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Milnar project in Loudon, Tennessee

Milnar Antiphonal division, The Community Church of Tellico Village, Loudon, Tennessee

Milnar Organ Company, LLC, of Eagleville, Tennessee, has completed a project at The Community Church of Tellico Village in Loudon, Tennessee. They installed a seven-rank Antiphonal division to an existing Zimmer organ. The Antiphonal Organ was originally part of the Schantz organ at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The church is a very large building treated heavily with sound absorbing material. There was a significant delay of sound of the organ and choir at the back portion of the church. This delay started just past midway of the room.

The stops on the two main windchests are 8′ Rohrflute, 4′ Octave, 2′ Principal and 1-1⁄3′ Mixture III. The casework was decorated with ornate coverings, all of which had to be removed to match the very modern building. To install the organ on a solid wall, it was necessary to remove half of the 4-inch-thick sound-absorbing material. The 6-inch metal-studded wall gave substantial support to mount the windchests. A room to the side keeps the blower and bellows silent.

The Antiphonal Organ was voiced and regulated standing in the center of the room to balance it with the main organ. The project was consulted with organist Fredrick Pogue and designed by Frank Friemel.

For further information: www.milnarorgan.com

 

Other organ builder news:

Schoenstein Opus 179

M. P. Rathke Opus 12 dedication

Quimby Pipe Organs project at Kansas State University

Related Content

Cover Feature

Buzard Pipe Organ Builders, Champaign, Illinois; Pilgrim Lutheran Church, Carmel, Indiana, Opus 45, 2017; Central United Methodist Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas, Opus 46, 2018–2019

Opus 45

“What have you done here!?,” asked Todd Wilson as he leapt off the organ bench to greet me the day before Opus 45’s dedication. Hoping this was a friendly question, I asked to what exactly he was referring. “This organ just about plays itself!” Yes, it was a very friendly question and a complimentary one—even better.

What Mr. Wilson was referring to speaks to the heart of our organs’ playing mechanisms. Opus 45 was the first of our new organs in which our proprietary “Pallet Unit Chests” were used alongside our electrically operated slider and pallet windchests. More about this later. 

Pilgrim Lutheran Church’s new long-hoped-for campus became a reality upon sale of their previous facility, the land being needed for a new entrance ramp to I-465. Early during their planning process, the organ committee selected Buzard Pipe Organ Builders for the instrument, and their architect, Jack Munson of Indianapolis, Indiana, asked us for dimensional and acoustical specifications. Imagine my delight and surprise when nearly ten years later Pilgrim Church’s cantor, Sarah Gran-Williams, called to tell me they were “ready for the organ!” And, imagine my further delight to discover Jack Munson had followed all of our recommendations, producing an intimate but lofty room, featuring four seconds of even reverberation, a nearly silent HVAC system and a perfect space for the organ case, choir, piano, and organ console!

The instrument at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Carmel, Indiana is the 45th new pipe organ built by Buzard Pipe Organ Builders of Champaign, Illinois. It comprises 31 independent speaking stops and 37 ranks of pipes, distributed across two manual keyboards and the pedal keyboard. The instrument is housed in a free-standing case made of poplar, red oak, and walnut measuring 24 feet wide, 12 feet deep, and 35 feet tall. It was designed in concert with the building’s Prairie style architecture; every shape, line, and element of the room’s design is present in the organ case. 

The Great and Pedal divisions are located in the top level of the case. The Swell division is placed in the center above the impost. The lower level contains the winding and mechanical systems and the Pedal 16′ Trombone. The blower and static reservoir are installed in a room located away from the sanctuary. The upper façade comprises polished tin pipes from the Great 8′ Open Diapason; the copper Festival Trumpets bisect the case in its center; the lower façade and two towers feature pipes from the Pedal 16′ Open Diapason beginning at low E (low C through D# are made of wood and lie horizontally behind the case) and the 8′ Pedal Principal.  

We housed the color stops of the Great division in an expression box to provide additional expressive quality and accompanimental flexibility to this two-manual organ. Throughout our history we have tried to be “Traditional Visionaries” in situations in which space or financial resources were limited, resulting in subdivided Swell and Great divisions. This technique, originally utilized to overcome limitations, is becoming more a hallmark of our tonal style, in which equal emphasis is placed upon musical rendering of solo literature, accompanying, and congregational singing.

Buzard organs are custom designed, scaled, and voiced for each individual congregation’s musical tradition and acoustical environment. This means they differ one from another in execution, but an unmistakable musical thread runs through every Buzard pipe organ. The stop names are consistent from organ to organ, but the scaling and voicing of each is entirely determined by the specific circumstances that impact the creation.  In this way, Buzard organs are works of functional art, designed and crafted to each and every client’s identity, while at the same time demonstrating a consistent personality of tone quality and artistic style.

This instrument honors its Lutheran patrimony by a slightly brighter outlook in the Principal choruses, inclusion of a German Romantic Clarinet and Oboe, and the slightly lighter 16′ Pedal registers. But it is a Buzard organ through and through in the enveloping warmth and majesty of Full Organ, its delicacy and sensitivity of tone in softer registrations, and its thrilling Swell reed battery. It has been called “a cathedral organ in a parish church.”

Back to Mr. Wilson’s observation of the playing actions. Buzard organs use electrically operated slider and pallet windchests to eliminate leather, providing an action that encourages sophisticated tonal results and stable tuning. Beginning with Opus 45, our organs’ unit stops (stops which play in multiple locations or at multiple pitches) and Pedal stops are played on actions identical to the slider chests—but without the slider stop actions. Our “Pallet Unit Chests” provide a key-channel expansion chamber for the wind for every pipe, just as the main slider chests, and they utilize identical magnets as the slider chests to open the unit chests’ pallets, giving the unit stops the exact same speech and repetition characteristics as the main slider chests. We are pioneers in the development of sensitive and responsive electric key actions. One can truly feel the difference; the musical result is palpable.

Our pipes are made of thick, high tin-content pipe metal (as well as wood and copper) rather than zinc. We support them in felt-lined traces and European racking systems that prevent the pipes from collapsing and further firms the tone produced. Additional support for the large façade pipes is provided by lining the interior of the feet with copper.  Although far more expensive than the metal zinc, we believe traditional tin-rich pipe-metal produces better tone and is more in keeping with the permanent nature of a pipe organ investment.

We regulate our wind supply using single-rise reservoirs, schwimmer regulators, and concussion bellows to deliver a copious and steady wind supply, with a fine degree of flexibility. Our Tremulant actions send an adjustable timed-pulse to electric solenoids under the schwimmers, which both push and pull on the schwimmer plate to provide a perfect sine wave much like the human voice singing with “vibrato.” These actions are absolutely silent in their operation and extremely effective in both flue and reed stops.

Expression shutters are made of 2-inch-thick poplar, laminated to prevent warpage during seasonal changes, with heavily felted sound traps. Our expression boxes’ walls and ceilings are made of 1-inch MDF (the equivalent of 2 inches of solid hardwood) with 1½-inch-thick poplar stiles and rails, to produce an extremely effective swell expression. The shutters are moved by adjustable electric servo-motors.

Buzard organ consoles are intuitive in their layout and solidly built to last for generations. Their proprietary ergonomics of manual-to-pedal alignment allow for many playing hours without fatigue. The logical layout of drawknobs and couplers, toe-studs and expression pedals, encourages both technical accuracy and musical playing. Keyboards are plated in thick bone and ebony; the cabinets are made of 1½-inch-thick hardwoods.

We build all of our organs in sound reflective and protective cases, even when the organs are installed in chambers, as you will see we did in the second organ featured in this article for our Opus 46 organ at Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. We do this to provide excellent projection of sound into the room especially when chambers are located off the axis of the room (as in Opus 46) and to protect the organ from severe temperature fluctuations and potential building failure such as leaking roofs.

Cantor Sarah Gran-Williams said it best: “Buzard Organs sing, and they help us sing!” And, as Todd Wilson said: “This organ just about plays itself!”

Opus 46

In our Opus 46 organ at Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas, we were given the wonderful opportunity to explore the nature of what a third manual keyboard could be, in light of our practice of enclosing a substantial portion of the Great. More than half of the Great is enclosed in an independent expression box with its own slider windchest. This allows the Enclosed Great to couple to any location we want and at any pitch. The Enclosed Great includes a flute chorus, a string, and four colorful reeds, so it can function like the unison basis of a Choir division. Additionally, by modifying and adding to the inhabitants of the Swell division’s Principal chorus, the Swell can serve as a Positiv division in the context of the classic secondary foil to the Great Diapason Chorus—as well as the enclosed powerhouse of the organ.  

Therefore, with an enclosed portion of the Great, and suitable treatment of the Swell, we were free to consider a different way to approach the third manual division. This Solo division is loaded with tone colors at both higher and lower volume levels than the Great or Swell, so it can be a material contributor on the pianissimo and fortissimo ends of a seamless crescendo/diminuendo. When approached with this idea, organist Scott Montgomery embraced this vision—our next logical step in the evolution of the “Buzard Sound” and contemporary American organbuilding. Because the Enclosed Great and the Swell can move everywhere independently, Scott began to dream and consider the manifold uses to which such a tonal scheme could be used. Accompanying receives the first consideration of importance, because the rich choral program under Dr. Frode Gundersen’s direction regularly performs literature from literally every tradition. The organ can accompany the entire body of choral literature, and it can support hymnody and musically render just about any piece ever written for the organ. This is our goal. You can accompany Stanford and then play Vierne successfully; you can play Sweelinck for the opening voluntary and Sumsion for the closing voluntary, each with the effects the composer intended. And, because the instrument speaks clearly to the listeners in the nave—even though installed in off-axis chambers—the entire organ has an uncanny single voice, no matter how soft or loud it is registered.

