New Organs

Dana Cottle Brown,
Minister of Music Emeritus at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Alexandria,
Virginia, died on March 9, after an extended illness. Born on August 10, 1930,
in Woburn, Massachusetts, he began his musical career at the age of fifteen as the
organist in two Congregational churches in his home town. He then entered the
Boston Conservatory of Music, majoring in organ, and upon his graduation in
1952 was awarded the Conservatory Silver Medal for High Honors. During his
conservatory years, Mr. Brown served as assistant organist and choirmaster of
Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Boston. He received his Master of Sacred Music
degree from the School of Sacred Music, Union Theological Seminary, New York
City, serving during that time as director of music at Hollis Presbyterian
Church, Hollis, New York. Upon graduation, he served two years in the Armed
Forces as a chaplain's assistant at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Prior to
being called as Westminster's first minister of music in 1957, Mr. Brown
earned his AGO Choirmaster's certificate; he later was dean of the
Alexandria AGO Chapter from 1963 to 1965, also serving as conductor of the
Guild's senior choir and junior choir festivals. In 1999 he was awarded
an Honorary Life Membership in the Northern Virginia AGO Chapter.

Mr. Brown served Westminster Church for 33 years: he
directed four choirs, including the establishment of two handbell choirs; he
oversaw the installation of the four-manual Moeller pipe organ and arranged for
its dedication recital by Virgil Fox; he gave many organ concerts, both at
Westminster and as a guest of other churches; and he initiated the Westminster
Concert Series and Young Artist Series, made possible by gifts from the Rosalee
Brown Stubbs Memorial Fund. He retired in 1990, but contined to assist the
church's music and worship program until his death. He is survived by a
brother, a nephew, and a sister-in-law. A memorial service was held at
Westminster Church on March 18. Participating in the service were organists
David Erwin and Lawrence Schreiber, the Westminster Choir, and soprano Marilyn
Moore-Brown.

 

Paul Sifler died on
May 20 in Hollywood, California. He was 89 years old. Born in Ljubljana,
Yugoslavia, the son of an organ builder, Sifler became an American citizen in
his youth. Prior to establishing his residence in Los Angeles, California,
where he served as organist of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Hollywood and
Temple Sinai in Glendale, he held similar posts in New York City, including St.
Paul's Chapel. Sifler's work as a composer, organist, and
choirmaster was a life-long pursuit. Among his many works are the oratorio, In
the Days of Herod the King, the Mass for Voices and Marimba, and Seven Last
Words of Christ for organ. His monumental achievement is Hymnus, five volumes
of organ works based on hymns. Many of his choral and instrumental works have
been published and recorded, including The Despair and Agony of Dachau,
published by Belwin/Mills and recently recorded by Mary Preston on the Meyerson
Center organ in Dallas, Texas, for the Gothic label. Most of Sifler's
works are available from Fredonia Press, 3947 Fredonia Dr., Hollywood, CA
90068.

 

Guy Thérien
died on May 11 in St-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada, after a brief battle
with cancer. Born in 1947, he studied organ with Bernard Lagacé and
served his apprenticeship with Casavant Frères from 1965 to 1968. In
1968 he joined Orgue Providence, Inc., and in 1978 this company was renamed
Guilbault-Thérien, Inc., after the partnership of André Guilbault
and Guy Thérien. Over 50 new organs of tracker and electro-pneumatic
action were built under his supervision, in addition to more than a hundred
rebuilding and restoration projects of existing instruments. Since 1992 Mr.
Thérien served as president and owner of the firm. He was a founding
member of the Pro Organo Society (1970) and Amis de l'Orgue de Montréal
(1991). Among his notable instruments are those at the Grand Séminaire
Chapel in Montréal and in the chapel at Brick Presbyterian Church in New
York City. He is survived by his wife Lyne and four young children (Jean-François,
Jean-Chris-tophe, Jean-Philippe, and Marie-Ève).
Guilbault-Thérien, Inc. continues its work under the direction of
longtime partner and chief voicer Alain Guilbault.

Taylor & Boody Organbuilders, Staunton, Virginia

Goshen College, Goshen, Indiana

About the organ.

Designing an organ for Rieth Hall at Goshen College was a
pleasure. The opportunity to place the organ in the traditional location, high
in the rear gallery, was ideal both visually and aurally. The form and
proportions of the hall, with its austere yet warm and inviting interior,
called the organbuilder to respond with similar clarity and restraint. The
ample height of the room suggested a plain, vertical configuration of the
instrument, on which natural light from the clerestory windows would fall
gently. Everything about the hall spoke of its solid construction and honesty
of materials, qualities that we strive to reflect in our organs. Likewise the
acoustical properties of the hall, so warm and reverberant and at the same time
intimate and clear, allowed the organ’s tone to develop freely without
being forced. The result is an endearing musical instrument that is
aesthetically inseparable from the space in which it stands.

Initial inspiration for the Goshen case came from the organ
built by David Tannenberg in 1774 for Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster,
Pennsylvania. While only the case and façade pipes of that lovely
instrument have survived, they constitute the finest example we have in our
country of south German case architecture from the 18th century.
Tannenberg’s use of the double impost, with its Oberwerk division
gracefully placed as a reflection of the Hauptwerk below, was typical of organs
in his native Saxony and Thuringia. Other exterior influences from that time
and place include the two swags that bracket the center tower, and the broad
lower case that supports the full width of the impost and omits the spandrels
common to earlier styles. Apart from its simple springboard moldings, the
Goshen case is relatively flat and plain by comparison with its historical
counterparts. Its only bold three-dimensional element is the polygonal center
tower. The small pointed towers in Tannenberg’s design are here merely
implied by the V-shaped arrangement of foot lengths in the tenor fields. The
use of six auxiliary panels to raise the smaller pipe feet above the impost
moldings adds interest to the design. The considerable height of the lower case
was determined by the need for a passageway over the 2-foot concrete riser
behind the organ. This height gave space between the console and impost for the
eventual inclusion of a small Brustwerk with several stops for continuo
accompaniment. Cabinets for music storage are built into the back on both sides
of the lower case.

Another aspect of the design reminiscent of 18th-century
south German traditions is the position of the windchests in relation to the
action. The two windchests of the Hauptwerk are spaced apart from the center of
the case by the width of the keyboards. This leaves room for trackers of the
Oberwerk to reach their rollerboard without blocking access to the Hauptwerk
action and its pallets. It also provides optimum space for 8’ bass pipes
at the sides and leaves room for tuning the tenor pipes of the Hauptwerk with
only minimal obstruction by the Oberwerk rollerboard. The windchests for the
Pedal are located behind the case at the level of the impost, a placement that
Tannenberg could also have used.

Both the playing action and stop action are mechanical. The
manual keys are hinged at the tail and suspended from their trackers. There are
no thumper rails to hold the keys down, so they are free to overshoot slightly
when released, as is the case in traditional suspended actions. Trackers,
squares and rollers are all made of wood. There is no felt in the action. Keys
are guided by pins at the sides. Together these details combine to give a
feeling of buoyancy and liveliness reminiscent of antique instruments. The aim
is not so much to provide a light action as to arrive at one having the mass
and friction appropriate to the size and character of the organ. Such an action
may need occasional minor adjustment of key levels with changes in humidity,
but this is a small price to pay for the advantages gained over more sterile
modern alternatives. 

Wind is supplied by two single-fold wedge bellows (3’ x
6’) fed by a blower located in a small room below the organ. Natural
fluctuations of the wind pressure in response to the playing contribute to the
lively, singing quality of the organ’s sound. A wind stabilizer can be
engaged when unusually heavy demands on the wind system call for damping of
these fluctuations. The organ’s single tremulant is made in the old-fashioned
beater form. On seeing a tremulant puffing away in one of our organs, a
Japanese friend remarked that the organ was laughing! It is useful to think of
an organ’s wind as its breath and the bellows as lungs, for the
instrument’s appeal is closely tied to our perception of its lifelike
qualities. 

The tonal character of an organ is rarely revealed by its
stoplist. This is particularly true in an instrument of only twenty-four stops.
Once the builder accepts the constraints of a given style and the essential
registers have been chosen, there is usually little room or money left to
include stops that would make a modest design appear unique on paper.
Fortunately for the art, the musicality of the organ is not bound by its
stoplist; rather, it is determined by a host of other complex factors. These
can be partially defined in the technical data of pipe scaling and
construction, general design parameters, materials and the like, but in reality
much more rests on the elusive criteria of experience, skill and taste of the
builder. Taken together this means that each new organ, albeit small, presents
fresh opportunities for artistic expression. It is important that all the pipes
speak promptly, be they reeds or flues, except in the case of strings, which
gain charm from their halting speech. It is less important that the pipes
produce precisely the same vowel sounds from note to note, for here variety
adds refreshing character and interest to the organ.

