Schoenstein Opus 182, Miami, Florida

Schoenstein & Co. Pipe Organ Builders, Benicia, California; Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, Miami, Florida

Building for an unfinished room: The value of experience and documentation

Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was established in 1854 by royal charter of Queen Isabella II of Spain. The school was based in Havana, Cuba, until 1961 when Fidel Castro, an alumnus of Belen, expelled the Jesuits, forcing the school to relocate to Miami. Belen has a long history of rigorous academics and emphasis on the arts. It is no surprise, therefore, that when the school began planning for a new chapel they chose Jorge Hernández, an alumnus of Belen, to be its architect. We were honored to be selected as organ builder for this historic school.

When we set out to design a new organ, almost every job begins with a careful understanding of the client’s musical needs and the room that will house the instrument. An important part of our study is the tonal test where we listen to pipes of varying scale and loudness in the location of the new instrument. This directly impacts how we design the organ to accommodate the acoustic profile of the room. As we began working on the new organ for the Chapel of Our Lady of Belen, however, the building was not yet constructed. Thus, there was no way to test on-site, no way to get a “feel” for the room, and only the architect’s plans to give us a sense of the space.

We therefore obtained every resource we could to get an idea of the new building’s “sound.” The first documents we saw were the architectural drawings, giving us the room’s shape and dimensions. We recommended adding an acoustical engineer to the design team and were pleased when Scott R. Riedel & Associates was selected. They not only influenced the design of the chapel, but also provided us with critical information about how the organ would sound in the finished space. All of this study told us that the chapel would have a resonant acoustic with even sound across the spectrum. The organ would be placed in the rear gallery, speaking directly into the nave.

With a better understanding of how the chapel will look and sound, we studied master scaling, voicing records, and acoustical data from previous organs in similar environments. The school’s music program called for an American-Romantic style with a focus on leading liturgies and accompanying choral singing. Consultant Luis Cuza was very helpful in refining the stoplist based on Belen’s specific needs.

The result, Schoenstein Opus 182, is a three-manual design with evenly proportioned divisions. The Great and Swell are ensembles centered around a variety of 8′ diapason tone. The Swell chorus reeds are English with Willis-style shallots. In the Choir we paired a Bourdon with our Salicional (an echo principal), drawing inspiration from the French Fonds doux. The Belen organ also features the Tuba Ignati, a special solo reed that carries a full-bodied sound with lots of French brilliance.

Of particular note is the large, independent Pedal division—a luxury for a modest-sized organ! Contained therein is a set of three independent diapasons at 16′, 8′, and 4′. These stops allowed us to scale the diapasons for all four divisions with fewer stops having to fulfill multiple musical roles. The large-scale 8′ Principal in the Pedal anchors the whole organ and lets the 16′ Open Wood provide rich, warm bass tone. The 4′ Choral Bass is then scaled to add clarity with a uniform timbre across its compass. A Tromba and Chalumeau offer more variety and French-flavored fire to the division, leaving the 32′ and 16′ reeds enclosed for maximum flexibility.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Belen was opened in the summer of 2022, and we began installing the organ immediately after the opening. We were pleased that the new organ required minimal on-site adjustments. The chapel provides a warm, ringing acoustic well-suited to the organ, and we were happy to hear our design choices fit well in the new space.

All of the work done to make this new organ is now filed away where it can help guide us again on future projects. This information has proven invaluable to us in jobs of every kind. Even for the more “normal” project, where our tonal test gives a wealth of information, we rely heavily on documentation of previous instruments. We have found these records plus experience is of great value.

We were fortunate to work with a talented team at Belen led by the Reverend Guillermo García-Tuñón, president; Jonathan Sánchez, music minister; and Ricardo Echeverria, executive director of facilities. Luis Cuza and Joanne Schulte served as organ consultants. The organ was dedicated in a recital by Nathan Laube on March 5, 2023, as the final performance of the Miami Winter Organ Festival. As the music program and school continue to expand, we hope this new organ, housed in a beautiful new chapel, will inspire young students for generations to come.

—Bryan Dunnewald

Schoenstein & Co.

