New Organs

The Reuter Organ Company, Lawrence, Kansas

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Alexandria, Louisiana, Opus 2218

A handsome and acoustically marvelous space, St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Alexandria, Louisiana is truly a remarkable home for Reuter opus 2218. Given the historic beauty of the building and the care with which it has been restored, the goal of the project was to craft an instrument worthy of such a space and sensitive to existing resources. “We evaluated three designs from major organ builders,” says Jack Randall, an Alexandria architect and member of the cathedral’s organ committee. “The Reuter design was far superior to the others in that it was so respectful of the 100-plus year-old cathedral architecture, which is eclectic English Gothic style, rendered in indigenous brick on the exterior and wood and plaster on the interior. We were particularly impressed with two features of the Reuter design: 1) the antiphonal organ is completely concealed behind the ornate Gothic reredos; 2) the design of the façade pipes in the choir loft is truly beautiful and reflects the form and shapes of the reredos and the stained glass window above it, which depicts Christ ascending with arms upraised amid radiant clouds. The façade sits perfectly in the Gothic arch behind the choir.”

After much discussion, an organ design of 48 ranks was developed, using 17 ranks from the original organ and its subsequent rebuilds, including pipes from the Estey firm of Brattleboro, Vermont (1920s), as well as other builders and supply houses (1970s & 1980s). In June 2003, all of the salvaged pipework and mechanisms were transported to the Reuter facility in Lawrence, Kansas to be reconditioned and assimilated into the new instrument. After the installation, tonal finishing, and tuning—which happened over the course of about eight weeks—the organ was heard for the first time by the organ committee on Monday evening, November 24, 2003, and used for its first Mass on that Thanksgiving weekend.

Forty-three ranks are engineered into the tower chamber in the gallery, and the remaining five ranks and chimes are installed inconspicuously in a small chamber (the Echo division) behind the high altar. The Grande Orgue and Pédale are mounted high, front and center in the tower chamber. The Récit Expressif and Positif Expressif are installed at the back of the tower chamber behind large banks of mechanical shutters. The Echo division became the new home for some of the most beautiful and beloved sounds from the original Estey organ. Intended primarily for accompanying the cantors during Mass, the Echo is enclosed with a small bank of shutters mounted on the chamber ceiling. The polished copper and polished zinc speaking façade pipes of the Pédale 16¢ Montre are displayed in front of the gallery tower chamber, accentuating the Gothic arch and maintaining the traditional style of the building.

— Reuter Organ Co. /

S. Christopher Leaver



Photo: Reuter Organ Co. / Bill Klimas

Reuter Opus 2218

38 stops, 48 ranks

GRANDE ORGUE

16' Diapason (Positif)

8' Montre

8' Bourdon

8' Flûte Harmonique

4' Prestant

4' Flûte à Fuseau

2' Doublette

IV Fourniture

III Cornet

16' Contre Trompette (Récit)

8' Bombarde

8' Trompette en Chamade

Glockenstern

Cloches (Echo)

MIDI


RÉCIT EXPRESSIF

16' Flûte à Cheminée

8' Flûte à Cheminée (ext)

8' Salicional

8' Voix Céleste (TC)

4' Prestant

4' Flûte Ouverte

22/3' Nazard

2' Flûte (ext)

13/5' Tierce

IV Plein Jeu

16' Contre Trompette

8' Trompette (ext)

8' Hautbois

8' Voix Humaine

8' Trompette en Chamade (G.O.)

Tremblant

MIDI


POSITIF EXPRESSIF

16' Dolce

8' Diapason

8' Cor de Nuit

8' Dolce (ext)

8' Unda Maris (TC)

4' Octave Diapason (ext)

4' Flûte Traversière

2' Flageolet

11/3' Quint

III Mixture

8' Petit Trompette

8' Clarinette

8' Trompette en Chamade (G.O.)

Tremblant

MIDI


ECHO

8' Principal

8' Voix Aetheria

8' Voix Céleste (TC)

8' Bourdon

4' Octave

4' Flûte Ouverte

Cloches (Chimes)

Cymbelstern


ECHO PÉDALE

16' Bourdon (ext, 1–12 digital)

8' Bourdon (Echo)


PÉDALE

32' Acoustic Bass

16' Montre

16' Soubasse

16' Dolce (Positif)

16' Bourdon (Récit)

8' Octave (ext)

8' Soubasse (ext)

8' Diapason (Positif)

8' Dolce (Positif)

8' Bourdon (Récit)

4' Octave (ext)

4' Soubasse (ext)

32' Basson (ext, Récit)

16' Bombarde (ext, G.O.)

16' Contre Trompette (Récit)

8' Bombarde (G.O.)

8' Trompette (Récit)

4' Trompette (Récit)

8' Trompette en Chamade (G.O.)

MIDI

Orgues Létourneau Limitée, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada

The Lutheran Church of the Nativity, Alexandria, Virginia

Létourneau’s Opus 94 was completed in late 2004 with a dedicatory concert played by Haig Mardirosian, who also served as consultant to the project. Though physically a small instrument—measuring 11' wide, 11' tall and 8'9" deep including pedalboard—this 18-stop mechanical action organ was designed and voiced to produce an exceptionally wide variety of sonorities. Based on an 8' Principal and boasting a variety of other unison stops, the instrument has proven adept at accompanying the church’s liturgy and performing organ repertoire. Where practical, pipes in the bass octave have been shared between similar stops to save space (e.g., the Great 8' Chimney Flute and the Swell 8' Stopped Diapason share common pipes for the first 10 notes). The entire instrument is enclosed within one swell box—excepting the Great 8' Open Diapason and Pedal 16'-8' Bourdon—though the traditional dynamic relationship between Great and Swell has been preserved through voicing. The attached two-manual console features bone naturals and ebony accidentals, while the pedalboard features maple naturals with ebony accidentals.

—Andrew Forrest



Photo © Dupont Photographers Inc.

GREAT (enclosed with Swell)

8' Open Diapason (façade)

8' Chimney Flute

8' Salicional

4' Octave

4' Harmonic Flute

2' Fifteenth

11/3' Mixture III (Swell)

8' Echo Trumpet (Swell)

Swell to Great


SWELL (enclosed)

8' Stopped Diapason (wood)

8' Gamba

8' Voix Celeste (TC)

4' Principal

4' Spitz Flute

11/3' Larigot

11/3' Mixture III

8' Echo Trumpet


PEDAL

16' Bourdon

8' Octave Bourdon

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal



General Tremulant

Gober Organs, Inc., Elora, Ontario, Canada

The Oratory, St. Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph, Minnesota

This one-manual organ was conceived expressly for gentle support of singing in the daily prayer services of this Benedictine womens’ community. The services involve the whole community and take place in complete silence except for the readings, the chanting and singing of psalms and hymns. In this setting an organ of normal softness would still be too loud. For portions of the service, psalms are chanted in alternatim between the leader and the people. The very sweet Gedackt 8' contrasts with a Gamba 8' whose complex overtones give it great pitch definition, useful for accompanying lay singers. These two stops can be switched between psalm verses using the reversible pedal. The 4' and 2' flutes, both conical, give combinations in the nature of a flute consort, with rhythmical underpinning given by the pedal 16'.

The case functions as a swell box that encloses all the manual pipes; a swell pedal operates the end panels of the case. In the spirit of the austere simplicity of the community’s buildings and their furnishings, the solid white oak case’s only adornment is a shallow scalloping given to the quarter-sawn end panels by the carver’s gouge, creating an undulating effect in the grain.

—Halbert Gober


Manual C–f3 (54 notes)

8' Gedackt

8' Gamba (C–A with Gedackt)

4' Recorder

2' Fife

Pedal C–d1 (27 notes)

16' Subbass



Manual-Pedal coupler

Orgues Létourneau Limitée, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada

The Church of Christ at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

Following a complete reconstruction of the church’s chancel area, Létourneau’s Opus 83 was completed in March 2005. The organ was formally dedicated by Peter Sykes a month later in two recitals featuring works by Mendelssohn, Mozart, Tunder, Bach and Vierne. The concerts were highlighted by the world premiere of a commissioned work by Joel Martinson entitled Out of the Depths: Three Essays on a Chorale.

The organ’s stoplist was prepared in collaboration with the church’s director of music, Ernest Drown, and reflects a classical disposition that pairs well with the instrument’s suspended mechanical key action. The organ has proven itself to be equally adept at supporting the church’s worship services and in the words of Mr. Drown, “has an uncanny sensitivity to the player’s intentions or lack of same . . . I get off the bench a better player every time.”

