Bedient Pipe Organ Company, Roca, Nebraska
St. Agatha Church, Upper Arlington, Ohio
Our Opus 75 represents an entirely new look for the Bedient Pipe Organ Company. Challenged by an unusually long and narrow organ chamber, Bedient designers looked to the Art Nouveau movement for their solution. The result is an organic, curvaceous façade that works perfectly in the wide opening. Yet, for all the novelty inherent in the look, it’s the sound that captivates its audience.
The organ’s elevated position takes advantage of the nave’s resonant surfaces, and sound floats effortlessly overhead to settle clear and gently on the listener’s ears. The stoplist is a fine example of our diverse “American” sound.
The façade is perched on a 36' long masonry ledge and is supported by a steel frame. The II/32 organ’s 2,293 pipes completely fill the shallow chamber with the eight largest Principal 16' pipes mounted upside down with their mouths speaking through the façade. The casework is made of rift-sawn white oak veneer, vacuum-formed over undulating laminated substrates. Since this specialized style of woodworking was new to Bedient, we worked with famed Nebraska woodworker/artist Roger Holmes, who created case pieces in both his and our shops.
The console rides on a movable platform and features a Peterson ICS 4000 control system and electro-repulsion drawknobs by Harris. The 61-note keyboard has bone naturals and ebony sharps. The 32-note pedalboard is of maple. The casework has been finished with golden oak stain followed by a satin polyurethane top coat.
February 26, 2006 marked the blessing of the Bedient organ at St. Agatha with Mark Ludwig II as organist. Special mention should be made of Miss Amelita Mirolo as principal donor of the organ and Rev. Monsignor L. David Funk, pastor. In continued celebration of the new organ, a concert by Paul Thornock, diocesan music director, and James Yeager, professor of music at Pontifical College Josephinum, was presented on April 2.
—Gene Bedient
GREAT
16' Principal
8' Principal
8' Rohrflute
8' Flûte harmonique
8' Salicional
8' Voce umana
4' Octave
4' Spitzflote
22?3' Quinte
2' Octave
13?5' Terz
Mixture IV–V
8' Trompete
8' Cromorne Bass
8' Cromorne Treble
SWELL
16' Bourdon
8' Violin Diapason
8' Bourdon
8' Viole de Gambe
8' Voix céleste
4' Prestant
4' Flute octaviante
22?3' Nazard
2' Doublette
2' Octavin
13?5' Tierce
Cymbale III–V
16' Basson
8' Hautbois
8' Trompette
4' Clairon
Tremulant
PEDAL
32' Resultant (Subbass 16' + 102?3' from Subbass)
16' Contrebasse (1–18 common with Great Principal 16')
16' Subbass (56 pipes)
102?3' Quinte (from Contrebasse 16')
8' Principal (44 pipes)
8' Flute (ext)
4' Flute (ext)
4' Octave (ext)
16' Bombarde (56 pipes)
16' Basson (Sw)
8' Trompette (ext)
4' Trompette (ext)
All manual stops are straight speaking stops.
