New Organs

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Schoenstein & Co. Organ Builders, Benicia, California
Grace Episcopal Church,
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Founded in 1847, Grace Episcopal Church, an Anglo-Catholic parish, has had a distinguished musical history for over 130 years. The first organ, a Roosevelt, served until 1929. Over the years, the second organ began failing mechanically and was not up to the task of accompanying all of the music required in the Anglican choral tradition. The search for a new organ was initiated with generous financial support from the Charlotte and Walter Kohler Trust and the Hayssen Foundation.
In the intimate acoustical setting of a church that seats only 250, with a gallery where space was extremely limited, Schoenstein & Co. built a 20-voice, 23-rank symphonic organ. Powerful pedal bass, keen string tone, a big solo flute, and an heroic chorus reed can elevate an instrument into the symphonic category provided it is under extremely effective expression control and has a precise, responsive action. This is the concept that guided the design for Grace Church, which includes five 16′ stops, two contrasting keen-tone string celestes, two color reeds, a high pressure tuba, an ensemble of principal scale mutations, and three contrasting flutes—a French-style Harmonic Flute of metal, an English-style Claribel Flute of wood, and a Lieblich Gedeckt stop based on the famous one by Willis at St. Dominic’s Priory in London. The ’Cello/Double Bass extension of the Harmonic Flute follows the scaling pattern of the Schoenstein Symphonic Flute, imitating the effect of the orchestral traverse flute.
Of these elements, perhaps the expression boxes are the most important. Only the two Pedal stops and the two main solo voices of the Great are unenclosed. The Great chorus and accompaniment stops are in one box. All of the Swell stops are in another box next to the Great. The loudest voices of the Swell, the powerful Gambas, and the Tuba Minor (all on 10″ of pressure) are in a secondary expression box, which speaks into the Swell. This double expression control greatly increases the dynamic range of the Swell division. Thus, a crescendo from pp to fff is easily accomplished, an effect especially important to Benjamin Dobey, current organist and choirmaster. The organ is on three levels. The double-enclosed Swell is at floor level speaking up through a tone chute into the Swell division, which is on the second level along with the Great division. Pedal stops, many mounted horizontally, are on the third level.
The organ façade complements the subtle Victorian Gothic interior of the church. David Boysel, a prominent San Francisco decorative artist, and Chuck Primich, Schoenstein’s design engineer, created the façade with the objective of appearing as though it had been placed there by the original architect. The organ was dedicated to the memory of Charlotte Kohler on Friday, January 11, 2002, featuring Dr. R. Benjamin Dobey and a Schola Cantorum under the direction of Wayne Wildman. This is the most recorded of all Schoenstein organs, with three CDs by Dr. Dobey on the Pro Organo Label: The Intimate Reger; In Sweetest Joy; and Magnificat.
—William Vaughan

GREAT
16′ Double Bass+ 12 pipes
8′ First Open Diapason+ 61 pipes
8′ Harmonic Flute+ 61 pipes
8′ Second Open Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Aeoline 61 pipes
8′ Vox Angelica 37 pipes
8′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)
4′ Principal 61 pipes
2′ Mixture IV 218 pipes
8′ Clarinet (TC) 42 pipes
+ Unenclosed

SWELL
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt 12 pipes
8′ Gamba* 61 pipes
8′ Gamba Celeste* 49 pipes
8′ Claribel Flute 49 pipes
8′ Lieblich Gedeckt 61 pipes
4′ Gemshorn 61 pipes
22⁄3′ Twelfth 12 pipes
2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes
13⁄5′ Seventeenth (TC) 42 pipes
11⁄3′ Nineteenth 54 pipes
16′ Bass Tuba* 12 pipes
8′ Tuba Minor* 61 pipes
8′ Flügel Horn 61 pipes
* Double enclosed

PEDAL
32′ Resultant
16′ Open Wood 12 pipes
16′ Bourdon 32 pipes
16′ Double Bass (Great)
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)
8′ Principal 32 pipes
8′ Octave (Great)
8′ ’Cello (Great)
8′ Claribel Flute (Swell)
4′ Fifteenth 12 pipes
4′ Flute (Great)
16′ Bass Tuba (Swell)
8′ Tuba (Swell)
4′ Flügel Horn (Swell)

Cover feature

Raising the roof will not be necessary

Schoenstein & Co. Opus 147
First United Methodist Church, Birmingham, Michigan

Fact: An organ’s most important stop is the room in which it plays.
Lesser-Known Fact: Improvement opportunities exist for churches with poor acoustics that go beyond dismissing the carpet and pew cushions.

When First United Methodist Church of Birmingham, Michigan received a generous gift for the replacement of its aging Möller organ, the church quickly realized a careful study of all aspects of the sanctuary should be undertaken. It was felt the new instrument, as well as their entire worship experience, would benefit from an improved acoustical environment.

Church renovation
Our first visit to Birmingham found a 1952 building of fine materials that enveloped an acoustically dead sanctuary. Jack Bethards, Schoenstein & Co. President and Tonal Director, reported that “When I first looked at this room, I wondered if there was any hope. The room had hardly any resonance, and there were frequency hot spots that added a kind of harshness to musical tone. Worst of all, it was tough to sing in the room because people felt isolated from one another.“
The new organ could only achieve its potential if the acoustic of the building were improved. Every possible idea was discussed, including raising the roof to increase cubic volume. This would have added millions of dollars to the project, and it was hoped that significant enough improvement could be attained through less invasive methods.
Ultimately a plan of action was decided upon to:
• Install a beautiful and reflective hard-tile floor in the chancel.
• Install new chancel walls with increased organ tone-opening area.
• Change the height of the chamber ceilings to eliminate sound-defeating pockets.
• Install an Electronic Reflected Energy System (ERES) by the Jaffe-Holden Company.

The project also grew in scope to address other needs:
• Improve sight lines for the congregation by raising the chancel floor, along with other changes enabling flexibility for a variety of programs in addition to Sunday morning worship.
• Install an improved, quieter, HVAC system.
• Updates to lighting, the public address system, walls and floor coverings.

The result is one of the finest sanctuary renovations we have seen. The reflective flooring in the chancel has provided a pleasant natural bloom of resonance, and the Jaffe-Holden system has added a tasteful and subtle acoustical ambiance only otherwise possible with a roof raising. The new HVAC system is accurate, well balanced, and above all, silent. The improved temperature and humidity control will positively affect the stability and longevity of the organ. The renovation team did a magnificent job of freshening up and improving the visual elements of the room.

Fact: An organ’s most important stop is the room in which it plays.
Lesser-Known Fact: A properly designed and built organ can make a room sound better than its acoustic.

The Schoenstein organ
In the organ dedication program notes, Jack Bethards addressed the organ and its relationship to the church. “With all of the elements working together to enhance music, a logical question would be why was a new organ necessary? Certainly the sound of the old organ would have been enhanced, but would it have been enough to solve the various musical problems that faced Doris and Chris Hall (organist and director of music respectively) when they called us in to study the situation? Simply put, the old organ was designed to match a particular approach to a limited part of the organ solo repertoire; the new organ is designed to accompany the church service.”
The new organ (three manuals, 38 voices, 46 ranks) has a vastly different effect in the room from the previous instrument, despite its similar physical layout. The unenclosed Great is divided on either side of the altar and takes advantage of its favorable location, speaking down the axis of the church. The Choir is located in one side chancel chamber and the Swell in the other. A small Antiphonal division across the balcony wall complements the organ by drawing the sound of the chancel organ rearward to support congregational singing.
According to Bethards, “The biggest concern in a church organ is to have a large variety of different tone qualities. There are two reasons for this. First, the organ is played by and heard by the same people week after week, year after year. To sustain musical interest, the sound can’t be the same all the time. Second, a good choir sings just about every kind of choral music written. This demands great subtlety in accompaniment with different tone colors at a multitude of volume levels.”
Eight-foot diapasons of various types were used throughout to provide richness and warmth of tone in both melody and bass pitch. The old organ overemphasized upperwork, and the effect of the ensemble was harsh. With the goal being an effect of nobility, full choruses were maintained, but less upperwork was planned and more foundational stops were added to lower the tonal center of gravity and provide contrasting color. Note the Great with its four eight-foot stops, a Harmonic Flute and Gamba in addition to the Open Diapason and Bourdon.
True string stops of varied character complement each division, with an additional hybrid or muted Corno Dolce in the Swell. A wide variety of flutes were employed with the emphasis on full and double-length open construction rather than half-length stopped flutes that are less successful in rooms with drier acoustics.
Solo reeds, including the Oboe and Clarinet, are more orchestral in character than the old organ. There are four chorus reeds, ranging in volume from mezzo forte of the Choir Trumpet, through the Swell Trumpet and Contra Fagotto’s forte to the Tuba’s fortissimo, vital especially for festive services and weddings.
Schoenstein’s double expression system is used in the Swell organ. The softest and loudest stops of the division are grouped in the Inner Swell chamber, behind a second set of expression shades controllable by a separate shoe. This allows for very smooth and dramatic crescendos with a minimum of stop changes.
The new instrument is six ranks smaller than the old, but projects far more effectively due to its energized tone that enables more effective egress from enchambered installations. The highest wind pressure on the previous organ was four inches; this pressure is still found in the new unenclosed Great. Five inches is the lowest pressure for enclosed stops. Enchambered offset basses are on still higher pressure to further help them project, as are the unenclosed Pedal Subbass and Double Open Diapason (the bottom octave of which is an Open Wood).
The double-enclosed Swell chorus reeds and Mixture are on ten inches, as is the Choir Tuba. As Jack Bethards points out, “Pressure does not necessarily affect loudness, but it certainly affects carrying power and smoothness of tone. A selection of stops that are highly energized in tone and, therefore, can project their sound over a long distance, is one of the keys to a successful enchambered organ.”

