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Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, MO
Schoenstein & Co., Benicia, CA

By Jack Bethards

“A dignified and churchly ensemble” described Ladue Chapel’s new Kilgen organ in the December 1951 dedication program. This was a special year for the St. Louis organ firm—its centennial. Author, organ consultant, and organist William H. Barnes was the re­citalist. Solo repertoire, although featured on the opening program, was clearly of minor importance in the full scheme of the church music program. This was a church organ.

Not too many years later, church organists were being advised by the academic community that they were being short-changed with instruments that were caricatures—not much better than theater organs. The great organ solo repertoire, they said, was being either ignored or butchered in churches. After all, no one makes special pianos—nor violins, flutes, or other instruments—for churches. Shouldn’t the organ be made properly to accommodate its own music? Certainly any organ capable of playing the great masters should be able to accompany. Accompaniment became a secondary consideration if any at all.

By 1970, the pressure to install “proper” organs in churches was great, and Ladue Chapel went full steam ahead with a mechanical-action organ of 40 stops, 59 ranks from Werner Bosch Orgelbau of Kassel, West Germany. This organ was special for its builder just as the Kilgen was. It was number 500 and called the “Jubilee” organ. The program description boasted that it would play “organ music from all periods, from Baroque and the majestic music of Bach to the 20th-century rhythms of Bernstein.” This instrument was the quintessential modern interpretation of the North German Baroque style. As time went on, the “dignified and churchly” tone of the old Kilgen was missed more and more.

Over the years, this organ went through major changes twice, in an effort to increase its versatility for the continually growing music program. Finally, by 2013, it was decided that further attempts at change would be unproductive and a new organ should be built that not only had “churchly and dignified” tone, but also was large enough to be capable of giving a reasonable account of the wide range of solo repertoire. Once again, accompaniment was first and repertoire was second in line—but not quite as far back as in 1951.

We believe there is such a thing as a church organ—an instrument specialized for church use, where accompaniment takes precedence. For a small instrument, this means tough choices—for example, leaving out a mixture in favor of a mezzo forte 8′ voice, such as a string celeste. In a larger instrument, it means adding things over and above what is required for basic repertoire—such as specialty color reeds, one or even two “extra” celestes, and a commanding solo reed, such as a Tuba. It means having more of the organ—in fact, as much as possible—under expression. All these “additions” are unnecessary for the repertoire-specific organ; therefore, it could be said that the church organ is a much more complex instrument since it must produce a wide dynamic range, an exceptional variety of tonal color, and also great power, when needed, to accompany a large congregation. In addition to musical accompaniment, much of which is transcribed, a church organ is sometimes called upon for improvised accom­paniment of the “dramatic action” of the service. It must be a nimble vehicle for the creative organist.

Most important of all, a church organ must have the ability to capture and hold the interest of listeners and musicians over a long period of time. It is perhaps the only instrument heard by and played by the same people week after week, year after year, and sometimes generation after generation. If it doesn’t have enough variety and the ability to make a strong emotional connection—to celebrate joy, to comfort in grief—it is a failure. The church organ has a heavy musical job to accomplish, and its most important characteristics are versatility and beauty.

If an organ has these qualities, shouldn’t it be able to render the solo repertoire as well? There is no hope of such an organ playing any branch of the repertoire with absolute authenticity—that is, with the sounds that were envisioned by the composer; but it is certainly possible for it to render the scores musically if it has the proper tonal architecture. By that I mean the traditional distribution of tonal families in each division at the appropriate pitches—the organ’s “instrumentation.” I make the comparison with the symphony orchestra. Certainly, a large orchestra in a large hall with modern instruments cannot play Mozart or Beethoven with the authenticity that can be captured by a specialized early-music ensemble, but it can render musically satisfying performances because its instrumentation fits that of the score. The same can be true in the world of the organ. In the church setting, authentic performance practice is not a requirement; but the ability to accompany the services, render solos musically, and project “dignified and churchly” tone are.

Jack Bethards is president and tonal director of Schoenstein & Co.

View the stoplist

All photos by Louis Patterson

Chapel of St. Joseph, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, St. Louis, MO
A.E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company, Lithonia, GA

By Arthur E. Schlueter III

Every organ commission that has been awarded to our firm has left us humbled and thankful for the opportunity to build instruments for worship and praise. This was amplified by the opportunity to build an instrument in support of the daily life, prayer, 
and worship for the clergy, staff, and students at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.

