New Organs

Hochhalter, Inc., Salem, Oregon: First United Methodist Church, Eugene, Oregon

Hochhalter, Inc., Salem, Oregon

First United Methodist Church, Eugene, Oregon

Hochhalter, Inc. of Salem, Oregon has designed and built a low-profile console for First United Methodist Church, Eugene, Oregon. It is constructed of solid walnut, with walnut burl and wenge veneer accents. The keyboards are covered in bone and cocobolo. Drawknobs are constructed of maple, cocobolo, and ebony.

The organ is hardly all new, still containing numerous sets of pipes from the church’s original 1913 pipe organ, moved in the 1960s into a new, much larger sanctuary. Many unfortunate mechanical changes to the wind system and action were made, eventually rendering the instrument unreliable. In 1995 Hochhalter, Inc. was hired to rebuild, refurbish, replace mechanisms and pipes as necessary, and provide additions to create a tonally cohesive and mechanically reliable instrument. Finances dictated that work be done in phases over many years. Although the new console was the “final” phase, it has additional stop controls for future additions, including an Echo Organ on the west wall, additional foundational and color stops for the Swell and Choir, and two 32′ ranks of pipes, including a 32′ Contra Diapason in a new façade.

Other details regarding the organ and console, including additional photographs and audio files, are available at <A HREF="http://www.hochhalter.com">www.hochhalter.com</A&gt;. Dr. Julia Brown is music director and organist; The Rev. Debbie Pitney is pastor.

 

GREAT (unenclosed) 

16′ Double Diapason

8′ Open Diapason

8′ Geigen Diapason

8′ Harmonic Flute

8′ Hohl Flute

4′ Octave

4′ Flute

22⁄3′ Quint

2′ Fifteenth

IV Mixture

V Cornet (prepared)

16′ Contra Trumpet (prepared)

8′ Trumpet

Chimes

SWELL (expressive)    

16′ Bourdon

8′ Diapason (prepared)

8′ Chimney Flute

8′ Viola

8′ Voix Celeste (tc)

4′ Octave

4′ Harmonic Flute

22⁄3′ Nasard (harmonic)

2′ Flautino (harmonic)

13⁄5′ Tierce (tc) (harmonic)

IV Full Mixture

16′ Bassoon

8′ French Trumpet

8′ Oboe

8′ Vox Humana (prepared)

4′ Clarion

Tremulant

    

CHOIR (expressive)    

8′ Small Diapason (prepared)

8′ Stopped Diapason

8′ Traverse Flute (harmonic)

8′ Gemshorn

8′ Unda Maris (tc)

4′ Tapered Principal (prepared)

4′ Pan Flute

2′ Principal

11⁄3′ Quint

II Sesquialter  (tc)

8′ Clarinet

8′ English Horn (prepared)

Tremulant

8′ Gloria Trumpet (10″ pressure)

    

ECHO (prepared)    

8′ Principal

4′ Octave

8′ Viole *

8′ Flute *

8′ Flute Celeste *

Tremulant

8′ Gloria Trumpet

(* expressive)

    

PEDAL (unenclosed)    

32′ Contra Diapason (prepared)

16′ Open Diapason

16′ Geigen Diapason

16′ Bourdon

16′ Gedeckt

102⁄3′ Quint

8′ Octave  

8′ Geigen Octave

8′ Flute

4′ Fifteenth  

4′ Solo Flute

32′ Ophicleide (prepared)

16′ Trombone (83⁄4″ pressure)

16′ Contra Trumpet (prepared)

16′ Bassoon

8′ Trumpet

4′ Oboe

P.J. Swartz Organ Company, Eatonton, Georgia: Christ Church, United Church of Christ, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

P.J. Swartz Organ Company, 

Eatonton, Georgia

Christ Church, United Church of Christ, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The P.J. Swartz Organ Company of Eatonton, Georgia has recently completed the rebuilding of the 1969 Verlinden organ at Christ Church UCC, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Technical, mechanical, and tonal revisions and updates were carried out. These include the replacement of the aging electro-pneumatic switches with a new Syndyne solid-state control system that offers an expanded combination action as well as MIDI capability. Trumpet pipes were replaced with a new rank for improved scaling and tonal blend, along with a 16′ extension into the Pedal. The original Vox Humana was also replaced with an historic Wangerin Oboe to expand the organ’s tonal palette and functional use. Finally, a 4′ Swell Principal rank was added, particularly so that the unification of the Great Diapason stop could be reduced. 

When originally installed, the main windchests of this instrument were mounted within the chamber, higher than the top level of the tone opening. From this position, no tone from pipes could project directly through the grille opening to the nave of the church. It is speculated that this “too high” mounting of windchests by the original builder above the tone opening was caused by the tall pneumatic switch stacks that were located beneath the windchests. With the introduction of the solid-state switching system, the tall pneumatic switch stacks were removed, and the windchests lowered to bring pipes even to the tone opening level. The result is a renewed tonal vitality, presence, and projection. The repositioning of the organ pipes for good tonal egress, along with the replacement of carpeted worship space flooring with polished granite, has resulted in an excellent musical and liturgical functional space. Scott R. Riedel & Associates Ltd., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, provided consultation service to the project. The dedication recital was performed by Donald VerKuilen on November 13, 2011 to a capacity crowd. 

 

14 ranks

GREAT

8′ Open Diapason

8′ Melodia

8′ Dulciana

4′ Octave 

4′ Wald Flute (ext 8′ Melodia)

2′ Fifteenth (ext 4′ Octave)

Mixture III

8′ Trumpet

4′ Clarion (ext 8′ Trumpet)

Chimes

MIDI

SWELL

16′ Bourdon

8′ Stopped Flute (ext 16′ Bourdon)

8′ Salicional

8′ Voix Celeste

4′ Principal

4′ Flute D’amour (ext 16′ Bourdon)

4′ Salicet (ext 8′ Salicional)

22⁄3′ Nazard (ext 16′ Bourdon)

2′ Principal (ext 4′ Principal)

2′ Piccolo (ext 16′ Bourdon)

11⁄3′ Larigot (ext 16′ Bourdon)

8′ Trumpet (Great)

8′ Oboe

Tremulant

MIDI

PEDAL

32′ Resultant

16′ Subbass

16′ Bourdon (Swell)

8′ Octave (Great Diapason)

8′ Bass Flute (ext Subbass)

8′ Bourdon (Swell)

4′ Choral Bass (Great Diapason)

16′ Trumpet (ext)

8′ Trumpet (Great)

4′ Clarion (Great)

MIDI

 

Foley-Baker, Inc., 

Tolland, Connecticut

Duke University Chapel, 

Durham, North Carolina

The 1932 Aeolian at Duke University Chapel has as colorful a history as any American organ. In 1930, at a time when contracts had grown scarce, Aeolian wrested the job from Skinner, only to plagiarize the stoplist and layout of Skinner’s 1928 organ for Princeton University Chapel. By the time Aeolian installed the job, their brazen move had evolved into the bittersweet reality of a merger with Skinner. Thus, the Duke organ became Aeolian’s last statement of what a grand organ should be. After World War II, the instrument developed particular appeal through the tenure of Chapel organist Mildred Hendrix, with later chapters of near-replacement in the late 1980s, a seminal bequest toward restoration by Director of Chapel Music Benjamin Smith, renewed respect in the 1990s, and a complete renovation finished in 2009 by Foley-Baker, Inc. More than history, the tale of the Duke Aeolian reads like a screenplay.

