TAO Articles

Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School Chapel
Hong Kong
C.B. Fisk Inc. • Gloucester, MA

By Elizabeth Hung Wong

The pipe organ is not a familiar musical instrument to most people in Hong Kong. The few pipe or­gans that were installed there in the late 19th and early 20th centuries did not survive. The blame was mostly put on high humidity. An English gentle­man did open an organbuild­ing shop in Hong Kong in the early 20th century. A few of his instruments are still stand­ing in churches, but they are not currently playable. One of them made its way to the Philippines and was recently completely restored. Several small-to-medium-sized pipe organs built by European builders were installed in area churches in the mid-20th century, but they have not garnered much attention.

It is the general belief that two things—space limita­tions and the weather—make Hong Kong unsuitable for pipe organs. There are many “upstairs” churches, mean­ing that the church is located on one or two levels of a high-rise building. Hence the limitation on height and space. High humidity (over 90%, sometimes 100%!) often lasts for several months of the year. The frequent switching on and off of air conditioners, because of the high energy cost, causes fluctuation in humidity levels within a short span of time. Pipe organs, everybody knows, do not like this. Owners of instruments in Hong Kong tend to be overly protective; so very few people are allowed to play or even touch them. Organs are not regu­larly maintained because of the distant locations of the builders. As a result, many churches have turned to elec­tronics as substitutes.

With the opening of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the Academy for Performing Arts in the late 1980s, two large European­ built organs came to the city.These concert­ hall instruments have brought more awareness of the pipe organ to the general public. More op­portunities were created. More students studied the organ at the univer­sity level. Most of them have gone abroad for more advanced train­ing, but not too many were willing to return to Hong Kong. There were few opportunities waiting for them.

After my undergrad­uate studies in econom­ics at the University of Toronto, I returned to Hong Kong and worked as a mer­chant banker. I learned to play on an electronic instrument, but I fell in love with the organ. I started attending church-music courses, and the more I learned, the more inadequate I felt. Finally, I gave up my business career and enrolled at Northwestern University to study with Wolf­gang Rübsam, then professor of sacred music and organ. During this time, I had the opportunity to play on many different types of organs in America and in Europe—both historic and new—and I learned a great deal from them.

When I discovered how the old organs in Europe have withstood the harsh, dry, and cold weather over the cen­turies, I thought that, with modern technology, organ­ builders in the 21st century ought to be able to find a solution to this age-old “misunderstanding” for Hong Kong. Pipe organs can be found in other places with a tropical climate; they should also be successful in Hong Kong. I started seeking advice from experts and began planting ideas with schools, universities, and churches. Steven Dieck of C.B. Fisk and I met at the AGO National Convention in Boston two years ago. When he told me that he was interested in visiting Hong Kong, I was both excited and worried. I was happy that he wanted to pay a visit. However, I did not know what I could show him or who else he should meet.

Shortly before Steve arrived, an Anglican priest asked to see me. She has been a very supportive friend. Initially, I thought that it was another one of our friendly visits. Little did I know that she had something exciting in mind. She is the supervisor of Sheng Kung Hui (the Chinese translation of Anglican Church) Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School. The school had just converted an old classroom into a small chapel, thanks to the handsome donation from a faithful parishioner. With lovely stained­ glass windows and nice furniture, an organ would be appropriate to complete the chapel. It was very timely, I thought. Steve could give me some “friendly” advice. I never would have imagined chat it would become the beginning of the design of Opus 149.

Trying to decide what kind of an organ to put into this modest-sized chapel was not easy. It could only be the size of a practice organ. However, it would also need to serve as a teaching studio instrument. This was the kind of op­portunity that does not come around very often. It took the Fisk team some time to come up with a proposal, but their concept is very creative and inspiring. The or­gan contains only seven ranks of pipes, but it can play so much repertoire—even the French Romantic. It is a fine instrument, and many will play it regularly. A pipe organ needs to be played, as this is the best way to keep it prob­lem-free. Because of this, I made a promise to the people of Fisk that Opus 149 would be played often.

In recent years, several young organists who have re­ceived a high level of education overseas have returned to Hong Kong. A few of us have come together and started the Hong Kong Chapter of the AGO. It was chartered at the 2014 Boston convention. We want to bring the wonderful knowledge of organ playing and the instrument that we love to our homeland. In the process of forming the chapter, we have discovered many skilled but “hid­den” talents around. There are others who are lovers of organ and choral music but who do not know where to find access. Together, we are working toward bringing more awareness of the pipe organ and its music to Hong Kong, and we are committed to finding ways of acquiring more fine instruments. This is our dream and our mission. Soli Deo Gloria!

Elizabeth Hung Wong is chapel organist at the Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School in Hong Kong and dean of the Hong Kong AGO Chapter.

From the organbuilder

At the Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School Chapel in Hong Kong, our aim was to create a compact, responsive, and versatile mechanical-action instrument with a unique ap­pearance—something with a 21st-century look that would be both practical and instructive for students of the organ. The casework, built of mahogany in order to survive the extremes of a tropical climate, is quite spare. It nevertheless has some distinctive features, including angled double-posts that lean forward on either side of the console, a single broad canopy­ like roof, and decorative end panels.

