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Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders projects

Berghaus organ, Christ Lutheran Church, Valparaiso, Indiana

Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders, Bellwood, Illinois, has recently completed several projects.

At Trinity Lutheran Church, State Center, Iowa, Berghaus has rebuilt and enlarged the church’s 1948 Geo. Kilgen & Son organ. Completed in December 2017, the instrument now consists of 23 ranks, new slider chests, and a refurbished console. The organ will be dedicated on October 14 in morning worship and celebrated in an afternoon recital by Berghaus tonal director Jonathan Oblander.

At La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church, Scottsdale, Arizona, Berghaus recently began installation of the prepared-for Solo division in their 2008 instrument. A vintage harp, a new set of chimes, and a custom-made Pájaritos (Nightingale) were installed in an existing chamber behind a new set of expression shades. The church continues to work toward completing the division with ten ranks of pipework.

Christ Lutheran Church, Valparaiso, Indiana celebrated the dedication of their pipe organ on June 3 when John Bernthal performed the dedicatory recital. Berghaus removed the organ, built in 1986 by W. Zimmer & Sons,  from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, St. Louis, Missouri (which was demolished), reconfigured and enlarged the instrument, and installed it in the rear of Christ Church’s sanctuary in 2018 in time for Easter. Several members of Holy Trinity were on hand to witness the start of a new life for their organ.

For more information: www.berghausorgan.com.

Christ Lutheran Church, Valparaiso, Indiana

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Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders,
Bellwood, Illinois, was estab
lished as Berghaus Organ
Company in 1967 in Melrose Park, Illinois.  

 

Cover photos, top: La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church, Scottsdale, Arizona (2008); middle: O’Fallon United Church of Christ, O’Fallon, Illinois (1973); Sacred Heart School of Theology, Hales Corners, Wisconsin (1990); First United Methodist Church, South Bend, Indiana (1988); bottom: St. Benedict’s Parish, Chesapeake, Virginia (2015).

 

From the Founder

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, I was encouraged to leave home to seek my education at Concordia Teachers College (now Concordia University Chicago) in River Forest, Illinois. After graduation, I married and worked for several years as a parochial school teacher and church organist/choir director. My unexpected decision to enter the organ-building trade was chiefly influenced by two instruments and two men.

Before I left Ohio, Trinity Lutheran Church in Cleveland began installing a four-manual and pedal mechanical-action organ from the Beckerath company of Hamburg, Germany, which was completed in 1956. The church was near my house, and my curiosity, for some unknown reason, led me to make frequent visits during its installation and voicing. I had no earthly idea that this organ would lay the groundwork for my organbuilding philosophy! 

While still enrolled at Concordia, my informal apprenticeship for organbuilding began as I started to repair the slider chests on an 1888 Jackson Organ Company (Chester, Illinois) tracker at St. Matthew Lutheran Church on the south side of Chicago. Slowly, the organ came back to life as I repaired badly damaged pipes, broken trackers, and cracked rollerboards. We found a second-hand pedalboard to replace the original and installed key extensions to accept mechanical connections to the pedal chests and couplers. By repairing an ancient blower and wind system, a somewhat compromised new life to the organ was born. By 1961 the organ was again used for services. Subsequently, the congregation authorized Berghaus Organ Company to extensively rebuild the organ with new slider chests, pipework, action, and wind system. Since 1972 the organ remains as rebuilt.

Why devote time to these two churches and their organs? These were my mind and eye openers! I had a gnawing curiosity to tear into the old Jackson organ, find out what went wrong, and fix it! In the Beckerath, I had a “new” organ for comparison.

Sometime in 1967 while a fifth and sixth grade teacher, I was approached by John F. Shawhan, the Midwest service and sales representative of Casavant Frères of Canada, to take over a dozen or so contracts to provide semiannual service and maintenance for new Casavants located from Des Moines to Fort Wayne. I still had no plans on becoming an organbuilder, but November 1967 was my final month as a teacher. John paired me up with his assistant, Paul Jochum, who spent time in the Beckerath shop as a general apprentice. When I first met Paul, I assumed that I would be the tuner and he would be the key holder. But that is not how he had it planned! He insisted that he tune and I sit at the console. And that was the arrangement for all the years we worked together. His disciplined tuning was impeccable and went so far as to check the tuning of higher-pitched mixtures by listening through the entire stop without the tuning stop on! 

