Paul Fritts and Company Opus 43

Paul Fritts & Company Organ Builders, Tacoma, Washington; Saint Thomas Episcopal Church, Terrace Park, Ohio

From the builder

More than a decade ago the people of Saint Thomas Episcopal Church in Terrace Park, Ohio, began planning for a renovation of their sanctuary. This led to the formation of an organ committee, which then secured the well-organized guidance of consultant Paul Thornock. Their previous organ’s shortcomings, large in number, had become obvious, and there was a desire to explore the numerous possibilities commissioning a new organ encompasses. We were first contacted about an organ project in 2014, and the project came full circle some nine years later with the arrival of the organ and installation at the church on September 10, 2023.

Budgets rarely enable an organ builder to do what they would really like to do in a given situation. This has a positive impact on our work because, among other things, it imposes the discipline of working efficiently without compromising high standards. Proficiency goes hand in hand with finding ways to maximize a budget’s “bang for the buck.” One theme of this project was to have the resources that meet the needs of the program thus pushing the budget higher than possible. We proposed repeating a previously built organ that would fit the church with little compromise, thus saving a great deal of design work. The organs we build are unique to their homes and are precisely engineered throughout with all aspects ideally coordinated for the best outcome. Utilizing an existing concept with minor modifications could save more than a thousand hours of design time. Labor is the leading cost building organs in a workshop where virtually every part of an organ is crafted from raw materials, so this time savings is significant, plus familiarity with the concept by the organbuilding team saves additional time.

Providing space on the windchests for pipes to be added at some future time also reduces the initial budget, but the expense of preparing for these pipes in an organ generally means building all the infrastructure except for the pipes. The downside of this is the uncertainty of when and if these stops will ever be funded. Despite this, the initial contract, signed in 2015, describes a twenty-five-stop instrument with Great, Swell, and Pedal divisions and seven preparations. All the preparations involved expensive reed stops except for one, which was a Mixture of six ranks bringing the organ to a total of thirty-two stops. Reed stops are a good choice for preparations due to their high cost and the fact that they can later be easily accessed at the rear of the windchests.

Throughout this project’s long delay, five other projects were moved ahead in the production schedule and the Saint Thomas people had additional time to fundraise. Over this period of time I made the decision to design an entirely new and unique concept for the organ. We have but one opportunity to push the boundaries of creativity with each project, and a new concept expanded what could be done despite the added cost to us. We always adhere to our contract obligations, and with this decision our ongoing policy of delivering more than promised continues. The decision was met with great enthusiasm by the church, and we moved forward with all of the stop preparations fully funded for a thirty-five-stop, two-manual and pedal organ. The organ contract was signed in 2015, but renovation planning and related fundraising progressed over many years until the actual organ building by our team of eight began early in 2022.

The new design is inspired by the so-called “Wide Hamburg Case,” which provides a good solution for this single-cased organ. Versions of this concept are relatively common throughout the Northern parts of Germany and the Netherlands, and we have experience building these relatively complicated cases. It features three protruding, segmented towers and two pointed towers with large pipes and a series of major-third-arranged treble pipe flats between. This theme is duplicated with a few modifications for the upper center section of the case, behind which stands the swell box.

The appearance appropriately gives a face to the tonal qualities of specific sixteenth- and seventeenth-century European instruments considered to showcase a high point of organ sound. In significant ways, these gorgeous and lasting sound qualities provide inspiration for our work. Despite these lofty goals, what the cooks end up creating is what counts, and this organ meets our goals. All who study the organ must be mindful that it is a workshop’s culture that determines the outcome of any organ, and more specifically, it is the workshop culture during the time of construction that determines the outcome of a specific organ.

At the risk of describing sound quality with words, I will say that the sound of the individual pipes is full, warm, sweet, unforced, and colorful. This combined with quick and subtle speech characteristics provide qualities that are remarkably useful, foremost in terms of individual beauty, but they also enable superior blending with other stops and adapt easily to a wide variety of acoustical environments and musical styles. If we are to achieve these goals, other aspects of the organ must be in place throughout the concept. These include a free-standing case within the space with tightly grouped façade pipes and three-dimensional carvings, compact, customized chest layouts, relatively low wind pressure, pallets (valves) opened by means of a direct mechanical key action, a robust wind system, and more. A three-sided swell box, string stops, an authentic French Symphonic Hautbois, and a modern combination system (combined with the mechanical stop action) broaden the overall concept.