Mike Foley recently wrote up the project in The American Organist from his company’s point of view; a forthcoming article in The Tracker will examine the organ’s historical and contemporary importance in greater detail. This piece focuses on technical and musical issues raised in the renovation, since the Duke project lies in that area between restoration (in which nothing is changed) and rebuilding (in which new and old material are given equal status toward an updated musical goal). How this project balanced respect for the original material with modern and practical concerns is important to review, and can be examined in three primary areas: musical, console, and interior.

 

Background

From 1929 to 1932, its final years of production, Aeolian’s organ department produced three heroic organs: Longwood Gardens (Op. 1726, 146 ranks, five 32′s), completed in June 1930; Westchester County Center, an auditorium in White Plains, New York (Op. 1747, 69 ranks, 32′ Bombarde), completed in late 1930; and Duke Chapel (Op. 1785, 120 ranks, three 32′s), signed in October 1930, installed in early 1932 and dedicated that June. (In 1931, Aeolian signed a fourth in this mode for the Hershey Community Theatre in Pennsylvania. The contract went to Aeolian-Skinner in the merger, and the resulting instrument, completed in 1933 under Ernest Skinner’s personal direction, was a Skinner through and through.)

High pressures, large scales, multiple reed batteries, and identical primary scaling link these Aeolians as sister efforts. The recent renovations at Duke and Longwood reveal that while Aeolian’s intentions were suitably heroic in each case, the company was still feeling its way along the finer points of how to build mechanisms and pipes to cope with the demands of high wind pressures. In turn, those details affect how these organs are renewed for their second life cycle.

 

Musical issues

At 120 ranks, the tonal disposition at Duke represented an apotheosis of the Symphonic organ, from a period in which a semblance of traditional chorus building was beginning to return to American organbuilding. The comprehensive chancel scheme was supported by an encased two-manual section in the nave, having an unenclosed chorus, Pedal 16′ Principal in the façade, and a group of enclosed softer voices.

The instrument remained in this original state only 16 years, however. Certain mechanical and musical issues brought about a campaign of work by Aeolian-Skinner in 1948, including a new remote-control combination action and crescendo pedal. Ten new string ranks were installed, probably not to provide a different type of tone as much as to correct speech deficiencies common to ranks built from Hoyt metal, as the originals were. Some sounds were changed. New Choir mutations did not precisely replicate the Aeolian originals, and the Antiphonal chorus was remodeled, using new 8′ and 4′ ranks, a revoiced chorus reed, and a de-tierced and brightened mixture. Finally, the chancel Great chorus underwent a bit of reshuffling: the 51⁄3′ Quinte became a third 4′ Principal, the III–VI Plein Jeu was returned to the factory to be loudened, and the chorus was rebalanced somewhat on site.

In 1975 the Echo-Antiphonal was removed to make way for the present Flentrop, deleting a section of the Aeolian many had found particularly effective. But much more noteworthy was the Chapel’s acoustical transformation in 1974, from one of stereotypical Akoustolith deadness to epic acoustical grandeur. This one event changed all music in Duke Chapel; certainly no one active at Aeolian or Aeolian-Skinner ever experienced Op. 1785 as we do today.

Given this history of change, it was clear that any serious renovation of the Aeolian needed to develop an ethic around the organ’s tonal content. Duke organists Robert Parkins and David Arcus spent years considering the matter, working through the issues as they considered various restorers. By the time Foley-Baker was signed on in 2007, the plan had solidified around restoration of the 1932 tonal scheme: retaining the 1948 Aeolian-Skinner replacement ranks, reversing the 1948 changes and shifts, and regulating the pipes as closely as could be reasoned to where Aeolian left them in 1932. The adoption of such a plan was not a foregone conclusion, for the Aeolian is not without its anomalies. Unison flute tone outside the Solo is atypically gentle (the Great Principal Flute, for example, is softer than the Gemshorn), and some layout details that actually aid tonal projection do not initially appear to. After careful study and consideration, however, the conclusion among organists and rebuilders was that the most musical result would be attained with a return to the 1932 scheme.

While Aeolian’s scaling and voicing was heroic in these jobs, the metal pipework and some of the heftier chorus reeds are perhaps one degree less substantial than what is asked of them. As a result, it becomes especially incumbent to examine pipes thoroughly during rehabilitation to ensure their readiness for another life-cycle. In addition to normal tub washing, numerous seams and loose languids were repaired. Pipes were re-rounded on mandrels to assure good speaking conditions, tops trimmed, and new tuning collars fit throughout. Some of the largest wood pipes had developed cracks, which were routed out, splined and repaired. Finally, Foley-Baker tonal director Milovan Popovic reviewed all flue pipes on the voicing machine. The goal here was to do anything and everything that would promote stability of speech and tone for the next several generations.

For Duke, two aspects made the flue reconditioning process more complex. Unlike working on a Skinner, where many examples exist for study, the scarcity of this breed of Aeolian can involve more interpretation than can be comfortable during a restorative process. Also, Aeolian employed Hoyt metal for many flue ranks, evidently unaware of the material’s tendency to creep over time. The syndrome mostly affects flue pipe windways, as lower lips bow out, making the tone less efficient and duller while vaguely staying on speech. Re-setting the windways is straightforward enough, but it involves a careful ear and a degree of conjecture to divine what the original voicers were after.

Broome & Co. LLC undertook reconditioning of all reed stops, having performed a similar task with the Longwood reeds, each job informing the other. That process is intensive. The pipes are fully documented before disassembly and rigorous cleaning; wood wedges are replaced with brass; every scrolled slot is cut out and replaced; and finally, the pipes are re-assembled and checked through on the voicing machine.

