Rieger completes new installations

A Symphonic Organ in the Cradle of the Symphony
The new Rieger Organ in the Golden Hall of the Music Society in Vienna

Introduction
For centuries, Vienna, the capital of Austria, has been regarded by many as Europe’s music capital. It is here that the symphony was developed as a musical form by composers such as Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. So pervasive was the symphony in the development of Western art music that it not only dominated creative music-making until well into the 20th century, but also worldwide became the most common adjective describing orchestras and concert halls. It is also used to denote a style of organbuilding that developed towards the end of the 19th century, when organs were often used as substitutes for orchestras, and organ recitals in secular venues usually included orchestral transcriptions. With the fortunes of fashion being cyclical, the merits of symphonic organs were queried in the mid-20th century, often by their detractors. However, in recent years, one has come to realize that their salient qualities can be combined successfully with more traditional organ elements to create instruments of great versatility, warmth and beauty. Such an organ has just been installed in Vienna, the birthplace of the symphony.
Vienna is also the city in which the performance of music was first democratized. In 1812, as a result of cooperation between citizens and the nobility, the Society of the Friends of Music was founded, through which a platform was created for performing concerts by anyone for everyone. Previously, secular concerts of this nature had primarily been restricted to stately homes, so this was the start of Vienna’s world-renowned civic musical life, and of a tradition that continues to flourish.
A major step along this civic cultural road was the building of the Music Society’s concert hall in 1870 on ground that had become available following the demolition of the old city walls. The architect of this building, known locally as the Musikverein, was Theophil Hansen, who also created other impressive civic buildings along the famous Ring Road that replaced the demolished fortifications.
The Musikverein is an imposing building in neoclassical style that houses a number of facilities, amongst which is the Grand Hall that many regard as Europe’s most acoustically perfect concert hall. It is also undoubtedly one of the most beautiful. Its rich decorations and abundant gilding are opulent, yet not overbearing, resulting in the hall being referred to colloquially as the Golden Hall. At the rear of the stage, Hansen designed an organ case that visually forms the hall’s focal point, with a design derived from the form of a Greek temple. Behind this historic façade, a completely new organ has been installed by the leading Austrian organbuilding firm, Rieger Orgelbau (www.rieger-orgelbau.com); the festive inaugural concert took place on March 26, 2011 in the presence of leaders of the Austrian state, church, and civil society. This magnificent instrument complements the fame and beauty of its setting and is a fine addition to the musical infrastructure of a city that is already, world-wide, at the apogee of civic music activity.

Inaugural concert
The inaugural concert was played by the five leading European organists, who, together with two officials of the Music Society, had formed the committee that had awarded the contract to Rieger and overseen the project.
Given the organ’s significant and prominent location, this committee had specified a versatile instrument whose primary focus was for use together with orchestras, both as an instrument within the orchestral ensemble and as orchestral soloist, i.e., a symphonic organ; but also one that would do justice to the ‘classical’ organ literature. For these reasons, the organ was, among other things, to have two consoles—one mobile that could be placed amongst the members of the orchestra, and a second, with tracker action, on the cantilevered balcony above the orchestra.
Following the formalities by the Society’s dignitaries, including a speech by the president of Rieger, Wendelin Eberle, the music-making began. A fanfare by brass players from the Vienna Symphony Orchestra symbolically heralded the King of Instruments into the Golden Hall, there to be enthroned above the stage.
The first recitalist was Peter Planyavsky, former organist of St. Stephan’s Cathedral in Vienna and professor at the Vienna Music University. Planyavsky presented a brilliant improvisation to illustrate a selection of colors from the organ’s vast tonal palette. Being symphonic in character, the organ has a rich variety of possibilities, ranging from the delicately soft to the majestic, and including an array of solo stops—flutes, reeds and mutations.
The second performer was Ludger Lohmann, professor of organ and cathedral organist in Stuttgart, who gave an impressive rendering of J. S. Bach’s Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C Major, BWV 564, using the attached mechanical-action console. This work demonstrated the beauty of the ‘classical’ diapason choruses that form the foundation of this organ, and combine effortlessly with its symphonic nature. The principal stops of these choruses blend admirably to form one sound and are crowned by glorious mixtures that add brilliance and clarity to the contrapuntal lines of the music without ever becoming overbearing or harsh. The organ’s copious reed stops made it possible for Lohmann to select ones that, in the Germanic tradition, added color while retaining the music’s transparency and lightness of texture. The direct action and responsiveness of the mechanical console allowed the organist to articulate his playing in a way that suited the Baroque style admirably.
Martin Haselböck, internationally known as conductor of performances on original instruments with the Wiener Akademie, recitalist and organ professor, led the audience into the Romantic era with Franz Liszt’s Prelude and Fugue on B.A.C.H. This piece enabled him to demonstrate the organ’s symphonic versatility and ability to swell in sound from the softest whisper to the point where it convincingly fills the hall. Playing from the detached console on stage, Haselböck made the audience forget that a few moments earlier they had been listening to a superb Baroque sound, as they were introduced to rich foundation stops, impressive chorus reeds, and convincing string-toned colors. The full organ’s sound, based on a foundation of 32′ stops, resonated majestically around the hall as the exciting piece came to its conclusion.
The next recitalist, Gillian Weir, the doyenne of English organists, who was honored for her contributions to organ music with the title Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1996, illustrated convincingly how the new organ accommodates challenging 20th-century repertoire by playing Olivier Messiaen’s “Alleluias sereins d’une âme qui désire le ciel” from L’Ascension and “Dieu parmi nous” from La Nativité du Seigneur. Her use, amongst others, of the Swell reeds—with their leaning towards the Gallic tradition—lent authenticity to this challenging music, as did her judicious choice of mutations for solo passages.
Olivier Latry, professor at the Paris Conservatoire and titular organist of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, played Alexandre-Pierre-François Boëly’s Fantasy and Fugue in B Major and the first and last movements of Charles-Marie Widor’s Organ Symphony No. 5 in F Minor. His faultless and seemingly effortless renderings of these demanding works enchanted the audience. The set of variations contained in Widor’s first movement gave the capacity audience of more than 2,000 further insights into the kaleidoscopic tonal variety attainable from the new Rieger organ.
The state-of-the-art technology of the playing aids, available on both consoles, of which more is said below, made it easy to accommodate the diverse needs of the five organists, who followed each other at the consoles in quick succession. The listener was also left with a sense of admiration for the way in which the organ’s stops have been scaled and voiced. The choice of pipe scales has resulted in the sound having sufficient fundamental tone for what is a very large hall, even when filled to capacity, without becoming turgid; care has also been taken to balance the constituent stops of the various choruses to ensure the seamless blending of their individual components. Furthermore, the voicing has resulted in clean, clear speech and a remarkable purity and evenness in tonal quality.

