Berghaus project in Wichita, Kansas

Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders, Bellwood, Illinois

Saint Paul’s Memorial United Methodist Church, South Bend, Indiana

Every organ project is unique, but the unusual circumstances surrounding our introduction to the project at Saint Paul’s Memorial United Methodist Church make it stand out. The opportunity came to our attention after a friend of the firm took an architectural tour of the church, and Saint Paul’s was kind enough to allow us to assess the organ and provide several options for consideration.

When we inspected the 1902 Bennett Organ Co. instrument, the original leathers were deteriorating and the organ was unreliable at best. The process of converting the electro-pneumatic action to an electric-valve action had already begun, and the church was looking for a bid to continue that process and rebuild the rest of the organ in its original configuration.

In addition to furnishing the requested bid, Berghaus gave the option to convert the main chestwork to slider chests, reconfigure the chamber, build a new steel structure, new enclosures, new wind system, and new console in a much more comprehensive approach to rebuilding the instrument.

The slider chest approach appealed to Saint Paul’s Memorial, providing a multitude of benefits. The simplicity of a slider chest reduces the number of moving parts from the thousands to the hundreds, lowers the maintenance costs as a result, creates less chance of malfunction or failure, and provides a common wind channel for excellent tuning stability and blend.

Reconfiguration of the chamber allows for easier access and serviceability of the instrument. The new steel structure provides sturdy support for the 13-1⁄4-inch tongue-and-groove expression chamber walls and shades. New reservoirs and wooden windlines reduce noise and turbulence, providing a steady wind supply to the chests. New electro-pneumatic offset chests support the largest bass pipes. A new custom cherry console, built to AGO standards, provides the organist with a comfortable setting from which to play the instrument.

As the stoplist shows, many ranks of the original Bennett instrument still remain; however, some of the pipework was so badly damaged that Berghaus elected to replace it with vintage sources from our inventory. Our pipe specialists repaired all ranks and revoiced them to give the organ its signature sound with the new elements providing more color possibilities. The crowning of the organ is the 23-karat gold gilding of the original façade pipes, which makes the organ look as sumptuous as it sounds.

The organ was completed in November 2017. Over 200 people attended the dedicatory concert given by former Berghaus tonal director Jonathan Oblander on April 6, 2018.

—Brian Berghaus, President

GREAT (Manual II, unenclosed)

8′ Open Diapason (façade, existing, 61 pipes)

8′ Doppelflöte (existing, 61 pipes)

8′ Gemshorn (from inventory, Ruffatti, 61 pipes)

4′ Principal (existing, 61 pipes)

22⁄3′ Nasard (existing, 61 pipes)

2′ Super Octave (existing, 61 pipes)

11⁄3′ Plein Jeu III (existing and Berghaus inventory, 183 pipes)

Tremolo

Chimes (new action, 25 bars)

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed)

16′ Gedeckt (existing, 61 pipes)

8′ Open Diapason (existing, 61 pipes)

8′ Chimney Flute (existing, 61 pipes)

8′ Salicional (existing, 61 pipes)

8′ Voix Celeste (TC, from inventory, Wangerin, 49 pipes)

8′ Aeoline (from inventory, Estey, 61 pipes)

4′ Harmonic Flute (from inventory, Casavant, 61 pipes)

2′ Flageolet (existing, 61 pipes)

8′ Trumpet (existing, 61 pipes)

8′ Oboe (from inventory, Wicks, 61 pipes)

8′ Vox Humana (from inventory, Wangerin, 61 pipes)

4′ Clarion (existing, 61 pipes)

Tremolo

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed)

8′ Geigen Principal (existing, 61 pipes)

8′ Melodia (existing, 61 pipes)

8′ Flute Celeste (TC, new, 49 pipes)

8′ Dulciana (existing and from inventory, Casavant, 61 pipes)

8′ Unda Maris (TC, from inventory, Casavant, 49 pipes)

4′ Flute Octaviante (existing, 61 pipes)

8′ Orchestral Oboe (existing, 61 pipes)

8′ Clarinet (existing, 61 pipes)

Tremolo

PEDAL (unenclosed)

16′ Open Diapason (existing and from inventory, Casavant, 56 pipes)

16′ Violone (façade, existing, 32 pipes)

16′ Bourdon (existing, 44 pipes)

16′ Gedeckt (fr Sw)

8′ Octave (ext 16′)

8′ Bass Flute (ext 16′)

8′ Still Gedeckt (Sw 16′)

4′ Choral Bass (ext 16′)

16′ Contra Fagotto (existing, 44 pipes)

8′ Fagotto (ext 16′)

 

Full complement of couplers

Peterson ICS-4000 combination action system

Record/Playback feature

Programmable crescendo and Tutti functions

Three manuals, 33 ranks, 1,909 pipes

Lewtak Pipe Organ Builders, Inc., Mocksville, North Carolina; Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina

Music director’s perspective

The story began with our church’s celebration of its fiftieth anniversary. Like so many congregations, those years were filled with wonderful accomplishments as well as challenges and changes. As the people of Seven Oaks stepped forward in faith to envision what our next fifty years would look like, there was prayerful thought and deliberation given to the nature and forms of our worship. Worship is a defining feature of our congregation and serves as a touchstone around which we organize and prepare ourselves for lives of discipleship. The music ministry is a highly valued component of our worship and has a long tradition of excellence. As part of our visioning, a commitment was made to continue using the organ as the central instrument for accompanying, supporting, and enhancing our worship.