The pipes and their voicing are the most important contributors to the success of an organ. All the metal pipes are made in our workshop from tin-lead sheets of various alloys, exclusively cast on a tightly packed and flat sand bed. The very rapid cooling of the pipe metal on this sand surface (compared to a relatively long cooling period on a cloth-covered stone table) produces metal sheets with a smaller crystalline structure. This has a discernable benefit to the sound and speech of the pipes. Beyond this advantage, the details of the pipe construction and voicing contribute substantially to the final tonal result.

The Saint Thomas case is made of ammonia fumed and oiled, solid white oak. Fuming accelerates the natural darkening of white oak for a rich, stain-free look. We were fortunate to find a supplier who imports from Germany sawn logs that have been kept together after drying. Generally, the wood from one log is similar in color and texture throughout. In this case, one log yielded enough material to build the entire case front, guaranteeing a remarkable consistency of appearance throughout. The carvings are also of white oak and were carved by Christiane Sandler.

I am grateful to work with a great team of craftsmen and contributors here at the Fritts workshop: Greg Bahnsen, Zane Boothby, Rain Daley, Raphi Giangiulio, Erik McLeod, Andreas Schonger, Bruce Shull, Ben Wooley, and our bookkeeper, Marlon Ventura. All of us share a deep appreciation for the continued support and enthusiasm of the Saint Thomas Episcopal Church community.

—Paul Fritts

From the associate director of music and organist

The decade-long journey that led to the completion of the new Paul Fritts & Company organ at Saint Thomas Episcopal Church in Terrace Park, Ohio, likely echoes most of the stories we read in these journals about acquiring new instruments. Though I could rightfully boast about the excellence of our committee, our superb consultant, and the absolute joy it was to traverse the path together that led to this marvelous accomplishment, the immediate impact of this organ in the life of Saint Thomas and its role in realizing the vision of the role of music and beauty at this church is much more impactful.

The mission of music at Saint Thomas is to change lives by bringing people closer to our Heavenly Father through the divine gift of music both in and beyond our church. We seek to do this through inspiring traditional worship, enriching the artistic life of our community through the supporting of the offering of sacred music at the highest and most profound levels, and sharing the profundity and beauty of our worship tradition to new generations. We seek to fulfill this mission and vision with all the diligence we can muster. Our fully capable Parish Choir (comprising mostly volunteers, with just a few singers invited to lead our sections) and our monthly series of Bach Vespers, in which we seek to present the cantatas of Bach in their original context as a part of worship, earnestly and capably endeavor to fulfill our mission.

To fulfill the mission of music at Saint Thomas, church leadership and the organ committee sought that the result of our renovated chancel and new organ would be of utmost beauty, for “beauty is an ultimate value—something that we pursue for its own sake, and for the pursuit of which no further reason need be given. Beauty should therefore be compared to truth and goodness, one member of a trio of ultimate values.”¹ We sought that this beauty would, both aurally and visually, serve the mission of our music program.

We feel that we have succeeded beyond our wildest imaginations. Paul Fritts & Company Opus 43 is the realization of utmost aural and visual beauty. I cannot walk into the church without my eyes drawn heavenward as they fall on this magnificent instrument. All too quickly, as I go to practice and utilize this organ in its intended role of enriching life and drawing people closer to our Heavenly Father through the power of the highest quality of sacred music, it is evident that this instrument some would argue is built rigidly in one style of organbuilding is absolutely worthy of magnificently presenting all of the literature in the realization of the mission of music at Saint Thomas.

In a time where we forsake timeless traditions and philosophies that have guided us to where we are today, it is our hope and desire that the time-honored tradition of presenting music of the highest quality will edify, inspire, and uplift all who come to partake of the music and worship offerings at Saint Thomas, that the excellence we strive for will find a home in the hearts of those who enter our doors and provide guidance, comfort, and cheer, leading to a greater relationship with our Heavenly Father.