The final element in the organ’s musical rehabilitation was the many weeks of tonal finishing, again led by Milovan Popovic. Tremolo regulation received perhaps as much attention as tone, an area to which Mike Foley is personally devoted. Aeolian used small tremolos to wobble large reservoirs, resulting in a light, fast and almost reiterative effect that many would find unpalatable today. To produce, from these elements, an effect that organists will actually use is no small feat. Finally, after years of silence, the Chimes and Harp are heard again, the latter particularly fine in Aeolian organs, long on tone and short on action noise.

In the end, there was one stoplist change and one addition. The 15-inch wind pressure Pedal reed unit was made available in the manuals as an additional unison Trombone. And a new 25-inch-wind Festival Trumpet was added, modeled on the louder of the two fanfare Tubas on the Skinner at Yale University (the Aeolian-Skinner at Girard College in Philadelphia has a stop of similar construction). All members of the design team reflected upon a group of samples; the preferred stop was built by A.R. Schopp’s Sons and voiced by Christopher Broome. These unenclosed pipes are nestled into the right transept opening, speaking directly into the crossing as a heraldic voice.

 

Console

While the company’s earliest consoles followed the terrace-jamb form typical of the late 19th century, Aeolian evolved a trademark style in the ’teens, using horizontally tilting tablets in angled side jambs. The resulting low profile, even for large consoles, suited the residential setting (the person on the bench, operating a roll, could still engage socially). Organists often derided these consoles, since at a glance it wasn’t clear which stops were drawn. Branching out to church organs in the 1920s, Aeolian first rotated the tablets to the more usual vertical arrangement, then developed a distinctive type of drawknob console, with natty celluloid moldings around departments and large ivory stopknobs on thick ivory shanks rather than the usual ebony. Some peculiarities migrated from the residence consoles: expression shoes with little excursion, spongy key action without tracker touch, non-AGO pedalboard and clavier relationships, and placement of the Sforzando piston directly next to Great to Pedal (surprise!).

The Duke console was Aeolian’s tallest of this model: impressive as a forest of ivory, if tending to noisiness with its vacuum-action stopknob motors. As the size and fame of the Duke choir grew, the console height became a liability in the visual communication between organist and conductor. And, with the removal of the nave sections in 1975, the console contained many redundant controls.

For these and other reasons, the organists decided they would prefer to archive the original console and have a smaller one better suited to the instrument’s current configuration. Richard S. Houghten of Milan, Michigan was directly contracted for this work, along with the design and installation of solid-state control systems throughout. The new console blends dimensions and features more typical of Skinner (particularly key-touch and piston arrangement) with some of the visual design peculiar to the Aeolian original. Legally sourced ivory for keys, stopknobs, tablets, pistons, and indicator tags contribute to an ambience more of a modernized old console than a brand-new one.

 

Interior

Projects involving old organs are made easier when the instruments in question are entirely original. More challenging is an organ that has unquestionable musical merit but might not have a mechanical foundation of comparable quality. At Longwood, Aeolian’s first truly high-pressure effort (ranging from 8″ to 30″), Aeolian experienced some structural instability with their new style of pitman windchest. Unlike Skinner chests, which are formed with horizontal joist-like separators between every stop, the Aeolian pitman chest is a simple box with a solid table, four sides and an occasional vertical post. At Longwood, this proved insubstantial to the pressures employed (many were reinforced in the recent renovation); the White Plains organ shows further evidence of the same syndrome. By the time the Duke organ was built, Aeolian had already realized that stouter construction was necessary. While each chest was carefully checked for signs of stress or need for reinforcement, none was needed in the end.

Otherwise, restoring all mechanisms to a like-new standard comprises the bulk of any restorative effort. Each firm’s instruments bring particular challenges. Aeolian was atypical in being a two-finish wood shop: some things painted, others shellacked. This factor complicates renewal of the main windchests, whose solid tops are shellacked but whose sides and bottoms are painted. Most Aeolian organs have 6-stage accordion swell engines. For fancy jobs, a relay mixed and matched the six stages to produce 14 discrete increments of opening. A nice idea in theory, in practice the operation could lack smoothness, particularly in the first few stages. For Duke, Aeolian built 14-stage accordions, an elegant solution but a tougher restoration challenge. Finally, tremendous effort was put into renewing the Duke chambers and making all surfaces maximally reflective, together with a well-lit working environment for the technician. After decades of looking dank and worn, the chambers now gleam like a first-class hotel lobby.

 

Personnel

There had been talk of restoring the Duke Aeolian since 1990. Through the 1990s and 2000s, former curator Norman Ryan had rehabilitated much of the Swell, and portions of the Choir and Solo. In the push to undertake a comprehensive renovation, two gentlemen stood behind the project and saw that it got done. Duke University Organist Dr. Robert Parkins set aside earlier conceptions about style and saw that the instrument’s fabric and tone were respected. He also dealt with the many logistical issues such projects raise. Chapel Organist Dr. David Arcus, familiar with and fond of similar instruments built by Skinner (particularly that at Yale University, on which he studied with Dr. Charles Krigbaum) asked important questions, challenged assumptions, and kept music central to the discussion. His persuasive playing on the Aeolian invigorated established admirers and persuaded new ones. For Sunday worship, the two organists have developed creative means of employing both Flentrop and Aeolian in antiphonal hymn accompaniment, as well as showcasing Duke’s other organs: the meantone Brombaugh in the side Memorial Chapel, and the Richards, Fowkes in Goodson Chapel, next door at Duke Divinity School.

A project of this magnitude, accomplished on budget in 20 months, requires planning of the surest sort coupled to experience in managing complex projects. While Mike Foley plays an active role in that process, foreman Phil Carpenter’s long experience in the site management shows through every detail of the finished result. The Duke renovation takes its place in FBI’s impressive roster of high-profile work of late: Boston-area Aeolian-Skinners at Symphony Hall, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Trinity Church; Groton School; and in 2010, the relocated 1929 Skinner for The Memorial Church, Harvard University.

For those who admire all of Duke’s fine organs, in their excellence and variety, this renovation allows the Aeolian to shine forth with the elegance of its sisters. Better still, it is played often and well. For those who labor hard on such jobs, there is no finer outcome.

—Jonathan Ambrosino

 

Photo credit: Mark Manring

 

The Duke Aeolian was rededicated in a gala concert February 8, 2009, jointly offered by Drs. Parkins and Arcus to a capacity audience, with works of Brahms, Karg-Elert, Reger, Pierné, Franck, Gigout, Locklair, Tournemire, and Jongen. The entire recital can be seen episodically on YouTube.

