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The Reuter Organ Company Centennial

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Reuter Organ Company.
Since its founding in 1917, they have successfully designed and built
more than 2,240 instruments for churches, concert halls, and residences.

View an enlarged cover

The Reuter Organ Company officially began operations on April 17, 1917. At that time, Adolph C. Reuter had worked in the organ industry for over 15 years and held supervisory positions at Wicks, Casavant, and Pilcher. He had been meeting with area businessmen since the beginning of the year to organize his own company. Before the end of the year, the new firm had installed its first organ at Trinity Episcopal Church in Matoon, Illinois. This organ still plays weekly services and will be featured in a recital this November—100 years and one day after it was first used on a Sunday morning.

Our last anniversary article in The American Organist (March 1992) gave a detailed history of the first 75 years of the company. For this issue, we decided to focus our attention on the last 25 years. Thus, the cover features our organ at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Springfield, Illinois, completed this past year, framed by photos of other instruments that we have installed over the last two decades. A biographical essay by JR Neutel, Reuter president, precedes the description of the Cathedral organ.

We invite you to visit the Reuter Organ Company website for additional information on our company and its history.

–Ronald Krebs, Vice President

From the President

My time with Reuter began in January 1980, just before my father, Albert Neutel, and Franklin Mitchell assumed control of the company. I spent the next six years working in the various aspects of organ building throughout the shop.

In 1986, I moved to Memphis to become a sales and service representative for the firm. At the same time, I was also asked to assist Franklin Mitchell with tonal finishing of an organ we had installed in Milwaukee. My experience with Franklin continued as we worked on many other instruments over the next eight years and I learned the art of voicing. Franklin was a consummate organist and we spent many hours talking about organ design and voicing. A day of voicing typically ended with him auditioning what had been accomplished and revealing the subtle nuances of color and blending he sought out in the voicing process as he played.

My time with Franklin taught me how to truly listen. For me, however, the art of listening was not limited to the sound of pipes. The more time I spent in the field in those early years, the more important it became to me to ask organists and choral directors what they expected of a pipe organ—right down to a stop-by-stop analysis. These musicians continue to share their knowledge and experiences with me and offer valuable insight that continues to guide our work as stylistic approaches evolve and technology advances.

In 1997, I returned to Lawrence to work alongside my father and learn more about running the business. At that time, my duties also included heading the Reuter tonal department, and we decided to retire the concept of the “tonal director.” For too long, and in too many firms, the director was also viewed as a dictator. I wanted our company to listen to, and be challenged by, our clients.

While Franklin was the artistic side of the organbuilding, my father was the businessman. His business acumen ensured that we would ultimately achieve this landmark year. My father was also a master at bringing out the best in folks. Under his guidance, the team was assembled that now leads the firm into the future from a modern, spacious facility. Today, he is enjoying his retirement in Florida.

Many of my conversations begin with “what do you think of this idea,” or “can we do this.” All our employees know that thinking outside the box often can lead to good things. When it comes to tonal concepts, our motto is the road is wide, but, if wrong, the tonal abyss is deep! This philosophy has resulted in the signing of many contracts.

While this narrative shares some insight into what I want Reuter to be, I want to commend and thank management and all the craftspeople—the organ architects/designers, the folks building the consoles, those who pour the metal and make the pipes, the chest builders, those who apply lacquer, the folks who assemble all the components—who have shared their talents in making Reuter what it is today. Each day for 100 years, the willingness and commitment to excellence by our employees has set our company apart.

I also want to thank all our clients. Every day brings a fresh adventure and the ability to learn something new. There are new places to see and new acquaintances to be made. It is an honor to work with you to the successful completion of each project. Dedicated to artistry and integrity, we remain at your service.

–JR Neutel

The Cathedral Organ

The story of the new organ at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield, Illinois, is like that of the building, one of renewal to much better than new. The building, dedicated in 1928 and featuring an interior fashioned after Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, was meticulously restored in 2009.

The core of the gallery organ began its service in 1971 as Reuter Organ Company’s Opus 1763, a three-manual, 43-rank instrument built for the Broadmoor Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi. The Broadmoor congregation has since moved on to both new quarters and worship style. During a hot summer week in 2015, the organ was removed and loaded onto two trucks to make its way back to Lawrence for comprehensive renewal.