Builder’s website: schoenstein.com

School’s website: www.belenjesuit.org

GREAT (Manual II)

16′ Contra Viole 61 pipes

8′ First Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Second Open Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes

8′ Viole (ext Contra Viole) 12 pipes

8′ Bourdon (Choir)

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Silver Flute (Choir)

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

1-1⁄3′ Mixture (III–IV) 187 pipes

8′ Tuba Ignati (Choir)

8′ Trumpet (Swell)

SWELL (Manual III – Enclosed)

16′ Lieblich Bourdon 12 pipes (ext Stopped Diapason)

8′ Horn Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Stopped Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Gamba 61 pipes

8′ Gamba Celeste 61 pipes

4′ Principal Conique 61 pipes

4′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 12 pipes (ext Principal Conique)

16′ Contra Posaune 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Posaune 12 pipes (ext Contra Posaune)

8′ Oboe 61 pipes

Tremulant

Swell 16

Swell Unison Off

Swell 4

8′ Tuba Ignati (Choir)

CHOIR (ManuaI I – Enclosed)

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes

8′ Salicional 61 pipes

8′ Unda-Maris (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Silver Flute 61 pipes

4′ Salicet 12 pipes (ext Salicional)

2-2⁄3′ Nazard (TC) 42 pipes

2′ Harmonic Piccolo 61 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce (TC) 42 pipes

8′ Tuba Ignati 61 pipes

8′ Corno di Bassetto 61 pipes

Tremulant

Choir 16

Choir Unison Off

Choir 4

Cymbelstern

PEDAL

32′ Resultant

16′ Open Wood 32 pipes

16′ Contra Viole (Great)

16′ Lieblich Bourdon (Swell)

8′ Principal 32 pipes

8′ Horn Diapason (Swell)

8′ Flute (Great Harmonic Flute)

8′ Viole (Great)

8′ Bourdon (Choir)

4′ Choral Bass 32 pipes

4′ Flute (Great Harmonic Flute)

32′ Contra Posaune(ext Swell) 12 pipes

16′ Contra Posaune (Swell)

8′ Tromba 32 pipes

8′ Tuba Ignati (Choir)

4′ Chalumeau 32 pipes

COUPLERS

Great to Pedal

Great to Pedal 4

Swell to Pedal

Swell to Pedal 4

Choir to Pedal

Choir to Pedal 4

Swell to Great 16

Swell to Great

Swell to Great 4

Choir to Great 16

Choir to Great

Choir to Great 4

Swell to Choir 16

Swell to Choir

Swell to Choir 4

Choir to Swell

SPECIAL COUPLERS

Manual I/II Transfer

All Swells to Swell

MECHANICALS

Solid-state capture combination action:

5,000 memories

52 pistons and toe studs

15 reversibles 

Programmable piston range

Piston sequencer

Record/Playback system

 

30 voices, 33 ranks, 1,833 pipes

Electric-pneumatic action

 

Photo credit: Louis Patterson

Schoenstein & Co. Pipe Organ Builders, Benicia, California, has built a new organ for Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, Miami, Florida. Schoenstein Opus 182 comprises 30 voices, 33 ranks, 1,833 pipes over three manuals and pedal.

Nathan Laube performs Sergei Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G minor, opus 23, no. 5, transcribed by Gottfried Federlein. Recorded live at the dedication concert of Schoenstein Opus 182. 
Video courtesy of Luis Cuza.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Belen was opened in the summer of 2022, and the organ installation began immediately after the opening. The chapel provides a warm, ringing acoustic well-suited to the organ.

The organ was dedicated in a recital by Nathan Laube on March 5, 2023, as the final performance of the Miami Winter Organ Festival.

Schoenstein Opus 182 is featured on the cover of the May issue of The Diapason: www.TheDiapason.com

For information: schoenstein.com

Schoenstein & Co. Pipe Organ Builders, Benicia, California, has installed its Opus 179 organ in the chapel at Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community, Charleston, South Carolina. The new organ comprises 14 voices, 16 ranks, and 995 pipes on three manuals and pedal.

The expressive Great division on the left houses the expected principal chorus of 8′, 4′, and 2′ Mixture III in addition to a softer 8′/4′ Corno Dolce/8′ Flute Celeste pairing, 8′ Harmonic Flute (Corno Dolce bass to tenor G), and Clarinet.

