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New Organs

Zion Lutheran Church, Piedmont, CA, Opus 4

Zion-Lutheran-02

Zion Lutheran Church, Installed

Bill Visscher, organist for this recording

Model Zion Lutheran

Model of Zion Lutheran

6 Stop Continuo Organ

6_stop_façade

8' Gedackt

8' Open Wood

4' Principal

4' Flute

2' Octave

II Sesquialtera

6 stop cintinuo
St.-Marks-UM

St. Mark's United Methodist Church, Sacramento

CC Sausalito Console

Christ Episcopal Church, Sausalito, CA

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The Tudor Organ

Tudor & Feeders

Due to the scarcity of surviving organs from sixteenth-century England, our Tudor-style organ is inspired by the recent work of Martin Goetze & Dominic Gwynn from Nottinghamshire. Their research is rooted in a 1995 rediscovery of an organ's grid, table, and upper boards that once belonged to the collegiate church of Wingfield in Suffolk. Currently, only two of these five-rank Tudor-style organs exist.

In contrast to Goetze & Gwynn's recreation, our organ features metal pipes made from high tin, with the façade pipes being embossed and gilded, while the center façade pipe is painted en grisaille.

The case is crafted from stained quarter-sawn white oak and showcases hand-carved panels of linen fold and Tudor rose designs, inspired by the organ cases at St. Nicholas Church in Stanford-on-Avon and the Parish Church of St. Stephen in Old Radnor, Wales.

The keys are constructed from European pear wood, with ebony sharps. The keyboard spans 40 notes from low F to high A, excluding high G#, resulting in 40 pipes per rank and a total of 200 pipes for the organ. It is equipped with two large feeder bellows to supply wind.

Historically, these smaller yet tonally versatile organs were common during Tudor times. The organ is tuned in Pythagorean tuning and is pitched a fourth above modern pitch, with the following unique specifications:

8′ Principal
4′ Octave
4′ Octave
2′ Super Octave
2′ Super Octave

The Principal is always active, while the other four stops are adjustable via sliders. The organ produces a surprisingly rich sound with a bell-like quality. We hope this organ will revive the extensive repertoire of sixteenth-century English organ music, allowing us to once again enjoy the enchanting sounds of these remarkable instruments. Currently, the organ is installed at the Memorial Church of Stanford, California.

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