When I arrived for our first visit to the seminary, I was informed of plans to renovate the chapel that would include a new pipe organ. I had numerous discussions about how the organ would be used in worship and sought to design an eclectic specification that would fully support these needs. Working with the seminary, we decided on a small, three-manual organ and began the discussions about the comparative value of various ranks in developing the stoplist.

Anybody who has ever been part of an organ project is well aware of the pressure that financial constraints can place on the choice of one stop over another. While this is a necessary consideration, it does sometimes force “either/or” compromises. As an organbuilding family, we have long felt that there are instances where it is reasonable to consider philanthropy as an extension of our organbuilding work. As we prayerfully assessed the role of this instrument in daily worship, the members of the Schlueter family decided that we would donate several stops to the organ, along with considering our margins. By freeing ourselves from the strictures of a hard budget, we were able to make several artistic choices of stops that we deemed important for the benefit of the seminary and the students it will continue to serve. From a theological perspective, this was our tithe or gift, and we feel privileged to have been able to make these donations. Ultimately, during our discussions, the instrument would grow in size to 39 ranks with 2,156 pipes. In preservation of stewardship of the prior instrument, four stops were retained and rescaled and/or revoiced for inclusion in the new instrument.

Without organ chambers, it would be necessary to place the organ in two freestanding cases in the rear gallery. The organ soars more than 44 feet above the chapel floor and weighs over 13 tons. To support an instrument of this size and stature, we built a steel and timber building frame for the organ. With the strength of these structures, we were able to cantilever the organ forward to the gallery rail, which allowed us to design paneled hallways under the organ chassis, allowing access to the gallery.

We knew that, commensurate to the stoplist we were developing, this was a worship space that called for a case to match the organ’s aural beauty. The organ cases are built of oak to match the interior wood of the chapel. We paid careful attention to the architecture and incorporated details from the chapel where possible. The cases are designed so that the pipe towers over-rotate the lower case footprint, and the side returns step back from the front towers. This opens the visual field for the rear gallery window while allowing additional floor space for choristers. To pay homage to the previous instrument, we incorporated hand-painted gold linked rings on a red polychrome background to mimic the woodwork from the former organ case. This same shape was repeated in side grille fretwork. We included carved and gilded lettering from the church’s constitution in the lower cases bracketed by heavy oak moldings.

The facade pipes are made of polished aluminum with gilded, gold mouths. In addition to the beauty provided by the polished metal, we find that this material has favorable speech characteristics that, we find, rival some other traditional pipe building materials for certain voicing styles. The added rigidity of the material and its resistance to surface oxidation made it an ideal choice for this installation. The polished surfaces reflect and refract light in such a way that the facade takes on the natural lighting in soft, even hues.

Tonally, we sought to design an instrument that could best be classed under the banner of American Eclecticism. In consideration of the importance of choral accompaniment, a significant number of resources are enclosed. The expression shades open to the front and sides of the organ case. The side shades are bi-directional to direct sound out of the gallery while also directing some sound rearward in support of the choristers. This is an instrument that, with careful registration and expressive control, will allow all of the resources to be used in every service. When larger dynamics are desired, the organ has sufficient resources to “ring the room” through stop and chorus massing.

The instrument is grounded by the Great with a clean, robust principal chorus that is anchored with a 16′ Violone. The Great 8′ Hohl Flute and 4′ Chim­ney Flute, in addition to being lovely solo voices, have textures that are valuable as thickening agents to the Great principal chorus. The reeds in this division are duplexed from the Swell to provide dynamic control.

The balance of the organ flue stops in the instrument vary in construction and materials. This varied use of wood, metal, open, semi-open, stoppered, cylindrical, and conical, with careful voicing, allows each stop its own unique voice and color.

The mutations include the Swell cornet decomposé that is countered with a secondary cornet in the Choir. The Choir 22/3′ was placed on a unit action and extended to draw at 11/3′ pitch.

For this instrument, we chose to employ strings of differing texture in the Great, Swell, and Choir. The Great 8′ Violone is independent of the Pedal 16′ Violone, only shar-ing the two lowest octaves with the manual. In its home division, it functions as a secondary foundational register.