The Swell division, on the right side of the organ, has most of the instrument’s unification. The Bourdon serves as the Pedal Bourdon at 16′ (available in the Swell also) and continues as a Chimney Flute at 4′ C. The 8′/4′/2′ Salicional is the division’s unit echo diapason with a slight string edge as ample counterparts to both the Great chorus and Swell Gamba. The Oboe Horn serves as another color reed, a counterpart to the Great Clarinet, and also represents the softer 16′ reed available in the Pedal adding support without too much power. Inner shades regulate the 8′ Gamba, its Celeste (full compass), and the 16′/8′ Tuba Minor.

Rounding out the instrument is an independent Pedal Violoncello and Contrabass unit sitting in front of the Great shades. Metal down to 16′ C, it provides independent foundational support for the entire instrument.

The new organ is featured on the cover of the September 2022 issue of The Diapason: 
https://www.thediapason.com/content/cover-feature-schoenstein-cobishop-gadsden-retirement-community

For information: schoenstein.com

Kegg Pipe Organ Builders, Hartville, Ohio; Christendom College, Front Royal, Virginia

Landmark pipe organs come in a variety of forms, and lucky builders are usually afforded several such instruments over the course of a career. Rarely does one build for a truly landmark building. The Kegg company was chosen for one such building. 

The new neo-Gothic Christ the King Chapel of Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, can be seen from the western end of Interstate 66, a few miles east of where it meets Interstate 81 in western Virginia. It is noticeable because it is surrounded by farm fields and thus dominates the commanding and romantic rolling hills. Designed by the firm of O’Brien & Keane of Arlington, Virginia, the traditional cruciform building seats approximately 750 with extended transepts and Lady Chapel in the apse. The floor contains complex wood patterns in oak and walnut and includes marble roundels of the Four Wounds of Christ. There are eight side chapels in the transepts. All the altars and the sanctuary rail were rescued and restored from closed buildings. There are many other unusual features of this building, and I invite you to explore these online. 

Any new building, particularly in this form and style, brings the question of anticipated acoustic. Here the college wisely chose to engage and listen to the advice of Scott R. Riedel & Associates of Milwaukee. The triple drywall in the large organ/choir gallery and double drywall throughout the balance of the building brings satisfying reverberation and excellent bass response. 

The new Kegg organ was chosen based on visits to Canton, Ohio, and the Kegg shop. Canton organs auditioned were at the Basilica of Saint John the Baptist and Saint Peter Church. Music director Dr. Kurt Poterack considered us based on the suggestion of organ instructor Dr. Jeffery Alban, and was impressed with the color and character of the Kegg organs, particularly the versatility of the relatively modest Saint Peter organ. The new Christ the King organ, while not small, was limited by available space and funds. At 47 ranks, it contains many elements sometimes considered luxuries for an organ of this size. The organ invites exploration.

With a strong choral program and traditional values, Christendom College attracts students in the liberal arts, many of which are drawn toward traditional liturgy and music. Their chapel choir consists mostly of interested and driven students that number twenty-five to thirty, and are well rehearsed. Having outgrown the limited space of the existing chapel, and the new building easily being able to have twice this number plus additional instrumentalists, the program is expected to expand. With our emphasis on choral accompaniment in organ design, the Kegg company was a natural fit to this plan. 

The organ is based on two manual principal choruses, one each in the Great and Swell. The Great is complete from 16′ through Mixture IV, including a strong Twelfth. The Swell is also 16′ through Mixture IV and is secondary to the Great with a more textured tone, ideal for choral work as well as polyphonic music. On this framework, the balance of the organ brings elegant texture and color. The Great French Quartet of 8′ stops is present and is balanced to reflect the ideals of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll late in his career, with a strong Principal and Harmonic Flute, paired with the secondary Rohrflute and Violone. The Great reed chorus is a set of strong Trombas, leaning this division to the English side of the channel. The flues of this division are on four inches pressure while the reeds are on six inches. 

