TAO Article

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

Peragallo Organ Company
Our 100th Year: A Look Back
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By John Peragallo IV

In the words of Ervin Drake, and as sung by Frank Sinatra, “It was a very good year.” Our centennial year 2018 was filled with so many wonderful moments that we will remember for years to come as we celebrated relationships, new and old.

As the story goes, John Peragallo Sr. was installing the American Master Organ Company’s theater organ in Butte, Montana, in 1917, when he received word that the young company back home had gone bankrupt. At this point, he made the brave decision to set up his own workshop in Paterson, New Jersey, and began a journey of what would be 100 years of continual organbuilding.

So, appropriately, we began the centennial celebrations in 2017 with a grand moment, hosting Daniel Roth, titular organist of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, at St. Francis Xavier Church in New York City. The morning of the recital, he taught a masterclass and critiqued three budding talents: Henry Lee of the Manhattan School of Music, Ryan Kennedy of the Juilliard School, and Matthew Smith of Westminster Choir College. Speaking with great wisdom and inspiration, he offered guidance on technique, refocusing their approach primarily on the spirit of the music, and encouraging them to appreciate their art as they move forward in their careers. A few hours later, M. Roth performed splendidly to a church completely filled with admirers and graciously received the New York City AGO Chapter’s International Performer of the Year Award.

Back in Paterson, New Jersey, the Peragallo family had begun construction on a new instrument for A&M United Methodist Church in College Station, Texas, which is featured on this month’s cover. The story of this instrument began years ago, in the choir loft of St. Peter’s Church in Columbia, South Carolina, home of Peragallo Opus 643. During his studies at the University of South Carolina, Lawrence Abernathy, A&M’s current music director, was a member of the renowned music program at St. Peter’s, under the direction of YouTube organ influencer Mark Husey. Upon graduation from South Carolina University, Mr. Abernathy headed to the Lone Star State with the tonal quality of the Peragallo instrument still shining in his musical vision. Newly arrived at their posts at A&M, Abernathy, along with the church’s talented organist, Jungjin Kim, sought to build a music program that pushed beyond the traditional Methodist vocabulary.

Texas is never shy in showcasing its ambitions of a brighter future, with Texas A&M University being a perfect example. The recent vision set forth by the university to double the population of the town of College Station is a goal already being realized. The previous organ at A&M United Methodist Church needed to be reimagined to support an ambitious music program that was quickly moving beyond the instrument’s capabilities.

The church invited builders to review the instrument and draw up proposals. John Peragallo III and Frank Peragallo were tasked with the process of analyzing the organ and the church’s acoustical space. A multifaceted proposal was developed in coordination with the church to address the music ministry, the instrument, the acoustics, and environmental aspects of the room.

The organ committee made a field trip to the factory in New Jersey, during which the group of eight toured many of our instruments in the New York City area. The mission of the trip was to define and demonstrate, in real life, how proposed ideas on building acoustics and tonal schemes would shape the church back in Texas. A clear picture emerged of what all parties would need to do.

Preston Greenwald, the pastor of A&M United Methodist Church, led the project’s funding and the coordination of the many design professionals and engineers who were members of the church. The new organ would be a visual centerpiece in the sanctuary, and careful consideration was given to each critique of the design by all the professional talent that surrounded the project. Ultimately, Greenwald’s faith in his ministerial staff, his building crew, and our company pushed the project to a result that beckons great music making.

The church’s acoustical settings were rethought and improved with a new sanctuary floor and resurfacing of the ceiling in a more reverberantly reflective material. This work was undertaken by Will McCollum, the facilities manager at the church. Will and his sons were intimately involved in each step of the organ’s construction onsite and later returned to our shop with Jungjin Kim to learn about pipe organ care, tuning, and maintenance.

The organ features a completely reimagined tonal palette, offering a broad selection of Romantic stops and a plenum capable of generating both greater power and a reflective pianissimo. The new casework allows the Grand-Orgue division to speak directly down the center axis of the nave. Many new ranks were added, including a full diapason chorus in each division, along with distinct solo stops in the form of a Willis Tuba, English Horn, Clarinet, and Hautbois. The Grand-Orgue manual pipework features two 16′ full-length flue ranks, including the facade Violone, aptly nicknamed “Yo-Yo Ma” by the pastor. Our signature curved French terraced key desk was custom designed and hand built to match the church’s furnishings.

The organ’s construction and installation lasted through the spring of 2018 and brought us to another memorable point in the year with the dedication of the newly refurbished organ at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Paterson, New Jersey. A four-generation organ, it has been either rebuilt and/or expanded upon by every generation of Peragallos over its 90-year life. The dedicatory recital was played by Stephen Tharp, a famed talent and a family friend of many years, since his days at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

The next chapter of the centennial year, the new organ for St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sayville, Long Island, was a lifetime in the making. The project began with initial assessment and research done by John Jr. more than 16 years ago. Cindy Holden, the director of music at the church, steadfastly saw the project to completion, no matter the obstacle to overcome, which included raising the roof of the church for a new expanded sanctuary with enough height to house the grand 38-rank instrument.

