TAO Articles

The New Dobson Organ at St. Thomas Church
In New York City
By John Panning and Jonathan Ambrosino

View the new case
View the 1913 case
View the Stop List

Lovers of church music have long made St. Thomas Church, on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan’s swank Midtown, a place of pilgrimage. Within its landmark Gothic Revival walls, the parish has forged a unique musical perspective, combining a high Anglican choral tradition with organs of French inspiration, a musical practice that strongly informed the tonal design of our recently completed Opus 93. The two basic requirements demanded by this tradition—color and discretion for choral accompaniment, grandeur and panache for solo performance—are found in few historic styles. On the face of it, those goals might even seem contradictory. It is easy to provide a variety of pretty voices on the one hand and blazing full organ on the other—organs with these individual effects are commonplace—but it is quite another to structure everything in between so that the journey from the former to the latter is musically convincing. Exquisite care must be paid to the dynamic and tonal relationship between each voice so that a natural crescendo can be made, and so that balances between each division truly serve the needs of any music at hand.

With very few overtly historical exceptions, our previous work has sought to align points of congruence between differing organ traditions. Our overarching goal is a well-digested and harmonized musical instrument that accommodates the widest possible range of solo and choral literature rather than an assemblage of favorite historical bits. While no organ we have built is more focused upon the support of singing in all its varied forms, the design of Opus 93 did not arise in a vacuum. It mines the same rich ore that inspired our previous instruments for, among others, St. Paul’s Church, Rock Creek Parish in Washington, D.C., St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, Pa., Independent Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Ala., Merton College Chapel, Oxford, U.K., and the forthcoming instrument for St. James’ Church, King Street, in Sydney, Australia. The instruments created for these places were persuasive to the St. Thomas organ committee, charged to commission an instrument that would support the five centuries of music regularly offered by the parish musicians, a task whose immense breadth would surely bewilder the historic builders who inspire us.

John Scott and members of the committee, assisted by consultant Jonathan Ambrosino, visited not only a number of Dobson organs but also instruments such as the Aeolian-Skinners at Trinity Church in New Haven (Opus 927, 1935) and Church of the Advent in Boston (Opus 940, 1936), which informed fruitful discussions of tonal design. At every point, John Scott’s wide experience and searching mind worked to broaden the organ’s capabilities. The result is an instrument resembling no specific example or style. Instead of literal quotation, the new organ more importantly possesses the confidence and aspiration of the grand instruments created contemporaneously with the beloved repertoire of the Choir of Men and Boys and the solo literature that adorns the parish’s worship services.

The siting of the new organ was broadly directed by the architectural realities of the 1913 building, the crowning achievement of the partnership of Ralph Adams Cram and Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue. Their plan provided four substantial organ chambers and an elegant organ case, realized, like the rest of the woodwork, by the celebrated Boston firm of Irving & Casson. The case housed the Great division of the original organ, Opus 205 of the Ernest M. Skinner Organ Company, whose Swell was situated behind the case in the northeast chamber (geographic, not liturgical—the church is oriented 180° from tradition). The Choir and Solo shared an enclosure in the southeast chamber, while the Pedal occupied both western chambers. With the almost complete tonal alteration of the organ by Aeolian-Skinner in 1956, the Great moved to an exposed location in front of the northwest chamber, even farther from the nave and with no immediately adjacent reflective surfaces. As from its earlier location in the case, the Great spoke across the choir toward the Chantry Chapel on the south side, where its sound was unusefully scattered, leaving the rear of the nave with paltry support for congregational singing. Aided by acoustical studies, we realized that a Great located on the opposite side of the chancel could take advantage of the reflections offered by the solid north nave wall, which has no lower windows, to direct sound more efficiently to the back. The Great, joined by a Positive below at Chair/Rückpositiv elevation, is now situated in a new organ case opposite Goodhue’s, from which place it speaks with authority to the entire room. The Swell remains in its original place behind the 1913 case; the Choir likewise finds its home in that department’s original location in the southeast chamber behind our new case. We claimed the southwest chamber for a substantial Solo, and retained the northwest chamber for the largest Pedal pipes. The old case has been fitted with new tin facade pipes from the Pedal First Diapason 16′, Octave 8′, and Super Octave 4′, and it houses Pedal upperwork and smaller reeds at a level similar to the Great reeds. The galleries that were formerly the site of thousands of exposed pipes have now been given to the lowest twelve pipes of the Pedal Contrabass 32′; of Haskell construction, they lie horizontally below the railing, out of sight.

Despite centuries of insularity, the English organs that inspired the Victorian and Edwardian composers so beloved by the St. Thomas Choir could be surprisingly cosmopolitan. Many had Saxon roots, transmitted to England primarily by Edmund Schulze. That master’s tonal palette and forthright voicing style, representing a connection back to the workshop of Gottfried Silbermann, were adopted with almost religious fervor by certain British builders, most notably T.C. Lewis, whose singular Southwark Cathedral organ of 1897 was a touchstone for John Scott and us as well. The homegrown ingenuity of William Hill, Henry Willis, and Arthur Harrison likewise had vigorous partisans, and Cavaillé-Coll found British admirers who commissioned substantial organs. In turn, this eclectic body of work spread across the English organ landscape informed the instruments designed  at Aeolian-Skinner by G. Donald Harrison, who created his own synthesis. The practices of all these builders are reflected to some degree in Opus 93.

The tonal design of organs from the 18th century and earlier can be described as having vertical structures, referring to the stack of pitches typically represented in their specifications, from foundation pitches rising through mixtures. By contrast, later organs, from the Romantic and Symphonic periods, are said to have horizontal structures, where a wide variety of pitches is often subservient to extensive development of tone color, especially at unison pitch. In Opus 93, to address the organ’s obligation to both solo and choral literature of many eras, both vertical and horizontal structures are thoroughly developed.

Like those German and German-inspired organs that so thrilled English ears in the second half of the 19th century, our new instrument has a fundamentally classical structure framed around bold diapason choruses and flutes of varied construction and treatment. Chief among these is naturally the Great, with diapasons ranging from 32′ to Cymbal and flutes from 16′ through the tierce of the Cornet, but each division, apart from the specialized Solo, has such vertical structures of greater or lesser dimension.

Several important horizontal features allow the Miller-Scott Organ to be an elevated vehicle for choral accompaniment. Foundation color at widely differing dynamic levels fills any accompanimental need, offering overlapping layers of registrational possibility. The tonal range of the organ, especially at the unison level, has been broadened beyond that of any of its predecessors; the Solo alone contains a Flauto Mirabilis of large scale and powerful treatment alongside extremely pungent, small-scaled Violes d’Orchestre of the type favored by Arthur Harrison. In this family alone, we see how a horizontal element has additionally been developed vertically, as the unison and its celeste are joined by an octave and a compound stop of the same remarkable color. Similarly, each of the four manuals and the Pedal has a chorus of French reeds, an overt homage to the Arents Organ’s Gallic character, but they are augmented in the Swell and Solo by additional chorus reeds of Anglo-American design.