The Swell is of course the workhorse of the organ during liturgies. It is complete with everything required. The strings are narrow, in the late 1920s Skinner style with the full compass Celeste. The Diapason is more narrow than the Great Principal with a texture that compliments voices. The 4′ Salicet is helpful as a third flue stop of this pitch and of a decidedly different character. Reeds here are brighter than their Great counterparts, but still in the English family. While the stop name says “French Trumpet,” that is relative to the “veddy British” nature of the Great Trombas. The Swell is on five inches of wind pressure.

The Choir is of English/American construct, designed primarily to augment the Swell in choral work. It contains the softest and loudest of the three celeste pairs in the organ, including a Voce Humana, which pairs with the Geigen Diapason. The mysterious Flute Celeste is a crowd pleaser and will go well with incense. The Clarinet is orchestral, dark and woody. The first of two Tubas in the organ is also home in the Choir. This stop is patterned after an E. M. Skinner design to be strong, smooth, and lyrical. This division is on four inches of wind pressure, except the Tuba which is on ten inches. 

The Solo contains the aristocracy of the organ. Here we find a lovely Doppelflute, which truly enjoys the reverberant room into which it speaks. The English Horn and French Horn are copied directly from 1920s Skinner stops while the heroic Tuba Magna is based on a Willis model, being full and rich with a complete spectrum of harmonics. This division enjoys several other stops drawn from other divisions for convenience. While only four important stops, the Solo is on three different pressures. The Doppelflute and English Horn are on six inches, the French Horn is on ten inches and the Tuba Magna is on eighteen inches.

The Pedal division has all the elements needed to provide solid support of the manuals with variety in dynamic and well as color. Here we find two stops using vintage pipes, at the request of the client. The 32′ Bourdon is a Skinner stop of 44 pipes that we extended to make a 32′-16′-8′ unit. The 16′ Open Diapason is a Kimball stop of 32 pipes. In addition to these, we find an 8′ Principal, identical to the Great Principal, a 4′ Choral Bass, 32′-16′ Trombone, and 8′-4′ Trumpet. In addition to these six independent stops, the Pedal includes borrows from the manuals of other useful stops to aid registration while not always relying on couplers. The Pedal speaks on six inches of wind pressure. 

The console is movable on internal casters. It and the organ case have Gothic elements to complement the room and rose window, which depicts the Liberal Arts. With bone and rosewood keys, the console contains all the features expected of a first-class instrument today. It is remarkably compact with pleasant proportions and is low enough to allow the organist to direct a choir on risers.

Installed in February of 2023 in less than three weeks by the exceptional Kegg crew, the tonal finishing was completed by Charles Kegg and Chris Soer in time for the opening of this fine new facility in April. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Drs. Poterack and Alban for their continued friendship and support. In your travels west of Washington, D.C., please stop in and see this new instrument in a grand new landmark building. 

Kegg Pipe Organ Builders

Charles Kegg, President and Artistic Director

Erika Barnes

Philip Brown

Michael Carden

Joyce Harper

Philip Laakso

Brian Mattias

Nick Myers

Bruce Schutrum

Christopher Soer

David St. John

Paul Watkins

 

Builder’s website: www.keggorgan.com

College website: www.christendom.edu/

 

GREAT (Manual II)

1. 16′ Violone 73 pipes

8′ Solo Diapason IV (from #2-5-33-34)

2. 8′ Principal 61 pipes

8′ Violone (from #1)

3. 8′ Rohrflute 73 pipes

4. 8′ Harmonic Flute 49 pipes 1–12 from #3

5. 4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Flute (from #3)

6. 2-2⁄3′ Twelfth 61 pipes

7. 2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes 

8. 1-1⁄3′ Mixture IV 244 pipes

9. 16′ Tromba 73 pipes

8′ Tuba (from #29)

8′ Tromba (from #9)

36. 4′ Tromba Clarion 61 pipes

Tremulant

Great 16

Great Unison Off

Great 4

SWELL (Manual III – Enclosed)

10. 16′ Gedeckt 73 pipes

11. 8′ Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Gedeckt (from #10)

12. 8′ Salicional 73 pipes

13. 8′ Voix Celeste 61 pipes

14. 4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Salicet (from #12)

15. 4′ Spitzflute 73 pipes

16. 2-2⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

2′ Flute (from #15)

