Fabry, Inc., Antioch, Illinois: Memorial Chapel, The Culver Academies, Culver, Indiana
Fabry, Inc., Antioch, Illinois
Memorial Chapel, The Culver Academies, Culver, Indiana
The nucleus of this organ is Möller Opus 8168, a 54-rank organ installed in the chapel in 1951. Various builders made some tonal modifications in the 1970s, but the organ returned to the care of Fabry, Inc. in 1978. Various ranks have been replaced since, often in an effort to resolve problems created by the work done in the 1970s. The entire electrical system was replaced with a Peterson ICS-4000, providing all relay connections, MIDI interface, adjustable crescendo pedals, adjustable “accent pedal” settings, ventils, and 256 levels of memory. The Möller individual pneumatic shade actions were replaced with Peterson 16-stage units (three for each expression enclosure). The Vox Humana enclosure was replaced with a new enclosure with shades and a Peterson shade action, operable from the console.
All tremolos were replaced with A. R. Schopp electric tremolos, including additional tremolos for the Great division and for the 7-inch pressure chest for the new reeds in the Choir.
The console was totally rebuilt by David Gustav Fabry, retaining the English ivory keyboards and some structural members. All new stop jambs were built in walnut, with accents in bloodwood and partitions between divisions in distressed maple. Nearly all external console woodwork was replaced, and the organ was fitted with a rebuilt pedalboard, featuring maple naturals and ebony-topped walnut for the sharps. Expression shoes (of walnut), divisional cancel bars (of distressed maple), switch plates for Chimes, Zimbelsterns, Vox Humana shades, and Pedal Divide, along with some external parts of the console, were laser engraved. All console pneumatics were replaced by Syndyne drawknob and Peterson rocker tablet actions.
David Gustav Fabry also constructed a new chest and modified an existing Choir chest to accommodate added stops and provide unit actions for one existing rank. Drawknobs and label plates were made by Hesco, Inc. of Hagerstown, Maryland. The Cor d’Amour and English Horn are patterned after the later work of E. M. Skinner. The new reeds and the Viola Celeste in the Choir were made by Eastern Organ Pipes, also of Hagerstown. The Doppelflöte was recycled from an 1892 instrument by William King and Son of New York City. Its bottom and top octaves (to yield a total of 73 pipes) were recycled from a similarly large-scaled Möller Melodia. The organ now possesses 58 ranks—3,625 pipes.
All cloth-wrapped wiring was replaced with PVC-coated wiring conforming to present-day codes. Connections between the console and the satellite cages in the chambers are done by Ethernet cables. Pouches and primaries were releathered in all but the Swell B chest (which had been replaced entirely after severe water damage in 1980). The Choir division was reconfigured with an expanded enclosure (and additional shades) to accommodate the new additions comfortably. The overall direction of the project was by David J. Fabry, assisted by Mike Pishioneri, Grant Ellis, Steve Ellis, and Phil Spressart, all from the Fabry company. The specification and details (including specific location of all controls on the console) were designed by John Gouwens, Academy Organist. Gouwens played the rededication recital on April 15, 2007. A CD recording of the enhanced instrument is in preparation.