Fact: An organ’s most important stop is the room in which it plays.
Lesser-Known Fact: The design elements that favor acoustical projection also favor the variety of tone needed in a church organ.

Todd Wilson played the organ dedication concert in November 2005. Other recent recitalists in the church’s Live at First concert series include Frederick Swann, Doris Hall, and Tom Trenney.
As is nearly always the case, the success of this project is due to the efforts of too many people to name in this limited space. We had wonderful support in every area and would like to especially thank the church staff and the dedicated volunteers who worked under organ committee chairperson Dale Parker and project manager Darrell White. We are also appreciative of the church’s fine musicians, Doris and Chris Hall, who make the new organ shine.
And raising the roof was not necessary.
—David Beck
Installation crew leader &
assistant voicer
Schoenstein & Co.

First United Methodist Church, Birmingham, Michigan
Three manuals and pedal
38 voices, 46 ranks
Electric-pneumatic action

GREAT (II – In Display)
16′ Contra Viola (Choir)
8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Harmonic Flute 61
8′ Gamba 61
8′ Bourdon 61
4′ Principal 61
4′ Spire Flute 61
2-2⁄3′ Twelfth 61
2′ Fifteenth 61
2′ Mixture (III–IV) 187
8′ Tuba (Choir)
8′ Trumpet (Choir)
8′ Clarinet (Choir)
Chimes (Deagan in Choir box)
25 tubes

SWELL (III – Enclosed)
16′ Bourdon (wood) 12 pipes
8′ Open Diapason 61
8′ Stopped Diapason (wood) 61
8′ Echo Gamba 61
8′ Gamba Celeste (TC) 49
8′ Corno Dolce 49
(Stopped Diapason bass)
4′ Gemshorn 61
4′ Harmonic Flute 61
2′ Flageolet 61
8′ Oboe 61
Tremulant
Stops Under Double Expression
2′ Mixture (III–IV) H 209
16′ Contra Fagotto H 61
8′ Trumpet H 61
H = Heavy Wind
Swell 16′
Swell Unison Off
Swell 4′

CHOIR (I – Enclosed)
16′ Contra Viola 12 pipes
8′ Viola Pomposa 61
8′ Viola Celeste 61
8′ Concert Flute (wood) 61
8′ Lieblich Gedeckt 49
(Concert Flute bass)
4′ Fugara 61
4′ Lieblich Flute 12
2-2⁄3′ Nazard (from Lieblich Flute)
2′ Harmonic Flute 61
1-3⁄5′ Tierce (TC) 42
2′ Mixture (II–III) 173
8′ Trumpet 61
8′ Clarinet 61
Tremulant
16′ Ophicleide H 12
8′ Tuba H 61
4′ Tuba Clarion H 12
H = Heavy Wind
Choir 16′
Choir Unison Off
Choir 4′

ANTIPHONAL (Floating – In Display)
8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Dulciana (Bourdon bass) 49
8′ Bourdon 61
4′ Principal 61
Antiphonal 4′

ECHO (Prepared)

PEDAL (In Display with Great)
32′ Resultant
16′ Double Open Diapason 12 pipes
16′ Sub Bass 32
16′ Contra Viola (Choir)
16′ Bourdon (Swell)
8′ Principal 32
8′ Diapason (Swell)
8′ Flute (Great)
8′ Viola (Choir)
8′ Bourdon (Swell)
4′ Fifteenth 12
4′ Flute (Great)
16′ Ophicleide (Choir)
16′ Contra Fagotto (Swell)
8′ Tuba (Choir)
8′ Fagotto (Swell)
4′ Clarinet (Choir)

Couplers
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Swell to Pedal 4′
Choir to Pedal
Choir to Pedal 4′

Swell to Great 16′
Swell to Great
Swell to Great 4′
Choir to Great 16′
Choir to Great
Choir to Great 4′

Swell to Choir 16′
Swell to Choir
Swell to Choir 4′

Antiphonal on Pedal
Antiphonal on Great
Antiphonal on Choir

Echo on Swell
Echo on Choir

Note: Antiphonal and Echo intramanual couplers read through intermanual couplers.

Mechanicals
Solid state capture combination action with:
100 memories
61 pistons and toe studs
Programmable piston range for each memory
Multiple Crescendo and Full Organ programs
5 Reversibles including Full Organ
Adjustable bench

Mixture Compositions
Great 2′ (III–IV)
C1 D15 B36 G#45
15 12
19 15 12
22 19 15 12
22 19 15

Swell 2′ (III–IV)
C1 B24 F#43 C#50
15 12 8
19 15 12 8
22 19 15 12
22 19 15

Choir 2′ (II–III)
C1 A22 D#52
15 12
19 15 12
22 19 15

Tonal analysis of manual voices
Pitch summary
16′ 5 13%
8′ 19 50%
4′ 6 16%
2-2⁄3′ 1 3%
2′ 6 15%
Above 2′ 1 3%
38 100%

Tonal families
Diapasons 14 37%
Open Flutes 7 18%
Stopped Flutes 5 13%
Hybrids 1 3%
Strings 5 13%
Chorus Reeds 4 11%
Color Reeds 2 5%
38 100%

Cover feature

Files

webDiapMar09p29-31.pdf (748.61 KB)

Schoenstein & Co.,
Benicia, California
Schermerhorn Symphony Center,

Nashville, Tennessee

Music City’s New Symphony Hall Organ
In its February 1982 issue, The Diapason published an article that challenged conventional wisdom. (See reprint of the article on pages 27–28 of this issue.) In it, Calvin Hampton made a convincing argument that an organ designed to be an instrument of the symphony orchestra must be radically different in many respects from a church organ or even a concert organ intended for solo use. A “normal” organ, even a fine one, could not pass his audition for symphony hall use. This really caught my attention. Since my background had included playing in and managing symphony orchestras, I was keenly aware of the uneasy relationship between orchestras and pipe organs. To managements, the organ was a headache. It used up too much space and too much money. Stagehands didn’t like the extra hassle of set-ups and working out quiet time for maintenance. Musicians didn’t like tuning to the organ or listening to its quinty mixtures and other thin, shrill sounds. Conductors never seemed satisfied with either the tone color or volume produced. Comments heard over and over again were: “I like that tone, can it be louder?” “Good balance, but I’d like a fuller, darker tone.” “Please(!)—keep with my beat!” The organist’s answers usually provoked frustrated and sometimes colorful comments about the inflexibility of the organ. The poor organist had even more problems than these: scarce rehearsal time, balance problems if the console was attached to the organ, poor sightlines if the console was on stage but too large or placed off in a corner.
The biggest problem of all was disappointment for the audience. The power of a modern symphony orchestra is so immense that most concert hall organs could not add to the drama of a fortissimo tutti. Against the gravity of the full orchestra, an ordinary organ can sound pathetically thin and upside down in balance, with trebles screaming out over the top of the ensemble. I had wondered for a long time why no one had attempted to solve all of these problems with an innovative approach. Calvin Hampton’s article gave me hope that someone would. About ten years later the tide began to turn. The musical issues were being addressed and many of them quite successfully. However, as a former instrumentalist and symphony manager, I thought that a more radical approach was needed.

Solving problems
Most of the behind-the-footlights practical problems can be solved by adopting an obvious, but, in some quarters, unpopular guideline: employ the fewest stops necessary to get the musical job done. This means an instrument that takes up less space, is less costly to purchase and more efficient to maintain. The case or chamber can be shallow for best tonal egress. Layout can be arranged for temperature—and thus tuning—stability; for example, all chorus work on one level, all reeds on one level. The console can be more compact, promoting sightlines and ease in setting and striking. The concept is easy enough to adopt, but what is that magic number of stops? What is the musical job to be done? How can we produce adequate power that will satisfy the audience?
First, it should be established that we are considering an instrument primarily for the Romantic and Modern repertoire. A properly equipped symphony hall should have one or two mechanical action stage organs to take care of the earlier repertoire. Previous experiments to include a “baroque” division with a small console as part of a large instrument have not been successful.
The primary use of the organ will be with orchestra. As a solo instrument, it might be used on occasion for choral accompaniment, silent movies as part of a pops series, and some special events. The solo organ recital has turned out to be a rarity in symphony halls. This is also true of other instrumental or vocal recitals. The reasons are simple: economics and scheduling.
If this musical job description is accurate, then an instrument in the size range proposed by Calvin Hampton (46 voices) would be ideal. Certainly any well-designed instrument of that size should also be able to render a very convincing recital program when needed. The key to a great performance is great tone, not great size.
If client and builder have the discipline to follow this Multum in Parvo plan rigorously, the question of tonal design becomes a matter of selecting stops that are absolutely essential and living without those that would be nice to have. Several classes of stops can be excluded with ease because they are duplicated in the symphony orchestra. Certainly there is no need for multiple strings and celestes or for orchestral reeds such as French Horn, English Horn, and Orchestral Oboe. The organ does not need items that would be considered necessities in a comprehensive church organ or in one specialized for some branch of the organ solo repertoire or for transcriptions.
What, then, are the elements that a symphony hall organ must have? Understanding what musical value the organ can add to the orchestra leads us to the answer. There are three characteristics of the organ that differentiate it very clearly from the orchestra. First, its frequency range is far greater. It can extend octaves below and above the orchestra. Extending the bass range has been the feature most appreciated by composers and orchestrators; however, increasing the treble range can be attractive, provided that it doesn’t get too loud! The second special characteristic of the organ is its unique tone—the diapason. This is a tone that cannot be produced by the orchestra and should, therefore, be the backbone of the organ when heard with the orchestra. The third element that should be most intriguing to composers is the organ’s ability to sustain indefinitely. This feature is most artistically displayed in connection with good expression boxes. A long, continuous diminuendo or crescendo can be most effective.