At Goshen we chose to voice the 8’ Principal to be
somewhat brighter and richer in overtones than has been our wont. This was
achieved by giving the pipes lower cutups than was customary in German and
Dutch organs of the 17th century and before. The five distinctly different
8’ flue stops on the manuals deserve special mention. Although all
followed scaling patterns we have used frequently in the past, when voiced they
proved to be unusually satisfying, particularly in combination with each other.
Whenever the 16’ Bordun is used with them a magical new dimension is added
to the sound. If, for example, one draws the Bordun with the Viol da Gamba, the
effect is that of a quiet 16’ Principal. Used with the Spillpfeife the
Bordun reverts to its role as a flute. In an organ of this size it is crucial
that every stop work as well as possible with every other. Following south
German practice, both 8’ and 4’ flutes on the Hauptwerk are made in
the same form. This duplication of flutes within the same family was not the
custom in the north, where lower pitched flutes were usually stopped and those
above them progressively more open. The Oberwerk configuration at Goshen with
its two stopped 8’ registers and partially open 4’ Rohrflöte is
typical of the northern tradition. We look forward to the day that the 16’
Violonbass with its cello-like speech can be added to the Pedal.
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> 

The distinctive musical effect of the Goshen organ is
strongly colored by the use of the recently released Bach-Lehman temperament
described in the accompanying article. Because the completion of the organ in
February coincided with the publication in Early Music of Bradley
Lehman’s treatise on J. S. Bach’s temperament, we chose to tune the
organ according to his plan. Here was the ideal opportunity to try the
temperament on an organ built in Germanic style and at the same time to honor
Dr. Lehman as a distinguished Goshen alumnus for his work in this field. The
experiment has been a fascinating one. It has provided a place to hear
Bach’s organ music as we have not heard it before. We are honored to have
played a part in translating the dry mathematical numbers of this temperament
into the vibrant sound of the organ. 

With few exceptions the many parts of the organ were
constructed from raw materials in our Virginia workshop. Through the skills of
each craftsman the design moved from an idea to paper and then through raw wood
and metal into a large and impressive object. Note by note the tonal picture
has been filled in by voicing and tuning until in the end we experience a new
instrument with an identity all its own. We hope that it will give pleasure to
those who play and hear it far into the future.

--George Taylor

The organ project at Goshen College

“Dienlich, Ordentlich, Schicklich, Dauerlich”

In 1999 we were asked by the organ consultant for Goshen
College, Roseann Penner Kaufman, to make a proposal for the new Goshen College
Music Center. As with any new project, I went to Goshen full of excitement at
the promise of participating in what was to be a spectacular project. My
enthusiasm was short-lived when I saw the design for the recital hall. It was a
standard fan-shaped, sloped-floor, small college recital hall, with theatre
seats and carpet in the aisles. The space for the organ was planned in a niche
at the back of the stage. The design would have been fine for small chamber
recitals, but it was not a proper home for an organ. The prospects for the
organ looked bleak. We would not have felt productive or inspired. We always
say that the room is more than half the organ. I took a deep breath and told
the Goshen committee what I thought of the plan. The committee listened and
asked us to offer suggestions on how the recital hall might be designed to work
best with the musical programs envisioned for this space.

I returned to Staunton eager to develop a plan. One of the
first things I did was to research the Mennonite Quarterly Review for articles
describing historical Anabaptist worship spaces. I hoped that the essence of
these rooms would lead me to an aesthetic that would tie the new hall to the
old tradition, which would, in turn, also be good for music, especially the
organ. My research acquainted me with four German words used to express the
qualities of the historical spaces: dienlich, ordentlich, schicklich and
dauerlich--serviceable, orderly, fitting and lasting. I also found prints
of the interiors of some of these churches. Rectangular in shape with open
truss timber roof framing, clear glass windows, galleries on several sides,
rough stone floors, moveable chairs, unadorned, honest and powerful, these
spaces had all the qualities that I was looking for. They also had enduring
musical-acoustical qualities and so many are used today for concerts.

The simple sketch that I made went first to the Goshen organ
committee who, led by Doyle Preheim and Chris Thogersen, embraced the plan.
Then the concept went to Rick Talaske and his team of acousticians. They
transformed the plan into practical geometry and surface treatments to make the
space an acoustical success. Mathes Brierre Architects took the acoustical plan
and translated it into a visual design that evokes the warehouse or
brewery-turned-church concept of the early Dutch Mennonite spaces. Schmidt
Associates worked through the technical details with Casteel Construction to
conceive the simple pre-cast concrete panels and graceful curved steel arches
that make the hall appealing in its architecture, superior in acoustical
performance and straightforward and durable in construction. There was creative
and sensitive work done by a Goshen group concerned with decor and furnishings.
The result is successful beyond our expectations. The collaboration of all the
partners made the project exceed the ability of any one of us.

Once the hall was underway, we scheduled a meeting at St.
Thomas Fifth Avenue in New York with a group from Goshen and Calvin and Janet
High from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We had a great day in New York showing
everyone our organ in the gallery of St. Thomas. The Highs’ enthusiasm
for the St. Thomas organ and the Goshen Music Center paved the way for their
generous gift that underwrote the cost of the organ.

We realized that the floor area of Rieth Hall was small in
relation to the height. We saw that if there could be the addition of one more
bay to the length there would be significant improvement in the proportions of
the space and at least 50 more seats could be added. Again, the Goshen design
group supported our suggestion. At a time in the project when the building
committee was attempting to control costs and squeeze performance out of every
dime, they found the funds for this most important late addition.
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> 

I predicted at the time we were creating the designs for
Rieth Hall, that the unique qualities of this space would have something to say
to the Goshen students about music and worship. This prediction has been
realized. First, there is genuine enthusiasm for a cappella singing in Rieth
Hall, encouraging this wonderful Mennonite tradition. Second, there has been a
spontaneous seizing of the space by the students for their own student-directed
Sunday worship. In this age of searching for the right path in worship and
liturgy, of debating the influence and appropriateness of mass media and
popular music for worship, we have built something at Goshen College that
reaches across the span of time to those Mennonite roots. Led by the seemingly
old-fashioned qualities of dienlich, ordentlich, schicklich and dauerlich, we
have made a  music space and organ
that inspire and excite us to make music and to celebrate and serve our God and
Creator.

Wood and the Goshen organ

The traditional pipe organ is a wooden machine. Early on in
our careers as organ builders we realized that getting control over our
materials in both an aesthetic and technical sense was essential to our success
as organ makers. Our first path was to make friends with our neighborhood
sawmillers. One of these was an octogenarian whose experience reached back to
horse logging and steam power. He taught us the value of long, slow, air-drying
of lumber. He also knew the old traditions of sawing, how to take the tension
out of a log, how to saw through the middle of the log and keep the boards in
order so that the cabinetmaker could match the grain. He remembered the methods
of quarter sawing that impart the most dimensional stability to the boards and
in oak bring out the beautiful fleck of the medullary rays. We have built our
own sawmill based on a portable band saw. For quarter sawing, we have built a
double-ended chain saw that can split logs up to 60 inches in diameter. The
half logs (or quarters in extremely large timber) are then aligned on our band
saw and sawn in a radial fashion into boards. This lumber is then air-dried for
a number of years. At the end, we put the wood in our dry kiln and gently warm
it up to stabilize the moisture content at 8% to 10%.

Oak is the traditional wood of Northern European organ
building so it was natural for us to choose white oak for the Goshen organ. We
have long admired the Dutch and German organs dating back to the 16th century.
The earliest organs show only the natural patina of age and no finish; the
concept of finishing wood as in varnishing or oiling came well into the 18th
century. We followed this earlier practice for the Goshen organ. The oak has
been hand-planed to a smooth polish, much smoother than can ordinarily be
produced with sanding. The hand-planed wood will resist dirt. We feel there are
also musical benefits from using wood in its natural state. The case and
carvings together with all the interior parts transmit sound energy and reflect
and focus the sound of the pipes. Also, the open pores and surface
imperfections of the natural wood have an effect on the sound reflection.

