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New Organs: Mascioni, Church of the Santissimo Crocifisso

Mascioni Opus 1205

Mascioni Organs, Azzio, Italy; Church of the Santissimo, Crocifisso, Ponte Tresa, Italy

Mascioni Organs of Azzio, Italy, recently completed a new three-manual, thirty-five-stop, electric-action instrument for the Church of the Santissimo Crocifisso at Ponte Tresa, a community on Lake Lugano in the Province of Varese in region of Lombardy, on the Italian border with Switzerland. This is the first pipe organ for this church, which was built in the late 1950s. It is conceived in an Italian symphonic style and yet incorporates features characteristic of the Mascioni firm, which will shortly celebrate its 200th anniversary merely yards from where it was founded.

Equipped by Mascioni’s partners Eltec Industries of Italy, the console boasts sustain and transposing features. The four-rank Solo Cornet, like in many of the firm’s larger instruments such as that at the Shrine of Fatima in Portugal, is composed entirely of harmonic flutes and includes a Septième. The main divisions stand on traditional slider windchests, yet the overall tonal scheme is designed to accompany a choir determined to break the traditional Italian mold. Works by Brahms and Rutter are as commonplace here as well as those by Frescobaldi.

Mascioni was chosen not simply because our workshop is in Azzio, a forty-minute drive away. More crucially, the company’s tonal team has taken on some considerable acoustic challenges in recent years, such as the Fatima shrine’s seven-second reverberation, Tokyo cathedral’s acoustically dry triangular concrete structure, and the Paris Conservatoire’s forty-stop practice organ in a room eight meters square.

The acoustics at Ponte Tresa were equally challenging, the church being in the form of curve-walled, concrete scallop complete with an exceptionally tall, ribbed roof, resulting in a reverberation time of almost six seconds. With that in mind, to keep melodic lines clean and clear, the scales, nicking, and wind pressures are slightly more robust than the Italian norm. The result is a clear, warm, colorful palette that inspires congregations and choir. It was aptly demonstrated by Olivier Latry at the inauguration on November 17, 2023.

Design team: Andrea Mascioni, Daniele Invernizzi; voicer and finisher: Franco Nicora.

Further information: mascioni-organs.com/en/lavena-ponte-tresa/

Manual I – Grande Organo

16′ Principale

8′ Principale

8′ Flauto armonico

8′ Corno Camoscio

4′ Ottava

2-23 Duodecima

2′ Decimaquinta

1-13 Ripieno IV

8′ Tromba

Campane

Manual II – Recitativo Espressivo

8′ Diapason

8′ Bordone

8′ Viola da gamba

8′ Voce Celeste

4′ Flauto ottaviante

2-23 Nazardo

2′ Ottavino

1-35 Terza

Ripieno III

16′ Fagotto

8′ Tromba armonica

8′ Oboe

Tremolo

Manual  III – Solo

8′ Flauto Traversiere

4′ Flauto a camino

Cornetto IV

8′ Tuba

Pedale

32′ Basso Acustico (fr 16′, 1–12 quinted)

16′ Contrabasso

16′ Subbasso

8′ Basso (ext 16′ Contrabasso)

8′ Bordone (ext 16′ Subbasso)

4′ Ottava (ext 16′ Contrabasso)

16′ Bombarda

16′ Fagotto (Recitativo)

8′ Tromba (Grande Organo)

4′ Clarone (Grande Organo)

Campane (Grande Organo)

Couplers

Solo/GO 16-8-4

Rec/GO 16-8-4

GO/GO 4

Solo/Rec 8

Rec/Rec 16-4

Solo/Solo 16-4

GO/Ped 8-4

Rec/Ped 8-4

Solo/Ped 8-4

Mixture Compositions

Grande Organo Ripieno IV

C1–E17 19 22 26 29

F18–E2 15 19 22 26

F30–C48 12 15 19 22

C#49–C61 8 12 15 19

Recitativo Ripieno III

C1–B12 15 19 22

C13–F54 12 15 19

F#55–C61 8 12 15

Solo Cornetto IV

A20–C61 8 12 flat-14 17

Related Content

Cover feature: Peragallo Opus 772

Peragallo Pipe Organ Company, Patterson, New Jersey; Saint Malachy Catholic Church, Brownsburg, Indiana

Peragallo organ (photo credit: Michael Harker)

From the builder

When you arrive at a church for the first look and are greeted by the entire staff, you are off to a good start! That was the case with Saint Malachy. Hector Salcedo, the music minister, was joined by the pastor, Father Sean Danda, and the associate pastor, Father Michael Clawson, the business manager, John Kiefer, and the facility manager, Doug Tapscott, and finally the technical wizard, Michael Jasiak, as we walked through the door. This collegial team listened as we discussed everything from acoustics, organ location and casework design, tonal specifications, funding the instrument, and of course—where the best Italian trattoria in the area would be found.

This parish is so welcoming, with a generous gathering space with warm greeters flanked by social areas before entering the nave. You can feel that this place is built and operates well beyond just “Sunday Mass” and provides its parishioners with a full offering of social gatherings. All throughout the installation we were surprised with community events the church would host such as the county fair and hog roast! Approaching the church from the corn fields, one is taken with the free-standing bell tower and the church leaping high into the sky.

This nave is grand, with a seating capacity of over 1,200 and a very unconventional 270-degree in-the-round floor plan. The challenge quickly became how to situate an organ that could cover the full breath of floor space. The acoustical environment was perfectly bright and semi-reverberant, with plenty of height and lots of hard surfaces.

The first order of business was the tonal design. The back and forth with Hector was great—with many late-night conversations. The resulting instrument grew to “cathedral” proportions with a French design controlled from our low-profile terraced four-manual console. The console is movable, as the parish concert series is most active. Within minutes of completion, before the tools were even packed, Hector combined forces with the Diocesan Cathedral Choir and director Andrew Motyka, and accompanied a performance of the Duruflé Requiem as part of a parish Mass.

Frank Peragallo and John Peragallo IV designed a stepped, angled casework to project the tone of the instrument around the church. This proved most effective, and the ceiling’s reflectiveness added to the success of the full tonal coverage. Finally, the addition of a Celestial division, positioned high in the center of the room, offers the organist another tool in accompanying congregational hymnody and moving the solo colors around the room.

The repurposed Reuter pipes were reworked and placed on a new chassis, with the only “new” rank of pipes being the Trompette en Chamade with flared resonator bells. Rather than it being a true commander, it tops the chorus nicely and can be pulled in smoothly for big endings. We left the “party horn” for the Celestial organ where the Walker digitally sampled Tuba Magna offers a powerful yet comfortable alternative to the pipe “chamade.”

The tonal specification provides complete divisions in typical French style. There are three expressive divisions to properly accompany choral singing. A variety of celestes, solo reeds, and percussion are available. The tonal finishing was performed by John Peragallo III with Anthony Peragallo, a fourth-generation organ builder; they were able to successfully blend the repurposed pipework into a true bouquet of sound.

The Solo division, which lives on the fourth clavier, allows the organist to access a variety of stops from various divisions—such as the Great Cornet décomposé, the Positif 8′ Cromorne, and 16′ Clarinette playing at 8′ pitch. The Trompette en Chamade is also available at 16′, 8′, and 4′ pitches non-coupling for easy access. Hector’s skills at improvisation are evident as he employs these stops without concern for the plenum of the other divisions. The Solo is also home to an additional principal chorus of large scale and fiery chorus reeds.

As mentioned, the heavenly Celestial division floats down from on high, offering a nice alternative with a full complement of flutes, strings, reeds, and an additional principal chorus and a tower carillon.

Considerable thought, design, and engineering was put into the planning of this beautiful instrument, so that three important functions of a church organ would be achieved: the leading of worship in song, satisfying the performance requirements of the major musical compositions written for “The King of Instruments,” and finally, enhancing the architectural magnificence of the building. We firmly believe these goals have been fulfilled with the new Peragallo organ at Saint Malachy Church. Since its installation the organ has supported an ambitious concert series and weekly liturgies, taking the music to a new level of inspirational praise.

Many thanks to all at Saint Malachy who assisted in this noble project including Reverend Sean Danda, pastor, Mr. Hector Salcedo, director of music, John Kiefer, business manager, Michael Jasiak, videographer, who documented the entire project; and finally, the talented staff of the Peragallo Organ Company.

—John Peragallo III

From the music director

Saint Malachy Catholic Church in Brownsburg, Indiana, has a history dating back more than 150 years. It was founded by natives of Ireland who immigrated to America in the late 1840s. In 2014 the parish relocated to a site outside town in the beautiful countryside. The parishioners insisted on building a bigger church, and after much effort, our current magnificent structure became a reality. Since the project’s inception, the possibility of having a pipe organ was considered.

In 2017 I was hired as music director of the parish, and I had the dream of fulfilling the task of seeing a pipe organ installed in our church. Of course, purchasing a pipe organ is not an easy task. I first subscribed to an email list to receive notifications of any second-hand pipe organs for sale.

In May 2019 I received an email announcing the sale, at an affordable price, of Reuter Opus 1368 (1962), three manuals, 33 ranks, at the Northminster Presbyterian Church, located in Indianapolis. What a great opportunity to be able to play the organ before buying it, and even better, to take my pastor to listen to it! He was so enthusiastic that after a month he signed the contract. Goulding & Wood removed the instrument, and we put the organ in storage until we were able to raise the necessary funds.

The organ was originally built in 1958 for the American Guild of Organists convention in Houston, Texas. It then had two manuals, 25 ranks. In 2006 Schantz built a new three-manual console; following that, Goulding & Wood added the 16′ Principal extension to the Pedal.

After making a short list of organbuilders, we interviewed three of them, and decided that Peragallo was the best option for us. Their unique approach as well as their quality workmanship were just what we were looking for. John Peragallo III is also an organist, so he knows what an organist needs. We had many conversations about the tonal palette and the best option to enlarge it. We wanted an organ to support the liturgy by accompanying the congregation, choir, and cantors, while also providing sufficient tonal resources for organ literature. We decided to expand the organ with more pipes and with digital stops from Walker Technical Company. There was no doubt that the French style would cover all our needs. We also needed a moveable console for the different activities we have in our parish, and thus decided to build a new console.

Frank Peragallo inspected the organ in storage and pointed out major defects and other concerns. After many conversations, we decided to build a completely new chassis, keeping only the pipes.

Our church has a semicircular shape where the sides open a little more at an angle. This meant that if we built an organ parallel to the wall, the sound would be projected in a direction other than the center of our church. We decided to angle the casework in such a way that near the chancel it would be narrower, and it would widen as you move away from it. Frank Peragallo created the design, and we loved it from the first sketch. He used visual elements from our own church to make the organ look like it had always been there. Even the music rack is reminiscent of the railing that surrounds the sanctuary.

This pipe organ was built in a short period of time thanks to our many generous donors and the incredible crew of the Peragallo Pipe Organ Company. It was amazing to see how many people were eager to have a pipe organ in our parish.