In addition to exercising our evolving tonal style, Tonal Director Brian Davis and Production Director and Chief Engineer Charles Eames overcame what had seemed an impossible off-axis installation situation. Special scaling and voicing techniques, the addition of reflective panels above the pipes in the chambers, siting the divisions strategically for their best projection, constructing the organ in solid cases within the building’s chambers, utilizing slightly higher wind pressures and other techniques—and the tremendous improvement in the church’s acoustics provided by a comprehensive sanctuary renovation project—gave the organ the best chance of success.  

When Scott Montgomery heard the organ’s first sounds as the organ came to life, all his fears concerning the off-axis installation were dispelled. He knew this would be a very special and important organ in the American lexicon. We rise to challenges and consider them opportunities to learn and improve. We’d love for you to visit this organ! Just call ahead!

—John-Paul Buzard, Founder, President, and Artistic Director, Buzard Pipe Organ Builders

Builder’s website: buzardorgans.com/

Pilgrim Lutheran Church: pilgrimindy.org/

Central United Methodist Church: centraltolife.com/

Photo credit: John-Paul Buzard

 

Opus 45, Pilgrim Lutheran Church, Carmel, Indiana

31 independent speaking stops, 37 ranks

GREAT – 3½″ wind

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (wood)

8′ Open Diapason (façade)

8′ Flûte à Bibéron 

8′ Gedeckt Flute (ext 16′ Gedeckt)

8′ Viola da Gamba

4′ Principal

4′ Spire Flute 

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth

2′ Fifteenth

1-1⁄3′ Fourniture IV

16′ English Horn

8′ Minor Trumpet (ext Sw 16′ Bassoon)

8′ Clarinet

Tremulant

Cymbalstern (14 bells)

8′ Festival Trumpets (copper, chamade)

SWELL (expressive) – 3¾″ wind

8′ Open Diapason

8′ Stopped Diapason (wood)

8′ Salicional

8′ Voix Celeste (TC)

4′ Principal

4′ Harmonic Flute (round mouths)

2-2⁄3′ Nazard 

2′ Octavin (harmonic)

1-3⁄5′ Tierce

2-2⁄3′ Grave Mixture II

1′ Plein Jeu III

16′ Bassoon

8′ Trompette

8′ Oboe

4′ Clarion (ext 16′ Bassoon)

Tremulant

8′ Festival Trumpets (Gt)

PEDAL - various pressures

16′ Open Diapason (wood and façade)

16′ Bourdon (wood)

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Gt)

8′ Principal (façade)

8′ Bass Flute (ext 16′ Bourdon)

8′ Gedeckt Flute (Gt)

4′ Choral Bass (ext 8′ Principal)

4′ Open Flute (ext 16′ Bourdon)

16′ Trombone (wood)

16′ Bassoon (Sw)

8′ Trumpet 

4′ Clarion (ext Sw 16′)

8′ Festival Trumpets (Gt)

 

Opus 46, Central United Methodist Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas

43 independent speaking stops, 49 ranks 

GREAT – 5″ wind

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt

8′ Open Diapason (façade)

8′ Flûte à Bibéron

8′ Gedeckt Flute (ext 16′)

8′ Viola da Gamba

4′ Principal

4′ Spire Flute

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth

2′ Fifteenth

1-1⁄3′ Mixture IV

16′ English Horn

8′ Trumpet

8′ Clarinet

8′ Vox Humana

Tremulant

Tremulant

Cymbalstern (Walker)

Chimes (Walker)

8′ Tromba (Ped 16′ Trombone)

4′ Tromba Clarion (ext 8′ Tromba)

8′ Major Tuba (Solo)

SWELL (expressive) – 6″ wind

8′ English Open Diapason

8′ Stopped Diapason

8′ Salicional

8′ Voix Celeste (CC)

4′ Principal

4′ Harmonic Flute

2-2⁄3′ Nazard

2′ Doublette

2′ Octavin (harmonic)

1-3⁄5′ Tierce

2-2⁄3′ Grave Mixture II

  1′ Plein Jeu III

16′ Bassoon

8′ Trompette

8′ Oboe

4′ Clarion

Tremulant

8′ Tromba

8′ Major Tuba (Solo)

SOLO (expressive) – 7″ wind

8′ Grand Open Diapason (double mouths)

8′ Harmonic Flute

8′ Viola da Gamba (E. M. Skinner style)

8′ Gamba Celeste (CC) (E. M. Skinner style)

8′ Flûte Cœlestis (double mouth, wood)

4′ Principal Forte

4′ Flûte

Tremulant

8′ Major Tuba (15″ wind pressure)

8′ Harp (Walker)

4′ Celesta (Walker)

8′ Chimes (Walker)

PEDAL – 5″ wind 

32′ Double Open Diapason (Walker)

32′ Subbass (Walker)

32′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Walker)

16′ Open Diapason (Walker)

16′ Bourdon

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Gt)

8′ Principal (façade)

8′ Bourdon (ext 16′)

8′ Gedeckt Flute (Gt)

8′ Spire Flute

4′ Choral Bass (ext 8′ Principal)

4′ Open Flute (ext 8′ Bourdon)

32′ Contra Trombone (Walker)

16′ Trombone (7″ wind)

16′ Bassoon (Sw)

8′ Tromba (ext 16′ Trombone)

8′ Trumpet

4′ Clarion (ext 16′ Trombone)

8′ Major Tuba (Solo)

8′ Chimes (Walker)

Photo: Opus 46, Central United Methodist Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Goulding & Wood Pipe Organ Builders Cover Feature

Goulding & Wood Pipe Organ Builders, Indianapolis, Indiana, Fortieth Anniversary; Saint John’s Episcopal Cathedral, Knoxville, Tennessee, Opus 52 

St. John Cathedral, Knoxville, TN

The year 2020 was indeed an historic year for many reasons. As the calendar page turns to another year, it has become somewhat easier to see in retrospect that 2020 contained reasons for celebration even amidst a time of pandemic and stress. For Goulding & Wood Pipe Organ Builders of Indianapolis, 2020 marked forty years of operation and afforded a chance to look back at the arc of the company’s history. The capstone of this anniversary year was the completion of the firm’s Opus 52 organ for Saint John’s Episcopal Cathedral of Knoxville, Tennessee. This project is built on a solid legacy of organ building from the Indianapolis workshop.

John Goulding and Thomas Wood joined forces in 1980, combining shared experiences at the E. H. Holloway Corporation and individual backgrounds with Gratian and Holtkamp organ companies on the part of Mr. Goulding and, for Mr. Wood, experience at Indiana University School of Music including participating in the creation of its first electronic music laboratory while also serving as curator of organs. While from very different backgrounds, both men shared a lifelong love of the organ, its music, and the ideals of corporate worship. They inherited a particular understanding of the organ reform movement, then in its full maturity, and Mr. Goulding’s mechanical innovations including a unique windchest design, tremolo action, and schwimmer wind regulators. These raw elements formed an impressively strong foundation for the new firm, and the company quickly built a reputation for excellence and sophistication. 

Within the first six years of operation and first ten projects, the firm had expanded to the Chicago and Washington, D.C., metro areas. Installations in Durham, North Carolina, and Atlanta, Georgia, soon followed, establishing a trend toward a significant presence in the Southeast. In the years that followed, Mr. Goulding and Mr. Wood built a strong team of like-minded organ builders who shared a solid commitment to building electro-pneumatic-action organs with the artistry and refinement usually associated only with mechanical-action builders. Musically, this achievement flows in large part from the firm’s exclusive windchest design. As an electro-pneumatic slider and pallet windchest, it marries the time-honored benefits of common key channels with the flexibility of remote key action providing for movable consoles and flexible coupling and control systems. The efficiency and simplicity inherent in this system have long been recognized for their contribution to the long-term viability of an instrument. Slider chests have few working parts to wear out, and when the time for major maintenance comes, access and scope of work are optimum for easy restoration. One of the specific design considerations for Mr. Goulding was ease of long-term renewal, so that an institution will not be saddled with exorbitant costs typical of many refurbishment projects.

As the organ reform movement began to shed some of its excesses and musical taste returned to more substantial ideas of tonal architecture, Goulding & Wood integrated the lessons learned about chorus structure with the aurally based craving for generous fundamental and variety of color. Already by 1989, this marriage is seen fully developed in the layout of the organ for the Church of Saint John the Evangelist located on the other side of Indianapolis’s downtown from the Goulding & Wood workshop. The stoplist of this two-manual organ comprises a wealth of 8′ stops, a wide variety of reed colors, and a carefully balanced scheme of principal choruses that allows organists to create plenums of several different levels of dynamic volume and tonal intensity. This organ was in some ways a working out of tonal ideas that laid the groundwork for the much larger instruments in the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta and Christ Church Cathedral in New Orleans. Brandon Woods, the firm’s voicer beginning with Opus 6 (1984), grew in his understanding of tonal structure and mastery of unifying the voice of each organ specifically for the acoustical environment in which it is placed. An assiduous student of past voicers, Mr. Woods relished restoring old pipework, particularly in the renovation projects the company undertook on instruments from many different builders and eras. He brought the lessons he learned from observing other voicers’ work to bear on his own treatment of pipes, both flue and reed. As the sole voicer, Mr. Woods exerted a strong bearing on the company’s musical personality. 