As with all Fisk organs, a physical scale model was created to facilitate case design and shaping of pipe arrays. This method, handed down to us Fisk, has proven to be the single most important tool for a complex design pro­cess that includes the collaborative ideas of the organbuilders, musicians, clients, and other design professionals involved with each project. As a result, Opus 149 has a recognizable Fisk sculptural signa­ture with a unique personality. It is part of a contemporary design evolution building upon Fisk’s Opus 132 in Kobe, Japan, and Opus 146 in Glendale, Ohio, which explored the use of angled posts, wood Key action installation pipe arrays, and dramatic roof overhangs.

Opus 149’s closest relatives in this diverse genre of small studio, chapel, or residential music room organs are the simi­larly conceived practice organs at Rice University (Opus 118/3), built in 1999 by Fisk in collaboration with Schreiner Pipe Organs Ltd., of Schenectady, New York, and at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University (Opus 142), completed in 2012. These instruments have three manuals, with Manual I serving as a coupling manual. Any stop drawn on either Manual II or Manual Ill automatically appears on Manual I. This concept allows for surprising registrational flexibility. Furthermore, the three manuals, which simulate a terraced coupling arrangement, are important for playing 19th- and 20th-century repertoire.

We had been thoroughly warned about the extremely high but occasionally fluctuating humidity in Hong Kong. In order to minimize its effects on the organ’s key and stop actions, the console and action frames were built entirely of alu­minum, and carbon fiber trackers were used throughout.

All manual pipework stands on a common windchest and is under expression in a single large swell box. A delightful variety of timbres is available to the organist. At 8′ pitch, on Manual II one finds a principal and a tapered flute (a quasi­ string), and on Manual Ill a stopped flute and a reed. At 4′ pitch there is an open cylindrical flute, the one stop that is shared between Manuals II and Ill on an alternating basis. The Pedal division pipework is outside of the expression box.

The mahogany Bourdon 16′ pipes form the entirety of the fa­cade, while the unified Flutes 8′ and 4′ are placed just behind the facade or behind the pierced end panels. All pipes, both metal and wood, were crafted in our Gloucester workshop, the metal pipes from lead and tin alloys cast by our pipemakers accord­ing to age-old techniques.

Wood pipes in organ facades can often have an awkward, monolithic appearance, but here they are playfully arranged on irregular corner plinths that ac­centuate the diversity of their dimensions as well as their sculptural qualities. For the center grouping, there is a similar playfulness in which the backs of the pipes are set in a straight line so that the varying scales and heights with the natural pipe lengths create a variegated landscape.

Opus 149’s visual and tonal designs are essentially of a piece. As befits an unusual but versatile tonal concept of a three-manual,seven-voice instrument and pipework that is nearly all under expression, the case design is intended to delight but never overwhelm the viewer. If,as we hope, more are commissioned in the future, we wish for this instrument to be an effective but soft-spoken ambassador for design integrity and fine music making.

Charles L. Nazarian, Designer

Marble Collegiate Church
New York, NY
Glück Pipe Organs • New York, NY

By Sebastian M. Glück

Marble Collegiate Church enjoys a history of dynamic preaching and noteworthy music, and is a landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The soaring stone building on New York City’s Fifth Avenue shelters a structurally flexible interior that poses acoustical challenges compounded by the fact that this vibrant congregation often fills its pews to capacity.

When Kenneth V. Dake, director of music since 1996, asked that the church approach me about a new pipe organ, the mission was to design, build, voice, and tonally finish an instrument that could perform the established solo repertoire with historical and stylistic accuracy, and serve the church’s broad music ministry that includes multiple choirs (both in-house and visiting), solo instrumentalists, and orchestras that are seen and heard worldwide through MarbleVision.

The Dutch Reformed Church, in Nieuw Amsterdam (now New York) since 1628, had commissioned a larger organ for each generation, until the 1984 organ contained twice as many pipes as the 1854 organ. Having previously built organs in spaces with little or no reverberation, I knew that size was not the sole issue. Even so, I have built the largest organ in the congregation’s history. The organ had to generate more sound energy than the building could absorb; so broad scales, a reinforced unison pitch line, more varied pipe forms, higher wind pressures, and a warm, vivid voicing style were the keys to success. I designed two complete organs at either end of the building, creating a bowl of sound in which to experience the music. Each organ has its own identity, but they fuse in a manner that envelops the listener.

The tonal blueprint is the child of two lines of scholarly inquiry: What do pipe organs in all cultures and eras have in common, and what do each of those nations provide, during each stylistic period, that is their musical signature? My selection and location of every voice in the Marble organ was prescribed by 350 years of organ literature, working from the composers’ scores toward an organ design, not building an organ with hope that it might accommodate the music. Academic conservatism is nonetheless punctuated by some colorful bibelots, such as the Doppelflöte with its double mouths, the Kirschholz Krumm­horn of brass and cherry wood, the Celesta struck by pneumatic mallets, and the aluminum resonator 32′ Double Ophicleide. The very carefully conceived mixtures are designed to add clarity to the inner voices of polyphony and to contribute a clean, silvery, and agreeable shine to the tout ensemble.

