From the Builder

The pipe organ as the principal musical instrument for the Christian Church is the result of development extending back over a thousand years. Changes from country to country, varying with the requirements and musical needs of various congregations has resulted in a number of national styles. Congregations influenced by Luther's Reformation have led the development of the organ in its use with singing of chorales and hymns, the liturgy of the church, and in music such as that which Johann Sebastian Bach composed to inspire the people in their offering of praise and thanksgiving to God.

The instrument our shop has made for Southern Adventist University is strongly influenced by the historical development of the organ, especially that found in northwestern Europe in the 16th through 18th centuries. This influence notwithstanding, this organ was entirely made here in the United States and consequently must be considered an American organ designed for the musical and spiritual enrichment of a Christian congregation in the South of our country.

The musical resources are disposed over four manuals and pedal which control the slider windchests by means of suspended tracker action and have mechanical stop action. Electricity is only used to power a blower which fills two large wedge-shaped bellows. The slender wooden trackers control the key action completely, just like they do in the historic European instruments that render the compositions of the old masters so wonderfully.

The organ contains 4,861 pipes in 108 ranks for its 70 stops. The temperament (i.e. tuning of the musical scale) of the organ is well tempered in the manner of Johann Sebastian Bach. Voicing of the pipes has been done on a windpressure that will support a column of water 90 mm. high.

The casework is made of hand-planed white oak fumed in strong ammonia that has accelerated what would have been accomplished by natural aging. The upper back panels are of western red cedar, a very stable wood with lively acoustic properties. Pipes, moldings, and key nosings are gilded with 23 carat gold leaf. The naturals of the manual keyboards are plated with cow shinbones prepared in our shop. The manual sharps, stop knobs, and keytable moldings are from African ebony. The keychecks are from zebrawood, the pedal sharps from Brazilian rosewood, the pedal naturals from maple, the black strip in the music rack from oak sunk in a North German peatbog for many centuries, and the stop rods of beech. The keyboards and trackers are from sugar pine. The windchests and bellows are made of white oak, western red cedar, sugar pine, and sheep and cow leather. The reed shallots and tongues are of brass, some covered with lead plates and leather. The pipes are made of various combinations of lead, tin, antimony, copper, and bismuth.

Many have contributed to the conception and execution of this organ. Very special thanks are due to my shop associates whose blood, sweat, and tears made it possible to bring this project to completion after more than 48,000 of hard work.

It is the hope of all of us who have participated in building this instrument for Southern Adventist University that it will bring musical and spiritual inspiration here in the South and praise and thanksgiving to our Lord and Saviour for many generations to come.

IN NOMINE JESU,

John Brombaugh