This magnificent organ is the perfect vehicle for us as we seek to perpetuate this goal. We warmly invite and welcome all who wish to come and see!

—Jason M. Gunnell

 

www.stthomasepiscopal.org

www.bachensemble.org

 

The Rev. Darren R. S. Elin, rector

Dr. Carlton Monroe, director of music

Dr. Jason M. Gunnell, associate director of music and organist

 

The Saint Thomas Organ Committee

Vern Thomas, chairman

The Rev. Daniel Grossoehme

Jason M. Gunnell

Mary Malotke

Gerry Michaud

Carlton Monroe

Brian Rau

The Rev. Robert E. Reynolds

Paul Thornock, consultant

1. Roger Scruton, Beauty: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011), 2.

 

GREAT (Manual I)

16′ Bourdon

8′ Principal

8′ Rohrflöte

4′ Octave

4′ Spitzflöte

3′ Quint

2′ Octave

1-3⁄5′ Tierce

Mixture IV–VI

8′ Trompet

8′ Dulcian

 

SWELL (Manual II)

8′ Praestant (façade)

8′ Principal

8′ Gedeckt

8′ Violdigamba

8′ Voix celeste

4′ Octave

4′ Rohrflöte

3′ Nasat

2′ Octave

2′ Blockflöte

1-3⁄5′ Terz

1-1⁄3′ Larigot

Mixture IV–V

16′ Fagott

8′ Trompet

8′ Hautbois

 

PEDAL

16′ Subbaß

8′ Principal

8′ Bourdon (ext Subbaß)

4′ Octave

2′ Nachthorn

16′ Posaune

8′ Trompet

4′ Trompet

 

Couplers

Swell to Great

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

 

Compass

Manual: 58 notes

Pedal: 30 notes

 

Other

Polished tin front pipes

Solid wood casework with carved pipe shades

Suspended, direct mechanical key action

Mechanical stop action

Multi-level combination system with divisionals, generals, and sequencer

Tremulant

Wind Stabilizer

Zimbelstern

 

35 stops, 43 ranks, 2,223 pipes

Paul Fritts & Company Organ Builders, the Tacoma, Washington.

The Murdy Family Organ in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, Indiana.

Opus 37: four manuals, 69 stops, 5,164 pipes.

http://frittsorgan.com/

Michael Plagerman holds a B.Mus. in organ performance from Pacific Lutheran University where he studied organ with Paul Tegels, harpsichord with Kathryn Habedank, and choral conducting and pedagogy with Richard Nance and Brian Galante. He recently complete the Master of Sacred Music degree at the University of Notre Dame where he was awarded the Craig Cramer prize in organ performance. During his time at Notre Dame he served as a graduate assistant organist at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Currently in his first year of the D.M.A in Performance Practice at Cornell University, he studies with Annette Richards and serves as the director of music, organist, and choir director at King of Kings Lutheran Church in Liverpool, New York.

This video is courtesy Notre Dame Magazine; John Nagy, writer, and Barbara Johnston, photographer.
https://magazine.nd.edu/
https://sacredmusic.nd.edu/

Paul Fritts and Company has built a new organ, Opus 43, for Saint Thomas Episcopal Church, Terrace Park, Ohio: two manuals and pedal, 35 stops, 43 ranks, 2,223 pipes.
www.stthomasepiscopal.org
http://frittsorgan.com/

The organ is featured on the cover of the July 2024 issue of The Diapason:
https://www.thediapason.com/content/paul-fritts-company-opus-43 

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

From the builder

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—Paul Fritts

From the consultant

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

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

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

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

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

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

—Paul Thornock

From the architect

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

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

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

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

—Duncan G. Stroik 

 

Builder’s website: www.frittsorgan.com

Architect’s website: www.stroik.com

College website: www.hillsdale.edu

 

Choir Organ, Opus 44

GREAT (Manual I)

16′ Bourdon

8′ Principal

8′ Salicional

8′ Rohrflöte

4′ Octave

4′ Spitzflöte

2-2⁄3′ Quinte

2′ Octave

Mixture IV

8′ Trompet

4′ Trompet

SWELL (Manual II)

