2021 Goulding and Wood Organ - St. James Episcopal Church, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

[@robertramsay5963]

That instrument is a total gem. How fortunate you are to be able to play it every week.

[@shannongallier7175]

It's a joy to play!

[@nathanaellee8356]

A very beautiful instrument with a tonal registration of early period American organ building. I hear the tones of the Aeolian-Skinner ,Moeller, and Kilgen organ companies. Obviously,Schlicker is present with some stops from the Schlicker organ being reinstalled by Goulding and Wood.

[@deansorgan]

I remember working on the old Schlicker in 1981, when employed as a voicer for Guzowski and Steppe. We swapped flue pipes from one division to another (sorry I don’t remember which stops) to satisfy the organist at the time.

[@matthieubazile3350]

Lovely Goulding and Wood Organ! I especially like their consoles.

[@sgallier]

It’s a dream to play! Registers itself.

[@danjohnson7479]

The action that Goulding and Wood developed let's the air enter the pipes in a more gentle way than a typical electric action. A real plus. Very skillful voicing.

[@praestant8]

It's not the action per se, but the slider chests the flue work is placed on. The common channel helps promote uniform pipe speech. This isn't something specific to one builder as many use slider chests. The uniqueness is in their pneumatic pull down for the pallet which is patterned after Wurlitzer that allows for quick repetition.

[@williamcoscarelli4494]

I really enjoyed this presentation on the new instrument. I was a member of the choir in 1982-83 and had several occasions to substitute on the Schilcker. I have to say it was very gratifying NOT to hear the strings chiff! I love the painted facade pipes. As I recall they were gold originally but I could be wrong on that. Congratulations on a wonderful installation.

[@scottnyc6572]

Congratulations on the new beautifully sounding organ!! Such an amazing job and craftsmanship on installing the wide array of pipes and of course the organist fantastic performance!!

[@shannongallier7175]

Thanks! We're thrilled with how it turned out.

[@Zardman7]

I’m almost certain that this organ was used in either a movie or series and played off as an organ from the 1600s in Mexico. Just judging by the façade as I remember it.

[@OrganMediaFoundation]

You're correct: www.brproud.com/features/entertainment-news/baton-rouge-church-highlighted-in-disney-tv-series/

[@Zardman7]

@@OrganMediaFoundation lmao

[@sgallier]

@@Zardman7it was quite an interesting experience. 😶😂

[@StoreeDenson]

Amazing. The organist of Trinity Cathedral in Ohio did a dedicatory recital on this organ a few weeks ago.

[@HiringAPtAdvocate]

I thought it was Holy Name RC Cathedral and St. James Epis. Cathedral, in Chicago. Oh wait are you talking about Todd Wilson? He's from Ohio.

[@sgallier]

You can find the full dedicatory recital on St. James’s KZbin channel.

[@thebog11]

This seems like a "meat and potatoes" organ - all the basic elements you'd expect from a medium-sized 3 manual. Exactly the kind of organ I'd love to play on Sundays. My only gripes - the Choir seems to be just a collection of soft sounds. I'd want an 8' Principal or at least a louder 4' foundation. I also wish the Festival Trumpet was smoother and rounder - this one sounds like it was more or less unchanged from 1975 or whenever it was installed.

[@shannongallier7175]

It's a joy to play services on. The 8' Dulciana & 4' Fugara on the Choir have turned out to be VERY useful, especially in accompanying, while also helping to round out the organ's other principal sounds.

[@MrKmoconne]

Goulding and Wood are based in my city. Maybe they would give you a tour of the shop? Be sure to tour the organ they restored in the Indiana Landmarks building.

[@joshuamiller-le753]

Is Saint John's Episcopal Cathedral Knoxville on the list as well? They recently got a Goulding & Wood.

[@pittmanes]

The comments about the presence of the organ ring true to me though I wonder how much is due to recording mics etc. I sang St. James' incredible choir there from 2000-2009 and loved the Schlicker and it definitely had a presence. My favorite spot for the postlude was in the middle of the chancel somewhat towards the nave to get evenly bathed in sound. I also played a few services through the years on the organ when David Culbert or Herndon Spillman weren't available. I'm currently the organist at another Episcopal church in the area and haven't been able to get to hear the new organ in person but it's definitely something that I'll have to get to sooner than later now that I've seen this video! The instrument at my church is a 7 rank 1962 Moller but it is a delight to play even though I'd love to have a few more of the stops Shannon has at his disposal.

[@shannongallier7175]

Believe me, it's better in person. :) Come visit, any time!

[@pittmanes]

@@shannongallier7175 I will definitely try to get over there soon!