The complex superstructure of the larger rear gallery organ occupies much of Marble’s tower, the interior of which was rebuilt to my specifi­cations. Henry Erben’s massive Italianate case of 1854 had been rebuilt several times, so I removed some 20th-century additions in the spirit of historic preservation. The front organ is distributed between a pair of apse chambers and twin resonant cases flanking the chancel that I designed to appear as if they were always a part of the historic architecture. The inspiration for their form and ornament was the work of Cavaillé-Coll’s successor, Charles Mutin. The pipes that stand in all three facades are speaking pipes, and gold leafing of the moldings and pipe mouths was accomplished in the church.

The artistic management of 101 ranks in eight divisions required that I permit my conservative self to be dragged into the present century with a sumptuously equipped, technologically advanced mobile console. The solo organ and significant anthem repertoire that complement the hymnody and spoken word at each service require a comprehensive control system to handle the divisional coupling, combination action, expression shutter engines, and playback functions. The church’s international broadcasts are of noteworthy quality and resolution, so the console features unobstructed sight lines, elegant appearance, and silent operation.

I am grateful to our partners in this organbuilding journey: Organ Supply Industries, A.R. Schopp’s Sons, Syndyne, Zephyr, and Peterson Electro-Musical Products. My gratitude is extended to the gentlemen of Glück Pipe Organs, who labored with care to install my vision in the church: Albert Jensen-Moulton, general manager, who also served as my extra set of ears during tonal finishing; Joseph DiSalle, Robert Rast, and Dominic Inferrera, craftsmen; Gene Baker, Matthew David, Dan Perina, and John Kawa, technical assistants; and volunteer assistants Joe Clift, Mark Johnson, and Greg Lozier.

The organ was dedicated by three of our nation’s great organists: Ken Cowan, Richard Elliott (principal organist of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir), and Diane Bish, in concert with the Marble Choir and Festival of Voices and Brass Ensemble under the direction of Kenneth V. Dake.

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Sebastian M. Glück is artistic and tonal director of Glück Pipe Organs.

St. Joseph Catholic Church
Lincoln, NE
Bedient Pipe Organ Company • Lincoln, NE

By Ryan Luckey and Mark Miller

We are often asked, “What is the most rewarding part of building a pipe organ?” People usually expect us to reply by describing the thrill of hearing the new organ as it plays music that was written specifically for the type of instrument we have just built. But they are surprised to hear our actual answer: “It’s the collaboration and the people we get to work with.” Working closely with the client to identify their needs and developing a plan to supply those needs results in the most successful and rewarding outcomes for everyone involved.

St. Joseph Catholic Parish of Lincoln, Nebraska, was established in 1979, and an electronic organ was installed. As the parish continued to grow, the need for larger facilities became apparent. A new church was built on the same property and was dedicated in 2000.

The new church is very modern, with clean, simple lines, an exposed-beam ceiling, and many windows filling the space with natural light. The architect planned space for a pipe organ at the front of the church behind the altar; but funding was not immediately available, and the electronic organ was brought from the old church. By 2012, the electronic organ had deteriorated to the point that it was unusable. A major charitable gift was received for the purchase of a pipe organ, and an organ committee was formed. “Purchasing a pipe organ suitable for leading worship that would serve the parish well into the future was a goal for several years of our music ministry and pastor, Msgr. Liam Barr,” according to Mike Zeleny, director of music ministry.

The organ committee sought the advice of a number of consultants as they began their work. Most determined that the space designed for an organ at the front of the chancel would be extremely challenging to work with. The church received several proposals for freestanding mechanical-action organs, all of which were to be placed in the rear corner of the church.

The Bedient Pipe Organ Company was also asked for a proposal. We considered a mechanical-action organ as well, but that would have brought its own difficulties. The rear corner was the only possible space for such an organ. Placing it there required sacrificing at least four pews and felt out of place aesthetically. It also would have left the musicians scurrying between organ and piano and choir loft. Poor visibility and sightlines for the organist would make it impossible to conduct the choir from the organ. Ultimately, we agreed with the parish leaders that placing the organ in the space prepared for it at the front of the chancel was the best option. We were confident in our ability to design and build a successful instrument for that space.

It was a pleasure to work closely with the music ministry leadership of St. Joseph’s to identify their goals and objectives for a successful organ project. The organ’s primary use is to lead worshipers during Mass. The parish has an active choral program, with several choirs and numerous cantors, and the organ is used to accompany all. Performance of organ literature is a secondary priority. Through conversations with the parish musicians and our own experience as church musicians, we were able to develop plans and specifications that meet all of these goals.

This installation posed a number of challenges for our design team. First, the chancel was to remain unaltered. The organ was to be located behind the grill cloth, with no exposed facade. This meant that all of the pipes, windchests, and other components had to be lifted into the chamber through a 28-inch opening in the floor. The chamber is a quarter-circle, each leg measuring about 15 feet. Fortunately, the two rear walls are solid concrete, helping project the sound into the church. Our goal was to provide as many ranks as possible without compromising on tonal egress or service accessibility.