 

Chancel Organ, Duke University Chapel, Durham, North Carolina

  Aeolian Organ Company, Opus 1785, 1931Р32

GREAT (wind pressures: 6″ for flues, 12″ for reeds)

32′ Quintaton (from tenor c) 61 pipes

16′ Diapason 73 pipes

partially in north façade

16′ Bourdon (Pedal, ext) 17 pipes

8′ First Diapason   73 pipes

swapped with Second in 1932

8′ Second Diapason   73 pipes

swapped with First in 1932

8′ Third Diapason   73 pipes

restored to original from Prestant 4′

8′ Gemshorn 73 pipes

8′ Principal Flute   73 pipes

8′ Doppel Flute   73 pipes

(in Choir chamber)

51⁄3′ Quint   73 pipes

restored to original from Third Diapason

4′ Octave   73 pipes

4′ Principal 73 pipes

4′ Flute   73 pipes

(in Choir chamber)

31⁄5′ Tenth   73 pipes

22⁄3′ Twelfth   61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth   61 pipes

Harmonics V 305 pipes

Plein Jeu III–VI 268 pipes

16′ Contra Tromba   73 pipes

(in Choir chamber)

8′ Trombone (Pedal)

8′ Tromba   73 pipes

(in Choir chamber)

4′ Octave Tromba   73 pipes

(in Choir chamber)

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)

8′ Festival Trumpet   61 pipes

(new, floating, 25″ wind pressure)

Great to Great 16

Great to Great 4

Great Unison Off

SWELL (wind pressures: 6″ for flues and orchestral reeds, 10″ for chorus reeds)

16′ Bourdon   73 pipes

8′ Diapason   73 pipes

8′ Geigen Diapason   73 pipes

8′ Gamba   73 pipes

8′ Gamba Celeste   73 pipes

8′ Salicional   73 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste   73 pipes

8′ Rohrflute   73 pipes

8′ Cor de nuit*   73 pipes

8′ Flauto dolce   73 pipes

8′ Flute Celeste   61 pipes

4′ Octave   73 pipes

4′ Fugara   73 pipes

4′ Flute Triangulaire*   73 pipes

22⁄3′ Nazard*   61 pipes

2′ Piccolo   61 pipes

2′ Flautino*   61 pipes

13⁄5′ Tierce*   61 pipes

Cornet V (composed of stops marked*)

Chorus Mixture V 305 pipes

16′ Posaune   73 pipes

8′ French Trumpet   73 pipes

8′ Cornopean   73 pipes

8′ Oboe   73 pipes

8′ Vox Humana   73 pipes

4′ Clarion   73 pipes

8′ Harp (in Choir box)

4′ Celesta (in Choir box)

Tremolo

Chimes

Swell to Swell 16

Swell to Swell 4

Swell Unison Off

CHOIR (wind pressure: 6″ throughout)

16′ Gamba   12 pipes

(ext Viole d’orchestre 8′)

8′ Diapason   73 pipes

8′ Viole d’orchestre   73 pipes

8′ Viole Celeste   73 pipes

8′ Concert Flute   73 pipes

8′ Quintadena (derived from stops marked*)

8′ Dulciana*   73 pipes

8′ Dulciana Celeste   73 pipes

4′ Violina   73 pipes

4′ Harmonic Flute   73 pipes

22⁄3′ Nazard*   61 pipes

2′ Piccolo   61 pipes

13⁄5′ Tierce   61 pipes

11⁄7′ Septieme   61 pipes

16′ Fagotto   73 pipes

8′ Trumpet   73 pipes

8′ Corno di bassetto   73 pipes

8′ Orchestral Oboe   73 pipes

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)

8′ Festival Trumpet

8′ Harp   49 bars

4′ Celesta (ext Harp)   12 bars

Tremolo

Chimes   25 tubes

Choir to Choir 16

Choir to Choir 4

Choir Unison Off

SOLO (wind pressures: 10″ for flues and orchestral reeds, 15″ for chorus Tubas, 25″ for Tuba mirabilis)

8′ Stentorphone   73 pipes

8′ Gamba   73 pipes

8′ Gamba Celeste   73 pipes

8′ Flauto Mirabilis   73 pipes

4′ Octave   73 pipes

4′ Orchestral Flute   73 pipes

Mixture V 305 pipes

16′ Tuba   73 pipes

8′ Tuba Mirabilis   73 pipes

8′ Tuba   73 pipes

8′ French Horn   73 pipes

8′ English Horn   73 pipes

4′ Clarion   73 pipes

Tremolo

Chimes

Solo to Solo 16

Solo to Solo 4

Solo Unison Off

PEDAL (wind pressures: 6″ for flues, 15″ for reeds)

32′ Diapason (ext Ped Diap)   12 pipes

32′ Bourdon (from Bourdon 16′; 1–12 in 

common with Diapason 32′)

16′ Diapason   32 pipes

16′ Contrabass   32 pipes

16′ Diapason (Great)

16′ Bourdon   68 pipes

16′ Gamba (Choir)

16′ Echo Lieblich (from Swell Bourdon)

102⁄3′ Quint (from Pedal Bourdon)

8′ Octave (ext Diapason) 12 pipes

8′ Principal   32 pipes

8′ Gedeckt (from Pedal Bourdon 16′)

8′ Stille Gedeckt (from Sw Bourdon 16′)

51⁄3′ Twelfth (from Pedal Bourdon 16′)

4′ Flute (from Pedal Bourdon 16′)

Harmonics V 160 pipes

32′ Bombarde (ext Ped Tbone) 12 pipes

32′ Fagotto (ext Choir)   12 pipes

16′ Trombone   32 pipes

16′ Tuba (Solo)

16′ Tromba (Great)

16′ Fagotto (Choir)

102⁄3′ Quint Trombone (from Great Contra

Tromba 16′)

8′ Trombone (ext)   12 pipes

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)

8′ Festival Trumpet

4′ Clarion (ext)   12 pipes

Chimes (Choir)

 

Couplers

Great to Pedal 8 Solo to Great 16

Swell to Pedal 8 Solo to Great 8

Choir to Pedal 8 Solo to Great 4

Solo to Pedal 8 Solo to Swell 16

Great to Pedal 4 Solo to Swell 8

Swell to Pedal 4 Solo to Swell 4

Choir to Pedal 4 Swell to Choir 16

Solo to Pedal 4 Swell to Choir 8

Pedal to Pedal 4 Swell to Choir 4

Pedal Divide Great to Choir 16

Swell to Great 16 Great to Choir 8

Swell to Great 8 Great to Choir 4

Swell to Great 4 Solo to Choir 16

Choir to Great 16 Solo to Choir 8

Choir to Great 8 Solo to Choir 4

Choir to Great 4 Pedal to Choir 8

Great and Choir Transfer

 