This provision of multiples—unisons, 4’s, trumpets, reed choruses—is aimed toward careful interlayering of tone among foundations and choruses, a nod to much of G. Donald Harrison’s prewar ideas in the service of offering multiple gradations of accompanimental possibility. For instance, the Choir chorus reeds slot in between the Swell’s Trumpets and Trompettes, much as the Choir’s tapered diapasons live between the Swell 8′ and 4′  strings and diapasons. The Positive and Great have similar inter-relationships, which themselves refer back to those of the Swell and Choir. Far from being redundant, these multiples give departments, and by extension the whole organ, various ways of arriving at climactic effects. Growing out of these subtleties are soaring solo voices, piquant orchestral tones, new variety in the Pedal, a fresh Positive that reaches right to the back pew, and the blazing drama people loved in the previous organ.

Several aspects beyond the specification are crucial to the organ’s success as an accompanimental instrument. Three of the five manual departments are very effectively enclosed, and several stops from these divisions are available in the Pedal, including the full-length 32′ extension of the Swell Double Trumpet. The physical location of each division is important to its effect in the church. Even here we see vertical and horizontal relationships, not just tonally but physically: a vertical axis of Great and Positive, and a horizontal one north to south through Swell, Positive, and Choir. The veiled character that proper chambers can provide is important to effective swell enclosures; by contrast, the siting of the Positive gives it an immediacy essential for classical repertoire. Finally, more important than the mere presence of “correct” stops or “proper” placement is a voicing treatment that emphasizes clarity and blend, in which pipes speak naturally and articulation is deployed as a marker of promptness, not an effect in itself.

Surrounded by such surpassing decorative beauty, the design of our new organ case logically takes its cue from Goodhue’s, surely one of the best and most well-proportioned examples from his generation. However, we believed the new case should not succumb to a desire for a gratuitous symmetry, nor should it be reduced in size in an attempt to minimize its presence in the choir. While ours has massing similar to the 1913 case and is treated just as sumptuously, it interprets Gothic principles more strictly—the 1913 case, when examined, reveals not so much a Gothic design as a Baroque one with Gothic decorative details. Lynn Dobson made a number of design studies, for which the high altar and especially the Chantry Chapel altar provided crucial inspiration. As seen from the side aisles of the nave, the resulting new case intrudes upon the reredos less than Goodhue’s. Made of quartersawn oak like the surrounding woodwork, our new case displays pipes of the Great Diapason 32′ (32′ A being the largest pipe in the center tower) and First Diapason 8′.

While the original case’s carved musicians and instruments are a visual representation of Psalm 150, the new case honors the four Evangelists and persons of the recent past important to the parish’s music. Bas-relief portraits of Gerre Hancock, Rector XII Fr. Andrew Mead, and John Scott adorn the Positive’s center facade, flanked by portraits of organ committee co-chairs Kenneth Koen and Karl Saunders, Warden William H.A. Wright II, principal donors William and Irene Miller, Rector XIII Fr. Carl Turner, and musicians Daniel Hyde and Benjamin Sheen.

A project this enormous is beyond the sole resources of even the largest organ company, and we are fortunate to have had the assistance of a number of valued collaborators. First of all, the organ committee and its co-chairs, Kenneth Koen and Karl Saunders, the vestry, especially William H.A. Wright II and Kenneth Koen, and the rectors of St. Thomas Church, first Fr. Mead, then Fr. Turner, have provided truly invaluable support and encouragement. Daniel Hyde and Benjamin Sheen were especially encouraging during the tonal finishing of the organ, when we felt most keenly John Scott’s absence. The church’s staff, especially Barbara Pettus and Angel Estrada, bore with us from day to day and provided unflaggingly cheerful assistance in matters too numerous to count. Robert Silman Associates undertook the structural engineering for the support of the new organ case, and Dawn Schuette of Threshold Acoustics provided valued expertise for the acoustical improvement of the organ chambers. Daniel Wrzesinski of Westerman Construction, the parish’s project management firm, coordinated the work of our firm and the various contractors. Dennis and Denny Collier of Bangor, Pennsylvania, and their band of brilliant artists spent four years creating the carving that enriches our new organ case. Foley-Baker Inc. restored the original Spencer organ blower, now entering its 106th year of service, and removed the Arents Organ in the summer of 2016. Lawrence Trupiano, organ curator, assisted with the removal of the Arents Organ and has supported us and the project in countless other ways. The experienced men of Sapsis Rigging worked alongside us for months to install with care and creativity the many large parts found in a pipe organ of this magnitude. Our installation crew was enlarged by colleagues Richard Frary, Andrew McKeon, Sean O’Donnell, and Jonathan Ortloff, who found time in their busy professional schedules to offer us many weeks of assistance. Christopher Broome skillfully voiced several Solo reed voices. Through it all, indeed as one constant in a decade-long project, consultant Jonathan Ambrosino has been the essential link between us and these good people, serving unstintingly as counselor, facilitator, and technical resource.

And with equal measures of sadness and gratitude we remember our friend John Scott, whose quiet wisdom shaped this project from the beginning. Our world is a better place because of John’s gentle humanity and towering musicianship, and it is tremendously appropriate that Opus 93 is named in his memory. Much as we might wish John back to assume his place at the center of St. Thomas’ musical life, he knew better than many that pipe organs are not built for individuals and their whims, but for a life of service to their parishes. We commend this instrument, created through the efforts of so many hands, to the people of St. Thomas Church. May it long serve to glorify God, refresh His people, and be a witness of His gifts to the people of New York City and beyond.

John A. Panning, Vice President and Tonal Director
Dobson Pipe Organ Builders
Lake City, Iowa

Dobson Pipe Organ Builders

William Ayers
Abraham Batten
Kent Brown
Lynn A. Dobson
Randy Hausman
Dean Heim
Donny Hobbs
Ben Hoskins
Bryan Jimmerson
Arthur Middleton
Ryan Mueller
Jan Ourensma
John A. Panning
Kirk Russell
Robert Savage
Jim Streufert
John Streufert
Jon H. Thieszen
Patrick Thieszen
Adam Ullerich
Sally J. Winter
Dean C. Zenor

From The Consultant

Ideally, the role of an organ consultant is minimal: educate a church to its own smart decision, then step back to let builder and client form their own good relationship. Inevitably some situations suggest a more active role, and St. Thomas Church has required a mix of historian, diplomat, advocate, apologist, and resource. At the time of this writing, it is 14 years since John Scott asked me to survey the Arents Organ, an assignment I accepted with excitement—working for John Scott and this great place—mixed with trepidation—admiring an institution is not the same as working for it. History can hang heavily at St. Thomas, eggshells always somewhere for the stepping on.

Like any good organ geek, I’d been visiting St. Thomas since my teen years, and had fully entered into the lore of the place, particularly G. Donald Harrison’s incomplete final statement. Harrison died suddenly in June 1956, while finishing Aeolian-Skinner’s rebuild of the existing organ (a Möller rebuild of the 1913 Skinner, which Skinner had occasionally altered beginning in the 1920s). For those of us who revere Harrison’s best work, that 1956 instrument is a great lost “what if,” tinctured by his untimely death. However, by the time of my first visit to St. Thomas in 1981, the organ had long since been transformed by ex-Aeolian-Skinner voicer Gilbert F. Adams, whose work was surely inspired by the mid-century “Cochereau” rebuild at Notre Dame in Paris. To my teen ears, it seemed a curious organ, an impression not much altered 25 years later when I spent a week surveying it. In between, on numerous occasions I’d attended services and heard Gerre Hancock reign at the console as only he could. But I had also turned pages for friends who were, or had been, assistants: the late Bradley Hull, Michael Kleinschmidt, Peter Berton, Brian Harlow, Fred Teardo. It was an education to watch these skilled musicians try to pare down the organ’s searing tutti into something that made sense for the weekly work of the place, the five sung services. It became clear, at least on one level, why Hancock programmed so much unaccompanied music: Adams’s organ had a range of foundation tone of surprising calmness, upon which that room worked a certain magic; a frustratingly ineffective Swell box (the only survivor of the two original Skinner swell boxes, now lacking one set of its original doubled shutters), and not even so much as a Clarinet, though one was eventually inserted in 1982. The effects that could work in a thrilling manner for swashbuckling repertoire were in direct competition with the church’s other star: the Choir of Men and Boys.