Upon the completion of the casework in June, the Peragallo family hosted Paterson Day, an open-house block party at the factory. All were invited to celebrate the Peragallo Organ Company’s history in Paterson over the past 100 years. The mayor of Paterson presented the family with a proclamation and the Key to the City. Letters from senators, congressmen, and clergy were read, and much food and fun were enjoyed by all. The day culminated in the reveal of the casework to the organ committee from St. John’s Lutheran, which had worked for decades to realize this dream. The new organ was subsequently installed last summer and dedicated on March 1 by organist Mark Pacoe.

Many notable recitals on Peragallo instruments were sponsored as part of the 100th anniversary. Jennifer Pascual performed in the spring of 2018 at St. Malachy’s—The Actors’ Chapel and received the Paul Creston Award in front of a crowd of her peers. This annual event and organ concert series have become a fixture in the New York City organ world. Many artists of world-renowned fame have performed at The Actors’ Chapel on 49th Street in the heart of the theater district.

St. Philip the Apostle Church’s Annual Summer Concert Series, in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, hosted recitals featuring organists Renée Anne Louprette, Gary Sabak, Mark Pacoe, Jennifer Pascual, David Tisbert, Preston Dibble, Joseph Wozniak, and John Peragallo III, who, along with soprano Jessica Tomasella, rendered the American debut of Jean Langlais’s Ave Maria. Concerts focused on the shared experiences each artist has had with the Peragallo Organ Company over the past 100 years.

The winter months saw a tradition of investing in future organ education expanded upon with the creation of the Peragallo Secondary Organ Scholarship with the Suffolk (N.Y.) AGO Chapter. Along with the John Peragallo Jr. Organ Scholarship at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the new scholarship program will continue promoting organ education with skilled and knowledgeable teachers at the helm to guide young talents. The Suffolk chapter’s scholarship program already has a track record of bringing interested organ students the proper support, seeing them through to the collegiate levels. We are proud to be a part of this program and are delighted to see that St. John’s Lutheran Church will be hosting the student competition this spring on their new organ.

Wrapping up the year’s events, one final recital was held, bringing in the renowned Stephen Hamilton to perform a program titled French Fireworks at St. Francis Xavier Church in New York City. It was a beautiful display of French organ literature demonstrating the instrument’s subtle strengths and awesome power.

Looking beyond 100 years, the centennial has granted us a time for reflection and to adjust to the ever-changing field of organbuilding in the years ahead. Plans are already underway to expand the Peragallo workshops to bring our instruments to new and exciting places.

This year has reminded us of the importance of each moment God gives us. A focused examination of our roots has granted us even more of an appreciation of how much hard work and love have brought us to now: from John Peragallo Sr.’s chance opportunity with a Skinner foreman over 113 years ago, to his struggles during the Depression, to every missed dinner John Jr. spent working to keep this thing of ours going. This reflection reminds us how one moment of our story leads to the next. The fifth generation is growing quickly, and we hope a future filled with opportunities awaits them and all those who share our craft.

John Peragallo IV earned a master’s degree in architectural design in sacred space and cultural studies at The Catholic University of America. He is involved in the pre-design and planning aspects of the firm’s organbuilding process, as well as voicing and maintenance.

Central United Methodist Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Buzard Pipe Organ Builders
Champaign, Illinois

by John-Paul Buzard

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It has been a privilege and honor to have designed and built this new organ for Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Particularly humbling was that music director Frode Gundersen and organist Scott Montgomery selected our firm after lengthy auditioning tours to instruments made by many other fine organbuilders. I believe it was a combination of outstanding constructional quality, tonal sophistication, honorable business practices, and personal “chemistry” that won the day for us.

In addition to selecting an organbuilder, Frode and Scott were charged by the church to renovate and improve the acoustics of the sanctuary and to design and construct a comprehensive new two-story music suite, which wraps itself around the chancel end of the church building. The mantle for these tremendous responsibilities was placed on them in addition to their regular tasks of creating music for inspirational worship before, during, and after construction.

The results of their labors are a visually and acoustically stunning sanctuary and an elegantly functional music suite that supports the large and growing music program. And of course, there is the new organ! The main portion of this three-manual and pedal instrument features 34 stops and 40 ranks of pipes. A Solo division of eight stops was prepared for future addition to meet the church’s initial budget. Thankfully, a contract for it was signed during the main organ’s installation. The Solo will be completed in mid-2019.

