55

New York’s famed Brick Church now

has an impressive French-style

Casavant. Jonathan Ambrosino

paid it a visit

In the late 1870s the Casavant brothers toured

Europe, inspecting instruments and shops in

many countries, including a visit to l’atelier Cavaillé-

Coll. In the recent past, Casavant made much of this

mythic link, implying that early Casavants followed

in the vein of 19th-century French work and that

recent and present efforts recapture that connection

to Casavant’s glorious past.

Casavant’s past is indeed glorious. From 1900 to

1925 they were North America’s most international

builder of classical organs, pioneering any number

of important mechanical and tonal developments

and turning out organs of tremendously fine crafts-

manship and tone. But to imply that the work of

this era had strong roots in late 19th-century France

does a disservice to the distinctive style of Samuel

and Claver Casavant as developed after 1890, which

embodied many wonderful qualities, few if any of

them particularly French.

Besides, does it really matter? None of those old

organs sounds remotely like the excellent new

Casavant at the Brick Church, New York City,

whose accomplishment is significant and needs no

justification other than its own fine, musical terms.

This instrument gives one newfound respect for

Casavant’s tonal director emeritus Jean-Louis

Coignet and tonal director Jacquelin Rochette, even

if one can’t help feeling a tinge of regret: had things

been different, might Coignet and Casavant have

given us this organ long ago?

The work of Casavant has touched this column

several times. In 1998 we looked at the company’s

history relative to a new organ at the Church of

THE WORLD OF ORGAN DESIGN AND BUILDING

O rgano P leno

SignificantaccomplishmentSignificantaccomplishment

Choir & Organ, May/June 2006 © Newsquest Specialist Media 2006

56

Saint Louis King of France in Saint Paul, Minnesota,

and in 2000 we touched base with their instrument

for the Chicago Symphony. In last issue’s column we

again reviewed Casavant history as background to

the crop of Canadian builders now active, partic-

ularly with regard to Juget-Sinclair’s arresting new

organ in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Both the Saint Paul and Chicago Casavants were

carried out under a somewhat different business

administration and the tonal direction of Jean-

Louis Coignet. A physiologist by training, Coignet

is a theoretician who has conducted extensive

research on organs in his native France. For decades

he was engaged as Expert Organier to the City

of Paris, advising and approving projects for all

Parisian church organs except for Notre Dame

Cathedral. In 1981 Coignet became tonal director

of Casavant, commuting from France to Canada

about ten weeks a year. Given this frequency of

interaction, he was more an in-house consultant

than active tonal director. It remained for

Coignet’s trainee and associate Jacquelin Rochette

(accomplished organist as well as voicer) to see to

the daily work.

Coignet clearly knows the French organ, and is a

deliciously witty observer of the worldwide organ

scene; the fax machine and email were invented

precisely for such a person. But despite great charm

and polished rhetoric, Coignet never seemed to

promulgate a style his background and research

might suggest, particularly in the fluework. His

style blended an essentially neo-Classical voicing

approach to several neo-Romantic ideas, joined to

the unruffled confidence and pride of the Casavant

staff. A good example is the 1993 organ in The

Temple, Community of Christ, Independence,

Missouri: interesting stoplist, tracker action with an

electric fourth-manual Résonance. Important in its

day, this instrument comes forth as solid, modern

and multipurpose with perhaps some melodic

predilections – hardly the trailblazing French organ

advertised at the time. Its mingling of action, good

engineering and solid case typified the spectrum of

Casavant’s broad output, as their work has spanned

Choir & Organ, May/June 2006

57

the range of action possibilities since 1960 and they

were the first North American factory in the latter-

20th century routinely to provide real casework.

Thus it is interesting to explore just how the new

Brick Church organ has turned out so sensationally

well. A Francophile to the core, music director Keith

Toth had a vision for Brick that began with a two-

manual Guilbault-Thérien in the chapel, a keenly

good ‘orgue de chœur’ completed in 1996. For the

main church Toth wanted something on the grand

scale, more particularly informed by the larger, later

Cavaillé-Colls of unusual composition. Primary

notes of inspiration are the Albert Hall, Sheffield

and the Biarritz residence of the Baron L’Espée,

relocated and rebuilt by Mutin to Sacré-Cœur, Paris.

