Noack Opus 157 shop recital

Noack Organ Co., Inc.,
Georgetown, Massachusetts
Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, La Crosse, Wisconsin

From the director of music
The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe consists of several buildings and various outdoor devotional areas and religious sculptures located on 100 scenic acres just outside the city of La Crosse, Wisconsin. It is the vision of its founder, the Most Reverend Raymond L. Burke, who was the Bishop of La Crosse at the time the shrine complex was begun, then became Archbishop of St. Louis, and who recently was appointed Prefect for the Apostolic Signatura in Rome, but who has continued his leadership role at the shrine. Although the shrine facilities are still a work in progress, the heart of the shrine, the Shrine Church, was recently completed and was dedicated on July 31.
This magnificent church is built in a richly decorated traditional style, cruciform in shape with a large dome above the crossing. The architecture is the result of a collaboration of Michael Swinghamer of River Architects in La Crosse and Duncan G. Stroik, professor of architecture at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. The church seats approximately 450 persons and is a wonderfully reverberant space. It is a building of national significance.
A suitable instrument was needed for this inspired space, and we were very fortunate in securing the Noack Organ Company of Georgetown, Massachusetts as the builder. In addition to my duties at the shrine, my primary position is that of music director and organist at the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman in La Crosse. We had already arranged for Fritz Noack to build two new organs for the cathedral (to be completed in August of 2010) when it became apparent that the Shrine Church had progressed faster than anticipated and would need an organ by summer 2008. The Noack firm was selected to build a very substantial three-manual instrument for the shrine.
The organ is located in a high choir loft at the rear of the nave. It is first and foremost an organ for liturgical use, but it is also a fine recital instrument, and in fact our liturgical practice includes the performance of substantial solo organ repertoire, so these purposes are not clearly distinguished. The liturgical aspect demands that the organ also serve effectively as an accompanying instrument both for the great choral/organ literature and for congregational singing. This organ has already demonstrated that it does all of these things very well.
The beautiful organ case, based on a design by Duncan Stroik, is thoroughly integrated into the room, both visually and aurally. The placement of the Swell division at the lower level of the main case is ideal for working with the choir. The Great is at the top for optimal projection down the nave, the Pedal is in side towers, and the Chair organ is located in the traditional location on the rail of the loft. The instrument speaks with perfect clarity in the room. The well-designed stoplist provides a versatile assortment of beautiful timbres which, while lovely individually, work together to form a coherent and balanced ensemble. The console is detached to make working with choir and orchestra practical. The key action is mechanical and the stop action is electric, with an extensive combination action and multiple channels of memory, providing excellent control over the touch and easy management of registration.
This outstanding Noack organ, optimally designed and placed, will provide many years of exciting and profoundly spiritual music for the Church at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
—Brian Luckner, DMA
Director of Music and Organist
Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe

From the organbuilder
We had already planned a large new organ for the Roman Catholic Cathedral in La Crosse, Wisconsin, with Dr. Brian Luckner, who directs a superb program of sacred music there. While funding for that instrument was still under way, I received a phone call from him asking simply if we would be interested in building first a three-manual organ for the new church under construction at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe near La Crosse. He would trust me completely with the tonal design, as we had already done much mutually beneficial brainstorming “inventing” the cathedral organ(s) and we knew quite well what sort of organ would be best for the Shrine Church. The case, however, was to be built according to the design by architect Duncan G. Stroik, of South Bend, Indiana, who was in charge of the interior design of the church.
We organ builders may have a reputation of dislike for cooperation with architects, a reputation that has its root in an outdated scenario where architects act as if they know everything about designing any visually important aspect of a building, including organ cases, and where organ builders consider themselves great architects.
Actually, I was delighted to accept this promising challenge. Several of my closest family are professional architects, and I have always respected and enjoyed close cooperation with members of that profession. Just to avoid discord, my firm’s contracts always state that we are ultimately responsible for the entire design of our organs, including the case. Duncan’s plan proved to be elegant, and respectful of the finest classical traditions, and we were happy to retain all of its décor and overall flair. We merely modified the shape to reflect the actual layout of divisions and the precise dimensions of the speaking front ranks (Diapason 16' on the main case and Dulciana 8' on the Chair). We were fortunate to engage James Lohmann, who has carved most of the beautiful pipe screens on our organs to date, for the pipe shades, tower consoles, and angel heads to float below the Chair case. Partially because of the relatively short time between contract and planned dedication of the church, we engaged the woodworking firm of Hawkes & Huberdeau (both partners having learned their trade in our shop!) of Amesbury, Massachusetts, to make the solid mahogany case. This unusually festive-looking organ bears testimony to a successful cooperation between all designers and craftspeople who poured the essence of their skill into this challenging project.
The technical design of the instrument, including the intricacies of balancing the Chair organ beyond the edge of the organ loft, and the electrical stop and combination action, were competently detailed by our Ted Brinduse. I myself enjoyed doing all the pre-voicing at the shop, while the on-site finishing was beautifully achieved by our David Rooney. Our team also included Aaron Tellers, Alan Meyers and Frank Thompson, with Eric Kenney (as he has for over thirty years) supervising. In moving the organ to La Crosse and the on-site erecting of the large parts on the instrument, we again had the capable help of the “A-Team” from the Organ Clearing House. Considering that at the time of the installation, the church was still a bustling construction site on a hillside surrounded first by several feet of frozen snow and later foot-deep mud (and no access for the big truck), their job was particularly appreciated.
I often have been asked what style we normally follow in the design of our instruments, and I usually try to avoid formulating a reply. The only honest answer would be: our own contemporary style, which, I might hasten to add, respects and is inspired by many historic styles that have given us a rich gift of organ music. The tonal architecture of North German Baroque organs is, of course, part of this gift. We also find that reeds that could have been made in France in 1800 actually work rather well in this context. I have made New England my home for almost half a century now, and so it may come as no surprise that stops such as our Bell Gamba (one of our favorites) and Oboe do not stray too far from those of the Hook brothers. To me the greatest achievement is to turn what could easily be a faceless collection of unrelated parts into one cohesive, musically attractive instrument. Our focus is on touching the listener’s heart, rather than to be completely governed by the goal of providing accurate media for the performance of a specific literature. If that appears as though we are avoiding an important task and opportunity for the organ, fear not. It often comes as a surprise that so much of idiomatic literature sounds, at least to our ears, so “right” on this instrument. Perhaps therein lies the secret: a truly beautiful sound will take precedence over a mediocre, but “correct” sound. As I noted above, I probably should avoid trying to define our style.
A few details may be of interest. Most of the Diapason chorus and strings are made of 70% tin, except for the Great Diapason 8', which is of almost pure hammered lead. Most flute chorus pipes, including the 5-rank mounted Cornet (after Dom Bedos, but all ranks open) are from “common metal,” an alloy of 70% lead and 30% tin. The wood pipes are from select, standing-grain pine. All stopped metal pipes are soldered shut after having been tonally finished in the church; the smaller open metal pipes are cone-tuned. Zinc is used only to provide strength on the lowest part of the Trombone resonators. All reed boots are made as solid wooden units, but the reed blocks are the conventional hard lead type. The lowest seven pipes of the Double Diapason are shared by Great and Pedal; all other ranks are independent.
The temperament is after Vallotti—a slightly unequal system in which the thirds over C, G, and F are rather pure and get coarser with more sharps and flats, and all fifths are either pure or twice as tempered as in equal temperament (which is still quite “nice”). Wind pressure is 80mm (31'8'), provided by a blower in a separate room with a small static reservoir and large parallel-opening bellows and solid wood ducts in the organ—to provide a complete noise- and turbulence-free, calmly “breathing,” quite stable wind system.
The organ has slider windchests and a self-adjusting mechanical key action without any assist devices, except for the largest front pipes, which are on pneumatic offset chests. Trackers are wooden, running in wooden guides. Rollerboards are solid aluminum (tubular often being unpleasantly audible). The sliders are moved by solenoids; there is an eight-level combination system from SSOS. The freestanding keydesk has bone-covered natural keys. The fancy stop knobs are moved by Harris propulsion magnets and are set in fiddleback maple stop terraces. The swell action is mechanical.
Before the shrine opened, I had the opportunity to bring a small group of attendees of the AGO national convention from Minneapolis for a preview visit to the shrine. When Brian Luckner played a multi-faceted program with elegant articulation and thoughtful registration for us, my style worries quickly evaporated. I was even more assured of this organ’s ability to fulfill its true role at the church’s four-hour dedication service with Brian, who also had composed a large amount of the music, again at the keydesk providing a wealth of wonderful music.
We owe much thanks to the founder and director of the shrine, the Most Reverend Raymond L. Burke, its music director Dr. Brian Luckner, the executive director of the shrine, Sister Christa Marie Halligan, and the architects Duncan G. Stroik, Michael Swinghamer, and Sherry Wall, all of whom supported us in the most sincere manner. Seldom have we undertaken a large job in which so much mutual trust and support carried us to a successful completion.
—Fritz Noack, FAIO
President, The Noack Organ Co., Inc.

AGO post-convention organ crawl
Fritz Noack led one of the most interesting organ crawls imaginable, following the Minneapolis AGO convention. The twenty of us, who were the lucky ones to take part in this, got to see and hear his latest opus in a church (a shrine, actually) that is not yet open to the public. A scenic two and a half hour bus ride alongside the Mississippi River took us to La Crosse, Wisconsin, where the new Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe was having the finishing touches applied to its extremely ornate Italian Renaissance structure, housing a three-manual, 40-stop mechanical action (electric stop action) Noack organ in the rear balcony. To say that this was a unique treat would be a gross understatement.
Brian Luckner ably demonstrated the organ, proving that it is comfortable in many styles of repertoire. Well winded, elegantly voiced, with comfortable action and beautiful casework (African mahogany, like the pews in the new building), the organ seemed to reveal an endless array of possible colors from old (Buxtehude) to Romantic (Vierne) to contemporary (Leighton). It handled it all with aplomb! The shrine was opened in July, and pilgrims can take the half-mile walk up the path to the church to witness a glorious building housing a spectacular organ. Our trip was capped with a lunch served at the Pilgrim Center and another scenic trip back to the Twin Cities, including seeing a bald eagle flying over the river!
—Jonathan Dimmock
San Francisco
<www.jonathandimmock.com&gt;

GREAT — Manual II
16' Double Diapason 51 pipes 70% tin, front, C–F# = Ped Dbl Diap 16'
8' Diapason 58 pipes hammered lead
8' Chimney Flute 58 pipes 30% tin
8' Viola 58 pipes 70% tin
4' Octave 58 pipes 70% tin
4' Harmonic Flute 58 pipes 30% tin
22/3' Twelfth 58 pipes 70% tin
2' Fifteenth 58 pipes 70% tin
8' Cornet V c'–c''' 125 pipes 30% tin, mounted
11/3' Mixture IV–VI 318 pipes 70% tin
8' Trumpet 58 pipes 70% tin