The Broadmoor organ reflected the tonal priorities of an earlier time, with limited 8’´tone and an abundance of upperwork. As we now prefer a tonal design built upon strong foundational tone, several modifications were done to prepare the organ for its new purpose at the cathedral. As is customary in rebuilding organs of this period, a new Great chorus anchors the ensemble, with the existing choruses being redeployed and refurbished for secondary roles. Colorful solo sounds were added, including the restoration of four stops from the cathedral’s 1928 Wicks organ. A commanding new Trompette en Chamade completes the gallery organ.

In addition, a small Antiphonal organ was renovated and installed above the high altar. It is based on another vintage organ, Reuter Opus 703. Originally built in 1946 for a Methodist church in Greensburg, Kansas, Opus 703 later served Trinity Lutheran Church in Beatrice, Nebraska, from 1963 until 2014, when it was briefly used as a residence organ. This truly ecumenical instrument can be played from its own console or from the gallery.

The acoustic of this elegant building tends to favor low and midrange frequencies over the upper ranges. The strong treble qualities of the earlier instrument offer the ensemble a clarity and definition, while allowing the organ full advantage of the space’s qualities. The bass travels gently down the nave, while the 8’´foundations build energy and bloom in the warm ambience. The finished instrument easily fills the grand space and effortlessly leads a large congregation in song. There are abundant tonal resources for convincing performances of the organ literature. Just as important, it offers many opportunities for choral accompaniment, with complete, supportive choruses in each division.

The cathedral’s visual grandeur with its sympathetic acoustic makes for a most uplifting setting. We are honored to have been chosen for this important project, and we can all look forward to generations of inspired worship and music.

–William Klimas, Artistic Director

From the Cathedral Staff

It was late summer in 2015 when I was asked to serve on a committee for the purpose of renovating or replacing the cathedral pipe organ. My “yes” was instant. Our committee of four quickly decided to replace the old pipe organ. Knowing we had a specific budget to work with, the search was on for a vintage instrument that would meet our worship needs and become a focal point for sacred music of all kinds for the Cathedral community.

I’m delighted to say that the Reuter Organ Company was able to offer us a wonderful used instrument that needed a new home. Ultimately, JR Neutel and his staff installed an instrument that is nearly twice as big as the organ that was replaced and offers a much broader tonal spectrum than was ever available before. The instrument is a tremendous success.

–Mark Gifford, Interim Organist and Director of Music

In 2009, our Cathedral underwent a large-scale restoration. The project was a great success, but lacking in one area: the organ. I am so very happy that the Reuter Organ Company was able to finally supply the “missing piece” in the Cathedral. The instrument, and the service that has gone with it, has met and exceeded all of our expectations. The beauty of the Cathedral church and our liturgies is only enhanced by this great work of the Reuter Organ Company.

–Reverend Christopher A. House, Pastor, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

View the stoplist

Hear this organ:

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
Buffalo, New York
Parsons Pipe Organ Builders • Integrated Organ Technologies Inc.

New organ projects have the luxury of starting from scratch. After evaluating the acoustics, placement, and people, the builder can create a design that (hopefully) suits everyone, perhaps even himself. In the best situations, the builder is given carte blanche, much like a novelist with a blank page. It is often under such circumstances that masterpieces result.

By contrast, rebuilds are another breed altogether. They enjoy neither the luxury of restoration (with its discipline of no change) nor that blank page of new-organ creativity. In place of the novelist starting from scratch, the rebuilder is akin to the writer adapting a novel for the screen, with the characters and plots all largely in place. Still, the rebuilder hopes to find room for creativity, improvement, and transformation. After all, some of the world’s greatest organs are rebuilds; consider Saint-Sulpice in Paris or Woolsey Hall at Yale University. But in these instances, a sufficient infusion of new material allowed Cavaillé-Coll and Skinner to fashion a result fully recognizable as their own work. Our project at Holy Trinity, Buffalo hardly began so loftily.