One expects a good instrument of course,

because Casavant builds good instruments. But the

finesse, polish and interest of this job are almost

unrecognisably distinguished from the firm’s recent

instruments. What has caused such a marked shift

from the same shop? André Gremillet, a savvy and

likeable concert pianist who became Casavant

president in 2002, seems determined to take the

company’s reach into new quarters. Didier Grassin,

formerly of N.P. Mander Ltd, is a skilled designer

capable of restoring to the mechanical action

department the progressive lustre it captured in the

1960s under Lawrence Phelps when Helmuth Wolff

and Karl Wilhelm were brought in – but today with

the possibility of suspended key-action and the

tonal framework modern customers have come to

expect. Finally, and critically, in Toth there was a

resolute vision, one that seems to have sparked a

longstanding ambition of Coignet’s. As the various

parameters realigned, perhaps at long last Coignet

could direct his staff toward something heartfelt.

So then, here is an instrument attempting to

resemble a latter-19th-century French organ, albeit

one that would have been electrified in the 20th (as

dictated by Brick’s divided chancel chambers). There

is a traditional wind system with the occasional

double-rise bellows (as opposed to schwimmers);

slider soundboards with electric pulldowns and

solenoids to move the sliders (not electro-pneumatic

pitman); double-walled swell boxes with thick

shades (instead of thin, ineffective ones), and a

terrace-jamb console vaguely in the Casavant style of

1900–1920, with the usual modern conveniences and

lots of applied decoration (not flight-deck

neutrality). The mechanism is solid and industrial

but doesn’t stand above. The key action is prompt

but doesn’t ‘crack’, while the stop-action is somewhat

slow and noisy. On the upside, there is neither pallet

shock nor burbling trebles in the slider chests, and

the swell boxes are marvellously effective.

Scaling, voicing and tonal finishing carry the day

here. True to style, there isn’t any pressure higher

than five inches. The material is at particular

these stops certainly are varied, from full to woody

to honky… the Positif 16ft is like a cranky old

Frenchwoman poking you with her baguette

Choir & Organ, May/June 2006

Photos Stanley R. Scheer / Casavant Frères

58

harmony with itself, and even the most outspoken

stops remain communitarian. For example, the

Tuba Mirabilis is simply another chorus reed, while

the Solo strings follow logically from those in

the Récit and Positif rather than dominate in the

early 20th-century pattern. While it is perhaps

disappointing to see manual unification within

such an orthodox plan (Great Basson extension,

Cornet at both 16 and 8, Tuba Mirabilis), maybe

these stopknobs are viewed as selective sub-octave

couplers in lieu of octaves graves.

It is hard to single out one tonal point better than

any other. All strings, principals and mixtures are

made of unplaned tin, scrolled and slotted with the

smallest pipes cone-tuned. Any fear of nicking has

been overcome, and, unlike earlier Casavants – and

like Cavaillé-Colls – there is no appreciable chiff,

just good speech. The organ is naturally melodic

without over-proving the point. Pedal basses and

manual trebles assume an unforced prominence,

and it might be more accurate to say that the

organ is tenor- and middle-relaxed rather than

treble-ascendant. The moderately-scaled slotted

foundations have a reedy and engaging warmth,

which the keen-toned strings extend and the full-

toned flutes flesh out. Indeed, the foundations in

each of the three principal departments work

together in predictable but elegant ways, and couple

up handsomely.

Sweet, silvery and not particularly prominent, the

upperwork strikes an unusual and believable note,

as do the tierce combinations for ensemble use.

While it’s possible to play early French music here,

the Cornets and jeux de tierces are more relaxed

than telling, an accepted part of the French heritage

rather than trailblazing solo voices for grands jeux

and big classical dialogue pieces. The chorus reeds

are generally excellent; most have open shallots,

with à larme shallots for the Bassons. In full organ,

the low end of the Pedal lacks that final ounce of

weight and drive, but this is probably a trick of the

chambers more than anything else. Otherwise the

tutti builds up to something grave, complex and

exciting – really a grand sound, without ever

becoming histrionic.

Colourful voices abound and on the whole are

fascinating, even the unlikeable ones. The mutation

series in the Positif is balanced with absolute grace;

the Cor de nuit celeste gives a hypnotic, almost

kinesthetic effect; the effective 32ft Pedal mutations

will delight Cochereau fans everywhere. One might

question the presence of five independent clarinet-

type voices in an organ whose minor Great chorus

reed is unified at 16ft and 8ft, but these stops

certainly are varied, from full to woody to honky:

the Positif 16ft is like a cranky old Frenchwoman

poking you with her baguette. Like those in early

20th-century Casavants, the Cor anglais here is

a free reed stop, a vintage rank of French

manufacture. It was a gift of the late Guy Thérien to

Keith Toth, and its installation here is in the order

of a memento, as are the French Horn and Flute

Celeste, the sole remaining voices from the church’s

1918/1940 Skinner.