John Goulding, who oversaw the design and construction of the organs, was joined by his son, Mark Goulding, in 1985. The younger Goulding began first as the head chest builder, laying out and fabricating the slider chests. In time, he began overseeing installation crews and general shop organization. As the company continued to build larger and more complex instruments, the workshop saw a growth in size and sophistication. The addition of Computer-Assisted-Design supported the increase in refinement of mechanical and visual designs notably present in the instruments in Saint Meinrad, Indiana, and Greenville, South Carolina.

By the beginning years of the present century, Goulding & Wood had attained a national reputation of excellence. The founders were ready to pass along creative control to a new generation with the assurance that the company would continue to expand and develop along the trajectory they had established. In 2003 John Goulding and Thomas Wood retired, making the unusual decision to turn ownership of the company completely over to active members of the organ building team. The first project completed following this transition was the sixty-nine-rank organ for Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas, an instrument that boasts two 32′ stops, four independent full-length open 16′ flue ranks, and extensive carved casework in the Georgian neo-classical style.

Prestigious projects followed, including installations at Ball State University in Indiana and Loyola University of Chicago. No less significant to the company’s development, organs in Germantown, Tennessee, Macon, Georgia, and Lexington, Kentucky, maintained the company’s evolution toward a tonal ideal that favors choruses based on rich fundamental tone, a wide palette of vibrant colors, and a seamless blend building to a thrilling tutti. Goulding & Wood continued to go from strength to strength, earning acclaim for each subsequent instrument. As a natural part of this evolution, the company attracted and trained young talent. Several woodworkers came from the Indiana University Herron School of Art and Design, and these young artists have discovered a newfound passion for the pipe organ. Organists also found their way into the shop, enriching the conversations about tonal design and musical goals for each project. The company suffered an unexpected and painful turn when Mr. Woods passed away in 2016 shortly after a cancer diagnosis. Fortunately, the voicing room was in good hands as tonal responsibilities passed to Jerin Kelly (a member of The Diapason’s 20 Under 30 Class of 2017), who had extensive background in woodworking and as a musician in his own right. Mr. Kelly has followed closely in the footsteps of Mr. Woods, excelling both at refurbishing pipework from other builders and placing his own stamp on new organs.

The Goulding & Wood team continues to pair veteran craftsmen, many with tenures at the firm of several decades in length, with a younger generation of artisans, eager to push the company further into the future. This combination of seasoned experience and fresh ideas continues to bear fruit in exciting ways. The results are manifest to an extraordinary degree in the organ for Saint John’s Episcopal Cathedral of Knoxville, Tennessee, the firm’s fifty-second opus-numbered project. A comprehensive tonal design that furnishes organists with abundant resources for service playing and faithful rendition of repertoire is housed within handsome cases adorning the church with a panoply of architectural detail. The ornate cabinetry, including a wealth of hand-carved detail, asserts a commanding presence that nevertheless complements the architecture rather than competes with it. Warm polished tin pipes with gilded mouths echo the brightness of the room, and bespoke features, such as the linen-fold panels, delight the eye. The beauty, in both sound and appearance, is built upon a mechanical layout that is as ingenious as it is elegant, ensuring not only uncompromised reliability but also access to every component. 

The Knoxville organ is in many ways a summation of the learning, growth, and hard work that the company has seen over its forty-year history, yet it would be erroneous to think of it as a magnum opus. The artists of Goulding & Wood are continually expanding their vision to achieve ever more refinement in all aspects of organ building. As they look forward to the next forty years, the team is eager to approach each project with enthusiasm, professionalism, and excellence.

—Goulding & Wood Pipe Organ Builders

 

GREAT (Manual II)

16′ Violone 61 pipes

8′ First Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Second Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Violone (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Harmonic Flute (1–12 Bdn) 49 pipes

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Open Flute 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Seventeenth 61 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Fourniture IV 244 pipes

8′ Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Festival Trumpet 56 pipes

8′ Tuba (Ch)

Tremulant

Chimes (digital, 37 notes)

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed)

16′ Gedeckt 61 pipes

8′ Geigen Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Gedeckt (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Viole de Gambe 61 pipes

8′ Voix celeste (GG) 54 pipes

4′ Octave Geigen 61 pipes

4′ Traverse Flute 61 pipes

2′ Octave 61 pipes

2′ Piccolo 61 pipes

2′ Mixture III–IV 223 pipes

16′ Bassoon-Oboe 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Oboe (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes

4′ Clarion 61 pipes

8′ Festival Trumpet (Gt)

8′ Tuba (Ch)

Tremulant

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed)

16′ Dulciana (ext 8′) 12 pipes

8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Second Diapason (Gt)

8′ Chimney Flute 61 pipes

8′ Dulciana 61 pipes

8′ Unda Maris (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Spindle Flute 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

2′ Octave 61 pipes

2′ Recorder 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Larigot 61 pipes

1′ Cymbale III 183 pipes

8′ Clarinet 61 pipes

8′ Tuba 61 pipes

8′ Festival Trumpet (Gt)

Tremulant

Cymbelstern (5 tuned bells)

Nightingale (2 pipes in water)

ANTIPHONAL

8′ Echo Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Diapason Celeste 61 pipes

8′ Stopped Diapason 61 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Spire Flute 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Mixture II–III 171 pipes

PEDAL

32′ Violone (digital ext) 12 notes

32′ Bourdon (digital ext) 12 notes

16′ Principal 32 pipes

16′ Bourdon 32 pipes

16′ Violone (Gt)

16′ Gedeckt (Sw)

16′ Dulciana (Ch)

8′ Octave 32 pipes

8′ Stopped Flute 32 pipes

8′ Violone (Gt)

8′ Gedeckt (Sw)

4′ Fifteenth 32 pipes

4′ Cantus Flute 32 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Fourniture IV 128 pipes

32′ Contra Bassoon (digital ext) 12 notes

16′ Trombone 32 pipes

16′ Bassoon (Sw)

8′ Tromba 32 pipes

8′ Bassoon (Sw)

4′ Clarion 32 pipes

8′ Tuba (Ch)

Tremulant

ANTIPHONAL PEDAL

16′ Stopped Diapason (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Stopped Diapason (fr Ant 8′)

 

Normal complement of couplers

Three manuals, 70 ranks, 3,884 pipes

Photo caption: Saint John’s Episcopal Cathedral, Knoxville, Tennessee (photo credit: Ben Finch)

See the video of the Saint John’s Episcopal Cathedral, Knoxville, Tennessee, organ:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHVZxHGWpCQ&feature=youtu.be

Cover Feature: Hillsdale College

Paul Fritts & Company Organ Builders, Tacoma, Washington; Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Michigan

Hillsdale College

From the builder

Paul Fritts & Company Organ Builders has recently completed the last of two new significant organs, the firm’s Opus 44 and Opus 45, for Christ Chapel at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan. The chapel was completed in 2019 and provides seating for 1,350 within the 27,500-square-foot building. Designed by architect Duncan Stroik, the interior of the classically inspired chapel is modeled after St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London and Christ Church, Philadelphia. The 64-foot-high barrel vault ceiling, stone columns, wooden pews, and polished marble floors provide the space with excellent acoustics, especially in the elevated chancel at the front of the nave. In addition to regular services, the chapel provides space for college ceremonies and concerts. Consultant for the organ projects Dr. Paul Thornock and the builder worked extensively together with the architects throughout all phases of the project to insure the best possible musical and logistical results.

The design phase for these two projects was extensive. Never before were we tasked with building cases designed by the architect of the building where they stand. This requires a unique collaboration due to the tonal and structural requirements of an organ often unfamiliar to architects. The work ended well, problems were solved, and we are proud of the collaboration and how it has expanded our design scope.

Early on when the building was being designed it was determined that rather than making one very large organ, the needs of the program would be better served by two organs. Opus 44, completed concurrently with the new building in 2019, is conceived as a “choir” organ and speaks from the side of the chancel where it is in close proximity to small and large ensembles. Its 30 stops are divided between three divisions: the Great at impost level, the Swell above, and the Pedal divided on either side. The organ case is made of sapele mahogany to match all of the woodwork throughout the chapel. Its musical resources are designed to support a wide variety of service music and organ repertoire. The organ serves admirably as a solo and concert instrument in its own right, and it was dedicated with a concert by Nathan Laube on April 15, 2021.

To provide support for singing for a full congregation and to serve as a concert instrument, the Gallery Organ, Opus 45, has three manuals and pedal. Installation and tonal finishing were recently completed in October 2022. It, too, is housed in a sapele mahogany case with a large “broken” pediment, columns, and architectural capitals. The polished tin façade pipes are the lowest notes of the Great and Pedal Principal 16′ stops, both of which are independent. The en fenêtre keydesks of both organs are in the front center of the cases.

Both organs feature suspended mechanical key actions providing a light but easily controlled touch while sending tactile feedback to the player. Stop actions are mechanical with the inclusion of “intelligent” solenoids and 999-memory-level combination actions. General and divisional pistons, coupler and 32′ reversible toe studs, and a sequencer with multiple “forward” pistons and studs are part of both combination systems.

The stoplists were drawn up by the consultant and the builder. Both organs have substantial principal choruses on each of their divisions along with a variety of flute and string stops and are capped with a generous array of reed stops. The Gallery Organ includes both a large-scale 32′ Subbaß and an independent 32′ Posaune. Both French and German Trompets at 8′ reside in the Great, and a French-style 8′ Cromorne in the Positive as well as a Cavaillé-Coll inspired 8′ Hautbois in the Swell and 8′ Flûte Harmonique in the Great. There is also a Renaissance-style 8′ Trompet with duck-billed shallots included in the Swell. All are voiced with full-length resonators for a full yet colorful sound that blends appropriately with the overall organization of voicing style and related pipe design throughout. Compact design with reasonable access was important for space reasons and focus of the sound.

