Blog

St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church
Erie, Pennsylvania
Heritage Pipe Organs Inc.
Buffalo, New York
Stoplist

By Charlie Porter

St. Patrick Church on 4th Street near the Bayfront is the oldest Catholic parish in Erie, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1837, the church began construction in 1903 and the first Mass was celebrated on Christmas Day of 1906. The building underwent a major renovation in 2012; it is home to a world-renowned, life-size, hand-carved Stations of the Cross by the Franz Mayer studio of Munich. A 34-rank A.B. Felgemaker organ, Opus 901, was installed in 1906 for the grand opening but was left untouched in the recent building renovations. Given the fabulous nature of the church edifice, its history, and the artifacts within, rebuilding the organ to a comparable level of grandeur was foremost in our minds.

St. Patrick’s contracted Heritage Pipe Organs to rebuild Opus 901 in 2017, with installation the following year. Mark Alloway, the church’s music director, provided us with a copy of the original specification as noted in the Felgemaker company ledger. This primary source allowed us to compare the original disposition of the organ with the changes that had been made in the intervening century. The original tubular-pneumatic action had subsequently been electrified and a stop-tab console was installed. Certain ranks had been altered, such as the Swell 8′ Aeolina being cut down to make a 2 ⅔ʹ Nazard. The configuration of the chambers made servicing and tuning challenging, and the condition of the windchests and associated components made an organ project imperative.

In addition to aesthetic parameters, maintaining the original pipework was of paramount importance. Furthermore, we hoped to augment the organ with tasteful additions to the stoplist. Designing a layout that would provide tuning stability and access for maintenance in the long term was an additional priority. In consultation with Organ Supply Industries of Erie and the music director, a design layout and stoplist were created to meet all these criteria.

Choosing which stops to highlight is challenging because of the excellence of each rank individually and the church’s spectacular acoustics. The Great First Open Diapason is rich and warm, filling the room all by itself: a most delightful reminder of the golden age of American organbuilding. The beautiful Choir Concert Flute is both harmonic and tapered—quite the rarity! A complete complement of reeds, flutes, and strings in all divisions allows ample registration options for any repertoire. Since the original Swell Aeolina had been cut down to play as a Nazard in the distant past, we opted to include a used and period-appropriate 8′ Aeoline in the Swell, as well as adding a new independent Tierce.

The new oak hardwood console, built by Organ Supply, matches in ornamentation features of the existing woodwork at St. Patrick’s. Every convenience a modern organist would expect is available using the Peterson ICS-4000 system and the elegant console controls. The expression and crescendo pedals were artfully constructed to mirror Felgemaker models. The facade pipes, upon close inspection, showed signs of instability and damage. These were all removed, repaired, and repainted in similar motif to the sanctuary, then reinstalled on reinforced hangers.

Behold! Here we may observe the result of months of collaborative planning and design with Organ Supply Industries; the dedication of Msgr. Henry Kriegel and organist Mark Alloway; the generosity of Morgan and Kathy Jacox, who made this project possible; and the countless sweat-soaked, filthy, and rewarding hours put in by the staff of Heritage Pipe Organs. Hitherto a languishing gem, the organ at St. Patrick’s is now an exemplar of the parish’s nickname: the “Spirit of the Bayfront.”

Charlie Porter is president of Heritage Pipe Organs, based in Buffalo, N.Y.
Website: http://heritagepipeorgans.com/

From the Consultant
Before we begin, the elephant in the room needs to be addressed. Whenever I am asked to consult on organ projects, there are ground rules that need to be established. As an organist, organbuilder, and member of the management team of Organ Supply Industries (OSI), my role would be without compensation, focused on education, and would not overlap with selection of the organbuilder. Consultation concluded in early 2017, at which time a list of 18 firms capable of completing the task was provided. With a clear understanding of expectations, we began our work to flesh out the organ’s history and immediate needs, as well as future goals for its use.

