Fabry, Inc., Antioch, Illinois
First Presbyterian Church,
Lincoln, Illinois
Nestled in the geographic center of Illinois, Lincoln enjoys having the distinction of being named before Abraham Lincoln became president. While old Route 66 continues to weave through downtown, I-55 now bypasses the town as new development draws travelers on their way to and from Springfield. During the middle part of last century, Gratian Organ Builders installed an 18-rank, electro-pneumatic pipe organ in the sanctuary that has served the church well. Within the past 10 years the church remodeled the front of the church and at that time an 8′ Pedal Principal comprising 32 notes was added as a façade.
As is the case with many churches whose instruments are used regularly but receive little or no major maintenance, First Presbyterian found that resources would best be spent on a major overhaul rather than on small, stop-gap measures. The church elected to have Fabry, Inc. completely rebuild the organ. While the initial plan was to save the windchests, this proved to be impossible.
The organ encompasses two chambers that sit at right angles to each other at the front corner of the sanctuary. Both of these chambers were packed to the gills with pipework and chestwork. It was decided to remove everything and place it in a more logical manner. As it turned out, new chests were constructed and this allowed the elimination of all but the necessary offset chests. In all, the following was completed: complete replacement of the relays, both console and chamber, a rebuilt console with a Peterson ICS-4000 system, new chests with Peterson electric pipe valves, new tuners on washed pipework, releathered reservoirs with reconfigured curtain valves, three additional reservoirs, a new blower and new chamber lighting.
Fabry, Inc. would like to thank Julie Kasa, music director; Janis Klockenga, secretary; and the Rev. Phillip Blackburn, pastor, for their cooperation and patience with all the facets of this very involved project. Fabry employees that worked on this project included David G. Fabry, David J. Fabry, Philip A. Spressart, Steven Ellis, and Clem Wirfs.
—Phil Spressart
GREAT
8′ Open Diapason
8′ Gamba
8′ Melodia
8′ Dulciana
4′ Octave
4′ Flute Harmonic
22⁄3′ Twelfth
2′ Fifteenth
Mixture III
8′ Trumpet
Tremolo
Chimes (25 tubes)
Zimbelstern
SWELL
16′ Bourdon
8′ Violin Diapason
8′ Quint
8′ Gedeckt
8′ Salicional
8′ Vox Celeste (TC)
8′ Aeoline
4′ Principal
4′ Flute d’Amour
22⁄3′ Nazard
2′ Flute
8′ Oboe
Tremolo
Chimes
PEDAL
32′ Lieblich Gedeckt
16′ Subbass
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt
8′ Flute
8′ Dolce
8′ Principal
4′ Choral Bass
4′ Flute
Mixture III
16′ Trumpet
8′ Trumpet
8′ Oboe
Chimes
Great to Great 16, UO, 4
Swell to Great 16, 8, 4
Pedal to Great
MIDI to Great
Swell to Swell 16,UO, 4
MIDI to Swell
Great to Pedal 8, 4
Swell to Pedal 8, 4
MIDI to Pedal
Konzelman Pipe Organs,
Hoboken, New Jersey
St. Francis Episcopal Church, Stamford, Connecticut
James Konzelman first became interested in organ building in the mid 1960s after a friend loaned him The Contemporary American Organ by William H. Barnes. He made minor repairs in his home parish of St. Henry’s, Bayonne, New Jersey, and helped several organist friends with minor repairs on their church pipe organs. In the late 1960s Konzelman worked for Westinghouse Aerospace, Baltimore, Maryland, troubleshooting radar guidance and missile control systems. Later, while in the army, he taught a course in radar at Fort Bliss, Texas. This background in electronics became valuable later on as more and more electronic circuitry was introduced into the pipe organ.
In 1972, Konzelman went to work for the Church Organ Company, Edison, New Jersey, where he studied voicing and tuning techniques with Russell W. VanCamp. When VanCamp retired in 1974, Konzelman became the tonal director, designing and voicing many organs for that firm until the establishment of his own company in 1977.
