Rieger-Orgelbau installation

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

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 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

Paris Week, July 2-9, 2001

Kay McAfee is professor of organ and music history at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where she also serves as organist for First United Methodist Church.

The ninth biennial seminar attracted 80 participants who assembled in Paris anticipating the first week of playing time on the great instruments, lessons and classes with master teachers, participants' recitals, and the hospitality of our gracious hosts. At the Paris Conservatory, director Christina Harmon introduced co-director Marie-Louise Langlais, who received a warm round of applause. Participants introduced themselves and greeted old friends from previous seminars. Two student scholarship winners were announced: Josh Melson of Cherry Hill, New Jersey and a student at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana; and Victor Johnson, a student at the University of Texas at Arlington and organist/composer-in-residence at Hamilton Park Baptist Church in Richardson, Texas.

The seminar always includes discourses about the instruments, improvisations by resident organists, and playing time for participants at the Schola Cantorum, Notre Dame de Paris, Les Invalides, Saint-Roch, La Madeleine, Sainte-Clotilde, La Trinité, Notre-Dame-des-Champs, Saint-Severin, Saint-Etienne-du-Mont, and Saint-Sulpice. The itinerary this year added visits to Notre Dame d'Auteuil, Saint-Augustin, Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Saint-Eustace, and Dupré's home at Meudon.

Group and private lessons took place throughout the week with instructors Yanka Hekimova (Saint Eustace), Naji Hakim (La Trinité), Françoise Levechin (Saint-Roch), Lynne Davis (American Cathedral), François Espinasse (Saint Severin), Susan Landale (Les Inva-lides), and Marie-Louise Langlais (Sainte-Clotilde).

Participants who had contributed to the student scholarship fund were treated to a lovely wine and cheese reception at the apartment of Daniel and Odile Roth. Roth led everyone to his basement studio which houses a two-manual organ and a grand piano. The walls are filled with posters, memorabilia, and photographs, including those of Schweitzer, Widor, Bach, Franck, and Conrad Bernier. Letters and musical quotes from Kodály, Widor, Schmitt, Messiaen, Guilmant, and Deutilleux overlook the study. Later in the week, Roth, titular organist at Saint-Sulpice, would give the history of the instrument, improvise, and spend nearly six hours assisting participants to play.

Paris Conservatory

At the Conservatory, Jean-Charles Robin, 19-year-old student of Mme. Langlais, improvised on the tune "National Hymn" (God of Our Fathers), given an interesting twist by David Erwin who submitted it. Mme. Langlais solicited literature and performers for the participants' recital at St-Roch.

Saint-Augustin

Saint-Augustin, within short walking distance of the Paris Conservatory, was Gigout's church. He was titulaire there from 1863 until his death in 1925. Assistant organist Didier Matry played Gigout, a Cochereau improvisation, and his own improvisation.

Saint-Roch

Sylvie Mallet, David Erwin, and Mme. Langlais assisted for the recital at St-Roch. Advertised in the Paris weekly publication for arts events, the program attracted a great number of listeners. Eighteen participants played the marvelous four-manual, 53-stop, 1770 Clicquot instrument which was restored and enlarged by Cavaillé-Coll from 1840 to 1862. It boasts reeds which are among the most powerful in Paris. Literature included works by de Grigny, du Mage, François and Louis Couperin, Clérambault, Hakim, Vierne, Honegger, Langlais, Salomé, Widor, Sejan, and Lanquetuit. Performers included Mary Milligan (Denver, Colorado), Yolanda Yang (Irvine, California), Jay MacCubbin (Providence, Rhode Island), Helen Van Abbema Rodgers (Fairhope, Alabama), Shinook Lee (New York City), Josh Melson, Thomas Hanna (West Palm Beach, Florida), Jack W. Jones (Palm Beach, Florida), Esther Wideman (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Kay McAfee (Arkadelphia, Arkansas), Carl Schwartz (Silver Spring, Maryland), Eunice Ford (Huntsville, Alabama), David Erwin (Alexandria, Virginia), John Walko (San Francisco, California), Barbara Reid (Dallas, Texas), Lois Holdridge (Fullerton, California), Angela Kraft Cross (San Francisco), and Randy Runyon (Oxford, Ohio).