When the sanctuary was built, an eleven-rank W. Zimmer & Sons organ was installed. After more than thirty years of service, electronic and mechanical systems were failing. That, combined with the excessive unification of the pipework and lack of color and distinctiveness in the voicing, made it extremely difficult for the instrument to continue fully supporting our congregation’s worship.

Around the same time, Tom Lewtak, founder of Lewtak Pipe Organ Builders, was in the midst of installing a large new tracker instrument in a nearby church. He generously agreed to meet with us, look over our instrument, and make suggestions for how we might proceed. From our first meeting, it was clear that his philosophy was grounded in historical organ building practices and informed by a thorough understanding of twenty-first-century advances. More importantly, his advice revealed his attention to detail, passion for excellence, and heart for serving the needs of congregations. Then, after experiencing the exquisite craftsmanship and stellar tonal work done exhibited by some of his instruments, we were confident his firm was the ideal choice for our renovation project.

Within the constraints of our financial resources, Tom began crafting an instrument that would visually enhance our worship space and significantly expand the organ’s tonal resources. As he and the skilled craftsmen at Lewtak Pipe Organ Builders got to work, members of our congregation stepped up to renovate the pipe chamber space. Our own skilled volunteers labored for several months expanding the space, which allowed for doubling the number of ranks and significantly improved tonal egress.

As the project proceeded, there were a variety of challenges and changes that came along. The vast majority of the organ’s systems were found to be simply inadequate and needed to be replaced. As an example, the original console and keyboards could not be rebuilt, necessitating the construction of a brand new console. Still, every step of the way Tom found workable solutions that enhanced the sound, the visual beauty, and functional integrity of the instrument. In the end, what began as a renovation idea ended up as truly much more than a rebuilt instrument. We had a new organ.

Our new twenty-four-rank instrument has over 1,300 pipes. The original pipework, after proper revoicing, was used primarily to create the Great division. New pipework and chests make up an enclosed Swell division and significantly expanded the Pedal division. All pipework was voiced with extraordinary care and skill to maximize the quality and clarity of each rank and to create a satisfying ensemble sound that takes full advantage of the building’s acoustics. The new two-manual, stoptab console includes beautifully inlaid wood. It has two excellently crafted tracker-touch keyboards, all digital combination and control systems, and an adjustable speed tremulant that adapts well to music from many different periods. The organ is tuned to Neidhardt 1724 “Grosse Stadt,” a temperament that is more consistent with classical temperaments, enhancing the overall quality of the sound and adding a touch of historical authenticity to the music. The project was capped off with the installation of Tom Lewtak’s handsomely designed and crafted organ façade, which notably enriched the aesthetic quality of our worship space.

All in all, this project has reformed our church’s music and worship by creating for us an instrument having independent divisions, each splendidly colorful and powerful in ensemble. Once completed we had just a few months before the pandemic hit and worship was moved online. Now, a year later our congregation has regathered and is once again enjoying the transformation of our organ and the rich musical experience with which it enhances our worship.

We have been deeply blessed by our partnership with Tom Lewtak and Lewtak Pipe Organ Builders. Their commitment to excellence, fastidiousness, and generous spirit has made them valued partners. We now look forward to decades of music ministering and inspiring all who hear our organ to join us in giving praise to God!

—Lloyd R. Pilkington, Ph.D.

Director of Music Ministry

Technical remarks

Because right from the beginning it was obvious that this would not be a mechanical-action organ, we approached the Seven Oaks project with a dose of nervousness. Throughout our twenty years in business, we have performed many renovations of non-tracker instruments, but we had never built one thus far! In the process, we have certainly learned many things that are specific to electric-action organs—and by that we mean both the good and the bad. In general, it confirmed our long-standing conviction that, if at all possible, the choice of mechanical action is overall a better one. However, not to sound negative, we are rushing to admit that there are circumstances that make it impossible to build mechanical, and then the choice of an electric action is necessary and it can be executed in a quite satisfactory manner.

At Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church, for the new Swell division main windchest, we selected a particular chest construction, one that we felt would deliver the most satisfying musical results and be reliable for a very long time. The windchest is of a slider-and-pallet type, with pallets being fitted with balanced valves and pulled down by electromagnets. This was to avoid the effect of sudden wind rush and abrupt pipe speech caused by the magnet moving too quickly. It is not a new idea, of course, but every builder puts his/her own twist on it, and so did we, naturally. Working through the trial and error process, we arrived at a “sweet spot” ratio of the pneumatic-to-pallet area, which ended up giving us the desired effect of natural pipe speech behavior. We tried, and I think that we succeeded, to avoid having an organ that behaves too much like a machine and not enough like an instrument. The responsiveness and natural performance of the Swell chest turned out to be most pleasing both for the player and the listener.

For several other ranks, in particular in the Pedal division, we had to build many more windchests with other kinds of action. In total, because of the space limitations, there are thirteen new windchests in this organ, some as small as twelve notes and as big as 64, with a variety of action types. This entire array of components is controlled by an electronic system, integrated with the console interface.

As for the division placement, once again we had to face the limitations of available real estate. The organ chamber offered generous height, but little square footage area. With the new, greatly enlarged front opening for the façade, we decided to keep things as centered and as symmetrical as possible. The Great division was therefore placed centrally behind the front pipes, with the largest Pedal pipes occupying the space directly behind it against the back wall. The Swell, however, would not fit above it, and our solution was to split it into C and C-sharp sides and place it on two opposing ends of the organ chamber. Therefore, in reality, there are two expression boxes, with two sets of louvers operated synchronously, and with the wind supply interconnected to assure that the windchests behave like one, not two separate entities. An interesting challenge came with the tremolo, which stubbornly affected one side more than the other! It took several attempts and serious tricks to get it under control.

In all of our organs, the wind supply is purposely left a bit unstable. Not to push the needle of good taste to either extreme, we simply do not like the wind to be a “flatline,” or to be as unsteady as to become an annoyance. A middle-ground solution seems to be pleasing to most people. The organ at Seven Oaks has only one but fairly large set of bellows with double rise, inverted ribs. It guarantees generous storage capacity and steady wind pressure even at times of the highest demand. The windchests do not have schwimmer plates or “floating” regulators. Instead, there are small concussion bellows attached to individual chests, allowing for much finer regulation of wind behavior. The result is the sound that breathes with the music, naturally and discreetly.

The console layout follows a minimalistic, yet very functional design. It offers utilitarian simplicity and friendliness even at the very first contact. There is everything one might need for both service playing as well as for the most arduous literature performance. The design of the console shell is an extension of the façade motif and was made from the same species of wood. Our intention was to create a strong visual link between the two.

Lastly, I want to offer not a technical remark but something that is truly important in the overall project of this scope—the human aspect of it. At Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church, we have encountered so much kindness, understanding, respect, trust, and goodwill that we would be remiss not to give it a special mention. This was perhaps not the most high-value contract an organ building establishment would ask for, but in terms of personal satisfaction, it was a remarkable experience for our entire team. We are sincerely grateful for the friendship and support of good folks in this graceful worship community.

—Tom Lewtak, MM, MA

President

Lewtak Pipe Organ Builders, Inc.

The dedicatory recital will take place in October. The program, “Pipes of Praise,” will include music from across the centuries from Bach to Bock. Dr. Lloyd Pilkington, Director of Music Ministries, will present the recital.

GREAT (Manual I)

8′ Principal (existing)

8′ Gedackt (1–24 existing, 25–61 new)

4′ Octave (new)

4′ Gemshorn (existing)

2-2⁄3′ Nasard (1–12 new, 13–61 existing, from old Sesquialter II)

2′ Superoctave (new)

Mixture III (existing)

8′ Trompete (1–12 new, 13–61 existing)

Great to Great 4

Swell to Great 16

Swell to Great 8

Swell to Great 4

SWELL (Manual II, enclosed)

8′ Hohlflöte (new, wood)

8′ Gamba (new)

8′ Celeste TC (existing)

4′ Prestant (new)

4′ Koppelflöte (1–12 new, 13–61 existing)

2′ Flageolet (new)

1-3⁄5′ Tierce (1–12 new, 13–61 existing, from old Sesquilater II)

1-1⁄3′ Larigot (new)

8′ Oboe (new)

Tremolo

Swell to Swell 16

Swell to Swell 4

PEDAL

16′ Violon (new)

16′ Subbass (1–12 existing, 13–32 new)

8′ Octave (new)

8′ Bourdon (from Great Gedackt 8′)

4′ Choralbass (new)

16′ Fagott (1–24 existing, 25–32 new)

8′ Trumpet (1–20 shared with 16′ Fagott, 21–32 new )

Great to Pedal 8

Great to Pedal 4

Swell to Pedal 8

Swell to Pedal 4

 

24 stops

24 ranks

1,331 pipes (622 existing, 709 new)

Manual compass c1–c61

Pedal compass c1–g32

Electric key and stop action

Tracker-touch keyboards

Electronics by Peterson Electro-Musical Products

Tuning temperament: Neidhardt 1724 “Grosse Stadt”

Muller Pipe Organ Company, Croton, Ohio

Saint Patrick Catholic Church, Columbus, Ohio

Muller Pipe Organ Company has installed a new two-manual, twenty-two-rank organ at Saint Patrick Catholic Church in Columbus, Ohio. The instrument utilizes select pipework from the church’s former organ—a 1935 Schantz—plus the façade and casework of an earlier Odell/Roosevelt instrument. The Schantz organ was typical for 1935 and served the parish for many years. In the 1980s, an ambitious plan of restoration and expansion commenced. A three-manual console was installed to accommodate several tonal additions that would “complete” the instrument, but the additions ultimately went unrealized.

