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