Four vital design points
Since there is a general understanding of basic organ tonal elements common to composers who write for orchestra as well as for the organ, a good symphony hall organ must include the minimum architecture of a normal three-manual traditional Romantic organ: diapason choruses and chorus reeds on each manual, representatives of stopped, open and harmonic flutes, a string with celeste, flute mutations, and the most common color reeds (Oboe, Clarinet, and Vox Humana). To make the organ capable of working in partnership with a modern symphony orchestra, the following tonal elements must be incorporated into this traditional scheme:
1. Profound Pedal. This is the most important element an organ can add to a symphony orchestra—bass one or two octaves below the double basses, bass tuba and contra bassoon. There must be at least one stop of such immense power that it will literally shake the floor. Stops of varying colors and dynamics with some under expressive control complete the Pedal.
2. Solo stops unique to the organ. These may be tones not found in the orchestra such as a diapason, stopped flute, and cornet or imitative stops that can be voiced at a power level not possible from their orchestral counterparts, such as solo harmonic flutes, strings, clarinets, and high pressure trumpets and trombas.
3. One soft stop capable of fading away to a whisper. Perhaps best in this role is a strongly tapered hybrid (or muted) stop.
4. An ensemble of exceptionally high power under expression. This cannot be raw power. It must be power with beauty, centered in the 8′ and 4′ range to give a sense of solidity and grandeur. Since symphony halls are generally drier acoustically than the typical organ and choral environment, it is even more important that this power be concentrated in the mid-frequency range and be of warm tonal character. The false sense of power created by excessive emphasis in high-pitched tones should be avoided. Orchestras don’t rely on a battery of piccolos for power, why should the organ? Piccolos can dominate an orchestra and so can mixtures, but that doesn’t make either effect beautiful. The kind of power needed comes from moderate to high wind pressures and stops voiced with rich harmonic content for good projection. Upperwork should be for tonal color rather than power. At least one diapason chorus should include a very high pitched mixture, a tone color unique to the organ, but it must not be loud. Eight-foot diapasons, chorus reeds, open flutes and strings should work together to create an ensemble capable of standing up to a full symphony orchestra. As someone who has sat in the midst of a symphonic brass section, I have a clear idea of the kind of power that is generated by trumpets, trombones and horns at fff. To compete without sounding shrill and forced requires high pressure diapasons and reeds, including a 32′ stop—all under expression to fit any situation.

Good tonal design must be supported by a mechanism that helps the organist solve all the performance problems mentioned above—an instrument that is as easy as possible to manage. The organ builder should employ every device at his command to give the organ musical flexibility so that it can take its place as an equal among the other instruments of the orchestra.

The Nashville project
We were given an opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of these ideas in our project for the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville. This was one of those projects that went smoothly from beginning to end, with everything falling into place and no road blocks in the way. Of the greatest importance to the success of this job was the client’s clear musical goal and realization that a really great organ can’t be all things to all people. We had a well-defined mission: to build an instrument that is a member of the orchestra. To this end we worked from the beginning with Andrew Risinger, organ curator and symphony organist and also organist/associate director of music at West End United Methodist Church in Nashville.
We were appointed, at the very beginning of the project, to the design team that included acoustician Paul Scarbrough of Akustiks in Norwalk, Connecticut and design architects David M. Schwarz, Architectural Services of Washington, D.C. I had worked with both as organ consultant for the Cleveland Orchestra in the renovation of Severance Hall and its E. M. Skinner organ. The design team, under the skillful management of Mercedes Jones, produced a hall that could not be more perfect from our point of view. Seating 1,872, it is beautiful in its traditional design, excellent proportions, and fine materials. It is of the traditional “shoebox” shape that everyone knows is perfect but that few architects are willing to employ. Since, under the direction of Paul Scarbrough, all of the traditional acoustical rules were followed, the result is, indeed, perfect.
Reverberation time is controlled by dampening material that may be added or subtracted at will. There is excellent balance, clarity, and pleasing resonance even in the lowest reverberation setting. With all dampening material lifted out of the way at the press of a button, the hall is ideal for most organ and choral repertoire. In addition, there is one very unusual and practical feature that has an added impact for the organ. The orchestra seating section can be converted to a flat open floor for pops concerts and special events. Most of the transformation is accomplished automatically through a labyrinth of gigantic machinery in the basement. The huge expanse of polished wood flooring adds significant reverberation. This feature also, interestingly enough, increases the usage of the organ. The hall is often rented for weddings. This is perhaps the only symphony hall organ in the world that has a reason to play the Mendelssohn and Wagner marches!
The organ is in an ideal position just above the choral risers at the rear of the stage. The casework was designed in close cooperation with the architectural team and Paul Fetzer whose company, Fetzer Architectural Woodwork of Salt Lake City, built the façade along with the other woodwork of the hall. It affords full tonal egress from the open front chamber behind it, which is shallow for accurate unforced projection. The organ is arrayed on three levels. Most flues are on the first level. Reeds, celestes, some flutes and offsets are on the second, and Pedal on the third, with the exception of the Trombone and Diaphone, which occupy a space extending all three levels. The bass octave of the 32′ Sub Bass is in a most unusual spot—located horizontally underneath the patron’s boxes to the left and right of the stage apron! These large scale pipes produce a soft 32′ tone that is felt as well as heard throughout the entire auditorium. The 32′ Trombone is in its own expression box, and the Swell includes our double-expression system, wherein the softest and most powerful voices are in a separate enclosure at the rear of the Swell with shades speaking into the Swell. The Vox Humana is in its own expression box inside the double expressive division of the Swell and so is, in effect, under triple expression. Accurate climate control has been provided, keeping the organ at constant humidity and temperature. The blower room in the basement has its own cooling system to neutralize the effects of blower heat build-up. Intake air is filtered.
The instrument employs our expansion cell windchests and electric-pneumatic action. This allows uniform, fast and silent action for all pipes no matter their pressure as well as easy console mobility and the borrowing of stops for maximum flexibility. Obviously borrowing is employed heavily in the Pedal, but it is also used on the Great, where the high pressure diapasons 8′ and 4′, string, stopped flute, Cornet and Solo reeds are all available independently. It also makes practical the extension of Pedal stops into the Solo and facilitates an interesting effect, the Tuben stop, which borrows the Swell reeds onto the Solo at unison pitch (Posaune up an octave at 8′ and Clarion down an octave at 8′ along with the 8′ Trumpet).
The console has the usual playing aids, but has been kept as simple and straightforward as possible to facilitate efficient rehearsals. There is a record-playback system—helpful for rehearsals and also for house tours; the playback mechanism can be remotely controlled by tour guides. With the press of a button they can start the blower and select a demonstration piece to be played for public tours, which are a popular attraction in Music City.

Tonal design
The two pillars of tone are diapasons and trumpets. The manual diapason choruses contrast in tonal color and power. The Swell chorus (Manual III) is based on a slotted 8′ Diapason of moderate power with a slightly tapered 4′ Principal and a 2′ Mixture, which is under double expression. The Great (Manual II) has a large scale 8′ Diapason with upperwork through 1⁄3′ Mixture and a slotted, smaller scale double. The Solo (Manual I) has the largest scale and most powerful chorus, all under expression and at 10″ pressure. Its mixture can be drawn with and without a tierce. The trumpets range from closed, tapered shallots on 10″ wind in the Swell to open parallel shallots on 5″ wind in the Great to open parallel shallots on 15″ wind in the Solo, where tromba-type tone is added by the Tubas and Trombone. Built around these pillars is an ensemble of stops with color, definition and sinew that project well to produce power in a manner similar to the orchestral instruments and centered at the orchestra’s pitch. Note that 64% of the stops are at 8′ and 4′ pitch. A most rewarding comment on this subject came after the opening concert in Nashville from the visiting executive director of one of the world’s leading orchestras, who remarked that he didn’t know that it was possible for an organ to be so powerful and at the same time so beautiful.
There are several special tonal features including a newly developed stop—the Diplophone. We wanted to include solo stops of heroic power from each family of tone. Our usual solo Gambas, Symphonic Flute (which employs five different types of pipe construction throughout its compass including double mouth and double harmonic pipes), Tibia Clausa, Corno di Bassetto and Tuba Magna represented the string, open flute, stopped flute, color reed, and chorus reed families, but we needed a solo diapason of equal power. We tested normal stentorphone pipes and then double-languid pipes without achieving the character of tone and power we were after. We then tried a double-mouth diapason. Mouths on either side of the pipe allow a greater mouth width than is possible with a single opening. This, combined with high pressure, produces tremendous power with smoothness and beauty. Finally, we included a powerful mounted Cornet (unusual for us) because it is a tone color completely outside the range of the orchestra and should offer interesting possibilities to contemporary composers.
For a stop that can fade away to nothing, we added our Cor Seraphique and Vox Angelique. These are very strongly tapered stops of the muted (or hybrid) variety. They are neither strings nor flutes and have a mysterious quality that is very attractive, with a harmonic structure that promotes projection when the Swell boxes are open, but is soft enough to disappear with both boxes closed. This stop is extended to 16′ to provide the same effect in the Pedal.
The Pedal includes all classes of tone at 16′ pitch: open wood, open metal, string, hybrid, stopped wood, and two different weights of chorus reed tone, both under expression. One of the most important 16′ voices is the Violone, which gives a prompt clear 16′ line to double and amplify the basses of the orchestra. The most unusual, and in some ways most important, stop of the organ is the 32′ Diaphone. Diaphones have a tone quality that ranges from a very dark, almost pure fundamental to a slightly reedy quality. Since this organ is equipped with a 32′ Trombone under expression, the Diaphone is voiced for pure fundamental tone of magnificent power. It produces more solid fundamental bass than a large open wood diapason and it speaks and releases promptly.
Our Pizzicato Bass stop, which gives a clean pointed bass line when added to other stops playing legato, is included because of its value in choral accompaniment. There is a special Sforzando coupler that is engaged only when the Sforzando lever, located above the swell shoes, is touched. It allows Solo stops to be momentarily added to the Great for accent. The Solo has a variable speed tremulant.

