Cover
Paul Fritts & Company, Tacoma, Washington
Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey
On February 2, 2001, the new Joe R. Engle pipe organ, Opus
20 of Paul Fritts & Co., Organ Builders, Tacoma, Washington, for Miller
Chapel at Princeton Theological Seminary was dedicated with festivities which
included a dedication service and dedicatory recital, followed by a three-day
colloquium (sponsored by the seminary) featuring a variety of worship services,
recitals, lectures and panels on topics related to the organ in both historic
and contemporary worship.
David Dahl talks with Paul Fritts about the new organ.
David Dahl: After
you were selected to build the new organ for Miller Chapel, how did you arrive
at the concept we see and hear now at the seminary?
Paul Fritts: I
listened carefully to the musical needs for the chapel as expressed by Martin
Tel (organist and C. F. Seabrook Director of Music at the seminary) and the
members of the organ committee (chaired by James F. Kay, Associate Professor of
Homiletics and Liturgics at the seminary). They desired an organ with a strong
identity which would serve the daily worship of seminarians, as well as musical
concerts involving choir, soloists, and various instruments. Martin Tel stated:
"This is a very important instrument; seminarians need to be exposed to
and ‘moved' by an instrument of exceptional merit, such that in their
later work as clergy they would be encouraged to seek similar quality."
Dahl: In order to
reach consensus on the scope of the instrument, were there limitations which
you needed to consider?
Fritts: Limitations
can be both an asset and a drawback; they are a fact of life. If we try to
eliminate limitations everything gets watered down. For Miller Chapel it was
decided that the "identity" would be an organ known to be historically
successful with congregational singing and a large body of liturgical organ
repertoire. This identity was to be a blend of related North and Central German
and Dutch concepts common to the late 17th and early 18th century, in which a
large secondary division would serve as both an Oberwerk and Swell as companion
to the Great and Pedal.
Dahl: Would you say
that the concept is more "historically inspired" than a copy of some
form of an old organ?
Fritts: Definitely! I
worked to build this organ with an integrity based on historic models, but in
the end it represents what I think will work and sound best at this point in
time. It is a modern instrument.
Dahl: Would you
comment on how you arrived at the type of casework and architectural style we
see here at Princeton?
Fritts: Miller
Chapel is quite similar to Kilworth Chapel at the University of Puget Sound,
Tacoma, Washington, where ten years ago we built an organ with a case design
similar to organs in 18th-century central Germany"such as those built by
builders like Gottfried Silbermann and Hildebrandt. This concept works well
there, and I thought that, with the same height restrictions coupled with a
fair amount of depth, a similar casework and internal arrangement of the
divisions would be successful at Princeton. We also talked about the organs of
the early American organ builder, David Tannenberg, who built instruments in
Lutheran, Moravian and Reformed churches in the Mid-Atlantic region. Many of
his organs found their place in the meeting-house style of building, where he
most often used an 18th-century style case design. This building style is not
unlike Miller Chapel.
Placing the organ front and center was a decision reached
after exploring the possibility of the rear balcony. A good deal of remodeling
was done to provide more width to the front of the chapel, so that the organ
could stand on the floor at the front, with its presence clearly "in the
room." The remodeling, taking into account prior and current values for
worship and music, also provided a flexible open space in front of the organ
case, which during the colloquium following the dedication was the place for a
very effective modern dance program with organ music of Bach and Eben.
I wanted a rather spacious case inside for the pipes, like
Central German organs of Bach's time, which represents a change for me from
some of the previous organs I've built in the more traditionally confined cases
of North German style organs. This spaciousness would particularly ensure the
effectiveness of the Swell division.
Dahl: Could you
speak a bit more about your approach to building the Swell division, which,
with 14 independent registers, is rather substantial?
Fritts: Yes, it is a
rather large division. Some people have asked why there are not three manuals
with an organ of 39 stops and some 60 ranks. Quite simply there was not enough
height to do that, and I believe that a Swell should be on the large size in
order to be effective. We decided that both the Great and the Swell should have
principal choruses based on the 8' level. To make the Swell effective, there
are shutters on three sides of the Swell, which is positioned above the Great
with rather free egress to the room. These shutters close tightly to make even
a fairly large ensemble rather quiet; yet when open fully, the effect is
similar to that of an Oberwerk. The Swell contains three reeds, of which the
Hautbois 8' is closely modeled after Cavaillé-Coll"an exception to
the Germanic roots of the organ, but nevertheless one which blends well within
the total ensemble.
Dahl: I see that
your mixture registers are IV-VI ranks, or V-VII ranks. Are there up to six or
seven different pitches in these mixtures?