Balanced Expression Pedals

Choir Expression

Swell Expression

Solo Expression

Crescendo (programmable)

 

Combination Pre-sets

Standard Capture Combination System with 256 levels of memory

Manual Piston Combinations

Great: 1–8, 0 (Cancel)

Swell: 1–8, 0

Choir: 1–8, 0

Solo: 1–8, 0

Pedal: 4–8, 0

General: 1–20

General Cancel

Pedal Piston Combinations

Pedal: 1–5, 0

General: 1–16

Setter

Piston Sequencer

Memory Up and Down pistons

 

Reversibles

Manual and Pedal Pistons

Great to Pedal 8

Swell to Great 8

Choir to Pedal 8

Solo to Pedal 8

Diapason 32′

Bombarde 32′

Fagotto 32′

16′ Manual Stops Off

32′ Pedal Stops Off

All Swells to Solo Expression Pedal

Sfz mf

Sfz Tutti

 

Manual Pistons Only

Solo to Swell 8

Swell to Pedal 8

Choir to Great 8

Solo to Great 8

Swell to Choir 8

Solo to Choir 8

Great to Choir 8

All Pistons Next

Harp Sustain

 

Indicator Lights

Usher Signal

Telephone

Transposer

Pedal Divide

Sfz mf

Sfz Tutti

Crescendo

All Swells to Solo Expression Pedal

All Pistons Next

Pedal 32′ Off

Manual 16′ Off

Harp Sustain

Digital display for memory level, general piston number, and crescendo level

Dobson Pipe Organ Builders, Lake City, Iowa St. Andrews Lutheran Church, Park Ridge, Illinois

Dobson Pipe Organ Builders,
Lake City, Iowa

St. Andrews Lutheran Church, Park Ridge, Illinois

Dobson Pipe Organ Builders of Lake City, Iowa, has completed its Op. 88 for St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Park Ridge, Illinois. St. Andrews’ church building was designed by Park Ridge architect Charles E. Stade, who would gain fame for his design of the Chapel of the Resurrection at Valparaiso University a few years later. Originally designed for a location on the main floor at the rear of St. Andrews’ sanctuary, the organ, together with the choir and other musicians, moved to the front when costs to remove the existing cramped balcony proved prohibitive. In addition to the organ, Dobson designed and constructed complementary chancel furniture as part of the reconfiguration of the church.

The new organ is housed in a freestanding case of American white oak that is enriched by painted color accents. Employing mechanical key action for the manuals and electric key action for the Pedal, the organ has a low-profile detached console to permit a variety of arrangements for a choir and other musicians. The Great is located on the left side of the case and the Swell on the right, with the Pedal behind. The tin façade pipes are drawn from the Great Prestant 8′ and the Pedal Principal 8′. The organ is voiced on a wind pressure of 80 millimeters, and is tuned in equal temperament.

Stephen Tharp, a native of Park Ridge, whose first public appearance as a church organist was at St. Andrews at age nine, presented the dedication recital on May 22, 2011.

—John Panning

GREAT

16′ Bourdon (prepared)

8′ Prestant

8′ Chimney Flute

4′ Octave 

4′ Spire Flute

22⁄3′ Twelfth

2′ Fifteenth

13⁄5′ Seventeenth

11⁄3′ Mixture IV

8′ Trumpet

Swell to Great

SWELL

8′ Bourdon

8′ Viole de Gambe

8′ Viole Celeste (FF)

4′ Principal

4′ Harmonic Flute

2′ Gemshorn

11⁄3′ Larigot (prepared)

16′ Dulzian (prepared)

8′ Oboe

Tremulant

PEDAL

16′ Subbass 

16′ Bourdon (Great)

8′ Principal

8′ Gedackt (ext. Subbass)

4′ Super Octave (ext. Principal)

16′ Trombone

8′ Trumpet (ext. Trombone)

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

 

Zimbelstern

19 registers, 22 ranks, three preparations

Photo credit: John Panning

Dobson Pipe Organ Builders, Ltd., Lake City, Iowa, Op. 89 Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values, The University of Tampa, Tampa, Florida

Dobson Pipe Organ Builders, Ltd., Lake City, Iowa, Op. 89

Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values, the University of Tampa, Tampa, Florida 

Set in distinctly urban surroundings, the University of Tampa has grown tremendously since its founding in 1933. Tampa’s first institution of higher learning, the UT was founded in the former Tampa Bay Hotel, an exotic landmark with flamboyant Moorish domes and minarets set on the Hillsborough River. The rooms that once hosted Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, Sarah Bernhardt, Babe Ruth (who hit his longest home run ever—587 feet—at nearby Plant Field), Clara Barton, Stephen Crane, Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, the Queen of England, and many other celebrities, are today’s classrooms, laboratories, public rooms, and academic and administrative offices— the heart of a 6,500-student university that now fans out in 50 buildings on 100 acres around Plant Hall.

Located a shorter distance from Plant Hall than Ruth’s record homer is Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values, the latest addition to the campus. A gift of local entrepreneur John H. Sykes, the facility includes the 250-seat Main Hall and meditation and meeting rooms, as well as outdoor plazas and gardens. The Main Hall is furnished with flexible seating and serves for worship and assembly of various student religious groups at UT, as well as concerts, lectures, and ceremonial events. The space has an airiness that comes from its 65-foot arched ceiling and the flood of light entering through a skylight that runs the entire length of the building. Large side windows and a rear wall made entirely of glass add even more light. The floors are honed granite, with walls paneled in American black cherry. Fabric curtains hidden in ceiling pockets may be deployed according to the acoustical needs of a given event. The building’s HVAC system is as quiet as possible and the building is well insulated from exterior noise.

Our involvement came in 2007 through organ consultant Scott Riedel of Milwaukee. Our first meeting with university representatives took place at St. David’s Episcopal Church, Wayne, Pennsylvania, where our Op. 84 (III/47, 2007) is installed. After hearing and seeing the organ, the Tampa delegation made it clear that they intended to select us as the builder of their new instrument. A contract for the organ was signed in summer 2008; installation commenced two years later.

The visual design for Op. 89 was created especially for the unique architectural setting of the new space. It responds to the sheltering shape of the ceiling with great arcs that give the organ case a dynamic appearance. By having the tops of the organ case reflect the shape of the building’s arches, there is an immediate recognition of the dominant feature of the room, but in reverse. The space gives the sense of enclosing or enveloping, while the organ gives the sense of rising up and pushing the room open. The strong curving lines of the case tops are softened by the plane of the façade’s graceful transition from concave at either side to convex in the center. As a result, the strong curving shapes that define the tops of the case become like ribbons in the third dimension, first receding, then flowing forward around the pipes.

