Summerall Chapel Organ Project

Bring back the glory of a Pipe Organ befitting of the grandeur and majestic history of Summerall Chapel.
Your help is needed today!

Included are five manual divisions on the proposed organ for Summerall Chapel: Great, Swell, Choir, Positiv, and Solo.  Each division has its own set of stops that encompass low, medium, and high pitches that when used together form a vertical chorus.  Each division’s chorus has its own character and may vary in volume and predominance of Reed, Diapason or Flute tone.  When coupled together in various groups of two or more divisions, new choruses are formed by the blending of individual voices.  With all the divisions coupled together at once, one can produce the grand and majestic sound that is the full organ.  With all of the tonal variety of these five manual divisions and the Pedal division, organ music from any period and national style can be performed on the organ proposed by Cornel Zimmer Organ Builders.

The inclusion of a large battery of solo horizontal trumpets (a Trompette Militaire) to be mounted on the West Wall will be highly effective for academic ceremonial occasions and weddings.  Also a Solo division in the main organ with various orchestral stops such as the English Horn, French Horn, Orchestral Flute and voices that are reminiscent of Bagpipes is available for colorful tonal variety and effects for many musical styles, including those of the Celtic tradition. Included also will be a bold and powerful Diapason (traditional foundation organ voice) chorus that will add breadth when added to the initial full organ.  The overall tonal approach for the organ’s chorus tone will be one of strong fundamental (bass) tone with proportional layering of midrange and upper harmonics that promote clarity and excitement as the higher pitched stops are added by the organist without being aggressively sharp and tiring to the listener’s ears.  The picture to your left is an example of an antiphonal division.

Given the large number of guest organists and recitalists that will frequent this instrument, a user friendly and ergonomically comfortable console is essential.  It must be intuitive for organists to familiarize themselves with the many resources of the organ and to quickly feel confident in playing and locating controls. 

Like the current woodwork in the Chapel, the design is based on the fourteenth century Gothic period of architecture.  In keeping with the tradition, artistic elements throughout Summerall Chapel have been utilized in the design of this console, specifically elements from the existing woodwork of the pulpit, the raredos and the altar.  Similar arch motifs will be used to blend the organ with the existing paneling in the chancel.  We propose that the rosettes included in the organ represent the twelve apostles and the four gospels.  An alternative would be to match the rosettes to the existing rosettes on the current pulpit. 

Quarter-sawn Appalachian White Oak is suggested in the construction of the console not only because of its stability and durability but also its rich texture.  It is also the type of wood that was used by the American Seating Company in their contribution to the current woodwork of the church. We have used this type of wood in a majority of our consoles with great success.  

Wooden drawknobs will be used to further enhance the beauty of the console.  The keyboards will be made of ivory naturals with dark Rosewood sharps and the 32-note pedalboard will have Maple naturals with Rosewood sharps all to blend together to create a refined and elegant appearance like that of the Chapel.  While the organ would become a piece of art in and of itself, it is important to blend the visual effects of the organ with existing structural elements.  This is of particular importance in a setting such as Summerall Chapel.  The result is the materialization of a state of the art instrument that blends into its new home with great satisfaction and approval.  It may have a similar appearance to the picture below. More detailed drawing can be seen on the drawings page.

The plan for a two manual North Transept remote console will be useful for smaller and more intimate musical needs.  This will make a large part of the Great, Swell, and Pedal divisions of the main organ accessible and playable from a smaller console located in the North Transept allowing the organist to be more in touch with a smaller group in that area of the chapel.  On occasion, this second console could make it possible to program music for two organs. It could also be used to support the smaller recitals of a String Quartet or Chamber Group made available by the Citadel to the community.