New Organs

David Petty & Associates, Eugene, Oregon

First United Methodist Church, Eugene, Oregon

The Petty portative is one of four virtually identical mechanical-action instruments made from the same plans. This instrument, designated 2b, is the first of the four to leave the Petty shop. It contains four ranks of pipes, which are an 8' Gedackt, a 4' Flute, a 22⁄3' Nasard (mc) and a 2' Principal. The carvings were designed and executed by David Campbell, a former colleague of the builder from the Brombaugh shop.

The case and carvings are made of quarter-sawn white oak as are the 8¢ Gedackt and the 4¢ Flute. The Nasard is made of cherry and the 2¢ Principal is made of purpleheart. The natural keys are made from yellowheart; the sharps are cocobola. The keycheeks are zebrawood and the thumper rail is made of ebony. The internal components are made from white oak, western red cedar, poplar, maple and sugar pine.'
The organ took over 1,000 hours to make and is entirely hand made, minus the screws. The pipes are winded by an electric blower in the base. The instrument weighs about 250 pounds and is easily movable by means of handles in the case. It is playable at 415 and 440 Hz pitch and can be tuned in any temperament.'
The instrument can be seen in color and great detail on the builder’s website, in the Project Gallery. For information: 541/521-7348; .'
Manual

8' Gedackt

4' Flute

22⁄3' Nasard (mc)

2' Principal

Petty-Madden Organbuilders, Hopewell, New Jersey, Op. 53

Dobbs Chapel at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, Georgia

Petty-Madden has installed its second organ at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Atlanta. The first, a large three-manual electro-pneumatic instrument built in the 1980s, is located in the church’s primary worship space. The second instrument was commissioned for the recently completed Dobbs Chapel at Trinity.

The new mechanical-action organ for Dobbs Chapel is contained within a case of painted and stained hardwoods. In order to fulfill the church design team’s vision of an organ with minimal visual intrusion into the chancel, the organ case is unusually deep—eighteen feet to be exact—with the Swell division located behind the Great and Pedal. Since most of the organ is tucked behind a false wall, its physical massiveness is not apparent to the eye.

Planning, designing and producing an organ typically present new challenges for the organbuilder. Throughout the entire project, mutual trust and respect proved to be the coin of the realm, making working conditions exceedingly pleasant and rewarding. The quality of talent and cooperation gathered around the conference table produced extraordinary results. The chapel architecture is lavishly elegant in its simplicity; the acoustics—even for a space that seats less than 200—are as good as it gets; and the organ is ideally suited—both visually and aurally—for its home.

The quality of ingredients in large part determines the quality of the finished product. Petty-Madden has long maintained and demonstrated that lead is a noble metal and that the popularity of organ pipes made with high tin content is based more on myth and misconception than common sense. All principal pipework, including the polished façade, and open flutes are made from an alloy that is 60% lead and 40% tin. The quantity of lead is further increased to 75% in the stopped flutes and the Pedal Posaune. Of the flue pipes, only the Viola and Viola Celeste are made predominantly of tin. The principal chorus is at the same time bold yet gentle; there is a certain vocal breathiness in the speech of the flue pipes; the reeds are colorful, quick and consistent in attack and timbre; the ensembles are tight and cohesive, and the tonal style eclectic.

An organ should work as beautifully as it sounds, too. The mechanical key-action is light and responsive, inasmuch as a smooth, sensitive tracker action was a “given” from the outset of the design process. Instead of traditional wood, inert carbon fiber rods are used for the trackers and the hornbeam tracker squares are fitted with virtually frictionless acetal bearings, which ride on stainless steel axles. The wind chest pallets and key channels are designed for optimum wind supply to the pipes and minimum “pluck.” Pneumatic tremulant controls are located outside the organ case in the blower room; thus, the tremulants are silent. The wind system for the organ is also silent. The wind trunks are constructed of birch and have multiple-cut miters to minimize wind turbulence. Of particular interest is the construction and location of the Swell division. Positioned low in the rear of the case, the Swell must speak through the Great, thereby creating a remarkable cohesion with the latter. Second, the thick walls and shutters of the Swell contain a dead air space sandwiched between the inner and outer wooden surfaces; all of this results in an extraordinary expression rarely found in most organs. Indeed, with the shutters closed, “full Swell” can only be heard faintly when coupled to the Great foundation stops. A gradual pressure of the foot on the expression pedal unleashes a dramatic crescendo worthy of any romantic literature ever written.

Finally, the organ case is totally integrated with the elegant and simple architecture of the chapel. Graceful Ionic columns on elevated pedestals support the entablature under the pedal towers, pipes of the Great Principal in the center flat frame the window behind the organ, and the raised panels of the case mirror those found in the chapel wainscoting. The recessed console is constructed of quarter-sawn red oak and the pipe screens in the pedal towers are bundles of metal cylinders held together with hand-carved wooden ribbons.