SWELL (enclosed) — Manual III
8' Diapason 58 pipes 50% tin (C–F Haskells)
8' Gedackt 58 pipes 30% tin
8' Bell Gamba 52 pipes 70% tin (C–F = Diapason 8')
8' Celeste (from G) 51 pipes 70% tin
4' Octave 58 pipes 70% tin
4' Recorder 58 pipes 30% tin
2' Gemshorn 58 pipes 30% tin
2' Mixture IV 232 pipes 50% tin
8' Cornopean 58 pipes 30% tin
8' Oboe 58 pipes 70% tin

CHAIR — Manual I
8' Stopt Flute 58 pipes 30% tin
8' Dulciana 58 pipes 70% tin, front
4' Prestant 58 pipes 70% tin, front
4' Chimney Flute 58 pipes 30% tin
22/3' Nasard 58 pipes 30% tin
2' Octave 58 pipes 70% tin
13/5' Tierce 58 pipes 30% tin
1' Whistle 58 pipes 30% tin
1' Sharp III 174 pipes 70% tin
8' Cremona 58 pipes 30% tin

PEDAL (AGO pedalboard)
16' Double Diapason 32 pipes 70% tin, front
16' Stopt Bass 32 pipes wood
102/3' Quinte 32 pipes wood
8' Diapason 32 pipes 50% tin
8' Gedackt 32 pipes 30% tin
4' Octave 32 pipes 50% tin
16' Trombone 32 pipes zinc and 30% tin
8' Trumpet 32 pipes 30% tin
4' Clarion 32 pipes 30% tin

Goulding & Wood, Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana
Opus 28 (1996) and Opus 49 (2009)
First United Methodist Church, Rocky Mount, North Carolina

From the organbuilder
One of the greatest pleasures we have as organbuilders is seeing the development of our relationships with the congregations whose churches house our instruments. We have found that our organs serve as catalysts for ongoing shared experiences with musicians, clergy, and lay people across a wide spectrum of geographic, demographic, and denominational ranges. We are grateful for our ever-growing circle of friends, many of whom feel like family. Nowhere is this truer than with the people of First United Methodist Church in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. We have continued to maintain close ties with the congregation even as the staff musicians have changed through the years. As such, it was with great excitement that we received word that the church was interested in fulfilling the preparations left on our Opus 28 instrument from 1996. As the conversation continued, the church further inquired about the realization of an Antiphonal division as well.
Discussion over this Antiphonal organ had been brief at the time of the chancel instrument installation. Console preparations to control the division were included, but no timeline was established for moving forward. Part of this preliminary design was to situate the instrument on the rear wall of the main sanctuary, allowing it to also speak into the adjacent chapel. The two rooms are perpendicular in orientation, with the back wall of the sanctuary serving as the side wall of the chapel. Although no definite decisions were made in 1996, the assumption was that the small Kilgen extension organ that served the chapel would provide a repository for the pipework of this very modest division.
As we considered the project more fully, it became apparent that the resources of the Kilgen organ were insufficient for either chapel or sanctuary use. Rather than using any sort of unit chest design, we proposed building an instrument employing a slider windchest with all new pipework. To maximize the flexibility of the organ for chapel use, we split the slider chest grid at middle C and furnished separate stop controls for bass and treble slides. The chapel console then accesses the instrument through divided stops, much in the way of a seventeenth-century English organ. This concept similarly influenced the specification, although the organ is not an attempt to copy any historical style. At the same time, the choice of a wooden Stopped Diapason, an elegantly thin Dulciana with matching celeste, and treble Cornet derives from English precedents. In scaling and voicing, however, the pipework adheres to the acoustical environment of both chapel and sanctuary, balancing with the tonal style of the chancel instrument so as to contribute to a satisfying musical ensemble when paired together.
In order to negotiate the dual uses of the organ, and to maximize the division’s expressive capabilities, the organ speaks through shade frames behind each façade. Upon turning on the chapel console, the shade frame facing into the main sanctuary closes and remains fixed, focusing all the sound into the chapel. Conversely, turning on the chancel console closes the chapel shades and allows the sanctuary side shade to be assigned to either the Swell or Choir shoe. All stops reside within the expression enclosure, including the 16′ Stopped Diapason. Within the chapel, the organ has a wide dynamic range, from the faint whisper of the Dulciana with the box closed to a satisfying full organ that fills the room with warmth. Although the chapel has a modestly sized floor plan, it has the same ceiling height as the main sanctuary. The proportions of the room, then, create a generous acoustical environment. The large cubic volume accommodates the abundant sound of the organ, while the placement of the instrument high on the wall distributes sound evenly, resulting in a musical presence that is embracing but never oppressive.
Mechanically, the organ is arranged in two levels, with the bass chest above the treble chest. Access for tuning and maintenance is easy throughout the layout despite the small size of the case. All mechanical systems and winding, including the blower, are located inside the case, yet the organization is logical and efficient. The division of the windchest into bass and treble facilitates imaginative use of the organ within the chapel. By drawing different combinations for right and left hands, two-manual repertoire can be rendered convincingly. Cornet voluntaries and trios with obbligato pedal are especially effective.
Tonally, the organ is typical of our organs in favoring fairly high cut-ups, substantial scaling, and thick-walled pipework, all of which encourages fundamental development. The Open Diapason is modestly scaled at 149 mm, taking into account the intimate context of the chapel. By contrast, the Stopped Diapason is a full 85 mm by 114 mm, adding thickness and weight to ensembles. Similarly, the 4′ Recorder is scaled at 81 mm with a 20th halving ratio and constructed of linen lead with a gentle 2:3 ratio taper. The Dulciana is a slender 88 mm at 8′ C and bearded for the first two octaves. Mouth widths are narrow, allowing for high cut-ups; all stops below 2′ pitch have 2/9 mouths, with the exception of the 4′ Recorder, whose first two octaves have 1/5 mouths. Only the treble of the 2′ and the Fourniture have 1/4-width mouths, restraining the upper end from growing glassy or obtrusive.
The current project also completed the chancel organ, rounding out the reed choruses in particular. The Great division received a new 16′ Fagotto, lending gravitas and weight to the ensemble. The Swell’s battery of reeds is now capped with a powerful 4′ Clairon, and the 16′ Basson is extended to 32′ pitch for the Pedal division. Other additions to the Pedal are a blending 8′ Trompete and solo 4′ Schalmei. Crowning the organ in the chancel is a commanding 8′ Bombarde with generous fundamental development and rich power. This reed also provides an effective contrast with the brilliant 8′ Fanfare Trumpet located within a section of the Antiphonal case partitioned from the main division. As such, it does not speak into the chapel, nor is it accessible by the chapel console. As an Antiphonal solo color, however, it is a thrilling presence in the room, able to stand up against full organ from the front. The only flue preparation was the 8′ Harmonic Flute on the Great, and the addition of this color opens up its own wealth of repertoire.
As with all of our recent work, the metal pipework for both the new instrument and the preparations was built by A. R. Schopp’s Sons, Inc. of Alliance, Ohio. Bob Schopp, David Schopp, Joe Russo, and their entire staff are a terrific resource and helpful partners in achieving the musical goals we seek. This job also required some sophisticated alterations to the chancel console solid-state systems, modifying controls built before the organ in back was even designed. We are grateful to Duncan Crundwell, Mark Gilliam, and Alan Bragg of Solid State Organ Systems for providing these changes and the new control systems, all of which worked from the start without a single glitch. Norman Y. Chambliss III of Chambliss and Rabil Contractors, Inc. ably and cheerfully coordinated the room modifications, including preparation of the rear wall to accommodate the steel support structure. Dr. Marcia Heirman, director of music for First United Methodist Church, has been a great friend to our shop throughout her tenure, and this project was especially fulfilling to embark upon with her. We look forward to watching as she continues to develop the music ministries of the church and incorporates the organ into the worship life of the congregation. We also wish to recognize the important work, sincere friendship, and unflagging support of the late Harry Pearsall. Harry was instrumental in the 1996 organ project, and we enjoyed keeping in touch with him through the intervening years. He was the first one to notify us of the prospect of this project in the spring of 2007, and he anticipated the completion of the organ with great eagerness. Unfortunately, Harry passed away in August shortly before the installation of the Antiphonal organ. We shall miss Harry’s kind smile and gentle presence on our future trips to Rocky Mount, and we are grateful to have this instrument as a testament to his perseverance and commitment to liturgical music in the church. May his dedication and stewardship serve as a reminder to all who hear the organ that, in the words of senior pastor Bob Bergland, music is “means of grace that people may come into the presence of God and have that experience of God’s nearness.”
—Jason Overall

