First Presbyterian Church - Somerset, KY "The Little Organ that CAN!"
With a population of 12,000, Somerset is located about one hour south of Lexington, in the beautiful rolling hills of southern Kentucky. Driving between Lexington and Somerset, it is easy to imagine Daniel Boone hunting, fishing, and exploring the scenic valleys of the area. First Presbyterian Church contacted us following a major renovation of their church building in which their old 7 rank pipe organ, which had been made up of a variety of parts from older instruments, had been removed. The original plan to reinstall this organ in the remodeled sanctuary had fallen through, and the church had disposed of the organ. Since the church had already invested much of its available resources in the building renovation, the funds available for the organ were somewhat limited. An even greater design constraint, however, was the amount of space that had been provided. The size of the organ chamber that was provided was based on the space occupied by the old organ, and was only 7’ by 7’. Under the leadership of Norrie Wake, First Presbyterian Church sought the advice and counsel of Robert Kintner, the retired Minister of Music of Central Christian Church in Lexington. Bob Kintner’s long experience with music in the church and also with the practical aspects of organ design made him the perfect organ consultant for Somerset Presbyterian’s new organ. As we met with Bob Kintner, and shared some of our previous projects with him, it quickly became obvious that we shared important ideas about what is needed in a church organ. Kintner and the Somerset committee had talked to several large and small builders, and had even considered non-pipe and hybrid alternatives. We were asked to provide a design for a new organ that would be musically flexible, financially affordable, and would fit in the space provided. Although it was a given that the organ be able to play an eclectic repertoire of literature for organ, Mr. Kintner stressed the importance of a specification that would support worship in all its forms, including leadership of congregational singing, accompaniment of soloists and choral ensembles, and voluntary music for weddings, funerals, and other celebrations of the Faith. The result is an instrument of seventeen ranks. Five of these ranks, constituting the Great Princpal Chorus, are cantilevered on a small chest in front of the organ chamber. The remaining twelve ranks fit into the organ chamber in a remarkably serviceable arrangement. Every pipe can be reached for tuning from the central tuning walk. The unique design of the windchests provides convenient access to the actions. Tonal Design. Our design for the Somerset organ incorporates in seventeen ranks comprising a very complete ensemble structure and offering the player a wealth of tone color. This is accomplished by the careful use of unification of certain ranks. In some cases, the use of shared basses and the electronic extension of certain ranks make it possible to include more variety that would ordinarily be found in an organ of this size. Keys to the success of this approach are the use of variable pipe scales, and very close attention to all aspects of the tonal regulation and finishing of the instrument in the church. The Somerset organ utilizes electric chest actions. In our chests, the toes of the pipes are offset from the pipe valves by specially designed channels in the laminated hardwood toeboards. These channels reduce the turbulence of the wind entering the pipe feet, and eliminate the “pop” that can occur in some electric chests. They allow the pipes to be voiced for prompt, articulate speech. The speed of the action is very fast, allowing repetitions as fast as 20-25 Hz. Our unique chest design, incorporating dimensionally stable hardwood laminates, is made possible by our computer guided CNC router and vacuum laminating systems. The mechanical portions of the organ are easy to service, inexpensive to maintain, and are not affected by normal changes in temperature or humidity. The Principal chorus in the Great division, cantilevered into the room, includes an 8’ Principal, 4’ Octave, and a III Mixture pitched at 1 1/3’. The pipes of this chorus are made of 75% tin, and are highly polished. The pitch pattern of the mixture is especially designed to give the chorus depth without overwhelming the sound of the organ in the room. The Swell contains a 4’ Spitzprincipal, located immediately behind the Great in the organ chamber, and separated from the Great ensemble only by the front expression shutters. The flute chorus in the organ, which is shared between the divisions, includes three flutes at 8’ pitch: a wooden Gedeckt, a metal Rohrflöte, and an 8’ Offenflöte which is also made of wood. Two of these stops, the Gedeckt and the Offenflöte, consist of period pipes that were carefully renewed and revoiced in our shop. The Gedeckt and Offenflöte share top and bottom octaves, for reasons of space. In small organs, we believe that two flutes, one open and the other stopped, should be provided in the Great division. In organs with only one flute, that single stop must be able to accompany solo effects in the Swell, provide a foundation for the 4’ Principal ensemble in the Great, and provide solo flute effects. The flute arrangement we have provided at Somerset, and in other