Professional Documents
Culture Documents
COVER FEATURE
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE
HOUSTON, TEXAS
ORGUES LÉTOURNEAU LIMITÉE
ST-HYACINTHE, QUEBEC
Antiphonal
From the Rector From the Project Manager mary requirement for the renovation was re-
From the founding of the parish in 1940, It was once humorously observed that if St. maining faithful to the building’s original ar-
St. John the Divine has renovated its facili- John the Divine had planned to have poor chitecture by McKee and Kamrath, Hous-
ties regularly for an expanding church fam- church acoustics, it couldn’t have done a bet- ton’s foremost proponents of Frank Lloyd
ily. The latest church renovation and com- ter job. Music in the sanctuary was a partic- Wright’s prairie style. Other goals included
pletion of our new pipe organ mark an ular challenge, thanks to carpeted floors, modernizing the building’s infrastructure
exciting time in our parish life. Among the cushioned pews, and a ceiling composed of and transforming the acoustic.
changes suggested by our liturgical designer, half-inch plywood sheets. Sound projection The renovations began in 2004 and were
Terry Byrd Eason, moving the altar forward was uniformly poor, as confirmed by acous- completed in August of 2005 to coincide
was the central decision from which every- tical measurements showing a 28-decibel with the beginning of the organ’s installa-
thing else flowed. The transformation of the drop in sound energy from the chancel to the tion. Organ assembly was completed in mid-
sanctuary has been greeted enthusiastically, balcony. November 2005, with the voicing continuing
worship has been re-energized, and our ex- The catalyst for a renovation project came until mid-March 2006. The total cost of the
traordinary new Létourneau organ now leads in late 2001 when the church’s pipe organ project, including the organ, approached
music with warmth and dignity. With thanks was damaged by water leaking into the $17 million—and the results are an absolute
to Almighty God, our music ministry has chamber. The vestry wisely chose to resolve success.
planned a special series of inaugural con- the acoustical and organ problems in tan- Addressing the acoustic issues, thick ce-
certs for the next several years. For more dem, committing in 2003 to a complete ren- ment plaster on ceilings and walls and slate
information, please visit our Web site at ovation of the 50-year-old church building floors over concrete provide the necessary
<www.sjd.org>. and the purchase of a new pipe organ from density for proper sound reflection. The
THE REV. LAURENS A. HALL, DD Orgues Létourneau Limitée of Quebec. A pri- chancel and balcony sidewalls have been
MAY 2006 49
25044 AGO May06+1 10/11/07 1:39 PM Page 50
MAY 2006 51
25044 AGO May06+1 10/11/07 1:39 PM Page 52
PEDAL (continued)
8’ Trumpet .............................................. 32 ”
4’ Clarion ................................................ 32 ”
4’ Clarinet ............................................. SOLO
TREMULANT
8’ Festival Trumpet .................. ANTIPHONAL
16’ Contra Tuba ............................... FANFARE
8’ Tuba ............................................ FANFARE
4’ Tuba Clarion .............................. FANFARE
ANTIPHONAL PEDAL
3 7/8” wind
1 stop; 1 rank; 56 pipes
TOTALS
113 stops ; 144 ranks ; 8,361 pipes
MAY 2006 53