Another aspect of wood use in historic organs is how
efficiently the old builders utilized their wood. Before the age of machinery,
cutting, transporting and converting timber to sawn, dried lumber ready for use
was costly. The best wood was always used for the keyboards, playing action,
wind chests and pipes. The next selection went to the most visible parts of the
case, especially the front of the organ. The rest was used for carvings, heavy
structural members, walkways, bellows framework and back panels. Some of this
wood shows knots, cracks and other defects that might offend our modern sense
of perfection. However, in addition to demonstrating good wood utilization, the
varying density and differences in surface texture of these so-called defects
may indeed benefit the music. How we perceive the sound of an organ is a very
complex and subtle equation. This is one of the wonderful aspects of the real
pipe organ that differentiates it from the sterile sound of the electronic
substitute. We feel it is good stewardship to apply the hierarchy of selection
as practiced by the old masters. We try to use all the wood, through careful
selection, with thoughtful conservation of a vanishing resource.

--John Boody

Acoustic design of Rieth Recital Hall at Goshen College

In 1998, the design team of design architect Mathes Group
(now Mathes Brierre Architects), architect of record Schmidt Associates and
acoustician The Talaske Group (now Talaske) began preliminary work on a new
music education and performance building for Goshen College’s campus.
This project was the College’s greatest building investment to date and
they were determined to do things right . . . with a very modest budget. The
Recital Hall (now Rieth Recital Hall) was slated to house a new tracker organ
of exceptional quality. As acousticians, we offered some general planning
recommendations--not the least of which was a 50-foot ceiling
height--and recommended that the organ builder be hired as soon as
possible.

Enter John Boody of Taylor & Boody, organ builders from
Virginia. John energized the subsequent meetings with some profound advice that
proved to set the final direction for the space. He moved our thinking from a
“fixed” seating configuration to a flexible arrangement based on a
flat floor where seats can face either end of the room. This unique concept
facilitated the accommodation of a conventional “recital hall” or
assembly arrangement with musicians or presenters on a small stage. The cleverness
of the concept is the seats can be turned to face the opposite direction in the
room, offering a classic organ recital arrangement. Furthermore, John
recommended that the proportions of the room would be better served if
lengthened by adding another bay of structure. These fundamental planning ideas
changed the direction of the design in perpetuity.

We embraced these new directions yes">  and identified the many other room acoustics design features
that would support the client’s needs. The 50-foot ceiling height remained,
and we worked with the architects and construction manager to render the room
as a sound-reflective concrete enclosure, embellished with wood. The goal was
to maintain the warmth of sound created by the organ. Within the “theatre
planning” process, we guided and exploited naturally occurring
opportunities for introducing sound diffusing shaping to reflect low- and
mid-pitched sound in all directions--by introducing one side balcony and a
rear balcony, recesses from circulation paths and recesses created by
deeply-set windows. We recommended deliberate articulation of the walls to
diffuse mid- and high-pitched sound. Wood surfaces were detailed to minimize
absorption of low-pitched sound. Retractable velour curtains and banners were
recommended in abundance and specified by Bob Davis, theatre consultant.
Architecturally, curtain and banner pockets were created so the sound-absorbing
materials could be retracted completely on demand. These features make possible
a broad “swing” of the sound of the room from very reverberant for
choral and organ performance to articulate for assembly events or amplified
music performance. Fundamental to the acoustic design was the need for silence.
This was accomplished by structural discontinuities in the building (acoustic
isolation joints) and the proper placement and design of heating and air
conditioning systems.

Within their mission statement, Goshen College states:
“Musical expression is a human manifestation of the divine impulse and,
as such, serves as a window into the individual soul, a bridge between human
beings and a means of corporate religious experience.” In light of the
students adopting the Rieth Recital Hall for their weekly convocations and the
many other uses, we are pleased to say the happy story continues!

--Rick Talaske

Bach temperament

This organ is the first since the 18th century to use Johann
Sebastian Bach’s tuning, as notated by him in 1722 on the title page of
the Well-Tempered Clavier. This tuning method is a 2004 discovery by Bradley
Lehman. The article about this discovery is published in the February and May
2005 issues of Early Music (Oxford University Press), and further details are
at <www.larips.com&gt;.

The layout, dividing the Pythagorean comma, is:

F-C-G-D-A-E = 1/6 comma narrow 5ths;

E-B-F#-C# = pure 5ths;

C#-G#-D#-A# = 1/12 comma narrow 5ths;

A#-F = a residual wide 1/12 comma 5th.

In this tuning, every major scale and minor scale sounds
different from every other, due to the subtle differences of size among the
tones and semitones. This allows music to project a different mood or character
in each melodic and harmonic context, with a pleasing range of expressive
variety as it goes along. It builds drama into musical modulations.
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> 

The result sounds almost like equal temperament, and it similarly
allows all keys to be used without problem, but it has much more personality
and color. In scales and triads it sounds plain and gentle around C major (most
like regular 1/6 comma temperament), mellower and warmer in the flat keys such
as A-flat major (most like equal temperament), and especially bright and
exciting in the sharp keys around E major (like Pythagorean tuning, with pure
fifths). Everything is smoothly blended from these three competing systems,
emerging with an emphasis on melodic suavity.

The following chart shows the relative size of each major
third, resulting from each series of the intervening four fifths. This system
of analysis is from the 1770s, published in the theoretical work of G. A. Sorge
who was a former colleague of Bach’s. The intervals having higher numbers
sound spicier, more restless. In this measurement, a value of 11 would indicate
a major third that is one syntonic comma too sharp (a “Pythagorean major
third,” having been generated by four pure fifths).
style="mso-spacerun: yes">  A pure major third would be represented
here as 0.

Bb-D    6
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             D-F#
    7
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             F#-A#
8

Eb-G    7
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             G-B
      5
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             B-D#
   9

Ab-C    8
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             C-E
       3
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             E-G#
   10

Db-F     9
             F-A
       3
style='mso-tab-count:1'>             A-C#
   9

Equal temperament, as opposed to the variety shown here, has
a constant size of 7 in all twelve of the major thirds.

In functional harmony, the Bach tuning sets up especially
interesting contrasts within minor-key music. The key of A minor has the
plainest tonic juxtaposed with the most restless dominant. F minor, a major
third away, has the opposite relationship: troubled tonic, calm dominant. And
C# minor has the average character between these behaviors, where the tonic and
dominant are both moderately energetic. 

In major-key music, the tonics and dominants have characters
similar to one another. The sizes of major thirds change by only 1, 2, or 3
units from each key to its neighbors, moving by the circle of fifths (through
typical subdominant/tonic/dominant progressions). Any change of Affekt is
therefore gradual and subtle, as if we never really leave the home key
altogether but it feels a little more or less tense as we go along.

In any music that modulates more quickly by bypassing such a
normal circle-of-fifths cycle, the contrasts are momentarily startling. That
is, the music’s dramatic harmonic gestures become immediately noticeable,
where the major thirds have changed size suddenly from one harmony to the next.
This comes up for example in the Fantasia in G Minor (BWV 542), Gelobet seist
du, Jesu Christ (BWV 722), and the fourth Duetto (BWV 805), and especially in
music by the Bach sons.

This system turns out to be an excellent tuning solution to
play all music, both before and after Bach’s. It is moderate enough for
complete enharmonic freedom, but also unequal enough to sound directional and
exciting in the tensions and resolutions of tonal music.

A recording will be ready for release this summer, including
music by Bach, Fischer, Brahms, et al.

--Bradley Lehman

A brief history of the organ in the Mennonite Church

Some people might find it unusual to find such a remarkable
organ in a Mennonite college. Aren’t the Mennonites those folks with the
buggies and suspenders? It is true that some Mennonite congregations still take
literally founder Menno Simons’ caution against the organ as a
“worldly” invention, but most, especially in the last fifty years,
have embraced it as a vital contributor to the musical and worship life of the
community. 

The Mennonite Church has its beginnings in the 16th-century
Protestant Reformation. Because of persecution, most of the early worship
services were held secretly, in homes or out-of-the-way places. Mennonites also
believed that the true church existed in small, simple gatherings; therefore,
it was uncommon for early Mennonites to even set aside a separate building for
worship. 

Two hundred years after the beginning of the movement,
churches in Germany and the Netherlands had grown to the point of meeting in
dedicated buildings, and by the 1760s several in urban areas had installed pipe
organs. It was another two hundred years, however, before organs became common
in the Mennonite conference that supported Goshen College. Even now, the organ
is not necessarily assumed to support congregational singing, but contributes
other service music. Organ study is now offered at all of the Mennonite Church
USA-affiliated colleges, and the new Taylor & Boody organ at Goshen will
certainly have a profound impact on the future of worship and organ study
throughout the denomination.