The organ features a two-manual and pedal console built into the organ case (en fenêtre); manuals have bone naturals and ebony accidentals, while the pedalboard features maple naturals with ebony accidentals. The stop action is electric, permitting a complete system of pistons with 64 levels of memory.

—Andrew Forrest


GREAT

16' Bourdon

8' Open Diapason

8' Chimney Flute

4' Principal

4' Spindle Flute

22⁄3' Nazard

2' Fifteenth

2' Block Flute

13⁄5' Tierce

11⁄3' Mixture IV

8' Trumpet

Tremulant

Swell to Great

SWELL (enclosed)

8' Salicional

8' Stopped Diapason

4' Principal

4' Spire Flute

2' Fifteenth

11⁄3' Larigot

1' Mixture III

8' Oboe

Tremulant

PEDAL

16' Subbass

8' Principal

8' Bass Flute

4' Choral Bass

16' Trombone

8' Trumpet

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Designing an organ presents many challenges, many of which are related to making the instrument fit tonally and visually into the building which will be its home.

Fratelli Ruffatti, Padua, Italy

Buckfast Abbey, 

Devon, United Kingdom

The sound

Designing an organ presents many challenges, many of which are related to making the instrument fit tonally and visually into the building which will be its home. The challenges connected with our recent installation at Buckfast Abbey, Devon, England, were, in many ways, out of the ordinary. We were asked to design two instruments of considerable size, tonally interconnected, for a building of moderate size and very kind acoustics that amplify sound in a dreamlike fashion. While it was not difficult to design an instrument to play a variety of literature, much attention was required to scaling the sound to the building without sacrificing the proper characterization of the many different stops.

The tonal palette was based on an initial draft by Matthew Martin, international recitalist, former organist at the London Oratory and now Fellow and Director of Music and College Lecturer at Keble College, Oxford. Further adjustments were coordinated between Philip Arkwright, Organist and Master of the Music at Buckfast Abbey, and Fratelli Ruffatti.

The main instrument, of four manuals and pedal, is located on two sides behind the choir stalls and partially on the triforium level (the upper arcaded gallery) above. Specifically, Great, Positivo (in the Italian style, hence the name), Swell, and Pedal are housed inside solid oak cases at nave level, while the Solo division is placed at triforium level, along with a whole series of “special effects” playable from the Positivo, some of which belong to the early Italian tradition.

The second instrument, comprising two manual divisions with full pedal, is located in the west gallery and partially in the triforium level areas that are closest to the west gallery. Two nearly identical four-manual consoles have been provided, one in each location. The difference between the two is that the Quire console is equipped with an electric lift that adjusts the height of the keydesk and stop jambs by more than four inches (10 centimeters). This feature, along with the two height-adjustable benches (one for concert use, and one for teaching purposes), makes it very easy for any organist to find comfortable playing space. 

As G. Donald Harrison, the Englishman who became tonal director of Aeolian Skinner, once stated, “To me, all art is international; one can draw from the best of all countries. I have used the technique at my disposal to produce instruments which I consider suitable for expressing the best in organ literature.” This instrument indeed embraces this philosophy. The requirements for the seven initial worldwide organbuilders that were asked to submit specifications included the need for the instrument to support a wide repertoire of accompanied music, as well as to successfully perform a wide range of organ literature. Such requirements were not taken lightly and, drawing from decades of experience and from different traditions, as Harrison advocated, Ruffatti introduced several tonal features that are new or rare to find in England, with the aim of sparking interest for improvisation and creative registration for the international repertoire. 

It is along these lines that the Gallery Organ was designed. It draws from the French Romantic tradition of Cavaillé-Coll. Dedicated studies were conducted on several organs in Paris and other locations in order to ensure as close a proximity as possible to the Cavaillé-Coll style, by carefully copying pipe measurements and voicing methods, without pretentious claims of authenticity. The instrument is designed as a two-manual, but it can also be used as a large cohesive division, part of which is under expression, that can be played against, or in tandem with, the main Quire Organ. 

Along the same line of thought, the Italian Positivo was introduced in the Quire. With the tonal consistency of an early Italian instrument and the trademark low-pressure voicing, it provides all tonal resources needed to faithfully perform classical Italian literature from the Renaissance up to the early Romantic period, an ingredient that is indeed rare to find in an instrument in England. It is also ideal for playing in alternatim with the monastic choir. This is not just a nice “toy” to have, but serves convincingly as a Positiv division, in dialogue with the Great for access to a broader classical repertoire.

Another note of interest concerns the Solo division, which includes stops that have been drawn from the Skinner tradition, as well as other orchestral stops of Ruffatti design.

One of the aspects characteristic of Fratelli Ruffatti is that we manufacture almost everything in house, including flue and reed pipes. This is the best guarantee for quality control. At the same time, it provides the opportunity to carefully select all the ingredients that are necessary in the mind of the tonal designer. The difference is in the details. Being able to pass any requirements that experience dictates on to the pipe shop enables the voicers to exactly tailor the sound to the room, resulting in that perfect blend for which Ruffatti is famous.  

Versatility is only partially the product of having a variety of stops on hand; what really makes the difference is the ability of each stop to combine successfully with all others to produce countless tonal combinations. Open-toe voicing for principals and flutes is the key, as it favors blending of sounds, as well as promptness and precision of speech, an aspect that is of paramount importance, especially when there is no close proximity of the player to the pipes (as there would be with a mechanical action instrument). An old misconception still flies around, deriving from the early neo-Baroque times of the Orgelbewegung, or Organ Reform Movement of the mid-twentieth century, where the open-toe voicing technique was sometimes used to produce excessively harsh sounds. Open-toe voicing is instead quite versatile, ideal for the effective voicing of a rank of pipes in a variety of styles, regardless of the chosen wind pressures. 

Materials for the construction of pipes include the ultra-shiny alloy of ninety-five percent tin, used for the pipes in the façade as well as for a high number of larger internal pipes. Its structural strength and incredible resonance properties make it ideal for pipes of larger size. Other internal pipes are made with a tin percentage ranging from 75 to 30 percent.

Many pipes are made of wood, including the resonators of the two majestic 32′ reeds, the Bombarde, and the Fagott. Only the finest African Sipo mahogany has been used, varnished inside and out to enhance resonance. The Pontifical Trumpet, which projects horizontally from the front of the Gallery Organ, has highly polished solid brass resonators.

This organ was featured in the press for the first time in the March 2018 issue of the British magazine Organists’ Review with an article by Philip Arkwright, Organist and Master of the Music at Buckfast Abbey. It was inaugurated on April 20, 2018, with a splendid concert performed by Martin Baker, Organist and Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral, which I had the good fortune to witness. The improvisation that closed the performance was stunning: a perfect demonstration of creativity and a kaleidoscopic use of musical color.

The opening organ series also includes concerts by Vincent Dubois, titular organist of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris; David Briggs, Artist-in-Residence at St. John the Divine, New York City; Matthew Martin, Director of Music at Keble College, Oxford; Richard Lester, international recitalist; and in-house organists Richard Lea and Matthew Searles.

—Francesco Ruffatti

 

Architecture and technical features

The east and west organs at Buckfast Abbey are aesthetically quite different. The east organ (Quire) is intended to be discreet, as the client’s desire was that the front of the building should not have the imposing presence of an intricate organ design. For this reason we chose a very simple layout for the façade, with pipes recessed into three arches that crown the stalls on both sides of the Quire. The pipes are hardly visible from the center of the building, but clearly show the brightness of the tin they are built from when they are seen from the side.

The central pipe of each bay, with its diamond-shaped embossing, reflects the light in all directions, providing a touch of richness within the simplicity of the design scheme.

The west organ (Gallery) gave us the opportunity to offer a more sophisticated architectural solution. The full visibility of the splendid stained glass windows being paramount, we built two symmetrical oak organ cases against the side walls of the gallery, with tunnels to grant access to the balcony from the doors in the back corners. The aim was for a design of lightness and richness at the same time—not an easy task, as the two qualities are normally in conflict.

To achieve this goal, we chose a case design where the façade pipes are not topped by a ceiling. Instead, there is an alternation between bays having pipes with unobstructed tops and pipes with carved elements defining the top line. The richness is provided by the carving, which is also used to separate façade pipes within the same bay. In the general scheme, it gives visual continuity to the various bays. These elements have been hand-carved from European oak by a gifted artist, from a Ruffatti design inspired by the intricate and elaborate carved wood of the Abbey’s choir stalls. Even the panels of the lower part of the case are enriched by carvings in the Gothic style. 

The sunlight coming through the stained glass windows is reflected by the shiny surface of the tin pipes, adding a touch of color to the façade, an effect that is remarkably spectacular.