The room provides some acoustical challenges as well. Although the chamber is located on the central axis of the church, the wide, radiating room will diffuse the sound greatly. The church seats more than 500 worshipers, and we needed to fill the carpeted room evenly with the organ’s sound. The greatest challenge, however, was the location of the choir loft relative to the designated organ chamber. The choir is seated to the far left of the main space under a lower ceiling and around a corner from the main axis of the room. We knew it would be very difficult for the choir members to hear the organ.

We began in the chamber considering various layout options. There was clearly space to house a two-manual-and-pedal organ, but a third manual division was out of the question. The Great division needed to be placed centrally at the front of the chamber for the best sound projection. We realized that the Swell could be placed behind and above the Great, speaking both through and over that division. This kept both sides of the chamber available for the Pedal ranks.

Because the choir seating was so far from the organ, a small division of only a few ranks was needed to support the singers. We found space over a storage room immediately behind the choir loft. Clear, articulate flutes along with a Dulciana would be very useful, especially if these ranks could be enclosed. An exposed Principal could be used not only with the choir, but also to help draw the sound of the main organ into the room when coupled to the Great.

Our first thought was to make this a floating division on a two-manual instrument, but we quickly saw the oppor­tunity to add some much-needed flexibility. The Great is limited in size, and knowing that a rich Principal chorus is needed for leading hymns, we did not want to compromise that. However, this left us with little space for gentler accompanimental stops outside the Swell division. We then had the idea to place the Choir division on a third manual and borrow some of the Swell stops. This was done solely to add flexibility for registrations and maximize the organ’s potential for accompanying the liturgy.

The Great division is based on our classic principal chorus. We increased the scale of these pipes considerably to enable the sound to better fill this large church without becoming strident. The principals are voiced with our signature warm, relaxed, “singing” tone quality. Principal-scaled mutations allow for rich variations. The Rohrflöte and Trompete are also signature Bedient stops with their colorful and round character.

In this organ, the Swell division was conceived first as a contrast to the Great and second, to provide incidental music throughout the Mass. The Principal chorus here is lighter, simpler, and more focused than the Great chorus. The Swell includes a complete Flute chorus with wide-scale mutations for interest and diversity. In addition to our classic French Trompette, the Swell includes an English Oboe. This is a new stop for us, developed specifically for this organ. Its rich fundamental tone enhances the ensemble with distant, smothered warmth. The unique layout made it possible to place expression shades on three sides of the enclosure for maximum effectiveness.

The Pedal division was also designed with versatility in mind. This organ boasts four ranks of 16′ flues, including another new stop for our firm, a wood Violon. Its light purr and prompt speech bring clarity to the bass line without overpowering softer stops on the manuals. Space limitations required us to place all the Pedal ranks on offset chests, but this created the opportunity to wire a Resultant from the Subbass and provide a Quinte 102/3 from the Contrebasse. Finally, the reeds add power and brilliance 
to full registrations.

Mike Zeleny reflects on the project: “We have been very pleased with our selection of Bedient. Our partnership was collaborative, and their artisans and representatives were terrific to work with. Watching the organ “grow” in Bedient’s workshop was fascin­ating, and doing business with a Nebraska-based company also added an economic-development benefit to the community.”

This project brought many challenges and opportunities for our firm. We are grateful to Mike Zeleny; the Rev. Msgr. Liam Barr, pastor; and all the staff and volunteers at St. Jo­seph Catholic Parish for their time, efforts, and collaboration on this project. Knowing that this organ not only meets but also exceeds the expectations of this parish makes this one of the most truly rewarding projects in our recent history.

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Ryan Luckey, vice president and project manager, came to Bedient Pipe Organ with more than 15 years of experience in project management. He has a deep passion for organs and organbuilding with interests in a wide variety of periods and styles. He enjoys working with each client to find fresh and creative ways to meet their musical needs. He is studying organ and sings with two church choirs each Sunday.

Mark Miller has served as president and tonal director since the retirement of Gene Bedient in 2010. Prior to that, he was vice president of field operations, having been involved at Bedient Pipe Organ for more than 25 years. He earned a master of music degree in organ performance from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He is director of music and organist at First Christian Church, Lincoln.

St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church
Carmel Valley, CA
Dobson Pipe Organ Builders, Lake City, IA

By John A. Panning

These days, it would be easy to believe that pipe organs have become trophy items, affordable only by large or significantly wealthy churches. There is a grain of truth to this. Hollowed out by elec­tronic imitations and shifting tastes in worship music, 
the market for pipe organs has changed. While our magazine covers continue to feature large, even enormous, instruments, the number of two-manual “normal church organs” that allowed The Diapason to print an annual issue devoted to their design is now much reduced. In particular, the promise once attached to mechanical-action instruments of modest size seems not to have lived up to the hopes of early partisans. Perhaps this is a welcome sign of the maturing of the art. One suspects that many early mechanical-action instruments were attractive to organ committees as much for their low cost as for any aesthetic advantages. Sadly, the casual construction represented by the low cost, the experimental nature of some of the mechanisms, and the whiplash-like stylistic changes of the last several decades have conspired to shorten the life of some of these instruments. For some, this may raise questions about the suitability of mechanical-action pipe organs in today’s worship settings.

