleaned and given several fresh coats of paint to aid in delivering the organ’s sound to the listeners seated in the chapel.
All of the organ’s pipes were washed, repaired, and restored to original specifications. The fluework was restored in-house without any attempt to second-guess the builder’s intentions. Reed stops were carefully restored by Broome & Company, and now provide the organ with the éclat that Donald Harrison envisioned in 1949. All of the organ’s chassis was dismantled, cleaned, releathered, and adjusted to replicate original factory standards. It is accurate to state that everything was done to make this a truly transparent restoration, one in which the original builder’s concepts and execution were respected at every step of the way. Even Aeolian-Skinner’s elegant remote electro-pneumatic machinery for the combination action was retained and restored to its original standards.
An interesting conundrum appeared when it came to the organ’s 32-foot stops. There was little room in the organ chamber for real organ pipes, nor budget for their inclusion. And as much as the restorers resisted the thought of non-pipe sound generation in the organ, the original instrument made no apologies for the installation of such effects. Even though Michael Harrison downplayed the authenticity and effectiveness of such voices in his later years, claiming that they remained “underdeveloped” when he left Aeolian-Skinner, the restorers were left with the dilemma of either replicating the original stops with modern digital voices, or leaving three stops in the Pedal Organ without bottom octaves. In the end, the missing 32-foot voices were replicated by Walker Technical Company’s contemporary versions of Michael Harrison’s experimental stops of 1948. Opus 1091 was rededicated April 3–4, 2009 in a series of events featuring Kevin Bowyer (University of Glasgow), Paul Jacobs (The Juilliard School), and Davis Folkerts, who improvised accompaniments to the silent films Laughing Gas and The Vagabond.
At every step of the way, the restorers endeavored to stand aside and let the work of the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company shine through. College Organist Linda Bryant threw her full support behind the restoration project, as did College President Russell Osgood and local curator Carroll Hanson, all of whom were enthusiastic about the concept of restoring Opus 1091 to its original condition. Today, more than sixty years after it was dedicated, this organ works and sounds as it did when it left the Aeolian-Skinner shops in 1948. It is the restorers’ sense that history will applaud what was done in Herrick Chapel, and that musicians and historians of the future will be grateful that one of
G. Donald Harrison’s larger and more interesting instruments survived a critical moment in its life, and now serves to teach the future about the past.
Nicholas Thompson-Allen

Joseph F. Dzeda

A. Thompson-Allen Company, LLC

Grinnell College has had its wonderful Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ for over sixty years. Situated in Herrick Chapel, it is used for recitals, religious services, weddings, organ teaching, and concerts. Herrick Chapel has been maintained regularly with modest improvements (sprinklers, simplifying the altar area, restoring stained glass windows, and carpeting). But our organ, which was maintained and repaired, had not been thoroughly renovated.
At the same time as we were getting pointed suggestions to do a restoration, a donor stepped forward who offered to pay half the bill for a thorough estimate of the cost of a renovation. I gladly agreed to this and we hired Joe Dzeda and Nick Thompson-Allen of the A. Thompson-Allen Company of New Haven. I had some acquaintance with the firm due to their work on the Yale campus (where I was an undergraduate and a law student) and at an Episcopal church in New Haven that I had attended.
The estimate was over a million dollars; it called for a restoration of the organ along the same lines as the initial installation. The main problem was finding the resources to pay for the renovation. No one doubted that the project was needed or that the organ was worthy of this investment. Grinnell College maintains a fund for larger repairs that we believed could pay for a substantial portion, but perhaps not even half of the cost. Fortuitously, one of our alums who had died at about this time left the Music Department a very large bequest. The department, after some importuning by the president, agreed to contribute a significant amount of the bequest to the organ project.
In the world of fine organ restorers, the work never starts immediately after an agreement is reached, because there is a waiting list. We got in line and soon the project was underway. At the very end, our original donor stepped forward again and suggested he would pay half the cost to refurbish the non-speaking visible pipes.
Finally, we had a series of dedicatory concerts with two well-known organists playing familiar pieces (Bach) and some not-so-familiar modern organ works. It was a wonderful culmination of a needed project that will pay dividends of another fifty years of great organ music. This project would not have happened without the following: 1) an organist who cared, 2) a president who was sympathetic, 3) donors willing to help, and 4) a very fine restorer.
Russell K. Osgood
Grinnell College President