The signature Ruffatti horizontal trumpets, with their flared brass bells, extend from the lower part of the cases, projecting their shining beauty into the Abbey’s central bay.

The most frequent comment we have received on the design is that the organ looks like it has always been there. I believe that this is the biggest compliment that can be paid to the designer, because it proves that the organ belongs to the building, without imposing its presence. The initial aim has been reached: a light yet elegant result.

On the strictly technical side, African Sipo mahogany is widely used for functional parts, such as all of the windchests. The main units are of the slider type, which are controlled by solenoids of the latest generation, featuring self-adjusting power for the initial stiffness of the slider movement and reduced power at the end of the travel, for maximum silence.

The twin consoles feature identical controls and can be played simultaneously, as they often are. The control system is operated by the organist from a touch-screen panel, and it offers a large number of functions. The huge memory provides separate password-protected storage folders for many organists, where stop combinations, personal crescendo, and tutti settings can be stored. The system also features, among many other useful tools, a transposer, a record/playback function, and on-board diagnostics, a useful tool for maintenance.

The height adjustment of the keydesk of the Quire console is controlled by a push button, operating a heavy-duty electric motor. Adjusting the level of the keydesk allows maximum comfort for the player, regardless of that person’s physical height and build.

The organ is distributed over several locations and, true to Ruffatti philosophy, uses several different wind pressures to optimize the tonal result of the various stops. As a result, nine separate blowers, twenty traditional reservoirs, and nine schwimmers have been used to provide adequate and stable wind at the many different pressures, ranging from 40 to 185 mm.

—Piero Ruffatti

 

Builder’s website: www.ruffatti.com/en/

Church’s website: www.buckfast.org.uk/

 

QUIRE ORGAN

Location: Quire and Triforium 

POSITIVO (unenclosed–Manual I)

8′ Principale 61 pipes

8′ Bordone 61 pipes

8′ Voce Umana (tenor G) 42 pipes

4′ Ottava 61 pipes

4′ Flauto Veneziano 61 pipes

2′ Decimaquinta 61 pipes

11⁄3′ Decimanona 61 pipes

22⁄3′ Sesquialtera II 122 pipes

2⁄3′ Ripieno III 183 pipes

8′ Cromorno 61 pipes

8′ Pontifical Trumpet Solo

8′ Abbatial Trumpet Solo

Glockenspiel (tenor C) 30 bells

Tremulant

Nightingale 5 pipes

Cymbelstern 12 bells

Drum 3 pipes

6′ Bagpipe F 1 pipe

4′ Bagpipe C 1 pipe

22⁄3′ Bagpipe G 1 pipe

GREAT (unenclosed–Manual II)

16′ Bourdon 61 pipes

8′ Principal 61 pipes

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes

8′ Spitzflöte 61 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Blockflöte 61 pipes

22⁄3′ Quint 61 pipes

2′ Superoctave 61 pipes

11⁄3′ Mixture IV 244 pipes

1⁄2′ Terz Zimbel III 183 pipes

8′ Trumpet 61 pipes

4′ Clarion 61 pipes

8′ Pontifical Trumpet Solo

8′ Abbatial Trumpet Solo

Sub Octave

Unison Off 

SWELL (enclosed–Manual III)

8′ Flûte à Cheminée 61 pipes

8′ Gemshorn 61 pipes

8′ Viole de Gambe 61 pipes

8′ Voix Céleste (tenor C) 49 pipes

4′ Prestant 61 pipes

4′ Flûte Creuse 61 pipes

22⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

2′ Octavin 61 pipes

13⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes

2′ Plein Jeu IV 244 pipes

16′ Basson 61 pipes

8′ Trompette Harmonique 61 pipes

8′ Hautbois (ext 16′) 12 pipes

4′ Clairon Harmonique (ext 8′) 12 pipes

Tremulant

Sub Octave

Unison Off

Super Octave

SOLO (enclosed–Manual IV)

16′ Lieblich Bourdon 61 pipes

8′ Orchestral Flute 61 pipes

8′ Doppelflöte 61 pipes

8′ Salicional 61 pipes

8′ Unda Maris (tenor C) 49 pipes

8′ Flûte Douce 61 pipes

8′ Flûte Céleste (tenor C) 49 pipes

4′ Flauto d’Amore 61 pipes

22⁄3′ Harmonic Nazard 61 pipes

2′ Harmonic Piccolo 61 pipes

13⁄5′ Harmonic Tierce 61 pipes

8′ Bassett Horn 61 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes

8′ Pontifical Trumpet* 61 pipes

8′ Abbatial Trumpet** 61 pipes

Tremulant

Sub Octave

Unison Off

Super Octave

* mounted horizontally from the front of the Gallery Organ cases, divided at both sides. Not affected by couplers

**located in the Triforium, unenclosed. Not affected by couplers

PEDAL

32′ Contra Bourdon digital

16′ Contrabass 32 pipes

16′ Subbass 32 pipes

16′ Bourdon Great

16′ Lieblich Bourdon Solo

102⁄3′ Quintflöte 32 pipes

8′ Octave 32 pipes

8′ Flûte Ouverte 32 pipes

51⁄3′ Nazard (ext 102⁄3′) 12 pipes

4′ Superoctave 32 pipes

2′ Flûte 32 pipes

22⁄3′ Mixture IV 128 pipes

32′ Fagott 32 pipes

16′ Bombarde 32 pipes

16′ Basson Swell

8′ Trompette (ext 16′) 12 pipes

4′ Schalmei 32 pipes

 

GALLERY ORGAN

Location: West Gallery

GRAND-ORGUE
(unenclosed–floating) 

16′ Bourdon 61 pipes

8′ Montre 61 pipes

8′ Flûte Harmonique 61 pipes

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes

4′ Prestant 61 pipes

4′ Flûte Octaviante 61 pipes

22⁄3′ Cornet III (tenor G) 126 pipes

2′ Doublette 61 pipes

2′ Plein Jeu III–V 264 pipes

8′ Clarinette 61 pipes

8′ Pontifical Trumpet Solo

8′ Abbatial Trumpet Solo

Tremblant

Sub Octave

Unison Off

EXPRESSIF (enclosed–floating)

8′ Violoncelle 61 pipes

8′ Violoncelle Céleste (TC) 49 pipes

8′ Cor de Chamois 61 pipes

8′ Cor de Chamois Céleste (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Prestant 61 pipes

8′ Trompette 61 pipes

4′ Clairon 61 pipes

Tremblant

Sub Octave

Unison Off

Super Octave

 

PÉDALE

16′ Soubasse 32 pipes

16′ Bourdon Grand-Orgue

8′ Basse 32 pipes

8′ Bourdon (ext 16′) 12 pipes

4′ Flûte (ext 16′) 12 pipes

32′ Bombarde* 32 pipes

16′ Bombarde (ext 32′)* 12 pipes

8′ Trompette (ext 32′)* 12 pipes

* located in the Gallery Organ Triforium

 

Positivo special effects located in the Quire Organ Triforium

 

Solo located in the Quire Organ Triforium

 

Four-manual movable Quire console, with electric height-adjustment for keyboards and stop knobs

Four-manual movable Gallery console

The consoles can be used simultaneously to perform repertoire for two organs

 

CONSOLE CONTROLS

Identical for both consoles

 

COUPLERS (tilting tablets)

Solo to Swell 16-8-4

Expressif on Manual III

Solo to Great 16-8-4

Swell to Great 16-8-4

Positivo to Great 8

Grand-Orgue on Manual II

Gallery* on Manual I

Solo to Positivo 16-8-4

Great to Positivo 16-8-4

Swell to Positivo 16-8-4

Solo to Pedal 8

Swell to Pedal 8

Great to Pedal 8

Positivo to Pedal 8

Grand-Orgue to Pedal 8-4

Expressif to Pedal 8-4

* Grand-Orgue and Expressif combined

 

Reeds Off (for entire organ)

Mixtures Off (for entire organ)

 

Gallery* on Manual I on key cheek

Grand-Orgue on Manual II on key cheek

Expressif on Manual III on key cheek

*including both Gallery Organ manual divisions

 

Quire Organ Tutti

Full Organ Tutti

Pédale Off on key cheek

 

Sustain for Solo, Swell, Great, Positivo

 

Great and Pedal combinations coupled

Grand-Orgue and Pédale combinations coupled

 

All Swells to Swell

 

Quire Organ On – on key cheek

Gallery Organ On – on key cheek

 

Record and Playback

 

COMBINATION ACTION:

Twelve general pistons for Quire and Gallery organs

Eight Quire Organ divisional pistons

Six Gallery Organ divisional pistons

Set, General Cancel

Previous (-), Next (+) in several locations

Thousands of memory levels for the “common memory area”

