2013 Casavant Organ, First Presbyterian Church, Kirkwood, Missouri

Brent Johnson talks with Bill Stein about the 2013 Casavant organ at First Presbyterian Church in Kirkwood, Missouri.
Jeremy David Tarrant's recording of this organ is available at ravencd.com/me...
The specification of the organ can be found at stlouisorgans.c...
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[@pierrelauwers8719]

The voicing of this instrument is an achievement in that there are truly "romantic" stops here, paired with bold, not shrill mixtures. As far as a video can tell, it is a quite beautifull organ.

[@mariovanasse9816]

Great video it's special for me ( I install this instrument) Say hello to all . Great job Bill

[@agogobell28]

What a wonderful big modern organ. I love the tonal structure and the voicing.

[@AirchimeLTDproductions174]

Indeed Casavants are magnificent! :)

[@raymondtaylor2152]

Magnificent organ and that was a beautiful piece Bill played near the end of the video, Trumpet Tune. Thanks for sharing your video.

[@robertramsay5963]

Why are flute celestes so rare? They are so beautiful, glad to hear you have one.

[@billraty14]

Thank-you Brent for pointing out the 29:15 Electric pull-down key action. Thoughtful touches by Casavant with the easy access to key action in the wind chest, as well as connectors to allow windchests to be quickly disconnected for maintenance!

[@markgustus6172]

That is one gorgeous instrument. The high quality of the design and build delivers a stunning tonal result. Thanks, Brent and Bill!

[@louisglen1653]

A great sounding organ. It is also so nice the old organ was donated! Practical Christianity!

[@OrganNLou]

I have never been a big fan of Casavant however, this instrument sounds wonderful! Warm, reverberant room as well. IMPRESSED!

[@djmotise]

Casavant is amazing.

[@danielponder690]

Check out Broadway Baptist in Ft Worth, you'll be very impressed I'm sure!

[@ksbear2]

I attended two concerts there in 2014 during the NPM convention. Loved the instrument and the room.

[@jimshaw899]

If we can't have a new Cavaille-Coll, nor a new Aeolian Skinner, thank heaven for Casavant-Freres. I just viewed this, and all the way up to the CD exposition, I kept thinking, "This organ needs to be recorded with French organ literature." Indeed, so it is. I need a copy of that CD. Compliments to all of the donations it must have taken to acquire this organ. And to whomever chose Casavant to build it.

[@jv04jm]

What a stunning instrument!

[@michaelmiller1215]

A magnificent instrument

[@Organgrinder1010]

Pleased to find a Septiéme, a stop I find very useful and quite inexpensive to include! Also the divisional nameplates appear to be cancels, another useful feature.

[@martinwright4125]

really love this sound. really nice round sounds, but very capable of a rumble. tight!

[@accousticdecay]

Casavant has always built impressive instruments, in both tonal design and build quality. I was privileged to have played an authoritative, 1967 Phelps design IV/75 Casavant that had many similarities, but some remarkable differences. The great trompette was very loud, and had a number of renegade pipes that refused to stay in tune, and a 16' pedal posaune that shook the building. It was a thrill to play. And God bless y'all for donating your old Wicks organ to a tsunami-ravaged country far away.

[@phyzygy]

Impressive build quality even inside where few will ever see. Played my first Casavant over 50 years ago at Baldwin-Wallace and loved it. Many similar design features remain on this instrument. Have played a couple others that were not so great since Casavant built to specification many styles, some very Wicks/Moeller-like which I found uninspiring. This instrument, however is one to envy. Too bad the audio recording had automatic compression on, so the full effect was distorted on a good sound system playback especially on releases, swelling unnaturally. Very much enjoyed it overall, though. Thanks for this.

[@Jm4steam]

Wonderful instrument!!

[@sonopro1]

Made in Québec !!! Chez-nous

[@harmonicoutreach]

that vox humana is just sublime

[@camilloflaim8933]

Here from UE; i know the organs of Casavant from some years( because Isabelle Demers). I have seen one new with 4 keyboards away Casavant

[@peterwarner358]

Maybe one pallet is for the white note and the other is for the Black note (eg: Middle C natural versus middle C Sharp) or like the Theorde (correct my spelling here if I blew it) the two pallet system may be a Casavant Specialty).

[@Mr05241948]

Would love to hear this organ full out

[@praestant8]

French names but not necessarily French sounds. Double pallets are always on regardless of stops and are to prevent bass under winding. It would not be unusual for reed basses to be on the smaller separate pallet for stability.

[@lnwbpa]

I would love to hear the organist either improvise or play a piece of music that starts at the soft spectrum and builds to full organ. We heard one trumpet piece here, but I have no idea of the softer end (including pedal) or the more majestic sound of full organ in this space. Please consider this for each organ you visit.