Since 1977, Konzelman Pipe Organs has built and rebuilt many organs. Major rebuilds and new organs include the Cathedral-Basilica of St. James, Brooklyn, NY; Church of Our Lady of Grace, Hoboken, NJ; Church of the Heavenly Rest, NYC; Second Presbyterian Church, NYC; Blessed Sacrament Church, NYC; Union Congregational Church, Upper Montclair, NJ (chapel organ); Nativity Lutheran Church, East Brunswick, NJ; Newark Abbey, Newark, NJ; Emmanuel Lutheran Church, New Brunswick, NJ; St. Anne Church, Rochester, NY; St. Henry’s Church, Bayonne, NJ; St. Vincent’s Church, Bayonne, NJ; Mount Carmel Church, Bayonne, NJ; Grace Lutheran Church, River Edge, NJ; and Larchmont Avenue Presbyterian Church, Larchmont, NY.
The assistance of John A. Stokes, Louis Scarpa, David Fedor and Paul-Martin Maki is gratefully acknowledged by the builder. The organ at St. Francis Episcopal Church has two manuals and pedal, 18 voices, 24 ranks, and 1519 pipes.
Photo credit: Helen Neafsey
GREAT (expressive)
16′ Viola (Swell)
8′ Principal 61 pipes
8′ Rohrflöte 61 pipes
8′ Viola (Swell)
8′ Viola Celeste TC (Swell)
4′ Octave 61 pipes
4′ Koppelflöte 61 pipes
2′ Super Octave 61 pipes
11⁄3′ Mixture IV 244 pipes
8′ Trompette (Swell)
8′ Hautbois (Swell)
8′ Krummhorn 61 pipes
Tremulant
Chimes prepared for
Great to Great 16, UO, 4
Swell to Great 16, 8, 4
Antiphonal to Great
SWELL (expressive)
16′ Viola 73 pipes
8′ Gedeckt 61 pipes
8′ Viola (ext)
8′ Viola Celeste TC 49 pipes
4′ Principal 73 pipes
4′ Nachthorn 73 pipes
22⁄3′ Nasat 61 pipes
2′ Octave (ext)
2′ Nachthorn (ext)
13⁄5′ Terz 61 pipes
2′ Plein Jeu IV 244 pipes
16′ Basson (1–12 half length) 73 pipes
8′ Trompette 73 pipes
8′ Hautbois (ext)
4′ Clairon (ext)
Tremulant
Swell to Swell 16, UO, 4
Great to Swell
Antiphonal to Swell
ANTIPHONAL
16′ Festival Trumpet prepared for
8′ Festival Trumpet prepared for
4′ Festival Trumpet prepared for
PEDAL
32′ Resultant (from Subbass 16 and
Swell Gedeckt 8)
16′ Subbass 56 pipes
16′ Rohrgedeckt (Great, ext)
16′ Viola (Swell)
8′ Principal (Great)
8′ Bourdon (ext)
8′ Rohrflöte (Great)
8′ Viola (Swell)
51⁄3′ Quint (Great)
4′ Choral Bass (Great)
4′ Bourdon (ext)
32′ Bombarde (Sw ext, 1–12 electronic)
16′ Bombarde (Swell, ext)
16′ Basson (Swell)
8′ Trompette (Swell)
8′ Hautbois (Swell)
4′ Krummhorn (Great)
Great to Pedal 8, 4
Swell to Pedal 8, 4
Antiphonal to Pedal
Solid-State capture combination action with 25 levels of memory, 12 general pistons, 8 pistons per division, general pistons and pedal pistons are duplicated by toe pistons. Reversibles for: Great to Pedal, Swell to Pedal, Swell to Great, Tutti. Set and General Cancel, and Scope pistons. Crescendo pedal with one standard and three settable crescendos. Two-manual and pedal drawknob console with bone naturals, ebony sharps, and tracker touch.
