The St. Stephen Garland Organ
 In 1971 an organ built by M. P. Möller, Inc., was
installed in the recently completed sanctuary. Soon after
the installation, problems began appearing with both the
pipes and the action of the organ. The zinc pipes were of an
inferior quality and large numbers of them began bending,
necessitating the replacement of some pipes by the Möller
Company as early as 1975.
The ensuing years brought rapid deterioration of many of the
larger metal pipes as well as mounting mechanical problems
which rendered portions of the instrument unusable by 1988.
In addition, the superstructure was poorly designed making
maintenance of the upper portions of the organ dangerous or
completely impossible.
Early in 1989 the crisis was such that action had to be
taken, and the Session ordered the formation of an organ
committee to investigate what options were available. It was
also decided to seek the advice of an organ consultant to
assist in this evaluation.
The organ committee determined very quickly that the needed
renovations could not be done in stages since each stage
would necessitate the removal of part of the previous
stage's work, increasing the cost three or four times.
In February of 1991 after hearing the report and
recommendations of the Organ Committee, the Session
unanimously approved the signing of a contract with Garland
Pipe Organs, Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas, to renovate,
restore, and rebuild the organ.
 Garland Pipe Organs, Inc. was chosen for excellence in
craftsmanship, reliability of service as well as the beauty
of sound produced by organs built by the Garland firm. Dan
Garland, owner and tonal director, proved to be congenial,
businesslike, as well as sympathetic to the unique needs of
this congregation.
Most of the old organ was removed following Easter, 1993
with completion of the project in December, 1993.
The organ now has a much broader sound with many 8' ranks
providing a smoother ensemble. The pedal organ has been
enhanced by the addition of a 16' Open Wood, a new 16'
Principal, as well as full-length 16' and 32' reeds.
New pipework including reeds and flues was manufactured by
A. R. Schopp's Sons, Inc., of Alliance, Ohio. Fred Oyster of
the Schopp firm was responsible for all reed voicing. All
mixtures were replaced with smaller scaled pipework to give
a more cohesive, less-strident sound.
A Clarinet has been included in the organ. It was originally
installed in 1916 in the instrument at the old downtown
church, having been in storage since 1971.
A wooden Doppelflote, and a large-scale Open Flute have been
included in the rebuilt organ. Most of the flues in the
organ have been rescaled and all Möller pipework has been
rescaled and revoiced. A new Tuba Mirabilis and revoiced
Trompette en Chamade complete the ensemble.
The console was completely rebuilt and the combination
action assembly replaced by a Solid State Logic, Inc.,
multi-level memory system. There now is a programmable full
organ and crescendo.
In order to meet a tight production schedule the exterior
case components were contracted to the
Redman Organ Company
of Fort Worth. The windchests and vertical pipe support
structure within the facade were designed and built in the
Garland Shop. The oak case was designed by Frank Friemel. It
adds beauty and stability, helping to focus the sound of the
ensemble.
The main organ is located in a gallery at the rear of the
nave. An antiphonal division of the organ is located in the
chancel, 200 feet from the gallery organ. |