Tonal design
As mentioned above, the tonal design of the new organ is essentially symphonic. This term implies tonal warmth from a wealth of foundation stops, adequate numbers of which are string toned, a diversity of colors, including imitations of orchestral instruments, a wide volume range, and smooth crescendi and diminuendi. However, this style of organbuilding, stemming from the Romantic period, is also associated with less favorable characteristics, viz. tonal qualities that obscure part-playing in contrapuntal music, inadequate primary organ tone, i.e., insufficient stops of principal or diapason tone, insufficient upperwork and lack of brilliance, sluggish speech that impedes articulation, and thus, overall, the inability to do justice to the compositions of seminal organ composers, such as J. S. Bach.
In designing the Musikverein organ, Rieger was careful to capture the merits of the symphonic style while avoiding the excesses that led to the demise of such instruments in the 20th century. Accordingly, as already alluded to, the tonal core of each division of the Musikverein organ is a finely balanced principal chorus crowned with classical mixtures that impart the silvery brilliance required for playing much of the classical literature. In addition, the organ has three 32′ stops, fifteen stops at 16′ pitch and thirty-six 8′ stops, which in total ensure that its tone has the golden warmth and fullness required of a symphonic organ.
There are 21 reed stops of varying colors and strengths, some—in the Solo division—on high wind pressure; sufficient mutation stops; a mounted Cornet on the Hauptwerk, and the stops necessary for creating a Cornet Séparé on each of the Swell and Solo Organs. The 86 speaking stops are divided over four manual divisions and pedal, three of which (Orchesterwerk, Swell, and Solo) are enclosed to give the maximum possible dynamic range.
The imposing Hauptwerk’s comprehensive principal chorus is matched by a battery of trumpet-toned reeds at 16′, 8′ and 4′ pitch, whose characters lean towards the Germanic. In contrast, the chorus reeds of the large Swell Organ are modestly French in nature.
An interesting feature of the organ is the large Orchesterwerk division that was conceived to house stops that would blend exceptionally with actual orchestral instruments. The Orchesterwerk division has its own pedal stops contained within its swell box, based on a 32′ Subbass, to ensure that the dynamics of the pedal and manual sections are precisely aligned with each other. Although from the specification it would appear that no provision has been made for the traditional Positive organ that many would regard as important for playing much of the classical literature, compensation for this is made on the fourth manual: the Solo division contains a bright secondary principal chorus, alongside the expected solo reeds and flutes.

The organ’s layout
The organ is favorably situated directly behind the orchestra, its close proximity ensuring the maximum possible blending of the sound of these two partners. Physically, the base of the organ is at the level of the conductor’s podium, but is concealed by the raked seating of the orchestral musicians, which visually shortens the actual 36-foot height of the instrument. At the ‘basement’ level, two of the organ’s blowers are situated, as also a number of wind reservoirs and trunking. Above this, at the level of the rearmost musicians, one finds the enclosed Orchesterwerk division and its accompanying pedal section—meaning that there is literally no gap between the orchestra and this part of the organ.
The ‘lower story’ of the organ is hidden behind an elegant white screen, decorated with panels containing pairs of griffons, and is framed by six ornate gilded pillars that lead the eye upwards to the organ balcony and ‘upper story’ that they appear to support.
The main Pedal stops are placed at the lower level on either side of the Orchesterwerk division, with the longest pipes at the extreme left and right, rising up into the upper story, e.g., those of the full-length Kontraposaune 32′. In contrast, the open wooden pipes of the Kontrabass 32′ are mounted horizontally against the rear wall of the organ, behind the Orchesterwerk swell box, with the longest being mitered to fit them into the 30-foot width of the organ case.
The gallery that visually separates the lower and upper stories of the organ case provides the space for the mechanical action console. In order that organists using this console should not be isolated from the sound of the stops on the level below them, tonal passages have been constructed to link the two levels, those from the Orchesterwerk swell box appropriately being fitted with swell shutters.
The Hauptwerk is to be found in the central position behind the façade pipes that were grouped by Hansen into three classical sections (which always have been, and remain, silent). The prominent position of the Hauptwerk, raised above the stage, allows this important division to speak directly into the body of the hall, as is fitting for the core of the organ. Behind the Hauptwerk and to either side are the Swell Organ and Solo Organ, each in their respective boxes. These, together with the enclosed Orchesterwerk division, can be controlled from one swell pedal, thus enabling the player easily to make finely nuanced adjustments to the organ’s volume.
At the top of the organ, behind the façade pipes and partially in the space created by the triangular pediment that crowns the organ case, are a third blower and the wind reservoirs for the Hauptwerk, Swell and Solo organs.

Technical information
As already mentioned, the organ has two consoles. The attached console is made of walnut wood, whereas the mobile console has a black lacquered exterior that allows it to harmonize on stage with members of the orchestra. The key action of the attached console is mechanical, while that of the second, mobile console (which can be placed anywhere on the stage) is electric. In both cases, the stop action is electric. The normal couplers on the attached console are mechanical and the mobile console has additional “unison off” and adjustable “divided” pedal options. On the moveable console, the organist can choose between having the Hauptwerk or Orchesterwerk organs playable from the bottom manual. Furthermore, the mobile console is fitted with an electrically operated, adjustable feature that allows organists to save their preferred positions for the organ bench and the pedalboard in relation to the manuals, and to recall these when required, after which the preferred positions are taken up automatically. The use of these features at the inaugural concert, and the resulting speed with which one organist could follow another, proved their value in a concert hall setting.
A final, unique, feature of the electric console is that the pedalboard and bench can be retracted electrically to the point where the console can be pushed on its platform through the narrow stage doors when not required on stage. In all other respects, including the layout, the two consoles are identical.
The Rieger capture system, Rieger Electronic Assistant (REA), is used in the Musikverein organ, fully at both consoles and interchangeably between them. The system makes provision for 20 individual organists, each having up to 1,000 combinations, the possibility of inserting three additional combinations between existing ones, and the ability to archive registrations for 250 pieces, each with up to 250 registration combinations. The system’s features include, among other things, sequencing, sostenuto, copying, and repeat functions; divisional and general cancels; unison-off options; and four individually adjustable crescendi. The Rieger recording and playback functions, tuning system, transposing facility, and MIDI features are also available.
The organ has 6,138 pipes, most of which are on slider windchests that are operated by a tracker system from the mechanical console and by pallet magnets from the mobile console; some of the largest pipes are placed on auxiliary pneumatic chests. Individual wind pressures are used for the different divisions of the organ and all windchests are divided into bass and treble sections, each with their own appropriate wind pressures. The bass sections are supplied with stable wind from bellows, whereas the trebles are fed flexibly from schwimmer reservoirs. Of the pipes referred to above, 639 are made of wood, with the remainder being constructed of various alloys of tin and lead. The largest pipe is more than 32 feet in length and weighs approximately 880 pounds.

Postscript
Vienna is the cradle of the symphony as art form, and the glorious Great Hall of the Musikverein a venue par excellence for symphony concerts. It is therefore entirely appropriate that the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien (the Society of Music Friends in Vienna) should have wanted a secular, symphonic organ for their beautiful hall. They specified an instrument that would match the quality of the world-renowned ensembles and artists that perform in their famous venue, a concert hall organ whose primary function is playing with orchestras, but also able to accompany other instruments and choirs, and at times be a recital instrument. Rieger Orgelbau has met these high (and potentially conflicting) expectations by judiciously combining the positive features of symphonic organs from an earlier era with the time honored attributes of classical organ building, thereby masterfully overcoming the shortcomings of instruments from the Romantic period, and creating a prototype for a second generation of symphonic organs.
The Musikverein organ is not a copy of an instrument from any historical school of organbuilding, but an absolutely modern instrument that draws on the rich values of and experience from different organbuilding periods, and simultaneously leads the art of organ building into the future. Its essence is ‘symphonic’—not by being ‘historic’, but through infusing the term with new meaning. Those involved in the project—the Society of Music Friends, the committee of organ experts, Rieger-Orgelbau—are all to be congratulated on creating a new milestone in the history of organ building and setting the highest standards for concert hall instruments of the future.
—Dr. Antony Melck
Professor, University of Pretoria

Photo credit: Wolf-Dieter Grabner/Musikverein

Vienna Musikverein, Golden Hall 2011
Orchesterwerk (expr.) I. C–c4
16′ Liebl. Gedackt
8′ Geigenprincipal
8′ Viola da Gamba
8′ Salicional
8′ Wienerflöte
8′ Blockflöte
8′ Holzgedackt
4′ Octave
4′ Viola
4′ Gedecktflöte
2′ Octave
2′ Mixtur IV
22⁄3′ Harm. aeth. II–V
16′ Fagott
8′ Euphonium
8′ Oboe
8′ Klarinette
Tremulant