The organ case is made of American black cherry and stands nearly 50 feet tall; it is 21 feet wide at its greatest and just over eight feet deep. The console is placed about six feet in front of the organ case to permit two rows of singers to stand in between. The Great is located at the level of the impost, with the Swell above it. The Choir is below the Great, in the base of the case. The largest pipes of the Pedal stand behind the main case, while the Pedal upperwork shares windchest space with the Great. The façade pipes are made of burnished 90% tin and include pipes of the Great 8′ Principal (notes 1–27, at the top of the case), Great/Pedal 16′ Principal (notes 1–45, at impost level), and the Pedal 8′ Octave (9–32, mounted upside down in front of the Choir division). The 8′ Horizontal Trumpet, also made of tin, takes its commanding position in the center of the façade.

Op. 89 employs mechanical key action for the manuals and pedal upperwork; the Horizontal Trumpet and the largest pipes of the Pedal have electric action. All coupling is mechanical. The electric stop and combination action includes the usual complement of pistons and 256 memory levels. The manual divisions and Pedal upperwork are voiced on 3 inches wind pressure while the Pedal basses and solo reed are voiced on 5 inches. The organ is tuned in equal temperament.

The new building was dedicated on December 10, 2010, at which time the organ was first heard by the public. Dedication recitals in early 2011 included January 30, David Isele; February 12 and 13, Haig Mardirosian; March 12 and 13, Carole Terry; April 9 and 10, Kurt Knecht. Pictures of the construction and installation may be found at 

www.dobsonorgan.com.

 

Dobson Pipe Organ Builders

William Ayers

Abraham Batten

Kent Brown

Lynn A. Dobson

Lyndon Evans

Randy Hausman

Dean Heim

Scott Hicks

Donny Hobbs

Pat Lowry

Arthur Middleton

John Ourensma

John A. Panning

Kirk P. Russell

Robert Savage

Jim Streufert

John A. Streufert

Jon H. Thieszen

Pat Thieszen

Sally J. Winter

Dean C. Zenor

 

Dobson Pipe Organ Builders 

Op. 89, 2011 

56 ranks, 58 stops

GREAT (II)

16′ Principal 90% tin

8′ Principal 90% tin

8′ Gamba 75% tin

8′ Harmonic Flute 30% tin

8′ Chimney Flute 30% tin 

  1–12 stopped wood

4′ Octave 52% tin

4′ Spire Flute 30% tin

22⁄3′ Twelfth 52% tin

2′ Fifteenth 52% tin

13⁄5′ Seventeenth 52% tin

2′ Mixture IV 52% tin

16′ Posaune 52% tin

8′ Trumpet 52% tin

4′ Clarion 52% tin

8′ Horizontal Trumpet 90% tin 

  en chamade

Swell to Great

Choir to Great

SWELL (III, enclosed)

8′ Diapason 75% tin

8′ Bourdon wood & 30% tin

8′ Viola 75%

8′ Voix Celeste CC 75% tin

4′ Octave 75% tin

4′ Harmonic Flute 30% tin

22⁄3′ Nasard 30% tin

2′ Piccolo 30% tin

13⁄5′ Tierce 30% tin

2′ Mixture III 75% tin

16′ Bassoon 75% tin

8′ Trumpet 75% tin

8′ Oboe 75% tin

4′ Clarion 75% tin

Tremulant 

CHOIR (I, enclosed)

16′ Bourdon wood

8′ Salicional 75% tin

8′ Gemshorn 52% tin

8′ Unda Maris GG 52% tin

8′ Lieblich Gedeckt wood & 52% tin

4′ Fugara 75%

4′ Recorder        open wood & 30% tin

2′ Flageolet 30% tin

1′ Mixture II 75% tin

8′ Trumpet 52% tin

8′ Clarinet 30% tin

8′ Vox Humana 30% tin

Tremulant

8’ Horizontal Trumpet (Great)

Swell to Choir

 

PEDAL

32′ Contra Bourdon wood

16′ Open Diapason wood

16′ Principal (Great)

16′ Subbass  (ext)

16′ Bourdon (Choir)

8′ Octave 90% tin

8′ Flute (ext Open Diapason)

8′ Gedeckt (ext)

4′ Super Octave 52% tin

22⁄3 Mixture IV 52% tin

32′ Contra Trombone 

                  aluminum & 52% tin

16′ Trombone (ext)

16′ Posaune (Great)

8′ Trumpet (Great)

4′ Clarion (Great)

8′ Horizontal Trumpet (Great)

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Choir to Pedal

Pasi Organ Builders, Inc., Roy, Washington, Opus 19 Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral, Houston, Texas

 

Pasi Organ Builders, Inc., Roy, Washington, Opus 19

Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral, 

Houston, Texas

 

From the organbuilder

The instrument is placed in the rear gallery on either side of the 40-foot-high Resurrection Window. This massive window necessitated a divided layout for the organ’s five divisions of pipes, and several unique design solutions were used to compensate for the lack of a traditional central organ case. During the organ’s design, construction, and voicing, this instrument developed a unique character of its own—thanks in large part to the building’s wonderfully reverberant acoustics.

The visual design of the instrument combines architectural features found in this building with elements from historic European organs. The organ is entirely encased in white oak woodwork, with decorative carvings above the façade pipes. Both the carvings and the façade pipe mouths are gilded with 23-carat gold leaf. The wooden case serves a vital tonal function by blending and focusing the sound of the 5,499 organ pipes, while also protecting them from dust.

The console’s four manual keyboards are covered with cow bone and ebony, and the pedal keyboard is made of maple and rosewood. The 111 stop knobs, controlling the organ’s five divisions of pipes, are on either side of the keyboards. The stop knobs and toe pistons are made of pau ferro. Other species of wood found in the organ include tulip poplar, redwood, sugar pine, basswood, walnut, hornbeam, and Douglas fir.

The organ is laid out vertically in order to take advantage of the given space. The pipes of the Great division are placed on windchests above the impost on the east side of the window. The Swell division is placed above the Great, hidden behind the façade pipes and gilded carvings. The Positive division is located above the Swell, almost hugging the building’s 72-foot-high ceiling. The Grand Choir and Pedal divisions are located on the west side of the window, with the Spanish Trumpets (Trompeta) speaking from the very top above the Pedal division. They are placed horizontally, just behind the façade, in order to sound in the most assertive manner possible.

Two electric blowers supply wind to the organ via six bellows measuring approximately 4 feet by 8 feet. The bellows and blowers are located behind and inside the organ’s two cases. This wind system imparts a gentle flexibility to the organ’s sound, allowing the pipes to sound more like a choir of human voices rather than an inexpressive machine.