—Bynum Petty


GREAT (Manual I)

8’ Principal

8’ Chimney Flute

4’ Octave

4’ Hohl Flute

2’ Block Flute

22⁄3 Sesquialtera II

2’ Mixture IV

8’ Trumpet

Tremulant

Swell to Great


SWELL (Manual II)

8’ Viola

8’ Viola Celeste

8’ Stopped Flute

4’ Principal

4’ Koppel Flute

2’ Octave

1’ Mixture IV

8’ Trumpet

8’ Oboe

Tremulant


PEDAL

16’ Subbass

8’ Principal Bass

8’ Gedackt Bass

4’ Choral Bass

16’ Posaune

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal


Mechanical key action

Electric stop action

8-level combination action

8 general combinations

4 divisional combinations per division

61-note manual compass

32-note pedal compass

Manual keys of laminated construction with polished bone covers
on the natural keys and polished ebony on the sharps

Pedal keys made of maple; sharps capped with African blackwood

70 mm (± 2.75”) wind pressure throughout

Marceau & Associates Pipe Organ Builders, Inc., Seattle, Washington
Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Stanwood, Washington
Opus 27, 2009
Marceau & Associates Pipe Organ Builders has completed their Opus 27 project at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Stanwood, Washington. The original instrument was built by Balcom & Vaughan Organ Builders of Seattle as their Opus 735, completed in 1968 for the First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue, Washington. This organ served as the primary musical resource for the Bellevue congregation until 1995, when a new sanctuary was built that included a new Casavant Frères pipe organ. At that time, the original sanctuary became the chapel, providing services on a smaller scale. In 2008, the chapel and adjoining buildings were slated for demolition to expand the current church campus. This news was brought to the attention of the organ committee of Our Saviour’s Lutheran, who decided to purchase this organ instead of rebuilding and enlarging their existing Kimball/Balcom & Vaughan instrument.
In May 2008, with the help of volunteers from Our Saviour’s, the organ was removed and transported to the Marceau organ shop in Seattle. From June to September, the organ was repaired, modified and redesigned to fit into the two organ chambers in Stanwood. The winding system was reduced to eliminate redundant reservoirs, a new electrical system by the Syndyne Corporation of Vancouver, Washington was installed, and all pipes were cleaned and revoiced for a more musical result. During the fall, the organ was installed and finished. It was used for the first time on Thanksgiving.
Since the original organ had no visible pipework, a new façade was designed with members of the church fabricating all of the casework. New polished zinc pipes from A. R. Schopp’s Sons of Canton, Ohio were installed in January 2009. The organ contains 21 stops, 26 ranks and 1,572 pipes, with preparations for a Great 8′ Erzähler Celeste and Swell 13⁄5′ Tierce. While the Great principal chorus is unenclosed, the Great flutes and string stops are enclosed, allowing for a greater degree of expression from both manuals.
The Great 22⁄3′ Quinte was not an original stop; this was created from the Pedal Mixture, which was not retained in the new stoplist. The principal chorus on the Great was revoiced to have a more prominent fundamental emphasis, which included reducing the dynamic output of the Mixture so that this stop now sits atop the ensemble without overpowering the listener with the original hard, glassy sound. The Swell 8′ Trompette was also programmed to play from the Great, replacing the duplexing of the Swell 8′ Hautbois from the original stoplist. The 16′ Posaune is now extended from the 8′ Trompette instead of the original 8′ Hautbois. The result is a smoother segue to this low octave of pipes.
A special thanks goes out to Jon Stoneman of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. His activities included the original planning of the organ project, removal and installation, providing volunteer help, technical advising throughout the project and providing home stays during the installation.
Members of the Marceau staff involved with the project included Sean Haley, René Marceau, Ruth Register, and Tom Skyler. Organbuilder Frans Bosman provided much needed technical assistance and support.
—René Marceau
5113 Russell Ave., NW
Seattle, WA 98107
206/521-0954
cell 503/522-2153
<[email protected]>

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church,
Stanwood, Washington
Marceau & Associates Opus 27, 2009
GREAT
16′ Rohrbass (Sw)
8′ Principal (part façade)
8′ Gedeckt
8′ Erzähler
8′ Erzähler Celeste, TC
4′ Octave
4′ Spillflute
22⁄3′ Quinte
2′ Super Octave
11⁄3′ Mixture IV
8′ Trompette (Sw)
Chimes
Great to Great 16′
Swell to Great 16′
Swell to Great 8′
Swell to Great 4′
MIDI on Great
Zimbelstern

