Randall Dyer &
Associates, Inc.
Jefferson City, Tennessee
Greeneville Cumberland
Presbyterian Church
Greeneville, Tennessee
This edifice is known locally as the “cannon-ball church” because of the Civil War cannon ball impaled in the front door jamb. The church’s new organ replaces an electronic instrument that was less than 25 years old.
Exercising due diligence, the organ committee visited several installations and was intrigued by a similar organ at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, in Norton, Virginia. While the term “multum in parvo” could be applied to both organs, a more accurate description would probably be “careful selection of the elements, to maximize the usefulness of the instrument.” Both organs are outgrowths of the Antiphonal division of our organ at Church Street United Methodist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, and both follow our recent return to straight design in small organs.
The organ has a robust sound that is broad, but clear. Because all but the 8′ Principals are enclosed, the entire organ can be used for choral accompaniment. The couplers are an important part of maximizing the usefulness of the organ and are carefully selected to add to the flexibility of the stoplist without overbalancing the ensemble.
Since the chancel of the church was added in the 1950s, organ sound, including that of an earlier 1913 Estey that had been moved from the front corner, emanated from a side location with a high, small opening. By removing an unused chimney and relocating the altar committee’s storage area to the old organ chamber, the new organ was installed across the front of the room in a space only 42 inches deep.
Visible speaking Principal pipes are from the Great (left) and Pedal (right) divisions. Materials used in construction of the pipes include tin and lead, in varying percentages, aluminum for larger metal pipes, and wood for the bass pipes of the Pedal.
Manual keys on the console are covered in cowbone and rosewood. The organ is provided with a multi-level combination system as well as transposer and record/playback capability.
The organ’s pipes are situated on Blackinton-style slider-and-pallet wind chests, and connection to the organ console is by a single fiber-optic strand.
Randall Dyer & Associates is a member firm of the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America.
—Randall Dyer
GREAT (enclosed except as noted)
8′ Principal 53 pipes
(façade, 1–8 from Pedal Octave)
8′ Chimney Flute 49 pipes
(1–12 from Pedal Bourdon)
4′ Octave 61 pipes
2′ Fifteenth (from Mixture)
II Cornet (TC–f/54) 84 pipes
III Mixture 183 pipes
8′ Trumpet (Sw)
Chimes
Cymbelstern
MIDI
Swell to Great 16
Swell to Great 8
Swell to Great 4
SWELL (enclosed)
8′ Stopped Flute 61 pipes
8′ Viola 61 pipes
8′ Viola Celeste (TC) 49 pipes
4′ Gemshorn 61 pipes
8′ Trumpet 61 pipes
Tremulant (entire organ)
MIDI
Swell 4
PEDAL
16′ Subbass 44 pipes
8′ Octave (façade) 44 pipes
8′ Subbass (ext)
4′ Octave (ext)
16′ Trumpet (ext Sw) 12 pipes
MIDI
Great to Pedal 8
Swell to Pedal 8
Swell to Pedal 4