St. Patrick’s controversial architecture is not based on a traditional cruciform style; rather, a Romanesque structure devoid of internal supports allows for vast and uninhibited sight lines throughout the nave. The church also offers an immersive experience in Christianity from the Catholic perspective with the art surrounding the nave. For a more comprehensive history and photographic survey of the space, visit saintpatrickparisherie.org/historyofsaintpatricks.html.

St. Patrick’s journey from 1906 to 2020 has not been without the usual trials and tribulations that many inner-city congregations face. In the latter half of the 20th century, the church suffered a destructive fire that damaged the central dome and caused structural damage. By the turn of the next century the parish faced a dwindling congregation whose vision for the future was uncertain. Despite these conditions, efforts were channeled to make necessary repairs to the building, starting with the repointing of the exterior stone. Over the course of 20 years, the structure—including the Stations of the Cross, murals, and reliefs—has been completely restored through strong leadership and focus on community mission.

With the building renovation complete, focus turned to the final major asset—A.B. Felgemaker’s Opus 901. The 1906 organ has served as the heart of the music program since the construction of the building. Throughout the years, it had been subject to mechanical and tonal alterations. Changes to the keying mechanism and winding system, along with tonal revoicing and additions to serve a more neoclassical approach, were all deployed throughout the instrument’s many years of service.

As in many organ projects, the council ran the gamut of differing opinions on expenditures for the instrument. Some knew of its deteriorated state, while others did not understand because the musician was very skilled at hiding the deficiencies. My pedagogical role was to foster understanding between the musician and the council. We began with a discovery period to define the current state of the organ. This assessment looked at longevity, reliability, and serviceability. Once these items were explained, all options were presented to the committee for consideration, such as a rigorous maintenance program, outright replacement with a new or existing heritage instrument, a hybrid approach, or an all-digital approach.

Following the educational process, the committee unanimously agreed upon a way forward. They wished to preserve their history, solidify reliability, and ensure the longevity of the organ for future generations. With this vision established, a request for a quotation was formed along with an extensive list of professionals capable of completing the task. Ultimately the church selected the Heritage Pipe Organ Company of Buffalo, New York.

The total project encompassed a new mechanical chassis of pneumatic slider chest and electropneumatic unit design, a new console, and a solid-state organ control system. The preservation of the voicing aimed to honor the original instrument by A.B. Felgemaker, incorporate some contributions from the later Tellers instrument, and allow for the addition of a solo reed and a Pedal reed.

The completed project demonstrates well the Erie organbuilding tradition and beautifully showcases the green and renewable nature of the pipe organ as a long-term asset to any music program. The story is almost directly from the book Imagining Abundance, especially the chapter titled “Money Follows Mission.” The resolute and well-defined decision of the council paved the way for the project to be funded through the generosity of one family. It goes without saying that the overall success of the undertaking is due to the St. Patrick’s Church council and organ committee, Fr. Henry Kriegel, Mark Alloway, the Jacox Family, and the staff of Heritage Pipe Organ Company for their talents, mutual respect, clear communication, and dedication.

Bryan Timm
Photography: Tim Rohrbach

The Pieter J. Schiller Memorial Pipe Organ
St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church
Chatham, Massachusetts
Dobson Pipe Organ Builders
Lake City, Iowa

By John Panning

Stoplist

What could be easier than designing a two-manual church organ? Such instruments have been the organbuilder’s bread and butter, the most common configuration of pipe organs, found in churches the world over. After centuries of designing and building them, surely we’ve figured out within this framework how to lead hymn singing, accompany a choir, and perform the literature, as all of us rather tritely describe in every one of these articles, haven’t we?

Of course, it’s not that simple. Organists of the late 19th century might be delighted to have a stock-model instrument from Johnson or Hook & Hastings. But with five centuries of literature in regular use today, church musicians expect more in a new organ than a loud Open Diapason and pretty soft stops in a tasteful but generic organ case. We want to play with some degree of authenticity Buxtehude toccatas, French Classic dialogues, English voluntaries, and Edwardian choral accompaniments—and surely we need a chamade and a 32′ reed! For the thinking organbuilder, restrictions of budget and space are the proverbial refiner’s fire, driving us to weigh what is essential in each situation and what must regrettably be considered dross.