SWELL
8′ Rohrflute
8′ Viola
8′ Viola Celeste, TC
8′ Erzähler (Gt)
8′ Erzähler Celeste, TC (Gt)
4′ Principal
4′ Flute Douce
22⁄3′ Nasard
2′ Blockflute
13⁄5′ Tierce
1′ Plein Jeu III
16′ Posaune (ext)
8′ Trompette
8′ Hautbois
4′ Clarion (ext)
Tremulant
Swell to Swell 16′
Swell Unison Off
Swell to Swell 4′
MIDI on Swell

PEDAL
16′ Subbass
16′ Rohrbass (Sw)
8′ Principal (part façade)
8′ Rohrflute (Sw)
4′ Choralbass
4′ Rohrflute (Sw)
16′ Posaune (Sw)
8′ Trompette (Sw)
4′ Clarion (Sw)
Great to Pedal 8′
Swell to Pedal 8′
Swell to Pedal 4′
MIDI on Pedal

R. T. Swanson, Inc.,
Grand Ledge, Michigan
St. John’s Lutheran Church,
Saginaw, Michigan
The history of the pipe organ at St. John’s actually starts with an organ built by the Tellers-Kent Organ Company of Erie, Pennsylvania for St. Lorenz Lutheran Church of Frankenmuth, Michigan in 1930. When St. Lorenz bought a new Casavant pipe organ in 1967, their old instrument became available. William Kaltrider of Owosso, Michigan was engaged by St. John’s to build an organ by reusing much of the St. Lorenz instrument and providing a new console, electrical system and two new blowers. By 2000, many of the 1967 components were becoming increasingly unreliable. Another problem with the 1967 installation was that the organ pipes were installed in two cramped chambers on both sides of the balcony and they spoke through very small tone openings, resulting in a “muffled” tone quality.
In December 2001, St. John’s signed a contract with our company to build an essentially new pipe organ while salvaging as much of the previous instrument as was practical for reuse. Eighteen new windchests were built, allowing the most efficient layout for better tonal egress as well as better accessibility for tuning and maintenance. The action is electro-mechanical. The Swiss-made Meidinger blowers were connected to a new wind system that includes new reservoirs and schwimmers to regulate the wind supply.
Most of the pipes of the Great and Choir–Positive divisions are on windchests cantilevered out from the balcony rail by way of steel framework. The windchests and frames are clad in contemporary oak cabinetry stained to match the other oak in the sanctuary. Three ranks of the Choir–Positive are expressive and located in their own enclosure. Of the organ’s 25 ranks of pipes, 8 are new, 10 are from the St. Lorenz organ, and 7 are used ranks from other sources. All of the old flue ranks were reconditioned and revoiced in our shop. The Trumpet and Oboe ranks were reconditioned and revoiced by Trivo Company of Hagerstown, Maryland. The 8′ Cromorne was built and voiced by Eastern Organ Pipes of Hagerstown, Maryland. All new flue pipes were built by CMC Organ Pipes of Erie, Pennsylvania and voiced in our shop.
The console cabinet from 1967 was retained and refitted with new manual keyboards, stop tablets and the new ICS 4000 control system by Peterson Electro-Musical Products of Alsip, Illinois. The ICS 4000 system features a 99-level combination action and complete MIDI capabilities including record/playback.
Tonal egress from the existing organ chambers was improved by enlarging the tone openings and by installing all new expression shades. Preparations have been made for the future addition of a horizontal brass Trompette en Chamade, which will jut out from the center of the balcony railing.
A dedicatory organ concert on February 25, 2007 featured Professor Leonard Proeber from Michigan Lutheran Seminary in Saginaw.
—Richard Swanson

GREAT
8′ Principal +
8′ Doppelflöte *
8′ Gemshorn
4′ Octave +
4′ Doppelflöte (ext) *
22⁄3′ Twelfth TC +
2′ Fifteenth (ext Octave) +
11⁄3′ Mixture III +
8′ Trumpet (Sw)
Chimes
Great to Great 16′, UO, 4′
Swell to Great 16′, 8′, 4′
Choir to Great 16′, 8′, 4′
MIDI on Great

SWELL
16′ Bourdon
8′ Geigenprincipal
8′ Bourdon (ext) *
8′ Viole de Gambe *
8′ Voix Celeste *
4′ Geigenoctave (ext)
4′ Flûte Harmonique
2′ Piccolo (ext)
2′ Mixture III +
8′ Trumpet *
8′ Oboe *
4′ Clarion (ext)*
Tremulant
Swell to Swell 16′, UO, 4′
MIDI on Swell

CHOIR–POSITIVE
8′ Holzgedeckt
8′ Flauto Dolce (expressive)
8′ Flauto Dolce Celeste (expressive)
4′ Principal +
4′ Rohrflöte *
22⁄3′ Nazard TC *
2′ Octave (ext Principal) +
2′ Rohrpfeife (ext)*
13⁄5′ Tierce TC *
11⁄3′ Quinteflöte (ext 22⁄3′) *
8′ Cromorne (expressive) +
8′ Trompette en Chamade †
Tremulant
Chimes
Choir to Choir 16′, UO, 4′
Swell to Choir 16′, 8′, 4′
MIDI on Choir