Surveying the organ in 2005, I suppose I was hoping to find G. Donald Harrison’s final testament still buried within, somehow recapturable. Instead I found an organ that had almost no 1913 Skinner pipes, a good amount of pipework from 1956, and much from the Adams rebuild of 1964–69. Surviving Aeolian-Skinner material was often altered, sometimes drastically; no single flue or reed chorus survived as Harrison would have known it; much of his upperwork had been replaced outright. Coupled to this was a mechanism surely troubled from the start. The Skinner and Aeolian-Skinner material was fine; it was Adams’s slider windchests in the Swell, Positiv, Vorwerk, and Grand-Choeur where the compromise came, built from a keen desire to avoid the leather of the 1960s that failed so swiftly. These chests were built too soon in the revival of such mechanisms to be done well. In the end, I felt sympathetic for Mr. Adams. To create an organ specifically for Romantic and modern music in the 1960s was daring stuff. What other organ of its day had five 8′ manual principals, three septièmes, this dramatic, cranky tutti? Even Harrison’s version hadn’t contained some of those things. But this was incomplete work at best, now hobbling along, despite the diligent ministrations of curator Larry Trupiano, and antagonistic to too much of what St. Thomas exists to offer.

I also found a church determined not to live in musical aspic, reliving only the high points of the Hancock era. John Scott was not Gerre, a fact he freely admitted. He hadn’t Gerre’s astonishing improvisational gift—who did?—but he was a perfectionist about choral tone production and repertoire interpretation, abilities he brought in abundance to St. Thomas. On some level, Gerre improvised because in the end, it’s what put the organ, and St. Thomas, in the best light. John wasn’t prepared to live with this large but limiting instrument. He wanted an organ that would lead the hymns more effectively, reaching more clearly into the nave, and accompany the choir not with the handful of registrations the Adams organ offered, but with a richness of variety he might still be uncovering a decade on. Finally, he wanted an organ whose breadth of capability matched his own catholic tastes in repertoire. But he said nothing of this to me, or to Yale University’s Joseph Dzeda, from whom he commissioned a simultaneous, independent report. John asked us simply for our carefully considered thoughts. The organ committee scheduled our final presentations for June 14, 2006, by coincidence the 50th anniversary of G. Donald Harrison’s death. (Intentionally or not, St. Thomas always has a knack for being St. Thomas.) Joe and I had reached the same conclusion: it was time for St. Thomas to begin anew.

The following year, I was brought on to guide the process of commissioning a new organ. Visiting instruments, inviting builders to propose, and choosing among three intelligent contenders evolved into the more arduous decisions: what to include, what to forego, how to fit it all in, and how to pay for it. But this describes every organ project. Easily the most challenging choice here was to eliminate the exposed pipework from 1956, now seen as a mid-century incongruence amid Cram, Goodhue, and Ferguson’s neo-Gothic splendor, and to introduce a second case opposite Goodhue’s. At first the concept seemed unthinkable—too competitive, too daring, too new. When archival research revealed that the architects had initially proposed dual case-fronts, minds changed. The musical argument and John’s clout turned the unfathomable into the inevitable.

Like the design development of the building itself, the massing of the south case was worked out first. Lynn Dobson argued persuasively that the new should not merely duplicate the old; repeating that profile on the left would block too much view of the reredos. Instead, Dobson proposed an inverse plan, with a single central tower, and several inches shallower, preserving more views from the left than the existing case does from the right. With the form worked out, the process paused, thanks to the financial crisis of 2008, and revived in earnest with the engagement of the carvers and signing of the organ contract in 2014. In turn, these events coincided with the arrival of Canon Fr. Carl Turner as rector, who threw himself into design work with Lynn Dobson and lead carver Dennis O. Collier. Fr. Turner established a theme of “Music, Ministry, and Praise,” meticulously working out decorative content with Dobson, Collier, Wardens Kenneth Koen and William Wright, and committee co-chair Karl Saunders. Quality was the touchstone. This masterpiece church, containing some of the world’s finest Gothic revival art, commanded nothing less from anyone who would dare embellish it further. New tin pipes in the 1913 case-fronts, with different foot-to-body relationships, subtly revise the effect; new lighting on both cases allows us to appreciate the 1913 case as never before.

Being an adviser to this process has involved more than sharing knowledge, exposure, and opinion. It has entailed being a small part of a long, steady building of trust among parties, such that this church—in the face of some public opposition, financial obstacle, and artistic challenge—would find it more appealing to act boldly than to cower to sentiment and the tugging of the past. Key losses along the way have been difficult to absorb: Max Henderson-Begg in 2008 at only 46, verger and valuable member of the organ process; John Neiswanger, dynamic co-chair of the organ committee, in 2010, at a mere 61 from cancer; Irene Miller at 93 in 2018, wife of the organ’s principal donor, William R. Miller. The shock of John Scott’s death, at only 59, cuts as sharply today as when the phone call came in August 2015. I pray John would have found favor with this instrument, as it responds to so many interesting ideas he had, overarching aims of comprehensiveness, clarity, warmth, and color.

In that regard, this project found an ideal inheritor in Daniel Hyde. Dan, aided by Ben Sheen, dove in 110 percent with the voicing team and me, as the organ took shape, stop by stop, over the past year. His rousing recital on October 5, to an audience of 1,100, opened a weekend of festivities, including the organ’s formal dedication at the Sunday Mass to the Langlais Messe solennelle, and music of Candlyn, Hancock, and Scott, among others.

While every organ project requires calm and confidence to see it through, this effort has required uncommon bravery to rise to the standards of the edifice and expectations at the highest levels. Lynn Dobson, John Panning, and their team, together with the Colliers and their staff, were materially supported by two rectors (Fr. Andrew Mead, Fr. Carl Turner), two tireless committee co-chairs (Kenneth Koen, Karl Saunders), the entire music staff, including the marvelous Laurel Scarozza (music office manager), the ever-helpful Lawrence Trupiano (organ curator), unstoppable Angel Estrada (facilities manager), and unflappable Barbara Pettus (director of administration and finance). This was a church at its best: supple when necessary, stalwart when it counted most. The result speaks for itself.

Jonathan Ambrosino

Centenary of the Founding of St. Thomas Choir School

The yearlong celebration of the new Miller-Scott Organ coincides with another milestone of the parish: the centenary of the St. Thomas Choir School. Founded in 1919 at the urging of T. Tertius Noble, the School came about through the generosity of Charles Steele, a railway lawyer and associate of financier J.P. Morgan. Steele gave two houses on West 55th Street and had them overhauled for their new purpose. Before the 1920s closed, Steele donated further funds to secure the School’s future.