Within the last decade, discussions about an organ project were reinitiated by Kathleen Tully, director of music of the parish. After considering a variety of options, it became apparent that, though the organ was beloved, it needed more color and the ability to support congregational singing. The favored approach was to establish a new tonal concept capable of supporting a wide variety of singing, to create a new organ mechanically, and to retain several signature sounds of the existing organ.

The new instrument is rooted in centuries of pipe organ tonal design but departs somewhat from the norm to provide maximum flexibility and color. Possessing independent principal stops in the Great division chorus and separate principal ranks in the Swell and Pedal divisions, the organ can render contrapuntal music effectively. Unification is employed to provide enhanced functionality and to encourage creativity. Both the Great and Swell are enclosed to inspire inventive use of the instrument’s resources.

The Great division boasts five 8′ flue ranks and has a dual nature. Aptly serving as a traditional Great division, it also assumes the role ordinarily assigned to a Choir division with its colorful flutes, strings, and Clarinet. The retained Open Diapason functions as both a solo stop and foundation tone.

The Swell division commands a formidable presence in the tonal scheme. Beginning with the restored Violin Diapason, a plethora of possibilities emerges as one explores the tonal palette. Two reed stops are available, including the powerful English-style Trumpet to crown the sound of full organ.

The Pedal division undergirds the entire instrument, with no fewer than five 16′ ranks on this modest instrument. A variety of unifications makes the accompaniment of any manual combination possible.

Building this instrument with a limited footprint so that all components would be readily accessible was an interesting challenge for our engineering team. Twenty-two ranks and five 16′ stops now reside where 14 ranks and one 16′ stop originally existed. Specially designed windchests were employed to take full advantage of the chamber, where horizontal space is more abundant than depth.

The 1980s console was replaced with a restored and updated two-manual preowned console. To complete the project, volunteer artisans from the parish painstakingly restored the façade pipes.

The organ was dedicated on November 22, 2019, during Solemn Vespers for the Memorial of Saint Cecilia.

—John W. Muller, president

Scott G. Hayes, tonal director

GREAT (Manual I, enclosed)

8′ Open Diapason (Ped, unenclosed)

8′ Principal (new) 61 pipes

8′ Chimney Flute 73 pipes (1–12 existing, 13–73 new)

8′ Dulciana (existing) 61 pipes

8′ Unda Maris (existing) 61 pipes

4′ Octave (new) 61 pipes

4′ Chimney Flute (ext 8′)

2′ Fifteenth (new) 61 pipes

Mixture III (new) 183 pipes

8′ Trumpet (Sw)

8′ Clarinet (new) 61 pipes

SWELL (Manual II, enclosed)

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (existing) 97 pipes

8′ Principal (new) 73 pipes

8′ Gedeckt (ext 16′)

8′ Salicional (vintage) 61 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste (TC, vintage) 49 pipes

4′ Principal (ext 8′)

4′ Harmonic Flute (vintage) 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard (ext 16′)

2′ Flute (ext 16′)

1-3⁄5′ Tierce (TC) 49 pipes

Mixture II (new) 122 pipes

16′ Bassoon (new) 73 pipes

8′ Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Oboe (ext 16′)

Tremolo

PEDAL

32′ Bourdon (Peterson) 12 notes

16′ Open Diapason 73 pipes (1–12 vintage, 13–73 existing)

16′ Bourdon (existing) 44 pipes

16′ Gedeckt (Sw)

8′ Octave (ext 16′)

8′ Bourdon (ext 16′)

8′ Gedeckt (Sw)

4′ Super Octave (ext 16′)

4′ Chimney Flute (Gt)

16′ Double Trumpet (new) 12 pipes

16′ Bassoon (Sw)

8′ Trumpet (Sw)

4′ Oboe (Sw)

Standard intra- and inter-divisional couplers and pistons

Peterson ICS-4000 Control System

22 ranks, 38 stops, 1,409 pipes

A. Thompson-Allen Company, New Haven, Connecticut; Derry Presbyterian Church, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Editor's note: Click on the link above to view the front cover of the April 1951 issue of The Diapason and announcement of Opus 1132 for the Church of the Redeemer, New Haven, Connecticut.

The organ’s first career

In 1951 New Haven’s Church of the Redeemer, founded in 1838, moved into a neo-colonial structure designed by prominent local architect Douglas Orr. The new church was located in the city’s East Rock neighborhood and quickly took its place among Orr’s other distinguished buildings that remain popular to the present day.