Goulding & Wood, Inc.
Robert Duffy—case design and construction/supervision, installation
Mark Goulding—project team leader, installation
Robert Heighway—console design and construction, case construction, structure, installation
Phil Lehman—business manager, office support
Tyler MacDonald—slider chest construction, installation
Jason Overall—project development, onsite regulation
Tim Piotrzkowski—winding, chest construction, installation
Kurt Ryll—engineering and design
David Sims—voicing, console and system wiring, onsite tuning and regulation
Michael Vores—structure, winding, case construction, installation
Brandon Woods—tonal design and voicing

From the director of music
A long anticipated completion of the original 1996 Goulding & Wood (Opus 28) organ was realized in November 2009 as the company installed 1,048 additional pipes at First United Methodist in Rocky Mount. The installation included the addition of an Antiphonal division for the main organ, a new console in the chapel, the completion of the reed choruses in the chancel, a new fanfare trumpet in the antiphonal division for use in the sanctuary only, and a harmonic flute solo stop on the Great. Completed, the organ now fills the sanctuary with 69 ranks of beautiful and warm timbres.
The most obvious addition to the organ is the stunning Antiphonal division with a beautiful double façade, whose presence at the rear of the sanctuary fits so well architecturally it seems as if it has always been there. The chancel side of the double façade allows this division to be played independently from a new one-manual, split console in the chapel to serve as a new chapel organ. Independently, this organ is catalogued as Opus 49 by Goulding & Wood. The organ now embraces and surrounds the congregation with music and fills the large sanctuary without overpowering and overwhelming.
The organ completion was dedicated in the worship service on January 10. Upcoming dedication recitals will be presented by Dr. Monica Sparzak of Fayetteville, North Carolina, February 21; Dr. William Weisser of Edenton Street United Methodist in Raleigh, March 14; Christin Baker, sub dean of the East Carolina AGO chapter and an East Carolina University student, April 11; and Dr. Marcia Heirman with Lawrence Goering on May 16; all of these recitals will be at 4 pm. Coming in the fall will be Dr. Marilyn Mason, University Organist and Chairman of the University of Michigan Organ Department in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Dr. Michael Stefanek of Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Jeffrey Thompson of Goldsboro, North Carolina. Dates and times for the fall 2010 recitals will be announced later.
—Dr. Marcia Heirman

