Buzard Opus 44

The previous organ started its life in 1893, as the Opus 793 of Johnson & Son of Westfield, MA.  It was well-made and typical of late 19^th-Century instruments.  The original façade of stenciled pipes wrapped around the case front to the side facing the congregation.   The action was mechanical.  In the 1960’s, the Schlicker Organ Company rebuilt the organ under the guidance of Robert Noehren, retaining some of the Johnson’s pipes and the mechanical key action.  However, string pipes were cut down to play at higher pitches, mixtures were added, some new reeds appeared, others were retained and made to play on significantly lower wind pressures, and the character of the organ was changed forever.  In the early 1970’s the organ was rebuilt yet again, this time by Daniel Pilzecker.  The wrap-around stenciled façade pipes were replaced with polished zinc and dark brown flamed copper Pedal Principal pipes and the façade was given its current contemporary look utilizing simple rectangular frames.  The central portion of the Pilzecker façade sported a Trumpet stop.  The Pilzecker rebuild also retained the organ’s mechanical key actions.

But this was not a happy pipe organ.  Its thin and bright sounds did not carry into the Church.  Pipes originally voiced on 5” of wind pressure were being asked to play on pressures less than half of that.  The mechanical action of the 19^th century was clumsy, heavy, and the cause of increasing frustration.  In the 1980s the Congregation addressed the musical deficiencies by building a ten stop Antiphonal Organ in twin C-and-C# cases on either side of a window in the rear gallery.  Although this assisted in musically supporting congregational singing, its electrical connection to a failing mechanical system spelled further doom for the Johnson/Schlicker/ Noehren/Pilzecker organ in the Chancel.

We kept the beautiful Johnson wooden flutes, although Brian re-scaled them a few notes larger; the Great and Positiv Mixtures from the 1960’s were re-composed and revoiced for the new context and to be compatible with our style; the dark flamed copper 16’ Pedal Open Diapason pipes were cut up higher and winded properly; the Pedal Principal and Mixture using original Johnson pipes were retained, as was the original Vox Humana.  The Vox was most unhappy, having been originally voiced on 5” Wind, but being made to play on 2 ¼”.  The pipes were re-tongued; resonators were shortened and caps modified to produce a colorful more Continental sound.  It can be as romantic as you like, but without the Tremulant it colors the Swell flues quite convincingly for baroque literature.

Because so much of the original pipework was previously altered to appeal to an “Organ Reform” sensibility, we felt the need to keep the tonal leaning of the organ to the classic side.  However, we created our signature warmth and tonal vitality with both the revoicing techniques Brian employed on the old pipes and the new flues and colorful reeds we added.  Since we retained the 16’ Pedal Diapason pipes in the façade, we also re-used the façade’s toeboards and their pipe spacing to provide an overall appearance similar to the previous organ.  But where the 8’ Trumpet formerly stood (or drooped!), we installed a new wooden 8’ Dulzian which plays on the Choir.  Its warm, round and mildly throaty tone is magic with renaissance music, but it blends and balances with any flue stop in the enclosed portion of the Choir located in the expression box behind and above it.  We had fun enameling and decorating its maple resonators.

The result is a dynamic liturgical instrument which, because of careful and informed scaling & re-scaling, voicing & re-voicing, will play anything thrown at it musically and energetically.  Just like on the HGTV show “Fixer-Uppers,” we encountered some unexpected flaws in quality of one of the previous rebuilds, completely inconsistent with the high level of the original Johnson workmanship.  This is where our commitment to excellence in the finished product was not only put to the test but confirmed by the end result.