By New England standards, St. Christopher’s is a young parish. Founded in 1961, it occupies the 1879 home of the former Universalist church in the center of town. In 2004, under the leadership of the present rector, Rev. Brian W. McGurk, and with an organ committee to guide the design, the parish undertook a substantial building project. The design by Dan Barton of Maugel Architects in Harvard, Massachusetts, included enlargement of the nave and construction of new entrance and office spaces. An attractive feature of the new commons area is its use as a gallery, where sacred art exhibitions are mounted.

In the church building proper, the orientation of the nave was rotated 180 degrees, placing the chancel at the street end of the building, and a new music area was constructed at the opposite end. Although the historic pews were retained, new altar furniture and music area railings were designed. A pipe organ was anticipated as part of the building project, but funds were unavailable at that time. In 2014, organist and choirmaster Maury A. Castro began exploring options for a new instrument with a team of parishioners, including musician-in-residence Haskell Thomson. We met the committee in 2015, and they visited a number of our instruments. A capital campaign was launched in 2018, and a construction contract with us was signed later that year.

Among the several Dobson instruments the committee visited, our Opus 80, at St. Paul’s Church, Rock Creek Parish, in Washington, D.C., stood out. Its efficient specification gives little indication of its true musical versatility. After their experience there, members of the Chatham committee were unsurprised to learn that our involvement at St. Thomas Church in New York City came about in no small part because of John Scott’s satisfaction with the Rock Creek organ.

As is true nearly everywhere, architectural and programmatic realities shaped the instrument’s physical size. The organ case had to be shallow enough to permit two rows of seats between it and the detached console. In turn, the console could not move farther into the nave without the music area railing obstructing the main entrance doorway.

With those relationships established, case design began. The first sketches were traditional, inspired by features of the original 1879 church. Although not wishing to deny the history of the building, design discussions pivoted in a more modern direction. Chatham is located on the southeastern tip of Cape Cod, and its famous lighthouse looks directly out on the Atlantic Ocean; stylized versions of the lighthouse appear as newel posts in the renovated spaces. Drawing on this nautical theme, the final organ case design has sail-shaped compartments, waves of facade pipes (four layers deep at some points), and gilded stars set in a dark blue pipe-shade sky. Built of painted white oak with dark-stained oak trim, the case reveals its complexities slowly, with its front curving in three dimensions, both outward and downward. The detached console is made of black cherry, minimally stained; in time, it will develop a gorgeous red-brown color.
Opus 98’s earliest specifications took our Rock Creek organ as a point of departure. As the design evolved, a French sensibility was incorporated: principal mutations became flutes, additional harmonic flutes appeared, the design of the reed stops changed. It was agreed that the unison flues would be more comparable in strength than is often typical of Anglo-American practice. And we all agreed that the strong manual Trumpet would be happier in the Swell, under control, with the Clarinet on the Great. Beyond its traditional solo role, this latter stop has proved effective as a mild chorus reed.

The quest for beauty is the foundation of what we do, and beauty knows no dimension of stops or pipe count. Truly compelling voicing is in fact a greater necessity in instruments of modest resources, as every pipe is relied upon that much more. Opus 98 doesn’t possess the simplistic thrill of large size, nor is it situated in a reverberant acoustic that flatters casual voicing. Every pipe has been painstakingly considered on its own: how it relates to the neighbors in its rank, to the others in its division, and to voices elsewhere in the instrument. Extensive listening takes place, revealing both the typical small things (a certain frequency is absorbed or encouraged by the room) as well as larger concerns (ceiling reflections make the Swell more prominent at the console than in the nave, for example). The process is at first global (do samples make musical sense in the room?), then local (is this pipe working perfectly?), and then global again (with other pipes voiced, are the original decisions about relationships still the right ones?). A moderate pressure of 3ʺ, delivered from a weighted, single-rise reservoir, permits a responsive, approachable mechanical key action and voicing of a natural, gracious style.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the instrument in various ways. Unlike our customary practice, we could not travel to Massachusetts to voice sample pipes in the church before preliminary shop voicing. By happy coincidence, however, a local Lake City church has almost the same dimensions and acoustic as Chatham’s, and we were happy to find that samples set in this space fit Chatham well. With our workshop closed for seven weeks during the pandemic, Opus 98’s installation and voicing schedule was pushed into the high tourist season, making lodging on the Cape—difficult and expensive under the best of circumstances—nearly impossible during the intense “post-COVID” 2021 vacation season. Parishioner Bob Lynyak came to our aid, with comfortable quarters in his home and the agreeable attentions of his standard poodle, Owen.