Thousands of private memory folders accessible by password or magnetic sensor

 

Touch-screen control panel featuring multiple functions, including:

• Transposer

• Five “insert combinations” possible between each general piston for all available folders

• Option of automatic re-numbering of combinations after inserts have been introduced 

• In addition to conventional piston storage, both the common area and the individual folders offer:

Storage of piston sequences in “piece”-labelled folders

Storage of several “piece”-labelled folders to form “concert”-labelled folders

 

Swell, Expressif, Solo expression pedals

 

Crescendo Pedal: standard and multiple personalized settings 

 

MIDI In, Out, Through

 

SUMMARY OF PIPE MATERIALS:

95% tin alloy for all façade and most larger pipes inside

Bagpipes in the Positivo with walnut resonators, blocks and shallots in the traditional style

 

All other wooden pipes, including 32′ reed resonators, made of African Sipo mahogany

Principal choruses 75% tin alloy 

Flutes: 8′ octaves 95% tin alloy, rest 30% tin alloy (spotted)

Reeds, Strings: 8′ octaves 95% tin alloy, rest 52% tin alloy (spotted)

 

SUMMARY OF WIND PRESSURES:

 

QUIRE ORGAN

Positivo 40 mm for Principal chorus, 50 mm for flutes and reed

Great 80 mm for all stops, 95 mm for offsets only

Swell 90 mm for all stops, 100 mm for offsets only

Solo 160 mm for all stops except Pontifical and Abbatial trumpets, 185 mm

Pedal 100 mm and 80 mm upperwork

 

GALLERY ORGAN

Grand Orgue 90 mm

Expressif 100 mm

Pédale 120 mm

 

STATISTICS

81 real stops

100 ranks of pipes

5,542 pipes and 42 bells

Casavant Frères op. 3837 (2005)
The Brick Presbyterian Church in the City of New York

A brief history of Brick Church’s Casavant organ
Ever since my first encounter with the Cavaillé-Coll archives at Oberlin during my student days there in the early 1980s, it has been a dream of mine to be involved in an organ project that would recreate the sounds of the French symphonic organ in a North American setting. When an anonymous donor came forward to provide funding to replace Brick Church’s long-ailing Austin organ, I knew that the time had come to act upon my dream.
In November 2001, I invited four internationally recognized organ builders from the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, and Germany to bid on a new organ for the Brick Presbyterian Church in the City of New York. I provided the builders with a preliminary specification and design for the organ. The proposed design was strongly modeled after those instruments built in the latter part of the 19th century by the renowned Parisian organ builder, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. Upon reviewing the proposals from these four organ builders, it was particularly telling that three out of the four builders required the assistance of the pre-eminent Cavaillé-Coll expert Jean-Louis Coignet in order to successfully realize this organ. In July 2002, Brick Church commissioned organbuilders Casavant Frères of Ste-Hyacinthe, Québec, for a new electric slider chest organ of 88 independent stops (101 speaking stops), 118 ranks and 6288 pipes. This organ, with its dual sixteen-foot façades, was installed during the summer of 2005.
As Jean-Louis Coignet writes later in this article, tonally recreating a French symphonic organ in the 21st century is not an easy task. Even for a firm such as Casavant with its long history, the techniques of voicing in this style had long departed the firm. After thorough discussion and experimentation with the Casavant voicers, we finally decided upon Jean-Sébastien Dufour, one of the younger voicers at Casavant, to be the head voicer for this project. Mr. Dufour was the most willing and also the most skilled of Casavant’s voicers to realize Dr. Coignet’s explicit directions. Mr. Dufour was assisted in his labors by Yves Champagne, Casavant’s senior voicer. Jean-Louis Coignet, Jacquelin Rochette (when Coignet was in France), and I carefully guided the voicing process both in the factory and at Brick Church.
The Brick Church project was a very detailed and complex one. I am thankful to the trustees of Brick Church for providing the support for me to travel to Casavant on the average of once every four weeks during the construction of the organ. This hands-on oversight allowed for a most exacting and fruitful collaboration with Casavant. In any large organ project, things can develop that are not planned unless there is continuous and careful oversight. I am thankful to André Gremillet, then president of Casavant Frères, who gave me much freedom to interact with the various departments within Casavant. In essence, Mr. Gremillet allowed me to act as their project director for this project. Such collaboration is rare in the organ industry. Mr. Gremillet also allowed Jean-Louis Coignet to realize his dreams and directives in a manner that had not been afforded Coignet previously at Casavant. The scholarly and artistic interaction between Jean-Louis Coignet, Casavant, and myself on all matters involving this instrument made for as perfect a realization as possible.
The Brick Church commission enabled Jean-Louis Coignet and Casavant to realize, without any compromise, a large, new instrument fully in the French symphonic tradition. Dr. Coignet’s life-long, firsthand experience with the great Cavaillé-Coll organs as expert organier for the historic organs of Paris, along with his encyclopedic knowledge of the symphonic style of organ building, have contributed immensely to the success of the organ both mechanically and tonally. The Brick Church organ has few peers in North America in its ability to accurately reproduce the sounds of the great French organs. This organ also holds a special place in the Casavant opus list. It is the last instrument to be completed by Casavant with Jean-Louis Coignet as their tonal director. Upon completion of this organ, Coignet retired from his position at Casavant and also his position as expert organier for the City of Paris.
This organ, a gift of one anonymous donor, is called the Anderson Organ in recognition of the dedicated ministry of The Reverend Dr. Herbert B. Anderson and his wife Mrs. Mary Lou Anderson. Dr. Anderson was senior pastor of Brick Church from 1978 until 2001.
—Keith S. Toth
Minister of Music and Organist
The Brick Presbyterian Church
New York City

Notes from Jean-Louis Coignet on Casavant Frères Opus 3837
Designing an organ in the French symphonic style is by no means a difficult assignment. However, building a new organ today in that style is more challenging as it requires using techniques, particularly of winding and voicing, which have not been in customary use for a long time. Fortunately, there exist a few examples of fine French symphonic organ building that can be carefully studied in order to regain these techniques. These few examples remain, in spite of the many misguided alterations that had been perpetrated during the 20th century on many symphonic organs, especially in France.
As soon as I was consulted about the Brick Church project, I visited the sanctuary and evaluated its dimensions and acoustics as well as those of the organ chambers. At that time I remembered what Cavaillé-Coll had written concerning the location of organs (in De l’orgue et de son architecture): “It is noticeable that the effect of organs is largely lost whenever they are situated in the high parts of a building; on the contrary they profit by being installed in the lower parts. The small choir organs give a striking example of this fact.” So, far from considering it a pitfall to have to put the organ in chambers on both sides of the chancel, I took the best advantage of the situation.
After much discussion with Keith S. Toth, whose clear vision and strong determination were so important all throughout the building of Opus 3837, I realized that the best instrument for Brick Church would be an organ fairly similar to the one built by A. Cavaillé-Coll for the Albert Hall in Sheffield, England in 1873 (this organ was unfortunately destroyed by fire in 1937). Another inspiration came from the organ in Paris’s Notre-Dame Cathedral as I heard it in the mid-1950s. It is a shame that this organ, which was Cavaillé-Coll’s favorite, was completely altered from its original tonal character in the late 1950s and early 1960s, as was César Franck’s Cavaillé-Coll organ in Sainte-Clotilde, Paris.
The Notre-Dame organ displayed a unique sound effect. In no other organ, with the exception of the Jacquot organ in Verdun Cathedral, had the “ascending voicing” typical of the best French symphonic organs been so splendidly achieved. In fact, the main features of the French symphonic organs are:
• a well-balanced proportion of foundation, mutation and reed stops
• huge dynamic possibilities made possible by many very effective enclosed divisions
• voicing of flue pipes with French slots—“entailles de timbre” (different from the Victorian slots used in some Anglo-American organs) and with nicking sufficient enough to prevent any “chiff”
• a winding system that utilizes double-rise bellows
• ascending voicing with full organ dominated by the reeds