And yet, despite today’s availability of things as varied as combination instruments and neo-symphonic unit organs, we believe the argument for tracker organs remains unassailable. Now, with more than half a century of experience, American mechanical-action organbuilders are creating instruments admired and commissioned by clients worldwide. While initially of greater cost than alternatives, we make no apology for craftsmanship; spread over the lifetime of a thoughtfully designed, artfully built, and beautifully voiced instrument, the modest effective cost remains a compelling argument for such an investment. And the joy to be found in the playing and hearing of a pipe organ built for the ages remains unparalleled.

It was this interest in something of long-lasting beauty and versatility that led the members of St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church to commission a mechanical-action instrument from us. The spare but handsome building, designed by member Mel Blevens of Holewinski Blevens Fedelem & Lukes Architects in 1963, accurately reflects a parish of modest means but artistic vision. Never 
intended to house a pipe organ, St. Dunstan’s had been served by an increasingly cranky electronic, whose speakers front and back broadcast a confusing wash of sound. Fitted with carpet, inadequate lighting, and pews stained the color of asphalt, the church was not the most visually or aurally welcoming space.

As we invariably find, enthusiasm about a new pipe organ generates enthusiasm generally. Our design for an organ standing front and center, together with recommendations from acoustician Robert Mahoney, encouraged the parish to beautify its worship space by removing the carpeting and staining the concrete floor, refinishing the pews, and installing new LED lighting. The revised altar platform, now deeper and constructed of solid concrete rather than noisy plywood, is sheathed in gorgeous sedimentary stone, quarried near Jerusalem, in which fossils can be seen. A new communion railing by general contractor Tim Scherer and an ambo by liturgical artist Jeff Tortorelli complete the chancel.

Standing behind all this, the organ makes a commanding statement that draws attention to the front of the church rather than overwhelming it. To accommodate the choir, seated to one side of the chancel, the organ console is placed on that end of the case. From this location, the organist can easily give direction to the choir while remaining abreast of activity in the nave.

Director of music Steven Denmark, an organ performance student of Ladd Thomas (1966–72), had long dreamed of the form the organ would take, and together we explored many stoplists. But his thinking was dramatically changed by a 2014 visit to the organ in St. Michael’s Abbey in Farnborough, England. Installed in 1905 and attributed to Charles Mutin, the organ appears to contain older elements built by Mutin’s master, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. Set within a small but acoustically stunning Gothic Revival chapel, this organ of only 14 voices makes an unforgettable impression, which I myself experienced during a visit shortly thereafter.

Encouraged by the possibilities on display in the Farnborough organ, essentially a one-manual instrument divided over two keyboards, the design of Opus 94 took a new turn. Although improved and now proportional to the space, the acoustic of St. Dunstan’s Church is but a pale shadow of that at Farnborough. However, a foundation-rich design as exemplified by the Farnborough organ is not only an appropriate response to a less-reverberant room but also a musically responsible choice for a parish with a traditional choral program. In Opus 94, nine of the manuals’ 15 stops are of 8′ pitch. For dynamic flexibility in both accompaniment and literature, the Plein Jeu and manual reeds stand within the Récit enclosure. Steve Denmark felt strongly that some sort of jeu de tierce registration should be present. There is no precedent in the work of Cavaillé-Coll for an independent Tierce, and when a stop of 22/3′ pitch was included, it was always a Quinte. We elected to make both mutations as flutes with strongly ascendant trebles, so that they function well with the principal-toned unisons. A Bourdon 16′ shared between Grand-Orgue and Pédale is a feature of most Cavaillé-Coll choir organs that I didn’t feel we could replicate here; the poor bass response of the church dictates a scale and treatment for the Pédale that would have muddied any manual texture.

Most of the pipes were built in our shop; the pipes of high tin alloy—the facade pipes, strings, and reeds—are the work of Killinger in Freiberg am Neckar, Germany. All are voiced on a wind pressure of 70 mm, regulated by a large, weighted, single-rise reservoir. The key action is balanced, running from the console to transverse rollers just above the floor that are fitted with crank arms for the pulldowns. While not a historic feature, the coupling manual offers useful registrational possibilities beyond the common II/I coupler.

The angled geometry of the church interior called for a similarly nontraditional case design. In the facade, the pipes of the Montre 8′ make a bold, sweeping gesture, echoed by slotted openings at the level of the manual windchests. The instrument’s white oak case 
is crowned by a sheltering roof whose slope parallels the ceiling above. Despite its modern appearance, the instrument is laid out in a traditional way, with the Grand-Orgue standing immediately in front of the Récit. The Pédale Soubasse pipes, painted our customary “Dobson red,” form a wall at the end of the case opposite the console. Mechanism is present for the eventual installation of a Pédale 16′ reed.

From the first, the members of St. Dunstan’s parish took an unusually active role in supporting the organ proj­ect, organizing creative fundraisers and spending many hours in renovation tasks. Central to this effort was the leadership of the Rev. Rob Fisher, rector of St. Dunstan’s, and Steve Denmark, who together worked tirelessly to generate interest in the project, not only from within the parish but also from the Monterey Peninsula community. Support came in various forms, including members providing lunch for the installation crew and voicers, and comfortable lodging on the estate of George and the Rev. Marcia Lockwood, once owned by Hank Ketcham, creator of “Dennis the Menace.” The ruggedly beautiful scenery of the Valley, Carmel Bay, and Big Sur was not 
directly provided by the parish, of course, but was a powerful inspiration to us nonetheless.