I became Grinnell College Organist early in 2001. I inherited an organ with much beauty and potential but with many “issues” because of its age. Turning it on was often an adventure! I very quickly became friends with Carroll Hanson of Iowa City, who had for many years taken care of the instrument—tuning, repairing, and sometimes protecting it from those who thought it should be replaced.
Mr. Hanson introduced me to James Windsor, III of Des Moines, an alumnus of Grinnell College and a huge fan of Aeolian-Skinner organs. He expressed interest in helping me get Opus 1091 restored. I did some research to determine who should be invited to look at the instrument with restoration in mind and together we approached Russell Osgood, Grinnell College President. Mr. Windsor offered to help pay expenses to bring Joseph Dzeda and Nicholas Thompson-Allen of the A. Thompson-Allen Co., New Haven, Connecticut, to do just that. President Osgood agreed.
Joe and Nick were dancing in the aisles of Herrick Chapel when they realized that this was truly the gem we had told them to expect! They wrote a proposal, which was accepted. I might add that the project became possible because of a large bequest that came to the college at the right time and which was able to be used for this project. Thus began a happy chapter for this instrument, the college, the area, and the organ world. At an age when pipe organs require this kind of attention and funds are not always available, making an instrument vulnerable, this one was restored!
A used three-manual Allen electronic was purchased for use while the restoration was underway. It is now in use at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Grinnell.
The organ was rededicated April 3–4, 2009, with a recital by Kevin Bowyer of Glasgow, Scotland, who performed a work by John Zorn commissioned by Grinnell College for this event, a recital by Paul Jacobs of the Juilliard School, and a silent film accompanied by Davis Folkerts of Pella, Iowa. The same weekend, the organ was designated an “Historic Instrument” by the Organ Historical Society. The certificate hangs on the case just below the pipe chamber.
I am blessed with the opportunity to perform regularly and to teach on this instrument. My students are able to practice on it. It still lends its voice to worship, weddings and memorial services, baccalaureate, alumni events, and various concerts and performances.
Linda Bryant
Grinnell College Organist

Photos courtesy of Grinnell College

Aeolian-Skinner Opus 1091, Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa

Great Organ - 61 notes - 33Ъ4″ wind

16′ Quintaton 42 scale, com.

8′ Diapason 43 scale, ¼ m, ½ on 17th

8′ Bourdon #2 1–12 stopped wood, 13–61 spotted metal with felted canisters

8′ Gemshorn great type, cone tuned

4′ Octave 56 scale, ¼ m, ½ on 18th

4′ Flute 50 scale at 8′C, harmonic at 1′C

22⁄3′ Twelfth 67 scale, ¼ m, ½ on 18th

2′ Fifteenth 70 scale, ¼ m, ½ on 18th

III–V Fourniture 46 scale at 8′C, ¼ m, ½ on 19th

15-19-22 12 notes

12-15-19-22 18 notes

8-12-15-19 6 notes

1-8-12-15 12 notes

1-5-8-12-15 13 notes

245 pipes

Chimes

Tremolo

Swell Organ - 73 notes - 5″ wind

16′ Gedeckt 1–24 stopped wood, 25–73 spotted metal with felted canisters

8′ Geigen Diapason 46 scale, ¼ m, ½ on 17th, slotted and slided

8′ Chimney Flute 1–12 zinc metal with felted canisters, 13–61 spotted metal with felted canisters with chimneys, 62–73 open spotted metal

8′ Salicional 60 scale, 1/5 m

8′ Voix Celeste (t.c.) 60 scale, 1/5 m

8′ Flauto Dolce com.

8′ Flute Celeste (t.c.) com.

4′ Octave Geigen 57 scale, ¼ m, ½ on 17th

4′ Flute Triangulaire 1–49 open wood,  50–73 open common metal

2′ Flautino 61 pipes, 70 scale, ¼ m, ½ on 17th

IV Plein Jeu all 48 scale at 8′C, ¼ m, ½ on 18th

19-22-26-29 17 notes

15-19-22-26 12 notes

12-15-19-22 12 notes

8-12-15-19 7 notes

1-8-12-15 6 notes

1-5-8-12 7 notes

244 pipes

16′ Contra Hautbois  53⁄4″ at 16′C, parallel domed shallots

8′ Trompette French #2 – parallel domed shallots

8′ Oboe com.

