Reuter Organ Company, Lawrence, Kansas
Trinity United Methodist Church, Wilmette, Illinois
GREAT
16' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Violone
8' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Principal
8' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bourdon
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Harmonic
Flute
8' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Violone
4' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Octave
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Spill
Flute
4' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Violone
22⁄3' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Twelfth
2' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Octave
IV style='mso-tab-count:1'> Fourniture
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Double
Trumpet
8' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trumpet
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Tuba
(Ch)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Clarinet
(Ch)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Fagotto
(Ch)
4' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trumpet
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trompette
en Chamade
MIDI
Harp*
Chimes*
SWELL
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Chimney
Flute
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Geigen
Principal
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Chimney
Flute
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Viole
de Gambe
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Viole
Celeste
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Spitz
Flute
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Flute
Celeste
4' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Principal
4' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Hohlflute
22⁄3' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Nazard
2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Block
Flute
13⁄5' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Tierce
IV-V style='mso-tab-count:1'> Plein Jeu
16' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bombarde
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Oboe
Bassoon
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Harmonic
Trompette
8' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Oboe
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Vox
Humana
4' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Clarion
MIDI
Tremulant
CHOIR
8' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Diapason
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Stopped
Flute
8' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Gemshorn
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Gemshorn
Celeste
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Spitz
Flute (Sw)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Flute
Celeste (Sw)
4' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Principal
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Harmonic
Flute
2' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Principal
2' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Recorder
11⁄3' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Larigot
III style='mso-tab-count:1'> Mixture
III
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Dolce
Cornet
16' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Fagotto
8' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Tuba
8' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Fagotto
8' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Clarinet
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> English
Horn
16' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Tuba
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trompette
en Chamade (Gt)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trompette
en Chamade (Gt)
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trompette
en Chamade (Gt)
MIDI
Harp
(Gt)
Chimes
(Gt)
Tremulant
PEDAL
32' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Diapason*
32' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bourdon*
16' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Principal
16' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Subbass
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Violone
(Gt)
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Chimney
Flute (Sw)
8' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Principal
8' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Subbass
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Violone
(Gt)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Chimney
Flute (Sw)
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Choral
Bass
4' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Nachthorn
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Violone
(Gt)
IV style='mso-tab-count:1'> Mixture
32' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bombarde*
32' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Waldhorn*
16' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bombarde
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Double
Trumpet (Gt)
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bombarde
(Sw)
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Oboe
Bassoon (Sw)
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Fagotto
(Ch)
8' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bombarde
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trumpet
(Gt)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Tuba
(Ch)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Oboe
(Sw)
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trumpet
(Gt)
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Fagotto
(Ch)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trompette
en Chamade (Gt)
Chimes
(Gt)
MIDI
*Digital
Full couplers
Harp, chimes, and 32' stops are digital
Tuba and Trompette en Chamade are not affected by couplers
Celestes are 56 pipes
49 stops, 63 ranks
From the church
Trinity United Methodist Church was organized in 1874. The
English, neo-Gothic church building, the third on the site, was finished in 1930. Soaring limestone arches, slate floors, a vaulted wood and plaster ceiling, and high three-lancet stained glass windows by Henry Lee Willet characterize the sanctuary. Furnishings include a deeply carved reredos and altar in dark-stained white oak.
The original Kimball organ was placed within two side
chambers that had limited tonal openings to the chancel area, thus reducing the
effectiveness of the instrument. A redesign of the Kimball organ was attempted
in the early seventies, but the reworking could not overcome the limitation of
the console placement and the architecture. By the mid-1990s, half of the organ
was not functioning, and it was incapable of providing support for the Chancel
Choir. If our pipe organ were to serve us at the same level of musical
excellence as our choir, a completely new organ would be required.
Naturally, there were concerns about the space and budget.
We were especially blessed when news came that the purchase and installation of
a new organ would be funded through a kind and generous gift by a member of the
congregation. The organ committee--made up of members of the congregation, the
minister, choirmaster and the organist--meticulously went about its work in
choosing a builder. We were looking for an instrument with a variety of colors
and sounds, one that would lend itself to literature from Baroque through the
20th century. Our concern was primarily for its role in church services--to
accompany the choirs, lead hymns, and play the service music. In doing these
things well, the organ enhances the overall worship experience at Trinity. We
also knew that a carefully designed organ could serve us well both in worship
and as a recital instrument. We wanted an instrument that provided a warm tone,
yet one which could produce brilliance. We sought an instrument that could
provide dynamic contrast from very soft to very loud as evenly as possible.
