Nordlie new organ

David Fienen is Emeritus Professor of Music at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota. At Gustavus, he was Cantor at Christ Chapel, taught organ, music theory, chaired the music department, and served as provost and dean of the college his last two years before retirement.

Sitting under a shade tree in his backyard last summer, sipping iced tea with Charles and Birgitta Hendrickson, I asked him about his philosophy of organ building. His immediate answer was, “If I can make them [the congregation] sing, I have succeeded.” To make them sing—what a fine goal!

First a physicist

Minnesota native Charles Hendrickson grew up in Willmar, Minnesota, where his father had a law practice. During Charles’s young years, his father, Roy, was also chair of the board of trustees at Gustavus Adolphus College (Roy’s alma mater) in St. Peter, Minnesota, from 1945–53. After Roy passed away in 1954, Charles’s mother, Frances, was hired as secretary to President Edgar Carlson at Gustavus from 1955–ca. 1967. Charles had already started his college career at Gustavus, and now the rest of his family moved to St. Peter. In 1957, Charles graduated from Gustavus with a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics and mathematics. It is interesting that he is not the only organbuilder with a physics background—Charles Fisk worked for Robert Oppenheimer on the Manhattan Project before he began building organs.

After college, Hendrickson started graduate studies at the University of Minnesota for one year, then taught physics at Superior State Teachers College (now University of Wisconsin-Superior, Superior, Wisconsin) for a year. He earned his Master of Science degree in physics at the University of Arkansas while also teaching for a year at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee (and serving as head of the department!). He also taught at Northeast State University in Oklahoma before returning to Minnesota to teach physics at Mankato State College (now Minnesota State University Mankato) for a couple of years.

In 1964, Charles married Birgitta Gillberg at Gamla Uppsala Church in Sweden. Birgitta, a native of Sweden, was teaching Swedish at Gustavus at that time. She continued teaching at Gustavus until Eric was born in 1967. She then returned to her academic career in 1975, teaching Swedish and German at Minnesota State University Mankato for 30 years until her retirement.

Hendrickson Organ Company: Beginnings

Hendrickson’s interest in the pipe organ began early in his young life, in 1953, when he watched with fascination as the Möller organ was rebuilt and reinstalled at Bethel Lutheran Church in Willmar. Harry Iverson, who was the Möller representative, supervised the regulation and work at the church, and Hendrickson got involved as a “gopher.” Iverson had previously been the Kimball representative and had designed the Minneapolis Auditorium Kimball organ. During graduate school, Hendrickson followed up on this early interest by working on organs (servicing, repairing, moving, tuning) on a part-time basis.

In 1964, Charles Hendrickson was asked to rebuild and significantly enlarge the 1910 Hillgreen-Lane organ in First Lutheran Church in Winthrop, Minnesota, by the pastor of the church, who was a family friend. Pastor Lambert Engwall had talked his congregation into undertaking the project to enlarge the organ in the church, had raised the money for the project, and convinced Hendrickson to tackle this project. As it was already part way through spring semester, Hendrickson resigned his teaching position at Mankato State and thus committed himself to being an organbuilder.

Several interesting things about this instrument, Opus 1, produced by the nascent Hendrickson Organ Company, are worth noting:

• The Swell division consists of pipes from the previous instrument, with new Hauptwerk, Positief, and Pedal divisions. The casework was mostly new to house the new organ.

• The Positief division was housed in its own case cantilevered on the balcony rail—in Rückpositiv position. This was the first Rückpositiv built in Minnesota.

• Hendrickson rented space in the empty Green Giant canning plant in Winthrop to build the organ with three helpers. (This is reminiscent of how older organ builders like Schnitger operated—building on site or at least in the vicinity of the church.)

• The new pipes added to this organ came from Organ Supply.

• Composer David N. Johnson, then on the faculty of St. Olaf College, played the dedication recital in September 1965.

• In 1982, Hendrickson added two mutations and swapped out two flute ranks, bringing the instrument to 36 ranks.

At about the same time, Hendrickson was asked by his home congregation, First Lutheran Church in St. Peter, Minnesota, to build a “temporary” organ for their new sanctuary then under construction to replace the church that had been destroyed by lightning on Mother’s Day in 1962. He readily complied by assembling a two-manual, eight-rank instrument, partly from salvaged materials. The outstanding acoustics of the building helped this small instrument to be amazingly successful, and it also included a horizontal trumpet! This temporary instrument, Opus 2, installed in 1965, remained in the church longer than expected. It was not replaced until his Opus 45 was completed in 1979, a two-manual, 44-rank instrument with a third coupler keyboard.

Opus 3 was another enlargement project, this time resulting in a two-manual, 30-rank instrument at Grace Lutheran Church, Mankato, Minnesota, using some ranks, offset chests, blower, and console from the previous two-manual, nine-rank M. P. Möller organ built for Grace Lutheran’s previous building. This instrument was also subsequently expanded in 1992 by adding a new Great division, horizontal trumpet, new three-manual console, and other tonal and mechanical revisions (Opus 86, three manuals, 41 ranks).

From these beginnings of the Hendrickson Organ Company in 1964, there followed several new instruments, including Opus 6, of two manuals, eight ranks, at St. John Lutheran Church in Yankton, South Dakota, and Opus 9, of two manuals, 24 ranks, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in La Crosse, Wisconsin, plus more revisions, enlargements, and rebuilds, leading up to Opus 10 in 1970. Interestingly, the Yankton instrument, a larger version of Opus 2, came about because Harold Spitznagel was the architect of both First Lutheran Church in St. Peter (which housed Hendrickson Opus 2) and of St. John Lutheran Church in Yankton (Opus 6). The Yankton instrument originally contained only eight ranks, later enlarged to 12 after a fire in the church in 2009.

It is worthwhile to look further at the early influences on Hendrickson. He is largely a self-taught organbuilder, learning by experience, by voracious reading, and from the influences of Russ Johnson (an acoustician) and Robert Noehren (an organbuilder, performer, and teacher himself). Around the time Hendrickson was starting to build his Opus 1 and Opus 2, he met Robert Noehren at the Central Lutheran Organ Symposium in Minneapolis. From Noehren he became convinced to use primarily all-electric action when building electric-action instruments. And from Noehren, he learned the concepts of judicious borrowing and duplexing to retain clarity in the resulting organ while realizing some economies of budget and space. His Opus 1 at Winthrop used electro-pneumatic chests for the Great and Swell, but all-electric for the Positief. Subsequently, he primarily (though not exclusively) used all-electric chests when building non-mechanical-action instruments.

The Hendrickson factory

The year 1970 saw a new chapter unfold. Hendrickson was contacted by William Kuhlman, professor of organ, to build a new organ for Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. Most of his work prior to this time had been accomplished in his basement, garage, rented facilities, or on site. Now, in order to have a tall erecting room, he took the plunge, purchased land in the industrial park in St. Peter, and built the first part of his organ factory, including in the center a tall room where he could set up this two-story instrument. The organ for Luther College, Opus 10, of two manuals, 35 ranks, was his first mechanical-action instrument. 

This organ was intended as a teaching, practice, and performance instrument, and was built on a movable platform like a hovercraft so it could move to a neighboring room. Subsequently, it was relocated to a permanent teaching studio on the campus, the floating mechanism disabled, and an electric-action, unified trumpet rank on the Great was reinstalled as an 8′ horizontal reed, playable from the mechanical action. Due to heavy use, the keyboards have been replaced twice on this instrument.