As the service and tuning business grew, the opportunity came along to build an instrument. The O’Fallon United Church of Christ in southern Illinois was planning an extensive renovation of its church. The original Kilgen tracker was entombed behind the altar and was in serious need of repair. Casavant turned down the project and asked Berghaus to consider it. I, too, turned down the opportunity to renovate the old Kilgen.

They asked, “Who do you recommend to do the renovation?” I said that I would build a new mechanical-action organ for them instead. What did I have to show? Nothing! But they chose Berghaus despite our lack of experience. The contract was signed and construction took place in a 24 by 27 garage with an extremely limited number of tools and space. Today, this organ stands as built in 1973. A few years ago, we thoroughly cleaned it and set it back on course for another 40-plus years of faithful service.

After O’Fallon, four contracts were negotiated in fairly rapid succession for 2-manual and pedal mechanical-action organs. As these were being built, a noticeable change in design requests followed: namely, to retain the mechanical key action, but to abandon the mechanical stop action and utilize a more user-friendly stop control system. This was an acceptable alternative to me, as it did not affect the key action or the windchest design. I was firmly convinced that slider windchests were the best chests in the world! The most striking change came with the detached, moveable console, requiring the separation of the direct key action from the windchests, which we accommodated by installing electric pull-down magnets outside the pallet box. 

Our stay in a house basement and two-car garage lasted a very short time. By 1973 we moved to Bellwood into a facility of approximately 4,000 square feet and a ceiling height of only 13 feet. A number of organs exceeding that height were built in this low-ceiling room. In 1984, a two-story erecting room and design and fabrication spaces were added to facilitate construction of larger instruments.  

Time passed so fast that it became unnoticeable. My wife, Judy, worked many years as the office manager. Both of our sons, Todd and Brian, served us well in service projects, organ construction, and installations. It would be Brian whom I would entrust with continuing my work by taking the leadership of the company into the second generation. Along the way, he would build a team around him.

­—Leonard G. Berghaus

 

From the Tonal Director

When I joined Berghaus in 2006, the company was in a period of transition. While the hallmarks of slider chests, open-toe voicing, and Werkprinzip were still present in many instruments, a few others were examples of a more eclectic approach to tonal design. The 2003 four-manual instrument created for St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, combined new resources with many ranks from the Aeolian-Skinner organ built in the 1950s. The result was decidedly more American Classic in sound, and it has enjoyed great success in live performance as well as several recordings. Subsequent years saw the installation of more eclectic organs at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Bloomington, Illinois (3 manuals, 46 ranks), and Queen of All Saints Basilica, Chicago, Illinois (3 manuals, 60 ranks).  

My own background in pipe organs began at the age of 13, when I first took organ lessons and began playing church services some months later. I had always been fascinated with the pipe organ; I used to spend many hours listening to recordings of instruments from all over the world, conjuring up stoplists, and occasionally attempting to design casework and façades. Little did I know then that this would ultimately become my career! I completed organ studies at Valparaiso University and The Juilliard School; these institutions educated me with a solid foundation of organ performance in both concert and church settings. My many opportunities to perform around the country allowed me first-hand experience with the great wealth of pipe organs in this nation, and I began to formulate my thoughts of what my own personal tonal signature would be. 

In 2007, the Berghaus-built organ for St. John’s Episcopal Church, Chevy Chase, Maryland, would be my first opportunity to make my mark. With a stoplist that leans more into the French Romantic realm (complete with a sumptuous Cavaillé-Coll-style drawknob console), this instrument of 3 manuals and 63 ranks began a new era for our company. The organ, both in its stoplist and tonal approach, is a synthesis of classical and romantic styles. As a result, it emphasizes a clear and singing sound in the individual stops, while at the same time providing warmth and depth when stops are used in combination. Each division contains a complete principal chorus, characteristic flute stops, and reeds both fiery and more subdued. Decidedly different from previous instruments is the treatment of string and reed tone. The Grand-Orgue and Récit contain Salicionals with more harmonic prominence, which aid in carrying accompaniment lines found in homophonic music. While our past instruments accentuated the build-up of the Tutti through upperwork and mixtures, this organ places reed tone in the several Trompette and Bombarde ranks at the fore, paying homage to the symphonic style.

