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New Organs

January 19, 2003
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Steven Cook, Edmonds, WA

Our Saviour's Lutheran
Church, Bremerton, WA

From the consultant:

A new, encased mechanical action organ, by builder Steven
Cook, was installed in March of 2000, at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church,
Bremerton, Washington. The organ, located in the rear gallery of the nave, has
21 stops derived from 21 ranks, playable on two manuals and pedal.

The design of the organ posed some unique problems. The
former organ (a small two manual electro-pneumatic Estey) had been enclosed in
an attic chamber over a small choir loft at the front of the church. A more
optimal position for both choir and organ was chosen at the rear of the nave,
where a small balcony for overflow seating existed. The balcony, however, could
not provide sufficient height and space for both organ and choir. The creative
solution was to build the base of the organ on the floor of the nave,
straddling the center aisle and with a tunnel through the middle. The impost of
the organ aligns itself with the floor of the balcony, with tuning access
through doors at the back, accessed from the balcony. The keydesk is located on
one side of the case, raised 18" off the floor, giving clear sight of the
activity in the church. The choir is located on risers in the rear corner on
the same side as the keydesk. 
Visually and aurally the position of organ and choir has resulted in a
major improvement in the projection of sound into the nave.

Steven Cook, a native of Washington State, is a relatively
new organ builder for the Pacific Northwest, opening his shop in 1992. The new
organ for Our Saviour's Lutheran Church is his largest instrument to date, following
seven prior instruments. Mr. Cook, who has spent time working in the organ
shops of John Brombaugh and Paul Fritts, manufactures virtually all component
parts of his organs in his shop in Edmonds, Washington, including all metal
casting and pipe making, casework, keyboards and actions, windchests, and case
carvings. Several members of his family have been among the shop staff.

Metal pipework for principal and flute ranks are made from 28%
tin/lead alloy. Reed pipes are also made by the builder. Casework is made from
fumed white oak.

David Dahl

Organ consultant for the project

  

From the builder:

The organ for Our Saviour's Lutheran Church posed some
interesting challenges. The original plan was for a reversed, detached console.
However, after concerns were raised about the amount of floor space lost to the
organ, I suggested a keydesk on the end of the case. The organist expressed
concerns about being able to see the front of the church over people's heads,
so we elevated the keydesk 18" off the floor. This has proved satisfactory
in all ways. The key action is quite simple: it rises to action squares above
the keys, then fans out to C- and Cs chests.

The church has extremely poor acoustics, owing to the
presence of acoustical paneling on the ceiling and carpet on the floor! After
installing the organ, we were faced with a situation of too much brightness at
the back of the church, and too little presence in the front. Among several solutions
employed was the removal of the case tower tops, to allow sound to reflect off
the ceiling over the organ (the only bay in the ceiling replaced with
sheetrock)  and the lowering of the
wind pressure from 91 to 86 mm.

The organ has seven stops of 8' pitch on the manuals, which
allows for a good range of tonal variation and volume. The pedal stops come
from three ranks, each playing at two pitches. This is accomplished with
mechanical duplexing chests, of a design I have used in three organs. The concept
is the use of a grid bar, rather than a channel, with holes drilled through it
for each stop. The pallet then seals against the individual holes, preventing
feedback to the octave note.

The wind is supplied via a small wedge bellows in the Cs
pedestal. Loading is divided equally between weight and spring tension. It was
deemed difficult to provide mechanical stop action in the space available due
to the transverse C and Cs chests, so I chose to use very simple double acting
pneumatic motors to operate the sliders. These utilize a pouch-type primary.
Default is off, a slight positive pressure inflates the primary and operates
the stop motor the 25 mm needed to shift the slider.

The dedication event was played by David Dahl and Jeanette
Pilgrim on June 11, 2000, and included a program of traditional German and
French music as well as contemporary pieces and hymn singing. For information:
750 Edmonds St., Edmonds, WA 98020; 425/774-0631.

Steven R. Cook

 

GREAT

                  16' style='mso-tab-count:1'>          Stopped
Flute (1-12 from Ped.                                                                      Subbass)

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>             Principal

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>             Stopped
Flute

                  4' style='mso-tab-count:1'>             Octave

                  4' style='mso-tab-count:1'>             Chimney
Flute

                  2' style='mso-tab-count:1'>             Octave

                                    Mixture
III

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>             Trumpet

POSITIVE

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>             Chimney
Flute

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>             Gamba

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>             Celeste

                  4' style='mso-tab-count:1'>             Principal

                  22/3' style='mso-tab-count:1'>      Quint

                  2' style='mso-tab-count:1'>             Block
Flute

                  13/5' style='mso-tab-count:1'>      Tierce

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>             Clarinet

PEDAL

                  16' style='mso-tab-count:1'>          Subbass

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>             Principal
(1-12 from Great)