17. 1-3⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes

18. 2′ Mixture IV 244 pipes

19. 16′ Bassoon 73 pipes

20. 8′ French Trumpet 73 pipes

8′ Oboe (from #19)

21. 8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes

4′ Clarion (from #20)

Tremulant

Swell 16

Swell Unison Off

Swell 4

CHOIR (Manual I – Enclosed)

22. 8′ Geigen Diapason 61 pipes

23. 8′ Voce Humana 61 pipes

24. 8′ Melodia 61 pipes

25. 8′ Flauto Dolce 61 pipes

26. 8′ Flute Celeste (TC) 49 pipes

27. 4′ Octave 73 pipes

28. 4′ Open Flute 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth (from #27)

29. 8′ Tuba (high pressure) 61 pipes

30. 8′ Clarinet 61 pipes

Tremulant

Chimes

Choir 16

Choir Unison Off

Choir 4

SOLO (Manual IV – Enclosed)

8′ Solo Diapason IV (from #2-5-33-34)

8′ Flauto Dolce (from #25)

8′ Flute Celeste (from #26)

37. 8′ Doppelflute 61 pipes

41. 8′ English Horn 61 pipes

Tremulant

38. 8′ Tuba Magna 61 pipes

8′ Tuba (from #29)

39. 8′ French Horn 61 pipes

Solo 16

Solo Unison Off

Solo 4

PEDAL

31. 32′ Bourdon, 42 EMS pipes, reconditioned, 14 new pipes

32. 16′ Open Diapason (wood), 22 Kimball pipes, reconditioned, 10 new pipes

16′ Subbass (from #31)

16′ Violone (from #1)

16′ Gedeckt (from #10)

33. 8′ Principal 32 pipes

8′ Subbass (from #31)

8′ Violone (from #1)

8′ Gedeckt (from #10)

34. 4′ Choral Bass 32 pipes 

2′ Cantus Flute (from #4)

35. 32′ Trombone 44 pipes

32′ Harmonics (derived)

16′ Trombone (from #35)

16′ Tromba (from #9)

16′ Bassoon (from #19)

40. 8′ Trumpet 44 pipes

4′ Clarion (from #40)

4′ Clarinet (from #30)

Pedal Divide 12/13

 

TONAL RESOURCES: 47 ranks, 41 stops, 2,825 pipes

 

INTER-MANUAL COUPLERS

Great to Pedal 8

Great to Pedal 4

Swell to Pedal 8

Swell to Pedal 4

Choir to Pedal 8

Choir to Pedal 4

Solo to Pedal 8

Solo to Pedal 4

Swell to Great 16

Swell to Great 8

Swell to Great 4

Choir to Great 16

Choir to Great 8

Choir to Great 4

Solo to Great 16

Solo to Great 8

Solo to Great 4

Pedal to Great 8

Solo to Swell 8

Swell to Choir 16

Swell to Choir 8

Swell to Choir 4

Solo to Choir 8

Pedal to Solo 8

Great / Choir Transfer

All Swells to Swell

 

ADJUSTABLE COMBINATIONS

40 memories per User

Unlimited Users

Great: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Thumb

Swell: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Thumb

Choir 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Thumb

Solo 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thumb

Pedal 1 2 3 4 Toe

General 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Thumb & Toe

General 11 12 13 14 Thumb

General Cancel Thumb

Set Thumb

Next 4 Thumb, 1 Toe

Previous 4 Thumb

Clear Thumb

Undo Thumb

Range Thumb

Memory Up Thumb

Memory Down Thumb

Transposer Up Thumb

Transposer Down Thumb

Crescendo A B Thumb

All Divisionals become Next with indicator

Thumb

 

REVERSIBLES

Great to Pedal Thumb & Toe

Swell to Pedal Thumb & Toe

Choir to Pedal Thumb & Toe

32′ Trombone Thumb & Toe

32′ Bourdon Toe

Adjustable Full Organ Thumb & Toe

 

ACCESSORIES

Swell expression pedal

Choir expression pedal

Solo expression pedal

2-memory adjustable Crescendo pedal

Concave and radiating pedal clavier

Adjustable bench

Numeric Crescendo indicator

Full Organ indicator

Transposer ±5 semitones

Integral performance recording sequencer

Pencil drawer

Cup holder