These principles were also carried out in the instruments of 2007–08: St. Jerome Catholic Church in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin (3 manuals, 53 ranks), built in collaboration with Scott R. Riedel & Associates as the organ consultant/acoustician, and First Lutheran Church, Manitowoc, Wisconsin (3 manuals, 41 ranks). 

2008 brought an extraordinary opportunity to construct our magnum opus for La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church in Scottsdale, Arizona. Taking cues from the American Classic and Romantic traditions, our tonal approach was to design an eclectic instrument that would handle a wide range of repertoire, capable of a vast amount of both dynamic and tonal expression. To that end, there are no less than five manual 8 Principals, ten different 8 and 4 flutes, and strings and hybrid (tapered) stops, which are of varying tone and construction. The versatility of this instrument is the result of our ability to finish every stop as its own beautifully unique voice and also as a worthy contributor in combination.

Given the challenge of designing a 92-rank organ with only one division under expression, it became clear from the beginning that great care would need to be taken in the tonal finishing process to ensure the success of a seamless crescendo and equally balanced manual divisions. The ranks of the Positiv division are designed and voiced so as to provide a remarkable degree of expressiveness for an unenclosed division. The overall effect in the crescendo is that of a continuous transition from ppp to fff without any staggering dynamic or color steps.

In recent years, because of economic challenges, many churches have elected not to build entirely new instruments, but to retain as much as they could from their current organ or investigate viable options of transplanting a vintage instrument. One of our unique endeavors was creating an instrument for First Presbyterian Church, Johnson City, Tennessee, by combining resources from two organs in need of a new home: a 1930 Casavant from Our Lady of Grace, Chicago, and the Berghaus from Christ Lutheran Church, Cleveland, Ohio. On paper, these two disparate tonal concepts would not necessarily work well by merely placing stops together. To achieve good blend within and among the divisions, and to provide appropriate combinations for musical performance, we decided to keep the Great and Swell divisions of the Berghaus together, but reassign them and enhance the 8 tone to be adequately scaled for the new space. The new Great and Pedal divisions would combine new pipework and vintage stops that were fully restored or changed to blend with the overall tonal concept. We have also successfully installed instruments of this type with the help of consultant Wayne Wagner at Zion Lutheran Church, Columbus, Wisconsin (2 manuals, 24 ranks) and in partnership with Edward Meyer at Luther Preparatory School, Watertown, Wisconsin (2 manuals, 35 ranks). 

2014 brought us an opportunity to work with organist and historical author Peggy Kelley Reinburg, who acted as consultant for St. Benedict’s Parish, Chesapeake, Virginia. Her insight into pipe organs and tonal design proved to be an invaluable resource. Together with her, we collaborated to present an instrument with a heart of simplicity and clarity, rooted in North German tradition but also possessing a distinctive voice. This instrument brings our company full circle to its early beginnings—confident in the creation of instruments in a classic style, while tailoring tonal schemes that serve the specific needs of our many different clients.

As Berghaus celebrates 50 years, we can applaud the first instruments of our founder, Leonard Berghaus, and his many successful contributions to organbuilding. Each instrument that has been produced since I started in 2006 is unique in its own right, and I am truly proud of them all. I look forward to what the next years will bring, both in challenges and opportunities.

—Jonathan Oblander

 

From the President

My apprenticeship at Berghaus began at a very young age. I have fond memories of being pulled out of class at Grace Lutheran School to help assist with organ repairs, or so they thought! Little did I know that this would set the stage for my life’s work. My high school summers were spent working for Berghaus in a variety of roles, and in 1988 I began my full-time position. My training and work experience was primarily in casework, structure, winding, and windchest construction. As time went on, I gradually moved into project management for several years before being appointed vice president in 1999. In 2004, I was named president of the firm.

During the mid-1990s, I began to look to the future of the company and realized that to grow and remain viable, we would have to employ a new business model of separating the new organs from the service side and executing multiple projects at once. A larger facility would be needed to accommodate the change. In 1999, after several years of exploring various options, including construction of a new facility, we located a building. Although it had been vacant for a number of years, the advantages far outweighed the drawbacks. Its location less than a mile from our previous facility meant that the remodeling process and relocation would have a minimum impact on our production schedule and the more than 200 clients for whom the company provided service and maintenance.  

