Cover Feature

Jack Bethards

Schoenstein & Co., 

Benicia, California

Dahlgren Chapel, 

Georgetown University,

Washington, D.C.

Schoenstein & Co. has built a new organ in the symphonic style for Dahlgren Chapel of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The organ of just 16 voices and 19 ranks is an example of distilling the symphonic concept to its essence, providing maximum tonal and dynamic range from a modest stoplist. Half of the instrument’s voices are at 8′ pitch, 25% at 16′, and 25% above 8′. All of the major tonal families are represented, including important solo voices such as the Harmonic Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, and Tuba.

The musical job description for this university organ is quite demanding. In addition to the usual Catholic liturgies, there are many major celebrations (ordinations, baccalaureates, etc.) and a very large number of weddings. The organ is used in various special liturgies as part of the academic program, and it serves the music department as a recital, ensemble, and teaching instrument. Two vital characteristics for success are power and variety. If the organ can’t project an atmosphere of grandeur and doesn’t hold the musical interest of a lot of highly educated people, it will be a failure.

The instrument is a two-manual organ with an additional third manual to access solo stops and a group of ensemble stops along the lines of a Positiv division. The entire instrument with the exception of display pipes is under expression. The Swell includes the Schoenstein double-expression system wherein the high pressure Gambas and Tuba are in a separate expression box located inside the main Swell box. This provides the instrument with an extended dynamic range.

A few stops require some description. The Gamba and Vox Celeste are true strings of keen intonation in contrast to the Salicional, which has some string character but is essentially an Echo Diapason foundational stop. The Tuba in this instrument is a member of the trumpet family—not the dark, sonorous tromba-type. The Corno Dolce is a strongly tapered stop with a mysterious “hybrid” character between flute and string. It is an excellent accompaniment voice and, when extended to the 16′ octave, provides a clean, quick-speaking, pointed bass.

Space always seems to be a concern, especially in a building not originally designed to house an organ. Compact cases were placed on either side of the sanctuary; the 16′ Open Wood Pedal pipes were placed horizontally along the east wall under the window behind a carved and paneled screen. By double-decking the Great and Swell divisions, we were able to keep the casework on either side of the sanctuary quite narrow, thus avoiding the crowding of the huge east end window. 

The organ installation was part of a complete chapel renovation and was provided through a grant from the Lewnowski family. The inaugural recital program was played on November 7, 2014, by Lynn Trapp, who also served as consultant for the project. The director of music, liturgy, and Catholic life is James Wickman, who is also the organist.

 

Schoenstein & Co.

 

Austin Organs, 

Hartford, Connecticut

Opus 2344 (1961 and 2014)

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church,

New Canaan, Connecticut

In New Canaan, Connecticut, just north of a town landmark known as “God’s Acre,” an imposing edifice rises from the staid landscape. St. Mark’s Church was erected in 1961. Approaching from the south, the church beckons your creative spirit as it heralds the artistry that pervades its sacred space. The entrance of the church, facing an elegant, grassy commons to the south, is easily accessed from the street. Entering the two large, intricately carved doors one finds oneself inside an impressive sanctuary that evokes the feeling of a Gothic cathedral. Triangular vaults rise up majestically from towering concrete columns. The altar is clearly the focal point of the room, but behind the altar stands an equally impressive reredos approximately 35 feet wide, standing some 40 feet in the air, displaying 184 intricately carved figures. It was designed by sculptor Clark Fitz-Gerald, whose works can be found in Columbia University, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Carnegie Hall, and Coventry Cathedral in England. 

Behind this acoustically transparent screen stands Austin Organs’ Opus 2344, dedicated by John Weaver in a concert on January 7, 1962. In 2014, Austin installed several new stops and completed an extensive tonal redesign of the instrument.

 

From the musician

In 2000, we started discussion about completing some major work on the organ. We thought it important to return to the company that gave birth to the instrument, so we called Austin Organs in Hartford for an evaluation and recommendations. Unfortunately the church was not ready to proceed with the project at that point, so the plan was placed on hold. When we revisited the project in 2008, I was surprised and pleased to reconnect with my former schoolmate from Westminster Choir College, Mike Fazio, who was now president and tonal director of the Austin company. 

As fate would have it, the company, now reborn under the auspices of the new owners, has revisited some of the original Austin organbuilding and voicing practices—their mindset moving beyond the so-common trend of “what’s happening now” and going back to some of the venerable earlier ideals. This philosophy is happily right in line with my own personal vision for this organ. I think that this key point in our collaboration helped lead to the successful rebirth of this instrument. Further, I believe that the combination of the talents of the outstanding Austin craftspeople, some who have been with the company for many years, along with the new administration, who respect the past but also embrace the future, to be a winning combination without equal. Working on this project, I was always confident in our conversations about the direction of the instrument, and I was pleased with the outcome, because we were consistently in sync. They always listened to my vision, and it felt like we were always on the same page with the ultimate goal.

When I arrived in 1998, it was already an organ to be proud of, and I was very happy to be playing this Austin, because it essentially worked well in this space. But today, with the tonal work and expansion, it has become much more versatile. While the organ certainly could have been defined as “American Classic,” I would now say that, while that character remains, we now have the impression of an “English Town Hall” instrument. The organ can handle a broader spectrum of literature, and I find that I can accompany the service in a much more exciting way. When I use the term “exciting,” I am not just talking about louder sounds, I am talking about the inclusion of some softer voices imparting more interesting nuance than there was previously. Utilizing the new timbres available in the pedal organ, the organ has developed a new undergirding that has truly helped its effectiveness in hymn accompaniment, among other things. The inventiveness of the Austin company in finding a creative way to add real pipes (installing a full-length 16′ reed in the Swell, and a full-length 32′ reed in the Pedal, and of course, the 32′/16′ Pedal Bourdon) was amazing! The 16′ Bourdon is also an excellent addition, as it helps support the lower voices in the choir and congregation. I am so proud to be able to boast that all of our additions are real pipes, real chimes, and a real harp, without having to resort to the digital versions. I am convinced that these real voices do add significant richness and quite amazing harmonic underpinning. I am therefore able to play the organ in a much fuller way than I could previously. This has improved both my musical creativity and the choir and congregation’s singing in response. 

—Brian-Paul Thomas

Organist and Choirmaster

From the builder

The organ has excellent tonal projection from its lofty position on the central axis of the church. Its tonal disposition is somewhat reminiscent of the late work of Austin’s most famous tonal designer, James Blaine Jamison (1882–1957). He began with the Austin Company in 1933, and his impact was rather dramatic. Early in his relationship with the company, he redefined the Austin Diapason scaling system and introduced his concepts for ensemble structure and voicing, which were quickly adopted and became common practice for a generation. Richard Piper (tonal director from 1952–1978,) continued the same trend, but imparted his own stamp on the company’s work. Piper had apprenticed for nearly a decade under Henry Willis III, working on many of England’s monumental instruments, his final work being the Dome Organ at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. Coming to Austin, he was able to impart a bit of English nuance to the Austin version of the American Classic tonal ensemble, but that nuance did not seem to be present in this instrument. My predecessor at Austin Organs, Bruce Buchanan, visited the organ in September 2000. His impression was congruous with my own, in that he proclaimed, “St. Mark’s organ is a version of American Classic with North-European leanings. This means brightness has been preferred to brilliance, and clarity to body.” It was interesting to find his notes some months after I had submitted my own assessment to the church with similar findings.

The St. Mark’s organ had been an interesting platform for Richard Piper’s tonal experimentation. The Great and Positiv were voiced on low pressure (2¾′′ wind). It would appear that the Great Organ had the strongest North-German influence: light Prinzipal scaling, heavy mixture scaling, and the foundation apparently based on the 16′ Quintaton. Overall, the division exhibited bright ensemble tone and the Positiv was much like it. The Swell was designed with somewhat stronger English influence. It, like the Choir, was voiced on 4′′ of wind presure. It was built with colorful flutes, and lush string tone; it also had a full reed chorus, yet not a proper Oboe; there was a high-pitched Plein Jeu, yet the department lacked a full principal chorus. The Choir flue chorus is made up of flutes, independent cornet mutations, and a Gemshorn and Celeste. The Choir reeds included a rather thin Krummhorn (3/4′′ scale) and an 8′ Trumpet, voiced on 6′′ of wind pressure. In the style of many fine Austin instruments of the period, this organ’s Pedal division had nine independent ranks of pipes, beginning with a generous 16′ Open Wood Contra Bass, through a Pedal Mixture and reed chorus. At some point in history, an electronic 32′ Bourdon extension was added, but had failed and was disconnected several years ago.

Approaching the organ’s tonal redesign, we had some specific goals in mind: improve the Diapason chorus, revoice/replace some existing reeds, and supplement the Pedal department. Other enhancements became possible as the project developed. For example, while we would have liked to build a new, movable, drawknob console for the instrument, a decision was made for the present time to maintain the existing console. It was certainly showing its age, but we decided to add new stopkeys in situ for the new voices. This approach would allow us to use more available funds for tonal work as a first step. It would seem that God had other thoughts. Within a month of signing the contract for the tonal work, the church was hit by an electrical storm that disabled the console, along with the church’s sound system. We removed the console to the factory, and installed a new multiplexed console and organ control system, featuring a fiber-optic connection between the console and the organ’s Universal Air Chest. While back “home” in the factory, the manual and pedal claviers were refurbished, all new wiring and stop controls were installed, and the elegant black walnut casework finish was also restored. 

 

Tonal matters

The first matter to address was the wind pressure. To achieve the aural presence we collectively desired, we recognized that the pressure needed to be increased. To that end, we chose to increase the wind pressure to 4′′ water column for the entire instrument. Next, we needed to make a decision regarding the disposition of the Great Organ’s 16′ Quintaton, which had been partly replaced (from 8′ C) several years earlier with Bourdon pipes. The breakpoint from the 8′ to the 16′ octave was abominable, and the effect of the Quintaton in general was counterproductive to our desired ensemble. The Great Mixture was overwhelming and the rest of the chorus was anemic. Our sweeping decision was to remove the entire Quintaton from the specification, and to achieve a manual 16′ voice, install a new Austin Internal Borrow action in the chest that would play the Pedal 16′ Spitz Flute as a Great stop. Previously, this stop was only available in the manual at 8′ pitch, and 16′ in the Pedal. Austin’s voicer Dan Kingman revoiced these pipes to create an excellent Viole de Gamba. Being mildly conical (1/2 taper), we adjusted the nomenclature to reflect that construction, calling it a Spitz Viole. As a manual 16′ and 8′ borrow, it has proven to be extremely successful. While we were sweeping through the organ, we chose to “wash” the 1960s voicing out of the Great Bourdon, which resulted in a flute with more warmth and fundamental. The Diapason and Principal were rescaled, and the Spitz Fifteenth replaced with a new set of Principal pipes that work well with this new chorus. The existing Fourniture was also replaced with new pipes, scaled and voiced to fit perfectly with the new scheme. The final element was the inclusion of a new reed stop for the Great. After much discussion, the choice was made to install an English Horn. Rather than yet another Trumpet, or something from the Clarinet family, we concluded that an English Horn would serve equally well as either a gentle solo or ensemble voice. 

In the Swell, we regret that we were unable to add a new Diapason, as space would not allow it. However, the large scale Viola and Flute are rather successful, evoking “synthetic Diapason” tone, to quote the late G. Donald Harrison. A vintage 4′ Wald Flute was installed to replace the original, which was removed several years ago, having been replaced with the Koppelflute from the Positiv, where it was subsequently returned. The 8′ octave of the Rohrflute was moved off the main chest, and in its place we located the 12 lowest pipes of the 16′ Waldhorn (full-length). The rather pleasant 8′ (French) Trumpet was revoiced to blend well in the ensemble, and a new 8′ (English) Oboe was installed. As a compromise to allow the installation of the Oboe, we removed the 4′ Clarion, (which was rather thin) and extended the Waldhorn to 4′ pitch to complete the chorus. Also added to the organ was a vintage Austin Vox Humana. This particular type is affectionately known as a “Vox-in-a-Box,” as the pipes are entirely placed within an encased chest that hangs directly in front of the Swell expression shades and can be adjusted for dynamic by opening or closing the top cover of said box. The effect of the Vox Humana in this church is extremely successful—it shimmers like a “chorus of voices in the distance!” Finally, the high-pitched mixture was removed and replaced with a new IV–V Plein Jeu, starting at 22⁄3′ pitch. It provides a measure of gravitas to the ensemble, whether flues or reeds. 

In the Choir, we removed the thin, baroque Krummhorn, and replaced it with an 8′ Cremona, which is a hybrid stop that is constructed as a Clarinet in the lower registers, then it morphs into our Cromorne scale in the treble. This treatment delivers the color of a rich Clarinet in the tenor range and the brightness of a French Cromorne in the right hand. As a matter of course, the existing high-pressure Trumpet was reconstructed (new tuning inserts, etc.) and revoiced.

The changes to the Pedal division were rather dramatic. We were able to redesign the offset chests at the sides of the main organ to allow the installation of a 32′ and 16′ Bourdon. More dramatic yet, we chose to extend the Swell 16′ Waldhorn (a time-honored tradition) to become the 32′ Pedal reed. Organist Brian-Paul Thomas was very clear in his vision for this voice: he did not want a jackhammer or clatter, but smooth dark tone. Using this thought as a guideline, we scaled this stop moderately, and consequently, the 12 full-length resonators fit nicely in the space occupied by the former Quintaton, located in a split arrangement on either side of the Great chest.

The other two voices added to the organ were a set of Deagan Class A chimes, and a vintage Austin Harp. These two percussions also work very nicely in this space.

 

Conclusion

We find the new instrument is exciting, rich, and versatile. It has a delicious, smooth crescendo from pianissimo to fortissimo, never missing a step! These changes were made possible because of the amazing flexibility of the Austin Universal Airchest design. Having been at the helm of Austin since 2005, I am still constantly in awe of the versatility of the Austin system. 

In a future article, we would like to discuss the transformation of a few Austin organs. These instruments were built in the same time period (the mid-1960s). The tonal disposition of each organ was very similar, and they were stereotypical of the period, and desperate for change! The study of the resulting specifications will serve as empirical evidence for any church with an organ, especially an Austin, thinking that there is no hope for a rather bland tonal ensemble. The transformation of each organ was completed with remarkable success—each one unique. We are also embarking on a plan to make a collective recording of these instruments.

While history furnishes a wealth of motivation, we are confident that new avenues and designs are only just around the corner that may enhance earlier efforts. As surely as we are inspired by the triumphs of the past, we face the challenges of today by building organs that will continue to inspire interest beyond today, beyond tomorrow, and into the next generation. Art is only art when it represents the best efforts of the Creator, with both eyes open to even greater possibilities. We aim to create something significant for worship and the performance of great music, and in the greater sphere, to offer our own illumination of how music might be made.

—Michael B. Fazio

Austin Organs, Inc.

President and Tonal Director

 

 

 

 

Quimby Pipe Organs, 

Warrensburg, Missouri

Two organs in North Carolina

In 2017, Quimby Pipe Organs (QPO) completed the installation of two small-to-medium sized instruments in North Carolina. Both projects incorporated pipework or mechanics from the churches’ preceding instruments, as the work would not have been feasible in either case given all-new construction. However, both projects resulted in organs that function mechanically as if they are all new, and both have entirely new tonal identities that align with modern QPO practice. Accordingly, both have been given QPO opus numbers, and each is, in its own way, an exploration of what should constitute a modern-day American multum in parvo organ, where comparatively few ranks of pipes yield surprising results: instruments that are flexible, musical, and artistically satisfying. Each organ plays with the authority of a much larger instrument than its size would suggest.

 

Opus 73

All Saints Episcopal Church

Southern Shores, North Carolina

We were invited to visit All Saints Episcopal Church by Organist and Director of Music Steve Blackstock because we had previously worked with him to relocate an 1878 Marshall Brothers organ, which was electrified and rebuilt by Ernest M. Skinner in 1912 and is now situated in a new case on QPO electro-pneumatic slider windchests at Holy Redeemer-by-the-Sea in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Blackstock asked us to assess All Saints’ 1948 M. P. Möller organ, Opus 7721. Originally five unified ranks, the organ had grown to nine, enclosed in a freestanding case in the rear corner of the room. There were some pleasant sounds in the instrument—particularly the stopped wood flute—but the disposition of these voices at various pitches over two manuals and pedal was not entirely successful; there was a lack of flexible, contrasting ensembles.

Several options were investigated, including either the relocation of a mid-nineteenth-century Hook tracker or a mid-twentieth-century Austin. But the ideas that resonated most with Steve were those which Michael Quimby and I developed for the expansion and radical rebuilding of the existing Möller.  

The approach was straightforward: the existing enclosed mechanical chassis would become the Swell, and a new unenclosed Great division would be added on a new Quimby-Blackinton electro-pneumatic slider chest. The best of the existing pipework would be retained, and after careful restoration, rescaling, and revoicing, would find a place in the new tonal concept, though not always at the same pitches or divisions as before. One independent Pedal rank was added—a Pedal Octave that plays at 8′ and 4′.

Although the existing Möller unit windchests were retained in the new Swell, having been releathered recently, efforts were made to provide more of a “straight” ensemble in the Swell, with unification judiciously used for added color and flexibility, rather than to create ensemble.

Not one new pipe was constructed for the project. Rather, ranks were carefully selected from our extensive inventory of nineteenth- and twentieth-century American pipework for integration into the ensemble. The end result is not a patchwork of individual voices, as one might expect, but rather, a cohesive, flexible ensemble. This is not only due to the quality of the vintage pipework, but also to the unique facility of Michael Quimby to identify which ranks will work to achieve the intended result, and also to the ability of Head Voicer Eric Johnson and staff voicers Samantha Koch and Christopher Soer to carry out the work. Also essential is our fully functional pipe shop, where cleaning, restoration, modification, and repair can happen as required alongside construction of new pipes.

Several church members participated in passing pipes into the organ. One couple, key donors to the project, also assisted, and knowing that there were no new pipes in the organ, inquired as to the provenance of the pipes. In response, I told her that the pipe she had in her hand came from an organ formerly at a church in St. Louis, Missouri. She was stunned. She had attended there as a young lady, and it was, in fact, where she had met her husband, who was also helping to pass pipes. We quickly figured out that we were installing pipes that had played at the time that she would have heard the organ—a happy coincidence that added dramatically to the significance of the instrument for these two.

New casework was designed by QPO and constructed by members of the church to expand and complement the existing enclosure. The new casework is intentionally somewhat transparent, and the pipes of the Great division are visible at different times during the day when overhead light passes down from skylights overhead. The façade pipes are vintage zinc basses, here painted with pearlescent white bodies and rose gold mouths, which complement the open, light-filled character of the church. The existing console was rebuilt and placed on a moveable platform dolly.  

The existing 8′ Trumpet was extensively revoiced and extended to play at 16′ and 4′. It is at once brilliant and foundational and forms a grand underpinning for the full ensemble. A pair of early-twentieth-century strings yield characteristic, lush string tone in the Swell, and the unison rank extends down to 16′. The 16′ Contra Viola is surprisingly versatile: in addition to making an effective double to the new Great Diapason chorus, it is soft enough to serve as a whisper bass (with the Swell box closed) under the 8′ Dulciana, yet harmonically intense enough to combine with the 16′ Gedeckt and synthesize a 16′ Diapason.

The organ was completed in September 2017 and was dedicated on Sunday, October 1. On Sunday, October 15, Dorothy Papadakos accompanied the 1920 silent film, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

 

Opus 74

Central United Methodist Church

Concord, North Carolina

Susan Renz Theodos, director of music at Central United Methodist Church in Concord, North Carolina, contacted us regarding a project for a possible new organ because of her previous experience playing our Opus 34, of three manuals and thirty-three ranks at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Litchfield, Connecticut (1992). Developed in tandem with then organist Thomas Brown, Opus 34 is a QPO multum in parvo instrument dating from before our work had shifted into the mature Quimby tonal style.  

In working together with Susan after her visit to a more recent project at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Roanoke, Virginia (Opus 66, 2010), we developed a proposal for an equally effective three-manual organ, slightly expanded, which would have the same versatility and nuance as Opus 34, but expressed according to a more Romantic approach: with heroically scaled chorus work and characteristic, harmonically developed individual voices that lock together into seamless, coherent ensembles.

The resulting instrument makes use of select existing pipework from the church’s former 1973 Casavant (Opus 3179), new pipework constructed by Quimby, and select vintage ranks from QPO inventory. New electro-pneumatic slider windchests were constructed for all straight manual ranks and electro-pneumatic unit ranks for all pedal and extended ranks. The winding system and interior structure of the organ are all new. In order to help make the project more cost-effective, we refurbished and rebuilt a three-manual console, constructed by another builder in 2000, for an organ that is now redundant. With new mahogany interior, console lid, and bench top, the refinished console is a splendid match for the church’s neo-Classical interior.

The use of existing Casavant pipework in combination with our own inventory was attractive to the church, not only because it was fiscally responsible, but because they understood it to be environmentally responsible when compared with new construction, and therefore, good stewardship in several senses. The transformation to the carefully selected principals, flutes, strings, and mutations is stunning; none of the reused ranks bears any resemblance to what existed before. The previous instrument was weak in the unison range, and top-heavy with piercing upperwork. Individual foundation voices were bland and blended poorly, with little support for choral accompaniment or even congregational song. The transformed ranks, having been recomposed, rescaled, and radically revoiced, now form colorful, expressive Diapason ensembles at a wide range of dynamic levels.  

Our approach to rescaling and revoicing old ranks of pipes that came from the church’s previous organ is conceptually similar to the practice of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll in nineteenth-century France. His organs at Notre Dame de Paris and Saint-Sulpice incorporate significant percentages of eighteenth-century Clicquot pipework, but those old ranks of pipes were successfully transformed to contribute to a new tonal aesthetic by Cavaillé-Coll.  

New and vintage reeds were provided, custom voiced in-house; these range from the throaty Cromorne in the Solo-Choir, to the lyrical Oboe and fiery Trumpet in the Swell, to the brilliant Harmonic Trumpet in the Solo-Choir, and finally, the dominating, spectacular Tuba in the Great. The Harmonic Trumpet, available at 16′, 8′, and 4′ on manuals and pedal, can serve in the Great as chorus reeds with the box closed, as a soft or loud 16′ reed in the Pedal, and with the box open as an exciting climax to full organ at all three pitches. The Tuba is intended strictly for solo use and is voiced on 12 inches wind pressure so that individual notes can be heard over full organ.

Also of note are the variety of 8′ and 4′ flutes, several of which are vintage, and which contrast and combine with each other effectively. The Swell strings are revoiced Casavant pipework and contrast a more broadly voiced Viola Pomposa and Celeste in the Solo-Choir.  Together with the Swell Spitzflute and Celeste, a wide range of undulants is provided, which can be combined in surprising ways.

The organ was completed in November 2017 and was dedicated by Bradley Hunter Welch on Sunday morning, April 15, 2018, with a recital following the same afternoon.

—T. Daniel Hancock, A.I.A., President

Quimby Pipe Organs, Inc.

 

Quimby Pipe Organs, Opus 73

GREAT (unenclosed)

16′ Contra Viola (Swell)

8′ Open Diapason, 49 pipes, 1–12 common with Pedal 8′ Octave

8′ Hohl Flute, 55 pipes, 1–6 common with Swell 8′ Gedeckt

8′ Gedeckt (Swell)

8′ Viola (Swell)

8′ Dulciana, 61 pipes

4′ Octave, 61 pipes

4′ Spitzflute (Swell), 1–12 Swell 8' Gedeckt; 13–61 2′ Flageolet

2′ Fifteenth, 61 pipes

11⁄3′ Mixture III, 183 pipes

16′ Contra Trumpet (Swell)

8′ Trumpet (Swell)

8′ Oboe (Swell)

Zimbelstern

SWELL (enclosed)

16′ Gedeckt, 97 pipes

8′ Gedeckt (ext)

8′ Viola, 85 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste, TC, 49 pipes

4′ Principal, 73 pipes

4′ Stopped Flute (ext)

4′ Viola (ext)

22⁄3′ Nazard, 49 pipes, 1–12 common with Swell 8′ Gedeckt

2′ Octave (ext)

2′ Flageolet, 61 pipes

13⁄5′ Tierce, TC, 37 pipes, top octave repeats

16′ Contra Oboe, TC, 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet, 85 pipes

8′ Oboe (ext)

4′ Clarion (ext)

Tremulant

PEDAL

32′ Resultant (fr 16′ Bourdon)

16′ Bourdon (Swell) 

16′ Contra Viola (ext Swell 8′ Viola) 

8′ Octave, 44 pipes, 1–17 in façade

8′ Gedeckt (Swell) 

8′ Viola (Swell)

4′ Super Octave (ext)

16′ Trombone (Swell)

8′ Trumpet (Swell) 

8′ Oboe (Swell)

4′ Clarion (Swell) 

4′ Oboe Clarion (Swell)

 

Two manuals, 18 ranks, 1,111 pipes

Builder’s website: 

https://quimbypipeorgans.com

Church website: http://allsaintsobx.org

 

Quimby Pipe Organs, Opus 74

Glück Pipe Organs,

New York, New York

Saint Patrick Catholic Church,

Huntington, New York

 

Roosevelt Organ No. 408

In 2003, I purchased Frank Roosevelt’s three-manual, thirty-six rank Organ No. 408 before the wrecking ball struck Brooklyn’s Schermerhorn Street Evangelical Lutheran Church. The Roosevelt organ, contracted for in 1888, begun in 1889, and completed the following year, enjoyed renown while Franz Liszt’s student, Hugo Troetschel, presented 250 bi-weekly recitals during his 52-year tenure as organist. As the Roosevelt organ was being dismantled, a project was initiated for it to be reconstituted in its historic configuration for Princeton University under the aegis of the late David Messineo, university organist. Dr. Messineo’s vision was to install it within the 1916 Aeolian organ case in Proctor Hall, which had been designed by Ralph Adams Cram as the elegant graduate dining hall of the campus. The Aeolian was supplanted by a Gress-Miles organ in 1968, but we felt that bringing the Roosevelt there, with a replica of its original console and limited combination system, would give students an accurate idea of what an untouched Roosevelt sounded like, and more importantly, how it would have to be played without modern solid-state equipment. Upon Dr. Messineo’s death in June 2004, the project abruptly was ended, so I reserved the material within our company’s selection of heritage pipework until such time as a suitable home could be found for it. 

A decade after saving the Roosevelt from the landfill, it became obvious that it would take a very special type of church, synagogue, homeowner, or school to take the leap of faith to historically reconstruct a heritage cultural property that they could not hear or see. I was left with little choice but to market the Roosevelt as the core of a new instrument, but did not wish to disperse it rank-by-rank, the fate of so many antique instruments. With the understanding that its genes had to carry on in a different way, I knew it was unlikely that all of it could be used, and some contemporary tonal elements might be included to make it viable for modern musical ministry. The goal was to keep its spirit alive.

 

The opportunity presents itself

Saint Patrick Catholic Church is a vast, lofty, reverberant building constructed in 1962 and equipped with M. P. Möller’s Opus 9751 from the start. That gallery organ was the unfortunate product of the joint influence of the firm’s “special tonal consultant,” Ernest White, and their tonal director, John Hose. Too small for the room and voiced barely to energize the pipes, it was from its inception frustratingly inadequate for liturgical use. Sparse allocation of the organ’s twenty-one ranks among three manuals and pedal forced the elimination of essential voices in what likely should have been a well-appointed two-manual instrument. Subsequent alterations to the stoplist accomplished nothing, and the organ was still suffering mechanically after technical work was executed. Upon careful examination, I determined that insurmountable scaling irregularities precluded it from forming an effective core for a new instrument, and that the parish would accrue no benefit from retaining any of its mechanical infrastructure.

I entered into a situation for which ideas already had been presented, so as an architect, organist, and organbuilder, I had to make my case with clarity as the last man “at bat,” and had to risk proposing something so different that it would either be rejected or embraced. I proposed that the Roosevelt organ be incorporated into two new organs at either end of the building, controlled by twin mobile consoles that emphasized the elegant richness of natural materials so that the organs would not be seen as utilities. A single aggressive organ blasting from one end of the very long room would be less effective than two more elegantly voiced instruments dividing the task. With no substantive literature written for an “antiphonal” division, I chose a modified continental model. The labor is divided between the two organs, but the use of assisted rather than mechanical action would make them playable separately, together, or simultaneously by musicians at either end of the building.

Countless volunteer consultants offered their strong opinions about tonal design, builders, and the merits of pipeless sounds, with a nebulous consensus that the Möller organ should be rebuilt, supplemented by an “antiphonal” division, real or artificial. The prevailing notion that circuits and speaker cabinets could fill the artistic gaps with a shrug of the shoulders was proclaimed the path of least resistance. Swimming with vigor against that tide, I proposed two complete all-pipe organs of contrasting character, albeit constitutive elements of a grander whole.

There is always room for a pipe organ, even if there is not the willingness. Each house of prayer holds only so many people and will accommodate the appropriate number of pipes to accompany their voices. Despite the absence of sanctuary chambers and the cries of “no room for pipes,” I proposed the centuries-old practice of suspending the chancel cases from the sheer walls of the building, and designed the large gallery case to embrace the rose window. The organs’ cases complement the architecture without distracting from liturgical proceedings, and the chancel cases are located high enough to remain in tune with the gallery organ.

I am grateful to have worked with and for composer, conductor, organist, and tenor Matthew Koraus, FAGO, director of music, whose enormous talent, vision, commitment, and patience helped bring two new organs to the parish.

 

The new instruments

Roosevelt’s standard wind pressure of 31⁄2 inches determined the wind pressure used for the Saint Patrick instruments. The Roosevelt pipes, once cleaned and winded, would dictate to me the tonal direction of the organ’s new stops. Roosevelt’s work after the first few years deliberately followed a template from which the firm rarely deviated, so even the presumption of “what would the company produce today?” was treading on thin ice. The historical material was a point of departure in a new venture.

Visually, my mission was to design three organ cases that acknowledged the modernity of the church building but would bear my stamp as an architectural classicist. Following half a century of blank white walls, the size and depth of the cases, particularly those that flank the sanctuary, presented “the shock of the new” to some parishioners. With choirs, orchestras, and congregation surrounded and coordinated by sound, the new arrangement has been fully embraced. With a sumptuous mobile console at each end of the building, the liturgical and musical flexibility, and the ability for two musicians to play simultaneously, have fostered a new understanding of the organist’s duties in the parish.

The Gallery Great is anchored by a 16′ Violone, which was rebuilt from the Möller Pedal 16′ Principal. This gives the reader a good idea of just how under-scaled the Möller instrument was. The Roman-mouthed Roosevelt Great 16′ Double Open Diapason—gilded, stenciled, and sand painted—had to be abandoned with the magnificent case in Brooklyn, and sadly went down with the building. Soaring harmonic flutes stand alongside Roosevelt’s signature double-mouthed flute, as well as his wonderful 8′ Trumpet with tin-rich resonators and schiffschen shallots. 

The Great Chorus Mixture is composed slightly lower than most and voiced with some restraint. The original Roosevelt tierce mixture could not be retained as a second mixture for budgetary reasons, and with only one mixture in the division, I opted for a new quint mixture for clarity. The Roosevelt Great tierce mixture has found a new home; it is being included in our firm’s reconstruction of Roosevelt Organ No. 4 of 1873, his earliest surviving effort, at The College of Mount Saint Vincent, overlooking the Hudson River. The Great Mixture had been stolen from that organ in 1969, and the Brooklyn stop will sing again among its siblings. 

The Swell harbors the largest concentration of original tone with nine Roosevelt ranks. The warm 8′ Diapason, often absent from the American Swell, supplants the ubiquitous addiction to the 16′ Bourdon. The new Plein Jeu lends clarity to the Pedal when coupled, with no break from its 15-19-22 composition until G#33. With space and budget for only one Cornet combination, it was placed in the Swell, where it is under expression, can be folded into the reeds, and can enter into dialogue with either the Corno di Bassetto or Clarinet. The Swell reeds are rich and warm for anthem work, a balance made possible by the more brilliant manual reeds elsewhere in the organ.

The Choir division is cast with a nod toward traditional structure, without taking it too far into the neo-Classical realm.  The new muted undulant is completely uncharacteristic of Roosevelt’s work; both brothers preferred a second Choir 8′ string of contrasting character, and the Unda Maris appeared in a mere one percent of their 538-instrument output. Tenor C of the Dulciana is marked #400 408 ECHO Choir DULCET G. MACK JULY 1889; this rank was originally built as the 4′ Dulcet for Roosevelt’s 1892 four-manual, 109-rank magnum opus No. 400 for the Chicago Auditorium Theatre, the pipes for which were in production at the same time. The division’s flute choir and subtle Carillon are joined by a notably bold 8′ Corno di Bassetto. Two commanding Trumpets, one enclosed and one not, play from the Choir manual but are not necessarily of the Choir. The new Herald Trumpet, voiced on six inches wind pressure, is in the expression enclosure, and the 8′ Tromba is the former Swell 8′ Cornopean. At six-inch scale with harmonic spotted metal resonators, it was incorporated into the Saint Patrick Pedal as an 8′ and 4′ unit, with the top 17 pipes retained for its use as a powerful manual Trumpet for processions and fanfares and to cap the full organ without standing apart.

The Gallery Pedal is a stack of independent flue ranks, with Roosevelt’s seismic 16′ Open Wood Bass sitting beneath purely tuned 102⁄3′, 62⁄5′, and 44⁄7′ pitches in the bass to reinforce the 32′ line. The magnificently brassy, rolling 16′ Trombone, with its wooden shallots and blocks and sleeved zinc resonators, is so powerful that it triggered burglar alarms and summoned police during the tonal finishing phase of the project. 

The partially unified organ flanking the sanctuary supports and encourages congregational singing by helping to maintain coordination, tempo, and pitch. The front organ is of a lighter and gentler character than the main organ because of its use in more intimate services and its proximity to the parishioners and clergy, yet it is still large enough to use for the performance of a sizable segment of the concert literature.

The sparkling Great and Positiv inhabit the Gospel case and the mellower Swell, with its Skinner-style Flügel Horn, is in the Epistle case. Roosevelt’s splendid Clarinet takes up residence in the Positiv, and the three 16′ Pedal stops (string, flute, and warm reed) keep the bottom from dropping out. The instrument enjoys its own personality, with the resources to enhance liturgy and to acquit a respectable body of the literature. The two cases are widely spaced. There is directional distinction and balances must be heard in the room, yet the acoustic brings them together in the nave.

The combined organs easily lead large choral forces, support full congregational singing, and contain gentle, accompanimental voices at both ends of the building to provide subtle, evocative, and meditative effects for life cycle events and introspective portions of the Mass. Over the centuries, organbuilders and composers have established particular conventions regarding which stops and combinations of stops must “live” in particular divisions, and if these rules are set aside, many works cannot be played as intended. I have tried to honor those requirements in the design of this dual instrument.

Pipe organ building is an interdisciplinary craft, and every instrument, traditionally the vision of the tonal director, is a group effort. In addition to our significant suppliers (OSI, A. R. Schopp’s Sons, and Peterson Electro-Musical Products), these instruments were made possible by the capable staff of Glück Pipe Organs: Albert Jensen-Moulton, general manager; and technicians Joseph di Salle, Dominic Inferrera, Dan Perina, the late Peter Jensen-Moulton, and Robert Rast.

—Sebastian Matthäus Glück

 

Builder’s website:

www.gluckpipeorgans.com

 

Church websites:

stpatrickchurchhunt.org

stpatrickhuntingtonmusic.weebly.com

 

GALLERY GREAT – Manual II

16′ Violone 61 m

8′ Open Diapason 61 m

8′ Violoncello (ext 16′) 12 m

8′ Concert Flute [a]

8′ Doppelflöte 61 w R

4′ Principal 61 m

4′ Flauto Traverso (harm.) 61 w&m

2′ Fifteenth 61 m

IV Chorus Mixture 244 m

8′ Trumpet 61 m R

Zimbelstern

8′ Herald Trumpet (Choir)

GALLERY SWELL – Manual III

8′ Diapason 61 m R

8′ Cor de Nuit 61 w R

8′ Salicional 61 m R

8′ Voix Céleste 61 m R

4′ Principal 61 m R

4′ Flûte Harmonique 61 m R

22⁄3′ Nazard 61 m

2′ Octavin (tapered, harm.) 61 m R

13⁄5′ Tierce 61 m

III–IV Plein Jeu 212 m

16′ Bassoon (ext 8′ Hautboy) 12 m

8′ Trumpet 61 m

8′ Hautboy 61 m R

8′ Vox Humana 61 m R

Tremulant

GALLERY CHOIR – Manual I

8′ Violoncello (Great)

8′ Dulciana 61 m R

8′ Unda Maris (TC) 49 m

8′ Gedeckt 61 w R

4′ Gemshorn (cylindrical) 61 m R

4′ Flûte d’Amour 61 w R

2′ Blockflöte 61 m

II Carillon 122 m

8′ Corno di Bassetto 61 m

Tremulant

16′ Herald Trumpet (TC, fr 8′)

8′ Herald Trumpet 61 m

8′ Tromba [b] 17 m R

GALLERY PEDAL

32′ Double Diapason [c] 12 w

16′ Open Wood Bass 32 w R

16′ Violone (Great)

16′ Subbass 32 w R

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt 12 w R

    (ext Choir 8′ Gedeckt)

8′ Principal 32 m

8′ Violoncello (Great)

8′ Bass Flute (ext 16′) 12 w R

8′ Gedeckt (Choir)

4′ Fifteenth 32 m R

4′ Gedeckt (Choir)

2′ Bauernflöte 32 m

32′ Harmonics [d] 38 m

16′ Trombone (maple shallots)

32 m R

16′ Bassoon (Swell)

8′ Trumpet 32 m R

8′ Bassoon (Swell)

4′ Clarion (ext 8′) 12 m R

CHANCEL GREAT– Manual II

8′ Open Diapason 61 m

8′ Spitzflöte 61 m

4′ Principal 61 m

2′ Fifteenth (ext 8′ Open) 24 m

IV Mixture 244 m

CHANCEL POSITIV – Manual I

8′ Rohrgedeckt 61 w&m

4′ Offenflöte (ext Gt 8′ Spitz) 12 m

2′ Nachthorn (ext 8′ Rohr) 24 m

11⁄3′ Quintflöte 49 m

    (top octave repeats)

1′ Zimbelpfeife (8′ Rohr)

8′ Clarinet 61 m R

Tremulant

CHANCEL SWELL – Manual III

8′ Viola 61 m

8′ Viola Céleste (TC) 49 m

8′ Holzgedeckt 61 w

4′ Fugara (ext 8′ Viola) 12 m

4′ Koppelflöte 52 m

      (C1–G#9 Gedeckt)

2′ Piccolo (ext 8′ Holzged) 24 m

8′ Flügel Horn 61 m

Tremulant

CHANCEL PEDAL

16′ Contrabasso (ext Sw Viola) 12 m

16′ Sub Bass (ext Pos Rohr) 12 w

8′ Principal 32 m

8′ Spitzflöte (Great)

8′ Viola (Sw)

8′ Rohrbordun (Positiv)

4′ Choral Bass (ext 8′ Princ) 12 m

4′ Offenflöte (Positiv)

16′ Waldhorn (ext Flügel Hn) 12 m

8′ Flügel Horn (Swell)

4′ Clarinet (Positiv)

 

 

 

 

[a] C1–B12 common with Doppelflöte, C13–C61 from Flauto Traverso

[b] Unenclosed; extension of Pedal 8′ Tromba

[c] Independent 102⁄3′ stoppered pipes play with 16′ Open Wood for C1–B12; breaks to 32′ Open Wood at C13

[d] 102⁄3′ wood + 62⁄5′ metal + 44⁄7′ metal (with internal chimneys); composition changes as it ascends the scale, with mutations dropping out

m = metal

w = wood

R = Roosevelt

 

Chancel Organ: Opus 16 (16 ranks, 1,058 pipes)

Gallery Organ: Opus 17 (46 ranks, 2,564 pipes)

Dedicated September 14, 2014

Gallery: Blackinton slider chests; chancel: electric valve chests with reeds in electropneumatic pouch chests.

Jack Bethards

First Presbyterian Church,
Monterey, California

Schoenstein & Co. Pipe Organ Builders, Benicia, California

The work of Murray M. Harris, the legendary Los Angeles organ builder whose firm built what is now the nucleus of Philadelphia’s Wanamaker organ, is much admired, especially here in the West where a few of his brilliant creations survive untouched. Organist, organ technician, and historian Thomas L. DeLay, serving as the consultant for First Presbyterian Church of Monterey, California, contacted us about a new organ. DeLay told me that he had invited the committee to a church where he played a 1910 Murray M. Harris organ. This was an educational session just to show the committee the parts of an instrument and how they worked; it was not to talk about tone. In fact, he was a bit concerned that they might be put off by an “old-fashioned” instrument. Much to his surprise and delight, when he demonstrated the instrument, the committee was absolutely captivated and said, “That’s the kind of sound we want!”

Tom asked if we could make something with a bit of the Murray M. Harris character. We could, but wouldn’t it be better to have the real thing or something close to it? One of our long-term clients had an organ in storage with us that was about 90% from Murray M. Harris Opus 91 of 1912. We also had in stock several stops from Opus 83 of 1911. I suggested that we make a brand-new reproduction Murray M. Harris organ with mostly original pipes. The two churches got together and made an arrangement favorable to both, and we set out on one of our most interesting projects.  

Every part of this two-manual, 26-voice, 28-rank organ is new and based on the Schoenstein System except the original pipework. Our windchests happened to be appropriate for Murray M. Harris pipes, having a similar expansion chamber that elongates the wind path between valve and pipe toe. The entire organ is under expression speaking down the long axis of the church with Great and Pedal in one chamber and Swell in the other. The church went to great lengths improving the organ chambers with effective insulation and temperature control. The previous organ had suffered badly from swings in temperature. (Yes, it happens in Monterey!)  

The console is a reproduction of the Murray M. Harris style of the period. An original console was thoroughly measured and photographed. Every detail of the cabinetry is an exact match as are drawknobs and other accessories. To give the instrument added flexibility, the console is equipped with modern playing aids of the Peterson ICS system and has a third manual that draws mainly solo stops from the Great and Swell divisions.

All of the original pipework was carefully cleaned and prepared in our voicing rooms. Fortunately, the pipework had been well preserved over the years and not altered. The stoplist is very much of the period with 69% of its stops at 8′ pitch or below, but they are brimming with color and character. Typical of Harris organs, the upperwork adds a completely satisfying and perfectly balanced glow to the sound. The Dolce Cornet is new but based strictly on Murray M. Harris models of Salicional scale. It has found multiple uses. Of special interest is the Harris tradition of celestes that work with either medium or soft unisons. In this organ they are found on both Swell and Great. The tonal result is a versatile church organ fully suitable to modern demands.

Many modern instruments have been made on 18th- and 19th-century models, but this reproduction in the early 20th-century style may find a new audience for just plain beautiful tone. The instrument was presented in a recital on May 6, 2017, featuring five performers associated over the years with the church: Tiffany Truett Bedner, Aaron Nee, Kitty Du Vernois, organ consultant Thomas DeLay, and current organist Margaret Bellisomi. A formal dedication recital was given by James Welch on September 9 featuring works by Bach, Gounod, Hollins, Parry, Vierne, Clokey, Purvis, and Nevin, among others. The organ project manager for the church is Walt Prowell, the music director is John Koza, and the pastor is Reverend Mark Peake.

—Jack Bethards

President and Tonal Director

Schoenstein & Co.

Three manuals and pedal, incorporating pipes from 1911 and 1912 Murray M. Harris organs: 26 voices, 28 ranks, electric-pneumatic action.  

GREAT (II – Expressive) 

8′ First Open Diapason* 61 pipes 

8′ Second Open Diapason 61 pipes 

8′ Melodia* 61 pipes 

8′ Unda-Maris (TC)* 49 pipes 

8′ Dulciana* 61 pipes 

4′ Octave 61 pipes 

4′ Flute d’Amour* 61 pipes 

22⁄3′ Octave Quint 61 pipes 

2′ Super Octave 61 pipes 

16′ Trombone 12 pipes 

8′ Tuba 61 pipes 

8′ Clarinet 61 pipes 

Tremulant 

Great 16 

Great Unison Off 

Great 4 

SWELL (III – Expressive) 

16′ Bourdon* 61 pipes  

8′ Violin Diapason* 61 pipes 

8′ Stopped Diapason* 61 pipes 

8′ Salicional* 61 pipes 

8′ Vox Celeste (TC)* 49 pipes 

8′ Aeoline* 61 pipes 

4′ Fugara 61 pipes 

4′ Harmonic Flute* 61 pipes 

2′ Piccolo 61 pipes 

Dolce Cornet III 171 pipes 

8′ Trumpet 61 pipes 

8′ Oboe* 61 pipes 

8′ Vox Humana† 61 pipes 

Tremulant 

Swell 16 

Swell Unison Off 

Swell 4 

†with separate Tremulant 

SOLO (I) 

Great Stops

8′ First Open Diapason 

8′ Second Open Diapason 

8′ Unda-Maris II 

8′ Tuba 

4′ Flute d’Amour 

8′ Clarinet 

Swell Stops

8′ Violin Diapason 

8′ Stopped Diapason 

8′ Harmonic Flute (4′ Harm. Flute; 

    Aeoline & St. Diap. bass) 

8′ Vox Celeste II 

8′ Trumpet 

8′ Oboe 

8′ Vox Humana (with Tremulant) 

Chimes†

Solo 16 

Solo Unison Off 

Solo 4 

†From existing organ

PEDAL 

32′ Resultant (Open Diapason/Bourdon)

16′ Open Diapason (wood)* 32 pipes 

16′ Bourdon (former Tibia)*  32 pipes 

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell) 

8′ Open Diapason (Great 2nd Open) 

8′ Violin Diapason (Swell) 

8′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell) 

4′ Octave (Great First Open) 

16′ Trombone (Great) 

8′ Trumpet (Swell) 

4′ Oboe (Swell) 

*Murray M. Harris pipes 

 

COUPLERS 

Great to Pedal 

Great to Pedal 4 

Swell to Pedal 

Swell to Pedal 4 

Solo to Pedal 

Solo to Pedal 4 

 

Swell to Great 16 

Swell to Great 

Swell to Great 4 

Solo to Great 

 

Great to Solo 

Great to Solo 4 

Swell to Solo 

Swell to Solo 4 

 

MECHANICALS 

Solid-state capture combination action with: 

• 100 Memory levels

• Programmable piston range for each 

memory level

• 40 Pistons and toe studs.

• 7 Reversibles including Full Organ.

• Record/Playback

Crescendo pedal 

Adjustable bench

René A. Marceau and Sean Haley

Marceau Pipe Organ Builders,

Seattle, Washington, Opus 35

University Lutheran Church, 

Seattle, Washington 

Marceau Pipe Organ Builders has completed their Opus 35, a three-manual and pedal organ of 25 stops, 27 ranks, and 1,714 pipes for University Lutheran Church of Seattle, Washington. The first instrument for this edifice was built by the Reuter Pipe Organ Company in 1954, Opus 1097. It consisted of two manuals, 18 stops, 19 ranks, and 1,358 pipes. An Echo division was later installed by Balcom & Vaughan Organ Builders in 1957, Opus 637. This consisted of two manuals, six stops, six ranks, and 392 pipes. Two consoles were added; the Chancel unit was able to control both locations, and a separate console was placed in the rear balcony to play only the Echo division. This arrangement worked well for a number of years before mechanical and tuning issues began to affect the reliability of the organs.

In 2013, a conversation was begun that would address the status of the existing consoles, the unplayable Echo division, and the obsolete electrical system. After exploring a number of options, University Lutheran awarded Marceau Pipe Organs a contract to build a new three-manual, terraced drawknob console and create an Antiphonal division that would be located on the floor of the balcony, as well as some modest tonal additions to enable this division to function in a variety of musical styles and to stay in tune with the Chancel organ, regardless of the season. In addition to the above details, there was a desire to transform the sounds of both organs from dull and colorless to a brighter, more energetic sound. This was achieved by introducing new pipes for the Great, Swell, and Antiphonal principal choruses along with major re-regulation of the existing reed stops. In addition, the Antiphonal received an 8′ Festival Trumpet and an 8′ Krummhorn; the existing 8′ Vox Humana was not retained in this division since the Chancel Swell already contained a stop of this character.

The new console was constructed of solid white oak with the coupler rail and stop tiers of bubinga. The simple elegance of the white oak complements the red-brown appearance of the bubinga. The keyboards feature polished bone naturals and ebony sharps. These console treatments have been an integral element of all Marceau consoles for the past 15 years.

A reading of the stoplist suggests a much more colorful and energetic tonal design. The Great principal chorus is completely new to the organ and includes a much-needed 13⁄5′ Seventeenth. The Swell 8′ Principal was a last-minute addition, replacing the original rank, which was slotted with a narrow, string-like sound. The Antiphonal is the only division with a façade; these 12 pipes are from the 8′ Principal. The Pedal 16′ Principal was extended by 17 notes to become 8′ Principal II on the Great. The luxury of having four 8′ Principals is most effective in a less than supportive acoustic.

The number of flute stops is on the lean side due to space and mechanical limitations. The intent was to finish each stop with a multitude of functions, creating a more versatile result. While it is not an ideal design to derive multiple stops of various pitches from one rank, the various derived mutations (Swell and Antiphonal) work quite well as tonal contrasts to the independent Great mutations. 

There are two sets of strings that work remarkably well and complement each other tonally. Having a set of strings in the Antiphonal again creates a unique location of sound that has a most satisfying result!

The reeds all received extensive revoicing in the shop and regulation on site. Both Swell reeds were opened up to gain color and dynamic capabilities. For greater versatility, the Trumpet is set at 16′, 8′, and 4′ pitches in the Swell, 8′ pitch in the Great, and 16′, 8′, and 4′ pitches in the Pedal. A 32′ electronic extension was added as the final dynamic element for the Pedal chorus. The Antiphonal 8′ Krummhorn is bright, and its location still works well with the Chancel organ. The Antiphonal 8′ Festival Trumpet brings a solo reed sound to the organ. Its sound is bright and very present without overwhelming the full ensemble.

The organ was dedicated on October 8, 2016, with a vespers service followed by an organ recital performed by William Bryant.

This was a challenging project in so many ways. Working with an existing pipe organ brings many surprises along the way that could not have been anticipated. We acknowledge the following for their efforts in the many details of this work: Carl Dodrill (Pipe Organ Foundation), Jim Stettner and Michael Way (Puget Sound Pipe Organs), William Bryant, organist of University Lutheran Church, and the staff of Marceau Pipe Organ Builders. These skilled craftsmen took on the many and sometimes difficult challenges of this project with energy and commitment! 

—René A. Marceau 

President/Tonal Director

—Sean Haley

Operations Manager