Opus 105

The visual and mechanical design of the organ began in early 1993 with a scale model of the front of the church. On the advice of acoustician Red Wetherill, the church closed off the former organ chamber with a reflective wall. The Great, Swell, and Pedal divisions of the new organ were placed in front of this wall, enabling them to speak boldly into the room.

The eclectic stoplist for a two-manual and pedal organ of twenty-eight stops was developed with organist Carl Klein, and is a blend of the most useful stops of the German, French, English, and American schools of organ building. Following an open house at the Fisk shop and shipment to Tampa, a month-long installation prepared the organ for four months of finish voicing. Each pipe was listened to carefully: alone, within its rank, and finally in combinations of stops. 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 manual divisions are winded from a single large wedge bellows to ensure a unity of breath. In the Fisk tradition, a stopknob may be drawn to engage a wind stabilizer for music requiring a steadier wind supply.