History

Over the years St. Paul & the Redeemer has had a strong commitment to music and has benefited from the gifts of outstanding church musicians; so it is not surprising that when it came time to consider a new organ, there was tremendous excitement. An Organ Committee was formed in 1999 to find a fine instrument that would last for generations. We are grateful that Douglas Cleveland, our consultant, led us to Martin Pasi. Installation of the organ began in March of 2004 and was dedicated in October of the same year.

The Organ

The organ case is make entirely of cherry. The console and bench are made of white oak. The manual natural keys are covered with cow bone, the pedal naturals are maple, the sharps for the manuals are ebony, and those for the pedals are rosewood. The stop knobs and toe pistons are Pau Ferro. Additional species of wood have been used in various parts of the organ.The console is detached from the organ case.

The organ is laid out vertically. The pipes of the Great and some of the Pedal stops are placed on windchests right above the impost.The Swell division is placed above the Great, which is hidden to some extent behind the façade pipes and decorative woodwork. The three largest pedal stops, the Principal 16’, Subbass 16’ and Posaune16’, stand on a separate chest behind the main case on the same level as the Great division. The key action is entirely mechanical, utilizing a system of levers and thin wood connections called trackers. The stop action is controlled by solid state electronics.

The organ draws its principal tonal inspiration from the great North German organs of the 17th and 18th centuries, leavening its resources with several stops inspired by 19th and 20th century models.

All of the metal pipes, flue and reed, were made in the Pasi shop, from the casting of the metal through to the completed pipes. They are made of 97% lead, with trace impurities of copper, bismuth, and antimony, which help stiffen the metal. To enhance the intensity of the pipes’ sound, the metal is hammered following casting, which tightens its molecular structure. The low octave of the Principal 16’ and all of the Subbass pipes are made of poplar, the only wood pipes in the organ.

An electric blower, which is stored and regulated in a single wedge-shaped bellows measuring 4 feet by 8 feet, supplies wind to the organ. The bellows and blower are located behind the organ. This wind system imparts a gentle flexibility to the organ’s sound, allowing the pipes to sound more like a choir of human voices than an impassive machine.

Click here for the Organ Specifications