--Roseann Penner Kaufman

Roseann Penner Kaufman, DMA, is adjunct instructor in organ
at Bethel College, N. Newton, Kansas, a four-year liberal arts college
affiliated with the Mennonite Church USA. She also serves as director of music
for Rainbow Mennonite Church in Kansas City, Kansas. Dr. Kaufman served as the
consultant to Goshen College for their organ project.

Specifications for Opus 41

Hauptwerk

16' Bordun (C-D# wood, rest metal*)

8' Principal (77% tin)

8' Spillpfeife

8' Viol da Gamba (77% tin)

4' Octave

4' Spitzflöte

3' Quinte

3' Nasat

2' Superoctave

IV-V Mixtur

8' Trompet

Oberwerk

8' Gedackt (99% lead)

8' Quintadena

4' Principal (77% tin)

4' Rohrflöte

2' Waldflöte

II Sesquialtera

IV Scharff

8' Dulcian

Pedal

16' Subbass (wood)

(16' Violonbass) space prepared

8' Octave

4' Octave

16' Posaune (C-B wood, rest 99% lead)

8' Trompet (99% lead)

Couplers

Oberwerk / Hauptwerk

Hauptwerk / Pedal

Oberwerk / Pedal

Tremulant to entire organ

Mechanical key and stop action

Compass: manual 56 notes C-g''', pedal 30 notes C-f'

Lehman-Bach temperament

Interior metal pipes of hammered alloys

*All unmarked metal alloys of 28% tin, 72% lead

Case of solid white oak

Windchests of solid oak, pine & poplar

Number of pipes: 1604

Wind pressure: 75mm

Wind stabilizer

The builders

George K. Taylor

John H. Boody

Bruce Shull

Emerson Willard

Christopher A. Bono

Kelley Blanton

Chris A. Peterson

Sarah Grove-Humphries

Robbie Lawson

Jeffrey M. Peterson

Larry J. Damico

Holly Regi

Thomas M. Karaffa

Bob Harris

Katie Masincup

Ryan M. Albashian

Kristin E. Boo

by Charles Callahan, Albert Neutel, Herbert Huestis

Mark Buxton's sudden and unexpected death on December 18, 1996 was a loss to all of us in the organ world. See his "Nunc Dimittis" notice on page 4 of the February 1997 issue of The Diapason. His work as a church organist, recitalist, and organ consultant was well-respected and of an enduring quality. Even more so, his voluminous writings will remain as a significant legacy to our profession. The following tributes are offered in his memory.

In Memoriam--Mark Buxton

by Charles Callahan.h2>

The sudden passing of a fine
musician and writer has left a sadness in all of our hearts. A graduate of
Durham University, Mark spoke French fluently and was an especially gifted
improvisateur, having studied with Jean-Jacques Grunewald in Paris. As the
author of countless articles on matters of interest to the organ world, Mark
was known here in North America and abroad. But for those of us who knew him not
only as a colleague but also as a friend, the loss is intense.

For Mark personalized a quality
of idealism that has become all too rare today. His standards of excellence
were accompained by high hopes for a renaissance in the best possible standards
in church music, organ playing, and indeed business and personal relationships.
As a sensitive and dedicated musician, Mark was certainly out of step with the
many clerical types sadly all-too-prevalent in today's church music circus.

For this alone, he would have
earned much admiration! But he "moved ahead" and carved a
well-respected name for himself through his many recitals, reviews, and feature
articles. Those of us who were blessed by his friendship cherished his calls
and cards that demonstrated his care for us, his true friendliness, and his
great civility in a world that sadly needs much more of the same.

Only days before his passing, I
received a postcard from him from St. Mary Redcliffe in Bristol--saying
"what a superb organ it is!" Of course he know how I would revel in
his enthusiasm for one of the supreme examples of English organ building.

Our thoughts and prayers go now
to his wife Sandy and the two children. May he rest in peace, and may perpetual
light shine upon him.

Mark Buxton

by Albert Neutel

To write about Mark Buxton is
about as difficult as it was to get to know him. No, I don't mean to imply that
Mark was a difficult person, in fact, quite the opposite was true. It was
difficult in that Mark was "many faceted" and a complex man while at
the same time one of the clearest thinkers and most articulate writers of our
time. Does one write about his phenomenal keyboard skills, his keen
understanding of the literature, his interest in research and writing? I will
leave these to others who have a deeper understanding of the subjects. One
thing was very clear about Mark: he suffered no fools or idle talk. His respect
for worship and the meaning of the liturgy helped to make Mark what he was: a
consummate musician with great skills to communicate the beauty of all styles
of music to the listener with simplicity and ease.

It was my privilege to have
known Mark for almost three years. It all started with discussions about what a
church organ ought to be. To Mark's mind there are only two kinds of organs:
good organs and bad organs. The size of the organ had no influence on his
simple philosophy. A good organ could consist of four stops and he had many
examples of bad organs that consisted of 40 or more stops. His simple
philosophy extended also to organists as musicians.

During our many discusions,
several times Mark insisted that we go back to visit the small eight-stop
"Willis on wheels" organ in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, to prove
his point of how a few stops, well chosen, wisely scaled and exquisitely voiced
can fill the space of a room, accompany the choirs and be a perfectly fine solo
instrument.

It was a real honor and treat to
have had Mark as our colleague at Reuter. All of us have learned much, gained a
deeper appreciation and found a new desire to continue to build instruments
worthy to be placed in a house of worship to serve the people and our Creator.
He will be missed by us as well as his many friends around the world. Our
heartfelt sympathy to his family Sandy, Kevin and Joanna in Toronto, as well as
to his mother, brother and sister in Manchester, England.

Mark Buxton -- An Icon of Political "Independence" in the Organ
World

by Herbert L. Huestis

Mark Buxton's untimely death at
the age of 35 ended a writing career that was just hitting full stride. He
published over 50 articles, music, book and record reviews in The Diapason and
brought to the magazine a refreshing perspective filled with musicality and
personal experience. He was a master reviewer, able to discover the essence of
a book or recording, abstract it, and reveal its essentials quickly. He did all
that and kept an engaging personal style, filled with pithy quotes that helped
sustain the reader's interest. He could sneak in bits of musical philosophy by
telling a story--its conclusion would reveal his point of view.

Mark preferred the eclectic in
organs as well as organists. He was always open to individualism in organ
building, but was particularly aghast at what he considered "slavish"
copying by organ builders who subscribed to what he considered "historical
trendiness." That point of view came to light with a delightful story in a
review which was published in December 1995. He told a tale of attending a
reception after a recital where he dubbed both food and program as
"provender of dubious provenance." He declared that this fare caused
him to "repair to a pub to fix the damage with pork pie and real
ale."

He disliked the performance of
big Bach works on "tiny scale registrations, which robbed them of their
dignity." He put this notion into especially colorful language:

The organ world suffers from a
pandemic surfeit of Cassandras, blithering on about how large, unwieldy
instruments are bad for our communal health. 

He contended that a certain disk
by Frederick Swann "answered the prayers of those who crave deliverance
from the 'Organ Lite' movement:"

Here is a top-notch musician,
who really knows how to play and project a large organ with spectacular
conviction. Hats off to one of this continent's finest exponents of our
instrument for his devotion to music-making rather than musical trendiness.
This disc will win friends for the organ, and might just remind some of us why
we took up playing in the first instance. It would be gratifying to think that
Mr. Swann likes Lincolnshire pork pipe and ale, and that he sautées his
food in real butter.

There were no holds barred in
the reportage of the organ world for Mark Buxton. Yet humor was always lurking
between the lines and often bubbled up between them. His vocabulary was
extensive and often colorful. He was adept at the sometimes necessary
situations where he felt compelled to remark on various aspects of organs that
he didn't like. This he could do with a certain penache that belied the negative
impact of his commentary.

For example, in a review where
he did not take a shine to the organ, he put it this way:

The organ and the repertoire are
not always the most comfortable of bedfellows.  Frankly,I found it an unlovable instrument, although some
smiles are coaxed from what often appears to be a sullen beast in an
unflattering acoustical cage.

He could be relied on to find a
sly way to deliver a swift kick, when an organ could not do the musical job at
hand:

The various undulants go some
way to imparting a bloom to the sound that otherwise would be absent . . .

Mark had a definite preference
for large, eclectic and interesting organs.  In his commentary on the famous Longwood Gardens Aeolian, he
said the organ was "a sumptuous behemoth if ever there was one." He
continued . . .

The instrument's seemingly
endless and eclectic tonal palette, including strings by the desk and entire
clans of Vox Humanas will curl the ponytails of the purist fraternity . . .

