Opus 18

First United Methodist Church
Bellevue, Washington
Completed 1997

29 straight-speaking stops, 34 ranks across three manuals and pedal

About five years ago I received an inquiry from the Organ Committee at First United Methodist Church of Bellevue, Washington, about replacing their aging electronic instrument. After visiting the Church, built in the early 1960s, and discussing the project with the Organ Committee, we agreed upon the basic design parameters and showed that the acoustics of the Sanctuary could be improved dramatically, and at little expense, by neutralizing a vast expanse of acoustic tile in the Clerestory ceiling. Although the organ could not be placed in a free-standing case in one central location, the geometry of the Chancel and the two sturdily built chamber spaces were cleverly designed to focus the organ's sound at the front of the Nave.

Nearly their entire Committee flew from Seattle to Chicago and then drove to Champaign to see, hear and play our instruments. Their overwhelmingly positive reaction to what they heard and saw was gratifying and touching. I came to realize there would be no small controversy installing an electric-slider action instrument of our bold tonal and visual style in the Pacific northwest.

The Bellevue organ was originally to have been a three maual instrument of 40 straight speaking stops. Unfortunately, several years passed between our firm's selection as their organbuilder and signing of a contract. Not only did prices rise in the interim, but the church's budget for the organ was severely cut. The Church insisted that the organ still have three manual keyboards for flexibility in choral accompaniment; but the funds simply were not there for three straight manual divisions of any consequence.

How many of us have played on small (but, bless their hearts, straight!) three manual organs with puny, nearly useless divisions? How many of us have suffered from instruments where the diminuitive Choir division consists of a Dulciana, Unda Maris and a few colorless flutes? How many pathetic situations have we witnessed where a Choir division, having been prepared for future addition 30 years ago, still has not been installed? And, how many organs are out there with no integrity at all, where every rank of pipes seems to be "fair game" for extention and borrowing throughout the entire organ? These are the traps into which I did not wish to fall.

We needed to produce a very grand, majestic sound, with as wide a variety of colors as possible, utilizing three keyboards, based upon classic scaling concepts, keeping the needs of solo literature very much in the forefront, for a budget that should more appropriately have accommodated a straight two manual organ. A divided Swell approach would not work, since the distance between the two organ chambers was too great. The concept for the "Composite Choir Division" began to take shape.

One needs to think of this instrument as a two manual organ, in which the coloristic Great stops are enclosed and made available on a third manual keyboard, in some cases at pitches which allow the third division to begin to have its own tonal personality. The success of this approach lies in meticulous design and execution. Our imagination and creativity were certainly taxed, and I believe we successfully met the challenge. Sufficient space has been left in the Great & Choir expression box for the future addition of more straight Choir stops, to replace their unified counterparts as budgets and congregational will allows.

- John-Paul Buzard