The move in 2001 from a 6,700-square-foot building to a 30,000-square-foot plant afforded Berghaus the opportunity to design a more streamlined approach to our processes. A new set-up room with a ceiling height of 38 feet was constructed to accommodate larger instruments. The remodeled service area allowed for a clean and spacious environment to accomplish all aspects of organ service and maintenance. One of the depressed loading docks was filled in to create additional 26 by 52 space for managing multiple projects simultaneously. Four separate voicing rooms were created to allow our artisans to excel in their craft. A conference room and spacious office area completed the updated state-of-the-art facility. The building underwent other significant structural updates and improvements, including a new fire/burglar alarm system and surveillance for safety and the protection of our clients’ property.  

In addition, the new facility allowed us to install more efficient and larger equipment to the plant floor. A new spray booth, dust collection system, 54-inch-wide belt sander, and multiple TigerStopsTM significantly updated our production process. With four new vacuum press tables, we were able to press up to eight slider chests in one day, something that would have taken us four days to accomplish in the past. Recent additions to our technology include a 3-D printer and planning for the installation of a large CNC machine. 

With my father nearing retirement, there was no doubt in my mind that a different business model would be needed to propel the company forward and continue our commitment to excellence. His were big shoes to fill. It is sobering and gratifying when I think of the many former Berghaus employees who were mentored by my father and have prominent positions throughout the industry. Preserving his legacy and continuing his life’s work was a daunting task. To accomplish this, I created a new team approach made up of a variety of artisans with the same dedication to the art of organbuilding that my father instilled in me. The new methodology produced a positive, collaborative working environment and a superior instrument, resulting in a secure future for all.

Berghaus has a history of successfully building both mechanical action and electric slider chest instruments and has continually made improvements to its approach. At the turn of the century, the advances started accelerating as the new Berghaus team began incorporating wooden windlines, 1.75-inch tongue and groove solid hardwood enclosures, European racking, and fastidious wire management into the construction techniques. Today, three-dimensional modeling and design create a realistic representation for new instrument presentation drawings and aid in the efficiency of in-shop construction. The case and console designs are an organic part of the rooms in which they reside. Our tonal finishing is, quite simply, second to none. Along with the aforementioned construction changes, we have an overhauled marketing approach with a new corporate image, website, and brochure.

What did not change was our commitment to maintaining high standards for every task our clients hire us to do, from tuning and service to building new instruments. We take great pride in tuning throughout the Midwest and beyond. From emergency service seven days a week to releathering reservoirs or cleaning instruments, our service business is paramount to our success and we appreciate the trust our clients have in us.

Our company is still devoted to the time-honored tradition of slider chests, low to moderate wind pressures, and pure and natural voicing practices. Our later instruments retain these hallmarks while presenting new colors and possibilities for performance of many schools of organ composition. Celebrating our 50th anniversary gives me the opportunity to reflect on the past and contemplate the honor of leading Berghaus into the future. The tremendous pride and respect I have for my staff and their accomplishments cannot be expressed in words. 

—Brian D. Berghaus

 

Please mark your calendars to celebrate the Berghaus 50th Anniversary with a recital at Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, Illinois, November 12, 4:00 p.m. A reception will follow in the fellowship hall.

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Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders, Inc., Bellwood, Illinois
La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church, Scottsdale, Arizona
Opus 224 (2008)

From the organbuilder
Overview
Berghaus opus 224 at La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church contains 91 ranks, 94 stops, and 5,067 pipes over four manuals and pedal. The instrument takes its place as one of the largest pipe organs in the state of Arizona. The majority of the instrument (Pedal, Great and Positiv) is located on the mezzanine level at the front of the sanctuary, on a concrete platform measuring 42 feet across. The enclosed Swell is located above the musician’s gallery in a resonant chamber measuring 14 by 18 feet, and the Antiphonal is divided and elevated on two sides of the rear gallery, flanking the large rear window.
The casework is constructed from light-golden, rift-cut oak. The design emulates contemporary shapes found elsewhere in the sanctuary. The visually striking façade, including polished tin Principals from the Pedal, Great, and Positiv divisions, takes its inspiration from the McDowell mountain range, located in the northeast corner of the Phoenix valley. A sense of depth is created with the mountain-like arrangement of flamed-copper 16′ Principal pipes from the Great and Pedal divisions. The façade also contains twelve non-speaking wood pipes, painted sage green, in homage to the majestic Saguaro cactus found in the region. Adding to the visual display is the asymmetrical layout of the Trompette en Chamade, constructed with flamed-copper resonators. The twin Antiphonal façades echo the details found in the main organ.