The church’s organist-choirmaster, Hope Leroy Baumgartner (1891–1969), was assigned the task of designing a suitable organ for the new sanctuary. A student of Horatio Parker and Harry Benjamin Jepson, Baumgartner was awarded a Bachelor of Music degree from the Yale School of Music in 1916. In 1919 he was appointed to the faculty as an associate professor where he taught composition and music theory with distinction until his retirement in 1960.

As a teacher, Baumgartner was famous for his attention to detail, so it is no surprise that he took an intense interest in the designing of Church of the Redeemer’s new organ, to be built by the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company as their Opus 1132. The April 1951 issue of The Diapason carries a front-page article describing the completion of the new organ, noting:

The organ was designed by H. Leroy Baumgartner, organist and choirmaster of the church, associate professor of the theory of music at Yale University and noted composer. Professor Baumgartner spent several years developing the scheme for this instrument and provided detailed instructions for its construction, which included drawings specifying the placement of the controls at the console. A feature of the organ will be an unusually large number of mechanical controls, some of which were designed by Professor Baumgartner.

Baumgartner was especially known for accompanying oratorios as part of his music program, and he wanted an instrument that would facilitate complex registrational changes. Not only did he specify several highly unusual console controls, but he also had some idiosyncratic ideas about the design of the stoplist.

The founder of our company, Aubrey Thompson-Allen, was assistant to G. Donald Harrison while Opus 1132 was being negotiated. Harrison had become exasperated with Baumgartner’s incessant micromanaging of the details of the organ’s stoplist and console controls, ultimately placing a large stack of correspondence in Aubrey’s hands and asking him to go to New Haven to see if the contract somehow might be finalized and signed. Ultimately it was, and an order was given for an instrument of fifty-one speaking stops controlled by a three-manual console, with a floating Positive division that could be played from the Great or Choir manuals.

In an effort to wring the greatest number of stops from the complement of pipes, a number of compromises had to be made. To cite only one example, the 8′ Rohr Bordun in the Swell served also as the unison flute for the Great, Choir, and Pedal divisions, which had none of their own. To save expense, the design of the organ omitted the use of chest relays, with the result that this flute would not “travel” with any of the couplers and had to be drawn separately on any manual to which the Swell might be coupled.

For more than sixty-five years, Opus 1132 provided reliable and beautiful music under the hands of several musicians. Each of them learned to accommodate the organ’s peculiarities, including an amazingly complicated setterboard that controlled the combination pistons. The members of the Church of the Redeemer cherished their Aeolian-Skinner organ and maintained excellent stewardship of it, including a basic releathering of the chassis and the installation of a multi-level combination action in 2007, even as the congregation was beginning to contemplate its own future.

By 2018 the membership had dwindled to about 170 dedicated people, and they found it increasingly difficult to keep their large physical plant maintained to the standards they had set for themselves. After exploring possible mergers with other Congregational churches in the area, the members voted to close the church and sell the property, ending Redeemer’s 180-year history of service to New Haven. Consistent with the congregation’s strong commitment to its core values, more than $2.2 million was donated to other churches and entities having similar values and missions, including almost $800,000 set aside as the Church of the Redeemer Community Legacy Fund at the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.

Unable to find a buyer willing to continue the building’s use as a church, after two years the congregation sold the property to a developer for conversion to apartments, with the stipulation that the external appearance of the church and its parish house would be preserved as a neighborhood landmark. The organ was offered for sale, and while several church delegations were enthusiastic about the instrument, none of them could undertake the project. As the deadline for interior demolition approached, the organ’s fate looked increasingly uncertain. Those who knew and loved Opus 1132 became anxious for the organ’s future.

In late September 2019, a committee from Derry Presbyterian Church in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which had been searching for an Aeolian-Skinner organ, heard about Opus 1132’s availability, and on October 4 visited Church of the Redeemer. Yale Institute of Sacred Music student Jerrick Cavagnaro engagingly demonstrated the instrument for the committee, and it was love at first sight. They were impressed by the organ’s musical qualities and excellent state of preservation, and in short order, contracts were drawn up and signed. On November 3 a farewell concert was played by several prominent local musicians, with members of the Derry Presbyterian Church present to formally receive the instrument. Removal of the organ began immediately afterwards, just as construction equipment started to appear on the property.

—Joseph F. Dzeda

Restoration and relocation of Opus 1132

The restoration of this fine Aeolian-Skinner was perfectly straightforward for us as we have restored a number of Skinner and Aeolian-Skinner organs over the last fifty years. After we removed the organ from Church of the Redeemer we proceeded to complete the restoration. We had releathered the organ ten years earlier, but this did not include restoration of the pipework and new gaskets for all the chests and windlines.