The original factory consisted of a tall central erecting room, with the office in the back as an upstairs room, and two flanking rooms for wood work, pipe set up, and voicing. The equipment included the voicing machine originally built by Vogelpohl & Spaeth in New Ulm, Minnesota, in the late 19th century. Over the years, a sizeable building was added behind the original shop, including an assembly room and new voicing room, with the earlier flanking rooms repurposed. Later still, another former business building was moved to adjoin the addition, becoming the office, drafting studio, and library storage for the extensive collection of books and organ journals kept close at hand. (Hendrickson has every issue of The Diapason since 1913, and of The American Organist since 1929!) A large warehouse was added next door for much-needed storage and to house the spray booth. Interestingly, after a tornado struck in 1998, both this author and the Gustavus chaplain rented space in the warehouse to store all of our furniture while our houses were being rebuilt. More recently, a disastrous fire in November 2013 engulfed the original shop building. (Andreas Hendrickson, Charles’s younger son, designed a replacement shop building, which has been recently completed.) Fortunately, the added buildings were separated enough that they were not damaged, and no organs were destroyed except for some wood pipes, machinery, and some supplies. 

With Opus 10 for Luther College, Hendrickson began building mechanical-action instruments, either with mechanical stop action or electric stop action. A significant portion of the organs built by the firm feature mechanical action. When asked, Hendrickson expressed his preference for this type of action “just because I like it.” He also indicated he felt such instruments are “very satisfying” and provide the “best possible solution.” But Hendrickson indicated that throughout his career, he particularly wanted to “satisfy a need.” This is a most salient point—he set out to provide a good musical instrument for a wide variety of situations, large and small, and while his preference would be a tracker organ, sometimes placement, finances, or other considerations necessitated using electric action. If that were the case, he set out to make it the best it could be. Not infrequently, his project working with a church to improve their musical resources would also involve redesigning either the chancel or the balcony to facilitate placement of the new instrument and the location of the choir and/or the liturgical appointments.

During the half-century so far of the Hendrickson Organ Company, the firm has been involved in a wide variety of organ projects, building large and very small instruments, restoring, rebuilding, and expanding both historic instruments and some of their own, adding single divisions and/or replacing consoles—a variety of, as Charles said, “solving problems” for particular situations and congregations. To comment on each of the many projects (opus numbers) undertaken by the Hendrickson Organ Company would occupy far more space than is possible here; instead, a summary is presented, featuring a few interesting examples. 

Mechanical-action instruments

There are 27 mechanical-action organs on the Hendrickson opus list, ranging from a practice instrument with one 8′ flute for each of two manuals and pedal (Opus 33) to his largest instrument at Wayzata Community Church in Wayzata, Minnesota (Opus 92, four manuals, 70 ranks). The Wayzata instrument is unusual in that it incorporates a large Paul Granlund bronze sculpture in the middle of the façade.

Other sizable mechanical-action organs include Opus 47, a three-manual, 43-rank organ in St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, New Prague, Minnesota, and Opus 35, a three-manual, 59-rank instrument at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Mankato, Minnesota. These large instruments have mechanical key and stop action. The New Prague instrument leans toward a French Classic style, though not exclusively. The later Opus 78, of three manuals, 62 ranks, at St. Joseph Cathedral in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, utilizes a multi-channel electric stop action. It was also an instrument of a more complex design because of its size and the necessity for a detached keydesk. Hendrickson also had to redesign the gallery choir risers to accommodate the new organ. All three of these instruments were placed in rear balconies, and the Mankato and New Prague installations feature Rückpositiv divisions.

While most of Hendrickson’s two-manual mechanical-action instruments contain between 12 and 29 ranks, the largest is Opus 45, a two-manual, 44-rank instrument completed in 1979 at Hendrickson’s own church, First Lutheran Church, St. Peter, Minnesota. This instrument finally replaced the “temporary” Opus 2 that he had built nearly 15 years earlier. The organ features a horizontal trumpet on the Great (as had Opus 2) but also includes a trumpet within the case for that division. For this instrument, Hendrickson used a chassis from Laukhuff, Pedal division façade pipes made of aluminum, and a third manual as a coupler manual. This instrument is housed in an excellent acoustical environment and is a particularly successful installation. Marie-Claire Alain examined the organ upon completion and played the dedication recital.

In addition to these full-size tracker organs, the company built five portative organs consisting of one manual (no pedal) with 8′ flute, 4′ flute, and 2′  principal stops. The first such instrument was built for the St. Olaf Choir (Opus 16) and was intended to be able to be transported in a regular coach bus (with a couple of seats removed). To fit that size, the instrument has a short octave in the bass (lacking C#, D#, F#, and G#) and the compass is an octave shorter in the treble than a normal 61-note compass. In addition, the keyboard folds down inside the case, thus fitting through a bus door (at least back in the early 1970s). The stops are divided between bass and treble. The blower is also enclosed in the case, which is mounted on casters and has handles for ease in lifting and moving it around. After a second version was ordered by the Rockford Kantorei in Rockford, Illinois (Opus 18), three more instruments were built—“for every board we cut, we cut three.” These instruments eventually found their way to the University of Wisconsin in River Falls, Wisconsin (Opus 30), Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota (Opus 81), and Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota (Opus 72a). The organs are principally used for continuo playing.

Electric-action instruments

The Hendrickson opus list includes nearly 60 electric-action instruments. Thirty of these projects involved organs with fewer than 20 ranks, most incorporating at least some borrowing or duplexing, using the ideas Hendrickson had acquired from Robert Noehren. Many of these instruments use all-electric chests, as mentioned above. However, for Opus 60, a two-manual, 19-rank organ built for First Lutheran Church in Glencoe, Minnesota, the builder used slider chests with electric pull-downs. The largest two-manual electric-action instrument is Opus 25, of two manuals, 38 ranks, installed in First Lutheran Church, St. James, Minnesota (another instrument with a horizontal trumpet).

A dozen three-manual instruments (and one four-manual) contain 30 to 54 ranks. Beginning with Opus 1 (three manuals, 34 ranks), the list includes many significant enlargements of instruments by Möller, Aeolian-Skinner, Austin, Hillgreen-Lane, and Schantz, the largest being the expansion of a 1961 Schlicker (three manuals, 32 ranks) as Hendrickson Opus 100 (three manuals, 54 ranks) for Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Two notable large all-new instruments are Opus 51 (three manuals, 46 ranks) at St. Mark Catholic Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Opus 34 (three manuals, 51 ranks) at St. John’s Lutheran in Owatonna, Minnesota (yet another organ with a dramatic horizontal trumpet). The Owatonna instrument also uses pallet and slider chests with electric pulldowns.

What is clear from all these instruments is that Charles Hendrickson and the many workers over the years in the shop were interested in creating or improving musical instruments that would “make them sing,” whether in the big city or the small country church. Hendrickson always endeavored to learn from the past, from his own experience, and from the lessons the industry had learned, whether from books or from his colleagues in the business. He was not interested in modeling after a particular style or a particular period, nor was he dogmatic about actions or particular stops, but was focused on a clear, singing tone and satisfying the particular needs of a group of people assembled in a specific congregation.