8′ Principal

8′ Gamba

8′ Voix celeste

8′ Gedackt

4′ Octave

4′ Rohrflöte

2-2⁄3′ Nasard

2′ Gemshorn

1-3⁄5′ Tierce

Mixture III–IV

16′ Fagott

8′ Trompet

8′ Basson/Hautbois

PEDAL

16′ Subbass

8′ Principal

8′ Bourdon*

4′ Octave*

16′ Posaune

8′ Trompet

*Some pipes transmitted from other stops

Couplers

Swell to Great, Great to Pedal, Swell to Pedal

 

Polished tin front pipes

Suspended, direct mechanical key action

Mechanical stop action with electric pre-set system

Tremulant

Compass: Manual 58 notes; Pedal: 30 notes

Gallery Organ, Opus 45

GREAT (Manual I)

16′ Principal

8′ Octave

8′ Salicional

8′ Rohrflöte

8′ Flûte Harmonique

4′ Octave

4′ Spitzflöte

3′ Quinte

2′ Octave

Mixture VI–VIII

Cornet V

16′ Trompet

8′ Trompet

8′ Trompette

SWELL (Manual III)

8′ Principal

8′ Gedackt

8′ Baarpijp

8′ Violdigamba

8′ Voix celeste

4′ Octave

4′ Koppelflöte

2-2⁄3′ Nasat

2′ Octave

2′ Blockflöte

1-3⁄5′ Terz

Mixture V–VI

16′ Trompet

8′ Trompet

8′ Hautbois

8′ Vox Humana

POSITIVE (Manual II)

8′ Principal

8′ Gedackt

8′ Quintadena

4′ Octave

4′ Rohrflöte

2-2⁄3′ Nasat

2′ Octave

2′ Waldflöte

1-1⁄3′ Larigot

Sesquialtera II

Mixture VI–VII

16′ Dulcian

8′ Trompet

8′ Cromorne

PEDAL

32′ Subbaß*

16′ Principal

16′ Subbaß

8′ Octave

8′ Bourdon*

4′ Octave

4′ Nachthorn

Mixture VI–VII

32′ Posaune

16′ Posaune

8′ Trompet

4′ Trompet

2′ Cornet

*Some pipes transmitted from other stops

Couplers

Swell to Great

Positive to Great

Swell to Positive

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Positive to Pedal

 

Polished tin front pipes

Suspended, direct mechanical key action

Mechanical stop action with electric pre-set system

Swell Tremulant

Great & Positive Tremulant

Wind Stabilizer

Compass: Manual 58 notes; Pedal: 30 notes

 

 

Opus 44 Choir Organ: 

30 stops; 38 ranks; 1,854 pipes

Opus 45 Gallery Organ: 

57 stops; 85 ranks; 4,115 pipes

Juget-Sinclair Organbuilders, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Christ Church, Episcopal, Pelham, New York

The making of Opus 51

Designing pipe organs has always been a big challenge. The large organs can only be the result of teamwork and are, in a way, a collective work. The point is also that church organs are among the only instruments not to be for private use, but for community use. The process of acquiring an organ is also far from the ordinary procedure of buying a good or a service, it is rather a human experience dotted with twists and turns that ultimately has a positive impact on an entire community.

It is with this in mind that we approached the project for Christ Church, Pelham. Although the beginnings of the project go back more than ten years, the winning conditions were met in 2017, and we consider ourselves privileged to have been given the mission of designing and manufacturing this instrument. As soon as we visited, we received the request to design a casework façade inspired by the motifs present in the church and to respect the Gothic Revival style, typical of the churches of this time, to create a symbiosis between the organ and the church.

The visual and technical concept

The main challenge in the visual design of the instrument was to emphasize verticality. This is why the five main pipes of the Pédale 16′ Principal (7–11) form the backbone of the concept. On each side, the subdivision of the pipe flats arouses visual excitement, as much by the use of small pipes as by the density of decorations and molding. The lateral pipe flats, whose starting point is lower, reinforce the central element, thus creating verticality within the whole. The zimbelstern star, gilded with 23-karat gold leaf, illuminates the façade by referring to the stained-glass window by William Jay Bolton, The Adoration of the Magi (1843). Although the space allocated to the organ is rather limited considering the requested stoplist, we were able to position the divisions without compromising access to the various components of the organ.