8′ Vox Humana lift cap

4′ Clarion French #2 – parallel domed shallots

Tremolo

Choir Organ - 73 notes - 5″ wind

16′ Contra Dulciana 12 pipes, 44 scale at 16′C, 1⁄5 m

8′ Viola 54 scale, 1⁄5 m

8′ Concert Flute old stock Orchestral flute with open bass 

1–49 open wood, harmonic at 1′C, 

50–61 harmonic open metal, 62–73 open  metal

8′ Dulciana 73 pipes, 56 scale at 8′C, 1⁄5 m

8′ Unda Maris (t.c.) 56 scale, 1⁄5 m

4′ Orchestral Flute 50 scale at 8′C, harmonic at 1′C

4′ Dulciana 12 pipes

22⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes, helical metal to metal koppel-type canisters

2′ Piccolo 61 pipes, 70 scale, 1⁄5 m, harmonic at 1′C

13⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes, baroque type, 1⁄6 m, breaks back one octave at G56

8′ Clarinet com.

8′ English Horn com.

Harp

Celesta (61 bars total)

Chimes (25 notes)

Tremolo

Positiv Organ - 61 notes - 3″ wind

8′ Nachthorn 1–12 zinc with felted canisters,  

13–61 spotted metal with felted canisters

4′ Koppel Flute helical metal to metal koppel-type canisters

22⁄3′ Nazard “baroque”

2’ Blockflöte “baroque”

13⁄5′ Tierce “baroque”

III Cymbel as Germanic Positiv opus 951

29-33-36 12 notes

26-29-33 6 notes

22-26-29 6 notes

19-22-26 6 notes

15-19-22 12 notes

12-15-19 6 notes

8-12-15 13 notes

183 pipes

Pedal Organ - 32 notes - 5″ wind

32′ Bourdon (electronic)

16′ Contre Basse #1

16′ Bourdon #1A

16′ Viola 42 scale, 1⁄5 m

16′ Dulciana (Choir)

16′ Quintaton (Great)

16′ Gedeckt (Swell)

8′ Spitzprincipal 32 pipes, 43 scale,  2⁄9 m, straight pipes

8′ Flute 12 pipes – Bourdon

8′ Dulciana (Choir)

8′ Gedeckt (Swell)

4′ Choral Bass 32 pipes, 56 scale, ¼ m, ½ on 17th, slotted and slided

III Mixture 96 pipes, all 46 scale at 8′C, ¼ m

51⁄3′, 22⁄3′, 2′ no breaks

32′ Bombarde (electronic)

32′ Fagott (electronic)

16′ Posaune 8″ scale at 16′C, English shallots

16′ Hautbois (Swell)

8′ Tromba 12 pipes

4′ Clarion 12 pipes

Chimes

Unison Couplers

Swell to Great

Choir to Great

Swell to Choir

Great to Choir

Unison release to Swell, Choir, and Great

Octave Couplers

Swell to Swell 16′

Swell to Swell 4′

Swell to Great 16′

Swell to Great 4′

Swell to Choir 16′

Swell to Choir 4′

Choir to Choir 16′

Choir to Choir 4′

Choir to Great 16′

Choir to Great 4′

Great to Great 16′

Great to Great 4′

Pedal Couplers

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Choir to Pedal

Positiv to Pedal

Swell to Pedal 4′

Choir to Pedal 4′

Great to Pedal 4′

Combinations

Great 1–6

Swell 1–6

Choir 1–6

Positiv 1–4

Pedal 1–6

General 1–7

Coupler 1, 2, 3 (one under each manual)

Mechanicals

Positiv to Great on, off and release

Positiv to Choir on, off and release

Swell expression pedal

Choir expression pedal

Crescendo pedal with 6 indicator lights

Sforzando reversible pedal and piston

Great to Pedal reversible pedal and piston

Swell to Pedal reversible piston

Choir to Pedal reversible piston

Swell to Great reversible piston

Swell to Choir reversible piston

Choir to Great reversible piston

Pedal to Manual combinations “On” and “Off” for each manual

16′ Stops and 16′ Couplers off, to work on Crescendo and Sforzando

Tracker touch on keys

Setter button with lock

All metal flues are zinc and spotted metal from 4′C up with the exception of the Swell 8′ Flauto Dolce, Flute Celeste, and 50–73 of the  Flute Triangulaire.

All reeds are zinc and spotted metal with the exception of the Choir 8′ Clarinet and the Pedal Posaune unit, which are common metal.