Hauptwerk II. C–c4
16′ Principal
16′ Violon
8′ Principal
8′ Flûte Major
8′ Gamba
8′ Gedackt
8′ Gemshorn
4′ Octave
4′ Salicional
4′ Spitzflöte
22⁄3′ Quinte
2′ Superoctave
22⁄3′ Großmixtur IV–VI
11⁄3′ Mixtur IV–V
8′ Cornet V
16′ Trompete
8′ Trompete
4′ Trompete

Swell (expr.) III. C–c4
16′ Salicet
8′ Principalviolon
8′ Gambe
8′ Aeoline
8′ Voix céleste
8′ Flûte harm.
8′ Bourdon
4′ Flûte oct.
4′ Fugara
22⁄3′ Nazard harm.
2′ Octavin
13⁄5′ Tierce harm.
1′ Sifflet
2′ Fourniture V
16′ Basson
8′ Trompette harm.
8′ Hautbois
8′ Clairon harm.
8′ Voix Humaine
Tremulant

Solo (expr.) IV. C–c4
16′ Quintatön
8′ Diapason
8′ Flauto Amabile
8′ Doppelflöte
4′ Prestant
4′ Traversflöte
22⁄3′ Nasard
2′ Flöte
13⁄5′ Terz
11⁄3′ Larigot
11⁄3′ Mixtur IV
8′ Englischhorn
8′ Tromp. Royal
8′ Tuba

Pedal C–g1
32′ Kontrabass
16′ Kontrabass
16′ Violonbass
16′ Salicetbass
8′ Octavbass
8′ Flöte
4′ Flöte
22⁄3′ Rauschpfeife III
32′ Kontraposaune
16′ Posaune
16′ Fagott
8′ Trompete
4′ Clairon

Orchesterpedal (expr.)
32′ Subbass
16′ Subbass
8′ Violon
8′ Gedackt
16′ Bassklarinette

Accessories:
Rieger Combination System
• 20 users, with 1,000 combinations with 3 inserts each
• Archive for 250 tracks with 250 combinations each
4 Crescendi, adjustable
Sostenuto
3 free couplers
Sequencer
Copy functions
Repeat functions
Division off
General off
Unisons off

Consoles:
Main console (mechanical)
Mobile console (electric)

Mechanical couplers:
Ow/Hw 8′, Sw/Hw 8′, So/Hw 8′
Sw/Ow 8′, So/Ow 8′, So/Sw 8′,
Ow/P 8′, Hw/P 8′, Sw/P 8′, So/P 8′

Electric couplers:
Ow/Hw 8′, Sw/Hw 8′, So/Hw 8′, Sw/Ow 8′,
So/Ow 8′, So/Sw 8′, Ow/Ow 16′, Ow/Ow 4′
Sw/Sw 16′, Sw/Sw 4′, So/So 4′
Sw/Hw 16′, Sw/Hw 4′, Ow/Hw 16′, Ow/Hw 4′, Ow/Ped 4′, Sw/Ped 4′

Special features:
Rieger Tuning System
Rieger Replay System
Divided Pedal (electric console)
Manual Change I–II (electric console)
Transposing Manual
MIDI

Wind pressures:
Pedal 100mm
Hauptwerk 85mm bass 105mm treble
Swell 80mm bass 90mm treble
Solo 75mm bass 90mm treble
Orchesterwerk 75mm bass 90mm treble
Orchesterpedal 80mm

Rieger-Orgelbau GmbH
Hofsteigstr.120
A-6858 Schwarzach
Austria
T: 0043 5572 58132-0
F: 0043 5572 58132-6
W: www.rieger-orgelbau.com

Rieger-Orgelbau,
Schwarzach, Austria
Cathedral Church of St. Peter, Regensburg, Germany, 2009
It was an exceptional privilege for us to have been commissioned to build the new main organ for the Cathedral Church of St. Peter in Regensburg, Germany, especially bearing in mind that, in its 800-year history, this cathedral never possessed such an instrument. No less daunting, however, were the challenges of building an instrument of adequate size in a space of such significance for art and cultural history, an instrument that does justice to prevailing musical requirements and expectations, and simultaneously takes into consideration the architectural sensitivities of the magnificent Gothic building.
This is emphasized by the fact that it eventually took 25 years from the inception of this unique project to its actual realization. What was needed was an exceptional constellation of persons with the magnanimity for working together to mutually find the optimal solution, despite differing opinions and priorities.
Naturally, the first aspect is always the question, often leading to controversial debate, on the tonal architecture of an organ. What should a cathedral organ sound like in the 21st century? One must say that there is no single correct answer to this question. And, if the question can be answered at all, it certainly cannot be done in a few sentences. This subject is far too caught up in ideology for that.
Accordingly, together with the members of the international organ committee, we posed a somewhat different question: what should the new organ be able to do and what would be the appropriate musical expectations for the instrument? In so doing, it soon became clear that one would need a multifaceted, versatile instrument that would accommodate our ways of listening to music today, both for liturgical use and concert practice. It is simply a fact that, nowadays—and this distinguishes us from previous centuries—we do not just want to hear the currently contemporary style of music, but enjoy listening to a wider repertoire of good music from the past.
The tonal considerations taken into account for this organ are mirrored, we trust, in the choice and combination of stops, their scaling and voicing, as well as their allocation to the different divisions of the organ. Each of the three large manual divisions is based on a 16-foot foundation, broadened by a large number of variously colored 8-foot stops, an appropriate superstructure of mutation registers, and numerous reed stops of varied timbres.
The dynamic breadth of the instrument is increased by the balance achieved between the stops with their individual characteristics and the enclosure of the “small Great Organ” (i.e., the Positiv) in a swell box. The Solo division complements this musical structure by adding a tonal crown of distinctive solo voices and a powerful ensemble of reed stops. All this is underpinned by a sonorous Pedal division, rich in fundamental tone, which gives the organ a calm, supporting foundation.
Three requirements were set for the exterior appearance of the organ: it had to be in a “modern” style, “as small as possible,” and, for spatial reasons, was not to stand on the floor nor on a gallery, but be “suspended” from the vaulting! These requirements led, after various planning phases, to the design that has now finally been constructed.

Modern
We expressly did not attempt to include elements from the building in the design, but instead aligned the organ’s design to the architecture by creating a structural form emphasizing verticality and radiating lightness. As is easy to see, this meant avoiding visible casework as far as possible. Despite this, following tonal tradition, a complete case of solid oak is hidden behind the pipe façade.

As small as possible
This organ is as small as possible, and simultaneously as large as necessary. With a height of 60 feet, a width of 25 feet and a depth of 8.2 to 13.4 feet, this instrument has majestic proportions. Nevertheless, in the visual space of the cathedral, the organ appears to be made of filigree. The specific, curved and tapering layout conveys to the viewer the impression of an organ case of modest depth but, simultaneously, one incorporating movement. This impression is strengthened further by fan-shaped elements that open stepwise to form the optical basis for the greater part of the façade pipes, in addition to defining the view of the case from below.
The separate tonal divisions of the organ are arranged in five stories, one above the other, with the mechanical console situated in the middle, both for aural reasons and the technical requirements of the key action. The middle of the lowest level is devoted to the Solo Organ, which is flanked on both sides by the windchests of the Pedal Organ. The second level, directly above the Solo, houses the enclosed Positiv Organ and is followed by the third level with the console. The Great Organ (Hauptwerk) is positioned above the console, with the Swell Organ situated in the top story. On looking closely, one can recognize this arrangement of the tonal divisions in the organ façade.
The first of the organ’s two independent wind systems is positioned above the roof of the Swell Organ (right at the top), with the second being positioned behind the Solo Organ (right at the bottom). Separately from one another, the two wind systems provide stable yet natural “breath-like” wind to the upper and lower divisions of the organ respectively.
The organ possesses two independent consoles: the main console integrated into the structure of the organ, and a general console placed in the sanctuary of the church. The two are functionally identical and both can be used for playing the existing Choir Organ (30/II). The main console is provided with pure mechanical key action and mechanical couplers, whereas the complete key and stop actions, and also the control of the organ’s swell boxes from the general console, are purely electrical. The innovative REA (Rieger Electronic Assistant) system, developed recently by us, is used for this.

