Cover feature
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St. John's Chapel (Episcopal)
Groton School
Groton, Massachusetts
Aeolian-Skinner 1935 (revised 1944, 1945, 1947, 1950,
1954, 1962, 1968)
Kinzey-Angerstein, 1975, 1976 (revoicing)
Nicholas-Bradford, 1986, 1990 (mechanical revisions,
Processional)
David A. J. Broome, 1991-1993 (renovation of reeds)
Nelson Barden Assoc. 1991-1993 (mechanical
rebuilding)
Foley-Baker, Inc./Jonathan Ambrosino & Jeff Weiler
2002-2003 (mechanical renovation/tonal work)
Organ people know about passion for their craft and
instrument; most acquire it at an early age. In my case, the fever was for
Skinner and Aeolian-Skinner, and it began in 1977 upon joining the Choir of Men
and Boys at St. Paul's Cathedral, Boston, under the direction of Thomas Murray.
In that 1820 Greek temple we sang to a then-new Andover in the chancel (reusing
many old Hook pipes) and a 96-rank Aeolian-Skinner in the gallery, completed in
early 1953, designed by Boston legend George Faxon, Groton School and
journalism star Edward B. Gammons, and the famous G. Donald Harrison. The
Aeolian-Skinner was selectably lovable; it had neither the charisma nor charm
of the Aeolian-Skinners at nearby Church of the Advent (with its golden
acoustics) or Trinity Church, which Mr. Murray, Frederick MacArthur and other
local musicians deployed to such silken effect accompanying Sunday evening
oratorios.
History's importance was furthered by "Mister
Murray" (as we boys squeakily called him back then), who in those years
was thick into his Hook documentary recordings, tracing the firm's work
from 1827 to 1875. I recall one summer at choir camp, a group of gentlemen and
boys huddled around a cassette player listening to rough edits from the 1875
Hook & Hastings organ at Boston's Holy Cross Cathedral: the Choir
organ alone sounded like a commanding Great division. That same summer,
returning from church one afternoon with Mr. Murray in his green Plymouth
Duster, he narrated a history of Ernest M. Skinner, G. Donald Harrison, and the
Skinner and Aeolian-Skinner companies. A few years later, upon the death of
William King Covell, Mr. Murray was given temporary possession of Mr.
Covell's library, and in the process photocopied all of Covell's
correspondence with G. Donald Harrison, including a copy for me. I was 16 at
the time, a full decade before many of these illuminating words were published
by Charles Callahan in his helpful book The American Classic Organ: A
History in Letters.
Thus for more than two decades now, the words of those who
built, discussed and theorized these instruments have echoed in my ears
alongside the sound of the untouched instruments themselves. This background in
the land of Skinner and Aeolian-Skinner becomes cardinal home turf when
considering a project such as Groton.
Op. 936 in St. John's Chapel at Groton School is the
Holy Grail of Aeolian-Skinner organs. Completed in November 1935, it was G.
Donald Harrison's prototype of an American Classic organ before the term
"American Classic" even existed. In one burst the instrument contains
all the key features that would characterize Harrison's mature style: an
unenclosed Choir organ, here called "Positif;" a 14-register
independent Pedal with two mixtures; a Great culminating in three mixtures,
self-consciously omitting reeds; lower wind pressures than had been used in the
20th century; and a crusade against extension, with a single extended stop and
only two borrowed ones. The instrument's statement was as much political
as musical. Even as he worked toward a 'Baroque' ideal, Harrison skillfully
clothed progress in a comfort sufficient for the old guard. However plentiful
the mixtures, none was acute in pitch. Pretty strings continued to abound,
though broader than their immediate Skinner predecessors. Manual chorus reeds,
even with Cavaillé-Coll-type shallots, recalled early Father
Willis in a gentler format. Harrison's desire for texture ahead of power
produced a mild organ--revolutionarily so--in which every stop and
coupler could be drawn to pleasing effect, and certainly not a shrill one.
"Had the organ been over-brilliant," he wrote, "it would have
done the cause more harm than good."
The pipes themselves speak of sophistication.
Aeolian-Skinner's first tin stops are found in the Positif flute family.
