New Organs

From the builder

“Beauty is an experience, nothing else. It is not a fixed pattern or an arrangement of features. It is something felt, a glow, or a communicated sense of fineness.”

—D. H. Lawrence

“It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it.”    —Voltaire

From the builder

Given the opportunity for a major instrument in a large Catholic cathedral with superb acoustics, most builders might be forgiven for playing to type. These acoustics and this liturgy implies something French in nature, no? We know the great legacy the French have given to music and Catholicism; surely one thing follows another. And yet our Opus 52 for Saint Benedict Cathedral in Evansville, Indiana, had a different genesis and, in the end, a result well apart from the above pattern.

From the builder

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.

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

September 2024 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the chartering of the American Institute of Organbuilders (AIO), a unique organization that has had a transformative effect on American organbuilding. Anniversaries invite us to reflect upon our past and contemplate how far we have come. Thus, this article will describe the history of the AIO, its programs, and its impact.

Schoenstein & Co., Benicia, California; Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, Virginia

The Yale Institute of Sacred Music (ISM) is an interdisciplinary graduate center for the study and practice of sacred music, worship, and the related arts. Its students pursue degrees in choral conducting, organ, and concert voice with the Yale School of Music, or they engage in ministerial or academic studies in liturgy, religion and literature, music, or visual arts with the Yale Divinity School.

From the builder

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.

Schoenstein & Co., Benicia, California

Grace and Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Treasure in the hills: French Romantic organs in a silver boomtown

When searching for sung daily offices, a French-style abbey church, and two French Romantic organs, one might look in Europe, but not in Silverado, California. The city and its namesake canyon, located east of Los Angeles in the Santa Ana range, hold scenery found in old Western films: dusty mountainsides that turn pink at dusk, tumbleweed blowing across the winding two-lane road, a creek with little more than eight ounces of water in its bed, old mine shafts from the silver boom.

We are privileged to be celebrating our 50th anniversary and are thankful for the organ work that has been entrusted to the company. This past December we held our Christmas luncheon with many of our staff, supporters, and friends, and offered a prayer of thanksgiving for our success and all who have sustained us. It is humbling to be celebrating this milestone in work that supports worship.

Lexington sits at the heart of the Bluegrass country of Kentucky. It has many claims to fame. It is the “Horse Capital of the World,” hands down, with hundreds of horse farms throughout the region. It is adjacent to Bourbon County, Kentucky, and home to fourteen bourbon distilleries. It is also home to what is arguably the “Mother Church” of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), namely Central Christian Church.

In Midtown Manhattan, at the corner of Lexington Avenue and 54th Street, stands a comparatively humble yet eye-catching edifice. Dwarfed by the iconic tower soaring overhead, Saint Peter’s Church appears grounded and approachable. From street level, the sanctuary, clad in Caledonia granite, rises to sixty feet, but the sanctuary floor lies twenty-five feet below, making for an impressive interior height of eighty-five feet.

From the director of liturgy and music and the organ project advisor

From the builder

As is often stated by the Organ Clearing House, with the closing of many churches, pipe organs become available for purchase and relocation. Such is the situation that befell M. P. Möller Opus 7435R.

Visitors flock to Kraków. The city, which dates back to the seventh century, was Poland’s capital until the end of the sixteenth century. Left relatively unscathed after World War II and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, Kraków, with its cultural, artistic, and academic heritage from the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque periods up to present times, is generally regarded as one of Europe’s most beautiful cities.

From the builder

Schoenstein & Co., Benicia, California

First United Methodist Church, Montgomery, Alabama

When an organ builder approaches a new project there are many challenges, and acoustical environment is generally the most difficult. A good deal of credit for a beautiful musical instrument must go to the room that shapes its sound; likewise, a poor acoustic can limit the potential of even the best-designed organ.