PEDAL
32′ Resultant *
16′ Subbass *
16′ Bourdon (Sw)*
8′ Octave
8′ Bourdon (Sw)*
8′ Gemshorn (Gt)
4′ Fifteenth (ext Octave)
4′ Rohrflöte (Ch)*
2′ Twentysecond (ext Octave)
16′ Trombone (ext 8′)*
8′ Trumpet (Sw)*
4′ Clarion (Sw)*
Great to Pedal 8′, 4′
Swell to Pedal 8′, 4′
Choir to Pedal 8′, 4′
MIDI on Pedal

* = pipework from the 1930 Tellers-Kent organ originally at St. Lorenz, Frankenmuth
+ = new pipework
† = preparation for future addition

Paul Fritts & Co., Tacoma,
Washington
St. Philip Presbyterian Church, Houston, Texas

From the organist
Nearly a decade ago, St. Philip Presbyterian Church began planning a major renovation of its facilities. In addition to a new educational building, plans were made to gut the sanctuary and make it a more vibrant and flexible space. By 2004 a new organ was on the horizon as well, thanks to an old electric-action instrument whose shortcomings had become obvious, an enthusiastic committee, and an expert consultant. In 2005 we bid good-bye to the old sanctuary and organ and signed a letter of intent with Paul Fritts for his Opus 29, a three-manual and pedal mechanical-action instrument of 48 stops, which was delivered and installed in the renovated sanctuary in early 2010.
And we couldn’t be happier! The new organ and sanctuary are a perfect match, with the instrument speaking directly into the room from its lofty position in a new gallery. Significant changes had to be made to the former choir loft to support the new organ, with the new gallery extending forward into the sanctuary to accommodate both choir and organ. Fortunately, we were blessed with a building whose basic shape—tall, long, and slender—presented a potentially ideal acoustical environment for organ and choral music. The transformation has been stark: a room that formerly had abundant absorptive and soft surfaces now has several seconds of reverberation. It’s also become a much more appealing visual space: the modernist light-filled sanctuary now boasts handsome millwork, beautiful stained glass, a tile mosaic front wall, and in the rear gallery, a stunning new organ.
Our selection of Paul Fritts & Co. as builders reflects St. Philip’s longstanding commitment to excellence in its music program and the amazing foresight and generosity of its members. Now just a little over a year old, the Fritts organ has generated a great deal of local and even international enthusiasm, and we’re delighted to be sharing it with a wide community of music lovers. I’m especially pleased that organ students from the University of Houston are able to use Fritts Opus 29 for weekly practice and degree recitals, since a splendid instrument like this has so much to teach us.
—Matthew Dirst
Organist
St. Philip Presbyterian Church

From the organ consultant
Long before I became the consultant for a new organ at St. Philip Presbyterian Church in 2004, Matthew Dirst set the groundwork for the project. For many years he had developed a solid relationship of trust, goodwill, and mutual respect between himself and the musicians, clergy, and congregants of St. Philip. It is certainly safe to say that without that special relationship, this project would never have happened. Soon before I came on board, an organ committee had been formed and fundraising had begun. I quickly learned that music was very important to the people of St. Philip. The committee made clear that they wanted an instrument that could lead in worship, accompany the choir, and make possible the performance of great organ music—especially music played by their world-famous organist! But something else came through from our initial meetings. The committee wanted an instrument of high quality that would stand the test of time, and of real beauty that would lead people to a fuller spiritual life.
The committee considered several builders. Committee members took their responsibilities seriously, and some of them made trips well outside the state of Texas to hear recent installations. As soon as they heard the Fritts organ at the University of Notre Dame, they knew what builder they wanted for St. Philip. The size of organ was never the driving force, and in fact the church initially contracted for a smaller (and less expensive) two-manual instrument. I know Matthew Dirst would have been content with it. But additional funds became available, and the size and scope of the instrument increased accordingly.
Besides the desire for a quality instrument that could lead in worship and be featured in concerts, the people of St. Philip Church wanted an instrument that could be used for educational purposes. The organ majors of the University of Houston now practice on this instrument almost every day, take weekly lessons at the church, and present degree recitals on it every semester. Last year, the church began an internship program, which lends support to one lucky UH graduate student in organ. In its role as music educator, the instrument will be featured in numerous conferences and workshops in the years to come, including a national conference sponsored by the Westfield Center for Early Keyboard Studies to be held April 12–15, 2012, and the AGO national convention, scheduled for the summer of 2016. We are most grateful!
My congratulations go first to Matthew Dirst, Associate Professor of Musicology at the University of Houston and organist of St. Philip Church, for his many years of strong leadership and impeccable musicianship. He really deserves such an instrument! I also want to thank the St. Philip Organ Committee—especially its remarkable chairperson, Elizabeth Duerr—for years of hard work and unwavering commitment to excellence. And, finally, thanks go to Paul Fritts and his entire team for the construction and installation of an instrument of real quality—one that I know will inspire the congregants of St. Philip and the citizens of Houston for many years to come.
—Robert Bates
Professor of Organ
University of Houston
Organ Consultant
St. Philip Presbyterian Church