Choral music is very important in Pelham, and one of the mandates was to leave space for more than twenty singers between the console and the casework. The detached console has been positioned to leave as much space as possible for the singers while allowing the organist to conduct while accompanying. Finally, the constraints of depth and height guided the positioning of the windchests: The Pédale is on the ground, the Grand-Orgue on the first level aligned with the impost of the casework, and the Récit expressif on the second level, centered above the Grand-Orgue.

At ground level, the electric windchests of the large Pédale 16′ pipes (Principals 16′-8′, Soubasse 16′-8′, Trombone 16′-8′, and the first octave of the 8′ Violoncelle) are placed at the back and occupy the entire width of the church, the large pipes passing on each side of the swell box. The mechanical windchest, which includes the trebles of all the stops and the entire 4′ Flûte, is located under the Grand-Orgue, sharing the space with the three wedge bellows. On the first level, the Grand-Orgue is divided into two windchests, and the basses of the 8′ stops also stand on each side of the swell box. The five-rank Cornet is mounted over the Grand-Orgue pipes, just behind the façade. The Récit expressif occupies the second level above the Grand-Orgue and the Pédale. It is divided into two windchests, and the ceiling of the swell box follows the design of the façade to make it invisible.

The casework and console are in quarter-sawn white oak, stained and oiled. The music rack is made with myrtle veneer enhanced with ebony inlays. The keyboards are covered with bone, and the sharps are in solid ebony. The stop knobs are turned in black walnut, and the stop labels are in porcelain. According to our practice, the large wooden pipes, the frames, bellows, and windchests are mostly made of poplar and white oak. The 16′ and 8′ stopped pipes and the 4′ Pédale Flûte are made of white pine and cherry. Most of the mechanical parts are in beech, and the trackers are in carbon fiber. The metal pipes are made using three different alloys: the stopped pipes and flute mutations are 98% lead; all the reeds and the Récit principals are 52% tin; while the front pipes, the Grand-Orgue plenum, the gambas, and salicionals are 82% tin.

The tonal concept

From the beginning of the project, the committee’s choice centered on a French aesthetic, adapted to the North American context. Though this choice may seem unusual to support a liturgy inherited from the British tradition, the diversity of color and power of the foundations, the variety in mutations and reeds, combined with the efficiency of the swell box make it a very effective and versatile accompaniment instrument for the Episcopal liturgy.

Generally speaking, as voicers we are looking for refinement in sound colors and balance between each stop rather than power. At Christ Church, we used the progressive entailles de timbre (tuning slots) for the bass, tenor, and alto and cut-to-length trebles for the principals. The gambas are voiced with tuning slots only, while the harmonic flutes are cut to length. The windpressures are 90 mm for Grand-Orgue and Récit and 105 mm for the Pédale. The organ is tuned in equal temperament.

The Grand-Orgue division

The Grand-Orgue division is built on a 16′ Plein-jeu. If an 8′ plenum is registered, the low rank of the Fourniture V (22⁄3′–51⁄3′) will be automatically removed. The breaks in the Fourniture are on the C’s to favor clarity in polyphonic music. The Grand-Orgue has the four typical 8′ foundation stops of the French symphonic organ. These four stops are complementary in strength and timbre and can blend with each other. The Montre is rich and generous, and the trebles do not lose their intensity. The Flûte harmonique is the most ascending stop of the organ; it is a self-accompanying stop. The delicate Salicional brings richness when mixed with other 8′ stops while the Bourdon brings depth. The 16′ and 8′ Bourdons and the 4′ Flûte douce have chimneys. The Cornet V has two main roles: it can be considered a solo stop, and in the tutti, it compensates for the natural loss of power of the reed stops in the trebles. The Grand-Orgue 8′ Trompette is uninhibited without being vulgar and brings power to the whole organ. The Cromorne is in the French tradition, but in the fashion of the nineteenth century; it is rounder and warmer than its eighteenth-century predecessor. This therefore makes it a fairly versatile stop that can be used in Baroque, Romantic, and contemporary music. The Trompette is constructed with Bertounèche-type shallots and the Cromorne with slightly conical shallots in the bass and cylindrical shallots in the trebles.