Goulding & Wood, Inc.
Opus 28 (1996) and Opus 49 (2009)
First United Methodist Church
Rocky Mount, North Carolina

Opus 28 Chancel Organ
(prepared pipework installed in 2009 listed in bold)
GREAT (Manual II)
16′ Violone
8′ Principal
8′ Violone (extension)
8′ Harmonic Flute
8′ Bourdon
4′ Octave
4′ Block Flute
2′ Super Octave
22⁄3′ Sesquialtera II (tenor c)
11⁄3′ Mixture IV
16′ Fagotto
8′ Trumpet
8′ Bombarde
8′ Fanfare Trumpet (hooded, in
Antiphonal case)
Tremulant
Great to Great 16
Unison Off
Great to Great 4
Chimes

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed)
8′ Geigen
8′ Geigen Celeste (tenor c)
8′ Stopped Diapason
4′ Principal
4′ Clear Flute
2′ Octave
11⁄3′ Quint
2′ Plein Jeu III–IV
1′ Cymbale II
16′ Basson-Hautbois
8′ Trompette
8′ Hautbois (extension)
4′ Clairon
8′ Fanfare Trumpet (Antiphonal)
Tremulant
Swell to Swell 16
Unison Off
Swell to Swell 4

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed)
16′ Rohr Gedeckt (extension)
8′ Rohrflöte
8′ Salicional
8′ Salicional Celeste (tenor c)
8′ Flauto Dolce
8′ Flute Celeste (tenor c)
4′ Principal
4′ Spielflöte
22⁄3′ Nazard
2′ Spitzflöte
13⁄5′ Tierce
11⁄3′ Larigot
1′ Sifflöte
8′ Oboe
8′ Bombarde (Great)
8′ Fanfare Trumpet (Antiphonal)
Tremulant
Choir to Choir 16
Unison Off
Choir to Choir 4

PEDAL
32′ Resultant (from Rohr Gedeckt)
16′ Principal
16′ Subbass
16′ Violone (Great)
16′ Rohr Gedeckt (Choir)
8′ Octave
8′ Pommer
8′ Violone (Great)
8′ Rohr Gedeckt (Choir)
4′ Choralbass
4′ Koppelflöte
2′ Octavebass
11⁄3′ Mixture II
32′ Contre Basson (extension/Swell)
16′ Posaune
16′ Basson (Swell)
8′ Trompete
8′ Basson (Swell)
4′ Schalmei
8′ Bombarde (Great)
8′ Fanfare Trumpet (Antiphonal)

Opus 49 Antiphonal/Chapel Organ

MANUAL
8′ Open Diapason (1–13 in façade)
8′ Stopped Diapason
8′ Dulciana
8′ Unda Maris
4′ Principal (1–6 in façade)
4′ Recorder
2′ Fifteenth
22⁄3′ Sesquialtera II (from middle c)
11⁄3′ Fourniture II–III
Tremulant

PEDAL
16′ Stopped Diapason (extension of
Manual stop)
8′ Stopped Diapason (Manual stop)
Manual to Pedal Coupler

Chapel console: One-manual mahogany keydesk with natural keys in maple and sharps in rosewood. Stop controls divided bass and treble (b-24/c-25) except Fourniture, Dulciana, and Unda Maris.

Chest action: Goulding & Wood’s exclusive design of electro-pneumatic slider and pallet windchest.

Casework: Dual façades with two sets of speaking display pipes. Woodwork designed and painted to match church interior.

Goulding & Wood, Inc.
823 Massachusetts Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46204

800/814-9690
[email protected]
www.gouldingandwood.com

Sarah Mahler Hughes

Sarah Mahler Hughes is Professor of Music, Organist of the College, and Chair of the Music Department at Ripon College, where she has taught since 1989. In July 2002 she appeared as a guest recitalist at the XVI Festival Internazionale Storici Organi della Valsesia in Campertogno (Piedmont), Italy. A special scholarly/artistic grant enabled her to examine and play a number of historic organs in Germany, including the 1687 Schnitger organ at the church of St. Peter and Paul in Cappel. In July 2004 she examined and played historic keyboard instruments in the Russell Collection at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and in other cities.

A recent holiday in Scotland provided many opportunities to see and play organs and other historical instruments in addition to being a tourist in this beautiful country. My children and I spent two weeks visiting friends in St. Madoes. Using this village between Perth and Dundee as our home base, we toured much of the country and experienced Scottish history and hospitality firsthand. The trip was made possible in part by a scholarly/artistic grant from Ripon College.