The flue pipes were cleaned, repaired, and fitted with new stainless slide tuners. The wood flutes were cleaned and shellacked, with the stoppers releathered. Then each stop was placed on my voicing machine to be regulated for power and speech. The wind pressures were reset to the factory records. All the pitman and unit chests had been fully rebuilt and were in perfect condition. Anything that was not done during the previous work was now completed, including new gaskets for all the pitman and unit chests and assorted windline flanges.

The original console and all relays and wiring were replaced. The old console was painted and was unsuitable to go with the other woodwork in the church. A new oak console with Peterson solid-state was built by Organ Supply Industries and was matched to the existing furniture in the new location. We made every attempt to replicate the appearance of an Aeolian-Skinner console, especially with knob, coupler, and piston layout.

We wanted to restore the organ tonally to the way that G. Donald Harrison had originally designed it. In the final specification the organ did not contain unison flutes on the Great, Choir, and Pedal. The unit Swell 16′ Rohr Bordun had to do the job on all manuals and pedal. GDH was dead set against this, and he eventually put the project in Aubrey Thompson-Allen’s (assistant to GDH) hands.

We have endeavored to complete the specification with the addition of:

• A new Skinner-style Choir 8′ Concert Flute.

• A repurposed 1930 Skinner Great 8′ Flute Harmonique.

• A repurposed Pedal 16′–8′ Bourdon, retained from the Hershey church’s former Reuter organ.

In its previous home the Pedal Bombarde was buried in a tone pocket in the Choir organ and was ineffective. We have relocated it, unenclosed, with the Pedal division just behind and slightly above the Great division. It is a fine “English Trombone” and is very successful in its new location. This and all of the other reeds in the organ have been beautifully restored by Broome and Company.

Relocating the organ designed for a completely different organ chamber presented many challenges, especially as Opus 1132 is much larger than the former organ. The entire organ was reconfigured and assembled in our erecting room. The organ had originally been installed either side of the chancel with the Choir, Positive, and Pedal on one side and the Swell and Great on the other. There were always pitch issues with the Great and Positive being in different locations, and it could be perilous to combine them!

The new chamber has the Swell and Choir in identical swell boxes on either side of the chamber, with vertical shutters on the front and diagonally on the sides, with the shades angled to project the sound out into the church. The Great and Positive, which are on chromatic chests, are installed next to each other with the treble end facing the chamber opening and passage boards between the chests for tuning access. This has eliminated the pitch differences that had existed. The entire organ is on one level except for the Great and Pedal zinc basses that had been in the façades of the Redeemer organ. These were cut to speaking length and placed on new chests above the Great and Positive. Aeolian-Skinner often did this when space was at a premium.

The Pedal organ has been placed at the back of the main chamber starting with the 16′ Contra Bass and continuing forward with the 16′ Bourdon and then the 16′ Bombarde. The mouths are at different heights to ensure adequate speaking room, and every effort has been made to have all of the windchests accessible for maintenance.

The entire wind trunk system is made up of either new galvanized metal or the original windlines unsoldered and reconfigured as needed. All of the Aeolian-Skinner flanges were retained.

The original Spencer blower was retained and restored by Joseph Sloane. The hubs and turbine fans had been badly damaged when the fans were removed to service the motor in the past. New fans and hubs had to be manufactured and installed, and the old single-phase induction motor was replaced with a new three-phase motor. We have found the single-phase motors to be unreliable after 70–100 years and warrant replacement for safety and reliability. Also, the blower never had a static reservoir, instead having a small Spencer pressure regulator. Not only did this have inadequate capacity, but it also allowed wind noise into the chamber through the windlines, caused by fan turbulence. We have installed a vintage Skinner reservoir over the blower to overcome these issues. Now up in the chamber the organ is silent with the wind on.

This very rewarding project was completed by the following members of the ATA Company:

• Kurt Bocco—reservoirs, wind trunks and installation.

• Joseph Dzeda—wiring and keeping the company in order during our many weeks away.

• Joe Linger—all windchests and installation.

• Sam Linger—all windchests and installation.

• Nick Thompson-Allen—pipe restoration and voicing and installation and tuning.

• Nate Ventrella—wiring and installation.

• Zack Ventrella—layout, console and wiring, installation, and tuning.

Also, we thank:

• Chris Broome—all reed pipe restoration.

• Joseph Sloane—blower restoration and installation.

• Bryan Timm and Organ Supply Industries—new console, new Peterson solid-state, new chests for the Great and Pedal basses and the two added stops, and the new pipes for the Concert Flute.

And finally:

• Grant Wareham—organist and liaison with the church, whose help and patience have been greatly appreciated.

—Nicholas Thompson-Allen

The musician’s perspective

Opus 1132 is a wonderful instrument. It is ideal for all types of choral accompanying, fills the room well for congregational singing, and can tackle almost any type of organ repertoire.

All five divisions are exceedingly useful and come together for an excellent chorus. The Swell gives everything I would expect from an Aeolian-Skinner Swell division, and the 16′ Clarinet doubles beautifully as a color reed. I’ve also found that removing the mixture and super-coupling the division into the chorus works very well for a “chorus-crowning” brilliance.