This was but one of many ways in which St. Christopher’s has been the best of clients. The generosity of parish members, led by finance chairman Pieter Schiller, not only made the instrument possible, but also permitted three initially prepared-for ranks to be installed with the rest of the organ. While the destruction of our workshop by fire on June 15, 2021, did not directly affect Opus 98 (it had been shipped several months earlier), I was at work in Chatham when the news came through. That night, the vestry met specially, offering to advance the organ’s final payment even though the instrument was not yet complete.

Such acts of generosity and confidence make us grateful for much: the friendship of talented musicians and the good people of this parish, the opportunity to build this organ to help them sing God’s praise, and the privilege of working in a craft that has shown us such soul-sustaining support in the midst of almost overwhelming challenge. May this instrument inspire and comfort the people of St. Christopher’s Church and the greater Chatham community for many years to come.

John A. Panning is the owner and president of Dobson Pipe Organ Builders.

Website: http://www.dobsonorgan.com

All photos by Benjamin Hoskins except where noted.

Dobson Pipe Organ Builders

William Ayers
Abraham Batten
Kent Brown
Lynn Dobson
Donald Glover
Randy Hausman
Dean Heim
Donny Hobbs
Deana Hoeg-Ryan
Ben Hoskins
Albert Meyers
Arthur Middleton
Dwight Morenz
Ryan Mueller
John Panning
Robert Savage
Carl Schnack
Jim Streufert
John Streufert
Jon Thieszen
Patrick Thieszen
Sally Winter
Dean Zenor

The St. Cecilia Organ
Church of the Transfiguration
Community of Jesus, Orleans, Massachusetts

If we all embrace a new vision, special guidance and support will surely come.
–NELSON BARDEN

By Nelson Barden and Jim Jordan

On Monday, May 15, 1995, at 10:56 p.m., a fax from Nelson Barden (president, Nelson Barden & Associates, restorer in residence, Boston University) arrived in the music office at the Church of the Transfiguration. This was not just another fax. This document was in response to Nelson’s first visit to the Community of Jesus to meet with the superior, Mother Betty Pugsley, during which they discussed the vision, need, scope, and reason for an organ of incredible depth, proportion, beauty, and scale that would support the worship at the Community of Jesus and its world-renowned music outreach. 

Nelson realized instantly what she was saying, and both agreed that “above all other considerations, this organ must uncompromisingly spring from its spiritual and artistic vision until that vision becomes reality.”

To that end, the organ’s specification, geographic layout, and overall design were inspired and motivated by the ministry and mission of Gloriæ Dei Cantores (the resident professional choir at the Community of Jesus) as well as the community’s enthusiastic hymn singing. Gloriæ Dei Cantores performs repertoire of more than 30 nationalities, from Gregorian chant to music of the present day—a challenge for any organ to support, given the number of genres this includes.