Writing can be a solitary job,
especially for free lance reporters like Buxton.  He divided his time between England, his birthplace, Canada,
where he lived with his wife, and the U.S., where he eventually hoped to
settle. On the subject of expatriate writers, Brian Moore, the author of The
Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne1, observed:
"When you emigrate, you are never quite from anywhere--you are not at home
at home . . ."2

Mark put it this way in
"Off the Beaten Track in England" (April, 1995):

Returning to the land of one's
birth is a peculiar business for the expatriate.  Will things have changed beyond recognition? Will those
favorite places still be there? Will one still feel at home? Or uncomfortably
out of step with current tastes and fashions?

Like Brian Moore, Mark Buxton
was a chronicler and had the knack of making a strong start in his writing. He
could hook the reader's interest and hang on to it until the end of the
article, whether it was an interview, record review or opinion piece.

The tragedy of his early death
denied him the happy ending most of us anticipate.  But within the short period of six years, he contributed
extensively to The Diapason. 
Within that opus we can see an enthusiastic, upbeat and independent
spirit, always communicating the presence (or absence) of music as the real
subject for all that he wrote.

This adds up to a terrific loss
for The Diapason and other journals which benefited from his free-flowing pen.
Filling in that gap will be a demanding burden that will probably require a
team effort. One can only imagine from such beginnings, how magnificent his
contribution to organ reportage would have been. However, the opus that remains
with us is full of insight, sparkle and wit, often punctuated with a good
story. If you collect the issues of The Diapason with Buxton offerings, you'll
have a 2-inch thick pack to go through, but it will be worth the effort. You'll
chuckle at his witticisms, revel at his insights and weep that he is no longer
with us.

A few "Buxtonisms"

On Richard Strauss: "Would
that the composer of Salome and Electra have favored our instrument with a
piece from his top drawer!"

On Edwin Lemare: "Thomas
Murray's recording of music by Lemare, yet another step in the composer's
rehabilitation, serves to prove one again that Fortune's Wheel does indeed turn
. . . After a lengthy period in musical purgatory (a spacious resort, one would
imagine) Lemare's name is back in recital programs, and in recording
catalogs."

Reflecting on an English Organ:
"I cannot disguise a lack of affection for some of the chiffy flues and
assertive upper work heard here . . .. The Tuba Mirabilis has the requisite
hint of good flat lukewarm British beer!"

Some recommended reading

These references do not include
all of Mark Buxton's writings in The Diapason. They are those selections which
are most highly recommended by the author.

Articles and Interviews

October 1992 Daniel Roth at 50

April 1994 Ralph Downes: An
Appreciation

May 1994 A Conversation with
Thomas Murray

August 1994 A Conversation with
Oliver Latry

February 1995 George H. Guest: A
Guest at Cambridge

June 1995 Stephen Cleobury--A
Profile

March 1996 A Conversation with
Martin Neary

Surveys of Organs and Organ
Builders

May 1995 An American Landmark in
Canada, The Schoenstein Organ at Islington Church, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

July 1995 Off the Beaten Track
in England, A Survey of Interesting English Organs

July 1996 Restoration of
the  Casavant Organ at Redlands
University, Redlands, California

February 1997 Rieger-Orgelbau:
The First 150 Years, History of the firm and interview with Christoph
Glatter-Götz

Reviews of recordings

June 1991 An Evening with Edwin
H. Lemare, Thomas Murray, Austin Organ, Portland, Maine

January 1992 The Symphonic Organ
Thomas Murray, Skinner Organ, Woolsey Hall, Yale

February 1992 Marcel
Dupré--Le Chemin Du Croix, François Renet plays the
Cavaillé-Coll organ at St. Sernin de Toulouse

February 1993
style="mso-spacerun: yes">  The Mystic Organ, Frederick Swann,
Möller organ, Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC

February 1993 Romantic Organ
Music, Mikael Wahlen plays the Organ of The Jacobskyrka, Stockholm, Sweden

May 1993 Daniel Roth interprets
César Franck on Three Cavaillé-Coll Organs

September 1993 Charles-Marie
Widor: Symphonies III and IV, Ben van Oosten plays the Cavaillé-Coll
organ of St. François-de-Sales

October 1993 Poesie de l'orgue
symphonique, Odile Pierre plays two Cavaillé-Coll organs

October 1993 Music of Alexandre
Guilmant, François Lombard plays the Cavaillé-Coll organ of St.
Omer Cathedral

November 1993 Organ Duets,
Sylvie Poirier and Philip Crozier play the Aurèle Laramée Organ
in the Chapel of the Maison Provinciale des Frères Maristes, Iberville
Québec. Organ built by Mariste brother Aurèle Laramée

March 1994 The Organs of Oxford,
Nine Organists Play The Organs at Oxford

April 1994 Organ Music of
Franck, Boëllmann, Mendelssohn, Reger, and Grunenwald. Veronique Choplin
plays Cavaillé-Coll at St-Sulpice. (Note: Mark Buxton studied with
Grunenwald, former organist.)

August 1994 Anthems and Motets,
Choir of St. John's Episcopal Church, Samuel Carabetta, director. Lafayette
Square, Washington, DC ("Church of the Presidents")

September 1994 César
Franck--Music for Harmonium and Piano, 
Joris Verdin and Jos Van Immerseel play harmonium and nineteenth-century
piano

October 1994
Reger-Organworks--Heinz Wunderlich at St. Jacobi and St. Michael's, Swabish
Hall. Nelly Soregi, violin

December 1994 Vierne--Works
for    organ, Wolfgang
Rübsam, E.M. Skinner organ at Rockefeller Chapel, Chicago, IL

January 1995 Well Tempered
Organ, John Wells plays the Letourneau organ at St. Paul's Collegiate School,
Hamilton, NZ

May 1995 Organ works of Basil
Harwood.  Roger Fisher plays the
organ of Chester Cathedral Whitley organ, rebuilt by Gray & Davidson, Hill,
and Rushworth & Dreaper

July 1995 Sigfried
Karg-Elert--Organ Works, Wolfgang Stockmeier plays the organs of
style="mso-spacerun: yes">  St. Johannis, Osnabruck, St Martin, Bad
Lippsprige and Herz-Jesu, Bremerhaven-Lehe

July 1995 Hear My Prayer--Choir
boy and choir girl competition--RSCM choir boy and choir girl of the year, 1992

August 1995 The Historical St.
Thomas Organ, Pierre Cochereau plays the organs of St. Thomas Church, NY

September 1995 The Organ Music
of Alfred Hollins, David Liddle plays the organ of Hull City Hall

November 1995 Stars and Stripes
Forever: Organ Duets, Elizabeth and Raymond Chenault, Skinner organ of
Washington National Cathedral

November 1995 Longwood Pops--The
Longwood Gardens Organ, Michael Stairs plays the Longwood Aeolian Organ

December 1995 Four Masterworks--Frederick
Swann at the Crystal Cathedral--Ruffatti organ

June 1996 George Walker--A
Portrait

September 1996 Olivier Messiaen
--Complete Organ Works, Gillian Weir, Frobenius Organ, Arhus Cathedral, Denmark--Early
Frobenius with French reeds

Book Reviews

May 1991 Charles Callahan--The
American Classic Organ: A History in Letters

August 1994 Jane Langdon--Divine
Inspiration, A review of the "organ" novel

Reports

October 1992 AGO National
Convention, Atlanta, GA (with Jess Anthony)

March 1993 Herbert Howells
Centenary Concert, Westminster Abbey

April 1994 21st Lahti Organ
Festival, August 2-7, 1993

Notes

                  1.
style='mso-tab-count:1'>              Moore, Brian. The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1988.

                  2.
style='mso-tab-count:1'>              Wyman, Max  "Profile--The loneliness of the long-distance writer". Vancouver: Vancouver Sun, January 1997.

Vermillion, South Dakota

Larry Palmer

Larry Palmer is a contributing editor for The Diapason.

In an historic first for the United States, three regional
early keyboard societies (Southeastern, Midwestern, and Western) met for a
joint conference ("Four Centuries of Great Keyboard Instruments: What
They Tell Us") at the National Music Museum, Vermillion, South Dakota,
May 16-19. Gratifying as it was to participate in this possible first
step toward a national organization, the main attraction of the Vermillion
gathering was the Museum and its superb collection of historic musical
instruments.

150 registrants overfilled the concert venue named for
Museum founder Arne Larson, and the group often spilled from the tearoom into
hallways for breakfast and coffee breaks. Still, the capable and welcoming
staff were able to overcame most difficulties and make all feel
welcome--sometimes rather warmly so! From an elegant buffet reception at
the home of University of South Dakota President Jim Abbott to the closing
party at program co-chair John Koster's rural retreat, physical hungers
and thirsts of the crowd were well served. All other meals, included in the
modest registration fee, were taken together in the University's Coyote
Student Center. Communal dining, a feature of previous gatherings in
Vermillion, was an appreciated convenience in this small Midwestern college
town.

