From the Minister

On May 2, 1998, we celebrated an exciting moment in the life, history and future of Westminster Presbyterian Church: the dedication of the majestic Richards, Fowkes organ. Music has always been a major part of our inspiration and joy as a church. Through the music of choirs, organists, pianists, handbell ringers, brass players, a worshiping congregation, and other instruments, special musicians, and events, we have celebrated the wonder of God's love and grace over the years. We rejoice now in the opportunities provided by this organ of finest materials, craftsmanship, and musical integrity to add even greater dimensions to the lives of those who will use and hear it.

We express appreciation for the many people whose gifts of money, time, talent, energy, and creativity have brought us to this point. May the music of this organ be a blessing and a means of God's revelation to this congregation, to future congregations, and to the congregation of humanity beyond our doors.

Dr. Friedrich Schilling

From the Organist and Choirmaster

"Enabling" is the word that best describes the goals and purpose of the music program at Westminster Church, and the Richards, Fowkes & Company's Opus 7 is a lasting manifestation of that intent. It is an instrument that is an expression of our wisest stewardship, the offering of our very best efforts to the glory of God, and a commitment to the pursuit of the finest musicmaking in worship and concert. It is the direct result not only of much research by the Organ Committee and me, but also of financial resolve and divine providence.

Emulating the work of the North German and Dutch builders of the late seventeenth century, most notably Arp Schnitger, the approach to voicing produces a warm, vocal, and well-blended sound with color and interest that is inviting and enveloping, intended to inspire the singing of hymns and other service music, accompany the choirs, and convincingly play most of the great organ literature. Visually, the case reflects the beauty and elegance of the sound. Richards, Fowkes and acoustician Richard Boner collaborated with the music staff and the Design and Construction Committee of the church to effect resonance and clarity in the new sanctuary that would benefit all aspects of worship, including music.

From the very beginning, the organ and the acoustics and ambience of the sanctuary have been seen as providing important accompaniment to the many choirs of the church, enabling them to provide some of their best leadership in the music of worship. The vocal nature of the organ nurtures that of the choir. The intimacy of the suspended mechanical action is inviting and enabling to the player's touch. Organists for generations to come will learn their art from this instrument.

As I have played similar organs throughout this country and overseas, I have been impressed with the eagerness to share and the joy expressed by the organists who play them. I see them as a grand brotherhood enthusiastically helping to bring back organbuilding at its finest. Westminster joins this brotherhood and I look forward to sharing our beautiful instrument with the community and region and a host of interested organists.

I would like to thank the generous people of Westminster Church for continuing to support the music ministry as they have continuously since the founding of the church and for affording me the privilege of assisting in the design of the new sanctuary and its acoustics as well as in the discussions of the Organ Committee on the organ project. I would also like to acknowledge and thank Frank and Marty Marsh for their gift of the Catharine Walters Marsh Memorial Organ, which significantly led and guided Westminster's musical worship and direction from its earliest days and planted the seed of our understanding of the beauty and importance of the pipe organ. My thanks also to my colleague and friend John Brock for encouraging me to visit the Richards, Fowkes Opus 1 in Greenwich, Connecticut, on an important study trip in 1993 that ultimately led to their selection as our builders. I also want to thank the members of the Organ Committee for their enthusiasm, informed discussion, and tireless devotion to the selection process. My thanks, too, to the craftsmen at Richards, Fowkes for all the time spent explaining their art to me on my many visits to the shop. Finally, my deepest appreciation to Robert Clark, my teacher, friend, and source of critical and formative knowledge, who continues to guide and influence my journey as a musician. The many trips to Ohio to play mechanical-action organs that he, a number of his other students, and I took years ago came full circle with the dedication of Westminster's magnificent new instrument.

Peter J. Van Eenam

From the Organ Consultant

When I was invited to serve as organ consultant at Westminster Presbyterian Church, I was delighted to do so for a number of reasons. I have the highest respect for Peter Van Eenam's ideals as an organist and church musician. His leadership in accomplishing the goal of a fine organ was truly outstanding. He showed enthusiasm, wisdom, and, above all, patience as the organ project unfolded. Very quickly I also determined that your pastor, Fritz Schilling, and members of the organ committee were willing to deal intensively with many issues, some of them complex, which made the dream of a fine organ become a reality.

Interestingly, the choice of Richards, Fowkes as the builder came partially as the result of a mistake I had made in my scheduling an airline reservation a day later than I had initially planned. Thus, after an initial meeting with the Westminster organ committee on a Sunday, I had an unexpected free day the following Monday. Being aware of the emerging national recognition of Richards, Fowkes as an organbuilder, I suggested that Peter and I visit their shop in Ooltewah on this "bonus" day. The rest is history! The Richards, Fowkes reputation has grown to the point that they are one of most sought-after firms building tracker action organs today, as may be noted in their backlog of commissions to be completed over the next few years.

The greatest pleasure I had in advising Westminster Presbyterian Church came from the opportunity I had to share in a commitment to excellence in music and worship that is unique among mainline Protestant churches today. The Richards, Fowkes organ at Westminster will surely enhance a music program that is exemplary. I hope that the organ will bring many years of inspiration and awarenes of "the beauty of holiness" to those who share in the ministry of music at Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Robert C. Clark

From the Organbuilders

Before founding Richards, Fowkes & Co. in 1988, Ralph Richards and Bruce Fowkes worked with several of the best tracker organbuilders in the United States. In addition, both are trained organists and church musicians. After studying organ at Brigham Young University and Utah State University, Bruce apprenticed with Michael Bigelow in Provo, Utah, and Matthew Copley in London, England. He later worked for John Brombaugh, specializing in voicing. Ralph studied organ at Oberlin College and then did a short apprenticeship with John Brombaugh in Oregon. In 1977 he and Paul Fritts started their own company, Fritts-Richards Organ Builders, in Tacoma, Washington. Their nine years of working together produced nine organs ranging in size from 9 to 35 stops.