Installation and debut
The organ was installed in several phases, which went very smoothly due to the outstanding cooperation and support of the symphony staff, led by president and CEO Alan D. Valentine and general manager Mark F. Blakeman, as well as the excellent building contractors, American Constructors, Inc. The atmosphere was collegial and, yes, there is such a thing as southern hospitality. The casework, display pipes, blowers and large pedal pipes were installed in February–May 2006. We completed the mechanical installation of the organ during the summer of 2006. Tonal finishing was carried out during the summer of 2007. The leisurely and well-spaced schedule avoided the conflicts and last minute scrambles that usually cut tonal finishing time.
The organ was presented to the public at the opening night gala of the 2007–08 season with Leonard Slatkin, conductor, and Andrew Risinger, organist. The program included the Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Duruflé Prelude and Fugue on the Name Alain, Barber Toccata Festiva, and the Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3. It was recorded for broadcast on SymphonyCast. The exceptionally active Nashville chapter of the AGO has co-sponsored events starting with a lecture-demonstration evening and including the “International Year of the Organ Spectacular” recital featuring Vincent Dubois. The orchestra has presented several programs including a “Meet the Organ” demonstration for students, a “Day of Music” free to the community, a series of noontime recitals, and Thomas Trenney playing accompaniments to the silent films Phantom of the Opera at a Halloween program in 2007 and The Mark of Zorro in 2008. The organ has been used to accompany the symphony chorus in concert and also in several additional orchestra subscription concerts including works by Elgar and Respighi. The 2008–09 season has already presented Andrew Risinger in the Copland Symphony for Organ and Orchestra with new music director Giancarlo Guerrero conducting, the noon recital series continues, and more programs are on the way.
The instrument has been greeted with enthusiasm from the artistic staff of the orchestra and the musicians. The public has embraced it warmly and we look forward to the 2012 AGO convention, where it will be one of the featured instruments.
—Jack M. Bethards
President and Tonal Director
Schoenstein & Co.

On behalf of Louis Patterson, V.P. and Plant Superintendent; Robert Rhoads, V.P. and Technical Director (retired); Chuck Primich, Design Director; Mark Hotsenpiller, Head Voicer;
department heads Chet Spencer, Chris Hansford and Mark Harter;
and technicians David Beck, Filiberto Borbon, Peter Botto, Dan Fishbein, Oliver Jaggi, George Morten, Humberto Palma, Tom Roberts, Dan Schneringer, Patricia Schneringer, Donald Toney, William Vaughan and William Visscher.

Cover photo by Louis Patterson

Schoenstein & Co.

The Martin Foundation Organ
The Nashville Symphony Orchestra
Schermerhorn Symphony Center
Nashville, Tennessee
47 voices, 64 ranks
Electric-pneumatic action

GREAT – II (5″ wind)
16′ Double Open Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Diplophone (Solo)
8′ Grand Open Diapason (Solo)
8′ First Open Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Second Open Diapason 12 pipes
8′ Gamba (Solo)
8′ Tibia Clausa (Solo)
8′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes
8′ Salicional (Swell)
8′ Bourdon (metal) 61 pipes
8′ Lieblich Gedeckt
(borrow with Bourdon bass)
8′ Cor Celeste II (Swell)
4′ Octave (Solo)
4′ Principal 61 pipes
4′ Lieblich Gedeckt 61 pipes
2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes
11⁄3′ Mixture IV 200 pipes
1⁄3′ Mixture III 146 pipes
8′ Trumpet 61 pipes
4′ Clarion 61 pipes
8′ Cornet V (Solo)
8′ Tuba Magna (Solo)
8′ Tuba (Solo)
8′ Corno di Bassetto (Solo)

SWELL – III (enclosed, 5″ wind)
16′ Lieblich Bourdon (wood) 12 pipes
8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Stopped Diapason (wood) 61 pipes
8′ Echo Gamba 61 pipes
8′ Vox Celeste 61 pipes
8′ Salicional 49 pipes
(Stopped Diapason bass)
4′ Principal 61 pipes
4′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes
22⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes
2′ Harmonic Piccolo 61 pipes
13⁄5′ Tierce 54 pipes
8′ Oboe 61 pipes
Tremulant
Stops under Double Expression†
16′ Cor Seraphique 12 pipes
8′ Cor Seraphique 61 pipes
8′ Voix Angelique (TC) 49 pipes
2′ Mixture III–V 244 pipes
16′ Posaune 61 pipes
8′ Trumpet 61 pipes
4′ Clarion 61 pipes
8′ Vox Humana†† 61 pipes
†Flues and Vox 6″ wind; Reeds 11½″
††Separate Tremulant; separate expression box

SOLO – I (enclosed, 10″ wind)
8′ Grand Open Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Symphonic Flute† 61 pipes
8′ Gamba 61 pipes
8′ Gamba Celeste 61 pipes
4′ Octave 61 pipes
2′ Quint Mixture IV
2′ Tierce Mixture V 270 pipes
8′ Tuba† 61 pipes
8′ Harmonic Trumpet† 61 pipes
8′ Tuben III††
8′ Corno di Bassetto† 61 pipes
Tremulant
Tremulant (variable)
Unenclosed Stops
8′ Diplophone 29 pipes
(ext Pedal Open Wood)
8′ Tibia Clausa 29 pipes
(ext Pedal Sub Bass)
8′ Cornet V (TG, 5″ wind) 185 pipes
16′ Trombone 5 pipes
(ext Pedal Trombone)
8′ Tuba Magna† 61 pipes
†15″ wind
††Swell Posaune, Trumpet and Clarion at 8′ pitch

PEDAL (4½″, 5″, 7½″, 10″, 15″ wind)
32′ Diaphone 12 pipes
32′ Sub Bass 12 pipes
16′ Diaphone 32 pipes
16′ Open Wood 32 pipes
16′ Violone 32 pipes
16′ Diapason (Great)
16′ Cor Seraphique (Swell)
16′ Sub Bass 32 pipes
16′ Bourdon (Swell)
8′ Open Wood 12 pipes
8′ Open Diapason (Swell)
8′ Principal 32 pipes
8′ Violone 12 pipes
8′ Gamba (Solo)
8′ Flute (Great)
8′ Sub Bass 12 pipes
8′ Bourdon (Swell)
4′ Fifteenth 32 pipes
4′ Flute (Great)
8′ Pizzicato Bass†
32′ Trombone†† 12 pipes
16′ Trombone†† 32 pipes
16′ Posaune (Swell)
8′ Tuba Magna (Solo)
8′ Trombone†† 12 pipes
8′ Posaune (Swell)
4′ Trombone†† 12 pipes
4′ Corno di Bassetto (Solo)
†8′ Sub Bass with Pizzicato Relay
††Enclosed in its own expression box

Couplers
Intramanual
Swell 16, Unison Off, 4
Solo 16, Unison Off, 4

Intermanual
Great to Pedal 8
Swell to Pedal 8, 4
Solo to Pedal 8, 4
Swell to Great 16, 8, 4
Solo to Great 16, 8, 4
Swell to Solo 16, 8, 4
Solo to Swell 8

Special
Pedal Tutti to Solo
Solo to Great Sforzando
All Swells to Swell
Manual I/II transfer piston with indicator

Mechanicals
Peterson ICS-4000 system with:
256 memory levels
62 pistons and toe studs
programmable piston range for each memory level
Piston Sequencer
10 reversible controls including Full Organ
Four balanced pedals with selector for expression and Crescendo
Record/Playback system with remote control
Adjustable bench

Mixture Compositions
Great IV
C1 A10 D15 A#35 G#45
19 15 12
22 19 15 12
26 22 19 15 12
29 26 22 19 15

Great III
C1 A10 D15 C25 A#35 G#45 B48 F#55
33 29 26
36 33 29 26 22 19 15 12
40 36 33 29 26 22 19 15

Swell III–V
C1 C#14 B24 A#47 D#52
15 8 8
19 15 12 8
22 19 15 12 8
22 19 15 12
22 19 15

Solo V
C1 A46 C#50 F#55
12
15 12
17 15 12
19 17 15 12
22 19 17 15

Solo IV derived from Solo V, without tierce

Tonal Families
Diapason† 17 36%
Open Flutes 7 15%
Stopped Flutes 4 9%
Strings 5 11%
Hybrids 2 4%
Chorus Reeds 9 19%
Color Reeds 3 6%
47 100%

†Includes Diaphone and Salicional

Pitch Summary
Sub
32′ 3 6%
16′ 6 13% 19%

Unison
8′ 22 47%
4′ 8 17% 64%

Super
22⁄3′ 1 2%
2′ 4 9%
Above 3 6% 17%
47 100% 100%

New Organs

Files

webDiapFeb08p32.pdf (232 KB)