The Gallery Organ is similar in its layout to the Choir Organ, with the organ’s three manual divisions triple decked in the center with the Positive at the lowest (impost) level, the Great above, and the Swell at the top of the 38-foot-tall case. The Pedal division is divided on either side of the manual divisions. The 32′ Subbaß bass octave is placed on two windchests (C and C-sharp) at floor level at the rear of the case. Directly in front of the large Subbaß pipes, the 32′ Posaune stands on two windchests at floor level, the tallest of the tin resonators reaching to the top of the case.

The large pipes in the center façade are the lowest nine pipes (C to G-sharp) of the Great 16′ Principal. The largest four pipes of the Pedal 16′ Principal (C to D-sharp) are wooden, made of sugar pine, mounted inside the case. The Pedal façade pipes begin at E and continue to tenor f. The four smaller façade pipes in the outer fields and closest to the center field continue the Great 16′ Principal up to tenor e.

The pipes for both organs were made entirely in the Fritts workshop, the metal ones constructed of two alloys—high lead and high tin—that have been cast on sand. The process dates to ancient times and was the method used for the pipe making of Gothic and Renaissance organs and continued in some instances well into the Baroque period. The very rapid cooling of the pipe metal on the sand bed (compared to a relatively long cooling period on a cloth-covered table) produces material with a smaller crystalline structure, which has discernible benefits to the sound of the pipes. The speech of the pipes is enhanced with the pipes reaching their steady-state tone seemingly more quickly with less fuss, and with less obtrusive harshness and speech noise. Windways can be generous and pipe toes open encouraging a free, colorful, and unforced sound on relatively low wind pressures. The overall impact of the organs can then be determined by wind pressure and to a lesser degree pipe scales.

The Gallery Organ has five wedge-shaped bellows, all positioned within the case. The Great and Positive divisions share two bellows that have been carefully balanced to work together for good support of these divisions. The Pedal division makes use of one similarly sized bellows for the C and C-sharp sides and the Swell has its own bellows. The bass octave pipes of the 32′ Subbass are directly winded from the blower’s static pressure windline, which provides them with 120 mm (4¾ inches) of wind pressure. The Great and Positive divisions are winded at 74 mm, the Swell on 70 mm and the Pedal division on 76 mm.

The two organs are pitched identically at 440hz @ 70°F. Both utilize Kellner’s “Bach” temperament.

The Gallery Organ is provided with a dedicated air conditioning system that was planned at the outset and built as a part of the chapel construction. During summertime, air-conditioned air is circulated throughout the organ case and is regulated by a thermostat high in the Swell. During the heating season, air will continue to circulate throughout the case to control temperature stratification. Experience with similar systems in our organs has shown this to be critical for keeping vertically separated divisions in tune with one another.

The success of an organ project, or in this case, two projects, depends upon a great number of contributing factors. Chief among them is installing the organs in advantageous locations in a great space. A well-developed design and tonal plan along with meticulous craftsmanship and expert voicing and tonal finishing lead to outstanding results. The melding of the countless and seemingly disparate elements into a cohesive whole that is greater than the sum of its parts is the special alchemy that is superb organ building.

Special thanks go to the administration of Hillsdale College for their foresight and vision in commissioning these instruments and to project advisor, Dr. Paul Thornock. Thanks and appreciation also go to the staff of Paul Fritts & Company: Greg Bahnsen, Zane Boothby, Rain Daley, Paul Fritts, Raphi Giangiulio, Erik McLeod, Andreas Schonger, Bruce Shull, Ben Wooley, and to our bookkeepers and business managers, Robyn Ellis and Marlon Ventura. Carving work was provided by Dimitrios Klitsas. 

The completion of the Gallery Organ will be celebrated with an inaugural concert by Nathan Laube on April 13, 2023.

—Paul Fritts

From the consultant

The Hillsdale organ project began with a phone call from the architect who expressed the desire for a new organ to be as special and specialized as the building itself. The desire for mechanical action was in place before the consultant was hired.

An organ in the new Christ Chapel would be required to do many things, including playing for academic ceremonies, accompanying the college’s choirs and orchestras, playing repertoire, and serving as a teaching instrument. Hillsdale College President, Dr. Larry P. Arnn, believes that, “To elevate the hearts and minds of the faithful, Christ Chapel must be a home for musical beauty of the highest order.” Further, his desire to create a regularly sung evensong in the chapel was given considerable weight. The college’s large symphony orchestra also had to fit in the chancel.

The available space in the chancel precluded building a single large instrument in the front of the building that would completely fulfill the musical mission. Further, there was no appetite for placing an organ on the main axis at the front of the building. The only solution was two organs of complementary but distinct characters.

This visionary project was truly an “if you build it, they will come” affair. The college wished to build a sacred music program, and the administration understood that the infrastructure had to be in place to do it. Therefore, an organ professor was not yet in place during the design phase. The committee, which consisted of the architect, consultant, and various administrators, traveled throughout the Midwest to see and hear dozens of instruments by six of North America’s distinguished builders. It is fascinating how committees often have an “Aha!” moment in visiting a particular organ; this moment happened when they visited the Fritts organ at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at the University of Notre Dame. 

The result is a workhorse two-manual organ in the chancel with an efficient but developed Swell division that enables the organist to render choral accompaniments convincingly and to play the many liturgical events in the chapel, including evensong. The instrument also has sufficient power to pair with the orchestra. The Gallery Organ is the heroic instrument the college desired for large convocations and concerts.

Dr. Arnn’s ideals are borne out in these examples of the organ art: “There never has been a great university unconcerned with the question of the Divine. More than one-third of our students are involved in music—an invaluable gift that helps us to contemplate beauty, harmony, and meaning. To that same end, our splendid organs will help point man’s thoughts toward God.”

—Paul Thornock

From the architect

Christ Chapel at Hillsdale College, Michigan, is the first freestanding chapel in the college’s 175-year history. Located on the main axis of campus and forming a new quadrangle, the classical brick and limestone exterior features a domed circular entrance portico with Doric columns. Three concave entry doors lead into an elegant barrel-vaulted nave with limestone columns and mahogany side balconies. Large arched windows fill the space with natural light. 

The Choir Organ is located along the side wall of the chancel and framed by a limestone arch and Doric columns engaged to the wall. The case is 24 feet tall by 13 feet wide. Carved mahogany Corinthian columns divide the façade of the organ case into a taller central section and two side wings. This architectural motif (called a “Serliana”) is found throughout the chapel, such as on the second level of the main exterior façade, and the window above the altar in the chancel. A gold leaf inscription in the frieze of the entablature of the organ case reads: Laudate eum in Chordis et Organo (“Praise him with strings and pipes,” Psalm 150). Carved mahogany laurel wreaths punctuate the pedestal of the organ. Limestone relief panels in the chancel show a harp, trumpets, cymbals, and floral swags, visually depicting the praise of God called for in the psalm.

The Gallery Organ case harmonizes with the Choir Organ but is much larger, 30 feet tall by 30 feet wide. Its overall shape is also a Serliana motif. It has four 15-foot-tall fluted composite columns. An elaborate entablature and broken pediment with a receding apex are above. It also has an inscription across the pulvinated frieze: Cantate Domino Canticum, Novum Quoniam Mirabilia Fecit (“Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done great wonders,” Psalm 98). 

While there are some examples of college chapels with two organs in the United States, there are few examples of the organs being conceived together. The architect has designed five other cases in the United States for both new and historic organs, and was inspired by the Saint-Sulpice grand orgue case by the architect Jean-François Chalgrin. The two new organs will be the centerpieces of Hillsdale’s expanding music program.  

—Duncan G. Stroik 

 

Builder’s website: www.frittsorgan.com

Architect’s website: www.stroik.com

College website: www.hillsdale.edu

 

Choir Organ, Opus 44

GREAT (Manual I)

16′ Bourdon

8′ Principal

8′ Salicional

8′ Rohrflöte

4′ Octave

4′ Spitzflöte

2-2⁄3′ Quinte

2′ Octave

Mixture IV

8′ Trompet

4′ Trompet

SWELL (Manual II)

8′ Principal

8′ Gamba

8′ Voix celeste

8′ Gedackt

4′ Octave

4′ Rohrflöte

2-2⁄3′ Nasard

2′ Gemshorn

1-3⁄5′ Tierce

Mixture III–IV

16′ Fagott

8′ Trompet

8′ Basson/Hautbois

PEDAL

16′ Subbass

8′ Principal

8′ Bourdon*

4′ Octave*

16′ Posaune

8′ Trompet

*Some pipes transmitted from other stops

Couplers

Swell to Great, Great to Pedal, Swell to Pedal

 

Polished tin front pipes

Suspended, direct mechanical key action

Mechanical stop action with electric pre-set system

Tremulant

Compass: Manual 58 notes; Pedal: 30 notes

Gallery Organ, Opus 45

GREAT (Manual I)

16′ Principal

8′ Octave

8′ Salicional

8′ Rohrflöte

8′ Flûte Harmonique

4′ Octave

4′ Spitzflöte

3′ Quinte

2′ Octave

Mixture VI–VIII

Cornet V

16′ Trompet

8′ Trompet

8′ Trompette

SWELL (Manual III)