Rebuilds, restorations, and
renovations of 19th– and early 20th-century organs

The company website (www.hendricksonorgan.com) lists over 116 opus numbers. They include more than two dozen rebuilds, renovations, and restorations, notably:

• Rebuilding and enlarging the 1862 Marklove organ in the Cathedral of Our Merciful Savior in Faribault, Minnesota (Opus 70, two manuals, 34 ranks), using many of the original pipes—possibly the oldest pipes in Minnesota;

• Rebuilding two other late 19th-century organs, one by Hutchings, Plaisted & Co. (Opus 40, two manuals, 21 ranks), and the 1896 Kimball tubular pneumatic instrument located in the Union Sunday School in Clermont, Iowa (Opus 51a, two manuals, 27 ranks). The latter is the largest remaining tubular-pneumatic Kimball in original condition;

• Restoring, rebuilding, or revising several early 20th-century instruments by Hinners, Hillgreen-Lane, Kimball, Estey, and Vogelpohl & Spaeth (a late 19th/early 20th-century Minnesota builder);

• Maintaining, revising, and renovating the large four-manual, 52-rank Hillgreen-Lane organ in Christ Chapel at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, especially after the 1998 tornado severely damaged the entire campus and community. Organ repairs included cleaning all reeds, re-racking pipes, building a new Great chest, and replacing the keyboards;

• Rescuing Hendrickson Opus 53 (two manuals, 27 ranks) that was housed in St. Peter Catholic Church, which was destroyed by the same tornado. This mechanical-action organ was later used as part of the much larger instrument (Opus 99, three manuals, 40 ranks) designed by Andreas Hendrickson for the new church;

• Rebuilding and moving a much-altered 1931 Aeolian-Skinner (Opus 877) to a church in Arkansas in 1990 (Opus 88, three manuals, 30 ranks), then, after that church had closed, moving the instrument and reinstalling it at Celebration Lutheran Church in Sartell, Minnesota, in 2009 (Opus 115, three manuals, 35 ranks).

Hendrickson as author

From his beginnings in academe, Hendrickson never lost his inquisitive mind or his desire to share what he had learned. An active member of the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America (APOBA) and the American Institute of Organbuilders, he served as president of APOBA for about 8 years. During that time, he arranged for the organization to commence sponsoring Pipedreams on American Public Media and oversaw the statement APOBA produced regarding “sampled voices” in pipe organs.

A large undertaking by Hendrickson was a long series of articles he wrote, mainly for The American Organist. These included articles on families of tone, divisions of the organ, tonal architecture, pipe materials, and a host of other relevant topics. The Hendrickson Organ Company website lists and links to 46 of these articles written between 1976 and 2003. [http://www.enchamade.com/hendricksonorgan/wb/pages/articles.php]

More recently, Hendrickson returned to his physics roots by collaborating on a research project with Dr. Tom Huber and some of his students at Gustavus Adolphus College. A summary of their study, “Vibrational Modes of an Organ Reed Pipe,” can be accessed at http://physics.gac.edu/~Huber/organs/vibrometer/ and an abstract of Huber’s Faculty Shop Talk about the project can be found at https://gustavus.edu/events/shoptalks/Shop0304.htm.

The future

Charles Hendrickson has retired from active involvement in the work of the Hendrickson Organ Company. The enterprise continues under the leadership of his two sons, Andreas and Eric. Andreas, who holds an architecture degree from the University of Minnesota, is in charge of design, while his older brother, Eric, is head of installations, tuning, and service. Andreas also called on his architecture background to design the rebuilding of the portion of the shop lost to the November 2013 fire. The company services many of their own instruments, plus numerous other instruments around Minnesota and neighboring states. The brothers grew up in the organ factory and learned many of their skills from their father. Thus a new generation is continuing the process of building, rebuilding, and repairing pipe organs in this small town in southern Minnesota. ν

References

Bies, Jessica. “PORTRAITS: Sons of St. Peter pipe organ maker continue Hendrickson legacy,” St. Peter Herald, March 27, 2014. www.southernminn.com/st_peter_herald/news/article_bb355bf8-3aea-55a2-b9…

Hendrickson Organ Company website: http://hendricksonorgan.com

Huber, Tom, Brian Collins, Charles Hendrickson, and Mario Pineda. “Vibrational Modes of an Organ Reed Pipe.” Presentation for Acoustical Society of America Meeting, November 2003. http://physics.gustavus.edu/~huber/organs/

Interviews with Charles Hendrickson in June and July, 2016, plus several phone conversations.

Organ Historical Society Pipe Organ Database: database.organsociety.org

TCAGO Pipe Organ List: http://www.pipeorganlist.com/OrganList/index.html

Vance, Daniel. “Hendrickson Organ Company.” Connect Business Magazine, July 1999, Mankato, Minnesota. http://connectbiz.com/1999/07/hendrickson-organ-company/

J. F. Nordlie Company, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Ida Roberts Memorial Chapel Organ,
Kernersville Moravian Church, Kernersville, North Carolina
Dedicated on May 6, 2007, Moravian Music Sunday

From the builder
My first encounter with Kernersville Moravian Church was a short visit in 1991. At the request of the newly appointed organist and choir director, Wayne Leupold, I made a visit to look at the new sanctuary under construction and talk about a new organ and placement in that room. It was a bit early to evaluate acoustics, with only a slab of concrete, half-completed masonry walls, and steel structure reaching to the open sky; however, the space, volume, and materials indicated by the architect’s prints showed much promise of an exciting room. Several more visits of introduction, planning, sales, and contract negotiations ensued, and in June 2003 we dedicated a new mechanical-action organ of three manuals with 40 ranks of pipes comprising its tonal resources. The promise of a new pipe organ that Wayne Leupold had envisioned when accepting the job at Kernersville Moravian Church, some 12 years earlier, was a reality.
It was first during the design of the new sanctuary organ that Wayne started to talk with me about what might be done with the organ in the now “Historic Chapel,” the original sanctuary of the Kernersville Moravian Church, built in 1867. Wayne had originally shown me the organ that he played in the chapel in 1991. It was an undistinguished four-rank unit organ tucked away in a makeshift organ chamber. The instrument was built in 1950 of supply-house parts, without builder identification. It was already suffering with reliability issues, but had a dedicated service technician to keep it functioning and a skillful organist to hide the problems. As I remember, we spent little time looking at it.
The “Historic Chapel” had seen many changes since its construction, originally built as a simple, yet elegant, rectangular room; the chancel and nave occupied the space with little architectural definition. Any music being made within these walls would have had a wonderful presence. The high plastered ceiling, wooden floor, and hard walls would have given the spoken word and music space in which to bloom. Throughout the years changes had been made to provide space for an ever-growing congregation and “modernize” the church. At one point a balcony was added to provide more seating, and at another, carpet and padded pews were deemed necessary. In 1950 a major building project was completed, adding a parish hall, kitchen, and yet further changes to the chapel. At this point, a room that had been a kitchen was opened in back of the chancel. This new space became the choir loft and home for the then new organ’s console, with the pipes speaking through a small tonal opening high and to the right. Unfortunately, the barrel-vaulted ceiling and low stage-like proscenium of this choir room did nothing to project the sound of the choir or enhance the acoustics of the room.
Our discussions regarding a new organ for the “Historic Chapel” started during our installation of the new sanctuary organ. Considered by many a “pipe dream,” the talk focused on design of the casework and—given the Moravian connection with David Tannenberg—the appropriateness of that style of cabinetry in the room. The “Historic Chapel” was now used for one weekly Sunday morning service and smaller weddings and funerals. Music was accompanied by piano, as the 1950 four-rank unit organ was unreliable and deemed no longer economically serviceable by the local technician.
In June 2004 Ida Roberts, whose initial gift started the organ fund for the sanctuary organ, died at the age of 104. One of Ida’s greatest worries was that she might not live long enough to see the new sanctuary organ complete. She lived long enough to hear the sanctuary organ in recital several times, and evidently she must have enjoyed her investment, for when her bequest was made public in September 2004, the church found that she had left a large amount of money to the organ fund. Since the debt on the sanctuary organ had been retired, it was decided that a portion of the money Ida had left would go to purchase an organ for the “Historic Chapel.”
It was at this point that I, my tonal designer and voicer Eric Grane, and Wayne started to have serious talks regarding budgetary restraints and what we needed to accomplish in the tonal design of the chapel organ. Of course, the visual and tonal design would have to reflect something of the Moravian heritage. This was even more emphasized by the recent awareness of the restoration of the 1800 Tannenberg organ in Old Salem. The instrument would have to serve the needs of the church in leading hymns and playing appropriate literature. The church had recently started identifying those interested in studying organ performance and providing lessons. It was realized that the new organ would be used as a practice instrument and must be similar in key compass and console configuration and contain similarities in tonal warmth and color with the sanctuary organ. Eric and I determined that with rescaling and careful voicing we might be able to use three of the four ranks of pipes in the existing chapel organ without detriment to the tonal quality of the new organ. This of course helped stretch our funds and pleased those that wanted a connection to the past and/or a more “green” instrument. A contract for the chapel organ was signed in July 2005.
There were those who wanted the organ to be placed in the choir loft area to preserve seating. The organ committee and I successfully argued that this placement would damage the sound and beauty of a new organ and continue to hamper the choir’s efforts. We compromised somewhat on the position of the new free-standing organ in order to preserve as much space as possible on the chancel floor. The Great and Pedal pipes stand within the casework projecting into the chapel, with the swell box at the very front of the “choir room” speaking through the façade of the Great. If anything, the position of the free-standing swell box helps the desired effect. The carpet and several rows of pews were removed from the chancel area, and hardwood floor installed. This helps project the organ’s sound and creates a marvelous space for musicians and the choir to perform.
The tireless beauty of but a few well-voiced stops in a small pipe organ never ceases to amaze me. Their limitations are only subject to the creativity of the artist playing the keys. I learned this from my wise teachers including Fritz Noack and Gene Doutt over 30 years ago, and strive to incorporate this tonal beauty into every instrument I build.
The greatest compliment I can receive is to be asked to build a second instrument for a church just having purchased one from me. I thank Kernersville Moravian Church for their trust and appreciation of my work.
—­John F. Nordlie