Tonal Approach
We designed an eclectic instrument, taking cues from the American Classic and Romantic traditions, that would be able to handle a comprehensive repertoire, including a wide range of expression, both dynamic and tonal. To that end, there are no less than five manual 8′ principals, ten different 8′ and 4′ flutes, strings and hybrid (tapered) stops of varying tone and construction. The versatility of this instrument results from our ability to treat each of these stops as a beautifully unique voice when used alone, as well as having the ability to blend well, thus creating new and desirable tones when used in combination. This is evident in the Great, which contains the standard French-Romantic foundation of Principal, String, Open Flute, and Stopped Flute.
Given the challenge of creating a large organ with only one expressive division, it was clear from the onset of the project that great care would have to be taken in the tonal finishing process to ensure a seamless crescendo and to create an organ with equally balanced manual divisions. The ranks of the unenclosed Positiv are designed and voiced to provide a remarkable degree of expressiveness, and to serve as a tonal bridge between the Swell and the Great. The overall effect in the crescendo is that of a seamless transition from ppp to fff without experiencing staggering dynamic or color steps.

Tonal Analysis
The Great division consists of 19 stops, 22 ranks, and is mostly divided between two large slider chests, one containing the principal chorus through mixture, the other containing the flute and string stops. The 8′ First Principal is of generous scale, and is constructed of 75% tin throughout. This creates a timbre that is simultaneously bright and full, and gives it a singing quality that provides a strong foundation upon which the subsequent ranks are built. The 16′ Sub Principal is scaled proportionally (smaller) to the First Principal and is extended to be available as an 8′ stop (Second Principal). This gives an alternative diapason tone that is more subdued than its larger neighbor, yet is large enough to be a lighter 8′ texture for the entire plenum. The principal chorus is completed with narrowly scaled mutations, and is crowned by two mixtures: a full 2′ V-rank Fourniture, and a sparkling 1⁄2′ III-rank Cymbale. The Flûte Harmonique is large scale, with harmonic pipes starting at no. 30, and is voiced with a very strong increase in the treble. Other flute stops include a metal 8′ Bourdon, a harmonic 4′ Flûte Octaviante, and a II-rank Gross Kornet, constructed of large-scale open flutes at 51⁄3′ and 31⁄5′ pitches to enhance the 16′ harmonic series. The 8′ Gamba is of slender scale and is gently voiced to be a blending stop. The 16′ and 8′ unit Kontra Posaune is a blending chorus reed of German construction. The 16′ and 8′ Trompette en Chamade contains schiffchen-style shallots, producing a sound reminiscent of older Spanish trumpets, yet it can be used as a crown for full organ. The Great provides a myriad of combinations suited for a range of demands from the liturgical service to the solo organ repertoire.
The Swell division contains 21 stops, 23 ranks, and is “double-stacked,” with the complete principal chorus, mutations, and reeds occupying the lower level. Flutes, strings, and celestes are mounted above. The principal chorus is based on an 8′ Diapason of spotted metal, crowned with a 2′ IV-rank Plein Jeu. The relatively low pitch of this mixture, combined with a narrow scale, allows the pipes to be blown full, which helps to produce a clear principal tone. Furthermore, the mixture is voiced softly enough to give the entire plenum a gentler quality suitable for choral accompaniment. The III-rank Cymbale is designed as a tierce mixture and voiced to its full potential to reinforce harmonics present in the fiery chorus reeds. It also blends well and can be used as a higher-pitched mixture with the principal chorus.