A recital capped each jam-packed day. Two of these proved to
be especially fortuitous partnerships between artist and instrument. Closing
the conference, Andrew Willis played his aptly-chosen program on an
early-19th-century Viennese piano by Anton Martin Thÿm. For the first half
he chose works by Moscheles, Field, Hummel, and the rarely-performed Sonata
in E minor, opus 70 of Carl Maria von
Weber. Following intermission Willis gave transcendent performances of
Schubert's Moments Musicaux
(the fifth, in F minor, will never sound right again without the piano's
Turkish percussion effects) and Beethoven's E Major Sonata
style='font-style:normal'>, opus 109, perhaps the musical highpoint of the
conference. Among several visiting European artists, Miklós
Spányi stood out for his effortless musicality and consistently
interesting playing in a program of sonatas by Johann Eckard, C. P. E. Bach,
and Joseph Haydn, performed on the colorful Spath & Schmahl 1784
Tangentenflügel (using the correct spelling of Spath, without its
ubiquitous umlaut, as discussed by Michael Latcham in an illuminating lecture
on this instrument and its maker).

A concert by Tilman Skowroneck (earnest performances of
works by Louis and François Couperin and Rameau) introduced the resonant
1785 Jacques Germain harpsichord. Luisa Morales gave straightforward readings
of Iberian sonatas, allowing only two of them to be heard on the wiry and
virile José Calisto Portuguese harpsichord of 1780, and playing far too
many more on a beefy 1798 Joseph Kirckman double harpsichord, utilizing the
kaleidoscopic possibilities for registrations available on this instrument.
Morales was joined by Spanish folk dancer Cristóbal Salvador for her two
concluding Scarlatti sonatas, after which Salvador led a post-concert dance
class for those brave enough to participate.

The conference schedule listed an additional (and
overwhelming) 32 lectures or short performances! This attendee, for one, found
it impossible to attend all of them, especially those given late in the afternoons.
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> 

Some memorable programs included: 

* A deeply moving clavichord recital of Bach preludes
and fugues, played by wounded warrior Harvey Hinshaw, who had tripped while
loading his instrument late at night for the trip to Vermillion. Fortunately
neither Harvey nor his fine Lyndon Taylor clavichord sustained permanent
damage, although each showed bruises from the unfortunate altercation.

* Carol lei Breckenridge's Mozart played on two
clavichords from the Museum's collection: a 1770 Swedish instrument and
an 1804 Johann Paul Kraemer & Sons, built in Göttingen.

Three consecutive Sunday afternoon programs dealt with
repertoire from the now-historic 20th century, as well as some new works of the
fledgling 21st:

* Larry Palmer spoke about Herbert Howells' Lambert's
Clavichord, the first published clavichord music of the revival period.
Recorded examples played on clavichord, harpsichord, and piano served as
illustrations. Inferior sound equipment forced an impromptu performance of the
first clavichord example on the Wolf harpsichord.

* Attractively garbed in gold happy coat,
Berkeley-based Sheli Nan presented some of her own harpsichord compositions,
complete with video camera to record her every gesture.

* Calvert Johnson, with understated virtuosity, presented
a superb concert of harpsichord music by Japanese women composers Makiko
Asaoka, Karen Tanaka, and Asako Hirabayashi (now there is a focused
specialization!) on the Museum's 1994 Thomas & Barbara Wolf
harpsichord, an instrument tonally modeled on the Germain instrument, but
tastefully decorated in sober black and red with gold bands, rather than the
18th-century instrument's unfortunate color scheme of raspberry pink and
ultramarine, with a gratuitous 20th-century "French bordello" lid
painting

The original Germain, an exceptionally fine-sounding
instrument, was the most utilized harpsichord of the conference. It was heard
in programs played by Elaine Thornburgh, Paul Boehnke, Nancy Metzger, Nanette
Lunde, and Jillon Stoppels Dupree, who proved to be a passionate advocate for
the far too little-known music of Belgian composer Joseph-Hector Fiocco.

A smaller gem, the Museum's recently-acquired Johann
Heinrich Silbermann spinet (Strasbourg, 1785) was heard in performances by Paul
Boehnke and Asako Hirabayashi.

The "home team" of faculty members from the
University of South Dakota made major contributions:

* Piano professor (and program co-chair) Susanne Skyrm
played appropriate music on the soft, clavichord-like piano by Manuel
Antunes  (Lisbon, 1767) as well as
a much-appreciated traversal ("from the sublime to the ridiculous,"
she noted) of music by Beethoven (three Bagatelles
style='font-style:normal'>), Vorisek, and Herz. This program concluded with the
bellicose Siege of Tripoli: An Historical Naval Sonata
style='font-style:normal'> by Benjamin Carr, for which Professor Skyrm employed
all the "Drums, Bells, and Whistles" available on the Thÿm
piano. Her partner in hilarity was handkerchief-waving narrator, Dr. Matthew
Hardon.

* Organ professor Larry Schou demonstrated the fine
six-stop organ by Christian Dieffenbach (Pennsylvania, 1808) as well as the
1786 Josef Loosser house organ from the Toggenburg Valley of Switzerland.

Virtuoso lectures included:

* Peggy Baird's slide presentation showing
keyboards in a wide variety of paintings ("Music for the Eye and Art for
the Ear"), delivered with her usual irrepressible wit.

* Ed Kottick's informative and entertaining
"Tales of the Master Builders," amusing vignettes from his
just-published book A History of the Harpsichord (Indiana University Press).
Hermann [Pohl] the Hapless, indeed!

* Sandra Soderlund's well-organized, informative
talk on Muzio Clementi, enriched by musical examples played on a square piano
by John Broadwood, London, circa 1829.

San Francisco's Laurette Goldberg invented some
Goldberg Variants on harpsichord history in an amazing after-dinner ramble
following a memorable vegetable, chicken, or beef Wellington banquet on Monday
evening.

Throughout the meeting several instrument makers displayed
examples of their work. Among these a French double harpsichord by Knight
Vernon featured a splendidly light action; Paul Irvin's 1992 unfretted
clavichord produced a generous volume of sound; and Owen Daly's
Vaudry-copy harpsichord delighted these ears and fingers, as did finely crafted
instruments by Robert Hicks and Douglas Maple.

During her first visit to the United States in the early
1960s, harpsichordist Isolde Ahlgrimm was especially amused by the ubiquitous
pink flamingo representations she saw in many suburban front yards. It was with
a sense of recurring cultural history that my eyes were captivated by the colorful
pink bird statue displayed at the Museum's visitors' desk, visible
through the windows of the Larson Concert Hall. Closer inspection showed it to
be a hand drum, dubbed the "Flabonga," a gift to Museum Director
André Larson.

Because of unavoidable travel difficulties, papers by David
Chung (Hong Kong) and Eva Badura-Skoda (Vienna) were read by Museum staffers.

So what did these examples from four centuries of great
keyboard instruments have to teach us? For this listener they reinforced, once
again, that most music sounds better, and far more interesting, when played on
period instruments tuned in appropriate temperaments. They underscored how vast
the variety of historic keyboards is. They showed how comparatively
monochromatic a tonal range the contemporary piano presents, and how
impoverished it is by its paucity of coloristic devices such as modulators,
bassoon stops, bare wood (or variously-covered) hammers, and Janissary
percussion.

Keyboards from Vermillion's National Music Museum
(formerly known as The Shrine to Music) demonstrated that informed restoration
and constant care permits them to function as superb instruments for music.
Curator John Koster announced early in the proceedings that keeping 1588
strings in tune for the weekend would be a major task! He managed it with grace
and skill, as he did his many other responsibilities during the conference.

It was encouraging to note a number of other visitors to the
Museum during our time there. Many of them were young students, a group
distinctly, and disturbingly, not well represented on the rosters of our
keyboard societies. I would urge each reader to plan a visit to this
outstanding American museum, and, if possible, to make this collection of early
keyboard instruments known to a student. A virtual visit to these holdings is
available through the Museum's website: <www.usd.edu/smm&gt;.

Cover

Lauck Pipe Organ Company, Otsego, Michigan

Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights,
Illinois

Trinity Christian College is a four-year liberal arts college founded in
1959 and located in Palos Heights, Illinois, a suburb 25 miles southwest of
Chicago. It is dedicated to providing students with a quality higher education
in the Reformed Christian tradition. The college has grown extensively in
recent years with many new buildings erected. In 2001, the college dedicated a
new 1,200-seat auditorium: The Martin and Janet Ozinga Chapel. The chapel is
also the home of the college's music department with faculty offices, rehearsal
rooms, a recital hall, a music computer lab, and practice rooms. An organ for
the auditorium was envisioned from the building's conception.