The suspended organ
As is known, this is not the first hanging organ. However, with its 80 stops and weight of 37 tons, it is surely the largest of its kind. To achieve this, it was necessary to introduce a steel suspension structure into the loft of the cathedral. To this structure are attached the four steel cables, each 1.18 inches thick, from which the organ is suspended, notably without also being attached to the wall. Attaching the organ case to the cathedral walls was not allowed by the heritage authorities, who insisted that the historical structure of the cathedral should not be changed.
Access to the organ’s main console, 49 feet above the floor, presented a further technical challenge. Given the heritage considerations, you have probably already guessed it correctly: there is no such access possibility from the cathedral. After considering the different options, we finally decided to plan for an elevator inside the organ. Now, the organist can “be raised” to the console comfortably in two minutes by the Panorama elevator while enjoying the unique view of the imposing cathedral nave.
The elevator’s 2.6 x 2.6 foot glass cabin is normally parked directly next to the console and is therefore hidden from view. Only when in use is a door on the side of the organ opened, to enable the cabin to move horizontally about 6.5 feet on a telescopic arm, out of the organ case, before descending 49 feet to the floor, without any support except the cable on which it hangs.
In building this unique organ, we have moved a step beyond our previous tonal, creative, and technical traditions. We trust that the exceptional goals we set ourselves have been met, namely, creating an organ that will be convincing for generations to come, and that will, in a certain sense, indicate the way forward; and that its sound and its visual appearance will delight many listeners and visitors and inspire many musicians.
This is the wish of all the employees of the Rieger firm, who spent countless hours creating this instrument.
—Wendelin Eberle
Rieger-Orgelbau

Photo credit: Michael Vogl

Rieger-Orgelbau GmbH
Hofsteigstrasse 120
A-6858 Schwarzach, Austria
Tel: +43 5572 58132-0
Fax: +43 5572 58132-6
[email protected]
www.rieger-orgelbau.com

GREAT (I) C–c4
16′ Principal
16′ Bourdon
8′ Principal
8′ Bourdon
8′ Doppelflöte
8′ Gambe
51⁄3′ Großquinte
4′ Octave
4′ Spitzflöte
31⁄5′ Großterz
22⁄3′ Quinte
2′ Superoctave
22⁄3′ Mixtur major IV–VI
1′ Mixtur minor V
8′ Cornet V
16′ Trompete
8′ Trompete
4′ Trompete

POSITIV (II) (expressive) C–c4
16′ Quintatön
8′ Principal
8′ Holzgedackt
8′ Flûte harm.
8′ Salicional
8′ Unda maris
4′ Octave
4′ Rohrflöte
22⁄3′ Nasat
2′ Octave
2′ Waldflöte
13⁄5′ Terz
11⁄3′ Larigot
1′ Sifflöte
11⁄3′ Scharff V
1⁄2′ Cymbel IV
16′ Bassklarinette
8′ Trompete
8′ Krummhorn
Glockenspiel
Tremulant

SWELL (III) C–c4
16′ Bourdon
16′ Salicional
8′ Diapason
8′ Cor de nuit
8′ Flûte harm.
8′ Viole de Gambe
8′ Voix céleste
4′ Prestant
4′ Flûte oct.
4′ Viole
22⁄3′ Nazard harm.
2′ Octavin
13⁄5′ Tierce harm.
11⁄3′ Plein Jeu V
16′ Basson
8′ Trompette harm.
8′ Hautbois
8′ Voix humaine
4′ Clairon harm.
Tremulant

SOLO (IV) C–c4
16′ Chamade
8′ Chamade
4′ Chamade
8′ Flûte harm.
8′ Grand Cornet V
8′ Clarinette
8′ Tuba episcopalis
Campane

PEDAL C–g1
32′ Principalbass
16′ Principal
16′ Violon
16′ Subbass
102⁄3′ Quinte
8′ Octave
8′ Cello
8′ Gedackt
4′ Choralbass
22⁄3′ Mixtur II–IV
32′ Bombarde
16′ Posaune
16′ Fagott
8′ Trompete
4′ Schalmey

Mechanical Couplers
II/I, III/I, IV/I, III/II, IV/II,
I/P, II/P, III/P, IV/P

Electric Couplers
II/I, III/I, IV/I, III/II, IV/II, IV/III
III/I 16′, III/I 4′, III/II 16′
III/II 4′, III/P 4′
Sub and super in each division
3 free couplers

Accessories
Rieger combination system:
20 users with 1000 combinations each with 3 inserts each
Archive for 250 tracks with 250 combinations each
4 adjustable Crescendi
Sequencer
Free couplers
Copy functions
Repeat functions
Division cancel
General cancel
Sostenuto

Consoles
Main console (mechanical)
General console (electric)

Additional features
Rieger tuning system
Rieger replay system
Connection of the Choir Organ
Divided Pedal at the general console
Wind pressures:
Great 110 mm
Positiv 95 mm
Swell 100 mm
Solo 90/130 mm
Pedal 105 mm

Rieger-Orgelbau GmbH, Schwarzach, Austria

Bryn Mawr
Presbyterian Church, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

It rarely happens that a 30-year old organ is taken down and replaced by a
new one. It is even more startling when the organ taken down was a landmark in
organ building during the Orgelbewegung movement, with 68 stops, 98 ranks on
four manuals. At least for us it was the first time that we did so, in 2004 in
Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. For Christoph
Glatter-Götz, president of Rieger from 1977 to 2003, this organ marks the
beginning and the end of his career with Rieger: in 1975, as his first project
with Rieger, he took part in the voicing process. The contract for the new
organ was the last for him to sign before handing over the company to his
former head of operations, Wendelin Eberle.

There were several reasons for the decision to replace this organ. The first
one was musical: the high standard of church music at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian
Church demanded an organ of the same versatility and wide range of musical
possibilities. The church was especially interested in having an organ that
would inspire and support the singing of its congregation and renowned choir.

The second was the acoustics of the church: porous Guastovino tiles on the
walls, a sound-absorbing ceiling and cork floors resulted in a reverberation
time close to zero. The old organ was scaled and voiced to fit this
environment. Over the years, several attempts to improve the acoustics resulted
in an acoustical environment, which, while improving the higher frequency
response in the room, proved inhospitable to the organ.

Finally, there was the mechanical aspect: this organ was one of the first
very large instruments with a detached, mechanical console. In addition, there
were too many stops in too small a case, which made maintenance very difficult.

With the decision to replace the old organ, the church decided to address
the deficiencies in the acoustic and to provide climate control so that the new
organ would live in a hospitable environment. The church's bold decision to
replace the old organ and to totally renovate the sanctuary has born much
fruit. The new organ truly sings in this grand old Gothic space.

The conditions proved to be ideal in many more ways, too. A collaboration
between organists Jeffrey Brillhart and Olivier Latry, organ builder Lynn
Dobson and Rieger-Orgelbau was extremely fruitful and led to a concept of an
organ with 59 stops (83 ranks) on three manuals and pedal.

Tonally the organ is inspired by the greatest examples of French symphonic
organ building. The first test of the French symphonic organ is that of the
fonds d'orgue. This organ's four 16-foot manual flue stops and twelve 8-foot
flue stops excel in creating a sound that is both noble and filled with
gravity. Frenchman Michel Garnier, one of Rieger's three voicers, achieved a
fonds d'orgue that is startling in its array of tonal effects.