From the organbuilder
Many decisions contribute to the building of an organ, and these decisions become more significant when virtually every part is designed and built in the builder’s workshop. This distinction, achieved by our firm in 1984 when the pipe shop was established, enables creativity to flourish—we can build anything we want.
Organbuilders have been practicing their art for centuries, often with extravagant support. Today we can visit existing organs from most periods and national styles and still experience them firsthand. These visits become more challenging since we must also account for things outside the original builder’s intention. We are experiencing instruments through the veil of rebuilds and restorations over the centuries, some not so sensitive. We must also develop a good understanding of the acoustical environment these organs are speaking in, often a far cry from the typical modern American space. We can both experience how these organs sound and behave today, and also imagine how they once were.
Over the course of many study trips, I have noticed things common to instruments I consider magical. Interestingly, these outstanding instruments are not limited to any national style or time period. When comparing the experiences, I find a substantial convergence in areas of sound. The sounds of the pipes are complex and yet they have an unusual combination of qualities often difficult to achieve but deliberately sought after: their harmonic content is both refined and colorful, and it is balanced with a generous amount of fundamental. The speech is quick and elegant. These qualities are especially challenging, since customary ways of refining speech generally kill the unique harmonic content we hear in the old pipes. Interestingly, we find these sonic qualities in other fine instruments: violins, harpsichords, pianos, and many others. There seems to be a connection to the human voice—richness is present, combined with clarity—and all of this is accomplished, in the case of the organs, without excessive intensity, through the use of relatively low wind pressure. The organs somehow function on a human scale in spite of being grand both in appearance and sound. The pipes have open feet and flueways and relatively high cutups, but are mostly controlled in their sound production by the organ’s wind pressure, the main determinant of the organ’s overall intensity. These things contribute to what has been aptly called a relaxed intensity—the pipes sing robustly without shouting. Many other aspects fall into place when stops are working this way. The blend between them is enhanced and many more stop combinations work together. The organs carry a space remarkably well without having to be loud. They lead rather than direct a congregation. This rather strict approach surprisingly enables an organ to be more eclectic or universal in its capabilities. And, most importantly, they are supremely musical.
These thoughts were on our minds as we considered the design and construction of the new St. Philip Presbyterian Church organ. Many ideas garnered from the study trips expand the design, construction, and voicing, along with the collective experience of our seven craftsmen. The case appearance, in keeping with the spare nature of the church architecture, is an original design and incorporates ideas found in revered cases to make it more interesting. The treble flats curve inward and alternate direction in ancient Dutch fashion, and the proportions of the bass and tenor flats follow well-established trends. Straightforward moldings properly adorn the case and each vertical stile is framed with decorative insets. The carvings are contemporary creations inspired by Renaissance-era Italian organ pipe shades. All is painted a glossy white with gold leaf highlights. The result in the church is both a striking appearance and a comfortable feeling that it belongs.
Tonally the organ is more strict and at its core Germanic. Arp Schnitger’s work forms the basis of our recipe, and for good reason. The level of sophistication in the pipe-making and voicing is a true inspiration. Congregational support is of paramount importance and was at the forefront of our thinking when envisioning the St. Philip tonal design.
There is an abundance of reed stops, and these pipes follow the same principles as the flue pipes. They are made to produce a strong fundamental tone combined with color and refinement. The resonators are cut long to facilitate this, and a welcome consequence is tuning stability.
Eclecticism within this structure can flourish. For the St. Philip instrument we have included many stops and features that broaden the scope. A Swell is present with shades on three sides, along with the required string stops plus the Hautbois (a strict Cavaillé-Coll copy) stop. A string stop is also present on the Great, and there is a wide variety of flutes throughout the organ.
We have also added an electric stop action piggybacked to the mechanical stop action. We do this since there is a vastly different life span between the two systems. Any electric computer system will fail within a relatively short time compared to a well-made mechanical system that can function for centuries. We can avoid this dilemma if the electronic components are included in a non-intrusive way and are easy to replace when it becomes necessary. In the meantime, the organ will not be seriously disabled by failures of these electrical components, since the mechanical system will continue to work. As is usual with modern electrical preset systems, there are the usual features, including hundreds of memory levels and a sequencer.
The wind system is substantial, with four large bellows fitted with all the levers and check valves necessary to foot-pump the organ. When this novelty is utilized and the audience is informed, the performance takes on new meaning. There is a connection to the organ’s legacy—the organ is functioning on a human scale.
All of the four divisions speak directly through the façade—that is, no divisions speak through other divisions, contributing to an easy balance among them. The manual divisions are positioned center case, with Positive at the bottom, Great above, and Swell at the top. The Pedal is divided on each side.
The people of St. Philip Presbyterian are to be much admired for their unyielding support throughout the process leading up to the dedication of the organ in the spring of 2010. I am also humbled by my talented staff who work skillfully and with dedication. We strive to build lasting instruments—instruments that are both durable and very much cherished by those who play them and those who listen. Projects like this have the added benefit of the involvement of a wide group of people, a group too numerous to individually name here. I thank the St. Philip family for their support on many levels throughout the process, and I thank my wonderful crew for their continued excellence and support.
—Paul Fritts
Paul Fritts & Co. Organ Builders