In the Great chorus Harrison introduced an octave larger than its corresponding
unison--not to make the octave louder, but broader and thus better
blending. Mixtures were likewise built with wider trebles, for a full, not
shrill tone. While the Great Principals are constructed as one might expect
(full scale, spotted metal, wide mouths, low cut-ups), the lesser Diapason has
a narrow mouth, while the Octave has both a narrow mouth and a slight taper.
The Sub Principal has a foot in all camps, with scaling related to the
Diapason, but with the slight taper of the Octave and a wide mouth like the
Principals. Perhaps most astonishingly for 1935, all principals were cone-tuned
from 2-foot C, which would alone account for the several-month period of
on-site tonal finishing.
The instrument's excellence was immediately evident;
its success, and that of Boston's Church of the Advent (completed five
months later), propelled Harrison ever further. In correspondence, Harrison
always acknowledged Groton as his starting point. Even after another fifteen
years, and more "advanced" instruments, he wrote Ralph Downes in
the early 1950s with the scales of the Groton Great chorus, saying that many
had claimed it to be the finest in the country.
From the historian's viewpoint, however, Groton poses
an unusual challenge: unlike most historically significant organs, it was not
regarded as a fixed statement. At the behest of organist Edward B. Gammons, who
came to the school in 1941, the organ was viewed almost as a laboratory: a
tableau whose core was not to be tinkered with, but whose details might be
periodically adjusted or exchanged. By 1944 Harrison's ideas had evolved
to encompass thin "Baroque" reeds, Great flute choruses to relate
to the Positif for trio work, and a different approach altogether to Positif
sections. Harrison wrote to Gammons, suggesting changes that would increase
flexibility and color without really affecting the organ's nucleus. By
1954, most of these had been carried out; also, the console had been relocated
from its nook beneath the organ to an area behind the pulpit. After
Harrison's death, Gammons had a few further changes made.
In 1975 Dan Hathaway succeeded Mr. Gammons as organist. At
his direction considerable revoicing of the Great and Positif was carried out
by Kinzey-Angerstein, along with loudening of other divisions. The connection
of firm to instrument was strong. Allen Kinzey had worked at Aeolian-Skinner
from 1954 until the firm's 1972 closing; Dan Angerstein joined much
later, and has forged a significant career as voicer, tonal finisher and
organbuilder.
With the arrival of the present organist Craig Smith in
1978, emphasis shifted from tonal alterations to the organ's mechanical
well-being. The largest program of renovation came in the mid-1980s, again
undertaken by Allen Kinzey; along with releathering, concerns for service
access led to fitting schwimmers to the Swell and Choir, replacement of one
pitman windchest with an all-electric equivalent, console electrification, and
solid-state switching and combination action. A new five-stop Processional
division was also installed. Restorative work was carried out during the 1990s
by Nelson Barden Associates of Boston, known for restoration work at
Boston's Church of the Advent.
Following exterior masonry cleaning and roof work in the
summer of 2000, the prospect of interior masonry cleaning in the summer of 2002
presented a rare opportunity. With chapel life already compromised by building
closure, a final program of organ work could be carried without undue
disruption. The scope of work evolved to include outstanding mechanical
details, upgrades, reinstating traditional wind to the Choir, removal, cleaning
and overhaul of all the flue pipes, and finally, remedial voicing and tonal
finishing. The vendors for this project were chosen at the outset in a
collaborative arrangement. Foley-Baker of Tolland, Connecticut executed all
removal, reinstallation, mechanical inspection and rebuilding. After acting in
an initial advisory role, I took charge of the pipe cleaning and remedial
voicing in my usual collaboration with the voicer Jeff Weiler. As he had been
since his arrival at Groton, organist Craig Smith was instrumental in securing
the instrument's visibility and requirements in the context of a larger
project.
