Choirmaster and Organist: Ann Hammond
Weekly Choir Rehearsals
Each Sunday – Jubilate & Jubilate Chimes, 9:15-9:45 AM
Each Wednesday – Adult Choir, 4:15-5:00 PM
Each Wednesday – Handbell Practice 5:00-5:45 PM
Opportunties to Serve
Those with musical ability and interest – whether this be with voice or an instrument of some kind – are encouraged to talk with our Choirmaster, Ann Hammond, as we are looking to grow our choir and instrumental participation.
The Organ
In December of 1968, Father James McEvers repaired the August Prante organ which had been moved from the former church. The need for rebuilding or replacement was obvious. On January 22, 1969, the Vestry signed the contract for the present organ. During 1969 and the first quarter of 1970, Father McEvers, his associates, and members of the Parish worked busily at constructing the new organ. By use of Parish help, use of pipework from the old instrument, and chiefly by Father McEvers’ donation of his skills and one year of his time, the cost to the parish of the new organ was reduced to approximately one third of its replacement value.
Organ building as an act and a trade has its roots firmly in the past; there have been few basic changes in the past four hundred years. Our organ has its roots in the musical past of this Parish; twenty of the twenty-two ranks of pipes from the August Prante instrument were revoiced by Father McEvers to take their places in this organ. He also utilized fourteen ranks of pipes from an Aeolian-Skinner organ that was designed and voiced by the late G. Donald Harrison, one of the leaders of the return to the classical voicing techniques which were used to a great extend by Father McEvers. The remaining ranks are new: the reed pipes (Trompettes, Fagot, Krummhorn, Rohr Schalmei) were all voiced by the pipe makers to Fater McEvers’ specifications, but he voiced most of the flute pipes (Principals, Flutes, Strings) himself.
The fifty-eight ranks of pipes in this three-manual organ are divided among five divisions: Great, Swell, Brustwerk, Choir, and Pedal. The Swell, the Choir, and part of the Pedal are enclosed in chambers provided with shutters which enable the organist to vary the volume without changing stops. The Great, the Brustwerk, and the remainder of the Pedal are exposed: the Great in the center with a Pedal chest on either side; and the Brustwerk directly in front of the organist in the “breast” of the organ, hence the name Brustwerk. Through careful selection and skillful voicing of each stop, Father McEvers has given each dividison a distinctive character. The organist, by contrasting one division with another or by combining two or more divisions, can achieve great tonal variety. This instrument is as well suited to the music of Cesar Franck as it is to the music of J.S. Bach.
One of several stops deserving special comment is the Zimbelstern. The mechanism is quite simple: four bells of different pitches are sounded by strikers suspended from the ends of eight arms which are arranged in a star-like pattern. The arms are driven by a small electric motor. Unlike pipes, which speak only when keys are depressed, the Zimbelstern sounds continuously whenever the stop knob is in the “on” position.
The most remarkable stop in this organ is the Trompette Rex. With resonators made of polished copper, these pipes are mounted in a modified enchamade (literally, “in calling”) position, forty-five degrees from the vertical. To add to the visual interest, each pipe, moving out from the center, is mounted one degree farther from the perpendicular than the one preceding it. The tone of this rank is especially brilliant and fiery; it is truly the climax stop of the organ.
Very few organs in downstate Illinois have stops of thirty-two-foot pitch in the Pedal; this instrument has two; the Contrabourdon, a flue, and the Contrafagot, a reed. The low C of a thirty-two-foot stop sounds a pitch that is four octaves below middle C – about sixteen cycles per second.
This organ was conceived as a unity, both tonally and architecturally. The placement and casework of the exposed portions of the instrument were planned after consultation with the architect who designed the building. Care was taken not to introduce any discordant element into the visual unity.
The walnut console follows the same theme. It was built to Father McEvers’ design by the W. H. Reisner Company. This firm, which specializes in the manufacture of organ consoles, so admired this particular design that the adopted it as one of their standard models. This is the second of Father McEvers’ designs to be so adopted by this company.
One of the unusual facts about his organ is that it was built here at St. Matthew’s Church, rather than in a factory. A large part of the work was done under Father McEvers’ direction by members of the Parish who gave their time unselfishly. The work done by these volunteers includes washing and polishing metal pipes, sanding and painting wood pipes, completely renovating the organ chamber, making electrical cables, and wiring and soldering more than ten thousand connections. Without these contributions of time, amounting to several thousand hours, this organ could not have become a reality. Let us rejoice that we have such an instrument with which to glorify God.
*This section is attributed to Reverend Richard Bennett