[@OrganMediaFoundation]

Unfortunately we didn't have a lot of time to record just the organ, and the organists are great to volunteer their time and skills, so we take what we can get. I think you would really enjoy what Jeremy David Tarrant does with the organ on his new album: www.organlive.com/aid/1867 ravencd.com/merchantmanager/product_info.php?products_id=250

[@ABruckner8]

Why isn't that Theorbe stop listed as a mixture, Theorbe II? (I suppose one would then have to figure 6 2/5, 4 4/7). If the Pedal Organ were as flexible as the Positif, I suppose they could've listed both ranks as separate stops: Grande Tierce 6 2/5, Grande Septieme 4 4/7.

[@robertlozen5565]

Do you have a link to the sheet music you played for this piece? Very well done

[@jerrybenton8087]

Sized and sounds much like a 1960's Casavant at Pioneer Memorial Church at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI.

[@JohnBoyDeere]

Sounds like a Hauptwerk VPO candidate:)

[@petermacander5039]

2-2/3' Quints often add little to the Great principal chorus.

[@ryanfrederick3376]

Is the Lau piece the one from his Wedding Suite?

[@Diapason16ft]

Auto level control is destroying the audio.

[@peterwarner358]

Have you featured any Ruffatti Organs like Christ Cathedral in Anaheim/Garden Grove, CA

[@StoreeDenson]

I hope he will but the organ electric and tuning work needs to be finished so the cathedral have a digital organ. He can do the Arboretum with the organ designed by Fredrick Swann.

[@67DUTCHMAN]

REALLY, really Big Queen!

[@PointyTailofSatan]

You must have asked for traditional key color. Reversed key color is a kind of Casavant tradition.

[@charlesschumacher334]

What's with the volume bloom at the end of each demo?

[@OrganMediaFoundation]

It's an unfortunate effect of them talking over the sound of the organ. There is a switch between two audio sources, one for the organ, and one for the voices.

[@charlesschumacher334]

Thank you for your reply to my Question. I am a real fan of your videos. Some seem to be recorded at a higher level than others. This Casavant is a very complete organ with a versatile tone pallet. A great organ.

[@williammitchell1864]

What are the names of each and every stop on this organ?

[@OrganMediaFoundation]

A specification of the organ can be found at www.kirkwoodpres.org/music/casavant-pipe-organ/

[@ashdownnazarene]

What's the name of the first song you played

[@danielponder690]

Lobe Den Herrn - hymn tune, Praise to the Lord the Almighty

[@daanmollema6366]

Where to find sheet music for the Trumpet Tune by Lau?

[@OrganMediaFoundation]

www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/16670428?aff_id=457717

[@daanmollema6366]

Many thanks!

[@AJ12-76]

Actually if you add a 16’ Bourdon and the Septieme together and start at low C it sounds like touch-tone dialing lol

[@user-jx3jp3gb4x]

phyzygy... regarding your post, there was no "automatic" compression on the recording. It is evident to me being an audio engineer of over 45 years that the swelling you hear at the end of most of the played examples of the various stops is simply the un-natural sounding result of the video editing. After watching many of Brent's videos, he does not wait for the room to finish reverberating, and so he makes a quick crossfade edit from the audio of his portable recorder out in the sanctuary.... to the recorder that is recording his voice and the organist's voice. I really wish he could wait for the room to finish, but that would take far more time, and therefore the content flow of the interview would be un-natural. Listen to Bill Stein in this recording that I made of the Metropolitan Orchestra of St. Louis featuring Bill Stein on the Casavant. kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXbKloGknrWKp9E

[@mudog35]

what kind of piano is that ?

[@christineroberts6759]

It's not a piano it's an organ, a wind instrument. The piano is a string instrument.

[@qwincyq6412]

@@christineroberts6759 actually the piano is a percussion instrument

[@massimilianolivolsi5500]

metallic sound of the reeds...................

[@allenplante4402]

They keep saying French,,,casavant is Canadian

[@OrganMediaFoundation]

Quebecois specifically. Their organs are often very French.

[@normancascioppo1456]

the room sounds live. the 8 montre doesn't really sound French. Never been a big fan of Casavant.

[@mrstevebournias]

too much upperwork and not enuff foundations and color reeds

[@djmotise]

I hope you're not listening on your laptop or cellphone, or even cheap headphones.

[@cromorno8749]

I absolutely agree

[@mrstevebournias]

positif is too loud

[@jeffwhite4227]

You need to be in the room. They're right below the Postif so it sounds louder. It speaks well into the room.

[@bachkirche]

This organ doesn’t have trackers. I’m outa here...

[@praestant8]

bachkirche Luddite!