Building process of Opus 3837
Specification: The first step consisted in establishing the final specification of the instrument. It was based upon the preliminary stoplist prepared by Keith Toth. The main change from Mr. Toth’s specification was dividing the Grand-Orgue into two parts, Grand-Orgue and Grand-Chœur, in order to gain more flexibility. This is something that Cavaillé-Coll had done in his most prestigious organs. So, the Brick Church organ has actually five manual divisions. The “chœur de clarinettes” in the Positif as well as the various “progressions harmoniques” are features that were typical of the organ in Paris’s Notre-Dame. The Grand-Orgue Bassons 16′ and 8′ were also inspired by that organ, as well as the independent mutations of the 32′ series in the Pédale.
Apart from the stops peculiar to the French symphonic organ, the Brick Church organ offers a few special effects that were not known in France in the 19th century. Three ranks of pipes (Flutes douce and céleste, Cor français) made for the 1917 Brick Church organ by the esteemed American organ builder Ernest M. Skinner, an admirer of Cavaillé-Coll, were placed in the Solo division. We also retained an interesting Cor anglais (free reed stop) made in Paris by Zimmermann in the late 19th century and imported by the Casavant brothers for one of their early organs. The late Guy Thérien, who built the chapel organ at Brick Church, installed this stop in the previous Austin organ. The Récit’s Voix éolienne is another unique stop that only appeared in Cavaillé-Coll’s large organ at St-Ouen in Rouen. This undulating stop is of chimney flute construction for the most part. Its companion stop is the Cor de nuit. With both stops drawn, a slow undulation is heard. This flute celeste has a haunting beauty not found in the flute celestes of the Anglo-American organ.
Pipework: All the pipework was made according to Cavaillé-Coll scalings; metal pipes are made either of “etain fin” for principals, strings, harmonic part of the flutes, and reeds, or “etoffe” (30% tin) for the bourdons. Wood was used for the bourdons up to B 8′. Wood was also used for the large Pédale stops and for the Contre-Bombarde 32′. For reed stops we used Cavaillé-Coll’s typical parallel closed shallots and also tear drop shallots for the Bassons and Clarinettes 16′ and 8′.
Voicing: Much research on the various voicing parameters was done in order to achieve the desired tone: flue width, toe openings, and nicks were measured on a few carefully preserved French symphonic organs. The slotting was particularly well studied. Thanks to documents from the Cavaillé-Coll workshop in my possession, it was possible to recreate the exact tone of the French symphonic “fonds d’orgue.” In his studies on pipes, Cavaillé-Coll documented this matter quite well: the “entaille de timbre” has to be opened one diameter from the top of the pipe. Its width should be either 1/4 of the pipe diameter for most principals, 1/3 of the pipe diameter for strings and some principals, or 1/5 of the pipe diameter for flutes. It should be noted that the harmonic part of Flûtes harmoniques has to be cut dead length and without slotting (though some organ builders used to make slots even on harmonic pipes). As Jean Fellot very correctly wrote: “Slotting had enormous consequences on voicing. It is not exaggerated to claim that this small detail triggered a real revolution.”
Of particular importance in the formation of our voicing goals for Opus 3837 was a visit by Keith Toth, Dr. John B. Herrington III, and me to the unaltered 1898 Cavaillé-Coll organ of Santa María la Real in Azkoitia in the Spanish Basque territory. This three-manual organ with two enclosed divisions was the last instrument completed under the direction of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, and was voiced by Ferdinand Prince. Immediately upon hearing and inspecting this organ, Mr. Toth and I knew that our voicing goals were well founded and attainable. Moreover, at the same time, I was supervising the restoration of two little-known Parisian organs built in the symphonic style: the Cavaillé-Coll-Mutin (1903) organ in Saint-Honoré-d’Eylau and the Merklin (1905) organ in Saint-Dominique. This enabled me to handle pipes that had not been altered (both organs had escaped the neo-classic furia!), to note their exact parameters and compare their sound to new pipes being voiced.
Winding: Large reservoirs were used throughout, some with double-rise bellows, in order to ensure ample wind supply. The overall wind system is remarkably stable, even when the “octaves graves” are used, but with a subtle flexibility that enhances the instrument’s intrinsic musical qualities. Wind pressures are moderate (from 80mm on the Positif to 135mm for the Solo Tuba), which accounts for the unforced tone of the instrument.
Windchests: Slider chests with electric pull-downs were used for the manual and upper Pédale divisions. The large basses were placed on electro-pneumatic windchests.
Console: Lively discussions and visits with Keith Toth resulted in an elegant console with all controls readily accessible. The console, with its terraced stop jambs of mahogany and oblique stopknobs of rosewood and pao ferro, is patterned after those built by Casavant in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The highly carved console shell is of American red oak and is patterned after the communion table in the chancel of Brick Church. The manuals have naturals of bone with sharps of ebony. The pedalboard has naturals of maple and sharps of rosewood.
Expression: The enclosures are built with double walls of thick wood with a void between the walls. The shades are of extremely thick dimension. These elements allow for the performance of huge crescendos and diminuendos.
Conclusion: Such a complex undertaking would have never been successful without the collaborative spirit that prevailed throughout the process and certainly not without Keith Toth’s determination and involvement. In fact, on many points, he acted as a “maître d’oeuvre”—during the phase of preparation, we had nearly daily phone conversations that were most enlightening. His numerous visits in the workshop as the organ was being built proved extremely useful. It was a great privilege to collaborate with an organist who has such a deep understanding of the French symphonic organ. His absolute resolve for only the very best was most inspiring. It is our hope that this new organ will serve and uplift the congregation of the Brick Presbyterian Church and that, together with the magnificently renovated sanctuary, it will enrich New York City’s grand musical heritage.
—Jean-Louis Coignet
Châteauneuf-Val-de-Bargis, France

Grand-Orgue (I)
1. Bourdon (1–12 common with No. 78; 13–61 from No. 3) 32′ —
2. Montre (70% tin, 1–18 in façade) 16′ 61
3. Bourdon (1–24 wood, 25–61 30% tin) 16′ 61
4. Montre (70% tin, 2–6 in façade) 8′ 61
5. Salicional (70% tin) 8′ 61
6. Bourdon (1–12 wood, 13–61 30% tin) 8′ 61
7. Prestant (70% tin) 4′ 61
8. Quinte (70% tin) 22⁄3′ 61
9. Doublette (70% tin) 2′ 61
10. Grande Fourniture III–VII (70% tin) 22⁄3′ 326
11. Fourniture II–V (70% tin) 11⁄3′ 224
12. Cymbale III–IV (70% tin) 1′ 232
13. Basson (70% tin, full-length, extension of No. 14) 16′ 12
14. Baryton (70% tin) 8′ 61
Grand-Orgue Grave
Grand-Orgue Muet

Grand-Chœur (I)
15. Violonbasse (Open wood, extension of No. 17) 16′ 12
16. Flûte harmonique (70% tin) 8′ 61
17. Violon (1–12 open wood, 13–61 70% tin) 8′ 61
18. Flûte octaviante (70% tin) 4′ 61
19. Grand Cornet V (From No. 20) 16′ —
20. Cornet V (30%/70% tin, from Tenor C) 8′ 245
21. Bombarde (70% tin; full-length) 16′ 61
22. Trompette (70% tin) 8′ 61
23. Clairon (70% tin, breaks back to 8′ at F#4) 4′ 61
Grand-Chœur Grave
Grand-Chœur Muet

Positif (II)
24. Quintaton (1–24 wood, 25–61 30% tin) 16′ 61
25. Principal (70% tin) 8′ 61
26. Dulciane (70% tin) 8′ 61
27. Unda maris (From GG, 70% tin) 8′ 54
28. Flûte harmonique (70% tin) 8′ 61
29. Bourdon (1–12 wood, 13–61 30% tin) 8′ 61
30. Prestant (70% tin) 4′ 61
31. Flûte douce (30% tin, with chimneys) 4′ 61
32. Nasard (30% tin) 22⁄3′ 61
33. Flageolet (30% tin) 2′ 61
34. Tierce (30% tin) 13⁄5′ 61
35. Larigot (30% tin) 11⁄3′ 61
36. Septième (30% tin) 11⁄7′ 61
37. Piccolo (30% tin) 1′ 61
38. Plein Jeu II–V (70% tin) 11⁄3′ 233
39. Clarinette basse (70% tin) 16′ 61
40. Trompette (70% tin) 8′ 61
41. Cromorne (70% tin) 8′ 61
42. Clarinette soprano (70% tin) 4′ 61
Tremolo (Tremblant doux)
Positif Grave
Positif Muet

Récit (III)
43. Bourdon (1–24 wood, 25–61 30% tin) 16′ 61
44. Diapason (70% tin) 8′ 61
45. Flûte traversière (70% tin) 8′ 61
46. Viole de gambe (70% tin) 8′ 61
47. Voix céleste (From CC, 70% tin) 8′ 61
48. Cor de nuit (1–12 wood, 13–61 30% tin) 8′ 61
49. Voix éolienne (From Tenor C, 30% tin, stopped pipes with chimneys) 8′ 49
50. Fugara (70% tin) 4′ 61
51. Flûte octaviante (70% tin) 4′ 61
52. Nasard (30% tin) 22⁄3′ 61
53. Octavin (70% tin) 2′ 61
54. Cornet harmonique II–V (30%/70% tin) 8′ 245
55. Plein Jeu harmonique II–V (70% tin) 2′ 228
56. Bombarde (70% tin; full-length) 16′ 61
57. Trompette harmonique (70% tin) 8′ 61
58. Basson-Hautbois (70% tin) 8′ 61
59. Voix humaine (70% tin) 8′ 61
60. Clarinette (70% tin) 8′ 61
61. Clairon harmonique (70% tin) 4′ 61
Tremolo (À vent perdu)
Récit Grave
Récit Muet
Récit Octave
Sostenuto