Fritts: The mixtures
normally have but four pitches; in the treble some of the pitches are doubled
with a second set of pipes. This helps achieve better tuning and focusing in
the ensemble. Multiple unisons do not increase loudness much at all. The Swell
Mixtur V-VII has an optional Tierce rank which may be added or left out.
Dahl: Getting back
to some of the limitations we spoke of earlier, I notice that you did not limit
the stop action to mechanical action, but you "piggybacked" an
electric stop-action with solid-state combination and memory system. Would you
comment on that decision?
Fritts: With a
straight mechanical stop action there is little or no chance of failure to use
the organ. However, we all agreed that with the size of the instrument and the
variety of purposes for which it would be used, it would be good to have a
state-of-the-art combination system. We installed a 99-level solid state memory
system, in which each memory level has 20 general pistons. A
"sequencer" is also provided, permitting the organist to advance from
one general to the next by the use of one lever located to the right of the
Swell pedal.
Dahl: The organ is
tuned in the well-tempered system known as "Kellner." Would you speak
about this choice for Miller Chapel?
Fritts: This is
quite an amazing solution to the challenge of temperament and tuning. All keys
are playable, and each has a slightly different personality. The major thirds
of the most commonly used keys (especially for hymn singing, and a majority of
repertoire) are more in tune than with equal temperament. However, even in the
more remote keys the Kellner temperament works well. We advocate this
temperament for nearly all of our instruments.
Dahl: The colloquium
in February (2001) offered a "test" for the flexibility and
capacities of the organ?
Fritts: It certainly
did. The opening dedication service as well as the variety of worship services
throughout the symposium included robust singing from the assembly, for which
the organ rose to the occasion with color and variety. One especially
interesting moment was the singing of a hymn in an African-American gospel
style. Here the organ took on a character not heard before and which worked
remarkably well. Recital pieces during the symposium not only included expected
works from the Baroque era, but also from the 19th and 20th centuries. While
the organ is Germanic in roots and personality, there is also sufficient
eclectic broadening to permit credible performance of music from all periods.
Dahl: How did the
organ work with the choirs which sang during the colloquium, and during the
morning seminary worship services?
Fritts: The
dedicatory recital included the Seminary Choir singing the Benjamin Britten
Rejoice in the Lamb, for chorus, soloists and organ. This was a good test for a
wide dynamic range, quick color changes and blend with voices. The Westminster
Choir of Westminister Choir College also presented an evening concert which
included the C. V. Stanford Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis in C, which required
the organ to work like an English cathedral organ. Here the Swell division
responded well to the demands of a wide dynamic range.
Dahl: Is there
anything you would do differently if you built this same organ again?
Fritts: Even if I
tried to make this identical organ again, with the same drawings, materials,
scaling and voicing, it would turn out somewhat differently. In any handcrafted
instrument, every crafted piece depends on so many variables at the time it is
crafted, adding up to a particular result at a particular time. Yes, there are
a few things I might "tweak" about pipe scaling and the action design
were I to go around again with this organ, but fundamentally, I am quite
pleased with the results we got at Princeton. We did not know how the room
would be after its remodeling nor how the room would "receive" the
organ. Happily the acoustical results exceeded my expectations for a room of
its size and shape insofar as it works with the tonal properties of the organ.
It fills the room easily with a "full yet relaxed presence." With
each instrument we build we try to improve in some way, although on occasion we
might regret a small decision here or there. If the ideal result for a given
organ might be compared to the "search for the Holy Grail," we will
probably never reach the ultimate goal, but hopefully with each instrument we
do get a little closer to it.
Postscript: The Paul
Fritts & Co. Organ Builders shop is located in a semi-rural part of Tacoma,
Washington. A total of seven craftsmen make up the work force. Paul's sister
Judy Fritts designs and carves pipe shades for the organs. Nearly every
component of each organ is made locally in the shop, including the casting of
metal for pipes, key actions, casework and wooden parts of the organ. Future
contracted organs will be installed at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York;
Thompson Chapel of St. Mark's Cathedral, Seattle, Washington; and in a new
organ/ choral hall at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend,
Indiana."DPD
David P. Dahl is professor of organ emeritus at Pacific
Lutheran University.
From the Seminary organist:
The installation of the new organ in Miller Chapel was
conceived as part of a larger project"the renovation and re-dedication of
Miller Chapel. The plans for a new organ were thus able to evolve over a
prolonged period of theological and liturgical reflection. The committee's
primary objective was to come to an understanding of the functions of an organ
in this seminary community.