Before meeting Nelson, we had committed to the restoration of an E.M. Skinner organ for the Church of the Transfiguration, knowing its innate beauty and flexibility. In fact, we had already purchased, and had in storage, Skinner No. 762 from the Munn Avenue Presbyterian Church in East Orange, New Jersey. We soon realized, however, that this instrument would not be enough on its own and, instead, would need to become the basis for something far larger and with greater impact. In order to fulfill his vision and charge to unite the organ with the basilica form of the church, Nelson said, “surround sound”:

For this installation, I suggest rotating the traditional east-west organ placement 90 degrees to north-south and stretching the instrument completely down the nave in balconies over both side aisles. The divisions would start near the chancel (above the choir seating) with the Swell and Choir on opposite sides. These would be followed by an exposed Great and an enclosed Great (including some Pedal) to broaden the tone and bring it down the nave. Next would be matching north and south Solo divisions, followed by North and South Orchestral. These paired divisions would contain similar but distinct voices. These four matched divisions would form the “moving melody” section. Near the west end would be Bombarde/Antiphonal opposite the Echo. The shades of these divisions would not open directly toward the congregation but project the sound toward the back wall. This would modulate the heavy hitters in the Bombarde and allow the Echo to do a tonal “disappearing act.” The directional and surround effects achieved by computer control of stops and shades would lift the instrument beyond state-of-the-art into a unique realm. Moving melody could range freely over the building from left to right and front to back. A single pianissimo chord from the chancel could grow into a mighty wave of sound, roll down the entire length of the nave, cascade into the Echo and disappear.

Over the course of many years, there ensued hundreds of discussions about the many specifics needed to arrive at such a conclusion. (The specification alone has been through more than 150 revisions.) Only two weeks after the first fax came the next “prophetic” fax that would soon reveal the platform upon which we would collaborate for more than two and a half decades. 

In addition to the primary precept of always maintaining the spiritual and artistic vision, two other significant points were developed from this second exchange:

• Encourage apprentice-interested Community of Jesus members into the organbuilding field to act as good stewards in both the construction and future care of this instrument.

• Let the project take the time required for the organ to “teach and tell us” how it should grow and be transformed through varied experiences.

Upon mutually enthusiastic agreement, we reviewed the concepts set forth in the May 15 document, in which Nelson said the organ should be

1. World-class and unique
2. Ideally suited to your purposes
3. A tangible expression of Community of Jesus spiritual principles
4. Beautiful and musical, with instantly recognizable tone
5. Designed for posterity; built to last forever
6. Able to perform 19th-century music authentically and 18th-century Bach convincingly
7. Capable of eliciting profound emotions
8. Designed for HDCD recordings (!)
9. Focused on future developments, not current technology
10. A “trendsetter”

These discussion points quickly converted into

1. Adopting the vision
2. Making the commitment to move forward
3. Incorporating the organ space into the church design
4. Refining the vision, shaping it to our precise needs
5. Defining the mechanical system of the organ
6. Developing a plan of action and a realistic budget
7. Locating a shop and storage space
8. Beginning to implement the plan of action
9. Training part-time workers and developing their expertise
10. Acquiring more component parts to restore
11. Organizing and commencing restoration work
12. Setting up a division and playing it for inspiration

 

Thus, the organ restoration project began in earnest. 

Fast-forward to the summer of 2021, and we look back to see that Nelson’s original division layout, with some changes in nomenclature, has come true.

Disposition:

APSE

CHOIR	SWELL
NORTH GREAT (AND PEDAL)	SOUTH GREAT (and PEDAL)
SOLO (AND PEDAL)	STRING AND PEDAL
ANTIPHONAL/PROCESSIONAL	ECHO

WEST END

We were extremely fortunate to find instruments available for purchase that, together, created a “joyful musical genesis.” Below is a partial list of the Skinner organs whose components constitute this “new” instrument:

No.  140 Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Cleveland, Ohio
No.  195 Williams College, Williamstown, Mass.
No.  310 Plymouth Church, Shaker Heights, Ohio
No.  473 Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla.
No.  540 St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Williamsport, Pa.
No.  541 First Congregational Church, St. Petersburg, Fla.
No.  655 St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Rochester, N.Y.
No.  656 Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
No.  762 Munn Avenue Presbyterian Church, East Orange, N.J.
No.  855 Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Pittsburgh, Pa.
No.  858 Rollins College, Winter Park, Fla.
No.  934 St. Joseph’s College, Adrian, Mich.
No.  991 Broadway Tabernacle, New York, N.Y.
No.  1242 First Baptist Church, Abilene, Tex.