The organ’s tonal scheme draws most of its inspiration from the great North German and French organs of the 17th and 18th centuries. Its resources are further leavened with many stops inspired by 19th- and 20th-century models. This enhances its flexibility in playing choral accompaniments and interpreting the monumental solo organ literature of the 19th and 20th centuries. The organ is tuned in “Mark Brombaugh Mild,” an unequal temperament that favors the keys nearest to C major while still remaining harmonious in the most distant keys.

With the exception of the free-reed Clarinette 8′ stop, all of the metal pipes were made in the Pasi shop—from the casting and rolling of the metal through to the completed pipes. They are made of various alloys of tin and lead, with trace impurities of copper, bismuth, and antimony to help stiffen the metal. To enhance the intensity of the lead pipes’ sound, the metal is hammered following casting in order to tighten its molecular structure. The three 32′ stops, as well as the large pipes of several other stops, are made of tulip poplar wood.

The three traditional manual divisions—Great, Positive, and Swell—are placed above the console on the east side of the window, and have normal suspended mechanical key action and mechanical couplers. The Grand Choir and Pedal divisions on the west side of the window are modeled after the
Résonance division in the famous 1775 Jean-Esprit Isnard organ at St. Maximin, Provence. Most of the Grand Choir pipes are shared between the two divisions, but have independent stop knobs and actions for each division. 

This divided layout of the organ, combined with the comprehensive tonal scheme necessitated by the cathedral’s vast interior space, posed a special challenge in the design of the key action. Running a horizontal mechanical key action from the console to the west case 30 feet away would have been impractical. Our solution was to use the electric proportional key action developed by NovelOrg of Longueuil (Montreal), Quebec. 

The NovelOrg proportional key action is an all-electric action with sophisticated electronic control that allows the valves in the windchests to follow exactly the motion of the key. Applying this action to the remote Grand Choir and Pedal divisions makes it possible to retain the sensitive control of pipe speech found in a traditional mechanical key action. In addition to the regular mechanical couplers, the Great, Positive, and Swell keyboards are coupled to the Grand Choir through the NovelOrg proportional action. The stop action is electric, and the solid-state combination action allows up to 20 organists to each have 55 levels of memory, providing for the storage and recall of thousands of stop combinations.

The staff of Pasi Organ Builders, Inc., constructed, installed, and voiced the organ over a period of three years. The Pasi staff and other artisans who contributed to this project are as follows:

Markus Morscher: design, casework, windchests, wood pipes, bellows, pipe racking, and installation

Michael Spieler: casework, windchests, wood pipes, bellows, console key action, pipe racking, and installation

Rochus van Rumpt: metal flue pipes (including fabrication of the largest façade pipes on-site), reed pipes, installation, and voicing

Mark Brombaugh: design, installation, and voicing

Arpad Magyar: metal flue and reed pipes

Maurine Pasi: pipe shade carving and gilding

Jennifer Von Holstein: carving design and administration

Robert Wech: design

Raphi Giangiulio: metal flue and reed pipes, design

Gyöngyi Czimbor: assistant in the Pasi wood and pipe shops

Douglas Brewer: installation

Bruce Shull: voicing

Dominik Maetzler: combination action wiring

Martin Pasi: design, flue and reed pipes, installation, voicing, and administration.

—Martin Pasi

 

From the consultant

What a joy it has been to work with the clergy and musicians of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, with the architects and building contractor, and especially with Martin Pasi and his entire team. I remember very well the first meeting of the organ selection committee in 2006, when Cardinal DiNardo spelled out his vision for the project. The task of the committee, under the leadership of Crista Miller, was to find the right company to build an organ that would accompany, complement, and even augment the most perfect musical instrument—the human voice. In addition, the committee needed to be certain that the organ would function first and foremost for the Catholic liturgy. I remember how enthusiastic the cardinal was about the idea of installing a tracker-action organ that would draw from the great traditions of the past while also offering something special for our time. 

The overall concept of the organ is unique, but also firmly rooted in tradition. The left side (when looking at the large Resurrection Window) is played from the upper three manuals with traditional mechanical key action. This side has an especially large and expressive Swell division, useful for choral accompanying and organ music of the 19th and 20th centuries. The principal choruses of the Great and Positive are Germanic, while the many individual stops and small combinations make possible the performance of a wide range of organ music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, including French classical repertoire. The right side of the instrument, played from the bottom manual and pedals, uses the electric proportional key action. The right side of the instrument contains the largest pipes, including three 32′ stops. This side also includes a massive principal chorus (with a large progressive mixture), impressive reed choruses, and full foundations appropriate for the French symphonic organ repertoire and festive congregational accompaniments.

I shall mention here only a few of the individual stops. The undulating Suavial (Voce umana) on the Positive is of great historical significance, although it is infrequently heard on this continent today. The two brilliant battle Trompetas on the Grand Choir are drawn from the Spanish and Latin American traditions. And the free-reed Clarinette, also on the Grand Choir, produces a very rare and exotic sound. From the quietest stops to the massive principal and reed choruses, the instrument produces a marvelous effect in the clear but reverberant acoustics of the co-cathedral. The residents of Houston owe Martin and all his associates at Pasi Organ Builders a debt of gratitude for this wonderful addition to the growing list of impressive new organs in our city.

—Robert Bates

Professor of Organ

Moores School of Music

University of Houston

 

From the director of music

When I came to the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in October 2004, one of my first duties was to provide music for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new 1800-seat church, to be completed in April 2008. There was discussion of moving the church’s small Pilcher organ into the new church, but I knew from my graduate assistantship under Hans Davidsson’s Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative that there are many bright stars in contemporary American organbuilding. Martin Pasi gave an intriguing presentatation on a new dual-temperament organ in the Omaha Cathedral at the first annual EROI Festival in Rochester. I had arranged for a demonstration on pipe making to the Eastman organ studio and vividly remember Martin as being incapable of allowing even a throwaway demo pipe to sound anything less than beautiful.

In January 2006, I was happy to lead an archdiocesan organ committee charged with procuring a new world-class instrument for the Co-Cathedral. We began by reviewing the fine organs in sister cathedrals in larger cities—New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago—and U.S. cathedrals where great pipe organs have emerged, and with them, a tradition of fine sacred music.

Our situation was somewhat challenging, in that the Resurrection Window, planned long before the instrument, is placed in the middle of the organ. This could have eliminated the possibility of a mechanical-action instrument. Enter the extraordinary Martin Pasi and his firm, Pasi Organ Builders, Inc. To accommodate the window, they implemented a dual-action system, mechanical and electro-mechanical. This success speaks for itself, in a thrill for both the player and numerous audience members. 