Under the chairmanship of music department chair Helen Van Wyck, a committee
was formed to choose a builder for the organ. Paula Pugh Romanaux was selected
as the consultant to work with the committee. After visiting several of our organs,
Lauck Pipe Organ Company was chosen to build the organ. Working with the
builder, the committee decided that the instrument would be located at the back
of the stage and would occupy the central position. The committee felt that an
organ with a detached console would prove more flexible, especially when used
with orchestra and to accompany small ensembles.

Several designs for the organ case were prepared ranging from traditional to
contemporary, the latter being chosen. The proportions of the case are generous
in order to fill the expansive rear wall of the stage area. The façade
consists of the 16' Principal, 8' Pedal Octave and the 8' Great Diapason,
with  pipes of polished tin. The
casework is arranged so that the Pedal division occupies the center and two
outer towers. Between the left and center tower is the Great Principal chorus
with the Choir division above. Between the right and center towers are the
Great flutes and reed with the Swell division above. A shallow case with
expression shades capable of a full range of motion allow for excellent egress
of sound. The emblem at the top of the center tower is the college's logo done
in relief and gilded.

Over the past 30 years, we have built many French-terraced consoles with
curved terraces, but Marilyn Mulder, the school's organ instructor, suggested a
console based on a design she saw at Chicago's Orchestra Hall. From her
photograph, we designed and built a console with straight, oblique terraces.
The woodwork is of cherry to match other furnishings in the chapel. The
terraces, keycheeks, manual and pedal sharps, and drawknobs are all of
rosewood. The manual naturals are of bone. Peterson supplied the MIDI system
and combination action. Lauck manufactured the coupler and relay systems, as
well as the electric expression servos.

The room, alas, suffers from insufficient reflection of sound. As we worked
with the acoustician and architect, the organ committee and I realized we would
not be able to have all of our requests granted; the acoustician was more
interested in absorbing rather than reflecting sound. The architect and
building committee did agree that the expansive drywall ceiling would be well
supported and made up of a double layer glued together so as to not absorb the
lower frequencies. Preliminary acoustical tests of the room proved that we
needed a lot of sound to fill it. The organ had to be scaled very boldly, with
variable scales and higher cut-ups being freely employed. In addition, generous
wind pressures, especially in the reeds, would be used. Our tonal concept was
to establish well-developed Principal choruses in each division, colorful and
contrasting flute choruses, and chorus reeds that bind together well. This goal
was achieved and supplemented by colorful solo reeds and strings with character
and variety.

The Great is based on a 16' Principal. The 8' extension of the Principal can
be used as a second Diapason and creates a rich fond d'orgue with the open and
stopped flutes. Mutations provide for a Great Principal Cornet. To ensure a
bold, full pedal, the 16' Diapason is really a 16' open wood located in the
central tower of the case. The Great 16' Principal is also available in the
Pedal for use in lighter textures, while the 8' Octave and 4' Choralbass are
independent. The Trumpet-en-Chamade is made of tin and is voiced on 10 inches
of wind pressure using domed parallel shallots. The Pedal Trombone unit is also
voiced with domed parallel shallots on 8 inches of wind pressure. The Swell
reeds are on 6 inches of wind with the Bassoon/Oboe having tapered shallots and
the Trumpet/Clarion parallel shallots. The Swell Gamba and Gamba Celeste are
slotted with rollers throughout. It is a well-developed string tone with good
strength and carrying power; however, the expression boxes and shades are
heavily built and can make the strings evaporate when desired. The Swell also
has a Flute Celeste, which is built as a Ludwigtone; basically, two wood pipes
built with a common middle wall on one foot. The Choir Viola and Viola Celeste
are of about equal power to the Swell strings but are not slotted and are of a
broader tone quality. They are voiced to work together perfectly yet retain
their individual colors.

The Lauck employees that built Opus 55 include: Craig Manor, console design
and construction, wood pipes; Ken Reed, pipemaker, office manager; Ben Aldrich,
design, windchests, foreman; Bob Dykstra, windchests, wood pipes, casework;
Dick Slider, windchests, lower casework; Dan Staley, circuit board
manufacturing, wiring; Jim Lauck, design, voicing, tonal finishing; Jonathan
Tuuk; tonal finishing.

--Jim Lauck

Lauck Opus 55, 2002

3 manuals, 46 ranks, electric action

GREAT

16' Principal  (61 pipes)

8' Diapason (61 pipes)

8' Principal (12 pipes)

8' Rohrflute (61 pipes)

8' Flute Harmonique (61 pipes)

4' Octave (61 pipes)

4' Principal (12 pipes)

4' Flute Octaviante (12 pipes)

22/3' Quint (61 pipes)

2' Superoctave (61 pipes)

13/5' Tierce (61 pipes)

IV Fourniture (244 pipes)

8' Trumpet (61 pipes)

8' Trumpet-en-Chamade (61 pipes)

                        Great
to Great 4

                        Swell
to Great 16-8-4

                        Choir
to Great 16-8-4

                        Zimbelstern

SWELL

16'  Bourdon (12 pipes)

8' Bourdon (61 pipes)

8' Gamba (61 pipes)

8' Gamba Celeste (49 pipes)

8' Flute Celeste (49 pipes)

4' Principal (61 pipes)

4' Spitzflute (61 pipes)

2' Blockflute (12 pipes)

V Mixture (293 pipes)

16' Bassoon (61 pipes)

8' Trumpet (61 pipes)

8' Oboe (12 pipes)

4' Clarion (12 pipes)

Tremulant

Swell to Swell 16-UO-4

CHOIR

8' Gedeckt (61 pipes)

8' Viola  (61 pipes)

8' Viola Celeste (49 pipes)

4' Principal (61 pipes)

4' Koppelflute (61 pipes)

22/3' Nazard (61 pipes)

2' Octave (61 pipes)

2' Flautino (12 pipes)

13/5' Tierce (61 pipes)

11/3' Larigot (5 pipes)

III Scharff (183 pipes)

8' Cromorne (61 pipes)

8' Trumpet-en-Chamade (Gt)

Tremulant

Choir to Choir 16-UO-4

Swell to Choir 16-8-4       

PEDAL

32' Sub Bourdon (electronic ext)

16' Diapason (open wood) (32 pipes)

16' Principal (Great)

16' Subbass (32 pipes)

16' Bourdon (Swell)

8' Octave  (32 pipes)

8' Principal (Great)

8' Bass Flute (12 pipes)

4' Choralbass  (32 pipes)

II Rauschquint (64 pipes)

II Mixture  (24 pipes)

32' Contra Bassoon (electronic ext)

16' Trombone (32 pipes)

16' Bassoon (Swell)

8' Trumpet (12 pipes)

4' Clarion (12 pipes)

4' Cromorne (Choir)

Great to Pedal 8-4

Swell to Pedal 8-4

Choir to Pedal 8-4

Lauck Pipe Organ Company

92 - 24th Street

Otsego, MI 49078-9633

Telephone: 269/694-4500

Fax: 269/694-4401

<[email protected]>

Cover photo by Richard Lanenga

 

Paul Fritts and Co., Tacoma,
Washington, has built a new organ for Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York.
The mechanical-action pipe organ is installed in the 500-seat Mary Anna Fox
Martel Recital Hall of the Belle Skinner Music Building. It contains 34 stops
distributed over two manuals (Hauptwerk and Positiv) and Pedal.

The tonal design reflects both the North and Middle German schools of
organbuilding from the first half of the eighteenth century. North German
features include fully independent manual and pedal divisions with
well-developed upper work; a full spectrum of mutation stops (two on double
draws); and seven reed stops, 20% of the registers. Middle German building is
represented by a variety of six manual 8' flue stops; the “gravity”
of 16' stops in each manual division and four 16' pedal stops; a Tierce rank
which can be added to the Hauptwerk Mixture; and the inclusion of the Positiv
division in the main case, rather than positioned to the rear of the player.

The northern features pay homage to the seventeenth-century style of Arp
Schnitger and the middle German school points more to the pre-Romantic
eighteenth-century styles of Wender, Trost, Hildebrandt and others. The new
Vassar organ is well-suited for music of J. S. Bach with its cosmopolitan
mixture of northern, middle, and southern European traits. Other literature
from the sixteenth-century through the works of Mendelssohn will also sound to
advantage.