Nelson and the Community of Jesus have maintained an organbuilding apprenticeship program through these many years, having trained one of our members to journeyman status (during the course of 20 years), and four others in multiyear work-training situations. During this time, the construction and installation truly followed Nelson’s initial concept—division by division. This is what allowed the organ to “teach” us. Below are some other significant dates in the history of this organ:

June 2000 Dedication of the Church of the Transfiguration (North Great, Swell, and Tuba Mirabilis)

June 2003 Great Artist series begins with AGO Regions I and II convention featuring Thomas 

Murray (Choir division) 

June 2005 Fifth anniversary of the Church of the Transfiguration (Antiphonal/Processional divisions)

June 2010 Tenth anniversary of the Church of the Transfiguration (Echo division and arrival of the west-end console for recitals by Gerre and and Judith Hancock and Thomas Murray)

Summer 2018 32′  Bombarde installed on south side

Summer 2019 Removal of 1929 console and return of the rewired west-end console serving as temporary main console

February 2020 Arrival of the permanent console

Our new console was designed, constructed, and installed by Richard Houghten and Joseph Zamberlan. From 2000 to 2020, we had used the original E.M. Skinner console from No. 762, which, by 2020, we had long outgrown. We designed the new console to be as comfortable as a Skinner, with everything clearly identified and within reach. Special features include shade expression thumb slides underneath the bottom three keyboards, an expression matrix so that any of the divisions can be assigned to a specific swell pedal (the entire organ is under expression), and ivory keyboards (with E.M. Skinner’s “tracker touch”) from the No. 762 console. Some unusual couplers such as Pedal to Manual are included.

Perhaps the most moving realizations are the visionary outlooks of how this organ would affect people as they listened and experienced it in the setting of the Church of the Transfiguration. In concluding his initial thoughts to us in May 1995, Nelson wrote this to encourage us to take this on:

The Ultimate Goal

Every church is an expression of the builders, and so is every organ. When this instrument is finished, Community members will feel they are a part of the organ, and the organ is part of them. It will give voice to their aspirations and resonate with deep-seated meaning.

Building a magnificent instrument is hard work, sometimes tedious and always prolonged. Nonprofessionals may become discouraged, just as organbuilders are when the job drags on. The difference is that organbuilders hold a vision that gives them boundless energy and faith. They know the end result and imagine how it sounds.

Community members will understand everything when their labor comes to life and the organ starts to play. Lumber and leather, wire and wind—if a pipe organ can sing with the angels, isn’t there hope for us all?

The list of people to thank is simply endless at this point, but here are names of those without whom this organ would not exist.

John Ananda
Jonathan Ambrosino
Nelson Barden
Chris Broome
† Dave Broome
† David Craighead
James Hudson Crissman
William Czelusniak
† Gerre Hancock
Richard Houghten
Thomas Murray
Sean O’Donnell
Duane Prill
Mother Betty Pugsley
Joseph Rotella
Peter Rudewicz
Joseph Sloan
Joseph Zamberlan

† deceased

A complete specification as well as other Skinner instrument numbers are available at CommunityofJesus.org.

Since 1956, Nelson Barden has been recognized as one of America’s leading experts in the museum-quality restoration of orchestral pipe organs—particularly the work of E.M. Skinner—and is president of Nelson Barden & Associates.

Jim Jordan has been one of the organists in residence at the Church of the Transfiguration at the Community of Jesus since 1988, during which time he has performed as an organ accompanist for Gloriæ Dei Cantores and as a soloist throughout the United States and Eastern and Western Europe.

–Nelson Barden

Northminster Presbyterian Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
C.B. Fisk Inc.
Gloucester, Massachusetts
By David C. Pike
Stoplist

 

Over the last three quarters of a century, Northminster Presbyterian Church, set in the Broad Ripple neighborhood of Indianapolis, has grown from a modest assembly gathering in a borrowed space on Sunday evenings to many hundreds of members worshiping in a smartly updated building on Kessler Boulevard. Today, this faith community is an active and dynamic force not only in Broad Ripple, but also in several communities around the world. The well-known red-brick colonial-style edifice, which has been expanded multiple times since its 1957 inauguration, is as notable for the outstanding music made inside as it is for its landmark 40-foot-high steeple.