Solo (IV)
62. Flûte majeure (1–24 open wood, 25–61 30% tin) 8′ 61
63. Flûtes célestes II (Existing Skinner pipework) 8′ 110
64. Violoncelle (70% tin) 8′ 61
65. Céleste (70% tin) 8′ 61
66. Viole d’amour (70% tin) 4′ 61
67. Flûte de concert (70% tin) 4′ 61
68. Nasard harmonique (70% tin) 22⁄3′ 61
69. Octavin (70% tin) 2′ 61
70. Tierce harmonique (70% tin) 13⁄5′ 61
71. Piccolo harmonique (70% tin) 1′ 61
72. Clochette harmonique (70% tin) 1⁄3′ 61
73. Tuba magna (Tenor C, from No. 75) 16′ —
74. Cor de basset (70% tin, hooded) 16′ 61
75. Tuba mirabilis (70% tin, hooded from CC) 8′ 61
76. Cor français (Existing, revoiced; on separate chest) 8′ 61
77. Cor anglais (Existing, revoiced) 8′ 61
Tremolo (À vent perdu)
Solo Grave
Solo Muet
Solo Octave
Sostenuto

Pédale
78, Soubasse (Stopped wood, extension of No. 82) 32′ 12
79. Flûte (Open wood) 16′ 32
80. Contrebasse (70% tin, 1–18 in façade) 16′ 32
81. Violonbasse (Grand-Chœur) 16′ —
82. Soubasse (Stopped wood) 16′ 32
83. Montre (Grand-Orgue) 16′ —
84. Bourdon (Récit) 16′ —
85. Grande Quinte (Open wood) 102⁄3′ 32
86. Flûte (Open wood) 8′ 32
87. Violoncelle (70% tin, 2–6 in façade) 8′ 32
88. Bourdon (1–12 stopped wood, 13–32 30% tin) 8′ 32
89. Grande Tierce (70% tin) 62⁄5′ 32
90. Quinte (70% tin) 51⁄3′ 32
91. Grande Septième (70% tin) 44⁄7′ 32
92. Octave (70% tin) 4′ 32
93. Flûte (Open wood) 4′ 32
94. Cor de nuit (70% tin) 2′ 32
95. Contre-Bombarde (Wood, full-length, hooded, extension of No. 96) 32′ 12
96. Bombarde (1–6 wood, 6–32 70% tin) 16′ 32
97. Basson (Grand-Orgue) 16′ —
98. Bombarde (Récit) 16′ —
99. Trompette (70% tin) 8′ 32
100. Baryton (Grand-Orgue) 8′ —
101. Clairon (70% tin) 4′ 32

Analysis
Stops Ranks Pipes
Grand-Orgue 12 25 1343
Grand-Chœur 7 11 623
Positif 19 23 1324
Récit 19 27 1498
Solo 15 16 964
Pédale 16 16 536
TOTAL 88 118 6288

Couplers
(Multiplex)
Grand-Orgue à la Pédale
Grand-Chœur à la Pédale
Récit à la Pédale
Récit Octave à la Pédale
Positif à la Pédale
Positif Octave à la Pédale
Solo à la Pédale
Solo Octave à la Pédale

Récit Grave au Grand-Orgue
Récit au Grand-Orgue
Récit Octave au Grand-Orgue
Positif Grave au Grand-Orgue
Positif au Grand-Orgue
Solo Grave au Grand-Orgue
Solo au Grand-Orgue
Solo Octave au Grand-Orgue
Pédale au Grand-Orgue

Grand-Orgue au Positif
Grand-Chœur au Positif
Récit Grave au Positif
Récit au Positif
Récit Octave au Positif
Solo au Positif

Solo au Récit
Solo Octave au Récit

Grand-Chœur au Solo

* Grand-Orgue – Grand-Chœur / Positif Reverse (including divisional combinations)
* This control is not affected by the combination action, crescendo or full organ.
Union des Expressions
Coupure de Pédalier

 

Casavant Frères, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada

Principia College, Cox Auditorium, Elsah, Illinois, Opus 3838

The history of Principia dates from 1897 when Mary Kimball Morgan began home schooling her two sons in order to give them a “fuller” education than what she found in the public schools in St. Louis. Mrs. Morgan, a Christian Scientist, based her educational philosophy on the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science. Soon, when other parents began to observe the difference between her sons and their children, she was asked to take them as students. In 1898 the name Principia was chosen, and by 1906 the first high school graduation was held. A junior college—one of the first in the United States—was added in 1912, and in 1934 the first graduates of the senior college emerged to begin their careers. Today, although it is not an official institution of the Christian Science Church, Principia is staffed by Christian Scientists to serve Christian Science students from infants through adults. Principia maintains two campuses. The college itself is magnificently located on limestone bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River in Elsah, Illinois.

The architect for the college campus, Bernard Ralph Maybeck (1862–1957) of San Francisco, California, was retained in 1923 to prepare a master plan. He decided to use an English village as the inspiration for his creation, to which he referred as his “favorite child.” Construction began in 1931 during the Great Depression, and by 1935 the college moved to the new location in Elsah. In 1993 the Principia College campus was granted National Historic Landmark status by the United States Department of the Interior for its unique plan and distinctive original buildings.

A large auditorium was constructed in 1964, primarily for the annual Principia Public Affairs Conferences. It was soon realized that a much wider variety of activities were using the building and that a pipe organ would be a valued asset. Detlef Kleuker Orgelbau of Brackwede/Westfallen, Germany, installed a two-manual, 32-rank instrument with electric-slider action in 1967. The organ was mounted on a platform hung from a sidewall, the console being positioned in front of stage center. Virgil Fox performed the inaugural concert. Various mechanical problems developed within a short period, and the tonal quality of the instrument proved to be inadequate for the size of the auditorium. Principia decided in 1983 to have the organ rebuilt and enlarged. The result was unfortunately even less successful, both tonally and mechanically, than the original Kleuker. With two failures, the school administration was understandably hesitant to consider another organ project for Cox Auditorium. Yet, a reliable and highly versatile instrument continued to be a demonstrated need for the building. The Music Department, led by college organist Dr. John Near, initiated discussions with the administration in 2000 to have several organ builders visit the campus and provide proposals for a mechanical action organ that would reflect many of the tenets found in the organs of Cavaillé-Coll. Casavant Frères was awarded the contract in August 2002 after several individual donors and the college classes of 1952 and 1953 generously provided funding as their 50th reunion gift to Principia.

When the Casavant team of Jacquelin Rochette (tonal director), Didier Grassin (tracker workshop director), and Carroll Hanson (Casavant representative) visited the site for the first time, we clearly realized the challenges that Cox Auditorium would bring. The 1100-seat auditorium is a shoebox-shaped room 180¢ long and 72¢ wide with a rising seating floor and a large stage. Despite the concrete floor and brick sidewalls, the acoustics are fairly unforgiving. This is mostly due to the thin suspended ceiling, heavy stage curtains and padded seats. The proposed placement of the organ at the back of the stage was enough to depress any weathered organbuilder. The instrument would have to share the space with an active ballet and theater program; it would be allowed a strictly limited footprint that could not interfere with the stage lighting; and it would be subject to potential damage due to the maneuvering of backdrops and decors required by various performances. In addition, a thick proscenium dropped about 8¢ from the ceiling at the front of the stage. Seen from the back of the auditorium, the top portion of the organ would have been hidden. Budget and other administrative practicalities did not allow us much leeway.

We walked away scratching our heads, wondering what layout would minimize the effect of this unfortunate placement. We investigated the possibility of moving the organ forward for musical events, studied the floor strength, and researched the feasibility of air cushions. We were ready to try anything in order to get the sound out of the stage.

That is when the ballet program came to the rescue. After a particularly successful ballet evening, the dance group effectively argued that the loss of precious stage floor would drastically restrict the breadth of their shows. The organ had to go elsewhere.