Those having contributed to the construction of this instrument include John F. Nordlie, design; Eric J. Grane, voicing; Paul E. Nordlie, construction; Dale Krause, construction; Arnie Bortnem, pipe shades; Betsy Oerter, installation; Neil Oerter, installation.
Suppliers include Gebruder Kaes, Bonn, Germany, flue pipes; Matters Inc., Haskell inserts; Aug. Laukhuff, blower; Klaus Knoeckel, console lighting; Eastern Organ Pipes, oboe.

From the consultant
This is an organ for a vibrant congregation of the Moravian Church in America. Moravians have a strong practice of not only preserving the best of their rich traditions and musical heritage but also being open to quality innovations from the present. The primary impetus in the design of this instrument is for this organ to assist the worship of God by being able to accompany with variety the many hymns that Moravians sing in every worship service. It is the result of a bequest by Ida Herman Roberts, a longtime active member of the church, who taught third grade for many years and died at age 104 without any children. Her will stipulated that half of her bequest be spent for a new pipe organ. It was decided to put the organ in the church’s chapel, an 1867 Victorian-style sanctuary that seats about 250 people. The organ is named in her honor.
The organ features mechanical action. This basic design has been essentially unchanged for many centuries, due to its simplicity, subtle musical expressiveness, and unrivaled durability. If well maintained, this organ should last for hundreds of years. The keydesk is attached to the case.
The tonal design, voicing, and façade is inspired by the 1800 David Tannenberg, two-manual, restored organ in the new auditorium of the Old Salem Moravian museum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Thus, the majority of the ranks are scaled and voiced in an early 19th-century American style and possess great refinement and gentleness. Of particular interest is the Gambe 8′ on the Great whose initial speech characteristics are subtly similar to the sound of a bow striking a string on a viola da gamba. To this basic framework a judicious addition of a string Céleste 8′ was made to incorporate a modicum of historical development from the late-19th and early-20th centuries.
Thanks to the artistic skill of builder John Nordlie and his voicer Eric Grane, a beautiful, integrated artistic ensemble has been created. Thus, variety, individuality, and flexibility are artistically combined to achieve great expressiveness and a wonderful unity of ensemble.
—Wayne Leupold
Organist emeritus and organ consultant, Kernersville Moravian Church

Kernersville Moravian Church
J. F. Nordlie Company – Pipe Organ Builders

GREAT
8′ Diapason (70% tin façade)
8′ Flûte Traversière (50% spotted metal)
8′ Gambe (70% tin, 1–8 common bass)
4′ Principal (50% spotted metal)
4′ Flûte d’Amour (50% spotted metal)
2′ Fifteenth (50% spotted metal)

SWELL (enclosed, balanced mechanical swell pedal)
8′ Stopped Diapason (white oak & 50%
spotted metal)
8′ Salicional (revoiced)
8′ Céleste EE (revoiced)
4′ Flûte Harmonique (50% spotted metal)
8′ Oboe (50% spotted metal)
Tremulant
Zimbelstern (hook-down toe lever; 5 bells under expression)

PEDAL
16′ Bourdon (wood, rescaled & revoiced)
8′ Flute (extension of Bourdon 16′)

Couplers (hook-down toe levers)
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Swell to Great

12 ranks, 13 stops, 703 pipes
Mechanical key and stop action with pneumatic pedal offset chests
32-note AGO concave-radiating pedalboard
Reverse color 61-note keyboards (ebony naturals with bone capped sharps)
Cone-tuned and soldered-fast metal pipework
Modified Bach WTC 1722/Bradley Lehman temperament
Single-rise sprung static reservoir
Double-rise weighted main reservoir
High-speed blower with VFD (variable frequency drive) speed control
Adjustable bench with backrest
Pencil storage drawer
Music desk and pedalboard light

Three Decades of Building Organs in Lake City, Iowa

John A. Panning is tonal director of Dobson Pipe Organ Builders. A native of Wisconsin, he worked for two years with Hammes-Foxe Organs, Inc. in the Milwaukee area prior to joining Dobson in 1984. In these twenty years, he has been involved in every facet of pipe organ design, construction and maintenance. Mr. Panning has served two terms as Secretary of the American Institute of Organbuilders, and is currently a member of the AIO Journal committee. He was a member of the National Council of the Organ Historical Society from 1985–1991, and has served on two OHS convention committees. He has been North American Editor of Publications for the International Society of Organbuilders since 1991.

Thirty years ago this month, Lynn Dobson opened an organ building workshop in Lake City. Three decades later, clients from near and far have made the journey to this small western Iowa town.

Lynn A. Dobson, founder of the Dobson Pipe Organ Builders, was born in Carroll, Iowa, in 1949, and grew up on a farm in nearby Lanesboro. In 1966, he received a scholarship from the Hill Foundation to attend the Minneapolis School of Art summer session for gifted students. He graduated from Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska, in 1971 with majors in art and industrial education. During his college years, he built a twelve-stop mechanical-action organ in a shed on the family farm; this organ, Op. 1 (II/15), was eventually sold to Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Sioux City, Iowa, where it still serves today. Upon graduation, Dobson taught high school art in Plattsmouth, Nebraska. However, the desire to be involved with organ building persisted, and in 1974 he left teaching to work for the Hendrickson Organ Company of St. Peter, Minnesota. In November 1974, he established his own firm, opening a small shop at 120 West Main Street in Lake City, Iowa.

What follows is a chronicle of the more important dates in the company’s history, a big-picture overview of three decades of art and craft as practiced by an increasingly prominent Midwestern American organ builder.

1975 ~ The young company’s first contract comes from one of Dobson’s former teachers, Antony Garlick, a music professor and composer at Wayne State College. The ten-stop residence organ incorporates both new and revoiced pipework. When Garlick moved in 1986, he sold the organ to Mary Brooks of Doylestown, Pennsylvania. In 1998, she in turn sold it to The Church of the Holy Spirit in Harleysville, Pennsylvania, and Dobson was once again called upon to move the organ, making several additions to suit its new, larger home. In his first year of business, Dobson is accepted as a member of the American Institute of Organbuilders (AIO).