St. Philip Presbyterian Church
Paul Fritts & Co. Organ Builders
Opus 29, 2009

GREAT
16′ Principal*
8′ Octave
8′ Rohrflöte
8′ Salicional
4′ Octave
4′ Spitzflöte
22⁄3′ Quint
2′ Octave
13⁄5′ Terz
IV–VI Mixture
V Cornet (mounted)
16′ Trompet
8′ Trompet
4′ Trompet
8′ Baarpfeife

SWELL
8′ Principal
8′ Bourdon
8′ Violdigamba
8′ Voix celeste
4′ Octave
4′ Koppelflöte
22⁄3′ Nasat
2′ Blockflöte
13⁄5′ Tierce
IV–V Mixture
16′ Fagott
8′ Trompet
8′ Hautbois

POSITIVE
8′ Principal
8′ Gedackt
8′ Quintadena
4′ Octave
4′ Rohrflöte
2′ Octave
11⁄3′ Larigot
II Sesquialtera
IV–V Scharff
8′ Dulcian

PEDAL
16′ Principal
16′ Subbaß
8′ Octave
8′ Bourdon*
4′ Octave
VI–VIII Mixture
32′ Posaune*
16′ Posaune
8′ Trompet
4′ Trompet

*Some pipes transmitted from other stops

Couplers
Swell to Great
Positive to Great
Swell to Positive
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Positive to Pedal

Compass: Manual, 58 notes; Pedal, 30 notes

Other:
Polished tin front pipes
Solid wood casework with carved pipe shades
Suspended, direct mechanical key action
Mechanical stop action with electric pre-set system
Tremulant
Multiple wedge bellows with foot pumping levers
Wind Stabilizer