—Hector Salcedo

Hector Salcedo studied composition, organ, and improvisation at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome. He was an assistant organist in the Vatican and a member of the Cappella Giulia and the Choir of the Vicariato della Basilica di S. Pietro.


Photo credit: Michael Harker


 

Builder’s website: www.peragallo.com

Church’s website: stmalachy.org

GRAND ORGUE  (manual I)

16′ Violone 61 wps

8′ Montre I 61 wps

8′ Montre II 61 pipes

8′ Violoncelle 61 wps

8′ Flûte Harmonique* 49 pipes

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes

8′ Cor de Nuit (Récit)

8′ Cor de Chamois Celeste II (Positif)

4′ Prestant 61 pipes

4′ Flûte Fuseau 61 pipes

2-23 Quinte 61 wps

2′ Doublette 61 pipes

2′ Flûte à Bec (ext) 12 pipes

1-35 Tierce  61 wps

III Fourniture 183 pipes

IV Cymbale 244 wps

16′ Contre Trompette 61 wps

8′ Trompette 61 wps

4′ Clairon 61 wps

8′ Trompette en Chamade (Solo)

16′ G.O.

  G.O.Unison

  4′ G.O.

Chimes

G. O. Midi 1

  G. O. Midi 2

POSITIF (expressive, manual II)

16′ Quintaton 61 wps

8′ Montre 61 wps

8′ Flûte à Cheminée 61 pipes

8′ Viola Pomposa 61 wps

8′ Viola Celéste 61 wps

8′ Cor de Chamois 61 pipes

8′ Cor de Chamois Celéste (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Flûte Traversière 61 pipes

4′ Unda Maris II (composite)

2′ Octavin 61 pipes

1-13 Larigot 61 pipes

1′ Sifflet 61 pipes

III Fourniture 183 wps

III Scharf 183 pipes

16′ Clarinette 61 wps

8′ Trompette Doux 61 wps

8′ Cromorne 61 pipes

Tremulant

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Celestial)

16′ Positif

Positif Unison

4′ Positif

Positif Midi 1

Positif Midi 2

RECIT (expressive, manual III)

16′ Bourdon Doux 61 wps

8′ Montre 61 pipes

8′ Flûte Bouchée 61 pipes

8′ Viole de Gambe 61 pipes

8′ Voix Celéste (TC) 49 pipes

8′ Flauto Celeste II 122 wps

4′ Prestant 61 pipes

4′ Flûte Ouverte 61 pipes

2-23 Nasard 61 pipes

2′ Doublette (ext) 12 pipes

2′ Flûte à Bec 61 pipes

1-35′ Tierce 61 pipes

III–IV Plein Jeu 244 wps

16′ Basson 61 pipes

8′ Trompette 61 pipes

8′ Hautbois  61 wps

8′ Voix Humaine 61 wps

4′ Clarion (ext) 12 pipes

Tremulant

8′ Trompette en Chamade (Solo)

16′ Récit

Récit Unison

4′ Récit

Récit Midi 1

Récit Midi 2

SOLO (manual IV)

16′ Montre (G.O.)

8′ Montre 61 wps

8′ Flûte Majeure 61 wps

8′ Bourdon (G.O.)

4′ Octav 61 wps

4′ Flûte Octaviante (G.O.)

2-23′ Quinte (G.O.)

2′ Octavin (G.O.)

1-35′ Tierce (G.O.)

V Fourniture Harmonique 305 wps

III Tierce Cymbale 183 wps

16′ Bombarde Harmonique 61 wps

8′ Trompette Harmonique 61 wps

4′ Clairon Harmonique 61 wps

8′ Cor Anglais 61 wps

8′ Cromorne (Positif)

8′ Clarinette (Positif)

16′ Trompette en Chamade (G.O.)

8′ Trompette en Chamade* 49 pipes

Tremulant

Solo Unison

Chimes

CELESITAL (floating)

8′ Principal 61 wps

8′ Flûte à Pavillon 61 wps

8′ Viole Sordone 61 wps

8′ Viole Celéste 61 wps

4′ Octav 61 wps

4′ Flûte Amabile 61 wps

2-23 Nasat 61 wps

2′ Octavin 61 wps

1-35 Tierce 61 wps

V Fourniture 305 wps

8′ Tuba Mirabilis 61 wps

8′ Corno di Bassetto 61 wps

Tremulant

16′ Celestial

Celestial Unison

4′ Celestial

PÉDALE

32′ Contre Basse 32 wps

32′ Contre Bourdon 32 wps

16′ Flûte Ouverte 32 wps

16′ Montre 32 pipes

16′ Violone (G.O.)

16′ Bourdon 32 wps

16′ Bourdon Doux (Récit)

8′ Octav Basse 32 pipes

8′ Bourdon (ext 16′) 12 wps

8′ Flûte Doux (Récit)

8′ Cor de Chamois (Positif)

4′ Doublette 32 pipes

4′ Flûte Ouverte (G.O.)

IV Fourniture 128 pipes

32′ Contre Bombarde 32 wps

16′ Bombarde 32 wps

16′ Contre Trompette (G.O.)

16′ Basson (Récit)

8′ Trompette (G.O.)

4′ Cromorne (Positif)

8′ Trompette en Chamade (Solo)

Tower Carillon

wps = Walker pipe sampled

* 1–12 wps

 

Couplers

Grand Orgue à Pédale 8, 4

Recit à Pédale 8, 4

Positif à Pédale 8, 4

Solo à Pédale 8, 4

Celestial à Pédale, 8

Récit à Grand Orgue 16, 8, 4

Positif à Grand Orgue 16, 8, 4

Solo à Grand Orgue 8

Celestial sur Grand Orgue 8

Récit à Positif 16, 8, 4

Solo à Positif 8

Celestial sur Positif 8

Grand Orgue à Positif 8

Celestial sur Récit 8

Solo à Récit 8

Celestial sur Solo 8

Manual Transfer G.O./Positif

 

Pedal Movements

Celestial / Solo

Positif

Récit

Crescendo

 

Combination System

General 1–12 thumb and toe

Récit 1–6 thumb

G.O. 1–6 thumb

Positif 1–6 thumb

Solo 1–6 thumb

Celestial 1–4 thumb

Pédale 1–5 toe

Cancel

Grand Orgue à Pédale thumb and toe

Récit à Pédale  thumb and toe

Positif à Pédale thumb and toe

Récit à Grand Orgue thumb

Positif à Grand Orgue thumb

Solo a Grand Orgue thumb

Recit a Positif

Etoile Sonore toe

Tûtti thumb and toe

Next and Previous thumb and toe

Contre Basse 32 toe

Contre Bourdon 32 toe

Contre Bombarde 32 toe

Ipad Page Back thumb and toe

Ipad Page Forward thumb and toe

All Récit à Récit thumb

Bass Coupler thumb

G.O. Melody Coupler thumb

 

40 ranks / 50 Walker pipe sampled

Cover feature: Stephen Ketterer residence

Stephen Ketterer residence, Sharon, Connecticut; Rudolf von Beckerath Orgelbau, Hamburg, Germany

Stephen Ketterer
Beckerath organ, Ketter residence

One might expect the story behind creating a home pipe organ of this size to be an unusual one. But, in fact, it is rather straightforward.

I started playing the organ at fourteen and was fortunate to have Norman André as my first teacher, because he both played and built pipe organs. Working with him gave me a solid foundation not just in playing, but also understanding how a pipe organ functions and appreciating what constitutes a truly fine instrument. Since those early days, I have always played the organ for enjoyment, alongside my professional work as a consultant in the pharmaceutical field.

In 2000 I turned forty and decided it was time to have a pipe organ of my own that I could play any time I wanted. My work involved frequent international travel, and I took advantage of that to seek out and play the instruments of as many tracker builders as possible around the world. Whenever I found an appealing instrument, I would call and speak to the builder about the possibility of a new, sizable commission. You might not believe how many builders essentially laughed when they learned this organ would not be for a church or concert hall, but rather for a private music room. This helped narrow down the list considerably!

When I scheduled some work in Sydney, I was able to arrange to see the Beckerath organ in the Great Hall of the University of Sydney. The hair stood up on the back of my neck as I began to play this remarkable instrument, and I realized I had reached a turning point in my search. Upon returning home, I called Beckerath and spoke with Holger Redlich, who still leads the firm to this day. He did not laugh at the prospect I raised, and we arranged to meet upon my next business trip to Hamburg. The rest is history.

Something important that sets Beckerath apart from many of its competitors is they control every aspect of the building process from beginning to end. For them, pipework starts as ingots of tin and lead, which are melted down, rolled out, and planed to the correct thickness before being formed into pipes. The same person that builds the flue and reed pipes is often the same one who later voices them on-site. This kind of absolute quality control cannot be found with every builder. I was highly impressed with the dedication the company has to do the best work possible.

The first organ Beckerath built for me, finished in 2003, was a three-manual tracker in the French Symphonic style. I built an independent building on our property to house the organ and was thereby able to create a rewarding acoustic. Unfortunately, I had a stroke several years later and became unable to play, so my relationship with this extraordinary instrument came to end. I sold that organ to the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, where it still remains today in their chapel.

After years of physical therapy, I was able to regain a good deal of my playing ability. Fast-forward to 2020, my husband and I moved to a new residence in Sharon, Connecticut. The home included a large natatorium, which was not useful to us. The room did, however, have a triple vaulted ceiling and incredible acoustics. My mind immediately went to the possibilities of another home pipe organ. Because the room is wider than it is tall, a tracker didn’t seem like the best way to go this time, but I knew Beckerath could create another wonderful instrument for me.

This time my reference point had shifted from French Symphonic to American Symphonic because, over the years, I had the opportunity to get to know some lovely E. M. Skinner organs of the 1920s. I appreciated the lush, warm waves of sound these organs could create with fistfuls of 8′ stops. And I did not hesitate at all to ask a German firm to take on this challenge, because I already knew the depth of the chameleon-like skills Beckerath possessed from my work with them on the previous organ. There were two stops I wanted that Beckerath was not familiar with: the Swell 8′ Corno d’Amour and the Solo 8′ Clarinet. These were both supplied by A. R. Schopp’s Sons, and they are a magnificent match with everything else. The other new direction I convinced Beckerath to try for the first time was to extend several stops into the 32′ range using digital samples from Allen Organ Company—and again, I think these are highly successful. For sheer fun, Allen also supplied several percussion stops; to me, they sound like the real thing.

Among many, a couple of characteristics of this organ are worth highlighting. First, Beckerath supplies double flue pipes for the trebles of their 8′ and 4′ reeds. This helps smooth the transition to those high notes from the reed pipes that comprise most of the rank (it is fun to forget exactly where the rank breaks).  Second, the three 8′ Swell string stops possess an additional top octave, which means actual pipes speak when the 4′ coupler is engaged.