Princeton Theological Seminary is an institution of the
Presbyterian Church (USA). The primary liturgical function of an organ in a
seminary rooted in the Reformed tradition can be stated simply: the organ must
first and foremost undergird and encourage congregational singing. The
functions of the organ as accompaniment to choral singing and as an instrument
for organ literature are clearly ancillary. Our operating conviction was that
if all due attention were given to
the primary function of the instrument, with design aspects supporting the role
of the choir, the function of the organ as a performing instrument for
literature would also fall into place.
And thus the form of the Miller Chapel organ is heavily bent
toward the sound of the congregation's voice. The organ stands in the same room
as the singers. The disposition allows for a wide range of accompanying
possibilities. The concern for supporting congregational song is borne out in
the two full principal choruses and in the presence of two distinct mixtures on
the Great division. It was recognized that mixtures designed for contrapuntal
literature have a different make-up than those designed primarily for the full
plenums needed for homophonic playing (e.g., the accompaniment of a vigorous
hymn). It is notable that in the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands many organs
were built (or rebuilt as the case may be) primarily for the accompaniment of
robust singing. These organs tend to have mixtures which markedly favor
homophonic textures"mixtures which may also obscure contrapuntal lines. On
the Miller Chapel organ the Great Scharff represents the mixture particularly
suited for homophonic accompaniment. The possibility of adding the Tierce rank
to the Swell Mixture accomplishes some of the same effect.
In the end, it was our desire to present to the seminary
community an instrument of consummate beauty and integrity which would inspire
a striving for excellence in the broader church which the seminary serves. We
saw in Paul Fritts a craftsman who builds upon the native strengths of the
organ. We sought to give him freedom to flesh out in an instrument the
functions we would call forth from the organ.
Paul, in his interview with David Dahl, recognizes that
there are inherent benefits in the limitations one encounters as one goes about
one's art. I fully concur. The organ as it was proposed and eventually built by
Paul Fritts has broad capabilities, and also recognizable limitations. It is
incapable of fulfilling all the instrumental musical requirements of daily
worship at Miller Chapel. Such a statement is not only prudent but, once
acknowledged, also liberating. The organ does not need to "do it
all." The seminary community represents many indigenous traditions beyond
the Western tradition in which the organ originally blossomed. The presence of
this instrument instructs all of us to pursue other musical traditions with the
same authenticity and integrity, whether this means the employment of piano,
conga drums, bamboo flute or Hammond organ. Conversely, we are free to build
and use the pipe organ according its native strengths.
The Miller Chapel organ project is thus not a regression to
some rigorously pure Reformed dogma of worship music. (Indeed, such a proposal
would eliminate the construction of an organ at all!) Rather, this project is
an attempt to build upon the strengths of a developing and living Reformed
tradition. It is an attempt to build on the native strengths of the pipe organ
as a liturgical instrument in a thoroughly modern and enlivening way. Now that
the instrument is in its place, it will be the calling of generations of
organists to have the wisdom and grace to discern when this instrument is and
when it is not the most appropriate means for leading the people's prayer and
praise. In such a context this installation can be understood to be a
progression. May it be so.
"Martin Tel
C. F. Seabrook Director of Music
Paul Fritts & Company Organ Builders: Greg Bahnsen,
Robyn Ellis, Ricky Frith, Jon Hamelton, Jacob Nelson, Michael Phelau, Andreas
Schonger, Peter Tomter, Judy Fritts (carver)
James Kay, Chair of Miller Chapel Renovation Committee and
Organ Committee
The organ was made possible by a generation by Mr. Joe R.
Engle, for whom the instrument is named.
For more in depth articles about the chapel renovation and
the Joe R. Engle organ, see The Princeton Seminary Bulletin, Vol. XXII No. 1
(New Series), 2001.