Schoenstein & Co., Organ Builders, San Francisco, California
Christ Church Episcopal,
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Schoenstein & Co., Benicia, California, were honored to be invited by one of the nation’s oldest and most famous parishes to propose a new organ, but the situation gave us pause: a very dry acoustic; a convoluted, L-shaped, deep, side chamber with poor tone openings; an historic church that could not be changed; and a hard act to follow—Aeolian-Skinner. (The organ to be replaced was the Aeolian-Skinner where E. Power Biggs had served as organist and which had been featured on Aeolian-Skinner’s recording, Studies in Organ Tone.)
The organ chamber is located in an addition off of the right side of the chancel with an extension tone chute over an entry hall. The chamber speaks not directly into the chancel, but into the side aisle. It was a tonal prison cell. Given the need for strict historical preservation of the building, there was no opportunity to create space for a large free-standing instrument or a new chamber.
The client’s request was for an Anglo-American symphonic-style organ to lead and support their modern Anglican services. Obviously, the architecture and the nature of the parish called for tone of nobility and refinement. Getting the sound out of the chamber, without it sounding harsh and forced, was the problem.
Certain design principles produce successful enchambered sounds. These include stoplists emphasizing bright, colorful diapason tones, strings and open flutes, with the main power of the ensemble dominated by chorus reeds rather than high mixtures. High pitches do not travel well around corners! An acoustically dry room reacts well to tone that is smooth, warm and rich. It helps to make up for the lack of resonance. Adequate wind pressure to provide intensity and projection of tone—not loudness—is vital. Pipe scaling and voicing must be bold. Finally, the organ must be laid out so that the sound gets out of the chamber through a large, fully opening shade front.
To ensure the success of the new organ, major renovation work was accomplished in the existing organ chamber and blower room. The largest and most important division in the organ, the Swell, was placed along the entire front section of the chamber, parallel to the front wall of the chancel. The main Swell windchests are placed in the full-height area of the chamber, with the double enclosed Inner Swell behind this. The double expression system of the Swell makes available a very broad dynamic range without changing stops. It is possible to add just a touch of reed tone (so little that the youngest soloist would not be overpowered), to hush the Flute Celestes to less than a whisper, and to harness the 32′ reed so that it may accompany even gentle string-toned stops; and yet its batteries enable the organist to achieve enormous power when necessary. Such tools for subtle beauty and precise control elevate the value of the organ in accompanying a service.
The Great and Choir divisions are located at floor level parallel to the side aisle and partially below the case impost level. All but two of the Great stops are enclosed, adding to the versatility and dynamic range of the organ.
The large wood Pedal pipes are stacked horizontally on the roof of the organ. This allows the manual divisions a more spacious layout and puts the bass pipes in a favorable position for a direct line of sight projection into the church.
Of the finished result, Stuart Forster, the director of music and organist, said: “It is necessary to document what a pleasure it is to play, and to listen to, this organ. The splendor of its individual voices (note the variety of flutes!), the cohesion and clarity of its choruses, the many effects and, of course, its colossal variety of expression in timbre and dynamics unite to create a musical instrument surpassing every hope of the committees, parishioners, donors, musicians, observers and visitors involved in this organ’s creation and service.”
—William Vaughan

GREAT
16′ Gamba
8′ First Open Diapason
8′ Second Open Diapason
8′ Harmonic Flute
8′ Gamba
8′ Gamba Celeste (TC)
8′ Bourdon
4′ Principal
4′ Bourdon
22⁄3′ Twelfth
2′ Fifteenth
13⁄5′ Seventeenth
11⁄3′ Mixture III–IV
8′ Trumpet (Choir)
8′ Clarinet (Choir)
8′ Tuba (Choir)
Chimes (Walker)
Cymbelstern

SWELL
16′ Lieblich Bourdon
8′ Open Diapason
8′ Stopped Diapason
8′ Echo Gamba
8′ Vox Angelica
4′ Gemshorn
4′ Harmonic Flute
2′ Flageolet
8′ Oboe
Tremulant
Stops Under Double Expression
8′ Flauto Dolce
8′ Flute Celeste (TC)
4′ Flauto Dolce
4′ Flute Celeste
2′ Mixture III–V
16′ Contra Fagotto
8′ Cornopean
4′ Clarion
8′ Vox Humana

CHOIR
16′ Dulciana
8′ Open Diapason (Great)
8′ Concert Flute
8′ Lieblich Gedeckt
8′ Dulciana
8′ Unda-Maris (TC)
4′ Fugara
4′ Forest Flute
22⁄3′ Nazard
2′ Harmonic Piccolo
13⁄5′ Tierce (TC)
8′ Trumpet
8′ English Horn
8′ Clarinet
Tremulant
Tremulant B Variable
8′ Tuba
8′ Tuben (III)
Harp (Walker)
Celesta (Walker)

PEDAL
32′ Sub Bass
16′ Open Wood
16′ Sub Bass
16′ Gamba (Great)
16′ Dulciana (Choir)
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)
8′ Principal
8′ Flute (Great)
8′ Stopped Diapason (Swell)
8′ Dulciana (Choir)
4′ Fifteenth
4′ Flute (Great)
32′ Contra Fagotto (Swell)
16′ Ophicleide (Choir)
16′ Contra Fagotto (Swell)
8′ Tuba (Choir)
8′ Trumpet (Choir)
4′ Tuba (Choir)
4′ Trumpet (Choir)

Organ Design and the Kraft Music Hall

by Jack M. Bethards

Jack M. Bethards is President and Tonal Director, Schoenstein & Co. Organ Builders. A San Francisco Bay Area native, he holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of California at Berkeley. He has been a professional musician and is currently active in the American Guild of Organists. He is past president of the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America and member of the American Institute of Organbuilders, the International Society of Organbuilders, the Organ Historical Society and the Association Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. He serves on the advisory boards of several organ preservation societies. In his 43 years of pipe organ work and research, Mr. Bethards has been a frequent lecturer and contributor of articles to professional journals. A major thrust of his study, including work abroad, has been Romantic organ building in France, Germany, England and America.

Schoenstein & Co. is the oldest and largest organ factory in the Western states. The Schoenstein family has been building instruments for five generations. The firm was started in the Black Forest of Germany in the mid-19th century and in 1877 in San Francisco. In addition to organ building, Schoenstein & Co. does restoration work specializing in historic organs including the Salt Lake Mormon Tabernacle Aeolian-Skinner organ.

What do Miracle Whip® and Velveeta® have to do with stop lists and pipe scaling? Not much. I am thinking more about Robert Armbruster's magnificent NBC studio orchestra that played so brilliantly on the Kraft Music Hall in the late 1940s. His aggregation stretched versatility to the maximum. In addition to the usual theme, signature, and background music, he had to accompany Nelson Eddy and Dorothy Kirsten in arias from grand opera, art songs, favorites from operetta and musical comedy, as well as popular melodies of the day. The orchestra had to perform overtures and other legitimate repertoire on the same airwaves as the NBC Symphony and also make a good showing against popular orchestra leaders such as Paul Whiteman. All of this was done within the confines of a modest-size studio and the well-controlled budget of a broadcast that had to pay its own way. Does this sound familiar to those involved in planning for a church pipe organ? To me, it is directly analogous to the age-old quest of providing cathedral music in a parish church setting. Getting the most out of a limited number of stops has been a fascinating challenge and, when successful, a point of great pride for organ builders over centuries.

How did Robert Armbruster and his many colleagues in the fields of broadcast, motion picture, phonograph recording, and theater music bring the grandeur of the symphony orchestra to their audiences when budget and space were limited? It seems quite obvious that they analyzed the major effects produced by the full symphony orchestra and developed patterns of reduced instrumentation that captured the most important ones. A typical radio orchestra of the day might be composed of two flutes (one doubling piccolo), two clarinets (one doubling bass clarinet), one oboe (doubling English horn), one bassoon, two horns, three trumpets, two trombones, one tuba (bell-front recording type), one harp, two percussion (one traps, one tympani and mallets), eight violins, three violas, three 'cellos, and two basses. Sometimes for popular music two or three of the woodwind players would double saxophone. Piano (doubling celesta) and guitar might also be added. These jazz effects were strictly secondary. The orchestra was expected to sound symphonic, and did so at less than one-third the size of a full symphony orchestra.

The string section in such an orchestra was just large enough to create a rich, full and luxurious sound. At least one of every woodwind tone color was represented. The brass section was larger than necessary to balance the number of strings and winds; however, it was vital to have brass power in reserve to provide the climactic crescendo that could not come from other choirs of the orchestra without far more players. In other words, brass was dominant in the tutti. Solid, powerful bass is an important component of the symphony orchestra, and the tuba was often more important in the role of doubling the string basses than in playing the bottom brass line.

Of course a cleverly worked out list of instrumentation is not nearly enough. Each instrumentalist must be capable of producing exquisite tonal color and have absolute control of dynamics, attack, accent, and release. I don't know of any effect more thrilling in music than hearing one of these great Hollywood orchestras performing at the height of the mid-century period when art music was considered appropriate as mass commercial entertainment. The world's greatest musicians were gathered in Hollywood. They played with a degree of self-confidence and authority that elevated these rather modest ensembles into the major leagues.

Many organ builders, ourselves included, strive to produce small organs which do big musical jobs. Our choir organs in the French Romantic style and Multum In Parvo (much from little) parish church organs in the English style have captured the essence of comprehensive church organs in extremely small formats. A few years ago we set out to expand this concept with an effort to produce the major effects of the symphonic organ with a limited number of stops. It was conceded for decades that an organ could not be considered symphonic unless it had at least three manuals and 50 or so stops and those who advocate giant instruments--the bigger the better--would scoff at considering anything under 100 ranks symphonic. We came to the conclusion that much of the material in large symphonic organs, although sumptuously beautiful, was duplicative. But even after eliminating duplications, a symphonic stop list was far too large for the average church. We decided to follow the Kraft Music Hall model--analyze the major effects of symphonic organs and see if they could be reproduced in miniature. Obviously it would require more than just a few stops, but we felt that the job could be done with less than twenty.