Parishioner Lee Collins, whose advocacy for a pipe organ long predated the arrival of Fr. Rob and Steve, passed away in December 2015 at age 93. He lived to hear and see his dream come to fruition, and would be delighted to know that the flowers for his funeral are in the photo on this month’s cover. He and his fellow parishioners understood the beauty of appropriate scale, now a counter-cultural concept in our world of giant televisions in modest living rooms, snacks that have the calories of entire meals, and electronic organs that think they are cathedral instruments. They recognized that something of appropriate scale could be imbued with craft, beauty, and timelessness. We are gratified that St. Dunstan’s Church chose us to realize this vision, which will, God willing, bring together worshipers and music lovers for generations to come.

John A. Panning is vice president and tonal director of Dobson Pipe Organ Builders.

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St. Monica Catholic Church, Dallas, TX
Nichols & Simpson Inc., Little Rock, AR

By Jeremy Wirths

St. Monica Catholic Church in Dallas, Texas, founded in 1954, is a large parish of around 14,000 parishioners, with an average of 4,000 individuals attending seven weekend Masses, and a proud heritage of education: St. Monica School maintains an enrollment of more than 850 students in grades K–8.

The parish has ten choirs and ensembles that provide leadership for the various Masses in both English and Spanish. The church building and organ are used for several school choral liturgies each week, along with many special performances, including organ recitals, and numerous musical presentations by outside ensembles.

In 2012, the parish began a major renovation of the church building, which had not been updated since its construction in 1965. The church’s dry acoustics had, for decades, been an impediment to music making. The previous organ, a 1968 three-manual Wicks of 47 ranks, was limited by its small scaling and stylistic inflexibility. The parish contracted consultants Scott Riedel and Associates of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to work with the architectural firm Fischer Heck in designing interior features that extensively improved the acoustical environment of the church.

Scott Riedel’s goal was “to hear clear and intelligible speech throughout the room, to assist musicians in developing well-balanced, blended, and projected music, and especially to enable the assembly to hear each other for wholehearted participation in sung and spoken parts of the liturgy.” Riedel’s obstacles were evident: thick red carpeting, concave-circular wall forms and a textured ceiling covered with sound-absorbing asbestos, and thin wood lattices and walls. The choir and organ were hidden behind wooden lattice work that had once served as a silent protest in the early days of Vatican II.

Riedel set out to create subtle, attractive design elements that would achieve his acoustic goals. The church’s greatest permanent acoustical challenge is its round shape, causing sound to reverberate back into the center focal point rather than mix and distribute. For this reason, the Riedel design includes what he has called “a sound supportive ceiling deck [to] allow tone to blend in the room, and the custom-designed acoustic wall panels between glass facets [to] diffuse, reflect, and temper sound in proper proportion.” Other acoustical improvements, as described by Riedel, include “new hard surface flooring throughout the room to reinforce and reverberate music and sung and spoken participation by the assembly. The sound obstructing lattice wall has been removed from the choir and organ space, allowing unimpeded tonal egress to the assembly. The facade of organ pipes and hardwood diffusers on the wall behind the choir singers also function to mix and project music throughout the room.”

In consultation with Riedel, and under the leadership of director of music Jeremy Wirths and organist Guillermo Martinez, St. Monica’s organ committee decided that a large American Classic instrument would best serve the musical needs of the par­ish. They identified choral accompaniment as a priority; the small dynamic range and lack of ensemble reeds of the previous instrument had been a hindrance to St. Monica’s music for decades. The musicians of the parish felt that a movable console would be absolutely necessary, as the church’s music space required flexibility for various ensembles.

The organ committee selected Nichols & Simpson Inc. of Little Rock, Arkansas, to build the new instrument. The committee was impressed by the diversity of design and tonal beauty found in the firm’s previous instruments, and they recognized that the unique modern architecture of the church would require design creativity on the part of the chosen builder. After months of work, a final plan emerged that included 54 stops and 71 ranks of pipes, with digital ranks included in order to maximize use of chamber space. There are 4,218 pipes.

The organ is played from a four-manual mov­able console, the shell constructed of oak to match the other furnishings of the church, and the interior of burl walnut. The manual keys are polished bone and rosewood, the pedals are maple and rosewood, and the drawknobs are rosewood with engraved bone faces. The combination action features 256 levels of memory, a MIDI sequencer, and USB port to back up the settings.

The Swell division, located on the left side of the organ chamber, features warm flute stops, three luscious strings/celestes, an extensive reed chorus, and an independent 4′ celeste. The boisterous character of the independent 8′ Trompette and the smoother English-styled 8′ Trumpet allow two distinct reeds on which to build a reed chorus. The division includes a full principal chorus, as well as a cleverly split Plein Jeu.

The Great division is located in the center of the organ chamber with a principal chorus built on the 16′ Double Diapason, that makes up the facade.