Our first stop was Edinburgh. En route to the Castle we wandered into St. Giles' Cathedral, where John Knox initiated the Scottish Reformation in 1560. The Chancel Choir of the First United Methodist Church of Lubbock, Texas, was rehearsing in preparation for a lunchtime concert, and I heard Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus accompanied on the beautiful 1992 Rieger. The organ is one of the instruments featured on the 2-CD set, Twelve Organs of Edinburgh.1

The next organ I saw, and the first one I played, was in Old Saint Paul's [Scottish Episcopal] Church in Edinburgh. Built by Henry "Father" Willis in 1888 and subsequently refurbished in 1905, 1936, 1960, 1968 and most recently, by Nicholson's of Worcester in 1977, the specifications are as follows:

Great

16' Dulciana

8' Open Diapason I

8' Open Diapason II

8' Stopped Flute

8' Dulciana

4' Principal

4' Spindle Flute

22/3' Twelfth

2' Fifteenth

III–IV Mixture

8' Trumpet

Swell

8' Open Diapason

8' Lieblich Gedackt

8' Salicional

8' Celeste (TC)

4' Gemshorn

III–IVMixture

16' Contra Oboe

8' Cornopean

Tremulant

Pedal

32' Subbass (derived)

16' Open Diapason (wood)

16' Bourdon

16' Dulciana (Great)

8' Octave (ext)

8' Bass Flute (ext)

8' Dulciana (ext)

4' Super Octave (ext)

4' Octave Flute (ext)

4' Dulcet (ext)

16’            Trombone (ext Trumpet)

8' Trumpet (Great)

The organ has a rich, warm sound eminently suitable for both service accompaniment and solo organ repertoire. A sample of the former may be heard on the CD Hearts & Voices, Hymns sung by the Choir of Old Saint Paul's Church.2

The following day I was privileged to spend several hours playing instruments in the Russell Collection of Early Keyboard Instruments in St. Cecilia's Hall at the University of Edinburgh. John Kitchen, Senior Lecturer and College Organist, was my tour guide as we worked our way through two rooms of virginals, spinets, and harpsichords from the 16th to 19th centuries.3 There were also three organs in the collection, and this seems the most appropriate place to mention them.

The first is an enharmonic chamber organ built by Thomas Parker in 1765. Parker was a pupil of Richard Bridge, a London builder favored by Handel.4 Bridge himself was supposedly trained by Renatus Harris. The  instrument has one manual with the usual short octave at the bottom. The real curiosity is a set of levers, two on each side of the case above the keyboard, that allow the player to select accidentals: Ab or G# and Bb or A# on the left-hand side, Db or C# and Eb or D# on the right. Parker provided a set of pipes for each pitch and the organ case is correspondingly wider than that of the usual chamber organ. What a fascinating way to learn firsthand about mean-tone tuning! It's also interesting to imagine how a player would handle a chromatic piece—assistants might be required to change the levers during a performance. The four registers of the organ include a Stopt [sic] Diapason 8', Open Diapason 8' (which only extends to tenor C, requiring both diapasons to be played together in order to use the full range of the keyboard), Principal 4', and Fifteenth 2'. Dr. Kitchen has recorded Stanley's Voluntary in G, op. 7, no. 9, and Handel's Fugue in A minor, op. 3, on the Parker organ.5 Interestingly, Parker built a second, two-manual enharmonic organ for the Foundling Hospital in 1768.

Another 18th-century chamber organ dates from 1763, the date when St. Cecilia's Hall opened. The organ was used in concerts until the hall closed in 1798. (The hall, having been refurbished in the 1960s, is once again the venue for concerts featuring instruments from the Russell Collection.) The third instrument, located in the Newman Gallery, is a Bernard "Father" Smith chamber organ from c. 1680. The specifications, which consist entirely of divided stops, are:

Bass

8' Diapason Bass

4' Principal Bass

2' Fifteenth

Treble

8' Diapason Treble

4' Principal Treble

2' Octave Treble

[rebuilt by Mander]

Wind is supplied through either a foot bellows or a modern electric blower. All of the above chamber organs reflect the disposition of English organs built after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660; i.e., principal stops at 8', 4', and 2' and, in the case of the Parker, stopped diapasons at 8'. The conventional registrational pattern of the time included solo stops plus accompaniment (hence the usefulness of the divided stops arrangement), diapasons (open plus stopped) for slow introductory movements, and full organ (8', 4', and 2') for faster movements. Stephen Bicknell has suggested that "There was a considerable revival of interest [in chamber organs] in the second half of the 18th century contemporary with (and perhaps because of) the great popularity of Handel, who seems regularly to have used small or even portable organs when playing continuo and for the performance of organ concertos as interludes to larger works."6   Bicknell also states that

By the end of the eighteenth century the chamber organ was firmly established as the instrument of choice for a well-to-do household, challenging both the harpsichord and the emerging fortepiano. The relative stability of tuning compared to a stringed keyboard instrument must have been an advantage, but it should also be noted that a small organ is a good vehicle not just for keyboard music, but also for transcriptions of instrumental works, and could readily be used for the accompaniment of family prayers.

He concludes that the organ's qualities of "reliability, versatility and dignity" must have accounted for its popularity.7

A greater contrast with these historical instruments than the McEwan Hall organ at the University of Edinburgh cannot be imagined. Built by Robert Hope-Jones in 1897, rebuilt by Henry Willis in 1953 and by Rushworth and Dreaper in 1980, the organ has problems because of the disparate placement of its divisions (the hall was designed without provisions for an organ, even though it was common for municipal concert halls at that time to include large instruments). Nonetheless, the organ sounds grand in the reverberant acoustics of the hall, where university graduations are held. The console looks a bit like a Jules Verne creation with its pressure gauges and electric dials, one of which is connected to the swell pedal to show incremental gradation (or "incremental frustration" as it's known to players).

The preceding organ and those described below all date from the second half of the 19th century, living testaments to the phenomenal rate of growth in organ building in England between 1860 and 1900. A few statistics tell the tale: in 1898, Harrison & Harrison of Durham claimed to have built 1,100 organs since 1861. Norman & Beard of Norwich produced even more astonishing numbers: between 1898 when their new factory was built and 1915 the company built over 1,000 new organs. In comparison, Sauer of Germany reached opus 1,000 only after fifty years of activity.8 Reasons for the rapid expansion in English organ building are numerous and include the wholesale replacement of older instruments, particularly those with a limited compass, increased prosperity of the middle class, which paid for new church instruments, and the construction of municipal concert halls in towns of any size.