Before going further one might question the practical value of this exercise. It is our belief that for most churches the organ can only earn its way if it has enough variety and tonal color and a wide enough dynamic range not only to accomplish the nearly impossible list of church musical jobs, but to prevent boredom from setting in among both musicians and listeners over time. Instruments dedicated entirely to the organ solo repertoire, which is the common approach in small designs, fall short in their ability to do the jobs that most congregations want accomplished. For most churches an organ of symphonic character is the ideal--they want versatility, musical leadership, and emotional connection. But they usually want these in a modest size building and on a budget. So aside from the pure pleasure of solving a musical puzzle, we had a good reason to build the smallest symphonic organ we could. We got our first opportunity in the exceptionally beautiful chapel of the First Presbyterian Church of Spartanburg, South Carolina. Our first task was to delineate the major effects of the larger symphonic organs:

Tonal Qualities

1. Unison diapason tone of at least two different colors and dynamic levels with chorus work suitable to each.

2. Flutes of vividly differentiated tone color including one powerful, open solo flute.

3. Two celeste stops: a pair of genuine orchestral strings, and a pair of soft ethereal voices. Most small organs rely on one compromise celeste pair to do these two very different jobs. Such stops usually tend toward flute or diapason tone. Although they may be attractive, they do not elevate an instrument into the symphonic class. Keen strings are absolutely necessary, but so are the less assertive, dolce tones. Both should be represented, and the string pairs should be full-compass to low C.

4. Color reed tone useful in both solo and accompaniment roles.

5. Heroic chorus and solo trumpet tone. In smaller acoustics, power is best achieved with unison tone of great intensity--not loud, high-pitched mixture tone. The proper character is usually achieved through high wind pressure reeds.

6. Powerful Pedal bass. The symphonic organ has representatives of each tone color in the Pedal department. A Bourdon is not enough; there must also be open flue tone and reed tone to provide clarity, point, and drama. If possible, 32' tone should be included.

Control Elements

7. Effective expression. A symphonic organ must be able to produce a crescendo from ppp to fff. It also should be able to produce full organ chorus effects at less than full organ volume. Part of this has to do with the proper terracing of voices, but solid expression boxes with responsive shades are vital, too.

8. Contrasting expression. There must be at least two divisions under expression for an organ to start claiming symphonic status. In a small instrument as many voices as possible should be under expression. In the symphonic concept, unexpressive voices are a luxury normally reserved for large instruments. In some cases layout demands that certain voices be unexpressive, for example where the Swell must be behind the Great, but this should be an exception.

9. Precise, responsive, silent, lightning fast key and stop actions and a steady wind system.

10. A comfortable console well equip-ped with playing aids.

Comparing the lists of orchestral instrumentation and organ stops, let us consider what are the most essential elements of each in addition to the bedrock string and brass sections of the orchestra and the comparable diapasons and chorus reeds of the organ. In other words, what special sounds and effects elevate the orchestra and the organ to the symphonic class or, put more simply, make a small ensemble sound big. In the orchestra, french horn, harp, tympani, and solid bass are vital. In the organ the key elements are real strings, a big solo flute, an heroic solo trumpet and also powerful, clear bass. In the orchestra, players must have absolute control over their instruments or else the conductor will not be able to create grand effects from limited instrumentation. In the organ, the key and stop action, wind system, expression system, and console must be perfectly responsive for the organist to be able to lift the organ to the symphonic level. Just as each member of the orchestra must have developed a beautiful and distinctive sound, so the voicer must give his pipes definite character and beautiful tone.

First Presbyterian Church

Spartanburg, South Carolina

Now let's review the Spartanburg organ stop list to see how it fulfills the symphonic ideal. The Great and Swell each have independent diapasons. The name Salicional may be a bit misleading to those who consider it a member of the string family. We use that name (and the name Dulciana) to indicate stops of the echo diapason class, which is characterized by pure diapason tone of moderate to low power. This nomenclature is quite common on British and continental Romantic organs. On the Great, the 8' Open Diapason is complemented with an independent 4' Principal that is quite narrowly scaled in the bass and tenor progressing upward to more nearly match the scale of the Diapason in the high treble. The Principal is rich in harmonics providing a simple, but quite satisfying chorus effect that also works well with the super coupler. The chorus of the Great is completed with a Mixture. Although it is often very useful, particularly in a small scheme to specify an independent Twelfth and Fifteenth instead of a Mixture, the unique tone color provided by a compound stop is essential to the symphonic ensemble. It is comparable to the difference between a three-violin section in a salon ensemble and eight violins in a small symphonic orchestra. In a scheme of only 12 voices it is impossible to have an independent diapason chorus in the Swell, but the unification of a small scale echo diapason makes a very convincing substitute, especially when the Stopped Diapason is included to provide additional unison weight. Unification works best when it is substituting for stops that would not have a very great scale difference if they were straight. In general, the smaller the unison scale the less difference there would be in its octave and fifteenth. Therefore, the Salicional is a good candidate for such treatment.

This organ has four distinctly different flute tones. The 8' Stopped Diapason is of wood with pierced stoppers from middle C producing a colorful but also solidly fundamental sound. The 4' Chimney Flute is an excellent companion, being of extremely small scale with a light, buoyant and lyrical tone. Its 22/3' unification adds interesting solo colors. The Corno Dolce of the Great is a moderate scale open flute with a 1/4 taper. The Harmonic Flute is a powerful solo voice which ascends in power up the scale. It also adds significantly to the foundation of the Great.

Genuine orchestral string tone is provided by the Vox Celeste (II). These are narrow scale strings of exceptionally keen intonation. The contrasting undulating effect is provided by the Flute Celeste which is paired with the Corno Dolce. It has a smooth, ethereal character with just enough edge to add distinct point to accompaniment lines and, with its celeste, to make a heavenly effect leading into the more pungent strings. It can be drawn on the Swell at both 8' and 4' pitches as a means of beginning the Swell build-up. Introduction of the Vox Celeste (II) with swell box closed is hardly noticed when it is preceded by the Flute Celeste at 8' and 4' pitch, the Great box having been opened. Although to many it would seem to be an impractical luxury to extend the Swell Vox Celeste to 8' pitch and also include an ethereal celeste on the Great, we believe that it is one of the basics for the symphonic effect.

For a color reed in this instrument we selected a Flügel Horn--truly a chameleon among stops. It sounds like a small scale or muted trumpet. In certain registers, especially when doubled by a flute, it can produce a French Horn character, and it also serves all of the traditional accompaniment and solo roles of the Oboe. E.M. Skinner often preferred a Flügel Horn in place of an Oboe on small stop lists because of its versatility. The color reed was placed on the Great both to provide mild chorus reed character for that division and so that it can be accompanied by Swell voices.

Chorus reed tone is provided by the Tuba Minor. Traditionally, the name tuba is applied to trumpets or trombas of exceptional power. The trumpet-type is brilliant, singing and bell-like in its tone while the tromba-type is darker, more sonorous and smoother. The tuba in this instrument is definitely of the trumpet class. It is voiced on 8” of wind pressure and is enclosed separately within the Swell box producing double the normal dynamic range. Its shades are kept partially closed when it is serving in the role of a standard chorus trumpet. When its shades are closed it can play the part of a color reed, the volume level being like that of an oboe. When its shades are fully open this stop takes on an heroic character suitable for trumpet tunes, fanfares, and the like. When played on the Swell manual at 16' and 8' with the super coupler, it provides a thrilling full Swell effect.

It is unusual in an organ of this size to include three 16' Pedal stops, but these are vital if the organ is to be lifted out of the small organ class. A normal 16' Bourdon is augmented by the 16' Corno Dolce which is scaled so as to produce a very prompt-speaking clear and firm bass. It has a reduced scale in the bottom two octaves to produce the kind of bite one hears from the orchestral double bass. The profundity of the Pedal comes from the full length 16' extension of the Swell Tuba.

All of the voices of this organ are under expression. The Great and Swell are located next to one another and speak into the chapel through a ceiling grill. Swell shades open nearly 90˚ and are operated by a powerful, fast electric-pneumatic motor. It would be impossible to create a symphonic caliber dynamic range on an organ of this size without at least one powerful stop under double expression. Described above, this device increases the organ's dynamic range from mp to pp and at the other end of the spectrum from ff to fff.

The action system employs the Schoenstein individual valve Expansion Cell wind chest and the wind system uses five separate regulators to provide absolutely steady wind of adequate capacity and appropriate pressure. The console includes a solid state capture combination action with 16 memories and our Range feature which permits the organist to program pistons to be either generals or divisionals in any combination desired.

This organ has proven to be versatile far beyond what one would expect of a 12-voice scheme. In the context of a modest sized room, the organ is truly symphonic in character and has proven itself capable of playing most of the standard organ repertoire as well as sophisticated choir accompaniments and service music. The main characteristic that separates it from other organs of its size is the number of tone color possibilities and the impressive dynamic range. It is capable of a sustained uninterrupted crescendo from ppp to fff providing a sense of grandeur that is seldom heard even in instruments much larger. This also means that it has met the goal of any good accompanimental organ design: to have a variety of tonal colors available at any volume level the conductor desires.

University of St. Thomas

Houston, Texas

Our next opportunity to test this concept came at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. We were especially honored to work with architect Philip Johnson in designing an instrument for his striking chapel of St. Basil. The building promised an outstanding acoustic and perfect placement, which enabled us to work on a slightly larger format. Since there was to be a display pipe façade, we added an unenclosed First Open Diapason to the Great that is extended into the Pedal providing a fourth 16' Pedal stop on this 15-voice instrument. At the request of our client, we substituted a Clarinet for the Flügel Horn. Although we gave up the mild secondary chorus reed tone character of the Flügel Horn, we gained a color of more contrast with the Tuba. In the Swell we added a unified echo principal mutation at 22/3' and 11/3'. This stop is scaled to balance with the Salicional and augment the organ's secondary chorus as well as provide several options for additional color. The most significant change was to place the keen orchestral strings on high pressure in the secondary Swell expression box along with the Tuba. This is a great advantage for it allows the strings to be muted to various volume levels to serve in more accompaniment roles. Obviously, the build-up of celeste tone is quite enhanced. This also illustrates the value of the opportunity to work with an architect in designing an ideal organ space. In Spartanburg there was no way to enlarge the double expressive box, but in Houston we could tailor make the space to suit the optimum tonal design.