The Buffalo organ’s many-chaptered history began as a 1949 three-manual M.P. Möller. In terms of construction and voicing, the best surviving pipes came from these original 43 ranks, itself a quaint number considering the subsequent enlargements that raised the tally to 151 ranks and eleven divisions. Much of this expansion came from Möller, who embellished the chancel sections, added a new Positiv, Grand Choir, and Solo, and eventually installed a two-manual gallery organ. Later in the 1980s, Allan Van Zoeren revoiced much of the chancel fluework, adding other voices and supervising colleagues in console revisions. While the organ unquestionably grew in color and scope, inside it was an ever-increasing web of chests, pipes, and challenging access.

In 1994, Charles Kegg took the organ in a new tonal direction. He revoiced certain stops for greater breadth and warmth, installed new chorus reeds in the Swell and Grand Choir and new upperwork in the Great and Swell, and enlarged the gallery Swell and Positiv. Much of this effort took the organ closer to its 1949 late-romantic roots, only now within the context of a vastly larger size. But even this project was insufficient to overcome the organ’s ungovernable mechanical nature, mostly due to accessibility.

We entered the picture in 2012 as the organ’s caretakers. With drafty chambers and pipes on numerous levels, this work was rarely satisfying. In time, certain failing aspects could no longer be ignored. Möller pipes in the facade and Grand Choir were collapsing, and certain chests needed releathering. But thanks to the gentle persistence (spearheaded largely by Dave McCleary and Matt Parsons) and the foresight of Intentional Interim Pastor Rev. Neil Kattermann to intervene on behalf of the congregation and organ, initial requests for repairs were eventually parlayed into a phased plan. First, the main organ (Great, Swell, Choir, Positiv, and Pedal) would be remanufactured: new windchests, winding, and swell boxes; the entire organ rewired with a new control system and five new manuals in the main console; collapsing pipes replaced; and modest refinements made in Grand Choir and Solo. Future phases include chassis replacement in the Grand Choir and Solo, and a complete overhaul of the gallery. As it has from the start, the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation generously funded this latest campaign, always convinced that Holy Trinity’s musical mission was of material benefit to the city of Buffalo.

In remanufacturing the main organ, we were given—at least mechanically—that all-important blank page. First, the church agreed to strengthen the chamber walls, to project tone and limit outside climate interference. At the same time, they agreed to increase the nave-facing opening, to aid in clarity and effectiveness of projection, thus making the chancel organ less dependent on augmentation from the gallery for normal Sunday use. An internal air circulation system (which we have done elsewhere with great success) combats stratification and helps keep the tuning stable. Finally, and critically, we could redesign the entire chamber.

Our engineer Peter Geise (an Eastman-trained organist who studied further at GOArt in Sweden) and our tonal director Duane Prill (also Eastman-trained, and Marian Craighead’s successor as organist at Asbury Methodist in Rochester) collaborated on the new layout. They strove for an arrangement that would make not only good musical and mechanical sense, but be as inviting to the tuner as the old layout had been daunting. In the old setup, the Great and Positiv spoke into the chancel; the Swell and Choir were against the right wall, with the Swell above. That division spoke mostly out of the chancel facade, while the Choir, down low, had an odd tonal access to the congregation through the former squat nave opening. Climbing through the organ was not for the faint of heart. Certain pipes could not be reached by any means (including portions of the Positiv 8′ Principal); indeed, the average child’s jungle gym was easier to navigate.

In our new layout, the Great is behind the nave opening, from which it speaks directly to the congregation. The Positiv is essentially where it was, speaking into the chancel as a mini-Great. The Swell and Choir are placed against the chamber’s rear wall, with shutters facing both chancel and nave. The Pedal is divided between the main Great chest (4′ Spitzflöte, mixtures), and lower level (flutes, principals, reed). Thick maple swell enclosures create a pianissimo new to this instrument; nave-facing shutters can be switched off for accompaniment. All of these improvements combine to give the organ an entirely different impact in the room: warmer, certainly clearer, and in every way more satisfying.