The Viole de Gambe is made of 75% tin and slotted for optimum harmonic development. The combination of this stop with its 61-note Voix Celeste is intended to produce true string tone, and not tone associated with narrow principals or stringy hybrid stops. This approach allows us to keep each of the tonal categories of the instrument separate and distinct. The Swell is also home to the softest rank of the organ, the 8′ Flûte Conique, which when paired with its celeste elicits a most haunting timbre. Other flutes in this division include the 8′ Flûte à Cheminée, which is wood in the bass and is extended to 16′ pitch, and a 2′ Octavin, which goes harmonic at no. 13. This 2′ flute is not intended to be used with the mixture, but rather with the 8′ and or 4′ flutes. However, it works equally well with the principals, as the scale is moderate and the voicing is light. The battery of reeds consists of a full-length 16′ Basson, an 8′ Trompette and 4′ Clairon of French construction, and an 8′ Hautbois featuring coned-in bells and parallel French shallots. When combined with foundation stops, the 8′ Hautbois becomes a most useful solo voice, especially for music from the French symphonic school. The Voix Humaine is of American Romantic construction.
The Positiv division is located adjacent to the Swell, which allows this division, along with the Swell, to accompany the choir. Totaling 19 stops and 19 ranks, the Positiv is based on an 8′ Prinzipal constructed of 75% tin and is complete through a 1′ IV-rank Scharf. The ranks of the plenum are narrower in scale than in the other divisions and provide a good secondary chorus to the Great, especially in Baroque music. The 8′ Gemshorn has a very wide mouth with a low cut-up and a 1/3 taper, giving it a string-like tone. A complete Cornet decomposée including Septième comprises pipes of various construction, from the 8′ Holzgedackt made of poplar to the 22⁄3′ chimneyed Rohrquinte. There are three solo reeds in the Positiv division, including an imitative 16′ English Horn, an 8′ Cromorne, and an 8′ Trumpet with English shallots.
The Antiphonal division comprises 9 stops and 10 ranks, and provides additional support for congregational singing as well as interesting echo effects to the main instrument. Placed on opposing sides of the gallery, the Antiphonal is higher in elevation in comparison to the main organ. The Antiphonal principals are voiced in a mild fashion, to give a sense of surrounding the listener while providing a supplemental role to the main instrument. This approach was preferred to bombarding the listener with sound from the gallery and purposely announcing the Antiphonal’s presence. Of note are the two solo flutes: the 8′ Doppelflöte and the 4′ Flauto Traverso (harmonic), both made of poplar. The organ’s heroic reed, the 8′ Trompette de Fête, is located in the Antiphonal division as well. The Trompette de Fête features hooded resonators and is voiced on 18 inches of wind.
The Pedal division comprises 26 stops and 17 ranks. The division is thoroughly complete to provide ample foundation tone in a variety of timbres and volumes. Fortunately, few of the pedal stops are borrowed, which gives tremendous flexibility to the division as a whole. The principal chorus is based on an open metal 16′ Principal, scaled according to classical principles (relative to the Great 8′ First Principal). The entire chorus provides a solid contrast to the Great and gives excellent support without being woofy. When a more penetrating foundation is desired, the generously scaled 16′ Open Wood is useful for larger combinations. Of particular note is the 31⁄5′ V-rank Pedal Mixture. The first rank of this stop is a tierce (16′ series), constructed of 2/3 tapered pipes. Voiced gently, this rank dramatically enhances the 16′ fundamental tone, while giving the overall plenum a pleasantly reedy tone. This helps to further clarify the Pedal line in contrapuntal textures. As with many of our larger instruments, an 8′ Spitzflöte is included to give a more pointed emphasis to the Pedal line in softer combinations. The reed chorus consists of a 32′ and 16′ Bombarde constructed with pine resonators, and a large-scale 8′ Trompette with English shallots. A 4′ Rohrschalmei is a very characteristic reed useful for cantus firmus solos.

Wind System and Chests
The vast majority of flue stops in this organ are placed on slider and pallet chests, which we believe speak to the heart (and origins) of good organ building. Principals and flutes in each division (sans Antiphonal), are placed on separate chests. This helps to solidify each respective chorus. We have insured absolutely steady wind by incorporating a large number of bellows and schwimmers. By contrast, reeds are placed on electro-pneumatic chests, allowing wind pressures to vary to suit the tonality of each reed. Furthermore, wood wind conductors are used throughout the organ, which helps to eliminate turbulence and the resulting wind noise. Pneumatic pedal and offset chests are supplied with their own regulators and concussion bellows.

