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The following edited commentary is by Dr. Charles Callahan, our organ
consultant
The Organ
When one looks around the Cathedral, the new organ cases in
both rear gallery and east transept make a dramatic visual impact. This splendid
aspect of the instrument immediately alerts one to the fact that here are really
two instruments, each using the Cathedral itself as its sounding board.
Then one might logically ask, “Why TWO organs?” The answer lies in the
physical space of this large edifice, the desires to support and encourage
congregational singing, and to accompany diverse Cathedral and diocesan choirs
participating in many varied liturgies. Hence 80 ranks of pipes ranging in
length from less than a thumbnail to over 16 feet. Hence a dynamic range from ppp
to fff with extra thick, beveled and
felted swell shades to make crescendi
and diminuendi more effective.
(Hence specially-selected digital voices to augment the pitch level
in the pedals and to widen the color spectrum in the manuals.) Designed to speak
with one voice, the two organs are still quite distinct entities with definite
musical personalities.
This
instrument is quite literally the product of years of prayers, hopes and dreams.
A brief chronology may be helpful. Discussion about replacing the two existing
electronic organs had gone on for several years.
Actual planning for the physical
layout and tonal design began in 1999 with the appointment of the present writer
as consultant to the Cathedral. After
reviewing preliminary design documents, Monsignor Hayde and the Cathedral
organists made recommendations to the Bishop and to the Rector of the Cathedral
in the summer of 1999. Once
contracts were signed, the organ was built pipe by pipe over a period of
eighteen months. Modifications to the Cathedral itself took place over several
months in 2000, in preparation for the arrival of the instrument. This included
major electrical and mechanical considerations, the construction of a new organ
loft in the transept, gallery chamber preparations and platforms for the Gallery Great and Pedal divisions. When the
instrument was erected in the factory in January 2001,
preliminary pipe regulation began; once the builders had erected the
organ in the Cathedral, the tonal finishing process continued for some weeks. In
this intensive work, the assistance of Dr. William Hamner of the Wicks staff and
Robert Walker of Walker Technical Co. has been invaluable.
Tonally, the TRANSEPT ORGAN is designed with
both congregational and choral accompaniment very much in mind. Thus the
stoplist is inclusive of some lovely singing tones, for example some of the
delicate flute tones call to mind the
lightly-voiced stops of Bach’s time. Principals
and flutes really “sing,” with clarity and elegance in both individual
voices and in ensembles. The Great
chorus is on 3 inches wind pressure; the flues of the enclosed Choir division
speak on 3 ½ inch wind. A dramatic reed enclosed in the Choir division, the
Solo Trumpet, is on 5 inch wind. Of
special note in terms of pipe construction is the 8’ Dolcan in the Choir
division; these pipes, having an inverted 5/4 taper, are quite distinctive and
provide some of the softest sounds in the entire instrument.
TRANSEPT ORGAN: You
will see a beautiful new case with dozens of pipes in full view; many hundreds
more are behind them. (There are over 4400 pipes in the two organs.) The
transept organ has the bass pipes of two
full-length 16-foot flue stops en façade,
as well as some basses of the Great 8’ Principal and 4’ Octave. All of the
pipes in the façade save one “dummy” are speaking pipes. High in the center
of the casework is the golden-hued cymbelstern
(or bell star). Having ancient origins, this device is
frequently encountered in Baroque organs in Germany and has been revived
in modern instruments. It provides a cheerful note in certain exuberant works of
Bach, as well as in the accompaniment of joyful hymns of praise.
The proximity of the TRANSEPT ORGAN to the
congregation is of particular help in supporting the singing of the
assembly. This accompanimental role
is vital in Cathedral liturgies ranging from daily Mass (seen by television
viewers in six states), to “state” occasions, including the installation of
a new Bishop. Flexibility in accompanying the multiple choirs is the principal
reason for having twin consoles in both Gallery and Transept. The two consoles
each have their own completely independent multi-level combination actions.
The GALLERY ORGAN is the larger of the two
instruments: this is an eclectic
design which features more robust choruses, larger scales, more solo registers,
and higher wind pressures than the Transept organ..
Our goal has been not to recreate an existing instrument or copy a style,
but to create an ensemble of real tonal beauty.
This ensemble consists largely of mild-toned stops which have a
cumulative effect of sonic grandeur matching
the spaciousness of the Cathedral architecture. . The tonal design moreover
includes for musico-dramatic purposes very soft voices at one end of the dynamic
spectrum and quite potent voices at the other. These special stops range from
the delicate Flauto Dolce and Kleine Erzahler to the stentorian Trompette
Harmonique and Tuba. As one faces the rear gallery, the organ is divided on two
sides of the stained glass window. The Swell division is in the left chamber,
and the Choir division in the right chamber. Great and Pedal pipes are divided
in front of these two enclosed divisions. Speaking
pipes in the two Gallery cases include basses of the metal Diapasons and the
Great Flute Harmonique.
All of the mixture-work in the organ has been
specially designed to provide clarity to the ensemble without undue domination
of the higher pitches. The contrapuntal clarity of the classic organ ensemble
has been blended with the drama of
reeds and solo color stops of the romantic and modern periods. Thus the organ
has the characteristic features of a true Cathedral organ and is suitable for
the playing of organ literature from many countries and periods of musical
composition. The most prominent voice in the entire organ is the horizontal
trumpet, which bears the lovely title, Hope en Chamade. The resonators are of
flamed copper and the pipes speak on ten-inch wind pressure.
This instrument is built
to sing to the glory of God long after our own voices are stilled.
Charles Callahan
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