Slider windchests carry most of the material, with unit windchests for extended stops and chorus reeds. Among some electric-action devotees, slider windchests have an uneven reputation, particularly concerning poor repetition, unwelcome drawing between stops, and ugly releases from small pipes. In the windchest design, great care was taken to address each of these issues. To ensure responsiveness, each traditional pallet has an accompanying all-electric valve, breaking pluck and speeding response (an idea hardly new to us, merely carried out methodically here). Note order was planned such that no one group of notes would have an advantage in egress over any other (lessons learned from some of our other jobs using tierce-layout chests in chambers). Similar forethought was extended to the order of stops on each chest, to negate interference and drawing, and promote secure tuning and speech. Dividers inside the note channels isolate various stops from unwanted entanglements; careful adjustment of pallet springs (both main and tail) eliminates any unappetizing “weeping off” of trebles. The result has all the advantages of slider chests—tight tuning and uniform attack for chorus work—without undesirable side effects. Finally, given the space-efficiency of slider chests, and the fact that almost any winding system would be simpler than Möller’s, the former constricted feeling has given way to one of spaciousness and order. A generous stair-ladder connects the two levels, no walkboard is narrower than 18″, and every surface is bathed in LED lighting.

At first, this project involved no tonal changes. But once Duane Prill had reviewed all stops with musician James Bigham, together they agreed that certain minor aspects could be improved. A round robin of flute exchanges between Great and Choir, together with a vintage Concert Flute, has improved that complement of voices. The formerly mute nave facade has become a new Great 16’´ Principal, while a new 16’´ Violone replaces the old 16’´ Principal in the chancel facades. As stops were auditioned in the workshop, it became clear that Parsons had an opportunity afforded no prior rebuilder: to review all the pipes at the same time by one tonal team. Thus, Duane Prill seized the moment, revoicing the Great, Swell, and Positiv choruses, taming the Grand Choir upperwork somewhat, and making useful adjustments to solo voices such as the Flauto Mirabilis and Viole Celeste II. Extending over a six-month period, the tonal finishing put the organ within Parsons’s house practice, promoting a balance of warmth and clarity, accompaniment and repertoire, together with a natural but not antagonistic treble ascendancy.

 

Eight reeds were sent to Broome & Co. LLC for reconditioning, including chorus stops from the Great, Swell, and Pedal, and the Choir Trompette and Cor Anglais. Most are as before, but better (more uniform in timbre and secure in tuning). An exception is the Pedal reed, now speaking on nine-inch wind pressure and revoiced as a commanding melody voice. The remaining reeds were cleaned at Parsons, and altogether this array features outstanding examples of both neoclassical and orchestral colors. Apart from simple cleaning, the Grand Choir and Solo reeds await renovation in a later phase. However, the collapsing Grand Choir 32’´-16’´ reed was replaced by a new set from A.R. Schopp’s Sons, scaled and voiced by Broome along Skinner Waldhorn lines. Finally, the old “Tuba” (a strident voice made out of an old Cornopean, with little actual tuba quality) was replaced with the new Bigham Tuba, given in honor of Mr. Bigham’s 40 years’ service to this church. Also voiced by Broome, this superb stop equals any Willis or Skinner set, fully justifying our pleasure in working with this talented artist.

Control systems for a two-organ, two-console instrument, particularly when the consoles are not identical, are the most challenging and time-consuming to design and execute. With 11 divisions, 283 stop and coupler controls, and 189 pistons on the chancel console alone, some idea of the complexity comes into focus. In addition, Mr. Bigham was eager to preserve a number of nonstandard controls, making this one of the most complex systems ever. The challenge was ably met by the Virtuoso Control System from Integrated Organ Technologies Inc. In the past, activity at one console can affect the other adversely. IOTI’s innovative multiplexer reduces this complexity by enabling each console to control the entire instrument independently, one unaware of what is happening at the other. Dwight Jones, IOTI’s president, was on site on numerous occasions and patiently accommodated every request—a true colleague. In that same way, we have felt uncommonly welcomed by the Holy Trinity staff. Pastor Lee Miller treated us with unfailing cordiality through additional requests, changes, and obstacles. Anytime we needed something, buildings and grounds director John Busch was there; Linda Lipczynski is that smiling, helpful presence you wish ran every church office.

Finally, we give thanks to James Bigham, who knew the organ had its troubles but was initially averse to any change. Change it did, perhaps not in that far-reaching Saint-Sulpice or Woolsey Hall manner, but transformationally nonetheless. Mr. Bigham walked that road with us, tentatively at first, but with ever-increasing confidence as the results justified our efforts. In turn, his encouragement allowed us to do more than we had thought we could. That process has created, in our view, the best version of this organ yet.

