On Friday: St. John’s Showcases Its New Pipe Organ in a Recital by Organist Scott Dettra

 

Inarguably, the modern pipe organ is the king of beasts of the musical instrument world, capable of almost limitless aural emotions, from a window-rattling, awe-inspiring thunderous roar to the gentle whisper of a flute or a reed. Visually, too, it stands apart by the statement it makes in a room, even though its impressive gleaming visible pipes are but a fraction of those behind and hidden that define the instrument’s character. To create such a beast reveals its complexity and the work of numerous artisans and craftspeople involved in acoustics, air flow dynamics, mechanics, wood and metalworking, and electronic and computer technologies that must integrate with designers and architects. Planning for, designing, and constructing a new pipe organ is a gargantuan task, but one that has its rewards when fingers finally press keys and that incomparable sound of the musical ages emerges.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and precautions, Knoxville’s latest major installation of a large pipe organ has gone a bit unheralded, at least in the public’s eye and ear. St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral in Downtown Knoxville began an organ replacement project in the spring of 2017 only to have its final installation and finessing interrupted by the cancellation of people-in-pews services in March of 2020. Although the new Goulding and Wood Opus 52 instrument was “officially” dedicated just before the shutdown, the final completion of the installation did not come until October of that year. Because of this delay, and the heavy ongoing use as part of the church’s music program, the organ had not enjoyed the usual dedicatory recital aimed at showcasing the instrument’s vast capabilities.

 

For Jason Overall, St. John’s Director of Music, the recital is a final flourish to the organ replacement project, a project that came about somewhat unexpectedly.

“When I arrived at St. John’s,” Overall explains, “the [Schantz organ from 1951] had been completely redone in 1998. In terms of pipe organs, that’s like yesterday. While the organ was not anything exciting, I had zero expectations that during my tenure there would be any chance to do a new organ. The old organ was just part of the facility. It was lackluster, but it had no mechanical issues; there was nothing wrong with it.”

However, to complement the Cathedral’s expanded and growing choral music program, St. John’s members Ann and Steve Bailey, expressed a desire to fund a new organ in honor of Natalie and Jim Haslam. An organ task force was assembled in 2017 and eventually selected Goulding and Wood of Indianapolis as the builder. Construction of the instrument began in November, 2018, and continued through 2019. The completion date target was April, 2020. Of course, as it turned out, Covid had other ideas about the installation.

“Covid interrupted everything,” Overall admits. “But in one of the most remarkable coincidences imaginable, there was one week when the organ was not yet usable, but by the next week, they had about 2/3 of the organ working. But then, everything shutdown and the crew had to go back to Indiana. If that shutdown had happened a week earlier, we wouldn’t have had an organ to play for some months. We had enough of the new organ installed to keep playing organ music for the streamed services during the pandemic.”

In terms of raw data, the new Goulding and Wood organ at St. John’s is roughly twice the size of its predecessor, consisting of some 4000 pipes in 70 ranks [ a rank being a grouping of pipes that generate the same sound at different pitches]. Overall is quick to explain that bigger doesn’t necessarily mean more volume, but more instrumental colors and more directional support for the choir when seated on opposing sides of the chancel, decani and cantoris.

“The new organ is almost twice as big as the old one, but I think it is the right size organ for our room. With the kind of music program we have built and are building, it gives us the musical resources we need…the choir certainly enjoys singing with the new organ more—they are able to easily tell that it is more supportive to their voices.”

Although the features of St. John’s new organ were tailored to the church’s liturgical and musical needs, its presence has attracted important attention from musicians and organizations outside the church. This attention goes beyond just the organ to using the St. John’s nave as a downtown venue for selected non-religious music performances.

“From St. John’s standpoint,” Overall says, “there is a strong desire to be a good neighbor and be involved in the cultural life of downtown Knoxville. That has happened with hosting Marble City Opera and the local classical guitar society, so when Ashley Capps approached us about having some Big Ears events here four years ago, both clergy and laity of the church were very enthusiastic. Since then, with each festival, we’ve had more acts and more prestigious acts.”

Ashley Capps recognizes the new organ’s importance and wants to feature it in upcoming Big Ears festivals.

“The new pipe organ at St. John’s is by all accounts an extraordinary instrument,” says Capps, “And a tremendous asset for our city. We had already planned some special performances during the 2020 [Big Ears] festival. For the 2022 festival, we’re taking it up a notch or two, with at least 5 organ performances during the weekend.”

Capps continues. “We’re especially proud to have the great British organist James McVinnie, who was the assistant organist at Westminster Abbey for several years, as well as St. Paul’s and St. Alban’s Cathedrals. He played Prince William and Kate Middleton’s royal wedding in 2011 as well. James will be performing – twice – the North American premiere of a new piece by composer Tristan Perich, “Infinity Gradient,” for pipe organ and 100 loudspeakers. If Perich’s previous piece for 50 violins and electronics, Drift Multiply, which was premiered at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine is any indication, this should be quite a memorable and remarkable experience.”

Ultimately, it is the listeners who must judge the success of a pipe organ, despite the fact that each individual will experience the sound in its environment with different ears, and come away affected differently. Hopefully, this week’s recital may just open some eyes—and ears. 

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St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral – Knoxville, Tennessee
Goulding and Wood Pipe Organ Builders – Opus 52
Pipework constructed by A.R. Schopp’s Son
Facade pipes and decorative embossed pipes built by Jacques Stinkens, Zeist, Netherlands
Control system and console assists designed and built by Solid State Organ Systems