8′ Principal

8′ Gedackt

8′ Baarpijp

8′ Violdigamba

8′ Voix celeste

4′ Octave

4′ Koppelflöte

2-2⁄3′ Nasat

2′ Octave

2′ Blockflöte

1-3⁄5′ Terz

Mixture V–VI

16′ Trompet

8′ Trompet

8′ Hautbois

8′ Vox Humana

POSITIVE (Manual II)

8′ Principal

8′ Gedackt

8′ Quintadena

4′ Octave

4′ Rohrflöte

2-2⁄3′ Nasat

2′ Octave

2′ Waldflöte

1-1⁄3′ Larigot

Sesquialtera II

Mixture VI–VII

16′ Dulcian

8′ Trompet

8′ Cromorne

PEDAL

32′ Subbaß*

16′ Principal

16′ Subbaß

8′ Octave

8′ Bourdon*

4′ Octave

4′ Nachthorn

Mixture VI–VII

32′ Posaune

16′ Posaune

8′ Trompet

4′ Trompet

2′ Cornet

*Some pipes transmitted from other stops

Couplers

Swell to Great

Positive to Great

Swell to Positive

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Positive to Pedal

 

Polished tin front pipes

Suspended, direct mechanical key action

Mechanical stop action with electric pre-set system

Swell Tremulant

Great & Positive Tremulant

Wind Stabilizer

Compass: Manual 58 notes; Pedal: 30 notes

 

 

Opus 44 Choir Organ: 

30 stops; 38 ranks; 1,854 pipes

Opus 45 Gallery Organ: 

57 stops; 85 ranks; 4,115 pipes

Cover Feature

Quimby Pipe Organs, Warrensburg, Missouri

Dunwoody United Methodist Church, Dunwoody, Georgia

Quimby Pipe Organs Opus 76, recently installed at Dunwoody United Methodist Church, comprises 100 ranks distributed over five manual divisions, playable from a four-manual and pedal console. The completion of this instrument represents the culmination of an idea and process that began in 2007. After many attempts to make an organ project “go,” either as a stand-alone project, or paired with other proposed major capital work on campus, it wasn’t until the need for a major renovation of the sanctuary occurred that a new organ, installed in a different location, became a necessity and, eventually, a reality.

This was a particularly challenging and yet ultimately rewarding sanctuary and chancel renovation project, the genesis of which was to adapt the space so that the church’s contemporary worship service could relocate from a social hall to meet in the sanctuary, where a traditional service and music program were making good use of the traditionally styled space and generous acoustics. The emergent projects goals were many, among which: 1) to relocate the choir and organ from the rear gallery to the chancel; 2) to somehow create organ chambers in a space where they didn’t exist and where there didn’t appear to be room for them; 3) to acoustically deaden and otherwise transform the room for the successful accommodation of the contemporary worship service; 4) but to do this without permanently changing the acoustics of the space for traditional worship.

The spacious sanctuary, which had been constructed new in the year 2000, had excellent acoustics, and even though the former organ, which had been relocated from a much smaller sanctuary, was undersized for the room, the acoustics of the space enabled the organ to remain in use for nearly twenty years following its temporary location. It was well constructed and a good example of its type; it simply didn’t go far enough in its scope to support the music program.  As director of music Sonny Walden and organist Mary Ruth Solem will immediately tell you, it not only wasn’t loud enough, it also wasn’t soft enough, and there were too few opportunities for smoothly graded dynamic levels in between the two.

The renovation solution was costly, but effective. Space for organ chambers was created, encroaching on unused above-ceiling space outside the existing chancel, the footprint of the original chancel, and a mechanical mezzanine behind the chancel. A choir loft with built-in risers was constructed in front of the new organ chambers. For contemporary worship, retractable acoustical banners lower down from the attic, covering the choir loft, Chancel organ, Antiphonal organ, and all windows at the push of the button. The result is a space acoustically and visually suitable for amplified music, electronic projection, and colored LED lighting effects; it has had a net-zero impact on the intrinsic acoustical quality of the space.

From an early point in the dialogue, the church voiced an interest in exploring the possible use of high-quality vintage American pipework for incorporation into a new instrument. Given our experience in working with vintage pipework for new organ projects that are not restoration-focused, we enthusiastically agreed, and began the search for an instrument that would fit the bill—something that would allow artistic latitude and freedom in the creation of a new, unified identity, but which would also contribute a unique tonal provenance and material advantage to the project.

What we eventually found, in fact, were two organs, which the church ultimately bought and placed into storage until the project could be realized. The first, Ernest M. Skinner Co. Opus 195 (four manuals, 66 ranks), dating from 1913, was originally installed in Grace Chapin Hall at Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, where it was used until it was vandalized in 1959. As the story goes, which is now almost as apocryphal as it is difficult to document, an organ student, following his end of semester juries, entered the organ chamber, and destroyed nearly everything he could access. From that time until the organ was removed in 2011, the organ was mothballed at Williams College and never played again. A careful cataloguing of the surviving pipes following the organ’s removal from the college revealed a surprising picture: perhaps a third of the organ’s ranks either missing or damaged beyond any cost effective repair; another third showing some damage but imminently repairable under skilled hands; and a final third, perhaps, completely untouched and as good as the day the organ was installed.   

Surviving examples of pipes from the Great Diapason chorus, which was nearly entirely destroyed, exist from all pitch levels of that ensemble—from a 16′ Double Open Diapason through a three-rank chorus mixture—and provide an interesting insight into Skinner’s tonal work for a large organ in the early 1910s. These are scaled and voiced to be heroic while also harmonically developed and bright—not at all dull. The ensemble has much more in common with highly developed diapason chorus work at the culmination of the nineteenth-century American building tradition—before organ ensembles devolved into a tonal center around the unison pitch, with little-to-no upperwork—than it does the Skinner sound we have come to know and appreciate from the 1920s. It stands in complete contrast to his work from later periods, and it is a shame that this chorus work was destroyed.

In addition to the usual very fine diapasons, flutes, strings, and reeds, Opus 195 is the first Skinner organ to have one of the now-famous Skinner French Horns, and also is where the Skinner Corno di Bassetto first made its appearance. A review of the tonal specification for the new organ demonstrates that this defunct organ, constructed by one of the foremost early twentieth-century American organbuilders, has made a significant contribution to the new organ at Dunwoody, including the very fine Pedal 32′ Contra Bourdon, which produces some of the deepest tones in the instrument, and the Solo 8′ Tuba, which is the loudest stop in the organ.

The second organ procured for use in the new instrument was constructed in 1939 by Casavant Frères, Ltd. (three manuals, 42 ranks) for the now defunct Chapel of the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Darlington, New Jersey. Like most Casavant organs dating from the 1930s, this organ was constructed and voiced according to English Romantic ideals, brought to Casavant by tonal director Stephen Stoot, and included diapason chorus work of remarkably heavy construction, superbly constructed wood flutes, and English-style reeds. Our own assessment is that the flues were never voiced up to scale, and, as we found them, were rather lackluster and dull as individual voices. The reeds seem to have suffered an unfortunate fate following a haphazard revoicing prior to the closing of the seminary. After the seminary was closed in the early 1980s, the organ was repeatedly flooded due to serious roof leaks over the organ cases. Nevertheless, in terms of substantial, beautifully constructed pipework, suitable for revoicing, Casavant Opus 1600 presented a wealth of material. Most of the water damage was sustained by the 32′ Contra Posaune, which because of its miters, held the water in the miter knuckles, where, completely undetectable from the outside, the zinc corroded from the inside out. These pipes have been substantially reconstructed and revoiced and form the bass of the Pedal 32′ Contra Trombone at Dunwoody.

It may seem strange to conceptualize the combination of pipework from two very different instruments, constructed nearly thirty years apart, and with widely divergent tonal ideals in mind, in an attempt to create any kind of instrument that has a cohesive tonal identity. And it’s true that this is probably not a good idea, at least if it is approached with a restoration-conservation mindset, where the ranks from each respective organ are to retain their original voices, balance, and relationship to one another. That approach is on its own extremely valid, and certainly equally satisfying, and should certainly have been undertaken if, say, this were a project where the Skinner pipework (were it all intact) and mechanics were to be restored as an entity and installed in an environment that demanded a 1913 organ sound. However, because of the vandalism the 1913 Skinner all but disappeared in the 1950s, and the 1939 Casavant, with beautifully and substantially constructed pipes, was, as we found it, unevenly and under voiced, possessing a disappointing ensemble. Neither organ, as we encountered them, was playable or usable, and neither organ stood much prospect of restoration and reuse elsewhere. More importantly, we were not tasked with a restoration project by the church, but rather, to create something new using to advantage the accumulated material at hand.

Looking beyond this, however, it’s helpful to place the 1913 Skinner and 1939 Casavant organs, while different, both as a part of an organbuilding continuum that continued uninterrupted in development and refinement from its fifteenth-century origins right up until the middle twentieth century. Organs from later in this continuum are markedly different from earlier instruments, but each builder in this centuries-long procession built upon what had been given by the previous generation, at least until this succession was interrupted by the Organ Reform Movement. For the first time in organbuilding history, the work of the immediate past was swept away, intentionally and deliberately, in an effort to recapture ideals—sometimes real, and sometimes supposed—that marked organbuilding in an earlier age.