For the stoplist, technical details, and photos: Parsons Organs and Facebook

Parsons Pipe Organ Builders

Richard B. Parsons, president
Calvin G. Parsons, vice president
Duane A. Prill, tonal director
Joseph Borrelli
Autumn Coe
Aaron Feidner
Dan Gagne
Peter Geise
Aaron Grabowski
Tina Macaluso
Tony Martino
David McCleary
Ellen Parsons
Matthew Parsons
Timothy Parsons
Brenda Rizzo
Dick Schaefer
Jay Slover
Dale Smith
Chad Snyder
Bernard Talty II

Integrated Organ Technologies, Inc.,

Dwight Jones
Maynard Fitch
Steve Mobley

On this project, Jonathan Ambrosino of Boston acted as in-house adviser to Parsons (client relations, chamber and windchest design), assisted Mr. Prill with all on-site tonal finishing, and wrote this article.

The Second Time Around
S.L. Huntington & Co. • Stonington, Conn.

By Scot L. Huntington

In 1816, a two-manual organ built in 1680 by Arp Schnitger—the most celebrated organbuilder of the Baroque era—was moved to the remote North Sea village of Cappel on the North Sea. This organ is now a mecca for builders and organists alike. In America, Hook & Hastings maintained an ever-changing catalog of second-hand instruments. William Johnson moved one of his early organs when he replaced it in 1874—it in turn being moved a third time in 1914. This month’s cover story features legacy instruments given a new lease on life in new and appreciative homes, acquired for a fraction of the cost of a new, purpose-built organ.

When New Haven’s St. Casimir’s Lithuanian Catholic Church closed in 2003, its organ needed a miracle. The organ, E. & G.G. Hook No. 750, found a home just blocks away at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in the Fairhaven section of New Haven, through the eleventh-hour efforts of organists Ezequiel Menendez and Britt Wheeler, and the pastor, the Rev. Dan McClearen.

The St. Francis gallery contained a modest 1950s Möller installed in an equally diminutive antique case, all dwarfed by the building’s vast scale and splendid acoustics. The Hook components were returned to our shop in Stonington, Conn., for restoration following OHS Restoration Guidelines, while the case pieces were treated in-situ by parish members. The original facade stenciling was faithfully replicated by decorative arts specialist Marylou Davis.

As can happen with things destined by the Fates, the physical size of the organ looks as if it were built for the place, with the top of the longest front pipe bisecting exactly the center rosette of the ornate rose window. The ensemble of instrument and place combine in a moment of impressive architectural drama that at long last befits this historic space. The instrument was dedicated at the Festive High Mass celebrating the parish’s 135th anniversary, played by organist Britt Wheeler.

Noted for a massive voice in its original home, this is tempered a bit in a new home over three times the size, ideally complementing the mysticism of the Catholic liturgy. It is at once both noble and grand, elegantly suave in the beauty of its individual piano and mezzo color registers, the reeds ringing with the famed Hook éclat, and all having an unexpected sweetness gifted by the church’s luxuriant acoustics. The congregational participation improved noticeably under the embracing breadth of the full ensemble, undergirded by the floor-shaking ability of the wooden Pedal Diapason—the largest-scale stop of its age and type in the state. This magnificent organ was treasured in its original home and now begins a second century of service in a majestic historic space just blocks away.

Valparaiso, Indiana, is renowned for two things: it is home to one of the country’s premier Lutheran universities, and some of the best popcorn in the U.S. is grown here. St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church had outgrown its historic downtown chapel and built a new contemporary church under the leadership of their energetic rector, the Rev. Patrick Ormos. His vision for the new church included an affordable pipe organ, and the “green” concept of recycling a legacy instrument appealed to him. Deeply appreciative of the rich Anglican choral tradition and conversant in organ construction, he was a builder’s ideal client. His wish list included only three requirements: an enclosed division, a chorus mixture for leading singing, and a Trumpet stop for playing wedding voluntaries. An anonymous parishioner stepped forward with a $200,000 gift, but tied to a time restriction.