Yes, this three-manual organ will have a Solo division instead of a Choir division. Buzard Pipe Organ Builders has always been committed to providing the wide variety of rich tone colors so desirable for sensitive accompanying, while at the same time very much respecting the classic concepts of proven tonal design required for authoritative rendering of solo literature. In part, this has meant the lessening of what might be considered redundant or duplicated tone colors. Classic design and tonal integrity (for us) dictate the use of slider and pallet windchests, the discipline of which challenges a builder to satisfy these seemingly competing requirements. The easy way to accomplish this would be to take the “unit organ” approach in which, at its worst, no stop is properly “at home” on any division, and the result is severely compromised integrity and increased homogeneity to the point that the “colors” become varying shades of gray.

Our 28-year-old organ at the Episcopal Chapel of St. John the Divine in Champaign, its “sister” at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in Oklahoma City, and our recent organ at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Carmel, Indiana, enclose more of the organ in independent expression boxes than is typical. The new organ at Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville encloses more than half of the Great in an independent expression box and slider windchest, which allows this portion of the Great to couple to all other manual and pedal locations. The enclosed Great includes a flute chorus, a string, and four colorful reeds, so it can function like the unison basis of a Choir division. Additionally, by modifying and adding to the Swell division’s principal chorus, the Swell can serve as both a Choir or Positiv division in the context of the classic secondary foil to the Great principal chorus—as well as the enclosed powerhouse of the organ.

Therefore, with an enclosed portion of the Great, and suitable treatment of the Swell, we are free to consider a different way to approach the third manual division. This Solo division is loaded with tone colors at both higher and lower volume levels than the Great or Swell, so that it can be a material contributor on the pianissimo and fortissimo ends of a seamless crescendo/diminuendo. When approached with this idea, organist Scott Montgomery embraced this vision—this next logical step in the evolution of the Buzard sound and contemporary American organbuilding. Because the enclosed Great and the Swell can move everywhere independently, Scott began to dream and consider the manifold ways in which such a tonal scheme could be used. Accompanying receives the first consideration of importance, because the rich choral program under Dr. Gundersen’s direction regularly performs literature from literally every tradition. The organ can accompany the entire body of choral literature, and it can support hymnody and musically render just about any piece ever written for the organ. This is our goal. You can accompany Stanford and then play Vierne successfully; you can play Sweelinck for the opening voluntary and Sumsion for the closing voluntary, each with the effects the composer intended. And, because the instrument speaks clearly to the listeners in the nave—even though installed in off-axis chambers—the entire organ has an uncanny single voice, no matter how soft or loud it is registered.

In addition to exercising our evolving tonal style, tonal director Brian Davis and production director and chief engineer Charles Eames overcame what had seemed an impossible off-axis installation situation. Special scaling and voicing techniques, the addition of reflective panels above the pipes in the chambers, siting the divisions strategically for their best projection, utilizing slightly higher wind pressures, and other techniques—and the tremendous improvement in the church’s acoustics—gave the organ the best chance of success.

Scott Montgomery confessed his fear to me that, because of these severe physical limitations, this would be “the one organ of ours which we wouldn’t want to show to people.” But when he heard the organ’s first sounds in the church’s vastly improved acoustics, and as the entire organ came to life, he knew this would be a very special and important organ in the American lexicon. We rise to challenges and consider them opportunities to learn and improve. We’d love for you to visit this organ! Just call ahead!

John-Paul Buzard is founder, president, and artistic director of Buzard Pipe Organ Builders. He is a certified master organbuilder with the American Institute of Organbuilders, a member of the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America, and a member of the Worshipful Company of Musicians of the City of London.

From the Tonal Director

Before I dive into talking about the instrument at Central United Methodist Church, I feel it is important to clarify where I personally see myself in the organ world today and how that affects Buzard Pipe Organ Builders. You see, I am a product of the neo-Baroque era that transpired back when God was a little boy! I am proud to say that I was able to learn organbuilding during a time in which I feel the best work of that era was being done. (Regals are still my favorite organ sound!) It is of utmost importance to me that an organ of at least two manuals have two well-developed and contrasting principal choruses and that the stops contained therein blend with one another to form new sounds when they are combined!

Times change as do styles of organbuilding. To deny such has been the downfall of some otherwise good organbuilders. George Santayana was one of the people who mused that those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. In looking back at organbuilding history I cannot help but see a pattern of us throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Rather than letting the stylistic pendulum dictate what we can and can’t use in a “modern” organ, why not keep the best of past styles and incorporate them into something new? Pipe organs are increasingly expensive in a time when fewer funds are being put aside for music. Making less be more useful is a must. But how do we get past our own inhibitions and stubbornness? We have a rich tradition in organbuilding, but tradition for tradition’s sake—at the expense of innovation—is a dangerous course no matter what style is currently all the rage. If our passion for this instrument is to remain relevant at all in modern society, our instruments must be able to musically play an ever-greater variety of music, and our organists must be able to make music people can relate to, as well as teach us about the past! That is quite a challenge.