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>             Stopped
Flute

                  4' style='mso-tab-count:1'>             Octave

                  16' style='mso-tab-count:1'>          Bassoon
(tapered wood resonators)

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>             Bassoon

 

usual couplers and tremulant to whole organ

organ tuned to Kellner temperament

 

Fabry Pipe Organs, Inc., Fox Lake, Illinois, has completed
the final phase of the total rebuild project for the 1951 Möller organ at
the Evangelical United Methodist Church, Racine, Wisconsin: 3 manuals, 37
ranks. The Wadewitz Memorial Organ was re-dedicated on May 7 in a ceremony
featuring music for organ, piano, and the church’s Chancel Choir.
Organist and choir director of the church is Dr. James McKeever. The entire
project took four years to complete. The first phase included solid state
conversion of the console and relay system; second phase was re-leathering the
entire organ; and final phase included tonal additions and changes. Among the
changes was a new trumpet stop named the “Evangelical Trumpet,”
MIDI resource system with sequencer, 99 memory combination action, new manual
keyboards of maple and walnut, maple drawknobs and rocker tablets, maple and
walnut pedal key tops, and wood engraved indicator plates. (Photo by
Photographic Design, Carol Hansen, Racine, WI.)

GREAT

                  16' style='mso-tab-count:1'>         Principal
(new treble end)

                  16' style='mso-tab-count:1'>         Gemshorn

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Diapason

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Hohl
Floete

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Gemshorn

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Bourdon
(Ch)

                  4' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Octave

                  4' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Hohl
Floete

                  22/3' style='mso-tab-count:1'>    Quinte

                  2' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Octave

                  13/5' style='mso-tab-count:1'>    Tierce (used pipes)

                  IV style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Mixture
(new pipes and chest)

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Evangelical
Trumpet (Ch)

                                    Chimes

                                    Gt
16-UO-4

                                    Sw/Gt
16-8-4

                                    Ch/Gt
16-8-4

                                    MIDI

SWELL

                  16' style='mso-tab-count:1'>         Rohr
Bourdon

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Geigen
Diapason

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Chimney
Flute

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Viole
de Gamba

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Viole
Celeste

                  4' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Geigen
Octave

                  4' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Koppel
Flute

                  2' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Koppel
Flute

                  IV style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Plein
Jeu

                  16' style='mso-tab-count:1'>         Contra
Fagotto

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Trumpet

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Oboe

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Vox
Humana

                  4' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Clarion

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Evangelical
Trumpet (Ch)

                                    Sw
16-UO-4

                                    Ch/Sw
8-4

                                    MIDI

CHOIR

                  16' style='mso-tab-count:1'>         Bourdon
(new treble end)

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Principal

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Concert
Flute

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Bourdon

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Erzahler

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Erzahler
Celeste

                  4' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Octave
(new pipes & chest)

                  4' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Nachthorn

                  4' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Erzahler

                  22/3' style='mso-tab-count:1'>    Nazard

                  2' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Octave
(new pipes & chest)

                  2' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Nachthorn

                  13/5' style='mso-tab-count:1'>    Tierce

                  11/3' style='mso-tab-count:1'>    Larigot (new pipes &
chest)

                  IV style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Cymbal
(13-73 from Gt)

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Clarinet

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Evangelical
Trumpet (new)

                                    Sw/Ch
16-8-4

                                    Ch
16-UO-4

                                    MIDI

PEDAL

                  32' style='mso-tab-count:1'>         Untersatz
(new, digital)

                  16' style='mso-tab-count:1'>         Diapason

                  16' style='mso-tab-count:1'>         Bourdon
(Ch)

                  16' style='mso-tab-count:1'>         Gemshorn
(Gt)

                  16' style='mso-tab-count:1'>         Rohrbourdon
(Sw)

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Octave

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Bourdon
(Ch)

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Gemshorn
(Gt)

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Rohrbourdon
(Sw)

                  4' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Octave

                  4' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Rohrbourdon
(Sw)

                  III style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Mixture
(wired)

                  32' style='mso-tab-count:1'>         Contra
Fagot (new, digital)

                  32' style='mso-tab-count:1'>         Grand
Cornet VII

                  16' style='mso-tab-count:1'>         Double
Trumpet

                  16' style='mso-tab-count:1'>         Fagot
(Sw)

                  8' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Evangelical
Trumpet (Ch)

                  4' style='mso-tab-count:1'>            Evangelical
Trumpet (Ch)

                                    Gt/Ped
8-4

                                    Sw/Ped
8-4

                                    Ch/Ped
8-4

                                    MIDI

 

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