It rains organs when you don’t have a place to put one, but when you need something specific, the well goes dry. Possible candidates, none ideal, came and went. With the clock ticking on the gift, an organ on Cape Cod was located through the Organ Clearing House. It lacked the wish list stops, but its excellent condition allowed spending limited funds on a slight enlargement. While carefully restored under OHS Guidelines, its slight alteration would properly characterize it as a rebuild. The new Mixture and Trumpet (with custom-crafted shallots) were exactingly copied from extant 1890s Hook examples. Now having a displaced Oboe on our hands, I elected to repitch it as a 16′ stop with a new bass in order to provide a traditional English “Full Swell”—a luxury in an organ this size. This was added above the contract as our gift for the good of the cause. The painted and widened case was stripped and restored to its original finish and proportions. A photo of the organ taken the year it was built along with bits of color found under layers of paint guided the restoration of the facade to its original design and colors. It was total serendipity that these hues harmonized perfectly with those present in the new space.

The tone of the 1889 organ is redolent of cigars and brandy—dark, lush, and foundational. The colorful flutes and strings speak with a German accent, the diapasons are warm and rich with era-appropriate understated upperwork, and the new reed chorus transforms the ensemble with the legendary refined fire of Hook reeds—a singularly thrilling sound unfortunately no longer available from modern reed makers. Modest at 16 stops, this is an instrument of unexpected color and musical versatility. The dedication concert was played by international artist Wolfgang Rübsam, whose perspicacious mother-in-law, Ann Walton, was chair of the organ committee.

The organ the fledgling organbuilder William A. Johnson installed in the Haydenville Congregational Church and Society (Haydenville, Massachusetts) was begun on speculation in 1848. Replacing it with a larger instrument in 1874, he took the organ in trade and moved it to the Congregational Church in neighboring Whatley with a new case and one stop change. When Whately bought a new Estey in 1914, the Johnson was sold for $100 to the Union Evangelical Church in Heath where it replaced a small reed organ, and it was transported up the mountain by ox cart. Playable but in poor condition for many years, it was the dream of lifelong member Ruth Johnson to see the organ restored. The church is small, and the project would have been beyond their means without outside help. The local Heath Agricultural Fair pledged one year’s proceeds to the cause, and a local resident pledged a one-for-one matching grant up to $75,000. A local newspaper ran a story about the project which, prompted donations from as far as 40 miles away.

The organ was restored as closely as possible to its original condition—the first in the country restored under the 2010 OHS Revised Guidelines for Conservation. The original speaking facade pipes were found inside the case and the original Greek Revival case was reconstructed using the proportions of the golden mean—the exact design gleaned from forensic clues found within the organ, the lengths of original facade pipes, and the dimensions of the original gallery. The case was regrained under the tutelage of specialist Marylou Davis, following faux-graining extant in the original church and under layers of paint on the surviving case pieces. The missing Great 8′ Flute was reconstructed based on extant examples, as were the missing parts of the original hand pumping system.

With the reestablishment of the original pitch and pressure, the organ again revealed the elegant and silvery Diapason tone for which Johnson was justifiably famous. The organ is decidedly Classical English in its deportment, and in the quiet of its mountain-top location, transports the listener back in time. The instrument was turned to face the congregation and the carpeted pulpit platform was rebuilt with a wood floor, greatly enhancing the organ’s presence in the room. The astounding dedication concert was played by Nathan Laube to an SRO audience that not only filled the foyer but spilled out onto the lawn. Laube played a surprisingly diverse program that showed that even an organ of this size and range is only limited by one’s imagination.

These three situations represent widely contrasting requirements and spaces—all now being served by organs representing the best of America’s rich organ heritage— instruments of enduring quality and classically inspired tone that have been given a new lease on life (one of these now entering a second century in its third home!). For further details on these instruments and more like them, please visit our website.

View the stoplist for St. Francis of Assisi, New Haven, Conn.
View the stoplist for St. Andrew’s, Valpariso, Ind.
View the stoplist for Union Evangelical, Heath, Mass.

Scot L. Huntington is a member of the American Institute of Organbuilders and is currently serving as chair of the AIO Editorial Journal Review Committee. His organbuilding firm, S.L. Huntington & Co., is a member of the International Society of Organbuilders.