1976 ~ Olivet Congregational Church, St. Paul, Minnesota, signs a contract for Op. 4 (II/33). The organ’s donor gave his gift to the church on the condition that it help launch the business of a promising young organ builder. At this time Lynn Dobson was assisted by his father Elmer Dobson, Jon Thieszen, who first began as summer help during college and would later become the company’s technical designer, and voicer Robert Sperling, a former co-worker at Hendrickson. The resulting instrument is a monumental achievement for so young a firm.

1979 ~ The company moves to its current location at 200 North Illinois Street, completely renovating the historic building and adding an erecting room with a 30¢ ceiling. In addition to instruments built for area churches, Dobson receives commissions from two Minnesota colleges as the decade closes. The first is a small studio organ for St. Olaf College (Op. 8, II/7; 1978). The second Minnesota institution, Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, commissions an organ for its chapel (Op. 10, II/21; 1979), located in the school’s historic Old Main building. Op. 10 enjoys wide attention in organ journals. In 1996 it undergoes some tonal additions (increasing its size to 24 ranks) and receives a dramatic revision to its case to better suit its second home, Bethany’s new Trinity Chapel.

1980 ~ The decade opens with larger and more diverse projects, including one less than a block from the original Main Street shop: Lake City Union Church purchases a two-manual instrument (Op. 13, II/29; 1980). Dobson is engaged by Westminster Presbyterian Church of Des Moines, Iowa, to complete the organ (Op. 14, II/38; 1981) left unfinished by Lawrence Phelps Associates after that firm’s insolvency. Nearby Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, contracts for a practice organ (Op. 16, II/3; 1981) and a teaching studio organ (Op. 21, II/18; 1982). The capabilities of the shop were enlarged during this period by several new employees, among them Tom Kult, a skilled cabinetmaker who later becomes shop foreman; David Storey, an organ builder who had previously worked for Jim McFarland in Pennsylvania; and Lake City native Sally Winter, secretary. Robert Sperling becomes full-time voicer. The firm is accepted for membership in the International Society of Organbuilders and is invited to join the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America (APOBA); Lynn Dobson is elected to the AIO Board of Directors.

1983 ~ The completion of large two-manual organs for the Church of St. Michael in Stillwater, Minnesota (Op. 23, II/34; 1983) and First Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, Kansas (Op. 24, II/43; 1983) are harbingers of Dobson’s expansion into the rest of the country. Op. 24 is the largest organ built by the firm to date, and is the first organ in the United States to employ a “dual” stop action, one that can be operated mechanically by the organist as well as electrically through a solid-state combination action.

1984 ~ John Panning, an organ builder from Wisconsin, joins the crew this year; he is later appointed the firm’s tonal director. The shop is remodeled and enlarged at this time to accommodate the fabrication of mechanical key action parts and console chassis. In November, the firm celebrates its 10th anniversary with an open house and a recital by Guy Bovet on Op. 13 at Lake City Union Church; hundreds of clients and friends of the company attend.

1985 ~ Op. 28 (II/30; 1985), for The Church of the Holy Comforter in Burlington, North Carolina, is the first of many Dobson instruments to be located outside of the Midwest. From 1985 to 1990, the firm builds twenty new organs in Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina and Virginia, in addition to five Midwestern states. Eight are for universities and colleges, of which five are institutions affiliated with church bodies: Bethel College, North Newton, Kansas (Op. 27, II/19; 1985), St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota (Op. 29, II/30; 1985), Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Minnesota (Op. 42, III/44; 1988), Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan (Op. 44, III/49; 1989), and Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa (Op. 46, II/15; 1989). Op. 42 and 44 are both for new college chapels designed in cooperation with Dobson. New shop personnel by the end of this decade include Meridith Sperling (pipe racking, general organ building), Lyndon Evans and Randy Hausman (cabinetmakers), Dean Heim (general organ building, and later shop foreman), Art Middleton (key action and consoles) and Bob Savage (leatherwork and electrical). Dobson hosts the annual spring meeting of APOBA, during which the firm is elected president.

1989 ~ The first AIO Midyear Seminar is held at the Dobson shop. Twenty organ builders from across the country participate in lectures on case design and construction, cost accounting, shop administration and equipment. By this time the firm is well known for its artistic and innovative organ case design.

1990 ~ Gradual evolution of the firm’s tonal style continues. Although specialized instruments such as the organ in Italian style for Indiana University (Op. 35, II/26; 1987) have been built, most are of eclectic design. Earlier instruments explored the neo-classic aesthetic; new projects blend both classical and romantic influences. Op. 44 (1989) at Calvin College includes a 16¢ Open Wood in the Pedal, two enclosed divisions and a rich, smooth tonal palette. Joining the firm this year are Kirk Russell (business manager) and Dean Zenor, an organ builder from Connecticut.

1992 ~ Two instruments built this year demonstrate the firm’s range. Op. 55 (II/32) for St. John Lutheran Church in Storm Lake, Iowa, features Kirnberger III tuning, dual wind systems (a wedge bellows for flexible wind, a parallel-rise bellows and wind stabilizers for steady wind) and a freestanding case with attached console at the rear of the church. The chancel location and Anglican church music emphasis of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Kalamazoo, Michigan, result in Op. 57’s (II/42) more romantic tonal design. Op. 56 (II/17), for Trinity Lutheran Church, Manhattan Beach, California, is the first Dobson installation on the West Coast. The firm is incorporated as Dobson Pipe Organ Builders, Ltd., a new 4,500 sq. ft. wood shop is built, and a pipe shop is set up. The company becomes a prize sponsor for the National Improvisation Competition of the American Guild of Organists.

1993 ~ Op. 60 (III/49) for First United Methodist Church, Mesa, Arizona, the firm’s seventh three-manual instrument, features a Solo as the third manual rather than a more customary Positive or Choir. Voiced on 6≤ wind pressure with mechanical action, this division includes an 8¢ Harmonic Flute, 4¢ Flute Octaviante, Cornet V, and 8¢ Bombarde, all under expression except for the Cornet, which is mounted outside the Solo enclosure.

1995 ~ The mid-’90s see an even wider variety of projects, ranging from Op. 62 (II/11; 1994), a residence organ for Rich Wanner in Berkeley, California, to the 1996 renovation of the important four-manual 1959 Schlicker organ at Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana, and its enlargement to 102 ranks. Other notable organs delivered are Op. 65 (II/36; 1995) for the University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, Op. 67 (II/32; 1996) for Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa, and Op. 69 (II/31; 1997) for Pakachoag Church, Auburn, Massachusetts. Voicer and pipemaker William Ayers joins the firm during these years.

1998 ~ The organ for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, (Op. 70, II/45) unabashedly combines classical and romantic tonal elements in a fresh and original way. This same line is followed in the large three-manual instrument for West Market Street Methodist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina (Op. 71, III/58; 1999), voiced in collaboration with Los Angeles organ builder Manuel Rosales. A somewhat more classical course is taken with the instrument at St. Joseph Abbey in St. Benedict, Louisiana (Op. 73, III/38; 2000), which is greatly enhanced by the Abbey church’s five seconds of reverberation. Joining the firm by the end of the decade are Scott Hicks (general organ building), Gerrid Otto (windchests, general organ building), John Ourensma (voicing, pipemaking) and Randall Pepe (wood pipemaking and general organ building).

2000 ~ The firm’s work at the beginning of a new century includes the monumental instrument for the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, California (Op. 75, IV/105; 2003) and the company’s first contract for a major concert hall, Verizon Hall in Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Op. 76, IV/125; 2006), the new home of the Philadelphia Orchestra. These high-profile projects bring Dobson into collegial working relationships with world-famous architects: José Rafael Moneo for the cathedral project and Rafael Viñoly for the concert hall.