—Phil Spressart
GREAT (Manual II)
16′ Quintaton 61 pipes
8′ Diapason 61 pipes
8′ Bourdon# 61 pipes
8′ Doppelflöte+ (enclosed w/Ch) 73 pipes
8′ Gemshorn 61 pipes
8′ Viola* (new duplex from Choir)
4′ Octave 61 pipes
4′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes
(harmonic from f#2)
2′ Super Octave 61 pipes
2′ Piccolo# 61 pipes
(Zauberflöte, harmonic from low C)
Fourniture IV 244 pipes
Cymbel III 183 pipes
8′ Military Trumpet (from Choir)
Chimes# (Sw, immune to couplers)
MIDI on Great*
Great to Great 16′
Great Unison Off
Great to Great 4′
Tremolo*
SWELL (Manual III)
16′ Flûte Conique 85 pipes
8′ Geigen Diapason 73 pipes
8′ Rohrflöte# 73 pipes
8′ Flûte Conique (from 16′)
8′ Viole de Gambe 73 pipes
8′ Viole Céleste 73 pipes
8′ Salicional 73 pipes
8′ Voix Céleste (TC) 61 pipes
4′ Principal 73 pipes
4′ Flûte Triangulaire 73 pipes
2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes
Plein Jeu IV# 244 pipes
16′ Contra Oboe 85 pipes
8′ Trompette 73 pipes
8′ Oboe (from 16′)
8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes
Vox Humana Forte* (overrides Vox Humana shades setting)
4′ Clarion 73 pipes
Chimes# (not subject to couplers) 21 tubes
MIDI on Swell*
Swell to Swell 16′
Swell Unison Off
Swell to Swell 4′
Tremolo
CHOIR (Manual I)
16′ Flûte Conique* (new duplex, Swell)
8′ Viola 73 pipes
8′ Viola Celeste+ 73 pipes
8′ Cor de Nuit 73 pipes
8′ Erzähler 73 pipes
8′ Erzähler Celeste (TC) 61 pipes
4′ Prestant 73 pipes
4′ Koppelflöte 73 pipes
22⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes
2′ Blockflöte 61 pipes
13⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes
16′ Cor d’Amour+ 73 pipes
16′ Contra Oboe* (new duplex, Swell)
8′ English Horn+ 73 pipes
8′ Cor d’Amour* (from 16′)
8′ Clarinet 73 pipes
8′ Military Trumpet 73 pipes
(harmonic from middle c)
8′ Bombarde# (Pedal)
8′ Harp# (TC) (Deagan/Möller) 49 bars
MIDI on Choir*
Choir to Choir 16′
Choir Unison Off
Choir to Choir 4′
Tremolo
SOLO (Floating—all duplexes from other divisions)
8′ Doppelflöte* (Gt, enclosed w/ Ch)
8′ Viola* (Choir)
8′ Viola Celeste* (Choir)
16′ Cor d’Amour* (Choir)
8′ Cor d’Amour* (Choir)
8′ English Horn* (Choir)
8′ Oboe* (Swell)
8′ Bombarde* (from Pedal, 61 notes)
8′ Military Trumpet* (Choir)
Harp* (Choir)
Tremolo* (engages appropriate tremolos for all stops drawn on Solo)
PEDAL
32′ De Profundis* (Resultant from Bourdon and Flûte Conique)
16′ Contra Basse (open wood) 44 pipes
16′ Diapason (ext Gt 8′, open metal) 12 pipes
16′ Bourdon (wood) 44 pipes
16′ Quintaton (from Great)
16′ Flûte Conique (from Swell)
102⁄3′ Quint 44 pipes
8′ Octave (from Contra Basse)
8′ Principal 32 pipes
8′ Bourdon (from 16′)
8′ Quintaton (from Great)
8′ Flûte Conique (Swell)
62⁄5′ Grosse Tierce* (from Bourdon)
51⁄3′ Octave Quint (from 102⁄3′)
44⁄7′ Grosse Septième* (from Flûte Conique)
4′ Choral Bass 32 pipes
4′ Nachthorn# 32 pipes
Mixture III 96 pipes
32′ Voix de l’Abîme* (Resultant from Oboe and Cor d’Amour)
16′ Bombarde (full length, open metal) 73 pipes
16′ Cor d’Amour* (new duplex, Choir)
16′ Contra Oboe (Swell)
8′ Bombarde (from 16′)
8′ Oboe* (new duplex from Swell)
4′ Clarion (from 16′)
Pizzicato Bass* (8′ Octave, pizzicato relay)
Chimes#
MIDI on Pedal*
Zimbelstern# (two, selectable)
Couplers (rocker tablets)
Great to Pedal 8′, 4′
Swell to Pedal 8′, 4′
Choir to Pedal 8′, 4′
Solo to Pedal* 8′, 4′
Swell to Great 16′, 8′, 4′
Choir to Great 16′, 8′, 4′
Solo to Great* 16′, 8′, 4′
Solo to Great Melody Coupler*
Swell to Choir 16′, 8′, 4′
Solo to Choir* 16′, 8′, 4′
Solo to Choir Melody Coupler*
Great to Choir* 8′
Pedal to Choir* 8′
Choir to Swell* 16′, 8′, 4′
Solo to Swell* 16′, 8′, 4′
Great-Choir Transfer*
Pedal Divide* (Pedal stops/couplers; adjustable break point)
Ventils* (changing function of Pedal 1–5 toe studs to divisional blind silencers)
All Tremolos Off*
+ Added ranks, 2007–8
* New duplex, extension, or control
# Stops replaced or added by Fabry, Inc. in earlier projects
Photo credit: John Gouwens