Pipework reconditioning was purposefully conservative. Most
of the cone-tuned pipes had been later hand-trimmed and fitted with tuning
sleeves. The pipes were not built with proper reinforcement for cone tuning,
and some had been damaged as a result. In the interests of preventing further
harm, the top of every pipe was machine-trimmed and fitted with a new tuning
sleeve (archiving the originals). Metal flue pipes were cleaned with a mild
detergent. The radically altered Swell Gedeckt was restored to its original
condition, reopening nicks and plugging bored stoppers. Capped metal flutes
were cleaned, and much of the gorgeous Aeolian-Skinner maroon felt was
re-used--excess felt sections from the larger caps were in superb
condition, available for re-use on smaller caps. Wood pipes were not treated
with additional coats of shellac, as has been common restoration practice in
recent years, but instead cleaned and waxed in accord with conservation
principles. Foley-Baker took charge of cleaning and waxing all the zinc pipes;
they too were conservatively cleaned, not refinished, and the original tuning
scrolls were retained. While in our shop, pipes were thoroughly documented.
However, none was placed on the voicing machine. We wanted our evaluation and
decisions to be exclusively site-guided.
Many factors converged to make this effort different from
normal tonal work. There is first the strange sensation of working on an icon:
this is one of the best-known of all American organs and has been revered at
most every stage of its existence. Having managed Nelson Barden's
restoration business in the late 1980s, I knew the Groton organ from service
work. Revisiting the instrument for the first consultation in 2000 renewed my
conviction that the tone had strayed beyond Harrison's intentions--that
he would not have recognized much of the organ he considered among his two or
three best. Increasing and repeated exposure to other significant 1930s
Aeolian-Skinners (particularly Trinity Church, New Haven; St. Mark's,
Philadelphia; and Columbia University in New York) left a strong desire to
recapture, insofar as possible, an organ Harrison himself might recognize.
Given the remarkable lack of understanding Harrison's work has been
subject to in recent years, here was a rare opportunity in a context perhaps more
deserving than any other.
On the other hand, the organ's
"laboratory" aspect means that different rules apply where
historical status is concerned. This is not an instrument that can, or perhaps
even should, be returned to its 1935 state--its very creator sought and
accomplished changes that form an important aspect of its historical voice.
Moreover, it has never been an unsuccessful instrument. Though housed in a
tall, narrow and deep chamber, the organ transcends its location. The acoustics
are excellent. In addition to a graceful reverberation period, tone is
reinforced across a wide range with admirable evenness. Extreme treble is not
particularly reinforced or reverberated, however, greatly promoting clarity (a
feature Harrison would have prized). In its altered condition, the organ was
still unquestionably handsome, noble and effective, an instrument Craig Smith
had come to know and love for a quarter-century.
The common point of departure came in wanting to rectify the
poor speech of many pipes. Either they chiffed in a manner Harrison would have
sanctioned only in the occasional stopped flute, or they had been loudened
(though not actually revoiced) beyond the point of comfortable attack or tone.
Some pipes, including those of the Great and Positif choruses, had been
radically revoiced. By developing mutually agreeable guidelines for what was
and was not acceptable in speech, tone and effect, and then taking cues from
how the pipes themselves responded to various treatments, an ethic
evolved--uncertain at the outset, but soon gaining clarity as the process
moved forward.
When considered from the standpoint of speech, most stops
had only two logical remedies: further revoicing (cutting up) to stabilize
speech at the louder volume, or softening back into a range of acceptable
speech. All agreed that further modification was unacceptable, so softening was
judiciously attempted. In so doing, it was revealed the extent to which some of
the organ's voicing remained in original condition (a happy discovery we had
first glimpsed in the initial survey, and further observed during the
cleaning). Rather than seeming softer per se, the tone gained fullness as the
pipes returned to greater efficiency.
It was with real relief that Craig Smith gave us increasing
encouragement in this uncertain process. For example, after smoothing out the
Great Rohrbordun in its existing condition, Mr. Smith questioned the
appropriateness of its tone and speech. After setting samples for study and
approval, conservative revoicing, as far as possible along the lines of the
original, yielded tones and balances both pleasing and believable. The same
pattern occurred with the Blockflöte, and then onward through other
changed stops.