A great achievement in the rectorate of Fr. John G.B. Andrew and tenure of Gerre Hancock was the opening of the new Choir School, at 202 West 58th Street, a 14-story building comprehensively equipped for its purpose. St. Thomas’s remains the only residential boy choir in the United States.

Now, a century later, it seems the most countercultural proposition to send a nine-year-old boy not only to a boarding school, but a boarding choir school, in the wiles of Midtown Manhattan. The notion seems to go against every grain of modern parenting. And yet, consider what this experience does for a serious-minded boy at a critical age:

• first-class education in a tutorial-like atmosphere of intimate class size;
• intense musical training and focus with superb musicians;
• early exposure in foreign languages, some taught in the context of musical study;
• a tight community built around the team-building of daily service;
• developing an independent mind and spirit;
• an excellent dining room (or so we are told!).

Given the sense of mission and independent spirit the school attempts to foster, it may seem inevitable that alumni continue musical pursuits. A prominent example is Dana Marsh (’79), who went on to several church positions involving boys’ choirs, and is now at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music as chair of the Early Music Department and director of the school’s Historical Performance Institute. In addition, he was recently named artistic director of the Washington Bach Consort.

Another well-known alum is Julian Wachner (’83), director of music and arts at New York’s famous Trinity Church Wall Street. His facility at improvisation is a direct result of his years at St. Thomas Choir School, observing and working with Gerre Hancock. Active as composer, conductor, and organist, Wachner’s activities at Trinity and elsewhere have brought considerable musical renewal to Lower Manhattan. He also teaches at General Seminary, where he lives with his wife, the Rev. Emily Wachner.

Sometimes the intersection is strongly musical, but less clear-cut. Martin Near (’93), son of an Episcopal priest, attended a choir camp in Akron, Ohio, led by Gerre Hancock. “A loud Möller organ made an impression on ten-year-old me,” Near recalls. “And Uncle Gerre called me ‘Harry’ because he couldn’t always remember my name! But, within a few weeks, I was at the school.” Four years later Hancock asked Near to compose a setting for “God Be in My Head” for the final service of the 1993 school year. For the remainder of Hancock’s tenure at St. Thomas, that anthem was traditionally sung at that service.

Near’s career since has involved plentiful singing in the Boston area as a countertenor, both at the Parish of All Saints, Ashmont, and Church of the Advent. He is a member of Blue Heron, the innovative and prestigious early music ensemble that just won Gramophone’s Classical Music Award for Early Music. But in his other life, also stemming from early exposure at St. Thomas, Near has become a pipe organ restorer. Working with Spencer Organ Company of Waltham, Mass., Near specializes in the restoration of the thousands of individual pipes that form the “choir” of an organ.

In other cases, the link between school and career may seem indirect, but is no less significant. Thomas Carroll, MD (’88), is director of the voice program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where he serves as a laryngeal surgeon. Additionally, he is an assistant professor of otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat) at Harvard University School of Medicine. “I never saw myself as a professional musician,” he says, “but through the education, independent spirit, and work ethic instilled at St. Thomas, I pursued a profession that allows me to use my knowledge of music and voice in a field that cares for professional voice users.”

In yet other cases, the link couldn’t be clearer. The Rev. Sean Mullen (’84) is rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, where he also serves as president of the board of St. James School in Philadelphia, of which he is also a cofounder. As a graduate of St. Thomas Choir School in New York City, Fr. Mullen writes about the benefits of a small, Episcopal middle school in the heart of an urban city:

Few of my classmates came from families that would have had access to the education and experiences we were given at St. Thomas Choir School. It was at St. Thomas we learned not only all the usual school subjects and the lessons that came from a demanding musical training, but also—and perhaps more importantly—we learned that God loved us, and that we had gifts to offer, nurtured by the church, that were a delight to God and to God’s people. We learned that we could achieve incredibly high standards when we concentrated, worked hard, and used the gifts that God gave us.

And naturally, some graduates’ lives head in far different directions. Sean McFate (’84) is an author, novelist, and expert in both foreign policy and national security strategy, teaching that subject both at the National Defense University and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. His acclaimed books explore both the history and future of warfare into the 21st century.

The centennial year has a number of special events (Choirschool.org), including the March 3 Founders Day Reception and Lunch and the June 8 100th Commencement Ceremonies and Prize Day. A feature of this year’s organ celebrations is the return of former assistant organists for Sunday recitals, but some recitalists will also be Choir School alumni, including Marsh and Wachner. Finally, alumni who have taken holy orders have been invited to preach Evensong sermons, including the Bishop of New Jersey, The Right Rev. William “Chip” Stokes (’71) on March 31.

As the Choir School heads into its second century with a renovated facility, it has a revitalized commitment to serving Church and community through this remarkable form of education. Keep the school in mind the next time you meet a boy of independent spirit.

Susan Hill
Jonathan Ambrosino

Two Tales of Two-Manual Organs
By Patrick J. Murphy
View an enlarged cover
Stop List

Organbuilders dream about having the opportunity to construct fine large instruments that stunningly display their creative ethos. The realities of today’s market, however, more often challenge builders to create highly flexible instruments in very limited spaces and budgets. Many congregations give in to these limitations easily, threatening the extinction of quality music in their worship life. But there are many parishes, even small ones, that understand the value of quality music in their services and find ways to overcome the perceived limitations. Patrick J. Murphy & Associates recently had the fortunate opportunity to provide modest instruments for two of these churches, allowing them to continue building up their heritage of fine liturgical music.

Saint John Evangelical Lutheran Church
Carnegie, Pennsylvania

Located in suburban Pittsburgh, Saint John Evangelical Lutheran Church is just a few blocks away from our successful installation at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Roman Catholic Church. It was at a chance visit to Saint Elizabeth’s that Saint John’s organist, Jeffrey H. Gray, was accompanied by Nancy J. McBurney. After hearing our work at Saint Elizabeth’s, she expressed her desire for such an instrument at Saint John’s. Ms. McBurney left a generous bequest to the church that upon her passing made Opus 65 possible. The final specification was produced in collaboration with Jeff Gray.

This three-manual, 17-rank instrument is located in the northeast chamber that has housed all previous instruments, and serves a room that seats approximately 300 people. Careful engineering allowed us to lay out a well-developed two-manual instrument in the rather limited chamber space. We expanded the usefulness of those resources by including a third manual that makes it easy to solo out selected stops. All-electric windchests facilitate giving the organist that requested tonal flexibility.

All stops are enclosed except for the Great Principal 8′ and Octave 4′ and the Pedal 16’/8′ units. Larger scaling with unforced voicing provide a conservative English-leaning ensemble that produces a warm buildup to a Mixture that gently caps the chorus. As is often the case, retention of worthy existing pipework from the previous instrument proved to be a responsible choice. Three stops were retained from the previous Wicks instrument and revoiced to make them fit seamlessly into the new tonal scheme. The Pedal Principal was extended to be playable on the Solo manual. New chorus fluework was designed by PJM and constructed by Organ Supply Industries.

New reeds from A.R. Schopps include a fine Trompette unit constructed with wide German shallots for the Haskell 16′ and 8′ octaves and modified parallel shallots for the treble. This provides the dual function of Pedal gravity in the lower range and manual ring through the treble compass.

In tonal finishing, the focus was to balance the resources in a way that would maximize the flexibility of registration. Imaginative combining of stops that might not ordinarily be used together is here encouraged. Though the sound of full organ is not at all timid, extremes on both ends of the dynamic range have been restrained.