I have now had the opportunity to design two home organs with Beckerath, each consisting of very different and highly personalized specifications. As anyone with a home instrument will tell you, the ability to make music on a whim, whether for a few minutes or hours on end, is splendid. And having a pipe organ created by one of the world’s great builders is a true luxury. I owe my deepest gratitude to all the talented men and women who created this instrument for me, especially the installation crew: Siegmund Tessmer, Rolf Greve-Ruwoldt, Jan Martensen, and Axel Birnbaum, and to our tonal consultant, Jonathan Ambrosino.

If you are interested to hear recordings of the final result, there are numerous videos available on my YouTube channel.

GREAT (Manual I)

16′ Violone (digital ext Solo 8′ Cello)

8′ Principal Major 58 pipes

8′ Principal Minor 58 pipes

8′ Principal Celeste (low G) 51 pipes

8′ Chimney Flute 58 pipes

8′ Clarabella 58 pipes

8′ Dulciana Celeste II 109 pipes

4′ Octave 58 pipes

4′ Blockflote 58 pipes

2′ Offenflote 58 pipes

1-13′ Mixture III–VI 286 pipes

16′ Bassoon 58 pipes

8′ Trompete 70 pipes

4′ Clarion 70 pipes

Chimes

Tremulant

Swell to Great 16-8-4

Solo to Great 16-8-4

Echo to Great 8

SWELL (Manual II, enclosed)

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (ext 8′) 12 pipes

8′ Italian Principal 58 pipes

8′ Holzgedeckt 58 pipes

8′ Concert Flute (fr 4′ Fl, 1–12 Holz)

8′ Viola 70 pipes

8′ Viola Celeste (low G) 63 pipes

8′ Unda Maris (low G) 63 pipes

4′ Prestant (ext 8′) 12 pipes

4′ Traverse Flute 58 pipes

2-23′ Nazard (TC) 46 pipes

2′ Octavin 58 pipes

1-35′ Tierce (TC, ext Nazard) 17 pipes

2′ Chorus Mixture III–V 254 pipes

16′ Trombone (ext 8′) 12 pipes

8′ Trumpet 70 pipes

8′ Corno d’Amour 62 pipes

4′ Clarion (ext 8′) 24 pipes

Tremulant

Swell 16-4

Solo to Swell 8

Echo to Swell 8

SOLO (Manual III)

8′ Solo Diapason V (composite)

8′ Harmonic Flute 58 pipes

8′ Bourdon 58 pipes

8′ Dolce 58 pipes

8′ Cello 58 pipes

8′ Cello Celeste (low G) 51 pipes

4′ Cor de Nuit 58 pipes

8′ Clarinet 58 pipes

8′ Tromba 70 pipes

Harp

Celesta

Xylophone

Tremulant

Solo 16-4

Echo 8-4

ECHO (Floating, enclosed)

8′ Gemshorn (TC) 46 pipes

8′ Gemshorn Celeste (TC) 46 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 58 pipes

Tremulant

PEDAL

32′ Contrabass (digital ext 16′ Open)

32′ Bourdon Doux (digital ext 16′ Sub)

16′ Open Diapason (digital ext 8′ Oct)

16′ Subbass 32 pipes

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Sw)

16′ Violone (Gt)

8′ Octave 32 pipes

8′ Stopped Flute (ext 16′ Sub) 12 pipes

8′ Cello (So)

4′ Choralbass (ext 8′ Octave) 12 pipes

4′ Flute (Sw 4′ Traverse Flute)

32′ Bombarde (digital ext 16′)

16′ Trombone (Sw)

8′ Trumpet (Sw)

4′ Clarinet (So)

Great to Pedal 8-4

Swell to Pedal 8-4

Solo to Pedal 8-4

Echo to Pedal 8

 

9,999 Combination levels

Record/playback system

Adjustable division tremulants

Toe stud reversibles:

Great/Swell strings

Great Trompet I/III

Tromba off all couplers

SFZ

 

38 stops

47 ranks

2,694 pipes

7 pipe extensions

9 borrows

5 digital voices

4 percussions

Cover feature: Lewtak Pipe Organ Builders, Haymount United Methodist

Lewtak Pipe Organ Builders, Mocksville, North Carolina; Haymount United Methodist Church, Fayetteville, North Carolina

Haymount United Methodist Church

In our previous cover features in The Diapason and The American Organist, we exclusively showcased our own work. However, this time, we aim to spotlight another crucial aspect of our business endeavors—high-quality organ renovations and additions to existing instruments. These projects constitute nearly half of our workload and are just as essential to us as our new builds.

The importance of preserving our cultural heritage is undisputable. The pipe organ plays a particularly prominent role in the modern history of human civilization. For centuries, its majestic sound has inspired us, its external beauty has dazzled, and its technical complexity has astonished all who have had the chance to explore its inner workings. There is a good reason why the organ bears the title of the King of Instruments—no other instrument has the ability to fill vast interiors of even the largest buildings with sound that can transition from a shimmer to thunder with ease and grace. The pipe organ is truly an awe-inspiring instrument!

For these reasons, we undertake renovation projects with great joy and reverence. It is both a duty and a privilege. Naturally, it is our responsibility to care for instruments built by others, with the hope that someday someone else, younger and more capable, will care for the ones we built. But renovating is also a treat in a way that only technical buffs can understand—there is always so much to learn and explore. Human ingenuity never fails to inspire, and in the process of discovering someone else’s work, we benefit from their wisdom and creativity. Through many years of working on different organs, we can say with absolute certainty that each time is a humbling experience. Repairing these complex instruments requires a labor of love and dedication.

But the same requirement is placed upon the owners of these instruments. It takes love and dedication to commit to the renovation process, one that very often carries a significant price tag and necessitates sacrifices from the entire faith community. It takes vision, determination, and great organizational skills to carry out a project that, let’s face it, is rarely at the top of the list of priorities. These exact traits were evident at Haymount United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where the strong-willed members of the congregation made it possible to breathe new life into a magnificent organ from the now-extinct M. P. Möller organ factory.

The organ at Haymount United Methodist Church was built as Möller’s Opus 11011, completed in late June of 1975. During its nearly fifty years of service to this church, the instrument underwent several planned additions and necessary updates. Among the most significant changes was the installation of an electronic organ control system, which replaced the outdated and cumbersome original electro-pneumatic equipment inside the console. However, this update did not stand the test of time. Rapid advancements in the electronic industry rendered the old system obsolete and incapable of meeting the requirements of modern performance. Additionally, the leather components were reaching the end of their lifespan and began to show signs of trouble, manifesting in dead notes, ciphers, and unresponsive ranks. It became evident that a comprehensive solution was needed—a total renovation and overhaul of the entire organ.

During the planning stages of the renovation, a surprising idea emerged—the addition of a horizontal trumpet. Not just any trumpet, but a high-pressure en chamade trumpet requested by the client, positioned on the opposite side of the church to effectively project its sound through the full volume of the chancel organ. The only logical placement for this feature was at the back of the nave, between the stained-glass windows, necessitating an unusual configuration of the en chamade in two vertical rows. Nonetheless, we welcomed these challenges with enthusiasm.

By the end of 2019, the contract was signed, and we were preparing to commence work sometime in the middle of 2020. However, unforeseen circumstances arose—the pandemic disrupted our plans entirely. Life as we knew it ground to a halt across the United States and beyond. Our workshop was mandated to close for several months as a “non-essential business,” and our suppliers halted the provision of necessary parts due to the same circumstances and shortages. Despite these formidable obstacles, we resolved to press ahead with the renovation, buoyed by the unwavering support of the church in making this decision.

The renovation at Haymount United Methodist Church was truly comprehensive, leaving no detail overlooked. Every aspect of the organ received scrupulous attention, ensuring its restoration to peak performance. Bellows were carefully removed and underwent complete refurbishment at our state-of-the-art workshop. Approximately 2,000 leather pouches in the windchests were replaced with new pneumatics. All pipes underwent cleaning, repair, voicing correction, and precise reinstallation.

The console underwent a thorough transformation in our workshop, being stripped down, refinished, and outfitted with new electronics, drawknobs, pistons, LED lights, and an updated electronic system interface. The existing keyboards, crafted with ivory and ebony, along with the pedalboard, were restored to mint condition. We upgraded the entire switching system from analog to digital, implementing optical sensors for all keyboards and the pedalboard, and transitioning communication between the console and organ chamber to a fiber-optic network.

Reed pipes received meticulous attention, undergoing cleaning of the reeds and shallots, while wooden pipe stoppers were repacked with fresh leather. Existing swell shade motors were re-placed with new electronic operators by Peterson. Alongside numerous repairs, we introduced several new components, including a brand-new adjustable-height bench for the console and a redesigned music rack made from tempered glass.

Two new high-pressure blowers were installed, one for the Trompette de Gabriel (en chamade) and another for the Festival Trumpet. Additionally, we constructed a new Zimbelstern, featuring sixteen bells with adjustable speed.

Crucially, we replaced the existing organ control system with a new one from Matters Inc., which offers an array of features tailored to the organist’s needs, such as record/playback, transpose, MIDI capability, unlimited memory levels, and programmable crescendos. This system is characterized by its robustness, speed, reliability, and ease of installation and future servicing.

Following a period of fine-tuning and adjustments, the organ resumed serving the faith community of Haymount United Methodist Church in June of 2021, embodying a renewed spirit and enhanced capabilities.

The entire team at Lewtak Pipe Organ Builders extends our heartfelt gratitude to the members of Haymount United Methodist Church for their steadfast support and confidence in our craftsmanship. This project has been challenging, but the outcomes are sure to instill pride in the community for years to come.