The Récit expressif division

The Récit expressif is a great 16′ symphonic swell and has some of the most colorful stops of the organ. A secondary 8′ plenum is present to be able to dialogue with the Grand-Orgue. The breaks of the swell Plein-jeu are on the second, third, and fourth F so as not to coincide with those of the Grand-Orgue. The gambas have the narrowest scales of the organ. They bring clarity to the foundations of the whole organ and allow the Voix-céleste to be sparkling. The mutations are cylindrical and fluty according to French tradition. The Trompette and Clairon have harmonic trebles, which favors their presence in the church. Bertounèche reeds were used for Trompette and Clairon and tear-drop shallots for Bassons. The swell shades system we use allows the box to be opened completely, giving the most presence to the sound. This opening system also provides greater control and a better dynamic range between open and closed box. The full swell can literally disappear completely behind the Grand-Orgue foundations when the box is closed.

The Pédale division

Based on a 16′ Principal, the Pédale division has a variety of foundations covering the principal, flute, and gamba families. The 8′ Violoncelle is a chameleon stop that blends with the Principal as well as with the Bourdon. The 4′ Flûte is strong enough to allow it to be played solo. German-style plated shallots have been used for the 16′ Trombone and 8′ Trompette to allow these stops to be more versatile than typical French reeds. Although the Trombone is powerful enough to support the whole organ, it is much rounder than a Bombarde, and it is balanced with the large plenum and full swell to support the accompaniment of large hymns. The 8′ Trompette can be easily included in a Germanic plenum to reinforce the contrapuntal lines.

Project completion

The instrument-making process required nearly 18,000 man-hours of work from summer 2018 to fall 2019. Installation of the instrument was from October to November 2019, and the end of the voicing coincided with American Thanksgiving. The assembly of the casework and the mechanical action took place over two weeks, and voicing over seven weeks. During this period, we were able to establish close relationships with the community of Pelham, in particular with the main actors of the project, without whom all of this would not have been possible. We warmly thank the members of the organ committee who put trust in us: Martin A. Nash, Margaret Young (chairman), Jeffrey Hoffman, Father Matthew Mead, Kari Black, Jeff Bodenmann, and Kim De Beaumont, as well as all our hosts and collaborators in this project.

Robin Côté, President, Juget-Sinclair Organbuilders

The team of Juget-Sinclair organ builders

Robin Côté

François Couture

Dean Eckmann

Jean-Dominique Felx

Denis Juget

Michal Michalik

Alexander Ross

Stephen Sinclair

Mathieu Thomas-Guy

Philipp Windmöller

 

GRAND-ORGUE (Manual I)

16′ Bourdon

8′ Montre

8′ Bourdon

8′ Salicional

8′ Flûte harmonique (1–17 fr 8′ Bdn)

4′ Prestant

4′ Flûte douce

2′ Doublette

Fourniture V (V with 16′)

Cornet V (fr tenor F)

8′ Trompette

8′ Cromorne

Tremblant

II/I

RÉCIT EXPRESSIF (Manual II)

8′ Principal Amabile

8′ Bourdon

8′ Viole de gambe

8′ Voix-céleste

4′ Principal

4′ Flûte octaviante

2-2⁄3′ Nazard

2′ Piccolo

1-3⁄5′ Tierce

2′ Plein-jeu IV

16′ Basson

8′ Trompette

8′ Basson-Hautbois

4′ Clairon

Tremblant

PÉDALE

16′ Principal

16′ Soubasse

8′ Principal (ext 16′ Principal)

8′ Bourdon (ext 16′ Soubasse)

8′ Violoncelle

4′ Prestant (ext 16′ Principal)

4′ Flûte

16′ Trombone

8′ Trompette (ext 16′ Trombone)

I/P

II/P

General specification

61-note keyboards

32-note AGO pedalboard

Equal temperament

Multi-level electronic combination action

400 memory levels

10 general pistons

6 divisional pistons per division

Sequencer

 

Builder’s website

Church website

 

35 stops, 42 ranks, 2,351 pipes

 

Read about another Juget-Sinclair project here.