Our signature low-profile movable English drawknob console with Peterson’s “integrated control system” enhances the flexibility and portability within this small chancel location.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grace Lutheran Church
Astoria (Queens), New York

Located just ten minutes from New York’s busy LaGuardia Airport, Grace Lutheran Church is part of the laid-back Astoria neighborhood in the borough of Queens. This multicultural area of low-rise residences and small businesses is bounded by the East River and the famed Hell Gate railroad bridge. Grace Lutheran Church is a modest building constructed in the first quarter of the 20th century with seating for about 150 people. Just a few blocks from the famed Steinway factory, the parish is also home to a well-attended K–8 school.

Our Opus 64 replaces a 1932 Möller of two manuals and ten stops. With the exception of retaining two pedal stops from the Möller organ, this is an entirely new instrument. Cleverly installed in a space-challenged southeast chamber, all stops are under expression except for the Great 8′ Principal, which comprises the facade. The church also undertook much-needed renovations to the chamber to provide better temperature control as well as improved tonal egress. Our signature low-profile terraced console, all-electric windchests, and new tonal scheme are wonderfully complemented by our neo-Classic case.

The 8′ Principal is scaled and voiced to be leaner in sound than is our standard but is no less effective within this curiously tricky acoustic. The mixture is conservative and based on examples of E. & G.G. Hook, whereas the 2′ is obtained directly from the three-rank mixture. The breaks occur at notes 25 and 37. The array of flute stops provides color and thickening effects to carry in this small room. For an organ of this size, it is a luxury to include two reed stops. The haunting Oboe, with its lifting caps, is partnered with a snappy but not crass Trompette that extends into the Pedal, developing increasingly fundamental tone as it descends to 16′ C. Haskell reed construction made it possible to fit a full-length 16′ into the severely limited space. New fluework was constructed by Organ Supply Industries.

The challenge was to provide a suitable, year-round, solid, liturgically based instrument that can support not only congregational singing and choral accompaniment but also a reasonable portion of the larger organ literature. Our sincerest thanks to organist and director of music Henry Lee for his excellent guidance and musical oversight and to Pastor James Klockau for his unwavering support in this project.

As with all of our projects, all mechanicals—console, windchests, construction chassis, tonal direction, and engineering—were produced in-house by our committed team of talented craftspersons. Voicing and finishing for both projects was performed on site as a collaborative effort between our former tonal director Fredrick Bahr and present voicer Megan Farrell.

PJM STAFF
Matt Farrell: project foreman, winding, installation
Mark Tenreiro: engineering, case design, woodworking, installation
Jon Carmichael: woodworking, production, installation
Matt Jones: electrical wiring, console, installation
Chris Mills: production, winding, wiring
John Conner: woodworking, production
Megan Farrell: voicing, pipework preparation
Kitty Greer: office manager

 

Patrick Murphy is president and artistic director of PJM & Associates Organbuilders.

All photos of Saint John project by Philip Maye of Illuminating Studios Photography

All photos of Grace Lutheran project by Patrick J. Murphy

St. Paul’s Memorial United Methodist Church
South Bend, Indiana
Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders Inc. • Bellwood, Illinois
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Stop List

By Jonathan Oblander

Situated on the corner of Colfax and LaPorte avenues in South Bend, the Gothic St. Paul’s Memorial United Methodist Church was designed by architect S.R. Badgely and dedicated on March 15, 1903. The church and furnishings were generously funded by the Clem Studebaker family, whose wagon and then automobile manufacturing business operated for 115 years. Although Clem Studebaker helped lay the cornerstone of the church in 1901, he unfortunately died before seeing its completion. However, he is memorialized as a member of the crowd listening to the apostle Paul preach in Athens, as depicted in a large stained glass window designed by Franz Mayer & Company of Munich that graces the west wall.

Listen to the organ:

The early 20th century was an innovative time for organbuilding all over the country, as artisans strove to create instruments with the latest technology that would fascinate a healthy and demanding marketplace. Patents were continually granted to those who developed ways to expand the possibilities of how a pipe organ could function (chest action), where it could be placed (remote antiphonal and echo divisions), and how it could be played (combination action and custom controls). One of these innovators was Robert J. Bennett (1864–1938). At some point while Mr. Bennett was head of the pipe organ department at Lyon & Healy in Chicago, he developed his own thoughts on chest action, known then as the “Bennett System.” In 1902, he left to join Octavius Marshall, who oversaw the Lancaster-Marshall Organ Company of Moline, Illinois. Although he would not be formally listed as a managing partner until August 1903, organs from that firm immediately bore his stamp from a tonal and mechanical perspective. The 1902 organ at St. Paul’s Memorial was no different, and it was a worthy example of the company’s craftsmanship. However, through the years, different builders made many modifications, and not always successfully.

In 2016, St. Paul’s Memorial invited several builders to come and inspect the organ and to provide recommendations for improvement. At first glance, the organ maintained an elegant facade, but the reality found within told a completely different story. Parts of the electropneumatic chests had been removed and replaced with electromechanical valves. Massive holes in reservoir gussets and ill-fitting windlines starved the winding system for air. Bass pipes that had become ciphering notes over the years were carelessly tipped out of their holes in such a way that the weight of the body tore the solder seams by the languid. Many ranks had been altered by mysteriously substituting pipes from other sets, perhaps as an attempt to “fix” a voicing issue. The console also dragged along for years without a reliable combination action, and the organist had to set combinations on a setter board located inside the case!

All of these issues together made our team wonder how this organ was used at all; however, conversations with members of St. Paul’s made it evident that the church did not intend to completely throw out what was still their beloved instrument. Many recalled the thrilling and inspiring voice it once had, and wanted to have that musical memory renewed. While a historical restoration was not possible, a workable plan was drawn up to restore what we could and to replace the rest.

Berghaus decided that all winding and wiring components had reached the end of their useful lives, and we made the decision to replace them with all-new custom-built electric slider and electropneumatic chests. We designed a completely new winding system, from blower to internal schwimmers, to give each division the most efficient support. The former instrument had all manual divisions under expression. In the new arrangement, the Great was brought forward and became unenclosed, while the Swell and Choir were housed in new enclosures constructed of 1¾”-thick tongue-and-groove poplar. Two 16-stage electric shade motors control the louvers, which are made of the same material as the boxes. The Great and Choir are on Berghaus electric slider chests with internal schwimmers, while the Swell reeds and 16′ Gedeckt are on electropneumatic chests, which allows them to be voiced on a slightly higher wind pressure. Because of the unified nature of the Pedal, we decided to place those stops on electropneumatic chests as well, and they are arranged to flank the manual divisions.

Looking at the stoplist, one could characterize the tonal signature of the St. Paul’s organ as typical of ecclesiastical organs built in the United States around the turn of the 20th century. Full-throated diapasons, characteristically keen strings, dark and full reeds, and dominating, as well as diminutive, flute stops are all here. The three-rank Plein Jeu was a welcome addition to bolster the chorus during hearty hymn singing or for postludes.

With the intention of preserving the overall tonal palette in this particular case, Berghaus set out to restore the stops that were still singing to good voice and to replace those that could not be saved. We performed hundreds of hours of repair to restore original pipework, and carefully chose replacement pipes to match the construction and character of the original. We painstakingly cleaned all pipework, installed new slide tuners, and performed countless hours of remedial voicing in our Bellwood shop, primarily correcting pipe speech to aid in tonal finishing at the church.