Finally, the organ accepts its enchambered

status and doesn’t try to overcome the impossible.

In an empty room, the flue-reed balance survives

intact as it exits the chancel. With the room fairly

Choir & Organ, May/June 2006

full, such as at the inaugural concert of Ben van

Oosten, the flues strangely seem to dominate –

more Anglo-American than French. But this is a

room wider than it is tall and not long, with one

wall primarily of glass. Sound distorts easily in

such a space when oversaturated, and given an

organ of this size in chambers of this configu-

ration, it was wise not to take things too far. After

all, however French the organ may sound, it and

its audience are still very much on Park Avenue. ■

Grand Orgue Bourdon (from 16ft and Pédale) 32

Montre 16

Bourdon 16

Montre 8

Salicional 8

Bourdon 8

Prestant 4

Quinte 22/3

Doublette 2

Grande Fourniture III-VII 22/3

Fourniture II-V 11/3

Cymbale III-IV 1

Basson (Ext.) 16

Baryton 8

Grand Orgue Grave

Grand Orgue Muet

RécitBourdon 16

Diapason 8

Viole de gambe 8

Voix céleste (CC) 8

Flûte traversière 8

Cor de nuit 8

Voix éolienne (TC) 8

Fugara 4

Flûte octaviante 4

Nazard 22/3

Octavin 2

Cornet harmonique II-V 8

Plein Jeu harmonique II-V 2

Bombarde 16

Trompette harmonique 8

Basson-Hautbois 8

Clarinette 8

Voix humaine 8

Clairon harmonique 4

Trémolo

Récit Grave

Récit Muet

Récit Octave

Sostenuto

Grand Choeur Violonbasse (ext.) 16

Flûte harmonique 8

Violon 8

Flûte octaviante 4

Grand Cornet V 16

(middle c from Cornet V)

Cornet V (tenor c) 8

Bombarde 16

Trompette 8

Clairon 4

Grand Choeur Grave

Grand Choeur Muet

Positif Quintaton 16

Principal 8

Dulciane 8

Unda maris (GG) 8

Flûte harmonique (common bass) 8

Bourdon 8

Prestant 4

Flûte douce 4

Nazard 22/3

Flageolet 2

Tierce 13/5

Larigot 11/3

Septième 11/7

Piccolo 1

Plein Jeu II-V 11/3

Clarinette basse 16

Trompette 8

Cromorne 8

Clarinette soprano 4

Trémolo

Positif Grave

Positif Muet

Solo Flûte majeure 8

Flûtes célestes II1 8

Violoncelle 8

Céleste 8

Viole d’amour 4

Flûte de concert 4

Nazard harmonique 22/3

Octavin 2

Tierce harmonique 13/5

Piccolo harmonique 1

Clochette harmonique 1/3

Tuba magna (tc from 8ft) 16

Cor de basset 16

Tuba mirabilis 8

Cor français1 8

Cor anglais2 8

Tremolo

Solo Grave

Solo Muet

Solo Octave

Sostenuto

Pédale Soubasse (ext.) 32

Flûte 16

Contrebasse 16

Montre (Grand Orgue) 16

Violonbasse (Grand Choeur) 16

Soubasse 16

Bourdon (Récit) 16

Grande Quinte 102/3

Flûte 8

Violoncelle 8

Bourdon 8

Grande Tierce 62/5

Quinte 51/3

Grande Septième 44/7

Octave 4

Flûte 4

Cor de nuit 2

Contre Bombarde (ext.) 32

Bombarde 16

Basson (Grand Orgue) 16

Bombarde (Récit) 16

Trompette 8

Baryton (Grand Orgue) 8

Tuba Mirabilis (Solo) 8

Clairon 4

Soprano (Grand Orgue) 4

Effet d’orage

1. Pipework from the former Skinner organ

2. 19th-century French pipework

The Brick Church, New York CityCasavant Frères Ltée – Op.3837 (2005)

59Choir & Organ, May/June 2006