La Trinité

Naji Hakim, titular organist at La Trinité, was protégé and designated successor of Messiaen. New seminar participants as well as returning veterans enjoy the devotion of Parisian organists to the heritage of their instruments and the tribute paid their predecessors. None is more enthusiastic than Hakim. Guilmant's heritage at La Trinité includes the story of his horror at returning from America to find his instrument dismantled and destroyed. Cavaillé-Coll rebuilt the organ and today it exists as the instrument best suited for Messiaen's music.

Hakim played the outer movements of Messiaen's Messe de la Pentecôte. He spoke of Messiaen's improvisation and how he freely moved within many styles: Classical, Mendelssohn, Widor. The Livre du Saint Sacrement exploits Messiaen's improvisatory gifts. Hakim played his newest composition, The Last Judgement, which incorporates plainsong melodies: "Dies Irae," "In Paradisum," Alleluia of the Epiphany, and Gloria from Missa de Angelis. He improvised on "The Star Spangled Banner" since this group was there on July 4.

Notre-Dames-des-Champs

Marie-Bernadette Dufourcet, titular organist at Notre-Dame-des-Champs, treated participants to the sound of the 90% original Cavaillé-Coll design and disposition. It contains one of the most beautiful harmonic flutes and rich montres.

Saint-Vincent-de-Paul

At Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, where Léon Boëllmann served as titular organist, Marie-Louise Langlais introduced Pierre Cambourian, the current titulaire, who played the 1849 Cavaillé-Coll choir organ. Its action and stops have remained untouched and it enjoys exquisite balance of foundations, mutations, and reeds. Of three manuals with a short Récit, it has a beautiful harmonic flute, vox humana, and 16' basson on the Récit. The church was designed in the Neo-Classical style, after La Madeleine. The four-manual Cavaillé-Coll Grand Orgue, originally comparable to the La Madeleine organ, is now of Neo-Classical design, refurbished by Gonzalez in 1970, and nothing plays on the fourth manual. It is of 66 stops, although 91 were originally planned. Participants enjoyed generous playing time.

Saint-Louis des Invalides

In the evening the entire group gathered at Église Saint Louis des Invalides to hear informative discussion and playing by Susan Landale, who is one of three organists for the church. The Thierry family built the first instrument, a four-manual organ, from 1679 to 1687. The Clicquot family (who were also in the champagne business) looked after it. Louis XIV's architect, Jules-Hardouin Mansart, designed the case with its gilded sculptures. Some pipework remains from Thierry: the cromorne, fonds, bourdon and doublette in the Grand Orgue, and Positiv nazard and 2'. In 1843 a full-scale restoration was ordered. Three firms submitted proposals: Cavaillé-Coll, Ducroquet, and the winner of the contract, Gadault. Gadault built a third-rate Romantic organ, completely destroying the Classical organ of Thierry. There are, however, very fine reeds in the Swell. The Gadault organ was dedicated in 1853.

In 1942, Bernard Gavoty, a pupil of Dupré and a respected and feared music critic, was appointed organist at Les Invalides. He moved within elegant Parisian circles, and was the right person to collect money for a rebuild of the organ. In 1955, it was decided to engage the Beuchet-Debierre firm, which was instructed to build a Neo-Classical instrument. The console was electrified and the compass of manuals and pedals extended. The chamades were added in 1979.

According to Landale, the principal miscalculation of the Neo-Classical movement was the idea that if there were mixtures one could play Bach. It didn't matter if the mixtures didn't fit well with the foundations. The other problem was cramming a large amount of pipes into a small space (the original case) in order to get more ranks. As a result, the scaling went smaller and the sound was thinner. But to consider the music of Tournemire, Duruflé, Messaien, and Langlais from 1930 to 1970 is to hear music which was influenced by the Neo-Classical sound.

The last overhaul of cleaning and tuning the organ was in 1980. There are plans for another overhaul in 2003 which will include rewiring the organ. The organ contains 61 stops, including cornets on both the Great and Swell.