We realize that we are fortunate to work in a time when the knowledge of historical organ-building is expanding rapidly. Research begun in the 1960s continues to show why the antique instruments have lasted so long and why they function well in liturgy and music. The combined experience of many organ companies has led to a revival of the traditions of organbuilding from its peak in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Much of our sacred music was composed for these antique instruments. Furthermore, they inspired some of our greatest traditions in congregational singing.

As of May 1999 our company has produced ten organs (plus restoring the 70-stop Brombaugh instrument in Collegedale, Tennessee, after water damage from a tornado). The organs vary in size from 33 stops on 3 manuals and pedal to a 5-stop house organ. Although our work is very closely tied to the traditions and practices of seventeenth-century North German organbuilding, we carefully adapt each of our organs to the individual needs of each congregation, school, or individual.

Our philosophy is to produce only the finest mechanical action organs of the best available materials. Attention to minute details of construction and voicing are necessary in producing what one person has described as "musical architecture." We hope that the combined efforts of our staff will continue to produce musical instruments that will inspire performers and listeners for centuries to come.

When we had our first meeting in early 1994 with Peter Van Eenam concerning a new organ for Westminster Presbyterian Church, we were delighted at the possibility of having one of our organs near our shop. The opportunity to work side by side with the development of the space for the organ was also of importance.

Our first discussions centered on the Arp Schnitger organ in Weener, Germany, and how this particular instrument served the function of leading singing and in addition was capable of playing a wide range of organ literature. To this basic plan we added a few stops and decided to enclose the second manual division in a swell box to enhance the use of the organ in choral accompaniment and nineteenth-century solo organ literature. We carefully designed the case so as not to compromise the use of the second division as a traditional Oberwerk (or "over division").

The backbone of any church organ is a strong principal chorus. The principal chorus is comprised of ranks of pipes of moderate scale (the proportion of the length of the pipe to its diameter) at multiple pitches. Thus the main principal chorus in this organ is the Principal 8 + Octave 4 + Octave 2 + Mixture. This group of stops is the primary sound used to accompany and lead congregational singing, and it is also the basis for a large portion of the music we hear for organ preludes and postludes. The use of the principal chorus to lead a congregation is different from what one often encounters in American churches where the organ has been relegated to a subservient role. No other musical instrument is so capable of lending its abilities to enhancing the joy of congregational singing.

To this core is added a multitude of flute and reed stops that add variety to the sound both in timbre (color) and volume. Some of these stops are imitative of historic instrumentsófor example, the Trompets, the Posaune, and the Dulcian. The flute stops are available at many pitches and colors. The form of the pipe bodies varies from very fat pipes with straight walls, to pipes with tapered bodies, to short, fat pipes with little chimneys on top. These shapes influence the sound that is produced by varying the harmonic content, much like the differences between human voices. In an organ of this size, there are a great number of combinations available that enhance the musical experience of both the listener and the organist.

One unusual aspect of the stoplist of this organ is the inclusion of stops at sixteen-foot pitch on every division (manual). This idea was used in historic organs of Holland and Germany so that the melody of hymn and psalm accompaniment is playing at the pitch level of men -- one octave lower than women's and children's voices. These sixteen-foot stops in manual divisions must be very carefully designed and voiced so they provide this support without making the sound too dense.

Many of the design particulars of this organ have their basis in the historic instruments of northern Europe in the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. This is the period where organs developed very quickly alongside the adoption of congregational singing of hymns and psalms. These features include the use of an unequal tuning system or temperament. The organ for Westminster is tuned according to a system developed by the twentieth-century theoretician Kellner. This temperament is similar to those in use during the life of Johann Sebastian Bach. The more frequently used keys contain more pure thirds, while the less frequently used keys are not as "in tune." This tuning system enhances singing and solo music. In addition, the winding system is designed to be slightly flexible and lend a natural breathing quality to the sound. The metal pipes are made of three different alloys of tin and lead. These alloys are chosen for the multiple qualities of structural stability, visual beauty, and sound production.

The physical design of the organ case must meet several needs. At Westminster, an arrangement was desired that would allow one person both to direct the choir and play the organ. The placement of the organ in the corner and forward of the choir serves this need well. It was also desirable for the organ to be tall, in order to project sound over people's heads. The ceiling is an ideal surface to carry and reflect the sound of the organ throughout the room.

Many organbuilders say that the room is the most important stop of an organ. Without an acoustic that enhances the sound of the organ, the sound will be forced and have inadequate blend. This same acoustic is of primary importance to congregational singing. No person wants to feel as if he or she is singing alone, and the reinforcement of the hard, reflective surfaces in the sanctuary lends support to the collective voice of the congregation. (In addition, the live nature of the acoustic lets us hear the sounds of life -- footsteps, birds, and small children.)

We are privileged to work with a highly trained group of people in building organs. Their education comes from many countries and different companies. Without their hard and dedicated work, projects such as the new organ for Westminster Presbyterian Church would not be possible.

Bruce T. Fowkes and Ralph D. Richards