While it’s certainly true that the Organ Reform Movement has left a mostly-positive legacy (and some noteworthy landmarks of twentieth-century organbuilding) on the contemporary American organbuilding landscape—even though most contemporary organbuilders have moved beyond the strictures of its dictums—at QPO, we like to regard our own work as very much a return to the continuum and succession that existed prior to World War II. What would it be like, we ask ourselves, if organbuilding had continued uninterrupted, and the work of each new generation an expansion of what had gone before, rather than a violent reaction against it? We like to think that Opus 76 at Dunwoody United Methodist, along with a number of other recent projects, has given us a chance to explore this in detail.

As to the ensemble, Opus 76 has the hallmark of any QPO ensemble from the past twenty-five years or so: highly characteristic, individually beautiful colors or voices that are simultaneously extremely effective and flexible ensemble players. These individualist voices are each strong, characteristic examples of their class and type, and are the sort of voice you want to hear played alone—full of intrinsic beauty and interest. However, beautiful, characteristic voices alone are not enough, for we’ve all heard and played organs where the colors individually are beautiful, but combine intractably into loose ensembles, mixing like oil and water, where the ear can pick apart all the constituent parts. On the other hand, we’ve all heard and played organs where decent or even very good ensembles are given, but a review, one by one, of the individual voices reveals bland, uninteresting color and voicing. One of the measures of any great organ—whatever the period, style, or timbre—is that the individual voices pass this litmus test: to be highly characteristic, colorful, and intrinsically beautiful, and yet nevertheless combine with others to form a wide array of flexible and dynamic ensembles of all types.

In Opus 76, there are, in fact, individual voices that may be recognizable as early “Skinner,” pre-WWII “Casavant,” or even modern “Quimby,” but in each and every case, the emphasis in terms of voicing has not been to maintain the original voice, but to expand upon it, changing it as required so that a new identity is revealed: an organ that speaks with one voice, a cohesive ensemble, and a truly musical instrument.

A review of the accompanying tonal specification will reveal where Skinner or Casavant ranks were used in the new disposition, but the basic concept is as follows. The choruswork for Great, Swell, and Choir-Positive is all Casavant, which has been revoiced and in some cases rescaled to achieve the bold, colorful, heroic-yet-transparent, and clear organ ensemble we strive for. Skinner diapasons from the Swell of 195 were repurposed in the Antiphonal organ chorus. Throughout the organ, colorful flutes and strings were used from both organs. The Casavant Swell reed chorus has been revoiced and resides in the Great. The Skinner reed chorus, at least in part, after substantial reconstruction and revoicing, is in the Swell. The Casavant 32′ Contra Posaune, 16′ Trombone, and 8′ Tromba have been combined to provide a reed that plays at 32′, 16′, 8′, and 4′ in the Pedal and at 8′ in the Solo. One rank of the pipes from the church’s former instrument, along with the Zimbelstern and Chimes, was reused in the new organ: a very fine 8′ Trompette-en-Chamade, now installed vertically, in the Antiphonal organ, and called “8′ Harmonic Trumpet.”

Because of its favorable placement and lack of enclosure, the Antiphonal diapason chorus functions more like a Grand Choeur, rather than a secondary, lesser Great. It is a spectacular effect, at once foundational, colorful, and heroic that must be experienced to be fully appreciated.

Most all of the mechanics and internal structure of the organ, including the windchests, façade pipes, console, and winding system, are completely new. Manual windchests for all straight manual ranks are electro-pneumatic slider windchests, constructed according to the Quimby-Blackinton design, with square drop pallets that allow for copious winding of heroically voiced pipes on a common channel. Also importantly, the chests are constructed without slider seals, which means that the organ won’t have to be de-piped and disassembled to replace the slider seals in a few decades, when they are bound to fail.

Our standard electro-pneumatic unit-action windchests have been used for most pedal ranks and manual unit ranks; the exception here exists in a few instances, where 1913 Skinner unit action windchests were restored for reuse with original ranks, such as the Solo 8′ Tuba and the Pedal 32′ Contra Bourdon and 4′ Solo Flute.

The winding system includes a 10-H.P. vintage Spencer blower, which provides 6-inch wind pressure for most manual and pedal flues, and 10-inch wind pressure for all reeds and Solo flues. The Solo 8′ Tuba is on 20-inch wind pressure, with its own step-up blower. New cone-valve reservoirs, according to our custom design, which is an adaptation of the Skinner reservoir, have been constructed for regulation of wind in the Chancel organ. The Antiphonal organ makes use of a blower and static wind system that was retained from the previous organ.

All manual divisions, except the Antiphonal, are individually enclosed by 2-inch-thick expression shutters and solid wood walls, which enable the heroically voiced ensembles to be brought down to a surprising diminuendo, and the soft voices to fade to nearly a whisper. A new four-manual and pedal console was constructed to a custom design and finished to match the renovated interior of the church, with solid oak exterior cabinetry and solid walnut interior.

During the first choral rehearsal with the new organ, director of music Sonny Walden told Mary Ruth Solem, “I know I’ve never said this before in this room, but the organ is too soft. Isn’t it wonderful to be able to say that?!” And he burst out into joyful laughter. Later, as she has continued to rehearse and perform with Opus 76, Mary Ruth said, “I am starting a long friendship with this instrument!  It’s beautiful, and I am immensely grateful . . . . This is a rare gem.”

We hope that the assessment will over time continue to be as equally enthusiastic and kind, as Opus 76 finds its place in the heart of traditional worship at Dunwoody United Methodist Church, and also in the greater organ world beyond. For our own part, at QPO we have found that working with the vintage fabric, as represented by the many ranks of pipes, originally constructed and voiced by some of the most reputable of our organbuilding forebears, has taught us many lessons, and will continue to yield an impact on the development of our organs into the future.

Because the organ is substantially new mechanically, and because the sound of the new organ is completely unlike a 1910s Skinner or a 1930s Casavant, we have given this instrument an opus number in our body of work. To be sure, the completed instrument does, in certain instances, reveal its parentage, but the overall ensemble has as much in common with all-new organs constructed by Quimby Pipe Organs as it does either Casavant or Skinner. This is no mere restoration of an artifact or the assemblage of collected parts; rather, this organ has been conceptualized to be musically communicative, inspiring, and above all, to support the music ministry and worship cycles of Dunwoody United Methodist Church in the broadest, most flexible way possible; an instrument that offers options, rather than limitations. In this regard, Opus 76 is an original creation—a testimony of our own time; one that we hope will remain timelessly relevant for generations to come.

—T. Daniel Hancock, A.I.A., President

Quimby Pipe Organs, Inc.

GREAT (Manual II, enclosed, 17 ranks, flues 6″ w. p., reeds 10″ w. p.)

16′ Violone (a & b) 73 pipes

16′ Bourdon (Ped)

8′ Open Diapason (b) 61 pipes

8′ Harmonic Flute (a) 49 pipes, 1–12 fr 8′ Stopped Diapason

8′ Stopped Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Violoncello (ext 16′)

51⁄3′ Quint (MC) (b) 37 pipes

4′ Octave (b) 61 pipes

4′ Wald Flute (a) 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth (b) 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth (b) 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Seventeenth (b) 61 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Mixture IV (b) 244 pipes

16′ Double Trumpet (b) 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet (b) 61 pipes

4′ Clarion (b) 61 pipes

8′ Tuba (Solo)

8′ Harmonic Trumpet (Ant)

Chimes (d) 25 tubes

Tremolo

Great to Great 16

Great Unison Off

Great to Great 4

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed, 24 ranks, flues 6″ w. p., reeds 10″ w. p.)

16′ Spitz Flute (b) 73 pipes

8′ Open Diapason (b) 61 pipes

8′ Chimney Flute 61 pipes

8′ Spitz Flute (ext 16′)

8′ Gamba (b) 61 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste (b) 61 pipes

8′ Flauto Dolce (b) 61 pipes

8′ Flute Celeste (TC) (b) 49 pipes

4′ Octave (b) 61 pipes

4′ Night Horn 61 pipes

4′ Salicet 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

2′ Flautina 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Mixture IV–V 281 pipes

16′ Contra Trumpet 61 pipes

16′ Contra Oboe (a & b) 73 pipes

8′ Trumpet (a) 61 pipes

8′ Oboe (ext 16′)

8′ Vox Humana (a) 61 pipes

4′ Clarion (a) 61 pipes

Tremolo

Swell to Swell 16

Swell Unison Off

Swell to Swell 4

CHOIR-POSITIVE (Manual I, enclosed, 20 ranks, 6″ w. p.)

16′ Contra Dulciana (a & c) 73 pipes

8′ Geigen Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Claribel Flute (b) 61 pipes

8′ Gedeckt (c)  61 pipes

8′ Erzähler (b)  61 pipes

8′ Erzähler Celeste (GG) (b) 54 pipes

8′ Dulciana (ext 16′)

8′ Unda Maris (TC) (c) 49 pipes

4′ Geigen Octave (b) 61 pipes

4′ Traverse Flute (b) 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard (b) 61 pipes

2′ Harmonic Piccolo (a) 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce (a) 61 pipes

1-1⁄7′ Septieme (a) 61 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Larigot 61 pipes

1′ Sifflute 61 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Mixture III–IV 190 pipes

8′ Clarinet (b) 61 pipes Tremolo

8′ Tuba (Solo)

8′ Harmonic Trumpet (Ant)       

8′ French Horn (Solo)    

8′ English Horn (Solo)    

Chimes (Great)      

Choir to Choir 16

Choir Unison Off

Choir to Choir 4

SOLO (Manual IV, enclosed, 12 ranks, 6″ w. p., Tuba 20″ w. p.)