Ms. Landale discussed Tournemire, his work and his legacy, and played two of the improvisations: Ave Maris Stella and Te Deum. These improvisations had been recorded at Sainte-Clotilde to wax discs in 1913. Duruflé transcribed the improvisations in the 1950s. Besides the two Tournemire improvisations, Ms. Landale played a piece by Petr Eben, who followed Tournemire's lead in the prodigious use of Gregorian chant.

Sainte-Clotilde

The entire group assembled at Sainte-Clotilde to hear Marie-Louise Langlais discuss the organ, to hear participants play, and to enjoy a demonstration and improvisation by Jacques Taddei, titular organist of Sainte-Clotilde and director of the Paris Conservatory. Mme. Langlais met the group outside to talk about the history of the church.

The parish was wealthy and Cavaillé-Coll was engaged to build the organ. The organ is 46 stops, small by Cavaillé-Coll standards. Franck served as organist here from 1859-1890. Pierne served from 1890-1898, Tournemire from 1898-1939, and Langlais from 1945- 1987. Mme. Langlais mentioned that she tried to get Langlais to retire in the mid-1980s, as he really was not able to climb the steps to the loft. He declared that he was determined to "stay one year longer than Tournemire," and he did.

Tournemire was a devotee of Baroque music, both German and Spanish. He tried to transform the Sainte-Clotilde organ to accommodate these styles. In 1933, he enlarged the Positiv by adding mutations and he also directed enlargement of the Swell. This changed the balance of the organ. More changes were made by Langlais in 1962. With Jacques Taddei and Marie-Louise Langlais as consultants, the organ is currently undergoing yet another restoration. The goal is to return it as much as possible to the original Cavaillé-Coll voicing and disposition while maintaining the tonal design for playing also the music of Tournemire and Langlais. The organ builder in charge is Bernard Dargassies, who also has worked at Saint-Augustin, La Madeleine, and Saint-Étienne-du-Mont. Restoration of the original wind pressure, addition of a second motor for the blower, and restoration of the stop action is in process. The organ, and especially the 8' foundation ensemble, sounds more powerful, while the reeds have remained unchanged. At this point, the organ is as close to the original Cavaillé-Coll since the restoration by Tournemire in 1933.

David Erwin played the Franck E Major Choral using exclusively the Franck stops including signature stops of great beauty: vox humana, Swell trompette and hautbois combined, and the solo harmonic flute. Mme. Langlais played part of the Seven Words of Christ by Tournemire, and Angela Kraft Cross played "La Nativité" from the Poèmes Évangéliques by Langlais.

Mme. Langlais introduced Jacques Taddei, who demonstrated the solo and ensemble stops of the organ: 1. Positiv and Grand Orgue flutes in a scherzo; 2. The Récit gamba and celestes with the beautiful Positiv clarinet (really a cromorne); 3. Grand Orgue trumpet with fonds of the Récit; 4. Positiv cromorne with cornet of the Grand Orgue; 5. Ensemble of fonds of the Grand Orgue and Positiv and fonds of the Swell including oboe; 6. Flutes of the Grand Orgue and Récit which have been restored as harmonic flutes; 7. Restored larigot and 1', added by Tournemire in 1913, are now more integrated into the organ. Taddei then improvised on two themes submitted by Mme. Langlais: a Breton folk song and the hymn "If thou but suffer God to guide thee."

For the July 8 Sunday Mass at Sainte-Clotilde, six seminar participants were invited by Mme. Langlais to present musical offerings during the service. Literature included: Improvisation on Ave Maris Stella (Tournemire), Louise Bass (Albuquerque, New Mexico); Grand Jeu (Corrette), John Walko; Choral Dorien (Alain), Jack Jones; "Mon âme cherche un fin paisable" (from Nine Pieces, Langlais), John Walko; "Communion" (from Suite Médiévale, Langlais), Kay McAfee; Variations on a theme of Janequin (Alain), Jill Hunt (Evanston, Illinois); "Final" (from Symphonie I, Vierne), Angela Kraft Cross.