The next organs I played were in Dundee, the fourth-largest city in Scotland. Three distinguished instruments exist in a three-block area in the heart of the city, which is pleasant and pedestrian-friendly. The first organ is located in St. Mary's Parish Church (Church of Scotland). I had not called ahead—in fact, I was simply being a tourist walking about Dundee and decided to poke my head in since the front door was open. Upon seeing the rich interior and a magnificent display of pipes in the rear balcony, I asked the volunteer guide if I might look at the organ. She very graciously assented, and I was delighted to discover a large three-manual instrument built in 1865 by Forster and Andrew of Hull and subsequently rebuilt by Rothwell (1939) and J. W. Walker (1969 and 1988). The console was open and inviting, so it was only a matter of minutes before I was actually playing. The specifications are:

Great

16' Double Diapason

8' Open Diapason 1

8' Open Diapason 2

8' Stopped Diapason

4' Principal

22/3' Harmonic Flute

2' Twelfth

2' Fifteenth

II Sesquialtera

IV Mixture

16' Double Trumpet

8' Trumpet (ext)

4' Clarion (ext)

Swell

8' Open Diapason

8' Viola da Gamba

8' Voix celeste

4' Principal

4' Lieblich Flute

2' Flageolet

III Mixture

16' Contra Fagotto

8' Cornopean

8' Oboe

4' Clarion

Super Octave

Sub Octave

Choir

8' Rohr Flute

8' Salicional

4' Gedeckt Flute

22/3' Principal

2' Nazard

2' Flautina

13/5' Tierce

11/3' Larigot

III Cymbel

8' Krummhorn

16' Double Trumpet

8' Trumpet (ext)

4' Clarion (ext)

Pedal

16' Open Diapason

16' Sub Bass

8' Flute Bass (ext)

8' Violoncello (ext)

4' Choral Bass (ext)

16’ Trombone

8' Tromba (ext)

A full battery of couplers and pistons plus an 8-channel memory system makes this organ suited for many kinds of repertoire. I only had time to try a voluntary by Stanley and a Buxtehude toccata before my younger daughter came looking for me (I'd left her and her sister parked outside), but I was impressed by the sound and feel of the organ in this parish church that in 1990 celebrated its octocentenary.

My serendipitous sampling of organs in Dundee continued on another day at St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral. As churches go in Scotland, it is rather new, the cornerstone having been laid in 1853. The organ was built by Hill and Son of London in 1865, the year of the Cathedral's consecration. Hill, Norman and Beard reconstructed the instrument in 1975. Like the organs I saw in other British churches (with the exception of St. Mary's), this instrument is located in the choir with the pipes facing the singers. The organist's back is to the choir. The disposition of this large organ is similar to St. Mary's:

Great

16' Double Diapason

8' Open Diapason

8' Stopped Diapason

8' Gemshorn

8' Viole d'amour

4' Principal

4' Harmonic Flute

22/3' Twelfth

2' Fifteenth

IVMixture

8' Grand Trumpet

Swell

8' Open Diapason

8' Stopped Diapason

8' Viole d'orchestre*

8' Viole Celestes

4' Principal

2' Fifteenth

II Mixture

16' Shalmey

8' Cornopean

8' Oboe

4' Clairon

Suboctave

[Super] Octave

Choir

8' Lieblich Gedeckt

8' Gamba

4' Suabe Flute

2' Flautina

11/3' Larigot

8' Grand Trumpet

8' Clarinet

Sub Octave

[Super] Octave

Tremulant

Pedal

32' Harmonic Bass

16' Bourdon

16' Echo Bourdon**

16' Open Diapason

8' Bass Flute

8' Octave

4' Super Octave

4' Flute

2' Octave

16' Trombone

4' Clairon

Sub Octave

[Super] Octave

Unison Off

Tremulant

Swell & Choir under expression

Sw-Ch, Sw-Gt, Ch-Gt, manual-pedal couplers

General (4) and divisional pistons

* Very stringlike; works especially well with the Viole Celestes

** Enhances the Bourdon 16'

As was the case at St. Mary's, I was allowed access to the organ by helpful parishioners. When I arrived at St. Paul's on a Saturday morning, the only person I could find on the premises (even though the front doors were wide open and a charity hamburger stand was getting ready to open for business on the front steps) was the verger. He led me to the instrument, turning on power switches and lights as we went, saying "We have to show you Scottish hospitality!" I played for an hour, trying out various sounds and combinations and finally let it rip with the Widor Toccata. Feeling self-indulgent but happy with the sonic results, I set about changing my shoes and packing up when I was startled by two members of the flower committee who appeared and thanked me for playing. They told me that people in the street, hearing the music, had stopped to peer inside the church, probably wondering if a wedding were in progress.