Each manual has a complete set of reed choruses, ranging from a full-length
32-foot Bombarde in the pedal to a 16-foot Corno di Bassetto in the Positif
expressif. Two mounted Cornets, numerous mutations, and Mixtures in both the
classic and romantic style, combine to create a full organ that is powerful
without being bombastic, and at all times musical.

Visually, Rieger took its cues from the church's soaring Gothic space, which
hints at the grandeur of the French Gothic churches housing the masterpieces of
Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. This casework, all made in solid oak, contains
4,000 hours of labor; one man alone worked an entire year to carve all the
ornaments.

In technical terms this is an instrument with slider chests and tracker
action. The couplers are mechanical, too, but can be played electrically as
well. At the same time there are electric couplers 16¢ and 4¢ for
every manual. Including this second electric action makes possible the addition
of MIDI, pedal divide, and sostenutos. The combination system offers space for
1,000 combinations plus three inserts each, for 16 users. Theoretically, this
is a total of 64,000 combinations.

All through these 30 years, Rieger Orgelbau and Bryn Mawr Presbyterian
Church have enjoyed a warm relationship. We are delighted to continue this
relationship and we are grateful for the opportunity this project offers and
the commitment and open mind of all involved.

I also want to thank all the workers at Rieger, who built this organ with
great enthusiasm and pride.

May this organ lift up everybody's heart and praise the Lord with a joyful
noise!

--Wendelin Eberle

Rieger-Orgelbau

 

Rieger-Orgelbau GmbH

Hofsteigstr. 120

A-6858 Schwarzach

Austria

tel: 0043 5572 58132-26

fax: 0043 5572 58132-6

www.rieger-orgelbau.com

Grand Orgue (I. C-c4)

16’   Montre

16’   Bourdon

8’     Montre

8’     Gambe

8’     Flûte
harmonique

8’     Bourdon

4’     Prestant

4’     Flûte

22/3’        Quinte

2’     Doublette

22/3’        Fourniture
IV-V

1’     Cymbale
V

8’     Cornet
V

16’   Bombarde

8’     Trompette

4’     Clairon

Positif expressif (II. C-c4)

16’   Bourdon

8’     Montre

8’     Salicional

8’     Unda
maris

8’     Bourdon

4’     Prestant

4’     Flûte
à cheminée

22/3’        Nazard

2’     Quarte
de Nazard

13/5’        Tierce

11/3’        Larigot

1’     Piccolo

11/3’        Plein
Jeu IV-V

16’   Corno
di Bassetto

8’     Trompette

8’     Cromorne

        Tremblant

Récit (III. C-c4)

16’   Quintaton

8’     Gambe

8’     Voix
celeste

8’     Flûte

8’     Cor
de Nuit

4’     Principal

4’     Flûte
octaviante

22/3’        Nazard

2’     Octavin

8’     Cornet
V

11/3’        Plein
Jeu V

16’   Bombarde

8’     Trompette

8’     Hautbois

8’     Voix
humaine

4’     Clairon

        Trémolo

Pédale (C-g1)

32’   Soubasse

16’   Contrebasse

16’   Soubasse

102/3’      Quinte

8’     Violoncelle

8’     Flûte

4’     Flûte

32’   Contrebombarde

16’   Bombarde

16’   Basson

8’     Trompette

 

Couplers (mechanical): II/I 8’, III/I 8’,
III/II 8’, I/P 8’, II/P 8’, III/P 8’

 

Couplers (electric): II/I 8’, III/I 8’,
III/II 8’, I/P 8’, II/P 8’, III/P 8’

I 4’, I 16’, II 4’, II 16’, III 4’,
III 16’, I/P 4’, II/P 4’, III/P 4’, Alt. couple

 

Combination System: 1000 generals, + 3 inserts each, x 16
users, ID card

Sequencer, General Cancel, Division Cancel

 

Special: Zimbelstern, Sostenuto, Pedal divide

Rieger Tuning System, MIDI

 

Wind pressures:

Grand Orgue      95
style='mso-tab-count:1'>     mm

Positif expressif    85
style='mso-tab-count:1'>     mm

Récit       100
style='mso-tab-count:1'>   mm

Pédale      95
style='mso-tab-count:1'>     mm

by James B. Hartman

Organbuilding in the United States and Canada is a thriving art practiced in hundreds of shops throughout the continent. Emerging from decades of stylistic extremes, organbuilders are combining a wealth of knowledge from the past with new technologies to meet contemporary design challenges. North American builders, compelled by a unique spirit of cooperation and openness, are successfully raising the artistic standards of this time-honored craft. (American Institute of Organbuilders, descriptive statement.)

The organ has occupied a prominent place in the musical culture of Canada since the days of the first European settlement, chiefly because of its close connection with church music and the ambitions of many congregations. The first organs, brought from France, were installed in Québec City around 1660. An anecdotal report mentions the acquisition by a Halifax church of a Spanish instrument that had been seized on board a ship in 1765.1 Following a period in which organs continued to be imported from England and France, organbuilding began as early as 1723 and flourished mainly in Québec and Ontario from the mid-19th century onward.2 By the second half of the 19th century, organ building had become a relatively important industry in Eastern Canada, where companies had acquired sufficient expertise to compete in the international market, including the United States.3

The development of organbuilding in Canada proceeded through several phases, beginning with early builders.4  The first known organbuilder was Richard Coates, who arrived in Canada from England in 1817; he supplied mainly barrel organs to several small churches in Ontario. Joseph Casavant, the first Canadian-born builder, installed his first instrument in the Montréal region in 1840; he transmitted his skills to his sons, who later established the company that achieved world-wide recognition. The arrival from the United States of Samuel Russell Warren in 1836 marked the introduction of professional-calibre organbuilding into the country. His family firm had produced about 350 pipe organs by 1869; it was sold in 1896 to D. W. Karn (see below). Other prominent organ builders included Napoléon Déry (active 1874-1889), Eusèbe Brodeur (a successor to Joseph Casavant in 1866), and Louis Mitchell (active 1861-1893) in Québec, and Edward Lye (active 1864-1919) in Ontario.

The years 1880-1950 were marked by unprecedented growth in organbuilding, beginning with the establishment of Casavant Frères in 1879 in Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec. The Canadian Pipe Organ Company/Compagnie d'orgues canadiennes was established in 1910 by some former Casavant staff, also in Saint-Hyacinthe (when the firm closed in 1931 its equipment was acquired by Casavant). Prominent Ontario builders included the firms of Richard S. Williams (founded 1854 in Toronto), Denis W. Karn (commenced 1897 in Woodstock), C. Franklin Legge (founded 1915 in Toronto, joined by William F. Legge 1919, who later established his own company in Woodstock around 1948), and the Woodstock Pipe Organ Builders (an organization of skilled craftsmen in that Ontario town, 1922-1948). Several smaller, independent builders were active for a time in Ontario, the Maritime provinces, and Manitoba (late 1880s). British Columbia, on the other hand, seems to have had no indigenous organbuilders, for instruments were imported from the United States or from England on ships that sailed around Cape Horn; one of the earliest arrived in Victoria from England by this route in 1861.