70 ranks, 48 stops, 3,488 pipes

Photo credit: Paul Fritts

John-Paul Buzard Pipe Organ Builders, Champaign, Illinois
Second Presbyterian Church,
Bloomington, Illinois, Opus 37
This instrument of 43 stops and 56 ranks is the 37th new organ built by Buzard Pipe Organ Builders of Champaign, Illinois. The Buzard firm had originally been selected as the church’s builder of choice in 1991, when plans were first developed to build a new sanctuary. In more recent years, when the original Victorian-era building was found to be structurally unsound, the desire to design and construct a new church building acquired a new sense of urgency. The decision to include a pipe organ in a very modern building in the context of a very modern ministry was not made lightly, nor easily. The wisdom of the church leadership held that worship styles both timeless and modern needed to be embraced wholeheartedly. The organbuilder and architect enjoyed an unusually collaborative and collegial relationship in the design of the entire building as well as the new instrument. The new sanctuary was completed in 2005, and the new organ arrived in June 2008, giving the construction dust plenty of time to settle. Although the room’s acoustics are more absorptive than we would have preferred, sound is heard evenly and in balance throughout the room.
The organ’s dramatic visual design is intended to be a stylized rendering in organ pipes of a Celtic cross. The background fields of Great and Pedal Diapason and Principal pipes are made of polished tin. The pipework elements of the cross itself are polished copper Pedal Principals and the horizontally mounted Festival Trumpets. The giant blocks of white oak that hold the Festival Trumpet pipes are clad in polished copper to emphasize the cross’s horizontal arms. The circle that binds the four arms of the cross together is a 16-foot diameter ring of Baltic birch, leafed in 24-karat red gold.
The instrument is housed in a solid white oak case standing three stories tall, 24 feet wide, 12 feet deep, flanked by walls that act as projection screens. The pipe shades are of basswood. Some of the small panels are enameled in indigo, which accent is also found in the stained glass windows. It is located on the axis of the church, above and behind the choral singers, to provide optimal projection of sound to the congregation and choir, and to be a living and integral participant in the worship service and the church’s interior design. A closed-circuit remotely operated television camera is mounted between and just behind two pedal façade pipes so that worshipers can see themselves projected on the screens(!).
The traditional portion of the church’s music program includes everything from children’s choirs through a large adult choir, small instrumental ensembles through full symphony orchestra performances. And of course the organ must support congregational singing and excel in its solo role. Therefore, this instrument had to exhibit an unusually wide dynamic range to accommodate musical needs of every size and type, but also the classic disposition that allows an organ to play the literature. The organ possesses a singularly noble and majestic tone quality. Each division is based upon sub-octave pitches, and the voicing is full and warm. The Great and Pedal feature First and Second Diapasons, and all the divisions include a wealth of warmly voiced 8′ stops to provide a rich variety of accompanimental colors at several volume levels. The design includes full couplers at 16′, 8′, Unison Off, and 4′ pitches for increased flexibility. Although the instrument sounds very big when everything is coupled, or when the high pressure Tubas or Festival Trumpets are used (excelling in its occasional role with a full symphony orchestra), the organ itself is not inherently loud—it can be as delicate as a child’s voice. Its sound fills the worship space gracefully, without having to yell to make its point.
Buzard organs have become known as exceptional accompanying organs, which is the primary use to which pipe organs are put in modern worship services. But, by virtue of an historically and nationalistically informed point of view, Buzard organs also musically render the entire solo repertory from early contrapuntal styles through the most modern symphonic transcriptions. Our principals have something to tell you. Their choruses are clear, but meaty. Flutes are singing and liquid, strings are warm and harmonically interesting. Chorus reeds add varying degrees of “clang” to their divisions: for example, the Swell 16′, 8′, and 4′ reed battery is of authentic French construction, the typically bright and bold sound tailored to this division’s classic musical character, whereas the Trompete on the Great is darker. Trombas appear on most of our Great organs as extensions of the Pedal Trombones (a Willis trick), which offers the organist two degrees of reed color and volume, depending upon the musical context. Our solo and pedal reeds take more of an orchestral approach: smooth, round, warm, and always interesting, whether soft or loud.
Our metal pipes are all made of high-tin-content pipe metal, planed and polished. The reeds use either this rich pipe metal or wood for their resonators. In this organ, the 32′ Contra Trombone resonators are white pine and full length down to low FFFF#. The wood flue pipes are made from poplar or mahogany with cherry mouths.
All Buzard organs employ slider and pallet windchests to eliminate long-term maintenance, and provide superior tonal blend and tuning stability. All Buzard organs employ wooden winding systems to reduce turbulence and noise, and schwimmer regulators at each slider chest to provide a steady wind supply.
The instrument was dedicated in public recitals by organist emerita Doris Hill, concert organist Ken Cowan, and Mr. Cowan’s student and the builder’s son, Stephen Buzard. A new CD featuring Stephen Buzard playing this organ will be released later this year on the Delos label.
—John-Paul Buzard

Buzard Opus 37
Second Presbyterian Church,
Bloomington, Illinois
43 straight speaking stops, 56 ranks,
3 stops prepared for future addition

GREAT (4-inch wind)
16′ Double Open Diapason (tin in façade)
8′ First Open Diapason (tin in façade)
8′ Second Open Diapason (1–8 from 16′)
8′ Viola da Gamba
8′ Claribel Flute (Melodia)
8′ Principal
4′ Spire Flute
22⁄3′ Twelfth
2′ Fifteenth
13⁄5′ Seventeenth (prepared)
2′ Fourniture V
2⁄3′ Sharp Mixture III
8′ Trompete
Cornet V (prepared)
Tremulant
8′ Trombas (Ped Trombone)
4′ Tromba Clarion (ext Trombas)
8′ Major Tuba (Ch)
8′ Tuba Solo melody coupler
8′ Festival Trumpets (horizontal
polished copper)

SWELL (4-inch wind)
8′ Open Diapason
8′ Stopped Diapason
8′ Salicional
8′ Voix Celeste
4′ Principal
4′ Harmonic Flute
2′ Octavin (harmonic)
22⁄3′ Full Mixture V
16′ Bassoon (full length)
8′ Trompette
8′ Oboe
4′ Clarion
Tremulant
Chimes (21 notes)
8′ Major Tuba (Ch)
8′ Festival Trumpets (Gt)

CHOIR (4-inch wind)
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt
8′ English Diapason
8′ Flûte à Bibéron
8′ Flûte Cœlestis II (Ludwigtone)
4′ Principal
4′ Suabe Flute (open wood)
22⁄3′ Nazard
2′ Recorder
13⁄5′ Tierce
11⁄3′ Mixture IV
16′ English Horn
8′ Clarinet
Tremulant
Cymbalstern
8′ Major Tuba (25 inches wind)
8′ Festival Trumpets (Gt)