The addition of the Harmonic Flute gives added strength to an already-strong Great division. Similar in scale to the Principal Flute on the Newberry Memorial Organ at Woolsey Hall, it serves as a subtle third diapason from midrange down and scintillates impeccably in the soprano range. The rich, warm Montre and firm Diapason complement each other perfectly. The 2′ and Quint can serve as an alternate mixture before adding the Fourniture to crown the chorus.

A pair of Erzhälers on the Choir give the signature light Skinner string shimmer and are exceedingly useful for quiet moments either in repertoire or in services. The Koppelflöte and new Concert Flute make a beautiful pair and blend nicely with the Viola. The English Horn is predictably delectable. With a non-mounted cornet and a sparkling Cymbal, the Positive rounds out the organ nicely.

The Bombarde is at its best in the Pedal—it’s an excellent, present reed at both 8′ and 16′ pitch. The addition of the 16′ Bourdon, from the Reuter instrument (Opus 1499) previously installed in the space, rounds out the bass end of the Pedal division beautifully. Adding the 102⁄3′ Quint stop produces a strong 32′ resultant and anchors the organ perfectly.

It was truly a pleasure to work with Nick Thompson-Allen, Joe Dzeda, Zack and Nate Ventrella, Joe and Sam Linger, Kurt Bocco, and everyone at Thompson-Allen, who all worked very hard throughout this project. Through all the challenges this project threw them (including the physical puzzle of putting the pipework in the existing chamber, complex wiring, and pandemic-related delays), they displayed the utmost of professionalism. My thanks as well to Bryan Timm of OSI for the console, which is so close to Aeolian-Skinner specifications, I often forget it is, in fact, brand-new. I feel very lucky to preside over this fine organ.

—Grant Wareham

Total speaking stops: 59

Total ranks: 45

Total pipes: 2,794

Builder’s website: www.thompson-allen.com

Church’s website: www.derrypres.org

Cover photo by Robert J. Polett, Photographer

 

View a PDF of Opus 1132’s first front cover in The Diapason, April 1951, at the website. Click on the cover feature for the March 2022 issue.

GREAT (3¾″ pressure)

16′ Rohr Bordun (Swell)

8′ Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Montre 61 pipes

8′ Flute Harmonique (1) 61 pipes

8′ Rohr Bordun (Swell)

4′ Octave 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Quinte 61 pipes

2′ Super Octave 61 pipes

IV Fourniture 244 pipes

8′ Bombarde (Pedal) 17 pipes

Chimes (in Choir) (2) 20 notes

SWELL (4″ pressure)

16′ Rohr Bordun 68 pipes

8′ Spitz Principal 68 pipes

8′ Rohr Bordun (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Viole de Gambe 68 pipes

8′ Viole Celeste (CC) 68 pipes

4′ Prestant 68 pipes

4′ Holzflöte (3) 68 pipes

2′ Spitzflöte 61 pipes

III Plein Jeu 183 pipes

16′ Bass Clarinet 68 pipes

8′ Trompette 68 pipes

8′ Oboe 68 pipes

8′ Vox Humana (4) 68 pipes

4′ Clarion 68 pipes

Tremulant

POSITIVE (3″ pressure)

8′ Singend Gedeckt 61 pipes

4′ Nachthorn 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nasat 61 pipes

2′ Blockflöte 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Terz 61 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Larigot 61 pipes

III Cymbel 183 pipes

CHOIR (4″ pressure)

16′ Erzähler 61 pipes

8′ Viola 68 pipes

8′ Concert Flute (5) 68 pipes

8′ Erzähler (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Kleine Erzähler (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Koppelflöte 68 pipes

4′ Erzähler (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ English Horn 68 pipes

Tremulant

8′ Bombarde (Pedal)

PEDAL (5″ pressure)

32′ Resultant (16′ Bourdon, 10-2⁄3′ Rohr Bordun)

16′ Contra Bass 32 pipes

16′ Bourdon (6) 32 pipes

16′ Rohr Bordun (Swell)

16′ Erzähler (Choir)

10-2⁄3′ Quint (from Bourdon)

8′ Principal 32 pipes

8′ Gedeckt (ext Bourdon) 12 pipes

8′ Rohr Bordun (Swell)

8′ Erzähler (Choir)

5-1⁄3′ Quint 32 pipes

4′ Super Octave (ext Princ) 12 pipes

4′ Rohr Bordun (Swell)

16′ Bombarde 32 pipes

16′ Bass Clarinet (Swell)

8′ Bombarde 12 pipes

4′ Bombarde 12 pipes

Chimes (Great)

Notes

(1) 1–12 Organ Supply Industries, 13–61 Skinner Organ Co. 1930, chest by Organ Supply Industries