The Joe R. Engle Organ
GREAT
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bourdon
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Principal
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Rohrflöte
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Quintadena
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Octav
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Spitzflöte
22⁄3'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Quint
2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Octav
13⁄5'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Tierce
Mixtur
IV-VI
Scharff
III-V
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trompet
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trompet
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bärpfeife
SWELL
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Principal
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Gedackt
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Violdigamba
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Voix
celeste
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Octav
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Koppelflöte
22⁄3'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Nasat
2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Octav
2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Gemshorn
13⁄5'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Terz
Mixtur
IV-VI
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Dulcian
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trompet
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Hautbois
PEDAL
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Principal
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Subbaß
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Octav*
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bourdon*
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Octav
2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Nachthorn
Mixtur
VI-VIII
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Posaune
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trompet
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trompet
2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Cornet*
*Transmissions from other pedal stops
Couplers
Swell
to Great
Great
to Pedal
Swell
to Pedal
Compass: 56/30
Features: Burnished tin front pipes, suspended key action,
mechanical stop action with pre-set system by Solid State Logic Ltd., variable
tremulant, wind stabilizer, Tierce (1 rank for Swell Mixture), Cimbelstern,
Vogelgesang, manual wind supply option, Kellner temperament
Robert G. Dial, Organbuilders, Springfield, Illinois, has rebuilt the organ at Grace United
Methodist Church, St. Louis, Missouri. The organ was built by M. P. Möller
in 1952, Opus 8353. The project included releathering and rewiring the entire
instrument, as well as the addition of five new ranks. The original console has
been rebuilt with new keyboards, drawknobs, couplers, tilting tablets, and
terraces, as well as a Solid State Logic combination action and multiplex
switching system. Although some ranks were repositioned within the instrument,
all the original pipework was retained. On February 11, 2001, the organ was
rededicated during the morning worship service. The rededication recital was
played later that day by John Walker. Kathleen Bolduan is the church's director
of music.
GREAT
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Violone
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Diapason
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Rohrflöte
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Gemshorn
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Violone**
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Octave
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Harmonic
Flute*
22⁄3'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Twelfth
2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Fifteenth
Fourniture
III
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trumpet*
Chimes
Gt
16-UO-4
Zimbelstern*
SWELL
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Flute
Conique
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Geigen
Principal
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Gedeckt
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Viole
de Gambe
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Viole
Celeste
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Flute
Conique
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Flute
Celeste
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Geigen
Octave
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Flute
Traverse
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Flute
Conique
2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Octavin
Plein
Jeu III
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Fagotto
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trompette
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Oboe
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Vox
Humana
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Clairon*
Tremolo
Sw
16-UO-4
CHOIR
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Erzahler
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Viola*
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Viola
Celeste+
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Hohlflöte++
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Nachthorn
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Erzahler
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Erzahler
Celeste
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Spitzprincipal
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Koppelflöte
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Erzahler
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Erzahler
Celeste
22⁄3'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Nazard
2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Waldflöte
13⁄5'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Terz
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> English
Horn*
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Clarinet
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Rohr
Schalmei+++
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Harp
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Celeste
Tremolo
Ch
16-UO-4
BOMBARDE
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Contre
Trompette
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trompette
Harmonique
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Clairon
Harmonique
Harmonics
IV
Bombarde
4'
PEDAL
32'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Contre
Violone
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Principal
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Subbass
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Violone
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Erzahler
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Flute
Conique
102⁄3'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Quinte
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Octave
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bourdon
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Violone
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Erzahler
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Flute
Conique
51⁄3'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Quinte
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Choralbass
2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Octave
32'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Contre
Bombarde (1-12 digital)
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bombarde
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Fagotto
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bombarde
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Fagotto
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bombarde
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Rohr
Schalmei
Transposer
All
Swells to Swell
Great/Choir
Transfer
Tower
Chimes
* New stops
** New Gt Violone ext
+ Former Ch Keraulophon
++ Moved from Gt
+++ Moved from Sw
Andover Organ Company,
Methuen, Massachusetts, has rebuilt the Hook & Hastings Opus 2117 organ at
the Community Church of Jackson, New Hampshire. The organ was built in 1906
with two manuals and seven stops. In 1965 Andover revoiced the Great, replaced
the Swell 8' Viola with a 2' Principal, and replaced the 4' Harmonic Flute with
a 4' Rohrflute.
Another builder made some unworkable changes in the late
1970s. The Swell 4' Rohrflute was moved to the Great and converted into an 8'
Flute. It took the place of the Great 8' Dolce, resulting in no string stop on
the organ. The Dolce was cut in half and moved to the Swell as a 4' Flute.
In January 2001, Andover returned the 4' Rohrflute to the
Swell. A used Dolce installed on the Great now provides a soft stop for accompaniment.
Pipes were voiced, regulated, and tuned. In addition, Andover releathered the
pallets, and installed new pull-down wires and neoprene links on the manual key
action to cure a problem with ciphers. Table and slider holes were enlarged to
provide adequate wind for stable tuning. Chests were shimmed to provide proper
clearance for sliders and eliminate wind noise and leakage.
GREAT
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Diapason
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Dolce
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Octave
Sw/Gt
SWELL
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Gedeckt
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Rohrflute
2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Principal
PEDAL
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bourdon
Gt/Ped
Sw/Ped