—Tom Lewtak

www.lewtak.com/

www.haymountumc.com/

Photo credit: Kacper Lewtak

 

M. P. Möller Opus 11011 (1975)

GREAT (Manual II, exposed)

16′ Gemshorn 61 pipes

8′ Principal  61 pipes

8′ Bourdon  61 pipes

8′ Gemshorn (ext 16′) 12 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

2′ Super Octave 61 pipes

Fourniture III–IV 220 pipes

8′ Trompete 61 pipes

8′ Festival Trumpet 61 pipes

8′ Trompette de Gabriel 49 pipes (new, en chamade, 50–61 repeat)

Great Unison Off

Great 4′

Chimes 21 tubes

POSITIV (Manual I, enclosed)

8′ Geigen Principal (TC) 49 pipes (1–12 Gemshorn 8′)

8′ Holzgedeckt 61 pipes

8′ Flauto Celeste (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Spitzflöte 61 pipes

2′ Prinzipal 61 pipes

1-13 Quint 61 pipes

Zimbel III 183 pipes

16′ Dulzian 61 pipes

8′ Krummhorn 61 pipes

Tremolo

8′ Festival Trumpet (Great)

8′ Trompette de Gabriel (Great)

Positiv 16′

Positiv Unison Off

Positiv 4′

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed)

16′ Flûte à cheminée  61 pipes

8′ Flûte à cheminée (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Viole de gambe 61 pipes

8′ Viole celeste 61 pipes

4′ Prestant  61 pipes

4′ Flûte à fuseau 61 pipes

2-23 Nasard 61 pipes

2′ Flûte à bec 61 pipes

1-35 Tierce  61 pipes

Plein Jeu III–IV 220 pipes

16′ Basson  61 pipes

8′ Trompette 61 pipes

8′ Basson (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Voix Humaine 61 pipes

4′ Clairon 61 pipes

Tremolo

8′ Trompette de Gabriel (Great)

Swell 16′

Swell Unison Off

Swell 4′

PEDAL

32′ Violone (digital)

16′ Contrebasse  32 pipes

16′ Subbass  32 pipes

16′ Gemshorn (Great)

16′ Flûte à cheminée (Swell)

8′ Octave (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Gemshorn (Great)

8′ Flûte à cheminée (Swell)

4′ Choralbass 32 pipes

4′ Flûte à cheminée (Swell)

Mixture III 96 pipes

32′ Basson (digital)

16′ Posaune  32 pipes

16′ Basson (Swell)

16′ Dulzian (Positiv)

8′ Trompette (ext 16′) 12 pipes

8′ Trompette de Gabriel (Great)

4′ Basson (Swell)

Inter-divisional couplers

Great to Pedal 8′

Swell to Pedal 8′

Swell to Pedal 4′

Positiv to Pedal 8′

Swell to Great 16′

Swell to Great 8′

Swell to Great 4′

Positiv to Great 16′

Positiv to Great 8′

Positiv to Great 4′

Great to Positiv 8′

Swell to Positiv 16′

Swell to Positiv 8′

Swell to Positiv 4′

Combinations

Great-Positiv Transfer

General pistons 1–10

Divisional pistons 1–5, all manuals and pedal

Set, Cancel, Tutti, Next, Previous, Zimbelstern, Sequencer On/Off

Console

Existing console shell completely restored to mint condition

Existing keyboards with ivory/ebony tops completely restored

Existing pedalboard completely restored

New organ bench with adjustable height

New music rack, tempered glass with laser etched Möller and Lewtak logo

New music rack, coupler rail and pedalboard LED dimmable lights

Swell and Positiv expression shades LED indicators

Mechanical and electrical

Electronic organ control system by Matters Inc. with unlimited memory levels, internal Record/Playback, and MIDI capability

Fiber-optic communication connection between console and organ chamber/en chamade

New high-pressure blower and winding system for the en chamade 8′ Trompette de Gabriel

New high-pressure blower and bellow for the 8′ Festival Trumpet

New custom-built Zimbelstern with 16 bells

New swell expression motors, 8-stage, by Peterson

New power switching system for the entire organ

New internal power supply for Walker Paradox System

Tuning, temperament, wind

Equal temperament

A=440 HZ at 19 degrees Celsius

Thirteen single-rise bellows, various sizes, all completely refurbished or manufactured new

Wind pressure:

Great, Positiv and Pedal at 2.75 inches

Swell at 3 inches

 

55 stops

46 pipe ranks + 2 electronic

2,579 pipes

Cover Feature: Létourneau Opus 136

Orgues Létourneau, St-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada; Market Square Presbyterian Church, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Létourneau Opus 136

From the builder

Market Square Presbyterian Church has long been a landmark in Pennsylvania’s capital city. The congregation was founded in 1794 and has occupied its current sanctuary since 1860. The church today is simultaneously traditional and modern, with worship services that balance thought-provoking sermons and inspiring music. Market Square Church also puts an emphasis on service, with ministries to support homeless and transient persons in downtown Harrisburg, as well as refugees and immigrants. The congregation is actively involved in a variety of social justice endeavors, supports environmental initiatives, provides hospitality to local groups, and offers a broad embrace to the LGBTQ+ community. It has been our experience that all are admirably welcome at Market Square Church.

Our first of many visits to Market Square Church was at the invitation of the church’s new minister of music, the tireless Tyler Canonico. Our broad mandate was to survey the church’s pipe organ and to present options on what could be done.

M. P. Möller’s Opus 11805 of three manuals and 83 ranks was completed in 1991, incorporating much of the church’s previous Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ from 1947 (Opus 1048). The Aeolian-Skinner had been hidden within chambers, but the Möller displayed zinc and spotted metal façade pipes in a case housing its Grand Orgue division across the back of the loft. A new Positif division was divided between two cases on the gallery rail. The organ additionally had two sizable and independently expressive Récit divisions in opposing chambers; both Récits played awkwardly from the upper manual at the console.

During that first visit, we concluded a top-to-bottom reconstruction of the organ was needed. In addition to desirable tonal improvements, the three-manual console was worn beyond redemption, and the instrument’s switching system was obsolete. The crude casework needed to be replaced with something more appropriate, but more pressing, the two organ chambers’ flimsy hardboard walls and ceilings required substantial improvement.

Our subsequent proposal recommended reusing the Möller and Aeolian-Skinner materials where possible as a measure of good stewardship. This included most of the pipework, the electro-pneumatic windchests, and some wind reservoirs. From a tonal perspective, we wanted to consolidate the instrument within the limits of what the windchests could accommodate. While a new Great and part of the Pedal would reside in a central organ case, the Möller’s Récit divisions could be brought together into a proper Swell in the east chamber. A tertiary Choir division would offer complementary colors in the west chamber, and through refashioning one of the Aeolian-Skinner windchests, a new ten-rank String division could reside under the Choir division. A small Positive division would reuse one of the chests previously on the gallery rail but would sit in front of the Choir behind the loft’s west ceiling grille.

The project we proposed was significant but at no time did we get the sense that our far-reaching ideas were unsettling to the organ study committee. The committee seemed ready for a challenge, as did the broader church in later meetings. Indeed, our discussions about renewing the pipe organ grew into a broader review of the church’s sanctuary and its acoustic, as well as the organ loft and the limitations it presented for the choir. Acoustician Dan Clayton soon joined the team, ensuring the acoustic would be improved for music without harming the spoken word. This global project at Market Square Church was spearheaded by David and Gwen Lehman over a two-year period. Their assiduous work resulted in new hardwood flooring for the sanctuary, comfortable new pews, a reconfigured choir loft, and refurbished organ chambers. Throughout the project, the organ study committee’s and the Lehmans’ efforts were supported time and time again by the church’s director of music emerita, Ellen Hunt, and the church’s senior pastor, the Reverend Tom Sweet.

The Möller pipe organ was removed and packed for shipment to our workshops in January 2020 by a team from Létourneau, along with John Carmichael of Patrick J. Murphy & Associates. Once in our workshop, our pipe makers took a complete inventory of the Möller and Aeolian-Skinner pipework, making repairs as necessary. Fellow organbuilder Randall Dyer had also helpfully provided valuable scaling information and related documentation on Opus 11805 from his M. P. Möller archive.

Several stops were rescaled as part of the project, including the Great 8′ Harmonic Flute, the Great five-rank Cornet, the Swell 8′ Viole de gambe, and the Swell 8′ Voix Celeste to better obtain these stops’ characteristic colors. Other ranks were repurposed: a Möller 8′ Flûte céleste rank now serves as the Pedal 51⁄3′ Quint while the 13⁄5′ Tierce from the Möller Positif is now the Pedal 2′ Open Flute with the addition of new bass pipes. Of the new organ’s 83 ranks, some 21 ranks came from Aeolian-Skinner’s Boston workshops and another 46 ranks were made in Hagerstown, with the final 16 ranks having been built in St-Hyacinthe.

The Aeolian-Skinner and Möller electro-pneumatic windchests were restored to like-new condition in our workshops, with new unit chests built as needed. Designed by Claude Demers, the new organ case was built by our cabinetmakers from solid maple with walnut accents. The façade displays tin pipework from the Great 8′ Open Diapason, the Pedal 8′ Principal, and most prominently, the 8′ Trompette en chamade. The pipe shades were designed in a greatly simplified Gothic style and were machined on our CNC machine.

One of the project’s surprises occurred while examining the bass of the Pedal 16′ Contrabass in our woodshop. These twelve pipes were built in pine by Aeolian-Skinner to a lean scale and voiced with large beards. Without an organ built around them, their full length was revealed to show the pipe bodies were not quite true. The pipes had been deliberately built with “bellies,” meaning the middle of the pipe body is fractionally larger than the ends. Seen more frequently in metal string pipes, the theory is the bellied construction encourages prompt speech. This discovery presented an opportunity to document these pipes and how they were constructed.

The new organ—Létourneau’s Opus 136—made its way to Harrisburg in the spring of 2021, with the installation by our team continuing into the summer. The onsite flue voicing was fully underway by September, and the work was painstakingly executed by Samantha Koch and Christopher Bono, with help at various points from Megan Farrell (of Patrick J. Murphy & Associates) and John Johnson. The final phase of the voicing, Opus 136’s twelve ranks of reeds were voiced by Michel Godbout. The voicing process was assisted by a remote keyboard placed in the center of the sanctuary’s third pew. Connected wirelessly to the Solid State Organ Systems’ switching network, the keyboard allowed us to carefully evaluate sounds from another reference point beyond the console, usefully confirming or correcting voicing decisions made from the loft.

Though completed in late October 2021, Opus 136’s first solo concert took place on February 25, 2022, with virtuoso Ken Cowan at the console. In response to works by Widor, Litaize, and Bach—as well as transcriptions of works by Saint-Saëns and Wagner—the capacity crowd’s responses were nothing short of ecstatic. Mr. Cowan also brilliantly introduced a work commissioned for the evening, the Michelangelo Fantasy by Dr. Scott H. Eggert.

— Orgues Létourneau

From the minister of music

Blessed by but not captive to a rich history, Market Square Presbyterian Church continues to serve its congregants and its community through worship and music. The major renovations of our pipe organ and sanctuary reaffirm our congregation’s commitment to the present and future of this church as a beacon of hope on the square.

When I interviewed for the post of minister of music, the Rev. Thomas Sweet told me of the church’s need to launch an organ project. After my arrival in July 2017, I soon found myself presenting to various committees the many failings of the church’s M. P. Möller organ. Co-chaired by Ellen Hunt (minister of music emerita) and me, our organ study committee interviewed several organbuilders, and we concluded that Létourneau was the best company for our project. After working with Létourneau to refine their proposal, the contract for the instrument was unanimously approved by the church’s board of trustees and session in January of 2018.

Létourneau Opus 136 reuses the best of the Aeolian-Skinner and Möller pipework to reorient the organ towards accompanying duties, leading hymn singing, and the performance of solo repertoire. Each stop was reworked and revoiced by Létourneau for remarkably cohesive choruses while assuring each stop’s musicality. On Létourneau’s recommendation, Market Square Church rebuilt the organ chambers with harder, denser surfaces to better reflect sound. Now, the full spectrum from the organ’s expressive divisions is projected into the sanctuary, especially in the bass and middle registers. With the old Positif cases removed from the loft rail, the rail itself was reconstructed to resemble the original from 1860, with minor differences to accommodate acoustical considerations and building codes.

The sanctuary renovation was occasioned by a desire to improve its acoustic for choral singing, hymnody, and the pipe organ while preserving the fine acoustic for the spoken word. This was achieved by installing a hardwood floor, with minimal carpeting in the aisles. The church took advantage of this opportunity to refresh the sanctuary with a new color scheme for the walls and ceiling, new pews with acoustically neutral cushions, and a new sound system.