The firm’s nineteenth instrument is their largest to date and their first four-manual organ. It contains such luxuries as a free-reed Clarinette and a set of horizontal trumpets in a tribute to the Hispanic heritage of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. This organ accompanies the liturgy in a modern way, inspired by historic traditions of 17th-century north and south Germany, Italy, Spain, and 17th- to 19th-century France. Moreover, this versatile instrument, eclectic without compromise, has proven to blend beautifully with orchestral instruments and to render well choral accompaniments of the English tradition.   

Many people deserve thanks. Hearty congratulations to Martin Pasi and his  associates at Pasi Organ Builders. His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, and Auxiliary Bishop Vincent M. Rizzotto were all key, as well as Fayez Sarofim and the Brown Foundation and their gift to Houston. Zeigler Cooper Architects and Linbeck Construction were invaluable. As consultant, Robert Bates contributed at all phases, continuing with the ongoing lunchtime recital series, and national conferences. Pastor and rector, The Very Reverend Lawrence W. Jozwiak has been immensely helpful, as was the organ dedication committee chaired by John Burchfield, and the many who contributed program funds.  

—Crista Miller 

Chair, Organ Selection Committee

Director of Music and Organist

 

Letter from Daniel Cardinal DiNardo in the dedication program booklet

From my days as a child, hearing the great von Beckerath organ at St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh, to hearing today the opus XIX organ hand-crafted by Martin Pasi and Associates for the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, I have recognized and appreciated the importance of a good pipe organ to serve the liturgical music needs of the Church. But, this is not merely a personal observation. The Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy attests: 

 

In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument that adds a wonderful splendor to the Church’s ceremonies and powerfully lifts up the spirit to God and higher things. (Sacrosanctum concilium, 120) 

 

In 2006 our organ committee was reviewing and approving plans for the new pipe organ in Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral. At that time, I specifically requested that the organ be capable of serving three essential purposes: 1) Accompany the people’s singing at the Mass and rites of the church; 2) Provide choral accompaniment; and 3) Play traditional and classical organ repertoire. These purposes are recapitulated by the Bishops of the United States in their recent instruction on sacred music highlighting the use of the organ: 

 

Among all other instruments which are suitable for divine worship, the organ is “accorded pride of place” because of its capacity to sustain the singing of a large gathered assembly, due to both its size and its ability to give “resonance to the fullness of human sentiments, from joy to sadness, from praise to lamentation . . .” In addition to its ability to lead and sustain congregational singing, the sound of the pipe organ is most suited for solo playing of sacred music in the Liturgy at appropriate moments. Pipe organs also play an important evangelical role in the Church’s outreach to the wider community in sacred concerts, music series, and other musical and cultural programs. For all of these reasons, the place of the organ should be taken into account from the outset in the planning process for the building or renovation of churches. (Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship, 87–88).

For all of these reasons, the opus XIX pipe organ was commissioned. And, now, we celebrate its completion and inaugurate it on its profound mission. It is my sincere hope and prayer that this pipe organ will, indeed, lift all of our minds to God and higher things: through sustained congregational singing; through the accompaniment of our choirs; and through the concerts, which invite members of our wider community into the Church to experience the immensity and magnificence of God through the mysterious and powerful musical sentiments expressed by this organ. 

I want to sincerely thank Rev. Lawrence W. Jozwiak, the rector of the co-cathedral, the organ committee, and all who have made this magnificent instrument a reality. And I thank all of you for your continued prayers and blessings upon the Church in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

—Daniel Cardinal DiNardo

Archbishop of Galveston-Houston

 

Pasi Organ Builders, Opus 19

Four manuals, 76 stops

GREAT II

16′ Principal

8′ Praestant

8′ Spitzfloete

8′ Harmonic Flute

8′ Gamba

6′ Quinte

4′ Octave

4′ Nachthorn

3′ Quinte

2′ Octave

13⁄5′ Terz

8′ Cornet V (c1)

2′ Mixture V

22⁄3′ Rauschpfeife IV

16′ Trumpet

8′ Trumpet

8′ Trompette

4′ Clairon

POSITIVE III

16′ Quintadena

8′ Praestant

8′ Gedeckt

8′ Salicional

8′ Suavial (g)

4′ Octave

4′ Rohrfloete

3′ Nazard

3′ Sesquialtera II

2′ Octave

2′ Gemshorn

13⁄5′ Tierce

11⁄3′ Larigot

1′ Scharff IV

16′ Dulzian

8′ Cromorne

8′ Trumpet

8′ Trechterregal

SWELL IV

16′ Bourdon

8′ Praestant

8′ Viola

8′ Celeste

8′ Rohrfloete

4′ Octave

4′ Harm. Flute

4′ Violetta

31⁄5′ Gross Tierce

22⁄3′ Nazard

2′ Octave

2′ Octavin

13⁄5′ Tierce

1′ Flageolet

2′ Mixture V 

16′ Bassoon

8′ Trompette

8′ Oboe

4′ Clairon

8′ Voix Humaine

GRAND CHOIR I

32′ Principal

16′ Praestant

16′ Violone

16′ Bourdon

8′ Octave

8′ Flute

4′ Octave

3′ Plein Jeu Harmonique III–V+

16′ Posaune 

16′ Bombarde 

8′ Trompette 

8′ Trumpet 

8′ Clarinette 

4′ Schalmay 

8′ Trompeta

4–16′ Trompeta

+Grand Choir only

PEDAL

32′ Principal 

16′ Praestant

16′ Violone

16′ Bourdon

8′ Octave

8′ Flute

4′ Octave

4′ Mixtur VI*

32′ Bombarde* 

32′ Trombone* 

16′ Posaune 

16′ Bombarde 

8′ Trompette 

8′ Trumpet 

8′ Clarinette 

4′ Schalmay 

2′ Cornet*

8′ Trompeta

* Pedal only

Zimbelstern (seven rotating bells)

Separate tremulants for the Great and Positive divisions, one normal and one Voix Humaine tremulant for the Swell division.

Normal mechanical-action unison couplers.

Optional electric-assist couplers to the Great, Positive, and Pedal.

Electric-assist couplers to the Grand Choir, and for all Octave Graves.

Electric stop action; 18 general and 38 divisional pistons on 2,750 levels of memory.

Wind system: twin blowers producing pressures ranging between 80 and 120 mm.

Three double-rise bellows for the Swell, Grand Choir and Pedal divisions. Two Baroque wedge bellows for the Great and Positive divisions.