8′ Stentorphone 49 pipes, 1–12 fr Pedal 16′ Diapason

8′ Doppel Flute 49 pipes, 1–12 fr Pedal 32′ Bourdon

8′ Gross Gamba (a) 61 pipes

8′ Gross Gamba Celeste (a) 61 pipes

8′ Dulcet II (a) 122 pipes

4′ Orchestral Flute 61 pipes

4′ Violin 61 pipes

8′ French Horn (b) 61 pipes

8′ English Horn (c) 61 pipes

8′ Orchestral Oboe (c) 61 pipes

Tremolo

16′ Ophicleide (ext 8′, 1–12 Ped Tbone)

8′ Tuba (a)   73 pipes

8′ Harmonic Trumpet (Ant)    

8′ Tromba (Ped)

4′ Tuba Clarion (ext 8′)

Solo to Solo 16

Solo Unison Off

Solo to Solo 4

PEDAL (unenclosed, 10 ranks, flues 6″ w. p., reeds 10″ w. p.)

32′ Contra Bourdon (a) 73 pipes

16′ Open Metal Diapason 56 pipes

16′ Bourdon (ext 32′)

16′ Violone (Great)

16′ Spitz Flute (Swell)

16′ Contra Dulciana (Ch-Pos)

10-2⁄3′ Gross Quint (ext 16′ Open Diap)

8′ Octave (ext 16′)    

8′ Bourdon (ext 32′)

8′ Violoncello (Great)

8′ Spitz Flute (Swell)

6-2⁄5′ Gross Tierce (a) 44 pipes

5-1⁄3′ Quint (ext 16′ Open Diap)

4-4⁄7′ Septieme (b) 32 pipes

4′ Super Octave (ext 16′)

4′ Solo Flute (a) 32 pipes

3-1⁄5′ Tierce (ext 62⁄5′ Gross Tierce)

2-2⁄3′ Mixture IV 124 pipes

32′ Contra Trombone (b) 85 pipes (enclosed with Great)

16′ Trombone (ext 32′)

16′ Double Trumpet (Great)

16′ Contra Trumpet (Swell)

16′ Contra Oboe (Swell)

8′ Tromba (ext 32′)

8′ Trumpet (Swell)  

8′ Oboe (Swell)

4′ Tromba Clarion (ext 32′)

4′ Oboe (Swell)

8′ Tuba (Solo)

ANTIPHONAL (Manual IV, unenclosed in rear gallery, 15 ranks, 6″ w. p., Harmonic Trumpet 10″ w. p.)

8′ Open Diapason (a) 49 pipes, 1–12 fr Ant. Pedal 8′ Octave

8′ Concert Flute (a) 49 pipes, 1–12 fr 8′ Bourdon

8′ Bourdon (c) 61 pipes

8′ Gamba 61 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Octave (a)   61 pipes

4′ Harmonic Flute (c)   61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth (a) 61 pipes

2′ Mixture III–V 244 pipes

8′ Trumpet     73 pipes

8′ Harmonic Trumpet (d) 61 pipes

Zimbelstern (d)

Antiphonal to Antiphonal 16

Antiphonal Unison Off

Antiphonal to Antiphonal 4

ANTIPHONAL PEDAL (unenclosed in gallery, 2 ranks, 6″ w. p.)

16′ Bourdon 44 pipes

8′ Octave (c) 44 pipes

8′ Bourdon (ext 16′)

4′ Super Octave (ext 8′)

16′ Posaune (ext Ant 8′ Trumpet)

8′ Trumpet (Ant)

8′ Harmonic Trumpet (Ant)    

ORIGIN KEY

(a) ranks from 1913 Ernest M. Skinner Company Opus 195, formerly in Grace Chapin Hall, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts.

(b) ranks from 1939 Casavant Frères Opus 1600, formerly in Immaculate Conception Seminary Chapel, Darlington, New Jersey.

(c) vintage Skinner ranks from QPO inventory.

(d) ranks and tuned percussions from 1972 Schantz Opus 1125, formerly in Dunwoody United Methodist Church, Dunwoody, Georgia.

All other ranks are either new by Quimby Pipe Organs, Inc., or from QPO inventory.

CONSOLE ACCESSORIES

INTER-MANUAL COUPLERS

Great to Pedal 8′, 4′

Swell to Pedal 8′, 4′

Choir-Positive to Pedal 8′, 4′

Solo to Pedal 8′, 4′

Antiphonal on Pedal 8′, 4′

Swell to Great16′, 8′, 4′

Choir-Positive to Great 16′, 8′, 4′

Solo on Great

Antiphonal on Great

Swell to Choir-Positive 16′, 8′, 4′

Solo on Choir-Positive

Great to Choir-Positive 8′

Pedal to Choir-Positive 8′

Manual Transfer

COMBINATION ACTION

General pistons 1–20 (thumb) and 1–10 (toe)

Great divisional pistons 1–8

Swell divisional pistons 1–8

Choir-Positive divisional pistons 1–8

Solo divisional pistons 1–8

Antiphonal divisional pistons 1–5

Pedal divisional pistons 1–5 (thumb), 1–8 (toe)

General Cancel Piston

Set Piston

Memory Level Up and Down pistons

Previous and Next pistons (5 each, thumb) and toe studs (1 each)

Transposer Up and Down pistons

General Crescendo pedal 60 positions, three adjustable and one standard

REVERSIBLES

Great to Pedal piston & toe paddle

Swell to Pedal piston & toe paddle

Choir-Positive to Pedal piston & toe paddle

Solo to Pedal piston & toe paddle

Swell to Great piston

Choir-Positive to Great piston

Swell to Choir piston

Antiphonal on Great piston

Antiphonal on Swell piston

Antiphonal on Choir piston

Antiphonal on Solo piston

Antiphonal on Pedal toe paddle

Pedal on Divisionals piston

32′ Contra Bourdon piston & toe paddle

32′ Contra Trombone piston & toe paddle

Sforzando I and II pistons & toe studs

Manual Transfer—piston & indicator light

Crescendo on Solo Expression piston & indicator light

EXPRESSION & CRESCENDO

Great Expression Pedal

Swell Expression Pedal

Choir-Positive & Solo Expression Pedal

Solo Expression & Crescendo Pedal

SUMMARY

Great 17

Swell 24

Choir-Positive 20

Solo 12

Antiphonal 15

Antiphonal Pedal   2

Pedal 10

Total 100 ranks

Photo credits, including cover (except where noted): Sandra Jausch, Vitamamans-Pictures

Quimby Pipe Organs, Inc., Cover Feature

Quimby Pipe Organs, Inc., Warrensburg, Missouri

Fifty Years and Counting

Fate, luck, and surprising interactions with others fascinated with the pipe organ were the impetus for the founding of Quimby Pipe Organs, Incorporated, in August 1970. The same scenarios have continued over the years until the company reached its fiftieth birthday this past August 2020.  

I was exposed to pipe organs when I was a fourth grader, while my father was accomplishing his residence work on his doctorate in agriculture economics at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma. I was encouraged by my mother to join the boys’ choir at First United Methodist Church, Stillwater, where Mrs. Ben W. Martin was minister of music. One trip looking into the pipe organ chambers of the 1929 Hillgreen, Lane & Company Opus 959 was all that was necessary to start a dream. This experience paved the way or caused the orange shellac to start to flow as is often quoted. It is said that everyone who is an organbuilder and who passionately loves the pipe organ has orange shellac flowing in their veins.  

To me it seemed obvious that an organbuilder should know how to play the instrument and have an understanding of the repertoire. I studied organ under Professors Dr. Frederick W. Homan and Dr. William E. McCandless at the University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, where I completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music.  

Today I play the instrument for my own enjoyment and occasionally substitute. I did play for the First United Methodist Church, Warrensburg, for forty years, thankfully with a readily available substitute when I was required to be out of town working on pipe organ projects.  

Early influences

My formative years in pipe organ building were significantly influenced by Colin A. Campbell, a service representative for M. P. Möller, and Charles McManis, the legendary pipe organ builder in Kansas City, Kansas.

I started my adventures in organbuilding as a key holder with Mr. Campbell and subsequently was taught to tune before the age of fancy digital tuning devices. Of interest to pipe organ historians, I still have Mr. Campbell’s Peterson tuner, with tubes and only two pitch selections—he modified this function himself for fine tuning the pitch adjustment. Additionally, I learned to leather pouches and primary actions, restore reservoirs, loom cables for windchests and console connections, and to accomplish basic voicing techniques to correct speech problems, basic reed cleaning and regulation, and the basics of cutting up flue pipes, adjusting languids, and the proper use of toe cones. Considerable time was spent in learning how to quickly ascertain technical issues with tuning or on an emergency visit. Mr. Campbell was extremely fastidious regarding the quality of the work accomplished. Since cleanliness and precise order were virtuous in his eyes, he had no patience for instruments that were designed in such a way as to make tuning and maintenance difficult.

In the way that Mr. Campbell influenced my mind as a service technician, Charles McManis also influenced my mind regarding tonal design and flue voicing. He never abandoned voicing techniques such as nicking that were considered an abomination by builders of the Organ Reform Movement. He was never an advocate of voicing flue pipes resulting in a fluty timbre especially in principal chorus ranks. See his book, Wanted: One Crate of Lions—The Life and Legacy of Charles W. McManis, Organbuilder, OHS Press, 2008. In the course of completing my degrees I became intimately acquainted with his Opus 60, 1959, a two-manual electro-pneumatic instrument located in Hart Recital Hall, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Missouri. Two other instruments of his design left a lasting impression on me as well—his two-manual organ installed in South Street Christian Church, Springfield, Missouri, and his three-manual organ installed in Saint John’s United Methodist Church, Kansas City, Missouri.