Northminster’s top-notch music program is the concerted work of two of Indy’s very fine church musicians. John Wright has served as director of music ministries since 2000. His many responsibilities include overseeing an ambitious choir program and serving as artistic director of Sound & Spirit, the church’s arts series. Wright, who holds a master of music degree in choral conducting from the University of Tennessee, served as director of the Montreat Conference on Worship and Music in 2016.

Marko Petričić, music associate and organist, holds MM and DMA degrees from Indiana University, where he studied with Christopher Young. A winner of numerous organ competitions, he is a member of the music faculty at the University of Indianapolis, where he initiated a program in organ and sacred music. He has performed on most keyboard instruments with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Moreover, as an accomplished bayan accordion performer, Dr. Petričić has won top prizes at several international competitions.

Music has played an indispensable role at Northminster since its founding. On its website, the church spells out its musical mission in unequivocal terms:

The Christian faith is a singing faith, answering the call in scripture that exhorts God’s people to “Sing to the Lord.” When we gather to worship and glorify God, music draws us closer with a unique and compelling power. From African-American spirituals to Bach cantatas, from Tanzanian folk songs to newly commissioned hymns, Northminster’s choirs, soloists, and instrumentalists lead the congregation in the singing of praise that spans time and many cultures. Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, the sounds and poetry of liturgical texts, seek to enhance worship, to comfort, encourage and inspire, and to embrace those within and beyond the walls of our church.

A lofty imperative to be sure, but by early 2014, Northminster’s musicians were experiencing profound frustration with regard to their ability to serve the church’s musical aspirations. The pipe organ, a three-manual, 37-stop pitman chest electropneumatic dating from 1963, had begun to exhibit severe signs of decrepitude, even in the wake of a 2001 renovation. Its placement—divided, speaking sideways, and buried in chambers on either side of the chancel—was far from ideal. Understandably, the church leaders were wary of pouring more funds into propping it up, and thus the idea for a new mechanical-action instrument was born.

Conversations about the possibility of a new Fisk tracker for Northminster began in February 2014 with an introductory phone inquiry from John Wright. By May of that year, an initial visit had been made to the church, and a preliminary proposal was in the works. It would take five years for all parameters to be ironed out, but in due course they were, and at long last, in April 2019, a contract was signed.

Our discussions from the outset revolved around the need for a versatile instrument, limited in scope, that would make the best use of a confined chancel placement. Leading congregational song with strength and gusto was at the top of the list. Providing suitable resources to proficiently accompany the church’s superb choir was every bit as essential. With these cardinal objectives in mind, tonal and visual concepts developed for the organ, concurrent with a reimagined chancel space. In the proposed design scheme, the proscenium and side walls that bounded the existing organ chambers would be removed, increasing both the volume and footprint of the chancel area and creating a single acoustical space for music-making, the spoken word, and congregational participation.

Visual design ideas for the organ and remodeled chancel layout were investigated in a 1:16 scale model, allowing for thorough examination and discussion of their merits and limitations. Fisk visual designer Charles Nazarian spearheaded this lengthy collaborative process. The opening up of the chancel area that resulted from Charles’s input has provided a greatly enhanced setting, both visually and practically, for worship services and musical performances alike. Traffic flow is much improved. The choir now has room to breathe. The end result of this collaborative effort is an instrument in an acoustically sympathetic environment that serves the larger needs of the church and at the same time supports the continued development of a robust music ministry.

Opus 154 has two manuals and comprises 19 stops (17 of which are independent voices) and 1,063 pipes. The facade is composed of pipes from the Great 8′  Prestant, built of polished, hammered 75 percent tin. The console features keyboard naturals capped with camel bone and sharp keys of ebony. A ¾-horsepower blower supplies the more than 14 cubic meters per minute of wind required to play the organ. All pipes are voiced on a wind pressure of 3¼“ (82.5 mm) water column. The temperament is Fisk II.