The move off the stage was certainly good news, visually and tonally. We gave a sigh of relief, although the placement question was still not solved. The previous defunct organ was set against the left wall on a small platform, but such a position would not have been adequate for the large three-manual scheme that was envisioned. The college was ready to explore all options. The possibility of adding a side extension to the building opened the door to a viable solution. It was felt that the organ should not speak entirely sideways to the audience, and sketches were prepared to study the feasibility of an angled case whose platform would link with the main stage. It quickly transpired that steel columns supporting the building could be neither suppressed nor moved. This added another layer of technical difficulties, as we would have to build the organ either beside or around the immovable pillars. Any viable solution encompassing a steel column would have to give good access to the windchests and pipework for maintenance and tuning. After many careful studies, we were able to propose a solution in which the organ would be angled by 20 degrees, with the Récit key action trackers brushing past a steel column. The success of the placement would have to rely on the precision of the new building extension and our own manufacturing, as both organ and building would have to fit like hand and glove. It turned out that the construction of the new chamber was superbly crafted under the college’s supervision, and 30' tall walls were impeccably vertical and placed within a quarter of an inch of the required dimensions.

The internal parts of the instrument are organized in two layers: the Grand Orgue, the Positif, and the Pédale upperwork occupy the front section in the protruding casework, while the Récit Expressif and the large pedal pipework stand behind in the new chamber. The organ is set on symmetrical windchests laid out in major thirds from tenor C for the manual divisions. Since the case follows a strict Werkprinzip, one can read the placement of the main divisions on the façade: the Positif, just above the console, is crowned by the Grand Orgue and its Montre 8'; the Pédale is on either side behind the 16' Montre. The Récit division has been split in two sections: the flues, Hautbois, and Voix humaine are at the front, and the battery of 16', 8' and 4' reeds are at the back. The key action has been realized with traditional wooden trackers, wooden squares, and steel rollers. The electric drawstop action is complemented with a generous capture system. The winding is done through large single rise reservoirs and wooden trunks.

The case design itself is a reflection of the very successful Maybeck architecture that graces the college buildings. We tried to emulate the elegant Arts & Crafts feel by mixing strict main lines with gently curved pipeshades. Great care has been given to enhance the verticality of the overall composition by breaking any potential horizontal lines. The case is made of stained solid American walnut throughout, with highlights of natural maple in the pipeshades. The polished tin façade provides a strong contrast with the soft grain of the walnut. The ensemble warmly glows in the auditorium.

Despite its curved drawstop terraces and porcelain stop nameplates, the console is not trying to copy any Cavaillé-Coll examples. The various elements and their arrangement have been chosen for their elegance and feel. It is a play of simplicity and richness with the walnut highlighted by thin strips of ebony. All the electronic controls, with the exception of a small readout, are discreetly hidden behind small doors.

The tonal architecture of the instrument is thoroughly grounded in the 19th-century French tradition. Dr. Near’s passion for French organ literature, especially that of Charles-Marie Widor, had to find a good vehicle through a full and noble sound. Jacquelin Rochette shaped a tonal structure that continues the musical principles set in the highly successful organ of Brick Church in New York City and which serves effectively the immense corpus of the French repertoire. The organ is articulated around a traditional 16¢ Grand Orgue. The Récit Expressif is typical of the large Récit found in late grand Cavaillé-Coll organs, with the exception of the 16¢ Bourdon that Dr. Near preferred to have in the Positif. The Positif is treated more classically with its series of mutations and a large-scale Cromorne. The Pédale is richly endowed from 32' upwards, although it is the division with the most compromises, as the large reeds and stopped flutes have been obtained through extensions.

Thanks to the wealth of foundation stops, many built with “entaille de timbre,” the organ is solidly grounded, and the generous basses contribute a wonderful gravitas to the instrument. Given the musical goals of retaining clarity throughout the entire compass and achieving nice initiation of speech, the mixtures have been purposely kept under control to avoid any aggressiveness. At the same time, though, the large number of reed stops—twenty percent of the ensemble, built with full-length resonators and designed with Cavaillé-Coll shallots—provides a thrilling tutti of great richness without ever being shrill.

This instrument was not without technical difficulties, and we have been fortunate to work alongside a college whose search for excellence has encouraged us to challenge ourselves. This exhilarating experience was greatly facilitated by their continuing support and assistance. A special thanks goes to Dr. John Near for his valuable guidance and his deep involvement during the entire project. Dr. Near will inaugurate the organ on May 11.

Didier Grassin

Jacquelin Rochette

Casavant Frères

A note from the college organist

Principia is thrilled to have this magnificent new organ in Cox Auditorium. It brings a much-needed new dimension to the performance opportunities at the college, and it is a wonderful addition to the musical landscape of the greater St. Louis community. I want to express my gratitude to the many generous donors who made the project possible, and to all the Casavant personnel who worked so tirelessly to make the instrument such a fine success.

John R. Near

Professor of Music

Casavant Opus 3838

3 manuals, 42 stops


Grand Orgue

16' Montre

8' Montre

8' Violoncelle

8' Bourdon

8' Flûte harmonique

4' Prestant

4' Flûte ouverte

4' Doublette

22?3'Cornet III

11?3' Fourniture IV–V

16' Bombarde

8' Trompette

4' Clairon

Récit Expressif

8' Diapason

8' Bourdon

8' Viole de gambe

8' Voix céleste (TC)

4' Octave

4' Flûte octaviante

2' Octavin

2' Plein jeu V

16' Basson

8' Trompette harmonique

8' Hautbois

8' Voix humaine

4'' Clairon harmonique

Tremblant

Positif

16' Bourdon doux

8' Principal

8' Cor de nuit

4' Prestant

4' Flûte à fuseau

22?3' Nazard

2' Quarte de nazard

13?5' Tierce

11?3' Larigot

1' Mixture IV

8' Trompette

8' Cromorne

Tremblant

Pédale

32v Soubasse

16' Montre (G.O.)

16' Contrebasse (prepared)

16' Soubasse

16' Bourdon doux (Pos.)

8' Octavebasse

8' Contrebasse (prepared)

8' Bourdon

4' Octave

4' Flute (prepared)

32'Contre Trombone

16' Trombone

8' Trompette

4' Clairon



Pos/G.O.

Réc./G.O.

Réc./Pos.

Tirasse G.O.

Tirasse Pos.

Tirasse Réc.

Gregory Peterson

Gregory Peterson is Assistant Professor of Music and College Organist at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, where he teaches organ and church music, conducts the Luther Ringers, and serves as cantor to the student congregation for daily and Sunday chapel services in the College’s Center for Faith and Life, playing the 42-stop mechanical-action organ by Robert Sipe. He holds the DMA from the University of Iowa, MM from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, and the BA from Luther College. An active recitalist, he has performed in Europe and throughout the United States. He is represented by Concert Artist Cooperative, .

Start with two world experts on French organ building and organ music, add seven qualified, eager American organists, stir them together with extant examples of the finest French organs, and let steep for a couple of weeks in the rich culture of Bordeaux and Epernay, France. This is the recipe for the Summer Institute for French Organ Studies (SIFOS). Since 1986, organ builder Gene Bedient of Lincoln, Nebraska and Jesse Eschbach, Professor of Organ and Chairman of the Keyboard Division at the University of North Texas School of Music, have teamed up to direct this biennial seminar. It is not your grandmother’s recipe for the typical European organ tour, however, where a large group travels from instrument to instrument with minimal opportunity to play. Instead, a select group of performers and scholars is given the chance to delve deeply into the appropriate repertoire for each instrument through masterclasses and individual practice time, culminating in a group recital, open to the public, at the end of each week.
Participants in this year’s course were Michael Chad Leavitt, student, Manhattan School of Music, New York; Gregory Peterson, Assistant Professor of Music and College Organist, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa; Patrick Allen Scott, student, University of Texas, Austin, Texas; Timothy Wissler, organist, children’s choir director, Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta, Georgia; Marilyn Witte, Cantor, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Andrew Yeargin, student, Manhattan School of Music, New York. Elaine Mann, director of music, Grace Lutheran Church, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, joined the group for the second week.

First week
Sainte-Croix Church, Bordeaux
The group gathered on Sunday, May 24, in Bordeaux, a cosmopolitan port city on the Garonne River approximately 300 miles southwest of Paris. With a population of one million, Bordeaux is the seventh largest metropolitan area in France and is the capital of the Aquitaine region and a major wine-producing center. This beautiful, historic city was described by Victor Hugo as a combination of Versailles and Antwerp. Lectures, masterclasses, practice sessions, and the public recital took place at the Sainte-Croix Church, on the site of a 7th-century abbey. The current structure with its Romanesque façade was built in the late 11th to early 12th centuries and boasts a magnificent organ from 1741 by Dom Bédos, meticulously restored in 1997 by the French organ builder Pascal Quoirin. Every aspect of the instrument—winding system, key and stop action, pipe restoration and replacement, casework—was restored with the utmost care and concern for historical accuracy. This famous instrument is known throughout the city and is a source of much local pride. It was not uncommon to hear “Oh, the Dom Bédos” exclaimed by a local after being introduced as an organist visiting the city.