Market Square Church has, from its earliest days, been located in the heart of Harrisburg, and it serves its members’ needs as well as those of the surrounding community. The church’s music ministry has been integral in this effort as a means of making God, beauty, and our shared humanity accessible to everyone, member or not. Generously underwritten by the Nedra J. Schilling Foundation, the organ project was conceived and approved under this principle as a gift to members and the community at large, now and for the future.

The members of Market Square Church as well as Harrisburg’s broader musical community have been delighted as we continue to explore the capabilities of our Létourneau pipe organ. I remain thankful to all who gave generously—especially during the pandemic—and I am grateful to the amazing team at Létourneau who delivered such an astonishing musical instrument!

—Tyler A. Canonico, Minister of Music

GREAT – Manual II – 95 mm pressure

16′ Violoncello 12 pipes extension of 8′ Violoncello

8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes new, 70% tin

8′ Harmonic Flute 61 pipes Möller and new pipework

8′ Violoncello 61 pipes Möller pipework

8′ Chimney Flute 61 pipes 1–12 Möller, 13–61 Aeolian-Skinner pipework

4′ Principal 61 pipes Möller pipework

4′ Open Flute 61 pipes Möller pipework

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes Möller pipework

2′ Mixture V 305 pipes Möller and new pipework

1′ Sharp Mixture IV 244 pipes Möller and new pipework

8′ Grand Cornet V 220 pipes c13 through g56, rescaled Möller pipework

16′ Double Trumpet 61 pipes 1–12 Möller, 13–61 Aeolian-Skinner pipework

8′ Trumpet 61 pipes Möller pipework

4′ Clarion 61 pipes Möller pipework

Great 16′

Great Unison Off

Great 4′

8′ Trompette en chamade 66 pipes new, 70% tin (140 mm pressure)

Zimbelstern I 6 bells

Zimbelstern II 8 bells

Nachtigal

Chimes from Choir

SWELL (enclosed) – Manual III – 125 mm pressure

8′ Open Diapason 61 pipes Aeolian-Skinner pipework

8′ Flûte traversière 61 pipes Aeolian-Skinner pipework

8′ Viole de gambe 61 pipes rescaled Möller pipework

8′ Voix Celeste 61 pipes rescaled Möller pipework with new bass

8′ Lieblich Gedackt 61 pipes Möller pipework

4′ Principal 61 pipes Aeolian-Skinner pipework

4′ Flûte octaviante 61 pipes Möller pipework

2′ Octavin 61 pipes Möller pipework

2′ Mixture III–V 259 pipes Möller pipework with new

16′ Fagotto 61 pipes 1–24 Aeolian-Skinner, 25–61 Möller pipework

8′ Trumpet 66 pipes new, 56% tin

8′ Oboe 61 pipes Aeolian-Skinner pipework

8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes Aeolian-Skinner pipework

4′ Clarion 78 pipes new, 56% tin

Tremulant

Swell 16′

Swell Unison Off

Swell 4′

16′ Trompette en chamade (TC) from Great

8′ Trompette en chamade from Great

STRING (enclosed) – floating – 285 mm pressure

16′ Contre Viole 61 pipes new, zinc and 56% tin

8′ Viole d’orchestre 61 pipes new, zinc and 56% tin

8′ Viole Celeste 61 pipes new, zinc and 56% tin

8′ Dulciana 61 pipes Aeolian-Skinner pipework

8′ Unda maris 61 pipes Aeolian-Skinner pipework

4′ Viole octaviante 61 pipes new, zinc and 56% tin

4′ Dulcet 61 pipes new, zinc and 56% tin

31⁄5′ Chœur des violes III 183 pipes new, 56% tin

Tremulant

Echo Chimes from Positive

Harp from Choir

CHOIR (enclosed) – Manual I – 110 mm pressure

16′ Bourdon 12 pipes extension of 8′ Bourdon (Möller pipework)

8′ Geigen Diapason 61 pipes Möller pipework

8′ Bourdon 61 pipes Aeolian-Skinner pipework

4′ Gemshorn 61 pipes Möller pipework

2-2⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes Möller pipework

2′ Flageolet 61 pipes Möller pipework

1-3⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes Möller pipework

8′ Clarinet 61 pipes Möller pipework

Tremulant

8′ Tuba 61 pipes Möller pipework (350 mm pressure)

Choir 16′

Choir Unison Off

Choir 4′

8′ Trompette en chamade from Great

Chimes digital Walker Technical Co.

Harp digital Walker Technical Co.

Glockenspiel digital Walker Technical Co.

POSITIVE – Manual IV – 85 mm pressure

8′ Stopped Diapason 61 pipes Möller pipework

4′ Koppelflöte 61 pipes Möller pipework

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes Möller pipework

1-1⁄3′ Larigot 61 pipes Möller pipework

1-1⁄3′ Tierce Mixture V 305 pipes Möller and new pipework

8′ Cremona 61 pipes new, 56% tin

Tremulant

Positive 16′

Positive Unison Off

Positive 4′

16′ Tuba (TC) from Choir

8′ Tuba from Choir

16′ Trompette en chamade (TC) from Great

8′ Trompette en chamade from Great

Echo Chimes digital Walker Technical Co.

Glockenspiel from Choir

PEDAL – 142 mm and 120 mm pressure

32′ Contra Geigen digital Walker Technical Co.

32′ Contra Bourdon digital Walker Technical Co.

16′ Contrabass 32 pipes 1–12 Aeolian-Skinner, 13–32 Möller pipework

16′ Violoncello from Great

16′ Subbass 32 pipes Aeolian-Skinner pipework

16′ Viole d’orchestre from String

16′ Bourdon from Choir

8′ Principal 32 pipes new, 70% tin

8′ Spitzflöte 32 pipes Aeolian-Skinner pipework

8′ Violoncello from Great

8′ Bourdon from Choir

5-1⁄3′ Quint 32 pipes Möller pipework

4′ Choral Bass 32 pipes rescaled Möller pipework

4′ Spitzflöte 12 pipes extension of 8′ Spitzflöte

2′ Open Flute 32 pipes rescaled Möller pipework

2-2⁄3′ Mixture IV 128 pipes Möller pipework

32′ Contra Bombarde digital Walker Technical Co.

32′ Contra Fagotto 12 pipes extension of Swell 16′ Fagotto

16′ Bombarde 32 pipes Aeolian-Skinner pipework (150 mm w.p.)

16′ Fagotto from Swell

8′ Bombarde 12 pipes extension of 16′ Bombarde

4′ Bombarde 12 pipes extension of 8′ Bombarde

8′ Tuba from Choir

8′ Trompette en chamade from Great

Chimes from Choir

Echo Chimes from Positive

Orage Walker Technical Co.

Intermanual Couplers

Great to Pedal Great 4′ to Pedal

Swell to Pedal Swell 4′ to Pedal

Choir to Pedal Choir 4′ to Pedal

Positive to Pedal Positive 4′ to Pedal

String to Pedal String 4′ to Pedal

Swell 16′ to Great Swell to Great Swell 4′ to Great

Choir 16′ to Great Choir to Great Choir 4′ to Great

Positive 16′ to Great Positive to Great Positive 4′ to Great

String 16′ to Great String to Great String 4′ to Great

Swell 16′ to Choir Swell to Choir Swell 4′ to Choir

Positive 16′ to Choir Positive to Choir Positive 4′ to Choir

String 16′ to Choir String to Choir String 4′ to Choir

String 16′ to Swell String to Swell String 4′ to Swell

Positive 16′ to Swell Positive to Swell Positive 4′ to Swell

Choir to Swell

Great to Positive

Swell to Positive

Choir to Positive

String to Positive

Mixture Compositions

Great Mixture V

c1 to b12 15 19 22 26 29

c13 to b24 12 15 19 22 26

c25 to b36 8 12 15 19 22

c37 to g44 1 8 12 15 19

g#44 to c61 1 5 8 12 15

Great Sharp Mixture IV

c1 to b12 22 26 29 33

c13 to a22 19 22 26 29

a#23 to g#33 15 19 22 26

a34 to f42 12 15 19 22

f#43 to d#52 8 12 15 19

e53 to c61 1 8 12 15

Swell Mixture III–IV

c1 to e17 15 19 22

f18 to e29 12 15 19 22

f30 to e41 8 12 15 19 22

f42 to c49 1 8 12 15 19

c#50 to c61 1 5 8 12 15

Positive Tierce Mixture V

c1 to c#14 19 22 24 26 29

d15 to e29 15 19 22 24 26

f30 to g44 12 15 17 19 22

g#44 to d51 8 12 15 17 19

d#52 to c61 1 8 10 12 15

String Choeur des violes III

c1 to c49 10 12 15

c#50 to f54 8 10 12

f#55 to g#57 5 8 10

a58 to c61 3 5 8

Pedal Mixture IV

c1 to g32 19 22 26 29

 

83 total stops, 83 ranks, 4,683 pipes

 

Builder’s website: www.letourneauorgans.com

 

Church’s website: www.marketsquarechurch.org

 

Photo credits:

Cover and page 22: Ollie Silver

Trompette-en-chamade and console: Don Giles

Remaining photos: Orgues Létourneau

Organs, Organbuilders, and Organists in the Holy Land

Gunther Martin Göttsche, translation from German by Valerie E. Hess

Gunther Martin Göttsche is a German composer and organist. After completing master’s degrees in Mannheim and Berlin he worked as organist and choir conductor in Aalen/Württemberg and Braunschweig. From 1992 until 2013 he was director of the Church Music Academy in Schlüchtern, Germany (near Frankfurt). From 2008 until 2013 he also worked as a teacher of organ improvisation at the Hochschule für Kirchenmusik Heidelberg. From 2013 until 2018 he lived in Israel, serving as organist and choir director of the German Lutheran Church in the Old City of Jerusalem. Göttsche is known as a composer, especially in sacred music, and has published numerous works. Visit: www.gunther-goettsche.com.

Organ in Israel

On the shelves in our music room in Sinntal, Hessen State, Germany, there is a very special relic near the grand piano and the house organ: a heavy 30 cm (nearly 12 inches) long, squared timber cut from the trunk of an ancient olive tree that once stood in the lower part of the garden of Gethsemane. When the new, small Golgotha organ for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built in 2016, the keyboards were made from this wood. Not all of the wood was needed, and so Brother Peter, at that time still vice-bursar for the Franciscans, led me a few days after the dedication of the organ to a plastic sack with the sacred wood remnants, and I was allowed to choose the most beautiful piece of wood! The Gethsemane wood traveled with us back to Germany in 2018, reminding me time and again of my five years in the Holy Land and, of course, of the extremely interesting organ world that I was gradually able to get to know.

The fact that there are organs in Israel and Palestine, in the center of the Middle East, astonishes many people. If I then tell them that the number of instruments is about sixty, their astonishment grows even larger. Where are these many organs, and who uses them?