Reynolds organs, gives the organist a bright, articulate Rohrflöte, as well as a warm, somewhat plaintive Offenflöte, regulated to be strong enough to serve as a solo flute. These two, somewhat different flute sonorities give the Great a wonderful flexibility, and a warm solo cantabile sound that is seldom found except in large Romantic organs. The strings at Somerset include an 8’ Viola that is warm and broad, and strong enough to also serve as a small Principal in the Swell, and an accompanying Celeste. The organ also includes an Gemshorn of small enough scale to serve as a string stop. The Celeste is scaled and voiced to be used with either the Viola or the Gemshorn, or with both. The effect is warm and ethereal, especially when the 4’ Rohrflöte is added, and a perfect accompaniment to the Great Offenflöte. There are two reed stops. These include a Fagotto that plays at 16’, 8’, and 4’, and is the principal chorus reed, and a solo 8’ Trumpet. These reeds are voiced on 6” of wind pressure, compared to 3” for the rest of the organ. The Pedal division is anchored by a 16’ Subbass of generous scale. Electronic voice extensions provide a 16’ Lieblich Gedeckt and a 16’ Violone. The presence of the 16’ string in the Pedal division is characteristic of our tonal philosophy. This very useful stop can provide a quiet, yet articulate sound for use under the soft flutes and strings, or can be combined with the Pedal flutes to provide a stronger foundation sound that nevertheless has harmonic development. In effect, this combination of 16’ soft flute and 16’ string could be considered a faux diapason.
In an organ of this size, regulation and finishing cannot be overemphasized. In larger instruments, although finishing is important, there is much more latitude. A smaller organ, such as the Somerset instrument, absolutely requires a significant expenditure of time and effort by the voicer. In this instance, we were fortunate to have the on-site cooperation of the consultant. During the finishing process, Mr. Kintner was able to improvise using each stop in a variety of ways, allowing us to judge the tonal success of each sonority.
Notes From the Organ Consultant As one who experienced the “organ reform” movement first hand and who for years was committed to straight, slider chest instruments even in small organs, and who presided as a Minister of Music for 22 years at a large 1961 Holtkamp, it has taken me many years to admit much of what I believed in tonally for designing instruments in those days was sadly lacking in terms of creating organs that were truly inspiring to listen to and flexible in fulfilling the basic requirements for playing a worship service. Because of a friend’s request, I became involved as consultant to assist First Presbyterian Church in Somerset, Kentucky, a church of modest size, to pursue their goal of a pipe organ that would eventually be a part of an ambitious dream to have a full time church musician. Some might call such visionary thinking foolish, but I saw it as a challenge to help create the “perfect” small instrument, one with which a gifted organist would be happy, even though limited in size. I think by working closely together with Thad Reynolds of the Reynolds organ company not only in planning the instrument, but by being actively involved in the voicing process, together we have seen the finest small instrument in this part of the country come into being. How was this achieved? This instrument has the same quality console, electronics, mechanics, and unit chest design as would be found in the work of nationally prominent builders. With a limited budget, I agreed it was good stewardship to use a few ranks of reworked period wood pipes. Some unification would be essential, but the scaling of those particular ranks was critical. Mr. Reynolds persuaded me to include an “open” 8’ flute seldom seen in small organ design. A single celeste rank would be scaled to interact effectively with both the modest Gemshorn and the broader Viola. Very limited chamber space dictated using electronic extensions for two of the Pedal 16’ stops. No one will ever know these sounds are not from real pipes. The 16, 8, 4, unit chorus reed stop is modest in scaling allowing the full organ sound to “bloom” without dominating the ensemble. However, I think it is the quality pipe work, the choice of scaling and skilled voicing of the three Principal stops and the mixture that is the secret to this instrument’s success. I would encourage any congregation that is in the market for a pipe organ of modest size to make the effort to carefully examine, listen to, and experience first hand what a passionate commitment on the part of a builder and a consultant to create the “perfect” small organ can achieve. Robert J. Kintner Consultant
Hear this organ in Worship and in Recital |
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to be played from organ console, and also allows the organ to be played from a remote keyboard.
from the room, and to critique registrations, balance, and performance. As such, it is an extremely valuable practice aid. The system can also be used to prerecord organ selections for use at times when an organist is not available. Some organists also use this device to play piano/organ duets with themselves, and to play music that requires multiple performers such as organ concertos.