Grace United Methodist Church

Greensboro, North Carolina

Our next instrument along these lines at Grace United Methodist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, provided a real challenge in placement. Although the side chancel chamber was of adequate size, the opening only spanned about half of it and could not be enlarged. This meant that the Great would fill the opening and that the tone of the Swell would have to speak across the Great and make a 180-degree turn to reach the nave. Obviously we could not enclose the Great, so we cut it back to the bare essentials and built up the Swell, duplexing several of its stops on to the Great. This plan was used with great success by E.M. Skinner in his small schemes. The Harmonic Flute, with its ascending increase in treble power, is one of the few solo voices that can work well unenclosed. Since the Corno Dolce and Celeste had to be in the Swell in order to be under expression, there was no room for its 16' extension, and the Harmonic Flute had to have its own bass. We have often noted the interesting musical quality of the orchestra's traverse flute, which changes to a distinctly string quality in its lowest range resulting from the tube of the flute being the same scale for its entire compass, and we decided to extend the Harmonic Flute into a string-scale bass stop at both 16' and 8' pitch. We reduced the diameter of the pipes as they progressed downward so that the tenor and bass of the Harmonic Flute is distinctly in the string family--enough so to name the extensions 'Cello and Double Bass.

The Great chorus, being unexpressive, required special treatment. An independent 2' Fifteenth completes the chorus, but Mixture tone is also necessary. In an organ of this size, Mixture tone is most useful when it is under expression, so we increased its size and power, placing it within the double expressive sub-division of the Swell. Used with the tuba it adds brilliance to the full Swell build-up. Used alone it can be adjusted to various different volume levels to suit lesser Swell combinations. In full organ combinations, when coupled to the Great, it tops off the diapason chorus. After seeing the utility of four 16' Pedal stops in Houston, we wanted to do the same here. Fortunately the chamber was large enough to include a 16' extension of the Great Open Diapason. Since the stop did not have to be on display, we were able to make it of wood which yields a very solid, prompt-speaking tone.

Because this organ replaced an older instrument which had a very nice Vox Humana on its own chest, we were able to include this luxury economically. Being in the double expressive section adds to its exotic effect.

Grace Episcopal Church

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Our next small symphonic organ was built for Grace Episcopal Church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, an Anglo-Catholic parish that enthusiastically supports the highest traditions of Anglican music. The instrument was designed specifically to accompany the Anglican choral service. This musical emphasis combined with space restrictions in the small gallery dictated some variations on the symphonic theme. First, we substituted the Aeoline and Vox Angelica for the Corno Dolce and Flute Celeste. To make the absolutely smooth, unbroken build-up so beloved in this musical tradition, both celestes are in the string family. The Aeoline and Vox Angelica are keen but very delicate and blend perfectly into the powerful solo Gambas with both inner and outer shades of the Swell closed. Space and budget allowed the luxury of two color reeds so we could have our cake and eat it too with both Clarinet and Flügel Horn.

The lovely church lent itself to a victorian Gothic façade with decorated front pipes. This, in turn, gave us the opportunity to put two Great stops in display--the first Open Diapason and Harmonic Flute with its 'Cello and Double Bass extension. These stops can be accompanied with stops in their own division by using the Enclosed Great to Swell coupler.

The Swell box was not large enough to include open 8' bass pipes; therefore, we provided two unison stops, an open wood Claribel Flute and our very small scale English-style Lieblich Gedeckt sharing a common bass. The Swell has an independent 4' Gemshorn (a tapered principal) and 2' Fifteenth along with principal scale Quint and Tierce mutations to complete its chorus.

Using pipes from the former organ gave us the luxury of two independent Pedal stops making a total of five 16' stops in a 20-voice organ! This yields a reed, an open wood, a moderate scale string, and two levels of bourdon tone, the extremely soft character of the enclosed Lieblich Gedeckt being helpful for accompanying the more delicate sounds of the organ.

St. Paul's School

Brooklandville, Maryland

Our latest example was just completed for St. Paul's School in Brooklandville, Maryland. This large Episcopal school has an attractive, new, collegiate-style chapel. The organ is located in a chamber above the narthex providing plenty of room for a complete exposition of this style. It combines and expands upon the designs of the earlier organs. The only unenclosed stop is the Grand Open Diapason, the bass of which is wood located horizontally on the roof of the expression boxes. The 4' Chimney Flute and Tuba from the Swell are borrowed onto the Great. An Oboe is added to the Swell giving this scheme the two most basic color reed tones. Most important, however, is the provision for a true 32' stop extending to low G. Although this is not part of the initial installation, space is prepared.

A review of these five stop lists shows that although musical, acoustical, and placement considerations must be taken into account if each installation is to reach its maximum potential, a basic design concept adhering to specific design criteria can be maintained. Our objective with each of these jobs was to preserve the symphonic character that was so attractive to our clients as they auditioned similar instruments and at the same time tailor a design to meet their requirements and space restrictions. This is the continuing fascination and challenge of organ design. The satisfaction derived from it is quite similar to the exhilaration an orchestrator feels when his work has yielded a sound that should only come from an orchestra two or three times as large. I'll bet Robert Armbruster enjoyed the playbacks of his Kraft Music Hall performances with the same relish we experience on hearing fine artists play one of these miniature symphonic church organs.

Schoenstein & Co.

First Presbyterian Church

Spartanburg, South Carolina

Chapel organ

2-manual and pedal organ

12 voices-15 ranks

Electric-pneumatic action

GREAT (Expressive)

16' Corno Dolce (12 pipes)

8' Open Diapason

8' Harmonic Flute (Corno Dolce bass)

8' Corno Dolce

8' Flute Celeste (TC)

8' Voix Celeste II (Sw)

4' Principal

4' Corno Dolce (12 pipes)

2' Mixture III

16' Flügel Horn (TC)

8' Flügel Horn

Tremulant

Chimes (TA)

SWELL (Expressive)

16' Bourdon (wood, 12 pipes)

8' Salicional (Stopped Diapason bass)

8' Stopped Diapason (wood)

8' Voix Celeste II

8' Flute Celeste II (Gt)

4' Salicet (12 pipes)

4' Chimney Flute

4' Flute Celeste II (Gt)

22/3' Nazard (from Chimney Flute)

2' Fifteenth (12 pipes)

16' Bass Tuba† (12 pipes)

8' Tuba Minor†

Tremulant

†In separate box inside Swell, 71/2” wind.

PEDAL

16' Corno Dolce (Gt)

16' Bourdon (Sw)

8' Open Diapason (Gt)

8' Corno Dolce (Gt)

8' Stopped Diapason (Sw)

4' Octave (Gt Open Diapason)

16' Bass Tuba (Sw)

8' Tuba Minor (Sw)

4' Flügel Horn (Gt)

Full couplers and usual accessories.

Schoenstein & Co.

Chapel Of St. Basil

University of St. Thomas

Houston, Texas

Two-manual and pedal organ

15 voices-17 ranks

Electric-pneumatic action

GREAT (Expressive)

16' Corno Dolce (12 pipes)

8' First Open Diapason†

8' Second Open Diapason

8' Harmonic Flute (Corno Dolce bass)

8' Corno Dolce

8' Flute Celeste (TC)

8' Salicional (Sw)

4' Principal

2' Mixture III

8' Clarinet

Tremulant

†In display

SWELL (Expressive)

16' Bourdon (wood, 12 pipes)

8' Salicional

8' Stopped Diapason (wood)

8' Gamba†

8' Gamba Celeste†

8' Corno Dolce (Gt)

8' Flute Celeste (Gt)

4' Salicet (12 pipes)

4' Chimney Flute

4' Corno Dolce (Gt)

4' Flute Celeste (Gt)

22/3' Twelfth (TC-from Nineteenth)

22/3' Nazard (from Chimney Flute)

2' Fifteenth (12 pipes)

11/3' Nineteenth

16' Bass Tuba† (12 pipes)

8' Tuba Minor†

Tremulant

†In separate box inside Swell, 71/2” wind.

PEDAL

16' Diapason (Ext 1st Open Diapason)

16' Corno Dolce (Gt)

16' Bourdon (Sw)

8' Open Diapason (Gt Second Open)

8' Corno Dolce (Gt)

8' Stopped Diapason (Sw)

4' Octave (Gt First Open)

4' Flute (Gt Harmonic Flute)

16' Bass Tuba (Sw)

8' Tuba Minor (Sw)

4' Clarinet (Gt)

Full couplers and usual accessories.

Schoenstein & Co.

Grace United Methodist Church

Greensboro, North Carollina

Two-manual and pedal organ

16 voices-19 ranks

Electric-pneumatic action

GREAT

16' Double Bass (Ped)

8' Open Diapason

8' Harmonic Flute ('Cello bass, 29 pipes)

8' Stopped Diapason (Sw)

8' Corno Dolce (Sw)

8' Flute Celeste (Sw)

4' Principal

2' Fifteenth

8' Tuba (Sw)

SWELL (Expressive)

16' Bourdon (12 pipes)

8' Salicional

8' Stopped Diapason (wood)

8' Gamba†

8' Celeste (GG)†

8' Corno Dolce

8' Flute Celeste (TC)

4' Salicet (12 pipes)

4' Chimney Flute

22/3' Nazard (from Chimney Flute)

2' Fifteenth (12 pipes)

2' Mixture IV†

16' Bass Tuba† (12 pipes)

8' Tuba†

8' Flügel Horn

8' Vox Humana†

Tremulant

† In separate box inside Swell, Vox in separate control box.

