Richards, Fowkes & Co., Opus 7

Westminster's new mechanical-action organ arrived on September 28, 1998, and the builders were met by members of the congregation waiting to help carry parts for the case and mechanism into the church.

Over the next five days, the "organ kit" of parts lying on blankets atop the pews was converted into an elegant case that stretches nearly to the ceiling of the chancel.

On September 30, the pipes arrived, and voicing and tuning began. Installation of the pipework continued over a period of months, with additional stops being brought into use each Sunday. Each pipe had to be adjusted by hand, and, with about 1,700 pipes in the organ, that was a lengthy process. Not only did the pipes have to be in tune, but each pipe had to be balanced with those above and below it in its stop, and the stops balanced in the ensemble.

The results of all this careful work are magnificent. Statements from our minister, our organist, the organ consultant, and the builders from their individual professional perspectives show their enthusiasm about the organ.

The organ dedication was May 2, 1999, with a special worship service in the morning and a recital by Robert Clark that evening. Shortly thereafter, our organ was one of the featured instruments for the 1999 Region IV Convention of the American Guild of Organists, as Westminster hosted the convention for both a recital by William Porter on June 29 and the morning worship service on June 30.

We are especially fortuntate that we now have our own annual series of organ recitals, Musica Organi (the inaugural season was 2000-2001). These and other organ recitals provide an opportunity for Westminster to share its splendid instrument with the community.

Built by Richards, Fowkes & Co., of Ooltewah, Tennessee, the organ (their Opus 7) is in the style of the North German builders of the late 17th and early 18th century, such as Arp Schnitger. The case is of white oak, with burnished tin pipes in the facade. The lowest part of the case, below the impost (the first horizontal section that stretches across the entire case and supports everything that is above it), contains the console and most of the playing action. The first level above the impost contains the Great division, with the Swell on the second level. The Swell division is in a box with movable louvers (like vertical Venetian blinds) across the front and also at the sides toward the back of the case to control its loudness. The Pedal division is contained in towers to the sides of the manual divisions and in a secondary case behind the main one. The wind system is in a room behind the wall.

A description of each stop is included in the installation chronology.

			Great				Swell				Pedal
		1.	Quintadena	16		10.	Viol d'Gamba	8		20.	Subbaß	16
		2.	Principal	8		11.	Viol Celeste (t.c.)	8		21.	Octave	8
		3.	Rohrflöte	8		12.	Gedackt	8		22.	Gedackt (from No. 20)	8
		4.	Octave	4		13.	Octave	4		23.	Octave	4
		5.	Spitzflöte	4		14.	Rohrflöte	4		24.	Posaune	16
		6.	Nazard	3		15.	Gemshorn	2		25.	Trompet	8
		7.	Octave	2		16.	Quint/Sesquialtera	3/II
		8.	Mixture	V		17.	Scharff	IV
		9.	Trompet	8		18.	Dulcian	16
						19.	Schalmey	8
			Accessories
			Couplers		Great to Pedal, Swell to Pedal, Swell to Great
			Tremulant
			Vogelgesang
			Zymbelstern
			Mechanical stop and key action
			Flexible winding through two wedge bellows
			Unequal temperament by Kellner, 1979
			Wind pressure: 69 mm
Richards, Fowkes & Co., Opus 7

Chapel organ (Catharine Walters Marsh Memorial Organ)

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Updated 10/5/2002