Some people think of Jewish worship first. In fact, since the nineteenth century in Germany and the United States, the synagogues of Reform Judaism have been home to the “synagogue organs.” In Germany, most of them were destroyed in the Reichs-Kristallnacht (November 9–10, 1938); today only a few of them are left. There are around fifty such instruments in the United States. In Israel, however, where Orthodox Judaism prevails, there are no synagogue organs. Rather, the vast majority of organs in the Holy Land are in Christian churches, especially in the Jerusalem and Bethlehem region, but also in the north (Nazareth). However, not all Christian churches have organs. For example, the Eastern Orthodox churches do not have organs because they have unaccompanied musical traditions, such as the magnificent polyphonic male choirs of the Armenian Orthodox Church, which can be heard in Saint James Cathedral in Jerusalem. 

It is mainly the Lutheran, Roman Catholic, and Anglican churches that, as in their homelands or countries of origin, use an organ in worship, and so the organ landscape in Israel and Palestine offers a very interesting variety. Because each church does not want to miss the familiar organ style of its homeland and the instruments are usually imported, the organ scene of the Holy Land is a reflection of the world’s pipe organs from several centuries. We find German, American, French, and Danish organs from more recent times as well as historical organs from France, Austria, and Italy. 

When did organs first come to the Holy Land? The earliest known instrument is only documented from the remaining 221 organ pipes that were found in 1906 during excavations next to Saint Catherine’s Church in Bethlehem. The pipes date back to the fourteenth century, a time when the organ was established as a church instrument in many European countries, but they may be even older. After being exhibited for a long time in the Museum of Biblical Studies at the Church of the Flagellation in Jerusalem, these pipes will soon find a new place in the museum section of Custodia Terrae Sanctae (The Custody in the Holy Land) on the site of the Monastery of Saint Salvatore. Proof for the presence of organs can only be firmly established from the seventeenth century as documents from the archives of the Franciscans’ Custodia Terrae Sanctae list instruments from about 1630 for Saint Salvatore in Jerusalem and 1640 for Bethlehem.

In the first half of the eighteenth century (1724–1744), the German Franciscan P. Elzear Horn wrote his Ichnographiae monumentarum terrae sanctae (Iconographic Monument to the Holy Land), a kind of “atlas” in which he (in Latin) minutely described the Franciscan churches of the Holy Land and their inventory. Among other things, he preserved a wonderful drawing of the organ of Saint Salvatore Church in Jerusalem at that time, obviously an instrument in the Italian style. The meticulous drawing (Figure 1) reveals many details, such as the range of the two manuals (with the so-called “short octave” in the bass typical of the time), the pedal that has only a one octave range, some register names such as “Principals” or “Contrabasso in Pedals” divided into bass and treble registers, and three leather straps on the right side panel to raise the bellows. 

At the beginning of the second half of the eighteenth century, a permanent organbuilding workshop was established in the convent of Saint Salvatore. Delfín Fernandez, OFM, reports in a 2002 essay that two Franciscan organbuilders from Spain came with the order in 1754 to build a new organ for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

But when the work was completed and the organ was to be installed in the choir of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Greek Orthodox strongly opposed the installation.1 In view of this difficult situation, it was decided to set up the organ in the church of St. Salvatore. But given the small size of this church, the instrument had to be downsized and only a part was installed.

In a document from 1793, the organbuilding workshop of the Franciscans was called “Officina sacris exstruendis organis” (workshop for the construction of sacred organs) (Figure 2).

An impressive photograph, published in 1882 in the Palestino-Seraphicum Album by the Custodia Terrae Sanctae, shows the organbuilding workshop toward the end of the nineteenth century. We see a small organ with two registers (or is it a voicing windchest needed in the workshop?). In front of it stands a bearded religious, the director of the Officina Constructorio Organorum, who shows the viewer a large pipe grid. An Arab aide holds something on the right side of the image that could be the bellows lever for pumping the wind. Two Arab apprentices sit in front of the picture, one has a reed pipe in his hands. Also on the windchest of the small instrument are reed pipes.

Of all the organs mentioned so far, apart from the archival documents, there is nothing physically remaining. It was only in the nineteenth century that an instrument was created that we can still see, touch, and hear. It is a small Italian organ from 1847 built by the brothers Agati (Nicomede and Giovanni) of Pistoia (Figure 3). It has nine stops and a small “appended” pedal and belonged to the Franciscan monastery in Tyros, Lebanon. At some point, it was moved to the Christian Information Center at Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate. (The instrument was there in 2001, but may have moved there even earlier.) In June 2014, the organ found a new home in Saint Peter’s Church in the picturesque old town of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, high above the beach of the Mediterranean. 

1847 Agati organ, Saint Peter’s Church, Tel Aviv-Jaffa

8′ Principale Bassi

8′ Principale Soprani

8′ Voce Angelica

4′ Ottava

4′ Flauto a Fuso

2-2⁄3′ Nazardo

2′ Decimaquinta

1-1⁄3′ Decimanona

1′ Flagioletto (or 1⁄2′?)

1′ Vigesimaseconda

Timpani (pedal at far right)

Manual compass (C, D, E, F, G, A–f3) 50 notes, short octave

Pull-down pedal (8 notes from the first octave)

Ripieno lever, adds 4′ Ottave, 2′ Decimaquinta, 11⁄3′ Decimanona, and 1′ Vigesimaseconda. 

 

By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Christian churches, monasteries, and branches of the most important European religious orders were found almost everywhere in the Holy Land. From this time period, a number of extraordinary historical organs are dated, playable to some extent today or preserved only in part. Each has its own story. In 1893, an organ was obtained for the church of Saint John the Baptist, located in the picturesque Jerusalem suburb of Ein Kerem (Figure 4). It had two manuals and 14 stops and was built by Matthäus Mauracher of Austria. The organ remains and, despite numerous shortcomings, was still playable until recently. Currently, it is in storage due to renovation work in the church, and a restoration is planned. 

1893 MatthКus Mauracher organ, Church of Saint John the Baptist, Ein Kerem

MANUAL I (C–f3)

8′ Principal

8′ Gedackt

8′ Gemshorn

4′ Octav

4′ Spitzflöte

2′ Flautino (originally 8′ Gamba)

2-2⁄3′ Mixture

8′ Trompete

MANUAL II (C–f3)

8′ Geigen-Principal

8′ Philomela (open wood flute)

8′ Dolce

4′ Salicet

PEDAL (C-d1)

16′ Subbass

8′ Octav-Bass

Couplers

Manual Coppel

Pedal-Coppel z. I. Manual

Pedal-Coppel z. II. Manual

Piston presets: Fortissimo, Mezzoforte, Piano

“Corno Vi piace” (draws 8′ Philomela, 4′ Spitzflöte, 16′ Subbass)

Mechanical key action

Pneumatic stop action

 

In 1893, the organbuilder François Mader from Marseille, France, built an organ with two manuals and sixteen stops in the Church (Convent of the Sisters of Zion) on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem (Figure 5). Even after a modification by Rieger in 1935, the organ retained its extraordinary French-symphonic character, but today, despite a 1998 overhaul by the Canadian builder, Dubay, Ltd., it is in poor condition and barely playable.

1893 Mader organ, Ecce Homo Church, Jerusalem

GRAND-ORGUE (Manual I, C–g3)

16′ Bourdon

8′ Montre

8′ Flûte harmonique

4′ Prestant

2-2⁄3′ Quinte (originally 8′ Violoncello)

2′ Doublette

Plein jeu

RÉCIT (Manual II, enclosed, C–g3)

8′ Bourdon

8′ Salicional

4′ Flûte à cheminée (originally 8′ Voix humaine)

2′ Quarte de nasard (originally 8′ Voix céleste)

8′ Trompette

8′ Basson-Hautbois

PÉDALE (C–d1)

16′ Soubasse

8′ Basse ouverte

 

Tremulant

Couplers 

Coupler II–I

Coupler I–Pédale

Coupler II–Pédale

Mechanical key and stop action

 

In 1893 the organ firm of Dinse from Berlin, Germany, built an organ with two manuals and eight stops in Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. This was the first organ by a German organbuilder in Palestine. In 2000, the organ was still intact and more or less playable. It was then completely rebuilt by the American organbuilder Roland Rutz of Morristown, Minnesota. Although the beautiful design was kept and some pipes were used again, the character and the entire sound and technical system were rebuilt. Now, the organ has electric action, multiplex windchests, and a MIDI device.

Of the few pipe organs in Tel Aviv, the oldest is the organ built in 1896 by Rieger. Located in the Franciscan Church of Saint Anthony, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, it is still standing, but after various modifications, it is no longer in original condition.

In 1898, the Weigle organbuilding firm from Stuttgart, Germany, constructed a two-manual organ with twelve stops for the German-operated Syrian orphanage in Jerusalem. It was damaged in a fire in 1910 and subsequently rebuilt by the builders. After World War II, the orphanage became part of the State of Israel. The organ was removed at some point, its whereabouts unknown since the 1960s. 

In 1898, the newly built Church of the Redeemer of Jerusalem received an organ from the Berlin company Dinse. It stood at ground level north of the main aisle, where the baptismal font stands today (Figure 6). In 1938 it was rebuilt by Weigle, of Stuttgart, in the style of the Organ Reform Movement (Orgelbewegung). In 1970, when the Schuke organ firm from Berlin installed a new instrument, the organ case and façade were not reused.2

In 1899, a Walcker organ with seven stops was built for the church hall of the German Templars in the Refaim plain just outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. Today this is the street corner that marks the beginning of the “German Colony” in the Jerusalem suburbs. The pretty garden around the church is now wedged between huge hotel buildings. In the small church, which after World War II first fell to the State of Israel and was then passed on to the Armenian community, the sad ruins of the Walcker organ still stand in the gallery (Figure 7). In the aftermath of the war, all usable wood and metal parts were appropriated. The Armenians do not need the organ in worship, but they honor its remains. 

A parallel instrument to the organ in the Ecce Homo Church is the organ built in 1900 by the same organbuilder (F. Mader) for the Church of Saint Peter of Zion, part of the Ratisbonne Abbey in West Jerusalem. It has ten stops and was completely overhauled in 2007. 

Also in 1900, the organ of the Dominican Church of Saint Stephen, which is outside the city wall in the immediate vicinity of the Damascus Gate, was installed. With fourteen stops on two manuals, it was built by Matthäus Mauracher of Austria. Since 2005, the organ has been thoroughly rebuilt and has an electric console from which the modernized pipework is operated on a new windchest. The old Mauracher console is still held in honor and is in the entrance hall of the church.

In 1904, Bevington & Sons of London, England, built a new organ for the Anglican Saint George’s Cathedral in Jerusalem. It was replaced by a new Rieger installation in 1984, but its wonderful façade (including pipes) was moved elsewhere in the church.3

Another English late-Romantic organ from 1904, built by the British organbuilder Thomas Casson, stood until 2001 in Willington, England, and was moved the following year at the instigation of the Israeli organbuilder Gideon Shamir to the church of the Trappist monastery Latrun (near Highway 1, about halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv). It seems unplayable for now, as during my last visit to the church (2017) an electronic organ had been put in front of the Casson console.