Console
Design elements of the four-manual console were taken from architectural themes found in the church. The contemporary English-style drawknob console is low profile, and contains state of the art controls for the combination action and record/playback systems. Controls were placed inside a drawer to the organist’s right in order that the console be visually free of electronic clutter. The shell is made of light-golden, rift-cut oak to match casework. Drawknob jambs are made of burled walnut. Keyboard coverings are bone and feature top-resistant tracker touch.

Construction Timeline
The creative journey to construct opus 224 began late fall 2007, with final voicing completed spring 2009. The organ was dedicated in a festival service organized by Dr. Jennaya Robison, director of music, and played by Dr. Homer Ashton Ferguson III. Dr. Weston Noble conducted the combined choirs. The organ was also featured at the 2009 Region IX AGO convention.
Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders wishes to thank the members of La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church, Scottsdale, Arizona, and the following individuals: Pastor Andrew Garman, senior pastor; Dr. Jennaya Robison, director of music; Dr. Homer Ashton Ferguson III, organist; and Dr. William Barnett, prior organist.
Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders also wishes to thank members of its staff for their countless hours and dedication to this instrument:
President: Brian Berghaus
Director of sales and marketing: David McCleary
Tonal design: Jonathan Oblander, Kelly Monette
Head tonal finisher: Kelly Monette
Reed specialist: Steven Hoover
Structural and visual design: Steven Protzman
Shop foreman: Jeff Hubbard
Logistics: Jean O’Brien
Construction / assembly / installation: Mark Ber, Mitch Blum, Stan Bujak, Kevin Chunko, Chris Czopek, Steve Drexler, Trevor Kahlbaugh, Kurt Linstead, David Mueller, Joe Poland, Daniel Roberts, Tim Roney, Paul Serresseque, Ron Skibbe, Jordon Smoots, Paul Szymkowski, Randy Watkins.
—Kelly Monette, David McCleary, and Jonathan Oblander

Photo credit: David McCleary

Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders, Inc., Bellwood, Illinois
La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church, Scottsdale, Arizona
Opus 224 (2008)

GREAT – Manual II (unenclosed, 90 mm wind pressure)
16′ Sub Principal (façade) 61 pipes flamed copper and 75% tin
8′ First Principal (façade) 61 pipes 75% tin
8′ Second Principal (façade) 12 pipes (extension of 16′ Sub Principal)
8′ Flûte Harmonique 49 pipes 1–12 from Bourdon, harmonic @ f30
8′ Bourdon 61 pipes 52% tin
8′ Gamba 61 pipes 1–12 zinc, 13–61 52% tin
4′ Octave 61 pipes 52% tin
4′ Flûte Octaviante 61 pipes 52% tin; harmonic @ c25
22⁄3′ Twelfth 61 pipes 52% tin
2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes 52% tin
13⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes 52% tin
51⁄3′ Gross Kornet II 88 pipes 51⁄3′ and 31⁄5′, 52% tin; c13 to g56
2′ Fourniture V 305 pipes 75% tin (15-19-22-26-29)
1⁄2′ Cymbale III 183 pipes 75% tin (29-33-36)
16′ Kontra Posaune 61 pipes 1–12 L/2, resonators zinc and 52% tin
8′ Trompete 12 pipes (extension of 16′ Kontra Posaune)
Tremulant
Zimbelstern 5 bells with adjustable delay, speed, and volume
16′ Trompette en Chamade 61 pipes 1–12 L/2, flamed copper resonators
8′ Trompette en Chamade 12 pipes (extension of 16′)
8′ Trompette de Fête (Antiphonal)