The new organ is placed centrally in a gallery nine feet above the stage
floor in the front of the hall. The case has a bright burgundy enamel finish.
Gold leaf highlights the gray painted pipe shades. The case and many internal
parts are crafted from popular. 
Many other woods were chosen for their various properties, including
mahogany, oak, maple, ebony, redwood and sugar pine.

Along with the new organ came alterations to the organ gallery and stage
area significantly improving acoustics, and a climate control system for the
recital hall. The Marian and Speros Martel Foundation Inc. donated funds
covering both the organ and hall improvements. Glenn D. White recommended
acoustical improvements, and Richard Turlington designed architectural plans
for the room. Frances D. Fergusson, President of Vassar College, initiated the
project. George B. Stauffer was consultant.

To inaugurate the new instrument, Merellyn Gallagher, James David Christie,
and Joan Lippincott played solo recitals in February and March 2003.

HAUPTWERK

16' Principal

8' Octava

8' Rohrflöte

8' Viol di Gamba

4' Octava

4' Spitzflöte

Nasat/Cornet II*

2' Superoctava

Mixture Tierce

Mixture IV–VI

16' Trompet

8' Trompet

POSITIVE

8' Geigenprincipal

8' Gedackt

8' Quintadena

4' Octava

4' Rohrflöte

2' Octava

2' Gemshorn

11/3' Quinte

Quint/Sesquialtara II*

Mixture IV–V

16' Fagotto

8' Dulcian

PEDAL

16' Principal**

16' Violon

16' Subbass

8' Octava***

8' Bourdon***

4' Octava

Mixture V–VII

16' Posaune

8' Trompet

4' Trompet

* Double draw

** Bottom octave transmission from Hauptwerk

*** Extension

Couplers

                        Positiv
to Hauptwerk

                        Hauptwerk
to Pedal          

                        Positiv
to Pedal

Manual/Pedal compass: 56/30, flat pedalboard

Burnished tin front pipes

Solid wood casework with pipe shades carved by Judy Fritts

Suspended key action

Mechanical stop action

Variable tremulant

Three bellows fitted with pedals for foot pumping

Wind stabilizer

Pitch: A 440

Temperament: Kellner

Wind pressure: 74 mm. (ca. 3≤)

Fabry Pipe Organs, Inc., of Fox
Lake, Illinois, has completed the 5-rank antiphonal division added to the
original Möller organ in Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, Homewood,
Illinois.

Fabry Inc. installed the original M.P. Möller instrument (2 manuals, 19
ranks) in 1980 in the rear balcony of the sanctuary and has been maintaining
the organ since that time. The console was prepared for an antiphonal division.
On many occasions while tuning the instrument, the organist, Mrs. Phyllis
Silhan, would always say, “I hope I get to see this instrument completed
before I retire.” Twenty-two years later, the church elected to add the
antiphonal division.

The new antiphonal division was installed in October of 2002. The original
specification for this division--8' Gedeckt, 4' Gemshorn, 2' Flautino, II
Mixture--was changed to 8' Gedeckt, 4' Octave, 4' Harmonic Flute, 2' Fifteenth,
and 8' Oboe. A new solid-state relay was provided that is totally prepared for
the addition of a small antiphonal console.

Fabry Inc. would like to thank the organist, Mrs. Phyllis Silhan, and
Reverend Dr. Timothy Knaff, who coordinated the entire project. David G. Fabry
built all the chestwork and new casework. Crew leader Joseph Poland handled the
installation.

GREAT

8' Principal

8' Bourdon

4' Octave

2' Super Octave

IV Fourniture

8' Trompette (Sw)

SWELL

8' Rohrflote

8' Viola

8' Viola Celeste

4' Spitz Principal

4' Rohrflote (ext)

2' Hohlflote

III Scharf

8' Trompette

ANTIPHONAL (new division)

8' Gedeckt

4' Octave

4' Harmonic Flute

2' Fifteenth

8' Oboe

PEDAL

16' Contra Bass

16' Rohr Bourdon (ext)

8' Principal (Gt)

8' Rohrflote (Sw)

4' Nachthorn

16' Bombarde (ext)

4' Clarion (Sw)

COUPLERS

                        Gt
& Sw to Ped 8

                        Sw
to Gt 16-8-4

                        Gt
4

                        Sw
16-UO-4

                        Antiph
to Ped 8

                        Antiph
to Gt 8

                        Antiph
to Sw 8

July 8-16, 1995, Paris, France

By Christina Harmon

The sixth French Organ Music Seminar took place in Paris
with 37 organists participating. During the course of the seminar we heard and
played 17 organs dating from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.

The first afternoon was spent in private lessons at the home
of Daniel Roth. At 5 pm Bernadette Duforcet played and demonstrated the
Cavaillé-Coll organ at Notre Dame des Champs. Later at La
Trinité, Naji Hakim presented his improvisations and compositions in the
style of Messiaen, as well as stories about Trinité and Messiaen.

The next morning included Sunday Mass at Sacré Coeur
with its newly appointed young organist Philippe Brandeis. Some ventured to the
outskirts of Paris to St. Denis to hear an 11:30 recital played by seminar
member Bryan Kirk. Others went to St. Sulpice to hear the 11:30 recital given
by Daniel Roth. After lunch with Daniel Roth we went to St. Roch for an organ
recital on three organs given by François Levenchin, organist at St.
Roch, Sylvie Mallet, and Marie-Louise Langlais. The evening featured the
brilliant Russian organist, Yanka Hekimova, at St. Eustache. She used some very
interesting and shocking registrations. Like Guillou, she is a virtuoso, having
transcribed and recorded Mozart's Jupiter Symphony
style='font-style:normal'> for organ.

On Monday morning the group journeyed to the home of Marcel
Dupré in Meudon and heard a recital by a pupil of Marie-Louise Langlais,
Pascal Melis. Seminar members then played this organ, preserved exactly as
Dupré knew it. The afternoon and evening were spent with Daniel Roth at
St. Sulpice, where he lectured on the organ and the organists of St Sulpice and
improvised. Everyone had a chance to play.

Tuesday, July 11, began at the Kern organ at St. Severin
with the titulaire François Espinasse. Built in 1963, this organ was
based on the principles of the French Classical organ. At the same time Ste.
Clotilde was made available for lessons by Marie-Louise Langlais and for
playing. During the afternoon we went to La Madeleine and were treated to an
improvisation by François Houbard.

Wednesday morning and afternoon were spent at the Schola
Cantorum and at Ste. Clotilde hearing lectures and organ demonstrations by
Marie-Louise Langlais on Franck and the French School. To conclude the
afternoon Mme. Langlais had arranged an oboe and organ concert in the Ste.
Clotilde chapel. That night featured the first of three sessions with the
organist of Notre Dame, Philippe Lefebvre, who entertained us with stories of Notre Dame and outstanding improvisations. He graciously allowed seminar members time for playing the Notre Dame organ.

Thursday the lectures by Mme. Langlais continued at Ste.
Clotilde and there were more opportunities for playing and taking private
lessons at Ste. Clotilde and at St. Severin. In addition, Jacques Taddei
presented performance and improvisation at Ste. Clotilde. The night was spent
at Notre Dame with M. Lefebvre.

Friday included a trip to Chartres and a short tour of the
Cathedral by Malcolm Miller. We saw and heard the organ of Eglise St. Pierre as
well as the cathedral organ, arranged by Lynne Davis, who presented a recital
on the Chartres organ. We continued on to Dreux and played the organ there,
ending the afternoon with a wonderful buffet arranged by Ms. Davis. That night
we travelled back to Notre Dame for the final session with Philippe Lefebvre.

Saturday morning took place at St. Augustin featuring the
1899 mechanical action Cavaillé-Coll rebuild of an earlier Barker
instrument. Michelle Pinte, choir organist, was our gracious host. The rest of
the day was spent with Pierre Pincemaille at St. Denis. The 1841
Cavaillé-Coll is one of the earliest and has 69 stops of which 21 are
reeds. This is one of the oldest Gothic cathedrals and the burial place of the
kings of France.

Sunday morning seminar members went to various
churches--most were at the organ loft at Notre Dame with Olivier Latry.
During the afternoon we heard Susan Landale lecture on Messiaen. The evening
took place at Notre Dame once more, this time with Olivier Latry, co-titulaire
with Lefebvre of Notre Dame, who offered invaluable tips on improvising.

Monday morning another seminar concluded, with all of us
going our different directions. We are planning another seminar for the first
part of July, 1997 and will have a brochure available in August of 1996. Please
write for details.

--Christina Harmon

4330 Shirley

Dallas, TX 7522