The specification leans toward the German Baroque but includes an enclosed front-to-back Swell division for effective accompaniments. The organ is eclectic in that it combines a principal chorus reminiscent of Gottfried Silbermann’s small village church instruments, a Spire Flute modeled after the Spillpfeifen of Friedrich Stellwagen, Schnitger-style reeds on the Great and Pedal, and Cavaillé-Coll-inspired flues and Hautbois in the Swell. Opus 154 has a refined and responsive mechanical key action featuring carbon fiber trackers, a lively and buoyant wind system, an electrically controlled stop action, and a solid-state combination action.

Whether we’re building a large cathedral organ or an instrument of more moderate scope, the end result—visually, mechanically, and tonally—represents a summation of our cumulative organbuilding experience. Working within the limitations of a relatively small number of stops presents substantial challenges in both tonal design and voicing, especially for an instrument that is being asked to do so many things. In terms of specification, our point of departure for Northminster was Fisk Opus 107 at the Dover Church in Dover, Massachusetts, where, since its 1993 inauguration, the organ has excelled in the roles of leading worship and supporting a fine music program. As with every instrument we build, the tonal and visual designs for Opus 154 were tailored to the church architecture, the volume and acoustical properties of the space, and organ placement.

As historically informed organbuilders, it is important that we occasionally step back and remind ourselves that we live in America and that the better part of our work is for American institutions. While we stand with one foot firmly rooted in the centuries-old organbuilding traditions of Europe, our other foot is securely planted on this side of the Atlantic. It is our mission to create musical instruments that are relevant to modern-day Christian worship and organ pedagogics here in the States. We are also mindful that, in order to stand as viable musical tools now and well into the future, our organs must show artistic backbone and design integrity as exemplified by the European instruments of yore. The exuberant facades and enduring voices of these antique organs provide us a unique connection to the past even as they bring us joy and comfort here in the present. In the centuries to come, may the same be said of Opus 154.

From the Music Associate-Organist

The organ committee at Northminster Presbyterian Church conducted a lengthy and detailed search to replace the 1963 Reuter organ. The new instrument needed to fulfill many roles equally well, most importantly to lead, inspire, and support congregational hymn signing. In addition, it needed to serve as a great accompanying instrument for the 45-member chancel choir, for chamber ensembles, and even for full orchestra. Lastly, it needed to be an exciting concert instrument that convincingly performs different eras and national styles of organ repertoire. As such, this organ would also be an excellent teaching instrument.

While not a large organ (19 stops, 26 ranks), C.B. Fisk Opus 154 fulfils all of its functions superbly in our remodeled and acoustically improved chancel space. The vocal tone of the 8′  Prestant on the Great sings beautifully throughout its entire range. The 4′  Principal blends well into the principal chorus, but also acts as a solo stop that is not overly assertive. The principal chorus with the mixture fills the room but does not overwhelm in its intensity. The Spire Flute is the most versatile stop on the instrument, as it can act as a soft solo stop, continuo stop, and the fundamental support of the full organ. Schnitger-style reeds on the Great and Pedal are wonderful for congregational singing and a variety of solo repertoire.

The Swell division is enclosed front to back, and this provides an enormous dynamic expression. Cavaillé-Coll-inspired flues and Hautbois in the Swell complete the tonal design of this organ. The bewitching beauty of the Celeste pairs equally well with the harmonically rich and gentle Chimney Flute and the surprisingly effective Violin Diapason. The Cornet décomposé, with Nasard and Tierce, provides a variety of solo stop combinations.

The pandemic has been challenging for everyone, but accompanying a quartet of singers and playing service music for virtual-service recordings has been a rewarding experience even without using the full potential of Opus 154. As the world gradually shifts back to normal, we look forward to resuming live music-making, as we welcome everyone to see and hear this marvelous organ in person!

Marko Petričić