Dom Bédos five-manual organ
A unique aspect of the five-manual Dom Bédos instrument at Sainte-Croix is the 32′ plenum of the Grand-Orgue. The 32′ Bourdon lays the foundation for the searing Grand Plein-Jeu of this post-classical organ, building up through the 16′ Montre, 8′ Montre and Second 8′ Montre, Prestant, Doublette, Grosse Fourniture and Grand Plein-Jeu of 13 ranks. In addition to the customary Nazard and Tierce, there is a Gros-Nazard of 51⁄3′ and a Grosse Tierce of 31⁄5′, a late addition to the French Classical organ, after 1690. The Grand Cornet, two 8′ Trompettes and the Clairon complete the division. The Positif de Dos, based on an 8′ Montre, contains the usual plenum, mutations, and Cromorne. In addition, there is an 8′ Trompette, Clairon and Voix Humaine. The third manual contains the Bombarde 16′ and Gros Cromorne 8′. According to Gene Bedient, this could be the first Bombarde division in France, as there was not much use of this division before 1750. The Récit is a short keyboard of 32 notes, with a Cornet V and Trompette 8′. This chest has the expressive Tremblant doux and raucous Tremblant fort. The Echo is also a shorter keyboard of 39 notes containing a Cornet V. The pedalboard is extended down to F, known as the ravalement for exciting, thunderous pedal effects from the Bombarde 16′ and first and second Trompettes. The division also contains a Clairon, 16′ Flûte, 8′ Metal Flûte, 8′ Wooden Flûte, and Flûte 4′. Shove couplers allow the Positif and Bombarde to be coupled to the Grand-Orgue. All of this—plus a generous acoustic of four to five seconds’ reverberation—made for a most satisfying performance of repertoire selected by Jesse Eschbach, including excerpts from François Couperin’s Messe pour les couvents (Kyrie, Elevation–Tierce en taille and Offertoire); the Tierce en taille, Basse de Trompette and Grand jeu from Livre d’Orgue of Pierre DuMage; En taille, Fugue [à cinq], Récit de Cromorne and Dialogue sur les Grands Jeux from Veni Créator by Nicolas de Grigny; and two Noëls by Jean-François Dandrieu, Il n’est rien de plus Tendre and Allons voir ce divin Gage.

Lectures and masterclasses
An anteroom in the gallery, containing an historical exhibit with large posterboard illustrations from L’Art du Facteur d’Orgues by Dom Bédos, provided sufficient space for the daily morning lectures. Gene Bedient covered wind systems and key action in classical French organ building, as well as pipework, tonal issues, and temperament in the 17th and 18th centuries. Under his guidance, participants were able to crawl into the immaculately clean case and hand-pump the organ’s six bellows. It was interesting to note the subtle change in the organ’s sound when hand-pumped as opposed to using the electric blower. And it was quite an aerobic workout to boot!
Jesse Eschbach lectured on French post-Classical style and registration in France pre-1665 and 1665–1710. There was much fascination with the Grosse Tierce 31⁄5′ and its musical application. It was used for the bass or left hand, combined with the 16′ Bourdon and 8′ flute. Professor Eschbach also addressed the use of notes inégales and ornamentation, pointing out that ornamentation is a product of what the organ will invite, depending upon which division is being played, how much air is in the pipe channel, the registration, and acoustics, as well as the performer’s bon goût. The correct use of ornamentation in French music can often bring fear and trepidation to the performer. Professor Eschbach’s helpful explanation encouraged spontaneity and improvisation as a way to bring local surface detail to the performance. Multiple handouts enhanced the lecture material. Dr. Eschbach’s knowledge and passion for this music was also in evidence during each of the late morning masterclasses, where his expert teaching motivated everyone to move ahead in their interpretation and understanding, resulting in a stylistically informed and aesthetically pleasing recital.
Pentecost is celebrated as a national holiday in France, and it was fortuitous that the birthday of the Christian Church fell on the weekend between the first and second weeks of this summer’s institute. Most participants headed to Paris for the weekend, braving the crowded trains to take advantage of festival Masses at major churches in the capital, especially Notre Dame, Sainte-Clotilde and Saint-Sulpice.

Second week
Church of Notre Dame, Epernay
Nestled in the verdant hills of the Champagne region, the “Champagne City” of Epernay (population 25,000) was the site for the second week of lectures, masterclasses, and the recital. Located on the left bank of the Marne River about 17 miles southwest of Reims, Epernay is home to two magnificent organs by the celebrated 19th-century French builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. Classes and the recital took place at the Church of Notre-Dame, an imposing structure begun in 1898 and completed in 1915. Bombardment on the night of July 24, 1918 caused considerable damage to the nave. Rebuilding was not completed until April 1925. This building replaced a 16th-century edifice that was demolished due to severe collapsing.

Cavaillé-Coll organs
The 1869 Cavaillé-Coll instrument was moved into the rebuilt church and is housed in the north transept of the cruciform nave with 34 stops distributed over three manuals and pedal.
Grand-Orgue
16′ Bourdon
8′ Montre
8′ Bourdon
8′ Violoncelle
4′ Prestant
2′ Doublette
Plein-jeu harmonique
16′ Basson
8′ Trompette
4′ Clairon
Positif
8′ Quintaton
8′ Salicional
8′ Unda Maris
4′ Flûte douce
2′ Doublette
1′ Piccolo
8′ Clarinette
8′ Trompette
Récit expressif
8′ Flûte traversière
8′ Viole de gambe
8′ Voix céleste
4′ Flûte octaviante
2′ Octavin
8′ Trompette
8′ Basson-Hautbois
8′ Voix Humaine
Pédale
16′ Contrebasse
8′ Basse
4′ Flûte
16′ Bombarde
8′ Trompette
4′ Clairon

The dedication recital was given by Alexis Chauvet and Charles-Marie Widor on December 2, 1869. The organ was restored in 2001 by Bernard Hurvy.
SIFOS participants also had use of an 1897 Cavaillé-Coll instrument at the Church of Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul. Also three manuals and pedal, this later instrument has a few more mutations and small pipes, perhaps showing the influence of Alexandre Guilmant. Both instruments are typical in the layout of the tirasses, ventils and coupler pedals, and employ a Barker machine, the pneumatic lever to assist the playing action of the coupled Grand-Orgue, developed by Charles Barker and first used to great success by Cavaillé-Coll in his 1841 instrument at Saint-Denis, Paris.

Lectures and masterclasses
Cavaillé-Coll was a disciple of Dom Bédos, evidenced by his well-annotated copy of L’Art du Facteur d’Orgues. The lectures during this week by Gene Bedient brought forward the connections between these two significant builders and covered the innovations and mechanics that are the hallmark of the 19th-century French organ. Jesse Eschbach lectured on “Rousseau, Revolution, and Restoration: An Overview of Cultural and Political Influences in France Affecting Sacred Music in the Nineteenth Century,” “Post Classical French Organ Registration from Dom Bédos to Georges Schmitt,” and the concept of plenum in nineteenth-century France. The masterclasses again centered on selected repertoire including César Franck’s Grande Pièce Symphonique, op. 17 and Prélude, Fugue et Variation, op. 18, Marcel Dupré’s Prélude et Fugue en Sol Mineur, op. 7, the Adagio from Louis Vierne’s Troisième Symphonie pour Grand-Orgue, Pastorale from the Première Sonate en Ré Mineur, op. 42 by Alexandre Guilmant, and “Tu es petra” from the Esquisses Byzantines by Henri Mulet. The resulting recital was a thrilling conclusion to the week and a testament to the enduring legacy of this music as an outgrowth of the partnership between artisan and artist.

French culture
Of course, no time spent in France would be complete without a total immersion into the food and wine that is the sine qua non of French culture. After working hard each day, participants enjoyed festive repasts at gourmet restaurants carefully selected by Gwen and Gene Bedient. As with organ registration, there is great variety in French cuisine, adventurously sampled by all participants, adding to the collegial camaraderie permeating the institute.
Is it possible to say that an organist has not lived without hearing the thrilling Grand Plein-Jeu of Dom Bédos or a beguiling Cavaillé-Coll harmonic flute? The Summer Institute for French Organ Studies is a rich, cultural and musical immersion. Try it. It will transform your playing and teaching—perhaps even your life. To learn more about the Summer Institute for French Organ Studies and plans for the 2011 Institute, visit the Bedient Organ Company website at www.bedientorgan.com.