1970s

This decade was a time of steady growth for QPO with one employee and the active participation of my wife Nancy Elizabeth, since deceased. In 1972, First Christian Church, Warrensburg—upon the recommendation of the UCM organ faculty and Dr. Conan Castle, director of choral activities at UCM and director of music at First Christian—selected QPO to build its Opus 1, a two-manual, 21-rank instrument, on which Charles McManis provided input. Opus 1 retained four ranks from their 13-rank Kilgen (1919), along with the case. The instrument was dedicated in September 1973. Coming up in 2023, Ken Cowan will perform the fiftieth anniversary recital.

Additional work accomplished in the 1970s included the restoration of a splendid two-manual, 14-rank mechanical-action (tracker) instrument by an unknown builder; the relocation of a two-manual, 15-rank Pfeffer tracker; the restoration of a one-manual, 10-rank Kilgen tracker; and the relocation of Möller Opus 5818. Two other two-manual instruments were also built during this decade.

1980s

The 1980s proved to be quite beneficial to the growth of QPO. In 1982 we were appointed curators of the Auditorium Organ, the four-manual, 110-rank Aeolian-Skinner Opus 1309, located in Independence, Missouri, where Dr. John Obetz was the principal organist. This appointment was the launching pad for future work because of the credibility that it gave to a young firm.

From 1985 to 1987 the Auditorium Organ went through an extensive rebuild where the leather throughout the instrument had prematurely failed. The console was also failing due to the extraordinary amount of use that it endured. At this time, it was decided to completely revoice the instrument. The revoicing work was accomplished by John Hendriksen, former head voicer of Aeolian-Skinner, and Thomas H. Anderson, former head of the Aeolian-Skinner pipe shop, who built four new ranks. This project resulted in a long-standing relationship with both John and Tommy. John was not only an excellent flue voicer but was also an artist at knowing the potential of vintage pipework. He was able to change their character by scale changes, changing cut ups, or adding nicking. Through Tommy’s guidance, old pipework could take on a completely new purpose and look.

One of our most pivotal occurrences was being selected as the builder at First United Methodist Church, Fort Smith, Arkansas. Ms. Nancy Vernon, chair of the organ committee, after extensively researching our work, believed in QPO and felt that our young firm would provide them with the best instrument. 

In addition to these, fifteen new instruments along with six rebuilds were completed during this decade.

1990s

The 1990s proved to be a pivotal decade. In 1991, I convinced Eric Johnson, who apprenticed with L. W. Blackinton and Associates, to join QPO. Eric brought with him the Blackinton slider chest design, which incorporated a different pallet design, along with other features that eliminated the need for slider seals. These windchests exceeded my expectations and allowed our pipework to be voiced to its full potential by eliminating the explosive attack experienced when using individual pipe valves.

In 1997, Eric, Michael Brittenback, organist of St. Margaret’s Church, Thomas Brown, and myself, embarked on a journey to Europe, led by Jonathan Ambrosino, to study notable English organs of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, along with the works of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. This fact-finding mission was in advance of building our Opus 50 (IV/71) at Saint Margaret’s Episcopal Church, Palm Desert, California, which was designed by Mr. Ambrosino. Also, on that same trip we were fortunate to have Stephen Bicknell and Jean-Louis Coignet offer their expertise. Todd Wilson recorded his CD Frank Bridge and Friends on the instrument at Saint Margaret’s (available on the web).

Ever since that trip, whenever possible, our instruments have an 8′ Diapason in each manual division with developed diapason and reed choruses. This was a radical shift in tonal design from the terraced diapason choruses of McManis. Our thoughts about solo and chorus reeds also evolved significantly. During this trip, Eric and I confirmed the significance of appropriate metal thicknesses for flues and reeds also. Years before I had noticed, quite by accident, how foundational timbre and balance in the overtone series was affected just by holding the body of the pipe. The English and French organs that we studied confirmed the need for heavier metal thicknesses. When I examined a spotted metal 8′ Diapason pipe built by T. C. Lewis, which showed no evidence of collapse, it prompted me to have the metal analyzed, which confirmed the addition of antimony and other trace elements in the metal.

During the 1990s we completed four four-manual, five three-manual, and thirteen two-manual instruments, along with over thirty rebuilds.

2000s

The first decade of the twenty-first century opened with the decision to expand our pipe shop and make and voice our own reeds whenever possible. This change made it possible to differentiate our reeds from that of other builders. Our head reed voicer, Eric Johnson, developed the chorus and solo reeds that we have become noted for their timbre and excellent tuning stability. The first instrument built with our new tonal philosophy was the three-manual, 55-rank organ located in Gano Chapel of William Jewell College, Liberty, Missouri. This organ was especially important to me as I was allowed complete freedom in the design of the instrument to express my own thoughts and creativity. This instrument still holds a special place in my mind, even with the passage of time.

In 2005, QPO was entrusted with the rebuild of the four-manual, 143-rank Aeolian Skinner Opus 150A located in the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York City, following the fire of 2001. The instrument was removed in 2005 and then returned in the early summer of 2008. Its first public use following the fire was on November 30 of the same year. The work was primarily a restoration except for a new replica four-manual console built to AGO standards, solid-state conversion, and the addition of two ranks. All Ernest Skinner windchests from his 1910 Opus 150 remain, with the exception of two unit chests. This job remains the single most demanding and rewarding job to date.

Other notable new instruments include: First Baptist Church, Jackson, Mississippi (V/155); Dauphin Way United Methodist Church, Mobile, Alabama (IV/71); Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church, Richardson, Texas (III/58); Kirkwood Baptist Church, Kirkwood, Missouri (III/43); and First Christian Church, Jefferson City, Missouri (III/46).

2010s

All of the instruments built in the 2010s have proven to be emotionally satisfying to their owners and consultants, when involved. The most challenging projects in this decade were Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago, Illinois (V/143), and Dunwoody United Methodist Church, Dunwoody, Georgia (IV/100). 

When Eric Johnson and I first visited Fourth Presbyterian, we were astonished that the 1970 Aeolian-Skinner Opus 1516 was not able to effectively accompany congregational singing, even with a substantial Antiphonal division. Not much was heard past the fourth pew other than mixtures and the 32′ reed. The same issues accompanied its predecessor, the 1913 Ernest M. Skinner Opus 210. Leo Sowerby described the E. M. Skinner as a fantastic instrument for accompanying and softer effects, but devoid of a satisfactory ensemble. 

We were fortunate to develop a specification, with the assistance of Dr. John Sherer, that could lead congregational singing without being offensive, and, at the same time, perform the vast majority of pipe organ repertoire. The existing tone openings included one that spoke directly into the chancel and another, added by Goulding & Wood Pipe Organ Builders in their 1994 rebuild of the instrument, that spoke directly into the nave. The nave opening proved to be inadequate for optimal tonal egress, so we were able to create a larger opening by removing the solid decorative panels at the top of the case and replacing them with acoustically porous panels on which the original artwork was duplicated. We also designed and built a Positive division in a matching case in the balcony, opposite the main organ. By doing this, we achieved the satisfactory results we had hoped for. Dr. Sherer used the organ of Woolsey Hall, Yale University, as the demarcation point. Dr. Jan Kraybill’s recording, Live in Concert—The Quimby Pipe Organ of Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago (found at https://quimbypipeorgans.com/quimby-sound/) provides an excellent presentation. 

Dunwoody United Methodist Church did not want a new instrument, but the merger of two instruments from the past. Their desire was to create a new Romantic pipe organ. The instruments selected were 1912 Ernest M. Skinner Opus 195 and 1938 Casavant Opus 1600. The results exceeded my fondest expectations: that no one would be able to determine where repurposed original ranks were assigned in the new tonal specification. The hard surface chancel was a superb sounding board along with the high vaulted ceiling, making the acoustics of the room the best stop on the organ.

Other new instruments from this timeframe include the following: The Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew, Wilmington, Delaware (III/45); Central United Methodist Church, Concord, North Carolina (III/38); All Saints Episcopal Church, Southern Shores, North Carolina (II/18); Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette, Indiana (III/29); and First United Methodist Church, Athens, Georgia (IV/68).

Looking ahead

Despite Covid-19, the sixth decade for QPO looks to be very exciting. Work in progress includes the rebuild of Skinner Organ Company Opus 323 for Church of the Messiah, Rhinebeck, New York; tonal rebuild of the Schantz organ located in Trinity Episcopal Church, Indianapolis, Indiana; relocation and rebuilding of the IV/50 Skinner Opus 265, with Pedal 32′ Open Wood and Bombarde for Saint Bernard’s Catholic Parish, Madison, Wisconsin; a new IV/55 organ for First Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, North Carolina; and rebuild and enlargement of Austin Opus 1162 located in Hendricks Hall, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Missouri.

To ensure our work continuing well into the future, we have instituted a succession plan, prepared for us by Stinson Attorneys of Kansas City, Missouri. Present associates of QPO are as follows: Melody Burns, Nancy Dyer, Chris Emerson, Charles Ford, Eric Johnson, Kevin Kissinger, Bryce Munson, Michael Quimby, Brian Seever, Dan Sliger, Anthony Soun, Mahoney Soun, Chirt Touch, and Bailey Tucker.

—Michael Quimby

The photos on the cover page, left to right, top to bottom: 

˜The Cathedral of Saint Paul, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette, Indiana

Saint Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, San Diego, California

Photo caption: The Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew, Wilmington, Delaware

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