Saint-Sulpice

At Saint-Sulpice, a massive Roman style church with rounded interior arches, tourists are dazzled by the huge paintings in its side-chapels, two of them by Delacroix. The imposing case of the Grand Orgue, designed by the 18th-century architect of the church, Monsieur Chalgrin, matches the enormity and weight of the interior. Organists at Saint-Sulpice have included Guillaume Nivers, Clérambault, Lefébure-Wély, Widor, Dupré, Grunenwald, and presently, Daniel Roth. Clicquot built the first instrument in 1781. That organ was of five manuals: Half-Récit, Half-Echo, Récit, Bombarde, Grand Orgue, and Positiv. In 1835, a proposed restoration by Callinet was begun but was abandoned; 60,000 francs and twenty years later, Cavaillé-Coll undertook the project. At the time there were three organs in the church, the Grand Orgue, a Choir organ, and a smaller instrument owned by the Dauphin. Cavaillé-Coll restored all of them, and the choir organ survives today. The grand orgue is of 102 stops, including the original Clicquot pipework which Cavaillé-Coll carefully preserved. At the completion of the work in 1862, the dedication featured César Franck, Camille Saint-Saëns, Alexandre Guilmant, and Gaylord Schmidt (the titulaire at the time). In 1863 Lefébure-Wély was appointed organist, and when he died six years later, Cavaillé-Coll recommended Widor as titulaire. Because of Widor's youth (26) and the observation that "he plays like a German," many letters of protest were written. However, Widor was named "provisional" organist and remained for 63 years. Further maintenance of the organ occurred in 1903 (Mutin, Cavaillé-Coll's successor) and in 1991 (Renaud).

Neither Widor nor his successor Dupré (1933-1971) allowed any major changes in the pipework at Saint-Sulpice through the Orgelbewegung and neo-classic movements of the 20th century. Widor supervised cleaning of the organ three times and in the 1920s an electric blower was added. Dupré had the organ cleaned and repaired in the 1950s. The unbroken tenure of over 100 years by these two organist-composers effected the presence of a largely unaltered example of Cavaillé-Coll's tonal design.

Notre Dame d'Auteuil

At Notre Dame d'Auteuil in a quiet, upscale neighborhood close to the southwest boundary of Paris, Frédéric Blanc, who was one of the last students of Marie-Madeleine Duruflé, introduced Mme. Duruflé's sister, Elaine Chevalier. She is a member of the parish and head of the new Duruflé Foundation. Blanc, a gifted musician, has been titular organist here for 21⁄2 years. The organ is very special because it is an unaltered 1885 Cavaillé-Coll. Widor and Dallier played the inauguration. Mutin restored the organ in 1912 and again in 1937-38 under the direction of Vierne and with approval from Duruflé and Dupré. An electrified console was added.

The organ was virtually ignored through the Neo-Classical movement and managed to remain untouched, primarily because the organist who preceded Blanc was there for fifty years, and the instrument remained "closed." It is of three manuals and 53 stops with both Récit and Positiv under expression.

Blanc then conducted a session concerning the tradition of improvisation practiced by French organists who study the art from the time they are young children. Improvisation is always a mix of composition and freedom. Control is necessary, with effective use of stop combinations: flutes and fonds, solo stops with celestes, and with a mixture of counterpoint and chordal harmonies. Blanc: "Start simply. Control the harmony according to theoretical principles. A chosen theme should have both melodic and rhythmic interest. In preluding for the service or providing meditation for communion, there should be a plan for the shape of the form." He talked about how ideas come quickly for the good improviser and that those ideas have to be molded quickly. The time spent practicing improvisation will result in the tools for being free with those ideas that come quickly.

Saint-Étienne-du-Mont

Across from the Pantheon and near the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens is located Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, the church where Maurice and Marie-Madeleine Duruflé served for over 50 years. There was an organ here first in 1633 to which François Clicquot contributed. Today only the magnificent case survives along with some of the original Clicquot pipes. Randy Runyon, French professor at Miami of Ohio University, introduced and translated for Vincent Warnier, the talented young winner of the Grand Prix International d'Orgue de Chartres in 1992, who assumed the post of titulaire here upon the death of Mme. Duruflé.