In the end, we installed only one new rank of pipes, a wood Flute Celeste for the Choir that undulates with the Melodia. The organ contains eleven ranks of replacement pipework from vintage sources. It is a welcome challenge for us at Berghaus to be able to reassign a set of vintage pipes to live once again with a new musical family. With careful planning and voicing, the results can be very satisfying.

Of special significance in this project was the restoration of the elaborate 1902 mahogany case and gilded facade from the Pedal 16′ Violone and Great 8′ Open Diapason. In the original layout, the Violone basses had been placed right behind the facade where only their tops could be seen. We decided to offset these pipes on opposite sides of the organ instead. During the removal, we discovered that the pipes had originally been gilded, but later painted over with a dull gold-colored paint. At our shop, the facade pipes were completely stripped down to bare metal, and new 23K gold leaf was applied along with a clear sealant.

The all-new English-style drawknob console is constructed of cherry with burled walnut accents. The Peterson ICS-4000 combination action and switching system provides the organist with 256 memory levels, general and divisional pistons, reversibles, twelve-step transposer, piston sequencer, and record/playback capabilities. Concealed casters allow the console to be moved around the choir gallery. Tracker-touch keyboards are made of resin, and pedal keys are made from maple. New adjustable LED lighting as well as an adjustable crank bench were also provided.

After 5,000 hours of construction, the organ was installed over the course of three months and voiced from mid-October to early November 2017. Dedication of the instrument was celebrated on April 6, 2018, with a special blessing by Pastor Tom Thewes and a recital by Jonathan Oblander, who performed works of Bach, Schubert, Saint-Saëns, Shearing, and Guilmant. Hundreds of attendees, including members of the Studebaker family, warmly received the instrument.

Berghaus is thankful to Mary Morony, who referred us to the church, Pat Vann and the other local installation assistants, and for the extraordinary contributions of time, talent, and treasure by the St. Paul’s Memorial community, particularly Carol Thie, Joe Lightner, Tom Cooper, Howard Emmons, Jerry Aufrance, and Pastor Tom Thewes.

 

Jonathan Oblander is tonal director of Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders.

Project members
Brian D. Berghaus, president
Nick Berghaus, organbuilder
Katie Belmonte, administrative assistant
Mitch Blum, service technician and pipe repair specialist
Steve Bridges, organbuilder
Dan Dow, organbuilder
Steven Hoover, tonal finisher and reed specialist
Michal Leutsch, designer
Kurt Linstead, senior service technician
Patrick Melvin, organbuilder
Kelly Monette, head tonal finisher and operations manager
Jonathan Oblander, tonal director and tonal finisher
Jean O’Brien, vice president
Joseph Poland, service manager
Ray Sargent, organbuilder and technician
Jordan Smoots, console specialist and senior organbuilder

Karen Willden (Decorative Artistry, Schaumburg, Ill.), pipe gilder
Photography: Alan Damian

Multum in Parvo
The New Schoenstein at Church of the Redeemer
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
By Jack M. Bethards and Michael S. Murray
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View the Stop List

Working within strict space or budget limits is the intriguing challenge of organbuilding. My fascination with it began with this description of the 1899 Willis at St. Bees Priory in James B. Jamison’s marvelous book Organ Design and Appraisal. “The scheme resembles an athlete trained down to hard muscle, without a superfluous ounce of flesh. The specification disdains ornaments and concentrates on essentials. I can also state that its color flexibility is astonishing, largely because of the individual stop beauty (there never were lovelier voices) and the way they fit together. This is a 35-register cathedral organ, equivalent to the usual one of twice that size. All the major effects are there, in superlative fashion.” Perhaps most astonishing to me was its Swell without flutes or strings! Years later a visit to St. Bees only intensified my quest for the secret of finding the right “essentials” on which to concentrate. In the remote village of St. Bees the limit was budget; in the Boston suburb of Chestnut Hill the limit was space. We will describe what each stop had to do to pass the entrance exam at The Church of the Redeemer and then how this select ensemble gets whipped into shape at the console.

Tonal Design

The Church of the Redeemer has an outstanding music program, with choir of professional standard, rooted in the Anglican tradition and led by Michael S. Murray. The magnificent Henry Vaughan church has a perfectly suited acoustic. Since the full spectrum of overtones is well transmitted throughout the building, the overall emphasis for the new organ was foundational tone with reserved upperwork. However, all the major effects necessary for the Victorian and Edwardian as well as the broader Anglican repertoire had to be included. This meant many tough decisions, eliminating some very desirable stops. Each decision came down to usefulness in the service. Michael Murray and I were on the same page and he was often tougher than I in axing a color stop.

Taking precedence, of course, must be diapasons. Diapason (or principal) tone is unique to the organ. It is not found in the orchestra or band. Perhaps the human male voice comes closest to its quality. Certainly it is the preeminent leader of congregational song. Play just a few chords on a diapason and even the least musically attuned person will recognize it as the sound of an organ. One diapason can have a sweet or mellow tone, another a more brilliant edge. There is a quality of solidity, warmth, and even majesty in a well-voiced diapason. To hear unison diapasons accompanying a hymn such as “Lift High the Cross,” “Jerusalem,” or “Abide with Me” is an uplifting and emotional experience. Although a single 8′ diapason carries a bountiful range of harmonics and is enough to accompany a service in a village church, reinforcing those harmonics with upper pitches, including mixtures, creates a magnificent chorus.

There are as many varieties of diapason tone and chorus structure as there are organbuilders. A perfect diapason is poised between flute and string tone. Builders search for the exact middle point, which of course depends on their concept of pure string and pure open flute tone! The structure of upperwork is even more governed by an individual’s musical preference. Our concept is to place the 8′ diapason in the primary position with upper pitches in the chorus decreasing in power as they increase in pitch. The 8′ pitch, “where the music is written,” dominates. A diapason chorus without a definite 8′ center can be exciting, but lacks the nobility that only a solid foundation of multiple diapasons can give. Then there is the question of the position of diapasons in the various divisions. We believe in 8′ dominance for each division.

Of the Redeemer organ’s 25 voices, six are 8′ diapasons of varying tone character based on variations in scale, mouth width, slotting, taper, and wind pressure. They range in dynamics from the Choir Dulciana, an echo diapason just at the break point between string and diapason tone, to the Grand Open Diapason, which can function nicely as a solo stop. In tonal color they progress from bright (brilliant overtones) to dark (subdued overtones) thus: Great No. 3, Choir Dulciana, Swell Horn Diapason, Great No. 1, Great No. 2, Grand Open. The two 4′ diapason tones are also differentiated—the Swell, called Gemshorn, being tapered and with a narrower mouth than the parallel, quarter-mouth Great Principal. Upperwork consists of Fifteenth or Mixture in the Great and Mixture in the Swell.