(2) Old Chimes and action reused by Aeolian-Skinner in 1951

(3) Old Hall Organ Company pipes reused by Aeolian-Skinner in 1951

(4) Skinner & Son pipework, installed in chest preparation, 2007

(5) Pipes and chest by Organ Supply Industries, to Skinner scales

(6) Pedal Bourdon from previous organ by Reuter

 

2007 - Releathering, multi-level combination action, and addition of Skinner & Son Vox Humana

2020 - Relocation, completion of chassis and pipework restoration, additional stops as noted. Console by Organ Supply Industries, reed pipes restored by Broome and Company, LLC, Spencer Turbine blower restored by Joseph Sloane

Dennis E. Northway and Keith Williams

John-Paul Buzard Pipe Organ Builders, Champaign, Illinois

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Hortonville, Wisconsin

Hortonville, Wisconsin, has had a continuing Lutheran presence since 1867. However, members of Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church date their anniversary as August 14, 1870, the dedication of their first church building. In January 1897 the congregation voted to build a new church on the corner of Nash and Embarrass Streets. Five days later, the first stones were hauled for the basement, and less than three months later bids were opened for the building of the church. The contract was let to the local Diestler Lumber Co. for $5,165, with $500 later added to the total. The cornerstone was laid on Sunday, June 13, 1897, and the church was dedicated Sunday, November 28, 1897. That day the second English service in the history of the congregation was conducted.

That building, now the former church, is made of brick in Gothic style; the tower is about 100 feet high. An extensive remodeling of the original building took place in 1960. In 2010 Herman Jennerjohn, in his will, bequeathed twenty-five acres of land to the congregation for $1, if a new church complex could be begun within ten years.

Hence, Bethlehem Church has been on the move! The congregation planned a campus including a new church, a school, a retirement community, and walking paths. The first phase of their growth was the new sanctuary, and the congregation passionately wanted to bring their 1908 Hinners organ with them. The church retained consultant and acoustician Scott Riedel of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to oversee the project and assist in the choice of a builder to carry out the work. John-Paul Buzard Pipe Organ Builders was chosen to give the 110-year-old instrument new life in a new home.

The original Hinners slider and pallet windchests were replaced in the 1960s with equipment that was unusable. Fortunately, the staff of the Buzard service department had saved some beautifully built Kilgen slider and pallet windchests, coincidentally also made in 1908, which conveniently fit the Hinners pipework, its original tonal specification, and desired additions. The tables of these windchests were in perfect condition, streamlining restoration efforts. The channels were flooded as a precaution against runs; new felt and leather facings were glued onto the pallets; new powerful pull-down magnets were affixed to new magnet rails under the pallet boxes. All pipes were neatly racked, using as many of the original rack boards as possible.

The original façade was restored. Since the 1908 organ utilized mechanical key action, new center panels matching the rest of the casework were made to fill in the location of the original keydesk. Additional space in the new organ gallery provided the opportunity to add some important new sounds to the organ to increase its versatility. A Pedal/Great 16′/8′ Trumpet, and a full-compass Swell 13⁄5′ Tierce were added; the original Aeoline was replaced by a Celeste rank. The 1960s Pedal Principal was rescaled and revoiced.

The 1960s console cabinet was repaired, refinished, and retrofitted with a new solid-state relay, stop tablets, couplers, and combination pistons. The organ is now ready to serve the Bethlehem congregation in its new home for another century. We are honored to have served the people of Bethlehem Lutheran Church. The instrument now speaks with authority and clarity.

GREAT (Manual I)

8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes (bass in façade)

8′ Melodia 61 pipes

8′ Dulciana 61 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Rohr Flute 61 pipes

2′ Principal 61 pipes

III Mixture 183 pipes

8′ Trumpet 85 pipes

4′ Trumpet (ext 8′)

Chimes (25 tubes)

Great 16

Great Unison Off

Great 4

Swell 16

Swell 8

Swell 4

SWELL (Manual II, enclosed)

8′ Violin Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes

8′ Salicional 61 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes

22⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

2′ Piccolo 61 pipes

13⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes

8′ Oboe 61 pipes

  Tremulant

Swell 16

Swell Unison Off

Swell 4

PEDAL

16′ Subbass 32 pipes

16′ Gedeckt 44 pipes

8′ Principal 56 pipes (bass in façade)

8′ Gedeckt (ext 16′)

4′ Octave (ext 8′)

2′ Super Octave (ext 8′)

16′ Trumpet (ext, Gt 8′)

8′ Trumpet (Gt)

Great 8

Great 4

Swell 8

Swell 4

Accessories

8 General pistons

4 Great pistons

4 Swell pistons

2 Pedal pistons

General Cancel piston

128-level memory

Balanced Swell expression shoe

Balanced Crescendo shoe

Sforzando reversible

 

20 stops

22 ranks

1,303 pipes total

electric pull-down slider windchests for manuals

Builder’s website: https://buzardorgans.com

Church website: www.bethlehem-wels.com