Central United Methodist’s instrument is a direct result of Buzard Pipe Organ Builders’ developing style with the concepts mentioned before, as well as others, always in the back of my mind. Our company style is founded upon the instrument being able to play a church service and accompany a choir first and foremost. This has served us well but produced instruments that were challenged to play traditional polyphonic music, since the mixtures in the Swell were lower-pitched than the Great. This grated on my training and led me to challenge my dad’s expression that you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Why not? Just think outside of the box! Don’t throw the box away, but realize it for what it is.

The Buzard divided Swell Mixture is the direct result of this way of thinking. Yes, two Swell mixtures, even in this decidedly more Romantic phase of organbuilding. One lower-pitched mixture can accompany choral anthems without being too strident. The higher mixture will fill out the lower one for full-Swell effects with the reed battery, or it can be used to echo the Great in a more traditional function. Sorry, Dad, I can have my cake and eat it too!

This two-mixture concept is very important, but it is only one part of our strategy to make smaller instruments more versatile. A partially enclosed Great that contains not only the softer Great stops but also a chorus of reeds is a critical component. Suddenly, you have in a two-manual organ the ability to register choruses in many different ways: The Swell can echo the Great principal chorus in a Bach prelude; the Swell can be used as the forte division against the Great by the use of the expression box in the Great or through simple registration; choruses within choruses are easily obtainable; three or four distinct dynamic levels can be easily had, simply by jumping from manual to manual with registration changes in between—or, more importantly, a seamless crescendo can easily be created. Solo colors abound on both manuals with abundant reed and flue colors.

But this is only a two-manual concept. Where does this leave us in a three-manual concept? I dare to say it leaves us in a position to say that the Choir organ is dead! A properly oriented two-manual instrument can do everything that a three- or even four-manual organ can do—without the expensive duplication of stops in other divisions. This leaves the organbuilder free to explore stops with colors that would otherwise be found only in much larger instruments. Add a third keyboard and stops that you might have on a four-manual or larger instrument and suddenly you have exponentially increased the potential for registrational variety!
How well does this work? I have been amazed already at the possibilities of the two manuals initially installed in this organ under the capable hands of the talented Scott Montgomery. Join us this summer to see how the organ transforms into a new and even more useful worship tool when we add the Solo to Central Methodist’s new Buzard organ!

Brian K. Davis

From the Organist

Life is full of rarities. Two years ago, I received a phone call asking to visit and interview for the position as associate director of music and organist for Central United Methodist in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I wasn’t actively looking for a new position at that time, but the temptation was too good to pass up. Central was embarking on a massive project to improve its music tradition, including building a new music suite and renovating the sanctuary, and a donation had been made for a new pipe organ. I began dreaming of what type of organ to choose even before accepting the position. Being a concert organist, I have heard and played a full spectrum of instruments. Who to choose to build the instrument, and why?

It is rare to have an amazing music school in your own backyard. Growing up in central Illinois, I had the influences of the University of Illinois, where I attended performances by Michael Farris and his students. I would hide in the balcony of the hall during summer music camp listening to the large Casavant organ in awe of its impressive sound. I would even sneak in to play the organ until the secretary would kick me out for not being a student!

It is also rare for a well-respected organ company to reside in your hometown. I remember my first organ crawl as a twelve-year-old, hearing the then new instrument (Opus 7) built by John-Paul Buzard at the Chapel of St. John the Divine in Champaign. It is an instrument of beauty with its dramatic floating case and warm and lush sounds. This instrument, along with a few others in town, continued to shape my love for the organ throughout my high school and college years. The Buzard sound was what I became familiar with and expected to hear in organbuilding. While Central UMC auditioned many builders, I always knew I had to push for a Buzard organ.

Opus 46 is a longtime want and dream. Having an organ built before your eyes and watching the installation is a once- in-a-lifetime event. The facades are stunning and crown the renovated chancel. This instrument is extremely flexible and expressive with only the Great principal chorus and Pedal unenclosed. The full reed battery whispers when the expression box is closed but commands attention with the box open. The principal choruses are bright, clear, and articulate for contrapuntal music and for leading hymns. The strings are full-bodied and ethereal. The flutes are colorful with just the right amount of breath and harmonic development. Every flute, string, and reed stop is completely different from the others, full of character, yet blending together in a harmonious sound. Full organ is thrilling, yet one could spend hours playing the strings or the small Gedeckt Flute with its gentle tremulant with complete contentment.

The organ has proven itself in worship with inspirational leadership as well as playing every genre of music successfully without compromise. This instrument is one of kind in northwest Arkansas, and I’m proud to bring this instrument to the area to inspire everyone who encounters its visual and aural beauty.

Scott Montgomery