In the early 1950s some organbuilders, encouraged by younger organists who had played European instruments, as well as the increasing availability of sound recordings of these organs, turned to classical principles of organbuilding to counter what they perceived as the colorless sound palettes of Canadian organs of the 1930s. The return to earlier tonal aesthetics, inspired by the so-called 17th-century "Baroque organ," found expression in the construction of bright-toned, tracker-action instruments. The "new orthodoxy" was enthusiastically assimilated by Casavant Frères and by a number of independent builders in the same region, some of whom had received their training in Europe. Karl Wilhelm, Hellmuth Wolff, André Guilbault and Guy Thérien, Fernand Létourneau, Gabriel Kney, and Gerhard Brunzema were prominent in this movement, and many of them are still in business. Their accomplishments, along with the activities of other known organbuilders of the 1990s, will be described in chronological order, according to their founding dates, in the remainder of this article.5

Casavant Frères, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec (1879)

Casavant is the oldest continuing name in organbuilding in North America. Joseph Casavant (1807-1874), the father of the founders of the company, began his organbuilding career while still a Latin student at a Québec religious college, where he completed an unfinished organ from France with the help of a classic treatise on organbuilding. By the time he retired in 1866, after 26 years in business in Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, he had installed organs in 17 churches in Québec and Ontario, but none of them survive. His sons, Joseph-Claver Casavant (1855-1933) and Samuel-Marie Casavant (1850-1929), worked for Eusèbe Brodeur, their father's successor, for a few years. They opened their own factory in Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, in 1879, following an extended tour of western Europe inspecting organs and visiting workshops; Claver had apprenticed briefly with a Versailles builder before the tour. In the early years the Casavant brothers were conservative in their tonal design, emulating the ensemble sound of the kind they had heard in old-world instruments that they had examined during their European tour. But from the outset the brothers were innovators, beginning with improvements in the electric operation of their organs in the 1890s. As their reputation spread beyond the cities and towns of their province, production increased steadily.

The company experienced difficult times in the 1930s due to economic conditions, much standardization, and repetitive tonal design. Production was curtailed during the years of World War II due to a shortage of materials, and the company manufactured many unit organs during this period. Later, new initiatives were undertaken by several imaginative artistic directors who served with the firm between 1958 and 1965: Lawrence Phelps from Aeolian-Skinner in the U.S.A.; and European-trained Gerhard Brunzema, Karl Wilhelm, and Hellmuth Wolff.

Most present-day Casavant organs exhibit a conventional design that retains both symphonic and modern elements in subtle synthesis. Casavant organs are recognized for their special tonal qualities and the way the individual stops are blended together into a chorus at all dynamic levels. Time-tested actions include tracker, electrically operated slider windchests, and electro-pneumatic (since 1892; tubular-pneumatic was last used in the mid-1940s). The company workshop has eight departments: metalworking, woodworking, mechanism, consoles, painting, racking, voicing, and assembly. Virtually all components are made in the workshop, including all flue and reed pipes (to 32-foot-length), reed shallots, windchests, consoles, keyboards and pedalboards, and casework, although specialized wood carving and gilding are done by outside artisans. A few electrical components, such as blowers, power-supply units, electromagnets, solid-state combination and coupling systems, and hardware, are purchased from world-wide suppliers. All visual designs are coordinated with their intended surroundings; there are no stock designs. Organs are completely assembled for rigorous testing and playing in preparation for on-time delivery.

The company resumed the construction of tracker-action instruments in 1961 after a lapse of about 55 years, producing 216 such organs since that date. By the end of 1998 the total output amounted to 3,775 organs of all sizes, and many of these have received enthusiastic testimonials from renowned recitalists over the years. Although sales were limited mainly to North America until World War II, Casavant organs now have been installed in churches, concert halls, and teaching institutions on five continents. The firm's largest instrument is a five-manual, 129-stop organ with two consoles installed in Broadway Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas, in 1996. The great majority of the very large instruments have been installed in locations in the United States; the exception is the four-manual, 75-stop organ in Jack Singer Concert Hall, Calgary Centre for the Performing Arts, in 1987. The company also engages in renovation projects and additions to existing organs.

The key personnel include Pierre Dionne, President and Chief Operating Officer (from 1978), formerly Dean of Administration at the Business School of the University of Montréal; Stanley Scheer, Vice-President (1984), formerly Professor of Music and Head of the Department of Fine Arts at Pfeiffer University, Misenheimer, North Carolina, holds a Master of Music degree in organ performance from Westminster Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey; Jean-Louis Coignet, Tonal Director (1981), a professionally trained physiologist with a doctorate from the Sorbonne, contributor to music journals, the most knowledgeable authority on the work of Cavaillé-Coll today, was formerly organ expert for the City of Paris; Jacquelin Rochette, Associate Tonal Director (1984), formerly Music Director of Chalmers-Wesley United Church, Québec City, holds a Master's degree in organ performance from Laval University, performs regularly on CBC radio, and has recorded works by several French composers for organ; Denis Blain, Technical Director (1986), with many years of practical experience in virtually all aspects of organbuilding, is in charge of research and development; Pierre Drouin, Chief Engineer, holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Laval University, introduced computer-assisted drafting, and supervises the design and layout of each organ. In 1998 the company had 85 full-time employees, many with more than 30 years of service with the company. All levels of management and production personnel function as a team.

Keates-Geissler Pipe Organs, Guelph, Ontario (1945)

The company was established in 1945 in London, Ontario, by Bert Keates (he came from England in his infancy) and relocated to Lucan, Ontario, in 1950. When it was incorporated in 1951 the assets of the Woodstock Pipe Organ Builders (formerly Karn-Warren) were purchased. The company moved to Acton, Ontario, in 1961, a more central location in the province. In 1969 the growing firm took over the business of the J. C. Hallman Company, a manufacturer of electronic instruments and pipe organs, when it discontinued making pipe organs (but not parts for them). For several years some organs were manufactured under the name of Keates-Hallman Pipe Organs.6 The company moved to Guelph, Ontario, in 1994.

Dieter Geissler was born in Dittelsdorf, Saxony, Germany, where he began his trade as a cabinetmaker. At the age of 14 he commenced his apprenticeship with Schuster & Sohn, Zitau, where he remained from 1946 to 1950. In 1951 he moved to Lübeck, West Germany, where he worked as a voicer with E. Kemper & Sohn for five years. In 1956 he moved to Canada to join Keates's staff. When Keates retired at the end of 1971 Dieter Geissler became president of the firm, which he purchased in 1972, and adopted the present company name in 1982. His son, Jens Geissler, joined the company in 1978.

Keates-Geissler organs are offered in all types of action and are custom built to any required size. Altogether, 147 new organs7 have been installed at locations in Canada, the United States (about 15), and Barbados, West Indies. The output includes a number of four- and five-manual instruments; the largest is a five-manual, 231-stop organ, installed in the First Baptist Church, Jackson, Mississippi, in 1992 (a compilation of its original 1939 E. M. Skinner instrument, a 1929 five-manual Casavant organ removed by Keates-Geissler in 1986 from the Royal York Hotel, Toronto, and some additional structures by the company). The firm has undertaken a substantial number of renovation, rebuilding, and reinstallation projects over the years, about 1,500 altogether, about 75 of these in the United States.

All wooden pipes are made in the factory, but metal pipes are made by Giesecke or Laukhuff in Germany to the company's scaling specifications; preliminary voicing is done in the factory before final voicing on-site. The windchests of electro-pneumatic instruments feature Pitman-chest action that includes some unique features to overcome the effects of extremes in temperature and humidity; the company is the only such manufacturer in Ontario and one of a few in Canada. Expandable electronic switching systems are designed and made in the factory from readily available components to facilitate replacement. Solid-state switching and multiple-memory combination actions are also manufactured. Console shells are handcrafted from solid wood in the factory; tracker touch is an available option. Keyboards are custom made to the company's specifications by Laukhuff, Germany, and blowers are acquired mainly from the same company. The company had four full-time employees in 1998; other part-time workers are hired as needed.  

Guilbault-Thérien, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec (1946)

This company originated with the Providence Organ Company, established in Saint-Hyacinthe in 1946. The partners, André Guilbault, whose father Maurice Guilbault had worked for Casavant, and Guy Thérien, a voicer from Casavant, joined forces in 1968 when the elder Guilbault retired. The present company name was adopted in 1979. When André Guilbault retired in 1992, Alain Guilbault (no relation) acquired an interest in the company.