What about the rest of the instrument? The organ chamber was designed for a small two-manual organ. Even with a separate Choir division case located on the chancel floor below the chamber and the use of transept and west wall for some Pedal pipes, there was absolutely no chance of having an instrument larger than 25 voices. After the six diapasons and their upperwork our next concern was reed tone. The four chorus reeds range in tonal quality from dark to bright in this order: Tuba, Posaune, Cornopean, Trumpet. The heart of a good organ for the Anglican service is powerful reeds under expression in the Swell, in this case, 16′ Posaune and 8′ Cornopean, both in the middle of the tonal spectrum. The Great Trumpet and high-pressure Choir Tuba, both unenclosed, provide opportunities for solo and ensemble options at the opposite ends of the tonal color range. The scheme includes the two essential color reeds of the oboe (Swell) and clarinet (Choir) families. Flutes are next in importance. Stopped flutes, perhaps more properly called stopped diapasons, are essential organ colors and like open diapasons have no true orchestral counterparts; they have become indispensable elements of the organ especially in accompaniment. We had room for three and wanted them widely varied. The Great Bourdon is stopped metal, the Swell Stopped Diapason is wood with pierced stoppers, and the Choir Chimney Flute is metal of small scale with narrow chimneys much like the popular Edwardian Lieblich Gedeckts. There are two open flutes, both harmonic, 8′ on the Great and 2′ on the Swell. The small-scale Flageolet serves much like a French Romantic Octavin with enough lightness of tone to work with diapasons below. One string, an Echo Gamba (about halfway between a Viola Pomposa and a Viol d’Orchestre) and its full-compass Vox Celeste are the only real strings, but the ethereal effect is enhanced in the Choir by an Unda maris paired with the Dulciana.

Aside from the usual Pedal extensions and borrows a few stops were unified—a practice little different from octave coupling. When applied to certain voices where the resulting double sounds natural, it is a valuable device. In this organ it provides an alternate 4′ Octave for the Great, a softer, darker alternate to the Cornopean in the Swell, and delicate 4′ stops plus a mutation for the Choir.

So far we have all essentials—no extras—but what about the luxurious Pedal? A very good case for profound Pedal as an essential element of a fine church organ can be made. The 16′ Ophicleide is, in effect, an independent Pedal stop. The low 19 pipes have wood resonators and are hugely fundamental in contrast to the brighter Posaune. Being unenclosed it provides a powerful, commanding bass. The tonal break to the metal Tuba treble goes unnoticed in the ensemble. The low twelve pipes of the Swell Lieblich Bourdon are unenclosed, to make it a more versatile Pedal stop in support of larger manual registrations. This church is one that can easily support good 32′ tone. The 32′ full-length Contra Posaune extension is in the Swell box, providing a great deal of dynamic versatility. The 32′  Double Open Wood stop is extended full length to F with independent 10⅔‘ quint pipes below, producing a very realistic resultant. The Open Wood is placed partly on the west wall and on a transept wall, and it is very hard to tell that all of the low frequency sound is not coming from the organ chamber.

When an organ concentrates on essentials, the organist must create the luxuries through clever registration and console management. Michael Murray next explains some of the special features of the console and methods of registration he uses especially in service playing.

Console Operation

The spatial constraints and subsequent efficiencies in the tonal design of the organ, explained by Jack Bethards, inspired a reminiscence of the Victorian and Edwardian organs of England with their efficient console design and sagacious tonal conception. These organs, with minimal playing aids, fostered some of the greatest console technique doyens of all time: W.T. Best, Edwin H. Lemare, and George Thalben-Ball.

The well-known comparisons between organ consoles and airplane cockpits, often made in jest, were to be avoided here at all costs. The console had to be kept as low and shallow as was practical, in order to allow the “one-man band” to conduct and accompany from it simultaneously, as well as to provide good clearances. Double-row stop jambs keep the console shallow. Traditional red typeface on drawknob couplers expedites navigation. Through-coupling (see explanation in the stoplist) keeps the number of drawknobs to a minimum.

Console aids had to be prioritized carefully; liturgical organ registration in the Anglo-Episcopal tradition should be elegantly kaleidoscopic. In the spirit of the aforementioned great masters, constant changes of registration are required, responding to such fluid forces as the dynamic level of the congregation or choir (the volume of which can never be fully predetermined), as well as illuminating vivid texts.

Eight pistons per division facilitate smooth dynamic and color changes, without cluttering the console unnecessarily. Twelve general pistons, evenly split between the bass and treble of the manuals, provide generals within close proximity of either hand. The toe studs are laid out in traditional English fashion, numbered outwards from the expression pedals. The custom compound curvature of the toe rail ensures that even the farthest reach to Pedal 8 or General 8 is a breeze, and the single-file design improves visibility and navigation. The two 32′ stops come and go in a psalm or anthem accompaniment with such frequency that paramount importance was assigned to their convenient control. Thumb and toe reversers ensure they are always close by.

One of the oldest and most useful gadgets for accompanying is the “Great and Pedal Pistons Combined,” which has been around for well over 100 years. This staple of the British organist’s arsenal is a piston coupler that affects Great and Pedal simultaneously, triggering rapid changes in volume for the two main power divisions of the organ. An equal number of Great and Pedal pistons affords very even changes when this device is utilized. A crescendo pedal, typical for many an American organ, was excluded to save valuable real estate, minimizing clutter and promoting use of the divisional pistons with piston coupler—a far more artistic venture than the randomness of the crescendo pedal lottery.

If pistons are the liturgical organist’s bread and butter, divisionals are the bread, and generals the butter. In my service playing, I adopt a system based on the British model, employing these devices on the fly to respond to the forces at hand. The Great and Pedal are the master volume control, with the Swell and Choir the color palette. Great and Pedal pistons are set up to create a smooth crescendo, layering 8′ flues before upperwork. Divisional pistons on the Swell move in careful gradation from the strings to Full Swell. The Choir pistons capitalize on the duality of the division, with both small chorus crescendos and solo registrations. Service-playing generals are set as convenient plateaus, providing instant access to specific, frequently used registrational starting points, or special effects.

Another marvelous convenience is the range (or compass) feature. Many of us have used a range feature to turn divisional pistons into generals, which can be very useful for general-heavy repertoire. Delving a little deeper into this tool reveals the ability to achieve quite a few handy functions. For instance, single divisionals can be modified to cancel or engage inter- and intra-manual couplers to ensure that stops do not accidentally couple through to other divisions; a “Swell Pistons on General Toe Studs” can be achieved by altering the range of the general toe studs; or a Choir piston may be altered to engage or disengage the Swell Tremulant. The system is as flexible as one’s imagination. These playing aids allow the organist to navigate the organ’s resources efficiently and instinctively, with punctilious piston-pushing becoming a natural extension of playing the notes.

Fine accompaniments are born more from words than music. The registrational gold mine of “speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire, O still, small voice of calm” is an exigent example of a veritable piston-pushing party. Thunder, light, shine, splendor, glory, wrath, trumpet—these are just some of the words for which we liturgical organists must be vigilant!

The aforementioned registrational doctrine depends on the organ’s 8′ voices, which account for 64 percent of her total. Inspired by the multi-diapasoned Greats of the early 20th century, this wealth of organ tone affords the organist considerable reach, reserving the upperwork for color, not power. These ranks bathe the congregation in a most invigorating soundscape, encouraging their singing like none other, and endowing the organ the breadth and complexity of an instrument easily two or three times its size. The concise but extraordinarily colorful and expressive Swell and Choir divisions amply provide both drama and lyricism, complementing the dignity of the robust Great. The Pedal division, which essentially has one stop, is inspired by the same ideals as Arthur Harrison’s 1932 twelve-rank instrument at St. Sepulchre-without-Newgate, London, perhaps the smallest organ in the world with a 32′  Double Open Wood.