SWELL – Manual III (enclosed, 80 mm wind pressure)
16′ Bourdon 24 pipes poplar (extension of 8′ Flûte à Cheminée)
8′ Diapason 61 pipes 1–12 zinc, 13–61 52% tin
8′ Viole de Gambe 61 pipes 1–12 zinc, 13–61 75% tin; slotted
8′ Voix Celeste CC 61 pipes 1–12 zinc, 13–61 75% tin; slotted
8′ Flûte à Cheminée 49 pipes 40% tin, 1–12 from Bourdon
8′ Flûte Conique 61 pipes 75% tin
8′ Flûte Celeste TC 49 pipes 75% tin
4′ Prestant 61 pipes 52% tin
4′ Flûte Ouverte 61 pipes 40% tin
22⁄3′ Nasard 61 pipes 52% tin
2′ Octavin 61 pipes 75% tin; harmonic @ c13
13⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes 52% tin
2′ Plein Jeu IV 244 pipes 75% tin (15-19-22-26)
1′ Cymbale III 183 pipes 75% tin (22-24-26)
16′ Basson 61 pipes L/1, resonators of zinc and 52% tin
8′ Trompette 61 pipes resonators of 75% tin
8′ Hautbois 61 pipes resonators of 52% tin
8′ Voix Humaine 61 pipes 52% tin
4′ Clairon 61 pipes resonators of 75% tin
Tremulant
8′ Trompette de Fête (Antiphonal)
16′ Trompette en Chamade (Great)
8′ Trompette en Chamade (Great)

POSITIV – Manual I (unenclosed, 70 mm wind pressure)
16′ Quintaton 61 pipes 1–12 zinc, 13–61 75% tin
8′ Prinzipal (façade) 61 pipes 75% tin
8′ Gemshorn 61 pipes 1–12 zinc, 13–61 52% tin; 1/3 taper
8′ Holzgedackt 61 pipes poplar
4′ Oktav 61 pipes 75% tin
4′ Koppelflöte 61 pipes 52% tin
22⁄3′ Rohrquinte 61 pipes 52% tin
2′ Oktav 61 pipes 75% tin
2′ Blockflöte 61 pipes 40% tin
13⁄5′ Terz 61 pipes 52% tin
11⁄3′ Larigot 61 pipes 52% tin
11⁄7′ Septième 61 pipes 52% tin
1′ Scharf IV 244 pipes 75% tin (22-26-29-33)
16′ English Horn 61 pipes resonators of zinc and 52% tin
8′ Trumpet 61 pipes 52% tin
8′ Cromorne 61 pipes 52% tin
Tremulant
8′ Trompette de Fête (Antiphonal)
16′ Trompette en Chamade (Great)
8′ Trompette en Chamade (Great)

ANTIPHONAL – Manual IV (unenclosed, 75 mm wind pressure)
8′ Principal (façade) 61 pipes 1–12 flamed copper, 13–61 75% tin
8′ Doppelflöte (façade) 61 pipes poplar
4′ Octave (façade) 61 pipes 75% tin
4′ Flauto Traverso 61 pipes poplar; harmonic @ c25
2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes 75% tin
11⁄3′ Fourniture IV 244 pipes 75% tin (19-22-26-29)
Tremulant
16′ Trompette de Fête 61 pipes hooded resonators, 18 inches wind pressure
16′ Trompette en Chamade (Great)
8′ Trompette en Chamade (Great)

PEDAL (unenclosed, 90 mm wind pressure)
32′ Untersatz 7 pipes poplar
16′ Open Wood 32 pipes poplar
16′ Principal (façade) 32 pipes flamed copper and 75% tin
16′ Sub Principal (Great)
16′ Subbass 32 pipes poplar
16′ Quintaton (Positiv)
16′ Bourdon (Swell)
8′ Octave (façade) 32 pipes 75% tin
8′ Principal (Great)
8′ Spitzflöte 32 pipes 75% tin, 4/5 taper
8′ Metallgedackt 32 pipes 52% tin
8′ Bourdon (Swell)
4′ Octave 32 pipes 75% tin
4′ Spillflöte 32 pipes 52% tin
2′ Nachthorn 32 pipes 52% tin
31⁄5′ Mixture V 160 pipes 52% tin (10-12-15-19-22)
32′ Contre Bombarde 12 pipes (extension of 16′ Bombarde)
16′ Bombarde 32 pipes resonators of pine
16′ Posaune (Great)
16′ Basson (Swell)
8′ Trompette 32 pipes 52% tin
8′ Posaune (Great)
4′ Rohrschalmei 32 pipes 52% tin
Tremulant (slider chest stops only)
8′ Trompette de Fête (Antiphonal)
16′ Trompette en Chamade (Great)
8′ Trompette en Chamade (Great)

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