Around 1910, the Austrian Hospice Chapel in Jerusalem received an organ from Rieger of Jägerndorf (formerly in Austrian Silesia, now the Czech Republic), with seven stops on one manual and pedal. It is untouched—only the front pipes had to be renewed in 1999 as some were damaged by missiles.4 With its late-Romantic, warm sound, based almost entirely on 8′ registers, it is similar to its “big sister” instrument at Church of the Ascension (Figure 8), the latter being an important organ in the Holy Land.

Also in 1910, an organ by Wilhelm Sauer was erected in the newly built Church of the Ascension of the Augusta-Victoria Foundation, a German hospital complex on the Mount of Olives. With twenty-four stops on two manuals and pedal, including five 16′ registers, it is a perfectly harmonized synthesis of space and sound. It may certainly be considered the most beautiful among the historical organs of Israel, because it is completely preserved to the last pipe. It has never undergone any change apart from the installation of an electric blower and repair work, but remains in the same tonal state and appearance as it did in its year of construction.

This organ, as well as the organ of the Church of the Redeemer, has been looked after and maintained for decades by the organbuilder Rainer Nass (formerly with Schuke, Berlin) and is in very good condition. This is one reason it is regularly used for concerts. 

1910 Wilhelm Sauer organ, Church of the Ascension, Jerusalem

MANUAL I (C–f3)

16′ Bordun

8′ Prinzipal

8′ Gemshorn

8′ Flûte

8′ Gedeckt

4′ Oktave

4′ Rorhflöte

2-2⁄3′ Cornet III–IV

8′ Schalmei

Koppel II–I

MANUAL II (C–f3)

16′ Gedeckt

8′ Principal

8′ Lieblich Gedeckt

8′ Fernflöte

8′ Aeoline

8′ Voix Céleste

4′ Fugara

4′ Flauto dolce

2′ Flautino

PEDAL (C–d1)

16′ Prinzipal

16′ Violon

16′ Subbaß

8′ Oktave

8′ Cello

8′ Gedacktflöte

Koppel II–Ped.

Koppel I–Ped.

Mezzoforte–Forte–Tutti

 

The third instrument built in 1910 is the organ of Saint Salvatore’s Church, Jerusalem. The organbuilder Vegessi-Bossi of Turin, Italy, built a large instrument with forty-four stops in the Italian style. This organ was rebuilt in 1977 by Delfino Taboada. It remained intact until 2008 before being rebuilt by the Rieger organ company. Only the case of 1910 remains. 

This is a summary of how more than a dozen new organs were built in just seventeen years! After this prolific period of organbuilding came the years of the two world wars, the time between them, and the time after that until the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. In all these years with one exception (the YMCA organ, discussed below), no significant new organs were installed in the Holy Land.

In addition, there were some major alterations to Jerusalem organs in the 1930s:

• the reconstruction of the organ in the church of the Latin Patriarchate in 1933 by Gebrüder Späth from Mengen-Ennetach;

• the reconstruction of the organ of the Church of the Redeemer in 1938 by Weigle of Stuttgart;

• the reconstruction of the organ in the Ecce Homo Church in 1935 (see above) by Rieger of Jägerndorf;

• the reconstruction of the Mauracher organ of Saint Stephan (by Rieger?) in 1933. 

The only major organ to be built in this politically troubled time was a concert hall organ. For the YMCA building, one of the most striking buildings in West Jerusalem, in the immediate vicinity of the King David Hotel, the American Austin Organ Company built in 1932 a large instrument with forty-eight stops, the only organ with four manuals ever in Israel! 

Because of the limited space available on the stage of the concert hall, the pipework was distributed to several small chambers adjacent to the hall, creating numerous acoustic problems and tonal issues. Nevertheless, the organ has been heard in many concerts and recordings for Israeli radio over the years. Most of these were played by the Israeli organist Max Lampel (1900–1987), who was also an organ teacher at the Jerusalem Music Academy. The instrument was disassembled in 2000, originally with the aim of rebuilding it elsewhere, but this did not happen for financial reasons. The location of the organ is currently unknown.

In the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the activity of two organbuilders based in the Holy Land made a commendable contribution to the preservation and care of many organs in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Given the limited technical capabilities of their workshops and the tight budgets provided by their clients, the indefatigable activity of these two pioneers of organbuilding cannot be overestimated.

Brother Delfino Fernandez Taboada, OFM, 1924–2002, of Spanish descent, had been the director of the organbuilding workshop of the Franciscans in Jerusalem since the 1950s. In his approximately fifty years of activity for the Custodia Terrae Sanctae, he built, repaired, and restored numerous organs. 

His organ workshop also served as a supply house for organ pipes and other parts that were left over when dismantling other organs, some of which were then reused in other projects. For example, when the organ of the Church of the Redeemer was rebuilt in 1971, the Franciscans purchased from the German community all usable parts of the old organ for 15,000 shekels.5 Br. Delfino Fernandez mostly built electric key and stop actions. Most of the instruments that he built or converted were replaced by new instruments by the end of the century. For example, he had dedicated many years of his life to the organ of the Church of Saint Catherine in Bethlehem, but he had to disassemble it in 2000 to make room for a new organ that he was not selected to build. 

Gideon Shamir (Figure 9), born in 1939, is to date the only Israeli organbuilder. Trained as a pianist and organist, he came to Israel in 1963 and, during a stay with the German organbuilder Walcker, had his first contact with organbuilding. He first worked as a director of a music school, but then in 1977 founded a workshop in which he initially built positiv organs. After a masterclass at the vocational school in Ludwigsburg, Germany, he has devoted himself exclusively since 1990 to organbuilding in his workshop in Asseret (northern Israel).

He has built a number of home and practice organs (including for the conservatories in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv) and carried out numerous repairs, maintenance, rebuilding, and expansions of existing organs. Like the Franciscan organbuilder Br. Delfino, Gideon Shamir repeatedly used parts of older organs for new instruments. His greatest work is the organ with thirty-three stops in the hall of the University of Haifa (Figure 10). He worked on the project for a total of seven years, completing it in 1998, using parts of three different historical organs, namely the Bevington organ of Saint George’s Cathedral, Jerusalem, from 1904, an Italian organ from 1868, and the old organ of the Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem, from 1898/1934. The dedication concert was played by the Russian-Israeli organist, Roman Krasnovsky. Today, recitals on this organ are an integral part of the concert series of the Israel Organ Association and are enthusiastically received by audiences.

The Israel Organ Association, founded in 2003 by Gerard Levi in collaboration with Gideon Shamir, strives to make the organ popular as a concert instrument in Israel. This is primarily done by organizing concerts with international artists, many of whom are not Israeli. Concert attendees come from all over Israel to Jerusalem or Haifa for these events. 

Gerard Levi (1936–2020), an Israeli with French roots, was a retired businessman and organ lover. In addition to his work with the Israel Organ Association, he wrote a book in English in 2005 about all the organs of Israel (Organ Culture in Israel and Palestine; see bibliography at the end of this article) that contains information on and photos of the organs. It is an important source for the organ scene throughout the Holy Land. In addition, the Israel Organ Association operates the website www.organ.org.il, which publishes not only the current concert dates of the association and other organizers, but also provides continual updates to the above-mentioned book by Levi by listing the current status with photos of all the organs in the country. The website is trilingual: English, Russian, and Hebrew. Yuval Rabin (b. 1973 in Haifa) is now musical director of the Israel International Organ Festival.

The construction of the sixteen-stop organ for Bethlehem University by the Alsatian organbuilder Max Roethinger in 1961 (Figure 11) marked the beginning of a new construction period in the Holy Land after years of organbuilding stagnation due to the political situation. This organ shows the style of the Organ Reform Movement, whose return to Baroque ideals at that time shaped almost every new organ, especially in Germany. The Roethinger organ has electric action and includes bright mixtures and mutation stops. The instrument has been preserved unchanged and was cleaned and overhauled in 2014 by the organbuilder Rainer Nass of Berlin. The organist is the music teacher at the university, Sister Patricia Crockford.

1961 Max Roethinger organ, Bethlehem University

GRAND-ORGUE (Manual I, C–g3)

8′ Montre

8′ Bourdon

4′ Prestant

2′ Doublette

Fourniture VI

8′ Cromorne

Coupler II–I

Coupler II–I 4′

RÉCIT (Manual II, enclosed, C–g3)

8′ Principal

8′ Cor de nuit

8′ Voix céleste

4′ Flûte conique

2′ Quarte de nasard

Sesquialtera II

Cymbale III

8′ Trompette

Tremulant

PÉDALE (C–d1)

16′ Soubasse

8′ Principal

Coupler I–Ped.

Coupler II–Ped.

Coupler II–Ped. 4′

Pistons: pp, p, mf, Tutti

Electric key and stop action

 

This was followed by a series of other new instruments, mostly constructed by organbuilders from the respective home countries of the commissioning churches. In 1971, the Berlin organ workshop Karl Schuke GmbH built the new organ for the Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem. It was expanded by three stops in 1984, bringing it to twenty-one stops on two manuals and pedal. Not without reason it is considered one of the best-preserved organs of Israel and is often heard in concerts.

The history of the Church of the Redeemer organ is inextricably linked to the person of its longtime organist Elisabeth Roloff (1937–2008), who played there from 1982 until her death. The organbuilder Rainer Nass of Berlin has been associated with this organ and the German Lutheran community since 1984. He comes to Israel every year to look after the organs of the Church of the Redeemer and the Church of the Ascension. In addition, he has worked on many other organs in the country, such as Immanuel Church in Jaffa (Figure 12), the University of Bethlehem, the Arab-Lutheran Church in Jaffa, and others. On the website of the Israel Organ Association, he has been honored as the “Santa Claus of the Israeli organs.” 

As early as 1960, the Church of the Redeemer received an additional small organ built by the Führer company of Wilhelmshaven, Germany. It has five stops and pedal and was originally in the gallery of Saint John’s Chapel. In 2015, it was moved to the sanctuary of the Church of the Redeemer and made portable, serving now as a choir organ (Figure 13). 

In 1977, Paul Ott built a two-manual organ with seventeen stops for Immanuel Church (formerly German, now managed by the Norwegian Church) in Tel Aviv. Under the direction of the organist Arin Maisky, there is a well-established concert series in which organ concerts are an integral part. Arin is the successor of her father, Valery Maisky (1942–1981), a well-known organist in Israel and Europe.

Continuing in the series of new instruments, a three-manual organ by Oberlinger of Windesheim, Germany, was built in 1980 for the German Benedictine Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion next to the Old City of Jerusalem (Figure 14). This instrument was very often played in concerts, but will now be replaced by a new instrument at some future time. The Oberlinger organ was bought by a Russian investor in 2020 and is to be used as a concert organ in a former Orthodox church near Jekaterinburg, Russia. P. Ralph Greis, who had been active as organist of the Dormition Abbey for a long time, left Jerusalem in 2017; his successor is Brother Simeon Gloger. The Dormition Abbey as well as the Church of the Redeemer and the Church of the Ascension play an important role in the international organ concerts organized regularly by the Israel Organ Association. 