From there, the work unfolded in an unorthodox order. After façade
pipes, most site voicing begins with the Great 8-foot Principal, to which the
rest of the organ can be logically referenced. In this instance, we began with
the 'unchanged' (i.e., merely loudened) material: the Great
Diapason and Octave; the entire Swell, Choir and Pedal; and portions of the
Positif. With these stops complete--and the benefit of a Christmas break
for perspective--many clues had surfaced about how the revoiced stops
might best be resolved, not necessarily in an "original" manner
(not an option, given what had happened to some of the pipes) but in a
"plausible" one. In general, our feeling was that we should leave
matters as close as we could conjecture (based on research) to the
organ's state in 1954, when Harrison last knew it. Equipped with both
documentary and practical evidence, we returned to complete the Great at
job's end. The original 21-rank chorus (16-8-8-6-4-4-3-3-2-1-IV-IV-III)
comprised a statement of the highest intellectual and musical purpose from any
era. William King Covell wrote of it:
The chorus of the Great is one of real distinction. So
complete is it that reeds are dispensed with, being considered not only
unnecessary but actually undesirable. It consists of two choruses, one within
the other. The principals constitute the major chorus, the diapason, octave and
superoctave the minor. There is actually little difference in power between the
ranks, as the 8ft principal is only moderately powerful, and the diapason 8ft
is only slightly softer. But the ranks are so treated that each has its own
accent: hence the major chorus has an effect by itself separate from that of
the minor chorus; and, what is more interesting and unusual, the minor chorus
adds appreciably to the strength of the major . . . [the mixtures] form a complex
texture in which breaks are imperceptible.
This chorus had been the object of the greatest revoicing,
some of it inconsistent, none of it particularly well documented. Even if the
chorus in its present condition is but a shadow of what Harrison himself knew,
it becomes easier to understand why he was so taken with his own work. It
contains all the qualities he sought: clarity, cohesion, flexibility, a full
rather than shrill treble, and the complexity of many ranks of similar power
and scale--a chorus voiced along late-romantic lines to be sure, but
conceived and balanced in the classical tradition.
This project reflects the qualities of those who contributed
so materially to its success. The Foley-Baker team executed their end of the
work to perfection, exercising uncommon diligence in tracking down every last
mechanical detail. Far from taking offense that his earlier work was being
revised, Allen Kinzey provided every scrap of documentation that might inform
our understanding and approach; Doug Brown from Groton opened up the
school's archives to us. Jeff Weiler had the unerring temperament,
patience and voicing skill to meet the varied conditions, a long daily commute
and the changing parameters of an evolving ethic. Joseph Rotella and the Spencer
Organ Company offered invaluable support. John Watson gave helpful advice on
documentation and conservation treatments. Tom Anderson, the celebrated
pipemaker at Aeolian-Skinner, helped with pipe repairs, as did Timothy Fink;
John Hupalo crafted several dozen replacement pipes in the original style.
Finally, Craig Smith not only made the entire project
possible, he blessed us with endless patience and good humor. Beyond his wry,
bespectacled welcome over five months, he paid us the compliment of a career by
encouraging us to follow our convictions.
--Jonathan Ambrosino
1935 Specification
Great (unenclosed, 3-inch wind)
16' Sub
Principal 61
tapered,
1-22 5-inch wind
8' Principal
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> 1-12
façade
8' Diapason
61
8' Flûte
Harmonique 61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> open
metal throughout
8' Gemshorn
61
51/3' Grosse
Quinte 61
tapered
4' Principal
61
4' Octave
61
very
slight taper
31/5 Grosse
Tierce 61
tapered
22/3' Quinte
61
2' Superoctave
61
13/5' Tierce
61
IV Full
Mixture 244
style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12.15.19.22 style='mso-tab-count:1'> style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12
style='mso-tab-count:3'> 8.12.15.19 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 12
1.8.12.15 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 37
IV Fourniture
244
15.19.22.26 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12
12.15.19.22 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12
8.12.15.19 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 12