There is much to be learned from past masters of both organ playing and building; the artful thing is not to be entombed there. In this instrument, Schoenstein has built on the innovative vision that Father Willis realized at St. Bees, advancing the multum in parvo paradigm to create a miniature cathedral organ in “superlative fashion.”

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

Michael S. Murray is music director at the Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

All photos by Louis Patterson

Northrop Auditorium and its Reconditioned Aeolian-Skinner
Opus 892
by Mike Foley
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View the Stop List

 

 

 

Completed in 1929, Cyrus Northrop Memorial Auditorium was named after the University of Minnesota’s second president and remains an iconic structure on the university’s Minneapolis campus. The Aeolian-Skinner, Opus 892, was installed in four sections between 1932 and 1935. We were called to survey the organ in 2009. Northrop seated 4,847; it was a distance of 206 feet from the stage to the balcony’s rear seats. From there, one almost needed binoculars to see the console. I was used to seeing a theater’s organ chambers in the side walls aiming the sound squarely at the audience. Here, the pipes were in chambers placed above the proscenium arch and nearly buried against the rear fly-walls. A sculptured plaster tone chute struggled to direct sound down and through a ceiling grille. The organ’s doom was nearly sealed when a huge acoustic shell, an attempt to improve the sound of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, was constructed in the late 1960s. It extended out about 30 feet from the top of the proscenium, leaving the organist, in the orchestra pit far below, so separated from the sound that one could think it were coming from another room.

The console enjoyed a separate lift in the center of the otherwise stationary orchestra pit. More than marred, its cabinetry had been damaged over the organ’s first 50 years. The vertical selector combination action was on its last legs. Lack of light made it feel as if you were nearly playing in a cave.

On the other hand, partly thanks to the fact they were difficult to access, we found the chambers essentially untouched. Had time stopped? University organist Dean Billmeyer and those that preceded him genuinely appreciated Opus 892 and had closely watched over the instrument. After 76 years, chamber equipment was very dirty but not damaged.

The organ was still being used; however, the halcyon days of weekly radio broadcasts and regular use with the Minneapolis Symphony (which, as the renamed Minnesota Orchestra, moved to Minneapolis’s new Orchestra Hall in 1974) were long over. At the time of our survey its use was reduced to convocation and commencement ceremonies, as well as occasional organ lessons and concerts . . . all kept alive by Dean’s good efforts. It was a dirty, old, but fabulous instrument! Needless to say, we were more than delighted to be presented with the challenge of making it look and sound beautiful and work perfectly once again.

Although Dean Billmeyer had been diligently raising funds to recondition the organ, it was the $88 million building remodeling project that finally launched things. The total interior of Northrop would be gutted to the outside walls. Seating would drop to 2,700 in what would become a stunning, triple balcony, state-of-the-art performance space . . . but beyond chamber preparation, there was no funding for the organ. The good interest of past university president Robert Bruininks, who viewed Opus 892 as a “priceless treasure,” helped secure a generous donation from the estate of alumnus Dr. Roger Anderson. This assured that the Aeolian-Skinner would be totally reconditioned and installed in the new theater.

But where? Along with the rest of the building’s interior, the original chambers would be demolished. The very large 25-horsepower, triple-bearing Spencer blower would need a new isolated location. With the dedicated console elevator gone, space needed to be found for the console’s safe storage. Adequate space for chambers was a big issue, made more complex by the fact that the lineup of uses for Northrop in the 21st century saw the organ rather near the bottom of the list. Regardless, the organ was to be accommodated and the architects were determined to fit it in. Initial concept meetings brought consideration for chambers at stage rear or in the side walls of the new theater. To organists, either would have been most welcome; however, in the end, it was decided that the chambers had to go back above the proscenium arch, which, by the way, was the only original portion of the auditorium that was retained. Even so, the reinstated and compromised chamber placement would come with improvements:

1. Rather than speaking into a poorly placed ornamental grille, the complete chambers would instead face directly into a new, 100% diaphanous mesh screen that almost invisibly makes up the massive organ egress surfaces now above the proscenium. Finally, all the organ’s sound would get out.
2. There would be nothing, such as the old sounding board, blocking tonal egress.
3.  A specially designed (sculptured) ceiling would span the entire area in front of the organ chambers and deflect the organ’s sound down toward the stage and into the auditorium.

Indeed, tonal egress is far improved and the sound-deflecting panel works well. The new, deeper orchestra pit makes it possible to place the console further yet toward the audience and almost directly under the chamber grilles above. There’s further improvement when the stage wall-surrounds for orchestra performances are erected.

The organ reconditioning process included everything. Virtually every piece of leather in the instrument was replaced. This included every valve and even the valve stems. So that the organist could enjoy the best possible articulation, the double primaries of each action were adjusted to within fractions of an inch. We also used double-tanned pouch leathers that are essentially nonporous. Everything was done to make the organ’s actions as fast and articulate as possible.

All swell engines were rebuilt and their actions choked to achieve a seamless shade motion that was fast and silent. Any new wind lines, including all those from the blower room, are all soldered-galvanized metal. Numerous internal chamber wind lines were repaired and every flange gasket replaced. Reservoir wind box interiors were felted so that each acts as a sort of muffler, thereby keeping this giant wind system, of generous pressures, silent. Every screwhead was polished and for the best possible serviceability, all the chambers are washed with LED fluorescent lighting plus a generous sprinkling of service duplexes. The console is renewed inside and out. The organ has been totally rewired with new telecommunications cable as per NEC specs. The blower is totally rehabbed with a (necessary) new motor.

Perhaps because they’d been handled so seldom, the organ’s metal pipes cleaned up to a truly like-new appearance. Wood pipes also cleaned up beautifully; however, the very wide humidity swings common to Minneapolis saw the largest wood stops develop numerous cracks. Each of these were spline repaired. Although we’ve found this on a number of other organs, there were over a hundred pipes that had never been made to speak! It seems that overall pipe speech was, in places, hit or miss. This was a time when G. Donald Harrison and Ernest Skinner were speaking only when necessary and we wonder if either ever invested all the time necessary on tonal finishing; after all, whose job was it? We have utmost respect for this venerable Boston firm and its instruments, but just how this happened will be a question that looms forever. Needless to say, every pipe is now speaking beautifully.

The organ will be dedicated on October 12 and 13 with concerts by the Minnesota Orchestra (Osmo Vänskä, music director) with Paul Jacobs and a newly commissioned work for organ and orchestra by John Harbison. On December 4, Nathan Laube will perform the first solo organ recital. His masterclass follows the next day.

Besides our regular, 20-member, full-time staff, a few outside contractors assisted: David Beck played a significant part in assisting with shop and field flue voicing; Broome and Company reconditioned the reed stops; and OFS of South Windsor, Connecticut, refinished the console.

We much appreciated the input and help of university staff crucial to this project: Michael Denny (project executive), Roger Wegner (senior project manager), and Dean Billmeyer, university organist and professor of music.

As happens on some large projects such as this, we were subcontracted, in this case to the Northrop project general contractors, J.E. Dunn Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri. They, and all the above involved, were significant players and I’m happy to report that we enjoyed working with each and every person to finish this large organ project within budget and on time.

Mike Foley is president of Foley-Baker Inc.