In 1984, the Austrian company Rieger built a new organ with thirty-one registers for the Anglican Saint George’s Cathedral in Jerusalem (Figure 15). The organist is Inna Dudakova.

In 1987, the Concert Hall of the Mormon-built Brigham Young University on the Mount of Olives received a three-manual organ with thirty-nine stops, built by the Danish company Marcussen & Søn (Figure 16). The organ is maintained and heard on weekly tours and in regular concerts. Various American organists carry out yearly residencies here.

In 1994, in the Franciscan church “Emmaus” in Qbeibeh, between Jerusalem and Ramallah, a new organ from Inzoli, Crema (North Italy), was built in the Italian-historical style with six stops and a short pedal (Figure 17).

In 2002, a large concert hall organ with three manuals by Eule of Bautzen, Germany, was built for the campus of the Music Academy in Tel Aviv. Alexander Gorin supervises organ students there.

The aforementioned Austrian company Rieger, which had already built a new main organ (two manuals, thirty-nine registers) in 1982 in the gallery of the rotunda in the Jerusalem Church of the Holy Sepulchre, became the exclusive organ supplier for the churches of the Franciscan Custodia Terrae Sanctae and built a number of organs of outstanding quality in the ensuing decades. In 2002 in the Church of Saint Catherine in Bethlehem, a new organ was built by Rieger that gained notoriety, because during the final phase of the construction fighting took place between Israelis and Palestinians. As a result of fire damage, many of the pipes became unusable, so the organ could not be finished until 2003. The organist is Fr. Jago Soce. 

In 2008 in Saint Salvatore’s Church in Jerusalem, an instrument with forty-four stops on three manuals and pedal was installed by Rieger. It can be played by a mechanical-action main console as well as an additional electric-action console behind the altar. The design of this organ, as well as most of the other organs of the Custodia Terrae Sanctae, was the responsibility of P. Armando Pierucci. Born in 1935, he was the long-time organist of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and of the Church of Saint Salvatore. He is now retired.

2008 Rieger Orgelbau organ, Franciscan Church of Saint Salvatore, Old City, Jerusalem

Grand Organo (Manual I, C–a3)

16′ Bordone

8′ Principale

8′ Flauto armonico

8′ Voce humana

8′ Bordone camino

4′ Ottava

4′ Flauto

2-2⁄3′ Duodecima

2′ Decimaquinta

2′ Ripieno grave IV

1′ Ripieno acuto

16′ Tromba

8′ Tromba

Coupler II–I

Coupler III–I

Positivo (Manual II, C–a3)

8′ Principalino

8′ Bordone

4′ Ottava

4′ Flauto camino

2′ Flauto

1-1⁄3′ Decimanona

1′ Piccolo

2-2⁄3′ Sesquialtera

1′ Cimbalo III–IV

8′ Cromorne

Tremolo

Coupler III–II

Recitativo (Manual III, enclosed, C–a3)

16′ Quintatön

8′ Flauto

8′ Bordone

8′ Viola da Gamba

8′ Viola Celeste

4′ Ottavina

4′ Flauto traverso

2-2⁄3′ Nazardo

2′ Flauto ottava

1-3⁄5′ Terza

2′ Pienino III–IV

16′ Bassone

8′ Tromba

8′ Oboe

4′ Clarino

Tremolo

Pedale (C–f1)

16′ Principale

16′ Subbasso

8′ Ottava

8′ Violoncello

8′ Bordone

4′ Flauto concerto

16′ Bombarda

8′ Trombone

Coupler I–P

Coupler II–P

Coupler III–P

Consoles: main console, mechanical; remote console, electric

Roller crescendo shoe

Rieger Tuning System/Rieger Replay System  

Select accessories: Rieger Combination System (10 users with 1,000 combinations with 3 inserts each); archive for 250 tracks with 250 combinations each; Sequencer; Copy functions; Repeat functions

 

In 2012 in Nazareth, three instruments were installed. Two were in the Church of the Annunciation. In the upper church, a three-manual instrument with forty-nine stops was installed, and in the crypt of the lower church an instrument with sixteen stops. The nearby Church of Saint Joseph received a small organ with ten stops. The organist in Nazareth is Fr. George Lewett, an American.

In 2014 in the Church of All Nations, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, an instrument with two manuals, twelve stops was installed. 

In 2015 in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, there is the new Magdalene organ (two manuals, fifteen stops) near Christ’s grave (the Edicule), which is connected to the main organ and its electric console from the gallery above. The following year, again in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre near the Golgotha Rock (Figure 18), there was installed a very small organ with two manuals and five stops. It is completely enclosed in a cabinet. 

2016 Rieger organ near the Golgotha Rock, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

Manual I (C–d3)

8′ Principale

4′ Ottava

2′ Quintadecima

Manual II (C–d3)

8′ Bordone

4′ Flauto

Koppel

No pedal

 

As a tireless promoter, sponsor, and organizer of the Franciscan organ constructions, Br. Peter Schüler, OFM (now editor-in-chief of the Franciscan magazine In the Land of the Bible located in Munich, Germany) also helped out as an organist at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre when he worked in Jerusalem.

The organs of the Custodia Terrae Sanctae have also been featured in a new series of concerts for several years, namely the “Terra Sancta Organ Festival,” which also takes place in Lebanon, Jordan, Cyprus, and Greece (www.tsorganfestival.org). The festival is a very well organized and widely promoted concert series in which organists from all over the world perform. The artistic director is Fr. Riccardo Ceriani.

Another current organ installation in Israel is in the north, not in a church, but in a concert hall. The Elma Arts Center is a spacious, architecturally interesting hotel and conference center in Zichron Ya’akov. It offers a rich cultural program of events in a concert hall seating 450 people. In 2014, the organbuilder Klais of Bonn, Germany, built an organ with twenty-four stops on two manuals and pedal for this center.

The status of organs in the churches of the Arab Lutheran Churches of the “ELCJHL” (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land) should not go unmentioned. Not all of their churches have pipe organs, but Arab Lutherans also have a tradition of organ-accompanied congregational singing. The organ in the Christmas Church in Bethlehem has already been mentioned. Next to the organ of the Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem, which is also used by the Arab Lutheran congregation that meets there, it is the largest instrument the ELCJHL has. There are also small pipe organs in the Arab-Lutheran churches in Ramallah and Beit Sahour. The ELCJHL also includes the pilgrimage center Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan in Jordan, whose church in 2013 received a large electronic organ by the Content company with three manuals, numerous stops, and a pipe façade. 

Finally, in Israel there are many small organs, including a number of private house organs. The largest, with seventeen stops, belongs to Gerard Levi, former chairman of the Israel Organ Association, and is located in his home in Youvalim in northern Israel (Figure 19). The instrument was built in 1992 by Gideon Shamir and contains a number of pipes from historic organs. In addition, some orchestras, private families, churches, and other associations have house organs, positiv organs, and/or portable chest organs. On the campus of the Tel Aviv Music Academy, there is the above-mentioned concert hall organ as well as a smaller practice instrument with seventeen stops, built by Gideon Shamir in 1996.6 In the Jerusalem music school of the Franciscans, called Magnificat, stands a small, older practice organ by the German company Walcker. 

Thus, all in all, the Holy Land offers a very multifaceted, colorful picture with organs of various stylistic characteristics, different ages, different qualities, and in different states of preservation. It would be worthwhile, though not the subject of this article, to report on the current status of organ playing in Israel. The number of organists is easy to tally. For the approximately sixty instruments, there are (in my estimation) at most thirty organists, of which only about half have a qualified education. Many of the organs mentioned in this article are not played regularly, some only occasionally in concerts, some not at all anymore.

Moreover, it would be desirable for a young organbuilder to settle permanently in Israel in order to continue the commendable work of Gideon Shamir. Enough work would be available! During my five years in Israel, despite my rudimentary organbuilding skills, I was called repeatedly to fix minor problems or to adjust individual registers, and my successor in office, Hartmut Rohmeyer, has as well.

I hope that the network of organs in the Holy Land, across all denominations, in the next few years and decades remains a fascination for all who are involved, whether they listen to the organs, sing with them, play them, or even build or repair them. And in the spirit of Psalm 122 (“Wish Jerusalem happiness”), I join in the Psalmist’s prayer, but expand it to include the entire Holy Land: “May there be peace in your walls!”

Notes

1. Translator’s note: the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is administered by six Christian traditions under rules known as “The Status Quo.” Some carry more weight than others in the decision making process. 

2. Parts of the Weigle organ were incorporated into the newly built organ of the concert hall of the University of Haifa by Gideon Shamir (see Figure 13).

3. In the same manner, parts of the old Bevington organ were reused in Haifa. 

4. When that was is unclear, possibly during the Six Days War of 1967.

5. Translator’s note: approximately $4,200.

6. A similar instrument, also built by Gideon Shamir, standing in the Jerusalem Music Academy, was dismantled there a few years ago. The parts are in Gideon Shamir’s workshop in Asseret; whether it is to be rebuilt in the academy is uncertain. Currently there are no organ students.

Bibliography

Fernandez, Delfín, OFM. “Eine kleine Geschichte der Orgeln im Heiligen Land,” Im Lande des Herrn, Jg. 2002, No. 1.

Jauch, Robert, OFM. “Lauda Sion Salvatorem” (Bericht über die Orgeleinweihung der Rieger-Orgel der Kirche St. Salvator Jerusalem), Im Lande des Herrn, Jg. 2008, No. 2.

Leach, Brenda Lynn. “Organs of Israel,” The American Organist, April 1991, 62–64.

Levi, Gerard. Organ Culture in Israel and Palestine, 2005, published by BookSurge, LLC, ISBN I-4196-1034-1, available at www.amazon.de.

Orgel International, issue 1/2001 with emphasis “Israel.” In it are interviews with Elisabeth Roloff and the Israeli organist Yuval Rabin as well as articles by Oskar Gottlieb Blarr, Achim Seip, and others, besides a detailed description of some organs and an overview of the entire organ inventory of Israel (Gerard Levi).

“Pipework,” The American Organist, February 2015, 26, 28. Report on the new organs in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of All Nations.

Schüler Petrus, “Orgeln in der Grabeskirche,” Im Lande des Herrn, Jg. 2017, No. 1.

Schulten, Klaus. Die Sauerorgel in der Himmelfahrtkirche und andere deutsche Orgeln in Jerusalem, Series Edition Auguste Victoria, Volume 2, Jerusalem, 2010.

 

For detailed, up-to-date information on all organs in Israel, visit the website of the Israel Organ Association, www.organ.org.il.

This article was first published in Jerusalem–Gemeindebrief–Stiftungsjournal 2/2019 (quarterly magazine of the German Lutheran Church in Jerusalem) and is reprinted here with permission.

Photo caption: Shamir organ in the concert hall of the University of Haifa (photo credit: the author)

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