At the outset the company manufactured electro-pneumatic instruments, but built its first mechanical-action instrument (Opus #1 in a new series), a two-manual, 7-stop organ, in 1970, immediately followed by several small one- and two-manual instruments. From 1974 onward the typical instruments were medium-size, two-manual organs. Larger instruments of three or four manuals began to appear with greater frequency after 1983, the largest being a four-manual, 45-stop organ installed in Grace Church, White Plains, New York, in 1989, the only installation in the United States to that time. While the tonal layout of the organs is mainly inspired by European sources, mainly French, the swell divisions of the larger instruments are sufficiently versatile to handle symphonic literature.

The output of new organs was about 55 to 1998, mainly in Québec and Ontario. The company's work has also involved the restoration and reconstruction of a similar number of Québec organs, mainly by Casavant, but including some of historical significance that are over a hundred years old by such early builders as Napoléon Déry and Louis Mitchell. 

Several compact discs featuring performances by Québec organists on instruments manufactured by the company, or on reconstructed historical Casavant instruments, have been released in the past decade.8

Principal Pipe Organ Company, Woodstock, Ontario (1961)

The company was established by Chris Houthuyzen in Woodstock, Ontario, a town with a continuing tradition of organbuilding. The founder served his apprenticeship and received further training in The Netherlands before coming to Canada. Small to medium-sized instruments, employing electro-pneumatic action, are the company's specialty, with a contemporary emphasis on the guiding principles of Dutch organbuilding. A total of 119 installations have been completed over the years; the largest was a four-manual, 58-rank instrument. Wooden pipes are made in the shop, but most metal pipes come from suppliers in the United States; their scaling is dictated by the acoustics and intended use of the organ. Chests, reservoirs, ducting, consoles, and casework are manufactured on the premises. Much of the company's work involves rebuilding and maintaining organs, as well as the installation and servicing of church bells, including cast and electronic carillons on behalf of the Verdin Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. The company had three employees in 1998.

Gabriel Kney, London, Ontario (1962-1996)

Gabriel Kney was born in Speyer, Germany; his father was a master cabinetmaker and amateur bassoonist, and his mother was a singer. He served his apprenticeship in organbuilding with Paul Sattel in Speyer (1945-1951), where he assisted in the restoration of historic, sometimes war-damaged, instruments, along with new organ construction. Since the era was a time of transition from the "Romantic" style of organbuilding to the concepts of Orgelbewegung, this trend provided him with the opportunity to learn about and participate in the building of organs of both concepts. Concurrently he was a student of organ literature, liturgical music, harmony, and improvisation at The Institute of Church Music in the same city.

He emigrated to Canada in 1951 and joined the Keates Organ Company in Lucan, Ontario, as an organbuilder and voicer. In 1955 he was co-founder, with John Bright, of the Kney and Bright Organ Company in London, Ontario, with the intention of specializing in tracker instruments. The timing was premature, for only a few musicians and teaching institutions found such instruments of interest; with the exception of two teaching organs of tracker design supplied to a college in the United States, most of the early organs were requested to have electric key action. In 1962 Gabriel Kney established his own company in London, Ontario, where, with enlarged facilities and a staff of six to eight, he specialized in mechanical-action instruments. Organs from the period between 1962 and 1966 were designed in the historic manner of Werkprinzip, with organ pipes enclosed in a free-standing casework and separated into tonal sections. The tonal design of smaller instruments followed 18th-century North European practices, with some tuned in unequal temperaments of the period.

Altogether, his shops produced 128 organs since 1955; the largest in Canada being the four-manual, 71-stop, tracker-action instrument with two consoles in Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto. Since the early 1970s almost three-quarters of the installations were in locations in the United States, several of these in large universities. Occasionally maintenance and historic instrument restoration projects were undertaken.

Wooden pipes were made in the shop, with the exception of very large pipes made to specifications by suppliers in the United States, England, or Germany. Metal pipes also were made to order by independent pipemakers in Germany or Holland. Some console components, such as keyboards, were obtained from suppliers in the United States, England, or Germany. Electric switching devices came from the United States in earlier years, later from England. Blowers were imported from Laukhuff in Germany, Meidinger in Switzerland, or White in the United States. All casework and chest construction was done in the shop.

In 1996 Gabriel Kney retired from active organbuilding and closed his company. Since then he has acted as a consultant to churches seeking advice on organ purchase, restoration, and tonal redesign, and sometimes to other organbuilders.

Karl Wilhelm, Mont Saint-Hilaire, Québec (1966)

Karl Wilhelm was born in Lichtenthal, Rumania, and grew up in Weikersheim, Germany. At the age of 16 he entered apprenticeship with A. Laukhuff, Weikersheim (1952-1956), followed by working experience with W. E. Renkewitz, Nehren/Tübingen (1956-1957), and Metzler & Söhne, Dietikon, Switzerland (1957-1960). After moving to Canada, in 1960 he joined Casavant Frères, where he established the department and trained several employees for the production of modern mechanical organs; while there he was responsible for the design and manufacture of 26 organs. In 1966 he established his own firm, first in Saint-Hyacinthe, then moved to new facilities in Mont Saint-Hilaire, near Montréal, Québec, in 1974. For a while he was assisted by Hellmuth Wolff, now an independent builder (see below).

Karl Wilhelm specializes in building mechanical organs of all sizes, 147 to date, of which 69 are located in the United States and two in Seoul, Korea. Of the total output, 43 are one-manual instruments, 93 are two-manual instruments of medium size, and 11 are three-manual instruments--the largest is a 50-stop instrument in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Toronto, installed in 1983. Two have detached consoles, and four have combination actions with electric stop-action; all instruments have mechanical key action. The design and layout of instruments adhere to the principles of the classical tradition of German and French organbuilding. Three-manual instruments feature a large swell division, suitable for the performance of Anglican Church music and the Romantic repertoire.

All wooden pipes are made on the premises, along with almost one-half of the metal pipes that are handmade of a tin-lead alloy; other metal pipes are imported from Germany. Scaling and voicing are done in the classical open-toe manner for natural speech and mellow blend. Windchests and bellows, consoles and action, and cases are manufactured in a 9,000 sq. ft. workshop. Organs may have cases of contemporary design, or perhaps are more ornate with moldings and hand-carved pipe shades that are compatible with the architecture of the location. Blowers are acquired from Laukhuff, Germany; miscellaneous parts come from other suppliers. The firm does not engage in rebuilding or renovation but services and tunes its own instruments throughout North America. In 1998 the firm had five employees, all trained by Karl Wilhelm.

Wolff & Associés, Laval, Québec (1968)

Hellmuth Wolff was born in Zurich, Switzerland. While a teenager he apprenticed with Metzler & Söhne, Dietikon, Switzerland (1953-1957); in his spare time he built his first organ, a four-stop positiv instrument. He received additional training with G. A. C. de Graff, Amsterdam (1958-1960) and with Rieger Orgelbau, Schwarzach, Austria (1960-1962). In the United States (1962-1963) he worked with Otto Hofmann, in Austin, Texas, and Charles Fisk, in Gloucester, Massachusetts. After moving to Canada he worked with Casavant Frères (1963-1965) in its newly established tracker-action department, and then with Karl Wilhelm (1966-1968), with whom he had worked at Casavant. In the interval 1965-1966 he returned briefly to Europe to work as a designer and voicer with Manufacture d'orgues Genève, in Geneva. Besides playing the piano and singing in choirs wherever he went, he completed his musical training by taking organ lessons with Win Dalm in Amsterdam and later with Bernard Lagacé in Montréal.

In 1968 he opened his own business in Laval, Québec, with one employee; his present associate, James Louder, started his apprenticeship with Hellmuth Wolff in 1974, after training in classical guitar and English. The first large project undertaken in that year was the construction of a three-manual, 26-stop instrument at the Church of St. John the Evangelist, New York City; this was one of the city's first modern tracker-action organs and it incorporated features not yet seen in North America. In 1977 the company moved to a new shop; the firm became incorporated in 1981, and James Louder became a partner in 1988.