The Choir includes two celestes and a full array of chorus and solo reeds. The Petite Trompette serves as a well-balanced chorus reed for accompanying, while the Trombas provide pungent reeds for French literature or solo reeds to cut through a full ensemble.

The pipes of the Pedal division are spread throughout the chamber, with the largest pipes reaching from floor to ceiling behind the Swell pipes. The 16′ Open Wood is an impressive foundation for the large space of St. Monica Church. Three digital 32′ stops are effectively voiced, saving space in the chamber and filling out this solid division.

The Solo is located behind the pipes of the Great and features a commanding Tuba stop, as well as a solo Flute stop at 8′ and 4′, and a string and celeste. Because of space constraints, the English Horn and French Horn are digital stops.

Other features of the organ include a Cymbelstern (comprised of eight small Malmark handbells), a Rossignol, and harp, celesta, and chimes supplied by Walker Technical Company.

The case was designed by Frank Friemel. R.A. Colby fabricated and installed the wooden portions of the case comprising 84 individual pieces attached to an iron framework. A.R. Schopp’s Sons worked diligently with Nichols & Simpson and Frank Friemel to make the distinctive case pipe designs a reality.

Organist Guillermo Martinez stated, “This new pipe organ is indicative of the investment of energies and talents to keep traditional church music alive and vibrant for not only the parish, but also for the Dallas music community.” St. Monica is proud to have been selected to host a recital during the 2017 AGO Regional Convention in Dallas.

Since the dedication of the instrument two years ago, the parish’s liturgical music has been profoundly enriched by this stunning new instrument. The Rev. Stephen Bierschenk, pastor of St. Monica since 2008, has been delighted by the high level of interest and enthusiasm the organ has created. Of this new spirit he has written, “This beautiful organ gives voice to our desire to honor God in the best ways possible. As our soul is stirred by the beauty of a hymn, and we are thrilled by the majestic tones of an anthem, our hearts and minds are reminded that God has given us so many ways to express our joy in his gifts.”

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Jeremy Wirths holds degrees from the University of Kansas, Emory University, and the University of North Texas. He served his first parish as a musician when he was 15 years old, and has served a total of seven parishes in four states.

Immanuel Chapel, Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, VA
Taylor & Boody Organbuilders Staunton, VA

By George K. Taylor & John H. Boody

Two powerful events at the Virginia Theological Seminary conspired to bring to life a new chapel and a new pipe organ: the tragic destruction of the 1881 seminary chapel by an accidental fire in October 2010, and the destruction wrought in the Mid-Atlantic region by a freak summer derecho windstorm on June 29, 2012. The fire spurred the creation and building of a new elegant and powerful worship space that bears witness to the dedication of the Virginia Theological Seminary to liturgy and worship arts. The windstorm felled more than 20 of the old-growth white oak trees that graced the seminary campus. The wood of these trees, along with three ancient oaks cut from the chapel site, were incorporated into the new organ.

Following the fire, an organ committee was formed comprised of Jason Abel, Scott Dettra, Ray Glover, Barney Hawkins, Lloyd A. Lewis, William Bradley Roberts, Tho­mas Smith, and Heather Zdancewicz. This committee worked diligently, considering several builders and visiting many instruments. We were pleased to have been chosen to build the new organ for this important and influential Episcopal seminary.

Over the course of our careers, we have worked together with many architects and acousticians to design and build worship spaces and concert halls. Our experience at the Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) was unique. We were to work with Robert A.M. Stern Architects of New York City, a 300-person firm with hundreds of projects to their credit. There were times that we organbuilders and musicians had to state our requirements clearly. The end result is a unique and wonderful space, emblematic of the seminary’s purpose: to emphasize the importance of worship, music, and liturgy in the education of the Episcopal clergy.

The Immanuel Chapel is a beautifully crafted building. The red brick exterior is not a copy of any building on the VTS campus, but a new creation that harmonizes with the existing historic campus architecture. The form of the worship space is an equal-armed cross, with the crossing defined by a large circular chandelier. All the furnishings were designed by the architects to be movable, to provide flexibility for the many uses of the space. The ceiling is divided into coffers for good sound dispersion. The floor is slate, and the walls are hard plaster on concrete block. The acoustic is brilliant in the empty space, toning down to a comfortable reverberation with full congregation. The air handler is remarkably silent. Mark Holden of Jaffe-Holden was the acoustician, with a peer review done by Bob Mahoney. At the inauguration of the Immanuel Chapel, Robert A.M. Stern spoke about his interest in using light as a powerful architectural force. There is a continuous ambulatory surrounding the worship space, with windows letting in natural light. This light is admitted to the church through ocular openings projecting an ever-changing pattern on the interior.

The organ stands nearly 30 feet tall. The shape of the case is Classical but restrained, allowing the organ to be at home in this clean, contemporary space. The effect is powerful and compelling, letting the worshiper know that music is important to the seminary. It is made from solid quarter-sawn white oak, finished with a clear, water-based lacquer. The Double Open Diapason 16′, made from 80% scraped tin, is in the facade from low F.