2003 ~ Not to be lost among the contracts for immense organs are instruments of more normal size delivered to churches and universities in Delaware, Illinois, and Minnesota. Op. 78 (III/42) for St. John’s Methodist Church in Augusta is Dobson’s first instrument in Georgia, housed in an elegant cherrywood case with carved pipeshades. Joining the firm during the first years of the century are Antal Kozma (technical design) and Donny Hobbs (general organ building, voicing, pipemaking).

2004 ~ Op. 80 (II/26), for St. Paul’s Church, Rock Creek Parish, Washington, D.C., was set up and played in Lake City during a 30th anniversary open house. To further celebrate, a festive reception for friends of the company was held during the Los Angeles AGO convention following Martin Jean’s recital on Op. 75 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. The second phase of the installation of Op. 76 (IV/125) in Verizon Hall takes place during the summer, while Op. 79 (II/23), for Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church, Ellison Bay, Wisconsin, is installed in the fall. Ongoing design work includes a significant concert hall instrument for the new Atlanta Symphony Center, designed by famed architect Santiago Calatrava of Zürich. Instruments for the Chapel of the Cross in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, give the shop a small respite between these large projects.

Since 1994, the daily operation of the shop has been under the direction of a management team consisting of Lynn Dobson (president and artistic director), John Panning (tonal director), Jon Thieszen (technical designer), Dean Heim (shop foreman), Dean Zenor (project manager) and Kirk Russell (business manager).

News, specifications of every organ, and many photographs can be found on Dobson’s website at

<www.dobsonorgan.com&gt;.

Dobson Pipe Organ Builders, Ltd.

William Ayers, 1994, voicer, pipemaker

Mitch Clark, 2004, technical designer

Lynn A. Dobson, 1974, president and artistic director

Lyndon Evans, 1988, cabinetmaker

Randy Hausman, 1988, cabinetmaker

Dean Heim, 1988, shop foreman, general organbuilding

Scott Hicks, 1997, general organbuilding

Donny Hobbs, 2003, general organbuilding, voicing

Antal Kozma, 2001, technical designer

Arthur Middleton, 1987, machinist, key action, wood pipes

Gerrid D. Otto, 1998, windchests, general organbuilding

John Ourensma, 1999, voicer, pipemaker

John A. Panning, 1984, tonal director, voicer

Kirk P. Russell, 1990, business manager

Robert Savage, 1989, leatherwork, electrical, general organbuilding

Meridith Sperling, 1985, windchests, general organbuilding

Jon H. Thieszen, 1975, technical designer

Sally J. Winter, 1983, accounting and secretarial

Dean C. Zenor, 1990, key action, administrative

Martin Ott Pipe Organ Company, St. Louis, Missouri
First Presbyterian Church,
Ypsilanti, Michigan

From the builder
In the spring of 2007, I made my first visit to First Presbyterian Church in Ypsilanti. I was impressed by the beautiful, historic church and the massive organ case dominating the front of the sanctuary. The tall, rectangular room with its flat ceiling provides an acoustic that complements musical performances. The sanctuary and nave of the church had recently been renovated. The chancel platform was redesigned to be flexible and provide ample space for the liturgical furniture, choir seating, a small orchestra, and the new organ console.
The first organ for First Presbyterian Church was built in 1899 by George Jardine & Son Organ Company of New York. It had 17 stops and 19 ranks divided over two manuals and pedal. This original instrument was rebuilt in 1948; the playing action was electrified and the pipes were rearranged.
While the original Jardine organ case remains intact, we added oak casework on both sides of the case. The end result is a three-sided organ case that retains the original historical appearance. The actual footprint of the organ is somewhat larger than the original Jardine. During the voicing process, it was apparent that the solid oak panels in the lower front of the organ case were blocking the organ sound. After routing a fleur-de-lis design in many of the panels, the sound now projects into the nave.
The Choir division is located to the left, the Swell division to the right in the lower case, and the Great division centered directly above. The Pedal division is divided among the back and sides of the organ. The Swell and Choir are under expression.
The movable console has been designed to match the organ casework. The drawknobs are within easy reach of the organist. The profile is low so that the organist can communicate with the music director or, if necessary, the organist can conduct from the console.
Several ranks of pipes of the original Jardine organ survived and were available for our use. These pipes served as a starting point for the tonal design of the new instrument. This tonal design was a new direction for our firm. While challenging, this proved to be very rewarding. The Choir consists exclusively of pipes from the original Jardine organ. The new Swell division serves as the link between the Romantic Jardine Choir division and the more robust Great division. Although the organ can be lush and rich, the sound is always clear. This enables the organ to be used for congregational singing, choral accompaniments, instrumental ensembles, and solo organ works. With 40 ranks and four extensions, many different styles of organ literature can be performed with stylistically appropriate registration. We have enjoyed collaborating with consultants Dr. John Weaver and Dr. Gordon McQuere on the tonal design and voicing.
Following are the craftsmen who built this instrument, Opus 110: James Cullen, William Dunaway, Marya Fancey, Larry Leed, Aleksandr Leshchenko, Eileen McGuinn, Richard Murphy, Earl Naylor, Martin Ott, Sean Rice, Inna Sholka.
—Martin Ott

From one of the consultants
In 1899, the eminent firm of George Jardine & Son of New York City installed a new pipe organ in the Presbyterian Church at Ypsilanti, Michigan. Jardine had been a premier American organ builder, with important instruments throughout the northeast. But by the end of the century the firm was nearing its end. In fact, the organ for Ypsilanti was perhaps its last. Some surviving pipes are stamped opus 1260, and others opus 1261. No original stoplist has been found, but the instrument was of modest size, about 17 ranks, with mechanical or tubular pneumatic action. This instrument served the church faithfully for a half century.
By the late 1940s, it was determined that a renovation was needed, and this was done in 1948 by the Lima Pipe Organ Company of Lima, Ohio. Consistent with the style of the times, a new electro-pneumatic action was installed. Only the pipes and blower were retained from the Jardine original. It is not known how much tonal alteration was made, but there appears to have been an unsuccessful attempt at revoicing. It is probable that the extension of the Swell Bourdon to provide some upperwork occurred at this time.
In its new form the organ survived more than another half century. To make it more useful, the original Cornopean was replaced in 1977 with a small-scale trumpet, and a three-rank mixture was added.
By the end of the 20th century, the organ was showing increasing mechanical problems, and its fundamental inadequacies increasingly limited the development of an otherwise strong music program and worship life at First Presbyterian Church. Even so, the quality of much of the surviving Jardine pipework was evident.
An organ committee was appointed to study the situation, and it was deemed desirable to acquire a new instrument, while honoring the legacy of the Jardine organ by incorporating as much as possible of the surviving pipework and retaining the magnificent oak case. A contract was signed with the Martin Ott Pipe Organ Company of St. Louis. The happy result of this project is an outstanding new instrument that, by incorporating the best of the Jardine organ, reminds us of the spirit and generosity of visionary members of the church a century ago.
—Gordon McQuere

Martin Ott Opus 110
Electric slider windchest action with some unit action
35 registers, 40 ranks, 4 extensions

GREAT Manual II (unenclosed)
16′ Bourdon (EP) (ext 8′)
8′ Principal
8′ Rohrflute
8′ Bourdon (EP)
4′ Octave
4′ Flute
2′ Fifteenth
11⁄3′ Mixture IV
16′ Bombarde (Sw)
8′ Trompete

SWELL Manual III (enclosed)
8′ Viola di Gamba
8′ Viola Celeste T.C.
8′ Pommer
4′ Principal
4′ Gedackt Flute Jardine
22⁄3′ Nazat
2′ Fifteenth
2′ Nachthorn
13⁄5′ Terz
11⁄3′ Quinte
11⁄7′ Septime
2′ Plein Jeu IV
16′ Bombarde (EP)
8′ Trompette
8′ Oboe Jardine
Tremulant