Hellmuth Wolff has been part of the Organ Reform in North America since the movement came to this continent in the early 1960s. He specializes in mechanical-action instruments, large and small, whose design is inspired by French or German classical traditions, although other styles are represented that are designed to accommodate a wide range of organ literature. A total of 42 organs have been manufactured; about one-half of these were installed in locations in the United States. While a few small residence or practice instruments have been built, the majority are two-manual organs, in addition to eight three-manual organs, and one four-manual, 50-stop/70-rank instrument installed in Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1989.9 Other related activities include rebuilding, restoration, and maintenance work, chiefly in the Montréal area.

Wooden pipes are made on the premises, while metal pipes are acquired from several pipemakers in Canada, U.S.A., and Europe; some reeds are made there, also. Windchests, consoles, and cases are also manufactured on site. Blowers are acquired from Meidinger and Laukhuff in Germany. Several installations feature both mechanical stop-action and capture systems; the first was built in 1977 for the Eighth Church of Christ, Scientist, in New York City; it was probably the first such system in North America. Both sequencers and traditional multilevel capture systems are used. There were eight employees in 1998.

Hellmuth Wolff, along with his associate, James Louder, have contributed to symposiums and written publications on organs and organbuilding.10 Fourteen compact discs, featuring performances by Canadian and American artists on Wolff instruments, have been released, and three others are in preparation.11

Brunzema Organs, Fergus, Ontario (1979-1992)

Gerhard Brunzema was born in Emden, Germany, and grew up in Menden on the Ruhr river, a northern part of the country where there was an abundance of historic organs. After World War II he apprenticed with Paul Ott in Göttingen and worked with him as a journeyman organbuilder (1948-1952). He received extensive technical training, including acoustics, at the Brunswick State Institute for Physics and Technology (1953-1954), and received a Master's degree in organbuilding in 1955. In 1953 he joined the prominent European organbuilder Jürgen Ahrend in the construction and restoration of organs, some in Holland and Germany of great historical significance; this association continued for 18 years. After emigrating to Canada he joined Casavant Frères in 1972 and served as artistic director until 1979; during that time he was responsible for the design of several notable organs in Canada, the United States, Japan, and Australia, along with the restoration of a number of historic Casavant instruments in Ontario and Québec. His experience at Casavant gave him the opportunity to work with very large organs, an experience that was lacking in Germany.

In 1979 he established his own business in Fergus, Ontario. Throughout his career he specialized mainly in small, one-manual, four-stop, continuo organs (25 in all); most of his nine two-manual instruments--the largest was 25 stops--were made between 1985 and 1987. In 1990 he was joined by his son, Friedrich, who had completed his apprenticeship in Europe. Until the time of his death in 1992, Gerhard Brunzema's total output amounted to 41 instruments; of these, 20 were installed in Canadian locations (mainly in eastern provinces), 17 in the United States, one in the Philippines, one in South Korea, and two in European countries. The tonal design of his instruments was strongly influenced by Schnitger organs that he had studied and restored while in Europe. He believed that basic organ design cannot be learned through restoration work, because such instruments were conceived by others; nevertheless, in restorations the intentions of the original builders should be respected. As for new instruments, his philosophy was that "An organbuilder should choose a style and stay with it, so that he not only continues to develop his own skills, but also continues to help improve the skills of the people working for him. . . . Become a master of one thing, get over the initial difficulties very quickly, and then polish your knowledge, the details of which will finally add up to a very good result."12

Koppejan Pipe Organs, Chilliwack, British Columbia (1979)

Adrian Koppejan was born in Veenendaal, Holland, and apprenticed with his father, who was an organbuilder there. He worked with Friedrich Weigle in Echterdingen by Stuttgart, Germany (1963-1966), with Pels & Van Leeuwen in Alkmaar, Holland (1968-1972) as shop foreman of the mechanical organ department, and with his father's company, Koppejan Pipe Organs, in Ederveen, Holland (1968-1972). He moved to Canada in 1974 and established his own company five years later.

Adrian Koppejan strives for a clear, warm, but not loud sound in his instruments, a preference inspired by classical organs of North Germany. This sound palette is reflected in the instruments in which he specializes: small and medium-size tracker instruments; he has built five electromechanical organs, as well. His output to date consists of 19 organs; these have been installed in churches and private residences in British Columbia, Alberta, and Washington state. His largest organ is a three-manual, 31-stop, electromechanical instrument, with a MIDI system, installed in the Good Shepherd Church, White Rock, B.C., in 1995. An instrument of similar size was constructed in 1998. Rebuilding, restoration, maintenance, and tuning are also part of regular activities.

Wooden pipes are mostly acquired from Laukhuff, Germany; metal pipes come from Stinkens in Holland and Laukhuff in Germany. Keyboards are made in Germany by Laukhuff or Heuss. Winding mechanisms, consoles, solid oak cabinets, and casework are manufactured in the shop. Blowers are supplied by Laukhuff, and electrical control systems come from Peterson in the U.S.A. There were two part-time employees in 1998 as Adrian Koppejan reduced the scope of his operations in anticipation of retirement.

Orgues Létourneau,  Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec (1979)

Fernand Létourneau was born in Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, where he worked for while as a carpenter before entering employment with Casavant Frères in 1965; there he apprenticed with his uncle, Jean-Paul Létourneau, who was head reed voicer. He remained with the company for 14 years, where he was head voicer from 1975 to 1978, when he decided to set up his own independent company. First, with the help of a Canada Council grant, he embarked on an organ tour of Europe to study the voicing of old masters. Upon his return to Canada in 1978 he began building organs in Sainte-Rosalie, Québec, and became incorporated in 1979. His first organ, a two-manual, 6-stop instrument, was started in the basement of the family house and then displayed in the shop of a cabinetmaker; it was later acquired by the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec, Hull, where dozens of students have learned to play the organ on this small instrument. In 1984 he moved back to Saint-Hyacinthe, where three other organbuilders were already established. The factory's first building was formerly a municipal water-filter plant; the partially underground space provided a room 35 feet in height, ideal for erecting organs. A second industrial building was acquired recently to supplement the original premises.

A total of 55 organs of various sizes have been built to 1998; 13 others are in progress. The great majority have mechanical action, utilizing classical principles used in European instruments, and with the flexibility provided by ranks inspired by Dom Bédos, Schnitger, and Cavaillé-Coll. The largest will be a four-manual, 101-stop, mechanical-action instrument intended for the Francis Winspear Centre, Edmonton, Alberta. International distribution has been common from the outset, beginning with three early instruments that were installed in Australian locations in the early 1980s (the builder had become known on account of his activities as a voicer of Casavant instruments in that country). Others have been placed in New Zealand, Austria, England (Pembroke College, Oxford, 1995; an instrument is under construction for the Tower of London for completion in late 1999), the United States (over one-third of the total production), and Canada (chiefly eastern provinces, a few in the west). The company now has permanent representatives in the United States, England, and New Zealand. Fernand Létourneau prefers to build instruments of eclectic tonal design that are suitable for the performance of a wide range of organ literature. Historic restorations have also been undertaken.

All organ components, with the exception of electronics, are made in the factory, including wooden and metal pipes to 32-foot length, keyboards, consoles, and casework. Blowers are acquired from Laukhuff, Germany. Middle-size organs are equipped with electronic sequencers, card readers, and similar devices. The company is constantly engaged in rebuilding and restoring instruments of different vintages to original condition, about 50 to date, several of which have been designated as historical or heritage instruments. In 1998 there were 45 full-time staff in the Létourneau "family," of which a number are related to one another as father-son/daughter, uncle, brother, cousin, and husband-wife.