PEDAL (various pressures)
32′ Double Open Diapason (digital)
32′ Subbass (digital)
32′ Lieblich Gedeckt (digital) (Ch)
16′ First Open Diapason (wood & metal)
16′ Second Open Diapason (Gt)
16′ Bourdon
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Ch)
8′ Principal (tin in façade)
8′ Open Bass (ext 16′ First Open)
8′ Bourdon (ext 16′ Bourdon)
8′ Violoncello (tapered)
4′ Choral Bass (ext 8′ Open Bass)
4′ Open Flute (ext 16′ Bourdon)
22⁄3′ Mixture IV (prepared)
32′ Contra Trombone (wood)
16′ Trombone (ext 32′, wood)
16′ Bassoon (Sw)
8′ Trumpet (ext Trombone)
4′ Clarion (ext Trombone)
8′ Major Tuba (Ch)
8′ Festival Trumpets (Gt)

Dobson Pipe Organ Builders,
Lake City, Iowa
The Chapel of the Cross
(Episcopal),
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Dobson Pipe Organ Builders of Lake City, Iowa, has installed its Op. 82 at the Chapel of the Cross (Episcopal), Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Organized on May 13, 1842, the Chapel of the Cross represented the first denomination to organize a congregation in Chapel Hill, and was intended to serve as a place where students and faculty of the University of North Carolina could worship according to their tradition. By the fall of 1842 specifications for a church building were prepared. Actual construction proceeded slowly and came to a halt several times due to lack of funds, but the chapel was completed debt-free and was consecrated on October 19, 1848. By 1921 the parish outgrew the modest chapel and built its current, larger sanctuary. New and old are connected by a cloister, all of similar architectural style. The chapel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
The newer sanctuary serves as the main worship space, while the chapel is used for services of up to a hundred people, numerous weddings and funerals where significant organ literature is played, and organ recitals. It was clear from the outset that the musical requirements of the new organ would be far greater than one might normally associate with a space such as the chapel. The organ builder’s challenge was to design a comprehensive two-manual organ with sufficient pedal, all within the proper visual and tonal proportions dictated by the room’s intimate physical and acoustical setting.
Initial design discussions for Op. 82 were lively, since the chapel’s significant musical needs were seemingly at odds with the historical committee’s concerns about a large organ case. Several key individuals contributed a great deal to these discussions: James and Susan Moeser, members of both the parish and the organ committee, as well as fine organists and teachers; Terry Byrd Eason, member of the parish and the organ committee, and also architectural consultant and designer involved with the chapel renovation; Clare Baum, resourceful chair of the organ committee; and Wylie S. Quinn, director of music and organist. In the end all were able to agree on a plan that achieved everyone’s goals.
Op. 82 is a two-manual and pedal instrument of 17 ranks with mechanical key and stop actions; for reasons of space and versatility, the Pedal has electric action. The organ is arranged like many 19th-century instruments: the Great is located at impost level immediately behind the façade, with the Swell placed behind the Great at a higher level. Underneath the Swell are the pipes of the Pedal. The blower and the weighted reservoir are located in a sacristy behind the wall against which the organ is placed. The organ case is constructed of rift-sawn, fumed and stained white oak that is enriched by hand-carved details. In addition, accents of American black walnut, ebony, rosewood, Carpathian elm burl and cow bone are found at the organ’s console. Folding doors are available to enclose the stop jambs and music rack. A cover for the keyboards folds and recedes into the case when not in use.
The chapel’s intimate acoustic requires very little power to fill the space with sound. While the stoplist looks substantial for the size of the chapel, it is voiced entirely on 60 millimeters of wind pressure. Consequently each stop sings gently yet carries effortlessly throughout the room. As the ensembles build, the organ sounds full and satisfying, yet not overbearing. Contributing to the impression that the organ sounds bigger than it looks are the Swell to Great 16′ coupler and the Pedal 16′ Bassoon.
The instrument was first used for services and programs in April 2006, and was formally dedicated on October 13, 2006 in a program by Dr. Quinn.
—John Panning

GREAT (58 notes)
8′ Prestant
8′ Chimney Flute
4′ Octave
2′ Super Octave (from Mixture)
2′ Mixture IV
8′ Trumpet
Swell to Great 16′
Swell to Great 8′

SWELL (58 notes, expressive)
8′ Stopped Diapason
8′ Salicional
4′ Flute
22⁄3′ Nasard
2′ Gemshorn
13⁄5′ Tierce
8′ Oboe
Tremulant (affects entire organ)

PEDAL (32 notes)
16′ Subbass
8′ Bourdon (ext)
16′ Bassoon
8′ Trumpet (ext Bassoon)
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal