Blog

Riverside Presbyterian Church
Jacksonville, Florida
R.A. Colby OrganBuilders
Johnson City, Tennessee
by Braden R. Colby
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As a company, we often find that the most fascinating part of our journey is the evolution of our projects. Rarely does the final instrument match the initial idea. Instead, the final product comes from a powerful mixture of our clients’ needs and desires, the organ’s environment, and our own expertise. Every project begins and ends with listening. From the first point of contact, we listen so that we can understand the needs, wants, and vision of the church. We also listen to the musicians and consultant about how other instruments have performed and how they would like the new one to differ. Finally, we listen to understand the room and how the instrument will live in the space. My grandfather, Robert Colby, always used to say, “The most important stop in the organ is the room.” He was referring not only to the acoustics of the space but also, and more importantly, to what the room means to the people and their worship of God. Holding these elements in mind, everything else falls into place with much greater clarity, and a vision for the organ begins to take shape. The journey between meetings, drawing revisions, specification changes, and acoustical improvements twists and curves along a path that brings us to a destination more magnificent than any of us could have achieved independently.

We were fortunate to work with a dedicated group of musicians and music lovers at Riverside Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville, Florida. The church has a very long history with organ music, dating back to the original installation of a Möller pipe organ in 1927. Over the years, this instrument endured a series of rebuilds and updates, but fundamental flaws in the acoustics and serviceability were never addressed. We worked with the consultant and committee to resolve several areas simultaneously, including the serviceability of the instrument, stability of tuning, egress of sound, scope of the tonal resources, and comfort of the console. In everything we do, R.A. Colby holds three principles at the forefront of the decision-making process: stewardship, tonal quality, and the ability to properly service the instrument. When balancing these principles, answers often reveal themselves.

In order to best envelop the Riverside congregation with the presence of the organ, we took two dramatic steps. First, we mounted the critical tonal components of the Great division on the chancel wall in order for the sound to blend with the choir before projecting down the main axis of the building. Second, we opened the chamber space to allow the sound to bloom within the room.

R.A. Colby takes the responsibility of stewardship very seriously and seeks the best value for the church’s investment. The goal was to have a complete pipe instrument that would stand on its own. We retained several stops from the previous instrument and incorporated new pipework to round out the specification. We then used digital augmentation to fill out the specification, broadening the available tonal palette.

Finally, to increase stability and minimize the cost of long-term maintenance, we placed all manual pipework on a single level, which reduces the impact of differential thermal changes. A fully floored lower mechanical level isolates winding and action noise from the tonal level. Expressed divisions take advantage of shades, on both the chancel and nave sides, and extend from the rackboards to the ceiling.

All of these individual decisions combine to create an instrument worthy of use in worship and reflective of the artisans and dedicated individuals whose gifts of time, talent, and money made it a reality. As when the project began, it ended with listening to the congregation—now worshiping with newfound purpose.

Brad Colby is a third-generation organbuilder and vice president of R.A. Colby Inc. He earned an MBA degree from Duke University and is an active member in the American Institute of Organbuilders and the AGO. Website: Racolby.com

From the Consultant

I’ve been fortunate in having three careers in my life: elementary music and classroom teacher, church organist-choirmaster, and organ consultant. The consulting has only taken place in the last 20 years, but it is something that I’ve had a passion for, ever since my days in college. When I was called to be the consultant for Riverside Presbyterian in February 2014, I don’t think any of us had any idea that we were embarking on a journey that would last four and a half years. After reviewing the existing instrument, it was plain to see that much of the pipework was in good condition and had good tonal qualities. However, the engineering was atrocious. In some places the mechanisms were so crammed together that access for maintenance was impossible.

The R.A. Colby Company was selected because they put forth the most creative ideas about the design of the organ and were insistent from the beginning that the walls facing the seating of the sanctuary should be opened as much as possible to allow tonal egress of the sound of the pipes in the chambers. Colby was also agreeable to the use of some digital stops in the organ. Space in the organ chambers was very limited, and we knew that we did not want to crowd the organ and/or stack one division of pipes above another as had been done in the old instrument, contributing to pipework not staying in tune.

Early on in the development of plans for the organ, church representatives and I worked with R.A. Colby to begin to develop the specification of the organ. This is a process where ideas are put forth and thoroughly discussed. Stops to be included in the scheme are influenced by available space, cost, and their role in rendering the literature to be played on them.

It has been my pleasure to work with Riverside Presbyterian Church, and the Colby staff, who have produced a magnificent organ to serve the church for decades to come.
John R. Parkyn

From the Organist

“Soli Deo Gloria”—to the glory of God alone. This phrase, used by Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel, expresses the idea that music is solely for the sake of praising God. So it is with our new Colby organ. The immense sound tapestry of this instrument will lead us as we gather together to worship our Creator. The organ will support us as we sing together as a faith family expressing our joy, our sadness, our pleas, and our questions. As we grieve and celebrate together, the colors and sounds of the choir and organ will guide us to deeper understandings of the texts we sing and hear. The colorful timbres of the instrument will be present in the beautiful Riverside Presbyterian Church sanctuary to garnish melodies, harmonies, and counterpoint as we meditate with gratitude on the wonders of our Creator, Sustainer, and Companion on our way.

Pope Benedict XVI, at the blessing of the new organ at the Basilica Alte Kapelle in Regensburg, Germany (September 13, 2006), expressed the power of the organ best: “The organ has always been considered, and rightly so, the king of instruments because it takes up all the sounds of creation . . . and gives resonance to the fullness of human sentiments, from joy to sadness, from praise to lamentation. By transcending the merely human sphere, as all music of quality does, it invokes the divine. The organ’s great range of timbre, from piano through to thundering fortissimo, makes it an instrument superior to all others. It is capable of echoing and expressing all the experiences of human life. The manifold possibilities of the organ in some way remind us of the immensity and magnificence of God.”

Lois Gurney

St. John’s Episcopal Church
Lafayette, Indiana
Quimby Pipe Organs Inc.
Warrensburg, Missouri
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St. John’s Episcopal Church is a thriving parish located in downtown Lafayette, Indiana. Music has been an important focus of the parish since it was organized in 1836. Upon the completion of the present building in 1857, a secondhand 1853 Pilcher organ was first rented and later purchased. In 1889, the first paid choirmaster and choristers were engaged, and a men and boys’ choir “reorganized,” which continued until 1960. A new Pilcher was installed in 1890; this instrument was subsequently enlarged and electrified by Pilcher in the 1920s. In 1966, due to failing mechanisms and changing taste, a new two-manual, 29-rank Wicks replaced the rebuilt Pilcher. That organ was installed on a new, elevated platform at gallery level at the rear of the nave. While the organ was at the back of the nave, the choir sang from the front, where the console was also located.

In 2015, Michael Quimby and I were invited to assess this instrument, and to determine what, if anything, could be salvaged from it and reused in a major rebuild or new organ. We found an instrument that was dated tonally, but more importantly, wasn’t meeting the musical needs of the parish and choir.

What we discovered in terms of pipework was typical for its era: open-toe flues with little to no nicking, on light wind pressures, with voicing clearly inspired by the Organ Reform Movement. However, the hallmarks of typical Wicks factory work were also present—that is, solidly constructed pipes with heavier metal gauges than most mid-20th-century neo-Baroque organs: solid, heavy zinc basses, good spotted metal for principals, Hoyt metal for flutes, and beautifully constructed bourdons and gedeckts. These were all indicators that the majority of the existing flue pipework would respond very well to rescaling and revoicing.

The reeds were a different story. Michael Bennett, director of music, indicated a clear preference for an organ that would better support traditional Anglo-Episcopal liturgical music—one that would bear a relationship to the English-American tradition of tonal design. The 16′ Bazoo (a 16′ Krummhorn) and 4’´ Schalmei did not serve in this role. On the other hand, the Swell 8′ Trompette, while a little raucous in voicing, promised untapped potential with careful revoicing.

Visually, the church interior had undergone a series of remodeling changes over the past century and a half, and the original mid-19th-century Gothic revival was muddled at best, and completely lost in certain instances, where original wood carved details had been replaced by mid-20th-century modern paneling or by late 20th-century neo-Gothic replacements. The effect, with the 1966 Wicks functional-type facade, was disjointed. Part of the room looked like what it was, but other elements, added by accretion over time, confused the architectural language of the space.

In our conversations with Bradley Pace, the rector, Michael Bennett, and organ committee members, certain priorities for the organ project emerged—priorities that we were ultimately able to reconcile with the potential presented by the existing instrument and a budget that the church was comfortable with. These were (1) a tonal concept that responded to the liturgical needs of the church—with greater breadth and color at unison pitch, blending capacities, and opportunities for accompaniment ensembles at all dynamic levels; (2) an instrument that functioned correctly mechanically; and (3) an instrument that would have visual congruence with a renovated church interior—with the goal in mind to visually unify the space and respond more fully to the Gothic revival styling.

Working through a series of options in dialogue with Michael and his committee, we were ultimately able to arrive at an option that met these objectives and worked within an acceptable budget. Much of the flue pipework would be retained, rescaled where necessary, and completely revoiced throughout, with new ranks being added as necessary to round out the tonal concept. Reeds, with the exception of the Swell 8′ Trompette, would be replaced, and additional reed ranks, required for standard English-American service-playing, would be added. The console and solid-state relay, long the source of many mechanical issues and headaches for the church, would be replaced. The windchests were to be retained, with mechanical adjustments to the Wicks Direct-Electric valves as required for proper function. The blower was to be replaced, as well as the Wicks regulators; the latter were replaced with standard curtain-valve reservoirs. These changes to the wind system would im-prove stability and allow pressures to be increased for more harmonically developed voicing and color. Finally, the existing facade and “casework” paneling were to be abandoned, and a new fa-cade and casework constructed and installed, which would be inspired by remaining mid-19th-century architectural details in the space.

Michael Bennett expressed a strong desire for a three-manual instrument, but also wisely questioned whether that would spread tonal resources too thinly across three manual divisions. Michael Quimby and I were inclined to agree with his second assessment, at least in terms of a traditional disposition, with at least partially developed ensembles on each of three manuals. There just wasn’t space in the existing footprint of the instrument to develop three manual divisions completely. We opted instead to approach a third manual tradition in a somewhat unconventional way: the floating Wicks Positiv division, which was nothing more than a Cornet séparé, would become the basis for a third manual division, called Solo. Playable from manual I, it would include these five ranks as well as the new Harmonic Trumpet, playable in manual and pedal at 16′ , 8′ , and 4′ . Because we were working with an existing unit action, other voices were selected from both the Great and Swell to form the basis of a derived Solo division that would also have some ensemble capacity. Thus, the Great 4′ Octave and 2′ Fifteenth play as an 8′ Diapason and 4′ Octave in this division. The result is a manual that fits into terraced registrations with flexibility and ease, and still allows the Great and Swell to be more fully developed along traditional lines.

With very few exceptions, the flue pipework responded very well to rescaling and revoicing. Open-toe flue pipes were all coned down and regulated on higher pressures, which has allowed better harmonic development, warmth, and consistency from note to note. The Great principal chorus, originally based on a 48 scale at 8′ , has been rescaled several notes larger to more normal practices for a room of this size and type. The rest of the chorus was rescaled and revoiced accordingly. Nearly all of the flutes responded stunningly to revoicing treatment; the original Wicks 8′ Swell Röhrflöte, now in the Solo, is one of the nicer examples I can ever recall hearing.

On the other hand, a few ranks proved in the voicing room not to live up to our original assessment. The original Swell 4′ Octavin (a tapered Spitzprincipal) did not respond in the same way as the Great principals, and the Swell strings (large-scale Viola Pomposas with wide mouths, which had at some point replaced the original 1966 Wicks Erzähler and Celeste) also proved to be problematic. These were simply replaced. One final rank yielded a surprise: the original Great 4′ Koppelflöte was to have been revoiced and retained in the Great division, but efforts on sample pipes proved unsatisfactory. After some experimentation, we determined that the caps could be removed, and extensions fabricated to solder on the tops of the open metal pipes, to provide the correct scale for a 4′ Hohl Flute. The result is a contrasting flute voice that combines very well in ensemble.

The Swell Trompette did indeed respond well to revoicing, and together with the Oboe and Clarinet, provides the three basic reeds one would expect to find in an organ inspired by the English-American tradition. The Solo 8′ Harmonic Trumpet, extended downward to serve as the primary Pedal reed, can serve as a dramatic solo reed and also a very effective ensemble player for climactic passages.

The Trompette-en-Chamade was not originally provided for in the contract. A drawknob and space in the relay was added partway through the process, in the hopes that this rank could be added in the future. Much to our surprise, after a parishioner heard one in another location, a small group of parishioners and former members were inspired and raised the money for this addition in a matter of weeks. The timing was such that we were able to install this rank in time for the dedication recital.

In order not to obscure some very fine stained glass windows, the Chamade chests were oriented vertically, rather than horizontally, so that the pipes and chests could be installed in fairly narrow spaces between three lancet windows. To ensure that the Chamade could be easily accessed for tuning and winded from existing wind trunks, the location is rather low in the space—just above a new casework wainscoting band that connects the two organ cases and obscures a horizontal wind line. Accordingly, great pains were taken to ensure that this stop would dominate the ensemble, as it should, but not in a way that would be harsh or offensive when heard at close quarters. Constructed of polished copper, with flared bells, the Trompette-en-Chamade is voiced with a broad Tromba-like quality that is still harmonically bright. It is louder when heard at the altar than it is by parishioners sitting directly under it, and we consider this to be very much a success.

The resulting instrument is one that is a bit of a surprise, especially when its origins are considered. There is a wealth of contrasting tone at unison pitch, and these are all voices that blend well and combine in surprising ways. Two manuals have fully developed, independent choruses, and the instrument would seem to possess greater variety in flute and reed tone than might at first be suggested by a mere 29 ranks. It speaks clearly into a generous acoustic, and registration comes easily and intuitively. Though most of the original mechanics and pipework were reused, the resulting creation has given the church an instrument that is new, tonally and visually. In the end, although it is a rebuild, because it is tonally very much like our new work, and so radically unlike what preceded it, we have assigned it an opus number in our body of work.

The inaugural recital was presented on February 1, 2019, by Todd Wilson to a capacity audience with a widely varied and spectacularly played program that was enthusiastically received.

 

T. Daniel Hancock, AIA, is president of Quimby Pipe Organs Inc.

St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church
Lafayette, Louisiana
Cornel Zimmer Organ Builders
Opus 145, 2017
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By Kevin Martin

When the final plans for St. Pius X Parish’s new church building were released, it was readily apparent that the new organ would require an enlarged specification, ultimately leading to digital augmentation. While there was ample room in the organ chamber (located in the rear of the nave) for approximately 30 to 40 ranks of pipes, the transepts were located too far away from the organ chamber and, therefore, would require organ divisions of their own to support the choir and congregational singing.

The search for a pipe organ builder who would incorporate digital voices with speaking pipes resulted in our selecting Cornel Zimmer Organ Builders (CZOB) to design and build the new organ. The Zimmer firm designs every organ as a pipe organ first, exchanging pipe stops for digital voices when the reality of budget and space restrictions weighs in. It was our hope to incorporate 13 pipe ranks of our existing Wicks pipe organ in this new church organ; however, it was determined that their scaling was insufficient for the new 31,000-square-foot building. Thus, we developed a completely new, all-digital design incorporating voices from Walker Technical Company, leaving chamber space for pipe-rank additions in the future. The new instrument comprises the gallery organ in the rear of the nave, a nave organ located above the transepts, and an ethereal organ and floating string division located behind the altar above the baldachin. The four-manual console is French-terraced in design (reflecting the strong French influence in southern Louisiana) and includes Roman arch cut-out panels to mirror the architecture of the new church. The main organ, located in the gallery, features a substantial facade, covering the tonal opening of the chamber, blending seamlessly with architectural elements to add beauty to the new church space.

The result? Cornel Zimmer Organ Builders simply outdid themselves: a sonic and visual masterpiece—expertly designed, crafted, installed, and voiced by the gifted and capable craftsmen of CZOB and Walker Technical Company. The American symphonic specification of the organ brilliantly accompanies congregational singing and soloists and handles all types of literature beautifully. St. Pius has a strong, 50-year history as a musically active parish—including vibrant congregational singing and an appreciation of sacred music at a high level, both musically and spiritually. The organ has already been heard in concert performances of Bach’s Magnificat and Duruflé’s Requiem. The Reverend Steven Leblanc, St. Pius’s former pastor, who oversaw the building project, sums it up well: “Everything about it is beyond expectation. The console, the sound, the facade all make our liturgies a feast for the eyes and ears, and uplift the soul in praise to God.”

 

Kevin Martin is organist at St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church in Lafayette, Louisiana. More information on this installation is available at Zimmer Organs.

Photography: Danny Izzo, Nouveau Photeau