A third large organ exists in Dundee within blocks of St. Mary's and St. Paul's. Situated approximately midway between the two churches is Caird Hall, Dundee's civic auditorium. The organ was built in 1922 by Harrison & Harrison to a design by the famous blind organist of Edinburgh, Alfred Hollins. The Caird Hall organ was Harrison & Harrison's first concert hall organ; as such it differs from some of their other instruments in having brighter reeds (on heavier pressure than usual) and more orchestral colors than the average church organ. In 1991 the organ was restored by the original firm with only minor changes to its original sound. No tonal changes were made, but the pitch was raised to make the organ usable with other instruments. Carlo Curley played the rededication recital on this occasion. A stoplist follows:

Great

16' Double Geigen

16' Bourdon (wood and metal)

8' Large Open Diapason

8' Small Open Diapason

8' Geigen

8' Hohlflute

8' Rohrflute

4' Octave

4' Waldflute

22/3' Octave Quint

2' Super Octave

IV Harmonics 17,19,b21,22

16' Contra Tromba

8' Tromba

4' Octave Tromba

Swell

8' Open Diapason

8' Stopped Diapason

8' Echo Salicional

8' Vox Angelica

4' Octave Geigen

4' Stopped flute (metal)

2' Fifteenth

V Mixture 12,19,22,26,29

8' Oboe

8' Vox Humana

Tremulant

16' Double Trumpet

8' Trumpet

8' Horn

4' Clarion

Orchestral Organ

16' Double Salicional (metal)

8' Viole d'Orchestre

8' Violes Celestes (to FF, 2 ranks)

8' Harmonic Flute

4' Concert Flute (harmonic)

2' Harmonic Piccolo

16' Cor Anglais

8' Corno di Bassetto

8' Orchestral Oboe

Tremulant

8' Tuba (unenclosed)

Pedal

32' Double Open Wood (FFFF)

16' Open Wood

16' Open Diapason (metal, leathered)

16' Geigen (Gt)

16' Salicional (Orch organ)

16' Subbass (Gt)

8' Octave (wood)

8' Flute (Gt)

16' Ophicleide (metal)

16' Trombone (Gt)

8' Posaune

The organ's pneumatic action has been fitted with an electronic memory, and the combination pedals removed and replaced with toe pistons. Otherwise, the instrument remains as it was originally. A concert series in the early autumn featured the organ and it was recorded in October 2004. I was unable to play the Caird Hall organ because of a guitar festival in progress, but the staff was most helpful in showing me the console and wind system and providing me with specifications for the instrument.

Some general observations can be made, at this point, about the organs I saw in Scotland. The large instruments are originally from the 19th century and are based on an orchestral tonal design with a preponderance of stops at 8' pitch. The pedal divisions rely heavily on extensions from the manuals. Bicknell identifies the philosophy underlying this esthetic as ‘build-up:' "the gradual crescendo from piano to fortissimo achieved by adding stops one by one, [which] seems to be the dominant characteristic of these Victorian instruments."9 It works in this wise: flue pipes come in many colors, from clear and fluty to reedy with harmonic overtones. As the flues approach the reedy end of the spectrum, mild strings and reeds come into play, creating a smooth blend. Swell-to-Great couplers further increase fullness of sound while masking any addition of single stops, and the Swell pedal also assists in creating a smooth crescendo. As Bicknell points out,

This manner of playing was later to become an idée fixe with English builders and players . . . As a method it was taken so much for granted that it can safely be assumed that Willis's mixtures were not usually intended to be heard unless some reeds were already drawn . . . there is no provision for a chorus of principals and mixtures that can be used extensively on its own: this is . . . in complete contrast to German taste.10

Although the reference is to instruments built by Willis, the description is general enough to be applied to other large late-19th and early 20th-century organs.

Perhaps it seems incongruous that all of the organs I saw and played in Scotland were built by English firms. Were there no Scottish organbuilders in the 19th century and earlier? Regardless of how we might think of Britons as members of a United Kingdom, there are national differences among the English, Scots, Welsh, and Irish. A bit of research was necessary to unearth information about organbuilding in Scotland, from which a clearer picture emerges of the past three centuries.

At the heart of the question is the ban on instruments in church issued by the Church of Scotland from the Reformation (around 1560) until around 1868.11 Organs were allowed for concerts and domestic use, but none were built or installed in this denomination until a very late date. Other denominations—the Episcopal, Roman Catholic, Unitarian, Congregationalist, and Baptist churches—were exempt, and instruments dating from the 18th century are known to have existed in them.12 Early 19th-century Scottish organbuilders, including Small, Bruce & Co of Edinburgh, John Renton, also of Edinburgh, and Robert Mirrlees of Glasgow, specialized in chamber organs, at least two of which are extant.13 I was very surprised to learn that the oldest surviving Glasgow-built organ was made by James Watt in 1762. The renowned engineer and inventor, associated more with the first steam engine than with pipe organs, constructed a single-manual instrument concealed in a table. It was the first of three organs built by Watt.14

In the second half of the 19th century, other firms arose in Dundee, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh, but they found it difficult to compete with the well-established English builders. An admittedly cursory search for information on Scottish builders in the 19th and early 20th centuries produced nothing—but perhaps a written history is in progress.

Today, Lammermuir Pipe Organs (est. 1983) is perhaps the best-known firm in Scotland and the only workshop "north of the border" specializing in new, mechanical-action organs.15 Op. 50 is scheduled for completion in 2005. The other company listed in an Internet link to pipe organ builders in the United Kingdom is Michael Macdonald (est. 1975) of Glasgow.16 Interestingly, besides building new instruments, Macdonald engages in rescuing historic organs from redundant buildings (primarily churches closed due to dwindling congregations).

I would like to think of my visit to Scotland as a prelude to further organ crawls  there and in other parts of the United Kingdom. There are many instruments to be played and much history to be learned in these islands.