CHOIR Manual I (enclosed)
8′ Geigen Principal Jardine
8′ Stopped Diapason Jardine
8′ Salicional Jardine
8′ Salicional Celeste Jardine
4′ Octave Jardine
4′ Harmonic Flute Jardine
2′ Flute Jardine
8′ Clarinet Jardine

PEDAL (EP)
32′ Resultant
16′ Open Diapason (ext 8′) Jardine
16′ Bourdon (Gt)
16′ Subbass Jardine
8′ Octavbass Jardine
8′ Bourdon (Gt)
8′ Subbass (ext 16′)
4′ Choral Bass
16′ Posaune
16′ Bombarde (Sw)
8′ Posaune (ext 16′)
8′ Bombarde (Sw)
4′ Clarion (Sw)
(EP) Indicates electro-pneumatic action

COUPLERS
Great to Pedal 8, 4
Swell to Pedal 8, 4
Choir to Pedal 8, 4
Swell to Swell 16, 4
Swell Unison Off
Swell to Great 16, 8, 4
Choir to Great 16, 8, 4
Great to Great 4

Bedient Pipe Organ Company, Roca, Nebraska, Opus 81
First Congregational Church, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
As organbuilding and organ performance evolve in the beginning of the 21st century, as financial resources of churches are often limited, there is renewed incentive to incorporate the good of past American organbuilding into new instruments. That is what we have done at First Congregational Church, Sioux Falls.
Although the practice of incorporating elements of former instruments into new ones has been perhaps shunned by some of our better builders in past decades and certainly by me, it was common in earlier times of organbuilding history for organbuilders to recycle functional components. Look at many stoplists of Arp Schnitger as reported by Gustav Foch and more often than not, some stops on a new instrument will be attributed to an earlier builder, or simply “vor Schn.”
This practice has certainly occurred in American organbuilding throughout our history and with varying degrees of success. The advisability and resulting success depends on the style of organ being built and the skills of the organbuilder.
Based on our successful combination of new and old in our Opus 81, the practice of “reuse and renew” continues to be a logical organbuilding technique.
Our goals were: 1) To rebuild and enhance the existing organ to make it reliable and visually attractive; 2) To create an organ rich in fundamental sound that would generate a wide dynamic range for various accompanimental tasks as well as lead hymn singing; 3) To create a variety of beautiful sounds for playing organ literature; 4) To integrate the old with the new in such a manner that the two work together seamlessly; and 5) To improve the internal layout of the organ to make it an easy organ to tune and service.
The lack of a comprehensive approach to work that had been done over the past 40 years had left things in a state of disarray. A new control system had been installed a few years before our involvement. The main control panel had been removed from its wooden packing crate, set on top of the crate, leaned against a windchest leg and wired in place! There was a nightmare of cables and individual wires running helter-skelter. Pipes were leaning to and fro. The layout of main windchests and offsets was illogical and used the space inefficiently. The Great windchest had serious defects and had to be replaced. This allowed us to totally reconfigure the Great and Pedal organs and their related offset chests. Some offset chests were retained, and a new Pedal windchest was made, allowing us to clean up the Pedal division and organize it in a meaningful way. The available space behind the façade for the Great and Pedal divisions was limited, but we were able to make a very good and serviceable layout.
What most people know about an organ is what they can see. We were able to make a dramatic change in this instrument by replacing the uninteresting façade of non-speaking pipes with one of dynamic appearance that also creates inviting, living sounds. If an organ looks beautiful, the viewer is more inclined to want to hear the instrument. If it sounds great and looks beautiful, the viewer’s expectation is realized and it sounds even better than anticipated.
Besides the non-speaking façade, the organ we inherited was characterized by a marked lack of harmonic interest. Thankfully, there were individual stops with potential that served a meaningful place in our new tonal scheme. We were able to provide an almost totally new Great division, and that was an important advantage—being able to present the core of the organ as a new division of beautiful sounds with a rich principal ensemble. Having said that, we did retain the old Great Mixture. We were able to improve it by increasing the cut-ups and making it a darker, less edgy, and generally very satisfactory sound. The new Great is an amalgamation of Germanic and French ideas from our varied tonal palette at Bedient. The Great Trompete is a dark German reed that blends well with the ensemble. When used with the Great principal chorus based on 16′ pitch or 8′ pitch, it makes a grand but not overwhelming sound and is very suitable for supporting hymn singing. The Flûte harmonique, straight out of the Cavaillé-Coll tradition, is a wonderful addition—especially in the renewed, live acoustic.
The Swell division was greatly enhanced by some revoicing and the addition of a new Trompette 8′, Clairon 4′ and a new Mixture. The Swell is now a very effective division, and there is quite a dramatic difference between Swell shades open and closed. The Choir division, previously lacking in fundamental, was greatly improved by the addition of a new Principal 8′. Adding a Mixture gave the Choir a complete chorus. The completed specification includes a principal chorus in each division.
The original specification called for a new solo trumpet stop. Well into the design, it occurred to me that this stop would be more usable and effective if it were placed en chamade instead of in the Choir chamber as planned. For those of us who have spent much of our lives clinging to ladders trying to reach and service en chamade reeds, we offer relief in this installation. Flats of pipes directly under the en chamade reed hinge outward and the stop can be tuned conveniently from a walkboard behind the façade by reaching out and up a short distance.
The Pedal division was enhanced by the addition of new reed stops as well as a Pedal Mixture. There are always many judgment calls in organbuilding. The Pedal Bombarde, Trompette, and Clairon began life in our shop as typical French, parallel shallot reeds of the French trompette tradition. It was apparent upon hearing them in the new, lively acoustic that they created too much sound. We took all of the lower registers back to the shop and put brass plates on the shallots to reduce the openings and thus the amount of sound created. They are still very prominent reeds, but fit the ensemble and help create a very exciting tutti. The bottom eight notes of the old Pedal Principal 16′ were retained as well as treble pipes of the Pedal Principal 8′ and a Choral Bass 4′.
The Möller console had been modernized at least two times before our involvement in the project. We were able to make a good stopknob layout and add the stops needed in a logical way. Piston slips were replaced to make a better piston layout. We added a “tracker touch” system to the keyboards to improve the feel. The entire console was disassembled and the finish carefully restored to match the beautiful oak woodwork in the sanctuary.
The organ has three manuals and pedals, 45 speaking stops, 57 ranks of pipes, totaling 3,138 individual pipes. The wooden organ pipes are made of sugar pine, fir, and poplar, and the metal pipes are made of zinc as well as various alloys of tin and lead. With the exception of the façade pipes, the new pipework was fabricated in the Bedient shop.
The organ façade is made of red oak and employs decorative motifs found in the decoration of the nave and its furnishings. It is enhanced by pipe shades carved of basswood, giving the organ a depth of artistic visual character.
The organbuilders who made the instrument:
Arden Bock
Jasmine Beach
Gene Bedient
Gwen Bedient
Duane Grosse
Chad Johnson
Todd Lange
Paul Lytle
Mark Miller
Eric Smith
Jason Smith
Edward Stibal
Jonathan Taylor
Fred Zander
Todd Znamenáček

The organ was dedicated on February 8, 2008 by Douglas Cleveland, who played to a capacity audience. Special thanks is offered to Eric Grane of the
J. F. Nordlie Co., who worked with me in the tuning and voicing of the instrument. It is our hope that this new instrument will provide inspiration and worship enhancement to all who see and hear it over the coming generations.
—Gene R. Bedient, Organbuilder