PEDAL

16' Open Diapason (12 pipes)

16' Double Bass (12 pipes)

16' Bourdon (Sw)

8' 'Cello

8' Salicional (Sw)

8' Stopped Diapason (Sw)

4' Flute (Gt Harmonic Flute)

4' Super Octave (Gt Open Diapason)

16' Bass Tuba (Sw)

8' Tuba (Sw)

4' Flügel Horn (Sw)

Full couplers and usual accessories.

Schoenstein & Co.

Grace Episcopal Church

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Two-manual and pedal organ

20 voices-23 ranks

Electric-pneumatic action

GREAT (Expressive)

16' Double Bass (Ped)

8' First Open Diapason†

8' Harmonic Flute† ('Cello bass)

8' Second Open Diapason

8' Aeoline

8' Vox Angelica (TC)

8' Lieblich Gedeckt (Sw)

4' Principal

2' Mixture IV

8' Clarinet (TC)

†In display

SWELL (Expressive)

16' Lieblich Gedeckt (wood, 24 pipes)

8' Gamba†

8' Gamba Celeste (TC)†

8' Claribel Flute (Lieblich Gedeckt bass)

8' Lieblich Gedeckt (metal)

4' Gemshorn

22/3' Twelfth (Nineteenth treble, 12 pipes)

2' Fifteenth

13/5' Seventeenth (TC)

11/3' Nineteenth

16' Bass Tuba† (12 pipes)

8' Tuba Minor†

8' Flügel Horn

Tremulant

†In separate box inside Swell, 10” wind.

PEDAL

32' Resultant

16' Open Wood (12 pipes)

16' Bourdon

16' Double Bass (12 pipes)

16' Lieblich Gedeckt (Sw)

8' Principal (wood and metal)

8' Octave (Gt 2nd Diapason)

8' 'Cello

8' Claribel Flute (Sw)

4' Fifteenth (metal, 12 pipes)

4' Flute (Gt)

16' Bass Tuba (Sw)

8' Tuba (Sw)

8' Flügel Horn (Sw)

Full couplers and usual accessories.

Schoenstein & Co.

St. Paul's School

Brooklandville, Maryland

Two-manual and pedal organ

18 voices-20 ranks

Electric-pneumatic action

GREAT (Expressive)

16' Corno Dolce (12 pipes, Harmonic Flute treble)

8' Grand Open Diapason†

8' Open Diapason

8' Harmonic Flute (Corno Dolce bass)

8' Salicional (Sw)

8' Corno Dolce

4' Flute Celeste (TC)

4' Principal

4' Chimney Flute (Sw)

2' Mixture III

8' Tuba (Sw)

8' Clarinet

Tremulant

†In display

SWELL (Expressive)

16' Bourdon (wood, 12 pipes)

8' Salicional

8' Stopped Diapason (wood)

8' Gamba†

8' Gamba Celeste†

8' Corno Dolce (Gt)

8' Flute Celeste (Gt)

4' Salicet (12 pipes)

4' Chimney Flute

4' Corno Dolce (Gt)

4' Flute Celeste (Gt)

22/3' Nazard (from Chimney Flute)

22/3 Twelfth (TC-from Nineteenth)

2' Fifteenth (12 pipes)

13/5' Seventeenth (TC)

11/3' Nineteenth

8' Oboe

16' Bass Tuba† (12 pipes)

8' Tuba†

Tremulant

†In separate box inside Swell, 10” wind.

PEDAL

32' Resultant† (Sub Bass and Bourdon)

16' Double Open Diapason (12 pipes)

16' Sub Bass

16' Corno Dolce (Gt)

16' Bourdon (Sw)

8' Open Diapason (Gt Grand Open)

8' Flute (Gt Harmonic Flute)

8' Salicional (Sw)

8' Stopped Diapason (Sw)

4' Octave (Gt Grand Open)

4' Flute (Gt Harmonic Flute)

16' Bass Tuba (Sw)

8' Tuba (Sw)

4' Clarinet (Gt)

†Prepared for addition of 32' pipes.

Full couplers and usual accessories.

New Organs

Files

webdiap0311p36.pdf (529.69 KB)

Schoenstein & Co., San Francisco
The Juilliard School,
New York City
I wonder what a conservatory percussion major would think of working exclusively on a practice pad without experiencing the myriad tonal and dynamic effects that fine technique can extract from a snare drum? Except for organ and conducting majors, everyone else has the advantage of practicing on the kind of instrument they will be using as professionals. When Paul Jacobs and I planned the organ for Juilliard’s newest studio, our first objective was to give students the experience of playing regularly on a full-scale instrument with capabilities representative of organs they are likely to encounter after graduation. In most music schools, such opportunities are restricted to those rare times when the concert hall is not booked by other departments. The new main studio in the recently renovated Juilliard building is 35 feet by 15 feet by 20 feet high, providing a pleasing resonance. The room is used exclusively for organ department teaching and practice. Here are the four requirements that guided the organ’s design:
1. A vehicle for learning many skills—not only solo repertoire. Professor Jacobs’ objective is to offer intensive training in all of the skills required for any career an organist may pursue. (The Juilliard faculty includes David Enlow for church music and accompanying and David Crean for literature.) The instrument is conceived as a large organ in miniature. It has three independent manual divisions, two of them under expression, and a pedal filled with borrowed stops from each division so that independence can be achieved simply by dedicating a particular stop to the pedal and not using it on a manual.
2. Tonal variety to encourage creative registration. Despite its size, the organ contains representatives of every major tonal category. There is a Diapason chorus on the Great, complemented by echo Diapason (Salicional) tone on the Choir, and a tapered Principal (Gemshorn) over a foundation of flute and string in the Swell. There is a stopped flute in the Great, a very small-scale and colorful chimneyed flute in the Choir, and an open flute in the Swell. True string tone is usually missing from practice instruments, but is included here, with a celeste, in the Swell. There is a color reed (Clarinet) in the Choir and a chorus reed (Flügel Horn) in the Swell, extended to 16′ pitch. E. M. Skinner thought that this stop, a very small-scale capped trumpet, was the most versatile reed for a small organ, and he was right.
3. A full complement of modern playing aids to master console management. The console has all of the controls and accessories found on a large three-manual instrument. Two of these are of special value in teaching and practice—the record/playback feature and 258 combination memory levels, which provide adequate channels for all the department students.
4. Pleasing tone. I can’t imagine anything less conducive to productive practice than harsh tone. Our goal was for each stop and the full ensemble to be interesting and pleasant over long periods of arduous and repetitive practice. We wanted students to have sonic encouragement while bringing a passage to technical perfection. Having the organ reflect your hard work with unyielding and shrill tone is not the best way to reward effort.
The instrument is also used to introduce students to some concepts of organ construction. It does not have the normal façade. Instead, the Great division and the two expression boxes are visible behind a decorative quarter-sawn white oak and wrought iron open-work partition much like a traditional choir screen. The console also is made of oak with Karelian birch and Honduran mahogany. The woodwork was awarded first place in a 2009 wood industry design contest. A windchest and wind regulator have glass observation ports so action operation can be viewed. All components of the organ are easily visible and labeled.
The organ was completed along with the renovation of the building in August 2009. As it joins Juilliard’s distinguished recital hall organs by Holtkamp and Kuhn and practice organs by Flentrop and Noack, we hope this teaching studio organ will be a source of inspiration to generations of talented young artists who wish to perfect the art of musicianly organ playing.
—Jack M. Bethards
Schoenstein & Co.

Three manuals, 12 voices, 12 ranks
Electric-pneumatic action

GREAT (II – unenclosed)
16′ Bourdon (Pedal)
8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Claribel Flute (Swell)
8′ Fernflöte 61 pipes
8′ Salicional (Choir)
4′ Principal 61 pipes
4′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Choir)
2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes
8′ Flügel Horn (Swell)
8′ Clarinet (TC, Choir)
Great Unison Off
Great 4′

SWELL (III – enclosed)
8′ Claribel Flute 61 pipes
8′ Echo Gamba 61 pipes
8′ Vox Celeste (TC) 49 pipes
4′ Gemshorn 61 pipes
16′ Bass Horn 12 pipes
8′ Flügel Horn 61 pipes
Tremulant
Swell 16′
Swell Unison Off
Swell 4′

CHOIR (I – enclosed)
16′ Salicional (TC) †
8′ Lieblich Gedeckt 61 pipes
8′ Salicional 61 pipes
4′ Lieblich Gedeckt 12 pipes
4′ Salicet 12 pipes
22⁄3′ Nazard (from Lieblich Gedeckt)
2′ Fifteenth 12 pipes
8′ Clarinet (TC) 49 pipes
Tremulant††
Choir 16′
Choir Unison Off
Choir 4′
†Prepared for later addition of 12 pipes
††Affects Great and Choir stops

PEDAL
16′ Bourdon (ext Lieb Ged) 12 pipes
8′ Salicional (Choir)
8′ Claribel Flute (Swell)
8′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Choir)
4′ Fifteenth (Great Open Diapason)
4′ Claribel Flute (Swell)
16′ Bass Horn (Swell)
8′ Flügel Horn (Swell)
4′ Clarinet (Choir)
Note: Space prepared for later addition of 16′ Salicional Choir borrow.

Couplers
Gt/Ped 8′, 4′
Sw/Ped 8′, 4′
Ch/Ped 8′, 4′
Sw/Gt 16′, 8′, 4′
Ch/Gt 16′, 8′, 4′
Sw/Ch 16′, 8′, 4′

Mechanicals
Solid-state capture combination action with:
256 memory levels and lock
Programmable piston range
10 General pistons
10 General toe studs (duplicate)
5 Great pistons
5 Swell pistons
5 Choir pistons
3 Pedal toe studs
Swell to Great reversible piston
Great to Pedal reversible piston
Great to Pedal reversible toe stud
Swell to Pedal reversible piston
Swell to Pedal reversible toe stud
Full Organ reversible piston
Full Organ reversible toe lever
Record/Playback system
Adjustable bench

Cover feature

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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