The Great is at the impost level. The Swell box is placed above, and perpendicular to, the Great. Its reeds are placed at both sides of the windchest so that tuning can be done from either side. A dramatic crescendo and refined control of the Swell sound is achieved through the placement of shutters on three sides of the box. The Pedal, which speaks directly through tracery grills on both sides of the lower case, is on two chests at floor level behind the organ. Its sound also reaches the chapel through the opening above and behind the organ.

The key action is suspended mechanical, with the trackers made of carbon fiber. This lightweight material has great advantages: It is extremely rigid, difficult to break, and impervious to moisture. The key levers are thermally treated poplar, which has great stability. The key coverings are polished cow bone, and the sharps are Gabon ebony. Together, these make for a key action that is crisp, precise, and responsive. The stop action is electric, with the combination action by Solid State Organ Systems.

The slider windchests are made from solid wood with yellow poplar grids, quarter-sawn yellow poplar sliders, and western red cedar tables. The eastern white-pine toe boards are quarter-sawn for stability. The pipes are made of lead-tin alloys or solid wood, and with few exceptions were made in the Taylor & Boody workshop. All metal pipes were hammered, with the exception of the tin front pipes, which were hand-scraped and polished.

It was a unique opportunity to use timber blown down in the derecho and also logs from the three large oak trees that were removed from the site of the chapel construction. We took these logs, some up to 30 inches in diameter, and split them down the center with a 60-inch chainsaw. The half logs were then placed on our band sawmill and quarter-sawn. This lumber is stable, dries without defect, and produces the beautiful flake grain-pattern that we so cherish. The results were well worth the effort. There is great merit in the environmental economy of locally sourced wood as well as the connection to the saints of VTS who walked beneath those ancient trees.

In many of our projects, Taylor & Boody has used historic models in the North European style. Seminary organist William Ro­berts’s requirement was that the organ would play the music of Herbert Howells well. Prior to our Opus 65 project at Grace Church in New York City, we visited a number of historic organs in the United Kingdom. One of the organs that particularly excited us was the 1883 Henry Willis organ at St. Dominic’s Priory in Haverstock Hill, London. This mechan­ical-action organ of three manuals and 35 stops fills the cavernous church with sound that evokes all the vigor of Victorian England. The diapasons are full and round, but with silvery speech that gives clarity to counterpoint. The organ’s soft stops prove excellent for choral accompaniment. In the development of the VTS organ, we knew that this type of instrument would serve the Episcopal seminary well. The Great and Pedal provide the power and vocal qualities essential to accompanying good hymn singing, while the wide range of expression in the Swell allows for solo and choral accompaniment. In the words of Aaron Reichert, who along with Christopher Bono voiced the organ: “Should not the organ sing with as good a vowel as one asks of their choir? The balance of the organ is based on, and in direct relationship with, the fervor with which the VTS community sings. Each division can accompany the other, a soloist, a choir, an orchestra, a congregation, or all combined; coincidentally, being so versatile in accompaniment makes the organ quite a good soloist as well.” And yes, it does play Howells well.

The two-manual specification of 34 stops allows for complete choruses on each division. There are two mixtures and five manual reeds, giving the organ sufficient power to accompany the robust singing of the seminary community. It is useful that both the Great and Swell have Trumpets as well as solo reeds: the Swell Oboe in English style and a sweet 8′ Clarionet for the Great. There is also a good complement of string stops: a Salicional on the Great, and Viol da Gamba, Vox Coelestis, and 4′ Salicet in the Swell, making a string chorus. The Great 4′ Harmonic Flute is a first for us; the volume of this stop permits it to be used in combination with the 8′ Spire Flute to add clarity and evoke an 8′ Harmonic Flute. The 8′ Spire Flute has enough overtones to be distinct in the chorus and also function well as a solo accompaniment. The Pedal 16′ Open Diapason, which is transmitted from the Great, is quite round and elegant, having full-length wooden basses. It serves as a 
gentle 16′ for the Pedal when the Sub Bass is too strong. A large-scaled 102/3′ Quint Bass gives a synthetic 32′, making a convincing rumble for English choral music.

This instrument has already proven to be a stimulant to the musicians at VTS. There is often a student or visiting organist who is learning, discussing, and enjoying the organ. As Bill Roberts said in the mission statement for the organ search, “Procuring a fine organ will enrich the worship life of the community for years to come. It will contribute to the formation of young women and men who are being trained to lead the Church, modeling the power of music to transform lives and bring worshipers into the presence of God.” We as organbuilders believe this, and we are honored to have been chosen to provide an organ to assist in such a worthy cause. Soli Deo Gloria.

George Taylor graduated from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. He apprenticed with Rudolf von Beckerath Orgelbau in Hamburg, Germany, from 1964 to 1968. He joined John Brombaugh and Company in 1970 after being self-employed for two years, and formed Taylor & Boody with John Boody in 1977. He lives outside of Staunton with his wife, Carol.

John Boody graduated from University of Maine with a BA degree in music. He has apprenticed with Fritz Noack and John Brombaugh. In 1979, two years after cofounding Taylor & Boody, he moved to Staunton, where he lives with his wife, Janet. Aside from organbuilding, he enjoys cross-country skiing, biking, gardening, and singing with the choir at Trinity Episcopal Church. The Boodys have two children and five grandchildren.

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