After an extensive selection process, including visits to
many churches, the organ committee elected The Reuter Organ Company of Lawrence,
Kansas. We heard their work in different venues and knew they could create the
sound we wanted for Trinity. Between the first of July, when Reuter was
selected, and October 15, 2000, when the contracts were signed, preliminary
plans were drawn up and cost estimates collected. In addition to setting
parameters for a budget, decisions needed to be made about possible
architectural considerations. The new design included enlarging the original
tonal openings and creating an additional opening to the side of the chamber
that now houses the Great. The organ was designed by Christmas. The
architectural changes, managed by the Studios of Potente, began on Ash
Wednesday, 2001. Installation of the instrument began in September and the
congregation heard the instrument in worship for the first time on December 2,
2001--seventeen months after selecting the manufacturer, thirteen months after
signing a contract!
The gracious donor of this instrument intends for our new
organ to "make a joyful noise unto the Lord." Her joy is that this
instrument will, in her words, "complement the beautiful music that
contributes to worship at Trinity each week." We know this organ will
contribute in special ways to our services, and the larger community, for many
years to come.
Robert Atkins, Senior Pastor
Robert Harris, Choirmaster
Elaine Berkenstock, Organist
Trinity United Methodist Church, Wilmette, Illinois
From the consultant
As consultants to a congregation and committee in the design
and selection of a new organ, it is not our duty to "choose" an organ
for them, or even "direct" them to a particular selection or
solution. Our duties do, however, include helping the committee and
congregation assess and understand their unique musical goals and requirements.
Further, we must facilitate the committee's understanding of the widest
possible number of options, and assist them in a process of determining which
option will best meet their needs.
To that end, it was our challenge and delight to work with
the committees and staff of Trinity United Methodist Church in this process.
The challenges included creating organ placement, design and layout
possibilities that both honored the existing architecture, chancel design,
furnishings, and traditional worship style of the congregation while at the
same time achieving significant and necessary acoustical improvements, finding
functional seating arrangements for the growing choirs, and finding space for a
large instrument with a great variety and scope of musical color. The delight
was working with the creative, talented and energetic staff, committee,
congregation, and their noted architects.
Our work together included developing numerous chancel
layout plans, flexible choir riser seating designs, and devising organ chamber
tone-opening enlargements and cantilevered case design concepts, as well as
extensive traveling with the committee to hear and see a large number of organ
installations. After visiting numerous instruments of various builders across
the country, the committee chose the Reuter Organ Company. We are glad for the
committee's selection, for we have found the Reuter Company's expertise to be
most helpful, accommodating, and artistic throughout the design, planning,
installation, and voicing processes.
We are honored to have had the opportunity to work for and
with this congregation, and we especially thank organist Elaine Berkenstock,
choir director Robert Harris, minister Rev. Bob Atkins, committee chair Keith
Reed, as well as Messrs. Albert & JR Neutel, Philip Swartz, and Campbell
McNeal of the Reuter Organ Company, and Mr. Gene Potente of the Studios of
Potente Architects for their kindness and dedication to excellence in sacred
music and sound.
Scott R. Riedel, president
Scott R. Riedel & Associates Ltd., Organ and Acoustical
Consultants
From the organ builder
This new organ at Trinity United Methodist Church in
Wilmette is important to Reuter for a number of reasons. This instrument is the
first major organ to leave our new shop, a very exciting milestone for Reuter
as we seek to expand our reach across the United States and abroad. Second,
Reuter is delighted to have a new instrument in the Chicago metropolitan area,
complementing our recent work in Seattle and Philadelphia. This organ in
Wilmette sets the stage for other large instruments coming from Lawrence in
2002. Next we rebuild, redesign, and enlarge the Reuter organ at the Cathedral
Church of St. John in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After that project, we do the
same for the Aeolian-Skinner organ for the First Presbyterian Church of
Lincoln, Nebraska.
The Reuter opus 2207 in Wilmette is designed to meet the
demands of a well-educated congregation and a highly skilled music staff. As
one would expect, hymn singing is of primary importance for this Methodist
church. Because of this, bold principal choruses are provided in each division.
The Methodist service almost always requires a palette of soft sounds. The size
of this instrument affords the opportunity for great subtlety and nuance from a
variety of colorful flute stops. A lush set of strings is useful in the
literature and in services, and the Swell delivers with a full-bodied Viole de
Gambe and Celeste. Chorus reeds add bite and presence to the plenum. The solo
stops are colorful and powerful, led by the Choir Tuba--capable of great
majesty with the box open and a gentle roar when closed, with many shades in
between. A Trompette en Chamade mounted in the rear balcony announces important
entrances and crowns the full organ in a blaze of glory. Having been without a proper organ for choral accompaniment for so long, the church is particularly keen on the dynamic and tonal range the Choir division offers.