Warnier related the history of the organ, which evolved very differently than other Parisian instruments. In the 19th century, when the romantic and symphonic sound was valued, Cavaillé-Coll was asked to restore the organ, the work for which was completed in 1863. He added many Romantic voices--fonds, harmonic flute, an expressive Récit with voix celeste--and a Barker machine.

In 1930, at age 28, Duruflé was named titlular organist. He arrived to find the organ virtually unplayable, and with Vierne and Dupré, they envisioned a restoration. But WWII intervened. Duruflé had to play a choir organ of only 12 stops for 25 years. In 1955 the organ was finally restored. Duruflé had been Vierne's assistant at Notre-Dame and he very much wanted to recreate that organ here. The 48 ranks became 90, and the new electrified console was placed to the right of the instrument.

Because the original case was small, the pipes were spread out. Above the west entrance doors, pipes are visible with some placed on their sides. The Echo manual is completely to the side of the original case, and gives a sense of mystery to the tonal palette. This is not an historical restoration, but the dynamic range is enormous, with impressionistic colors and an impressive tutti. In 1989, Mme. Duruflé enlisted the Dargassies firm to restore the organ. At that time the console was further modernized, mixtures were revoiced, and fonds and an en chamade were added. Today the organ is an eclectic instrument.

La Madeleine

At La Madeleine, François Henri-Houbart, titular organist for the past 22 years, related the history of the colorful musicians and composers who have served this most civic and visible of Parisian churches. During Lefébure-Wély's era in the early 19th century, the church was considered "an annex of the Opéra Comique," because the music heard was often of the salon and theatrical varieties. When Houbart arrived, the organ was in a poor state of repair. Houbart oversaw a restoration of the windchests, the restoration of the wind pressure as prescribed by Cavaillé-Coll, and the modification of the newer stops so that they integrate well within the original pipework.

The organ (1845-46) is Cavaillé-Coll's second large instrument after Saint-Dénis and Notre-Dame-de-Lorette. This instrument, originally of 48 stops, represents the transition to the Romantic-symphonic ethos of Cavaillé-Coll. The fonds, reeds, and plein jeu provide a Classic foundation (after Dom Bédos). There is no cromorne or cornet. The Récit is the same as Sainte-Clotilde but without the voix celeste. The organ has a large quantity of flutes, especially harmonic flutes, representing Cavaillé-Coll's transition to the orchestral organ. Today the organ has 58 stops, with 46 from the original instrument.

The organ underwent a restoration in 1927 for which Widor played the dedicatory recital. The program included his Suite Latine, which was written for the occasion. The console was electrified in 1971. The heritage of organists include Fessy, Lefébure-Wély, Saint-Saëns, Dubois, Fauré, Dallier, and Demes-sieux. Fauré was first the choir organist and he assisted Saint-Saëns. When Fauré became titulaire, Nadia Bou-langer was his assistant. Clara Schumann, Franz Liszt, and Anton Rubenstein frequented the organ loft.

The choir organ was also built by Cavaillé-Coll. At first it had only one keyboard, but he added another to encompass 20 stops. It was restored in 1997. The bassoon, oboe, and clarion are original stops. Houbart's fine improvisation included demonstration of the Cavaillé-Coll stops, then of the newer stops, then all together. Houbart related that once every three years he plays an all-Lefébure-Wély Mass, which he would do that evening at 6 pm, Sunday at 11 am, and Sunday evening at 6 pm. For participants who wanted to attend, about ten people at a time could visit the organ loft. He mentioned that Lefébure-Wély  wrote a number of excellent anthems and choral music for the Mass, and that Saint-Saëns, who was a detractor, actually admired his improvisations.