Early discussions about the Swell strings considered the foundational role they would need to play and while still desiring there would be the edge tone characteristic of a pure string when companioned with its celeste. To achieve a chameleon role, we increased the scale of the parent rank and built the stop without the traditional slotting. This deemphasizes the fifth overtones to provide much better, even harmonics for a cantus firmus to ground the division. The celeste rank is slotted and of smaller scale with roller beards to reinforce a more defined string texture that octave couples and colors when the Celeste and unison ranks are drawn together.

Our formative discussions about the tonal design of the Choir had considered two classes of strings. There was an equal case to be made for the foundational hybrid Gems­horn and for the weightless Dulciana. In the end, through the donations of our family, we decided that these were not luxuries but necessities, and both were included.

In any organ, the most powerful stops are the reeds. With the defined use of this instrument, we considered it important that all of the reeds be under expression. The Swell reeds include a double tapered capped Oboe at 16′ and 8′ pitch that balances a large scaled 8′ Trumpet. These stops are located at the rear, and lower than the flue registers to allow additional room for tonal development. The 16′ Pedal Posaune is likewise enclosed with the Swell for control. The Choir also includes an 8′ Clarinet.

We have long recognized the importance of independent stops in the Pedal division. The 16′ Violone, 16/8′ Subbass, 8′ Octave, 4′ Choral Bass, 4′ Nason Flute, and 16′ Posaune are independent ranks. To give the performer additional color and weighted texture in the Pedal, it has long been our practice to provide a number of duplexed manual ranks, and this was done here.

For control of the organ, we designed and built a low-profile, custom terrace drawknob console, which provides excellent sightlines between the choirmaster and the choristers. The console is built of oak with a contrasting mahogany interior. The drawknob heads were turned from gaboon ebony in an oblique shape and custom finished to match the sharps on the manuals and pedals and the ebonized mahogany key cheeks and piston slips. The drawknobs are on straight terraces turned inward toward the performer. The stops are arranged by pitch and family, with the primary choruses aligned parallel to the manual on which they draw. The linear stop arrangement does not exceed seven stops on each terrace and is designed to be within arm’s distance. This coupling of care to sightlines and ergonomics promotes ease of registration.

The combination system and relays were provided by the Syndyne firm and allows a single centralized control for the combinations system, playback/record, and MIDI by way of a touch screen. All of the features that one expects on a modern console are present: 5,000 memory levels, programmable crescendos and sforzandos, blind checks, transposer, etc. One can save or import combination memories to or from an external USB drive. This provides infinite options to the performer. This same screen and USB interface allows testing, system configuration, and upgrades for the builder without the need for an external computer.

The organ chests are a combination of Blackinton-style electropneumatic slider chests and electropneumatic action for unit and duplex stops. The facade pipes are remotely fed with transmission tubes from electropneumatic blow box actions.

The winding system makes use of traditional spring-and-weight, ribbed regulators along with floating lid reservoirs. The tremolos are electromechanical, providing quiet and even undulation when engaged. Wind pressures on the organ are modest with Great and Choir 31/2″, Swell 4″, and Pedal and facade 3–4″.

I would be remiss if I did not thank the staff and students of the seminary and the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Throughout this process, they could not have been more supportive and helpful. I am thankful for their encouragement, their friendship, and their prayers. We are thankful for the efforts of a dedicated team: Arthur E. Schlueter Jr., Mary Schlueter, Sarah Schlue­ter, John Tanner, Marc Conley, Patrick Hodges, Rob Black, Jeremiah Hodges, Peter Duys, James (Bud) Taylor Jr., Bob Weaver, Al Schroer, Shan Dalton-Bowen, Barbara Sedlacek, Michael DeSimone, Dallas Wood, Clifton Frierson, Ruth Lopez, Kelvin Chea­tham, James Sowell, Derek Slote, Carl Morawetz, Dusty Dalton, and Dave Kocsis.

Arthur E. Schlueter III is vice president of tonal and artistic direction at A.E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company. He is a member of the International Society of Organbuilders, American Institute of Organbuilders, and the American Guild of Organists. Website: http://www.pipe-organ.com.