Like so many downtown churches, First Congregational United Church of Christ has had to ask the question, “Who are we and what are we doing here?” Circumstances such as space for the activities of ministry, adequate parking, and maintenance of our historic building keep these from being just philosophical questions. During the past decade, several groups of dedicated church members have again wrestled with these issues. These discussions have brought together and empowered a wide variety of special interests and focused them into a vision that has guided us in addressing our challenges and facing our future.
Drawing on the historic traditions of the Congregationalists in America, we seek to create an environment that encourages people to come together, not only for worship, but for learning, public discourse and the sharing of ideas. We believe that it is in the honest exploration and expression of our own creative gifts that God still speaks in our world today. Our remodeled sanctuary is reminiscent of the early meeting houses in that it is a simple, versatile space. Yet, it also inspires and enables a creative spirit with colors in the walls and windows and the magnificent new façade of the Bedient pipe organ.
Since this building was first constructed in 1907, the organ has always had a central place in the sanctuary and a central function in the things that happened there. The most recent organ was a 1932 Möller, rebuilt and enlarged in 1967 by Reuter. It seemed that about every 20 years some major maintenance and improvement was undertaken, but the organ was never fully completed. It served the congregation very well, but was missing some basic components including a swell mixture and independent pedal reeds. The console controls needed updating, as well.
An organ committee was formed to review the situation and develop a proposal. As the committee did its work, it became clear that there was strong sentiment for a more involved project to not only address the problems, but complete and expand the instrument as a significant part of the evolving sanctuary renovation that was also being planned. A preliminary specification was developed and builders were contacted for their input.
Upon the recommendation of Dr. Larry Schou, Professor of Organ and Harpsichord at the University of South Dakota, the Bedient Organ Company was on our list of builders contacted. Initially Gene Bedient was not interested in the project as it had been presented. When he was contacted for further discussion, our conversations revealed a depth of care and concern for the art of organbuilding that impressed everyone. Further discussions, as well as a visit to the Bedient shop and several new and rebuilt instruments, convinced the committee that this was the builder we wanted to work with.
As we continued to work with Bedient, the project evolved further. The most notable suggestion that was enthusiastically adopted by the committee was the replacement of the existing “picket-fence” non-speaking façade with fully functional pipework arranged in a beautiful new oak case that complemented perfectly the existing woodwork in our century-old sanctuary. This new feature brought the organ into the mainstream of the larger sanctuary renovation project, providing a striking visual element that appealed to many who had not been particularly invested in the organ before.
The specification was finalized and the contract signed, and on November 11, 2007, nearly 50 members of the congregation gathered to help unload the truck containing the new Bedient organ. The organ was dedicated with a weekend of celebration February 8–10, 2008. Events included a concert by Douglas Cleveland, a Pedals, Pipes and Pizza event, and festival worship services including a formal Rite of Dedication on Sunday morning.
The organ has inspired us in our worship and attracted a great deal of interest in our developing Arts Ministry. The combination of the open versatile chancel space, excellent acoustics, and the organ located in the front of the room have already attracted several area choral groups to perform here. We hope to continue to reach out and encourage people to develop and share their creative expressions with us and each other.
Finally, I want to express my deepest gratitude to former Pastor Arlan Fick, whose leadership encouraged and inspired us to dare to dream this big. Thanks also to former music associate Brian Williams, who did a great deal of work in the early stages, to Rev. Norm Shomper for his leadership throughout this project, to Dave Sellers and the members of the organ committee, to Rev. Kathryn Timpany for her enthusiastic support, and to Gene Bedient, Paul Lytle and the rest of the Bedient crew for sharing their creative artistry with us.
—Jack Mohlenhoff
Minister of Music and Arts
First Congregational Church
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

When Washington High School closed its doors in downtown Sioux Falls in 1992, the citizens of this thriving Midwestern city recognized an opportunity they could not pass up “to contribute to the artistic and cultural well-being of our community and state.” The native quartzite stone building is now the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Sciences. It houses the Kirby Science Discovery Center, an Imax theater, a black box theater, a Visual Arts Center, Leonardo’s Cafe, and the Husby Performing Arts Center, whose jewel in the crown is the stunning Great Hall.
First Congregational United Church of Christ sits directly across the street from the Pavilion. Made from the same native quartzite, it is home to a visionary congregation. For several years we have been developing a mission that is reflected in our motto—“God’s hands at work in the heart of the city”—that includes offering our meeting house as a place where people can experience the intersection of faith and the arts. Our recent renovation of the sanctuary, including the completion of the organ, symbolizes our investment in that vision.
Our weekly worship services are joyous occasions. The Bedient organ, under the expert artistic direction of Jack Mohlenhoff, our Minister of Music and Arts, sings us into praise and soothes our anxieties with its rich arrays of sounds and moods. The visual panorama the organ provides, together with our vibrant stained glass windows, draws us out of ourselves and turns us toward transcendent mystery. There is a creative spirit that is active in our midst, and our organ is the breath beneath our ribs, the vehicle of our song.
It is a great privilege to serve such a congregation, one in which traditional forms of worship and instruments of artistic expression are deeply valued, and generosity is understood as a joyful mark of Christian discipleship. The Bedient organ builders have given us an instrument crafted with the same sense of reverence and perfection that we bring to all aspects of our community life The congregation and the community will be blessed by this gift for generations to come.
—Rev. Kathryn Timpany
Senior Pastor

Bedient Opus 81
First Congregational Church
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

GREAT
16′ Principal 1–8 Reuter,
9–61 new, 9–37 in façade
8′ Principal new, 1–25 in façade
8′ Bourdon Reuter
8′ Flûte harmonique new
4′ Octave new, 1–10 in façade
4′ Spitzflute new
22⁄3′ Quinte new
2′ Fifteenth Reuter
IV Mixture Reuter
8′ Trompete new
8′ Solo Trumpet (Choir)
Carillon
Zimbelstern
Chimes

SWELL
16′ Gedackt Möller
8′ Viole de Gambe Reuter
8′ Voix céleste Reuter
8′ Gedackt Möller
4′ Principal Reuter
4′ Harmonic Flute Möller
22⁄3′ Nazard Reuter
2′ Blockflote Reuter
13⁄5′ Tierce Reuter
IV Plein jeu new
16′ Contrafagott Reuter
8′ Trompette new
8′ Fagott (ext)
8′ Oboe Reuter
4′ Clairon new
8′ Solo Trumpet (Choir)
Tremulant
Carillon
Swell 16
Swell Unison
Swell 4

CHOIR
16′ Quintaton Reuter
8′ Diapason new
8′ Holtzflote Reuter
8′ Viole d’Amore Reuter
8′ Viole celeste Reuter
4′ Spitzprincipal Reuter
4′ Koppelflote Reuter
22⁄3′ Nazard new
2′ Octave Reuter
13⁄5′ Tierce new
11⁄3′ Quinte Reuter
IV Scharf new
8′ Krummhorn Reuter
8′ Solo Trumpet new,
13–54 en chamade, 1–12 inside
Harp
Tremulant
Choir 16
Choir Unison
Choir 4

PEDAL
32′ Contrebourdon (from Bourdon 16)
16′ Principal (Gt)
16′ Bourdon mixed
16′ Gedackt (Sw)
102⁄3′ Quinte (from Principal 16)
8′ Octave 1–12 new in façade
8′ Bourdon (ext)
8′ Gedackt (Sw)
4′ Choral Bass Reuter
4′ Bourdon (ext)
IV Mixture new
32′ Contrebombarde (prepared)
16′ Bombarde new
16′ Fagott (Sw)
8′ Trompette new
8′ Fagott (Sw)
4′ Fagott (Sw)
4′ Clairon new

Couplers
Great/Pedal
Swell/Pedal
Choir/Pedal
Great 16
Swell/Great 16, 8, 4
Choir/Great 16, 8, 4
Swell Unison Off, 16, 4
Choir Unison Off, 16, 4
Swell/Choir 16, 8
Reverse Choir/Great