Schola Cantorum

At the Schola Cantorum, Mme. Langlais told of the school and its Mutin organ (Mutin took over the firm after Cavaillé-Coll's death). Founded in 1896 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant, and Vincent d'Indy, it was established for the study of the restoration of Gregorian chant after Solesmes and to re-introduce the Grand Orgue. The Schola was not as competitive as the Conservatory. A temple of "non-official" music, teachers included Guilmant, Vierne, the Duruflés, Grunenwald, Langlais, Satie, Martin˚u, and Turina. Students included Milhaud, Roussel, and Debussy.

One of Mme. Langlais's students, Verouchka Nikitine, played a fine recital which included Vierne, "Allegro et Cantilene" (Symphonie 3); Widor, "Allegro" (Symphonie 6); Langlais, "Communion" (Suite Médiévale); and Jean-Louis Florentz (b. 1947), two movements from Laudes. Participants enjoyed a light buffet supper prepared by Mme. Langlais and her daughter Caroline.

Participants chose among several churches to attend Sunday morning. The afternoon event was a recital at Notre-Dame-de-Paris which consisted of music of Mendelssohn and Bach. The church was full and pleasantly respectful as the recital proceeded. The organist experienced difficulty with registration changes, and it was somewhat disappointing to hear an all-German recital on this, the largest instrument in Paris. Playing time was allowed after the cathedral closed its doors to the public.

Saint-Étienne, Caen, Chartres

Participants boarded a bus for the 200 kilometer drive through the lovely countryside to Normandy and the city of Caen. Saint-Étienne houses a large Cavaillé-Coll instrument which is a-mong the three finest and largely unaltered organs of the builder. The others are at Saint-Sulpice and at Saint-Ouen in Rouen. Phillip Klais, president of the Klais firm of Bonn, Germany, introduced tonal director Heinz-Gunter Habbig. Habbig studied with the last voicer of the Cavaillé-Coll tradition, and he has made extensive studies of the organs at Saint-Ouen, Saint-Omer, Saint-Sulpice, and Saint-Sernin. Habek has directed several Cavaillé-Coll restorations, and his presentation of this instrument and discussion of the Cavaillé-Coll ethos was filled with reverence for the work of such a master craftsman.

The Abbey Church of Caen was a famous center of art education in the Middle Ages, but there is no record of an organ until the 15th century. In May of 1562, Protestants ransacked the church and ruined the organ. 200 years later, in 1737, the monks engaged a builder in Ouen and that organ's oak case, from 1741, its towers crowned with flower pots, remains today. On February 10, 1745, the organ was completed, a remarkable 18th-century specimen with five manuals and 61 stops. The first three manuals had a compass of 53 notes, a first in France, and the pedal was complete with a 16' and cornet.

The organ was endangered during the French revolution but suffered only neglect. In 1859 there was a restoration, and by 1877 more repairs were needed, and Cavaillé-Coll was asked to give an opinion. It was decided, with approval of Guilmant, that the old case and old façade pipes would be retained, with an addition of 8 stops. New wind chests and blower, new action, and new pipework were built in one year; the manual compass was increased to 56 notes. On March 3, 1885, Guilmant played the dedication recital. Repairs were needed in 1899 and the organ was given excellent care through to 1944. In January of 1975, the Secretary of Culture placed the instrument on the National Register of Historic Monuments. In 1998-99 there was another restoration.

Lynne Davis, a native of Michigan who has lived in France for 30 years, has for five years been Professor of the National Regional Conservatory at Caen. She studied with Marie-Claire Alain, Jean Langlais, and the Duruflés. Her studio of 20-25 students is privileged to practice and take lessons at Saint-Étienne and also to play the choir organ which is a Baroque instrument. After speaking of her immense affection for this great instrument, Ms. Davis played "Nef" and "Rosace" from Byzantine Sketches by Mulet, Cantabile by Franck, and Toccata by Vierne. Participants were then allowed generous playing time.

Part of the group continued on to Chartres to hear assistant organist Laurent Bois play and then all had the opportunity to play the great 1971 Danion-Gonzalez organ of 69 stops.

Participants returned to Paris and prepared to depart for Alsace for the second week of the French Organ Music Seminar.

(A report on the Alsace week will appear in a later issue of The Diapason.)