There were some challenges in design elements related to
this organ project. The divided chancel always presents special musical
problems to organ builders. While visually appealing and liturgically useful
with certain kinds of music, this split between the organ's divisions can be
especially difficult to overcome. When the organ builder deals with a space
like this, he plans the instrument in such a way that sound can bloom in the
expanse of the larger room. He does this just as the choral conductor knows his
singers' voices will intermingle in the nave in a different way than in the
choir stalls of the chancel. With Trinity's willingness to create an extra tone
opening, much of our concern for hymn singing was alleviated. This extra
opening helps the Great division speak almost directly down the axis of the
church. Other concerns about getting the sound out from the chambers were
addressed by wind pressure, careful scaling and experienced voicing.
In addition to musical and tonal decisions, the committee
had to agree on a visual idea for the instrument. It was in Reuter's design
proposal where a partnership was achieved between the client and the builder, a
union resulting in the craftsmanship displayed throughout this instrument. The
console shell is rendered in oak with a repeating Gothic arch to match the
case. The interior is of walnut. The keys are of basswood with bone covering
for the naturals and rosewood sharps. Skinner-style keycheeks of walnut
complete the keyboards. The oak cases on either side of the chancel mirror each
other and are designed to complement the building, picking up architectural
details from the exquisite antique woodwork. The cases contain speaking
façade pipes of polished zinc from the 16' Pedal Principal, 16' Great
Violone, 8' Great Principal, and 8' Great Harmonic Flute. A substantial amount
of the casework and other woodwork in the organ was cut on Reuter's CNC router.
This application is quickly becoming more and more useful in many phases of
organ design and construction. This is just one way Reuter's new shop is
becoming more effective and productive.
Reuter looks forward to sponsoring David Higgs in a
dedication recital of Reuter opus 2207 on February 19, 2002 at 7:30 in the
evening. This event will be our first time to officially share the organ with
the public. It is our hope others are as excited and pleased with this musical
addition to the Chicago area as the many kind folks in the congregation seem to
be. We thank everyone at Trinity United Methodist Church for the opportunity to
create an enduring, breathing, dynamic work of art.
Soli Deo Gloria
The Reuter Organ Company
Photo credit, Jeff Meacham
Patrick Murphy & Associates, Inc
style='font-weight:normal'>., Stowe, Pennsylvania, has built a new organ for
Falkner Swamp Re-formed Church of Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania. When the
church's organ committee decided to replace their 1920s Tellers organ, they
sought a more flexible specification than the previous ten ranks, and one that
could still be housed in the existing space. The result is a flexible unit
design that draws its resources from 14 ranks including a three-rank Mixture
and a full-lenth 16' Contra Trumpet. The instrument is enclosed in a case
restored from one of the church's earlier instruments, a 19th-century Krauss.
Using the shell of the existing console, the relays, switching and combination
action were replaced with the Matters solid-state system. Provisions were
included at the console for MIDI interface, transposer, and record/playback
capabilities. New electric action windchests were constructed in the Murphy
shop to fit the existing case. The new organ can play a broad range of the organ
literature as well as accompany a variety of musical styles. All stops are
enclosed unless otherwise specified.
GREAT
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Pommer
(TC) (E)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Principal
(A, 45-61 from B)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Stopped
Flute (G)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Spitzflute
(F)
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Octave
(B)
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bourdon
(G)
22⁄3' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Nazard (H)
2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Fifteenth
(B)
2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Spitzflute
(F)
13⁄5' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Tierce (I)
III
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Mixture
(D)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trumpet
(L)
Chimes
SWELL
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bourdon
(E)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Viola
(J)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Viola
Celeste (K)
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Principal
(B)
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Spitzflute
(F)
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Viola
(J)
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Viola
Celeste (K)
2'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Principal
(B)
11⁄3' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Larigot (H)
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Contra
Trumpet (L)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trumpet
(L)
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Clarion
(L)
Tremolo
PEDAL
32'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Resultant
(E & G)
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bourdon
(E)
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Lieblich
Gedackt (E, soft attachment)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Octave
(A)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bourdon
(E)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Viola
(J)
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Choralbass
(A)
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Contra
Trumpet (L)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trumpet
(L)
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Clarion
(L)
Analysis
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Principal
(A, 44, unenclosed)
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Octave
(B, 61, unenclosed)
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Principal
(C, 73)
III
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Mixture
(D, 183)
16'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Bourdon
(E, 97)
4'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Spitzflute
(F, 61)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Stopped
Flute, gg (G, 66)
22⁄3' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Nazard (H, 73)
13⁄5'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Tierce (I, 37,
c13-c49)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Viola
(J, 73)
8'
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Viola
Celeste (K, 61)
16' style='mso-tab-count:1'> Trumpet (L, 85)
