Bach at Palmer - Premium Classical Music Collection for Relaxation, Study & Meditation | Perfect for Home, Office & Yoga Sessions

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About the Organ: OPUS 99 The organ at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, Houston, Texas, was designed and built by C. B. Fisk, Inc., of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Opus 99 of the Fisk firm - a three-manual instrument - has 46 stops totaling 2,976 pipes, housed in a polychromed case. The late Charles Fisk, in consultation with Rice University's Professor of Organ Clyde Holloway, designed the preliminary specification in 1981. The stoplist reflects the many roles a modern American church organ must play: leading hymn singing, accompanying choral music and playing 400 years of organ repertoire with authority. The contract for the organ was signed in 1984 shortly after Charles's death, affirming the church's faith in his successors. The visual and mechanical design of the organ began in early 1989 with a scale model of the rear of the church. Windchests were laid out to determine the physical size of the instrument and scale model pipes made for the Great Prestant 16'. These and other elements were arranged in the space to create an organ that retains it's own identity, yet harmonizes with architect William Ward Wadkins' characterization of the Venetian church on which Palmer was modeled, Santa Maria della Miracoli. The immense Bourdon 32' in the Pedal division required a large rear case. The Great was placed above and in front of the Pedal case, separated by a reflective wall, enabling the Great to speak boldly into the room. The Swell, housed in a large, heavily built box fitted with louvers controlled by the organist, was located above and between the two halves of the Great, with it's pipes arranged from back to front in the nineteenth century French style. This division is most effective next to the ceiling, which the church had wisely agreed to make more acoustically reflective. [Note: This plan to harden the cork ceiling through an application of lacquer or varnish was later abandoned due to the fear of altering it's color and appearance. JP] The Chaire, to aid in it's role as an intimate contrast to the Great, was hung from the balcony railing, close to the congregation. It's ranks are arrayed in a modified 'M' fashion, giving the organist good sight lines to the chancel. The base of the organ case was made small to leave maximum floor space for the choir, and the front corners of the lower case were angled back to let singers and instrumentalists see the organist. The balcony itself was made larger and stronger. From this basic arrangement the visual design of the organ was developed. Guided by historical examples, the pipes of the Prestant 16' were arranged in a series of towers, arches and flats that take their shape from the progression of natural pipe lengths. The key and stop actions were made simple and direct to reduce the distance between musician and music. A mechanical combination action was included to give the organist the ability to bring in large numbers of stops quickly and easily. Pipework for Opus 99 was scaled and made based on the requirements of the liturgy and of the room. The metal was alloyed, cast into sheets, rolled up and soldered at the Fisk shop following historical methods. The pipes were then shop-voiced to bring them to a level from which the voicers could adjust them on-site to the acoustics of the church. Charles Fisk's specification at Palmer Church was eclectic, a careful choice of the most useful stops of the German, French, English and American schools of organ building. The Great, based on the eighteenth century German Hauptwerk that Arp Schnitger would have known, has at it's core the Plenum, or Great Chorus. This consists of the Prestant 16', Octave 8', Octave 4', Superoctave 2' and Mixture, to which the Trommeten 8' is added when yet more fundamental is required. The Spire and Chimney flutes, 8' and 4', are also of German origin. The eighteenth century French reeds at 8' and 4' pitch and the mounted Cornet V provide the fire and varied color necessary for the French classical repertoire. The Flûte harmonique 8' and Gambe 8', inspired by the nineteenth-century builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, provide, with the other two 8' flue stops, a complete Fonds d'huit. The Pedal division shares the Prestant 16' with the Great as the basis of it's own eighteenth- century German Chorus (16', 8', 4', Mixture) to which the Trombone 16', a Gottfried Silbermann- style reed, adds more fundamental. The 32' Bourdon creates a grand effect when added to full organ. The Chaire is, like the Great, eclectic in nature, but in contrast to the Great, smaller scaled and more lightly voiced. In addition to the German Principal Chorus and flutes, French stops include the Nazard and Tierce, and Cromorne 8'. A Cornet décompose' may be had by combining the Nazard and Tierce with the 8' and 4' flutes and the Doublette 2'. The Swell is typical of French organs from nineteenth century. It offers a third manual chorus, brightly voiced, to accompany the choir or to contrast with the Great. The Viola da gamba 8', Voix céleste 8' and all of the reeds are modeled on stops of Cavaillé-Coll. The manual divisions are winded from a single large wedge bellows to ensure a unity of breath. A drawknob engages a wind stabilizer for music needing a steadier wind supply. The organ is tuned in a slightly unequal temperament first developed by Charles Fisk for his (then) largest instrument, Opus 78, at House of Hope Presbyterian Church, St. Paul, Minnesota. This temperament gives flavor to the common keys for the performance of earlier music but still allows music to be played in all keys. Opus 99 was finish-voiced in the church over the course of nine months. Each pipe was listened to carefully: alone, within it's rank and finally in combinations of stops. Stops were used during Sunday services as they were voiced, allowing the Fisk voicers to judge them in a full room. The Principals have generous toeholes, healthy windways with light nicking, and moderate to high cut-ups resulting in a warm, singing fundamental tone. The flutes are voiced more delicately with narrower windways and smaller toeholes for a softer, more elegant sound. The reeds are voiced by carefully curving their brass tongues until maximum tone is produced but speech is still prompt. The Palmer Memorial Fisk was dedicated by Clyde Holloway on 30 April 1991. Organ Stop List: Opus 99 - PALMER MEMORIAL EPISCOPAL CHURCH - Houston, Texas 41 voices; 62 ranks; 3,003 pipes Great - Manual II Prestant 16' Octave 8'? Spire Flute 8' ?Flûte harmonique 8' Octave 4' Chimney Flute 4' Superoctave 2' Cornet V ranks Mixture VI-IX ranks Trommeten 8' Trompette 8' Clairon 4' Chaire [Rückpositiv] - Manual I Prestant 8' Gedackt 8' Octave 4' Baarpijp 4' Nazard 2 2/3' Doublette 2' Tierce 1 3/5' Sharp IV-VI ranks Dulcian 16' Trechterregal 8' Cromorne 8' Swell - Manual III enclosed Bourdon 16'? Viola da Gamba 8' Voix céleste 8' Celeste 8'? Cor de nuit 8' Italian Principal 4' Fifteenth 2'? Terz 1 3/5' Quinta 1 1/3' Fourniture III ranks Trompette 8' Hautboy 8' Voix humaine 8' Pedal Bourdon 32' Prestant (Great) 16' Bourdon 16'? Octave 8' Superoctave 4' Mixture III ranks Trombone 16' Trommeten (Great) 8' Trompette (Great) 8' Clairon (Great) 4' Couplers Chaire to Great; Swell to Great; Swell to Chaire; Great to Pedal; Chaire to Pedal; Swell to Pedal Features Mechanical (suspended) Key, Pedal & Stop Action Tremulant; Wind Stabilizer ?Three manual keyboards [CC - a3] 58 notes; flat pedal board [CC-f1] 30 notes Two polychromed cases in the rear gallery, with gilt carvings by Morgan Faulds Pike Combination Pedals: Two adjustable pairs of pedals ('On' and 'Off'), one pair for stops on the right-hand stop jamb,? one pair for stops on the left-hand stop jamb. About the performer: Kevin M. Clarke was born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. After several years of self taught playing Mr. Clarke studied with George Kent and Steven Martorella. He obtained his Bachelor of Music degree from Rhode Island College and his Master of Music deg