[@ryanmusser5557]

I shortly sang bass in the St James choir, vocal performance student at LSU, from roughly 98-99-so right before you! I remember David and Herndon warmly.

[@edwardpotasznyk1691]

Beautiful Organ, I would add a 32" Contra Posaune in the pedal division

[@HiringAPtAdvocate]

It appears it would need to be suspended from the rafters although I have seen some organs following those on the other side of the pond where 32' octaves are in the transepts - event the nave back wall!

[@danjohnson7479]

Thanks. I should be more specific, differentiating between slider chests and pneumatic pulldowns. I can't remember the specifics regarding the uniqueness of Goulding and Wood's action. The previous Casavant in this series, like this Goulding and Wood shows skillful voicing. For me, the difference is that the initial pipe speech on the Casavant is very quick, which I think gives the sound a slight aggressive edge. The Goulding and Wood sound blossoms more gently. Particularly when using higher wind pressures, this is an important aspect towards a sound that one would not tire of hearing.

[@praestant8]

I think you mean the slider chest vs an electropneumatic pouch or pitman chest. Yes there can be differences in speech characteristics, but those can be usually be offset by a change in voicing technique. Flue pipes on unit action without any expansion channel have to be voiced on the slow side (higher languid placement) to offset the immediacy of wind. However, slider chests allow for a quicker yet more relaxed sounding speech with a kinder languid placement due to the expansion in the channel. Goulding and Wood use a wedge pneumatic where one might see an access bung with a small lever attached to it to open the pallet at the front end of the pallet just as a Wurlitzer chest does. The only difference being that the pallet of a Wurlitzer chest is for a single pipe whereas a G&W pallet is for the common channel of the slider chest and all pipes of that pitch. Rather creative adaptation even though wedge pneumatics pulling open a pallet is not a new thing although their placement and leverage is a uniqueness.

[@bachtehude2437]

I can't help but feel that if the pedal trebles were arranged more compactly, there would be room for an 8ft Tuba on that level - a necessity for Anglican accompaniment

[@markaustin4370]

Having now listened to the whole video on good audio, the whole organ seems up an octave. The Great 8’ would be perfect as a manual 16 Prestant or a 4’ Octave The pedal seems much more 8’ Dominant than 16’. 4’s seem louder than 8’s etc. I ran into this when rescaling a Joseph Whiteford Skinner from the sixties. In choirs and organs I’m just more a fan of “steeple” balance where as you progress through 8 4 3 2 IV etc each addition adds to the harmonic series rather than shifting your ear up an octave.

[@HiringAPtAdvocate]

Ah, TY I just thought it was my poor computer speakers.

[@steamgent4592]

Not sure if it's his placing or the organ. But it's seems to soft to me. No commanding sound disappointing.

[@praestant8]

Never judge an organ by how it is recorded in video and the out in the room mic placement vs the lapel mics used for voice capture.

[@sgallier]

It’s wonderful in person!

[@markaustin4370]

It’s kind of mashup of styles. Swell strings are nice. Love the swell oboe. I could really use more 8’ foundation tone in every manual. The great is really light and fluffy. I’d kill for a real diapason in the great. The pedal Reed sounds half length or really small scale. Ok small scale. lol. That’s a koppel flute not a spire flute in the choir

[@saxachewon8062]

I agree, the pedal division doesn’t really stand out. Then again, this instrument is in a fairly modest sized sanctuary.

[@thebog11]

It's called "Spindle Flute" in the stoplist, I've always been under the impression that Spindle Flutes/Spillfloeten are distinct from Koppel Flutes. The conical top is longer. However, you're right, it's definitely not a "Spire Flute", which is usually used as a synonym for Spitzfloete.

[@TheProsaicCult]

42 ranks

[@markaustin4370]

Still sounds like a Schlicker.

[@praestant8]

Far too refined for them.

[@thebog11]

The festival trumpet sounds essentially unchanged from when it was put in by Schlicker in 1975. I would've preferred a less bright sound.

[@derherrvonhabenichts7462]

Pull on your claws, girls

[@thomasnichols1970]

@@thebog11 Correct. By request of the church (not the organist), no tonal work was done on the Festival Trumpet. Therefore it does not reflect Goulding & Wood's tonal philosophy for what such a stop should be in this particular organ, in this particular room.

[@trumpdesantis243]

Who in their right mind would design and purchase and brand new organ with painted pipes ?!?!?! That is hideous. That was unfortunately popular a 100 to 200 years ago, the design committee from that church should be flogged.

[@TheProsaicCult]

Sounds just like a jeolous christian.