1.8.12.15 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 25
III Cymbel
183
29.33.36 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 12
22.26.29 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 12
15.19.22 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 12
8.12.15 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 12
1.5.8 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 13
Positif (unenclosed, 21/2-inch wind)
8' Rohrflöte
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> 1-19
stopped wood, 20-61 90% tin
4' Principal
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> spotted
metal
4' Koppelflöte
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> 90%
tin
22/3 ' Nasard
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> 90%
tin, tapered
2' Blockflöte
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> 90%
tin, tapered
13/5' Tierce
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> 90%
tin, tapered
1' Sifflöte
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> 90%
tin
IV Scharf
244
spotted
metal
19.22.26.29 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12
15.19.22.26 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12
12.15.19.22 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12
8.12.15.19 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 12
1.8.12.15 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 13
Choir (enclosed, 33/4-inch wind)
16' Quintaton
73
1-12
wood, 13-73 capped spotted metal
8' Viola
73
8' Orchestral
Flute 73
open
wood 1-24, harmonic & metal upper lips 25-49
8' Dulciana
73
8' Unda
Maris 61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> tenor
c
4' Lieblichflöte
73
2' Zauberflöte
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> stopped
harmonic, 8-49
16' English
Horn 73
8' Trompette
harmonique 73
8' Clarinet
73
Tremolo
Swell (enclosed, 33/4-inch wind)
16' Flûte
Conique 73
tapered
open metal
8' Geigen
73
8' Viole
de Gambe 73
8' Viole
Celeste 73
8 Gedeckt
73
stopped
wood
8' Echo
Viole 73
4' Octave
Geigen 73
4' Flûte
triangulaire 73
wood
1-49
4' Fugara
73
22/3' Nasard style='mso-tab-count:2'> 61
2' Fifteenth style='mso-tab-count:2'> 61
13/5' Tierce style='mso-tab-count:2'> 61
VI Plein
Jeu 366
12.15.19.22.26.29 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 15
8.12.15.19.22.26 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12
1.8.12.15.19.22 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12
1.5.8.12.15.19 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12
D.1.5.8.12.15 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 10
16' Bombarde
73
8' Trompette
I 73
8' Trompette
II 73
4' Clairon
73
8' Vox
Humana 61
Tremolo
Processional (in vestibule)
8' Gedeckt style='mso-tab-count:2'> 61
8' Viole style='mso-tab-count:2'> 61
Pedal (unenclosed, 5-inch wind)
32' Contrebasse
56
bearded
wood violone to 36, spotted metal 37-56
16' Principal
32
style='mso-tab-count:1'> 7-28
in façade
16' Contrebasse
--
16' Bourdon style='mso-tab-count:2'> 32
16' Flûte
Conique Sw
102/3' Grosse
Quinte 32
style='mso-tab-count:1'> tapered
metal
8' Octave style='mso-tab-count:2'> 32
8' Flûte
ouverte 32
style='mso-tab-count:1'> open
wood, triangular from 13
8' 'Cello
--
8' Gedackt
Sw
51/3' Quinte
32
style='mso-tab-count:1'> tapered
metal
4' Superoctave style='mso-tab-count:2'> 32
4' Flûte
Harmonique 32
4' Kleingedeckt
Sw
III Mixture
96
style='mso-tab-count:1'> 10.12.15
III Fourniture
96
style='mso-tab-count:1'> 15.19.22
16' Bombarde style='mso-tab-count:2'> 32
16' English
Horn Ch
8' Trompette style='mso-tab-count:2'> 32
4' Clairon style='mso-tab-count:2'> 32
Specification in 2004
(1) = reworking of material revoiced after 1954
(2) = reregulation of material loudened but unchanged
after 1954
(3) = regulation of material in essentially original
condition
(4) = reconditioned and revoiced by David Broome, 1990s
Great (unenclosed, 31/4 -inch wind [1954], basses
& façade 3-inch wind)
16' Sub
Principal 61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (1)
8' Principal
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (1)
8' Diapason
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (2)
8' Rohrbordun
61 1954:
1-19 new, remainder ex-Positif (1)
8' Gemshorn
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (1)
51/3' Grosse
Quinte 61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (2)
4' Principal
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (1)
4' Octave
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (2)
4' Flûte
couverte 61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> new
in 1944, replacing 31/5' (3)
22/3' Quinte
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (1)
2' Superoctave
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (1)
2' Blockflöte
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> ex-Positif,
replacing 13/5' in 1968 (1)
IV Sesquialtera
244
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Full
Mixture reworked 1968, incorporating 13/5' (1)
15.17.19.22 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12
12.15.17.19 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12
8.12.15.17 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 27
8.10.12.15 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 10
IV Fourniture
244
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (1)
15.19.22.26 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12
12.15.19.22 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12
8.12.15.19 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 12
1.8.12.15 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 25
III Scharf
183
ex-Positif
plus new pipes, 1950 (1)
style='mso-tab-count:1'> style="mso-spacerun: yes"> 22.26.29 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 12
19.22.26 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 12
15.19.22 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 12
12.15.19 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 12
8.12.15 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 13
8' Bombarde
73
style='mso-tab-count:1'> new
chest and pipes 1950, gift of Dr. and Mrs. William H. Barnes; relocated above
Great organ, horizontal, 1986 (4)
Positif (unenclosed, 21/2 -inch wind)
8' Lieblich
Gedeckt 61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> 1-12
original, 13-61 ex-Choir 4' Flute (1)
4' Principal
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (1)
4' Koppelflöte style='mso-tab-count:2'> 61 style='mso-tab-count:1'> (1)
22/3' Nasard
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (1)
2' Principal
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (1)
leftovers from ex-Great Full Mixture, exchanged 1968; 38-61 replaced with
A-S vintage pipes 2003
13/5' Tierce
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (1)
plus new replica tin replacements 2003
11/3' Larigot
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (2)
1-5 new 1954; 6-35 original Sifflöte transposed; 36-61
random A-S fill pipes from 1954
IV Cymbel
244
reworked
1950 (1)
26.29.33.36 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12
22.26.29.33 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 6
19.22.26.29 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 6
15.19.22.26 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 6
12.15.19.22 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 6
8.12.15.19 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 6
8.8.12.15 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 6
1.8.12.15 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 13
Choir (enclosed, 41/2-inch wind, [1954])
16' Quintaton
73
(3)
8' Viola
73
(3)
8' Orchestral
Flute 73
(3)
8' Dulciana
73
(3)
8' Unda
Maris 61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (3)
4' Nachthorn
73
new
in 1954 (2)
2' Zauberflöte
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (3)
49-61 ex-Positif Sifflöte 38-49
16' English
Horn 73
(4)
8' Trompette
harmonique 73
ex-Sw
Trompette II from 13-56, 1954 (4)
8' Clarinet
73
(4)
4' Rohrschalmei
style='mso-tab-count:1'> 61
new
chest and pipes, 1954 (3)
Tremolo
8' Bombarde
Gt
Swell (enclosed, 4-inch wind, [1950])
16' Flûte
Conique 73
(3)
8' Geigen
73
(2)
8' Viole
de Gambe 73
(1)
8' Viole
Celeste 73
(1)
8' Gedeckt
73
(1)
8' Flûte
Conique --
style='mso-tab-count:1'> unified
to 8' in 1954
8' Flute
Celeste GG 54
no
61-73; new in 1954, replacing Echo Viole (3)
4' Octave
Geigen 73
(2)
4' Flûte
octaviante 73
ex-Great
Flûte Harmonique 13-61; new pipes
50-73; 1954 (2)
4' Fugara
73
(3)
22/3' Nasard
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> softened
1954 (3)
2' Flageolet
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> softened
1944 (3)
13/5' Tierce
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> softened
1954 (3)
III Mixture
183
1944
replacement of Plein Jeu ranks 1-2
15.19.22 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 12
12.15.19
12
8.12.15 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 24
1.8.12 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 13
IV Plein
Jeu 244
upper
four ranks of original VI (2)
19.22.26.29 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 15
15.19.22.26 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12
12.15.19.22 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 12
8.12.15.19 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 12
5.8.12.15 style='mso-tab-count:2'> 10
16' Bombarde
73
25-61
replaced 1950 (4)
8' Trompette
style='mso-tab-count:2'> 73
1-61
replaced 1950 (4)
8' Hautbois
73
provided
new 1944 on Trompette II slot (4)
4' Clairon
73
ex-Ch
Trompette Harmonique, 1950 (4)
8' Vox
Humana 61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (3)
Tremolo
Processional (enclosed, 31/4-inch wind, in chamber
behind choir stalls, 1985 Nicholas-Bradford)
8' Principal
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> revoiced
8' Holzgedeckt
61 (3)
4' Octave
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> revoiced
2' Fifteenth
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> revoiced
8' Fagotto
61
style='mso-tab-count:1'> regulated
Pedal (unenclosed, 5-inch wind)
32' Contrebasse
56
(3)
16' Principal
32
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (3)
16' Contrebasse
--
16' Bourdon
32
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (3)
16' Flûte
Conique Sw
16' Quintaton
Ch
borrow
added 1954
102/3' Grosse
Quinte 32
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (3)
8' Octave
32
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (3)
8' Flûte
ouverte 32
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (3)
8' 'Cello
--
8' Gedackt
Sw
51/3' Quinte
32
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (3)
4' Superoctave
32
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (3)
4' Hohlflöte
32
style='mso-tab-count:1'> renamed,
revoiced 1968; 25-32 cut to natural length) (2)
4' Kleingedeckt
Sw
2' Waldflöte
32
style='mso-tab-count:1'> older
pipes (Hook & Hastings) added on new chest, 1954 (3)
III Mixture
96
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (3)
III Fourniture
96
(3)
16' Bombarde
32
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (4)
16' English
Horn Ch
8' Trompette
32
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (4)
4' Clairon
32
style='mso-tab-count:1'> (4)
Bedient Pipe Organ Company, Roca, Nebraska
Dr. Peter Eklund Residence, Lincoln, Nebraska
Dr. Peter Eklund of Lincoln, Nebraska, Director of Choral
Music and Professor of Voice at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
purchased the last in a series of Boston models built in 2002. The small,
one-manual, three-rank organ fits nicely into the Eklund home of ceramic tile
floors, two pianos, and four boys. The case is of hand-rubbed white oak.
Façade pipes feature the Praestant and are embellished with 23-karat
gilding. The center pipe of the façade is embossed in a diamond pattern.
The flat pedalboard is permanently coupled to the manual keyboard.
MANUAL
8' Gedackt
4' Rohrflute
2' Praestant
Manual
to Pedal
Berghaus Organ Company, Inc., Bellwood, Illinois, has built a new organ for the First Unitarian
Society of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The organ was installed and completed in the
summer of 2003. Since pipework from the original instrument, built by
Lancashire-Marshall in 1891, was still in use even after several interim
rebuilds, it was decided to retain a number of these sets of pipes and
incorporate them into a new organ whose tonal design and voicing would reflect
a fullness and warmth expected to be heard at the onset of the twentieth
century. The existing façade was retained as non-speaking pipes since
the cost to repair the pipes that once did speak would have taken the total
price of the organ beyond the limits set by the congregation. The new pipes,
added to the organ, were scaled and voiced to complement the tonal character of
the earlier instrument, and still provide clarity and brightness for leading
congregational singing and for the performance of organ literature in both
congregational and recital situations.
The Great and Swell windchests are of the slider type fitted
with electric stop and key actions. The Pedal windchests are electro-mechanical
"unit" style. Wind pressure throughout the organ is 31/2
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> inches. The console features all oak
construction with keyboard coverings of maple naturals and blackwood sharps.
The pedal key coverings are maple naturals and walnut sharps.
Berghaus Organ Company thanks Scott R. Riedel and
Associates, Ltd., the consulting firm, for preliminary design and specification
details, and also expresses its appreciation for the privilege to build this
organ to Christian Rich, director of music, Jean Johnson, the church
administrator of the congregation, and the building committee, Myrna Packard,
committee chair.
--Leonard Berghaus
GREAT
8' Principal
8' Dulciana
8' Gamba
8' Rohr
Flute (wood)
4' Octave
4' Traverse
Flute (wood)
2' Octave
IV Mixture
(draws 2' Octave)
8' Trumpet
Tremulant
SWELL
8' Salicional
8' Celeste
(TC)
8' Gedackt
(wood)
4' Fugara
2' Flageolet
11/3' Larigot
8' Oboe
Tremulant
PEDAL
16' Open
Wood
16' Bourdon
8' Octave
4' Octave
16' Trombone
(prep)
4' Clarinet
