Dear List,
 
I've gotten a couple of requests to print the specs of the new Reuter at St.
Robert's RC Church in Flushing Michigan, and since there are others who may
be interested who aren't asking, I've decided to send a copy to the list,
too.
 
The organ is outside of Flint, in a small town called Flushing.  It has just
been installed at St. Robert's Roman Catholic Church, in the rear gallery.
 It is so new that tonal finishing is not quite completed, though it should
be done before the end of the month.  Acoustics of the room were improved
somewhat by the application of sealers to the back wall and the ceiling over
the gallery, and the entire interior of the chambers.  Tone openings were
also enlarged from the previous installation for better tonal egress.
 
It replaces a small three manual Kemper organ, originally imported from
Germany for a church in the Cleveland area and moved to Flushing about 18
years ago.  That organ, badly butchered over the years and in deplorable
condition, is now owned by a man in Ann Arbor, and is being offered for sale
for a whopping $17,000, which is *considerably* more than it is worth.  But
that's another story.
 
The Reuter is a large two manual, with the Swell enclosed on one side, part
of the Great and Pedal enclosed on the other side, both with shades into the
gallery and the nave, and all of the Great and Pedal Principals unenclosed
and exposed against the rear wall.
 
The only thing retained from the old organ are the Great 8' Clarinet pipes,
which have been cleaned and revoiced to blend with the new installation.  All
else is completely new.
 
The relay and combination action are the new Matters system that uses fiber
optics to provide a wealth of registration and playing aids, including record
and playback, MIDI compatibility, digital transposer, and multi-level
combination action, among other features.  The cable connecting console to
chambers is smaller than my computer's mouse cord!
 
The console is a beautiful oak drawknob with a walnut interior, with bone
naturals and rosewood sharps, and is really quite comfortable and easy to
play.  Though the gallery is a bit restricted for movement, the console is
movable via a built-in caster system that is completely invisible underneath
the console.
 
The entire organ is on Reuter's own electro-pneumatic slider and pallet
chests, excepting the unit stops, which are on their standard e-p unit
chests.
 
A complete spec follows:
(~ indicates exposed stops of the Great and Pedal)
 
GREAT:
16' Bourdon (metal, unit action)
~ 8' Principal
8' Bourdon (ext)
8' Flauto Dolce
8' Flauto Celeste TC
~ 4' Octave
4' Koppelflote
~ 2' Fifteenth
1-1/3' Quinte (Principal voicing)
~ IV Fourniture
8' Festival Trompette (unit action)
8' Trumpet (*large* scale)
8' Clarinet
Tremulant (enclosed only)
Chimes
MIDI 1
MIDI 2
All standard couplers
 
SWELL
8' Geigen
8' Viole d'Gambe
8' Viole Celeste TC
8' Rohrflote (metal)
4' Principal
4' Harmonic Flute
2-2/3' Nazard
2' Blockflote
1-3/5' Tierce
IV Plein Jeu
16' Hautbois (unit action, 1-12 are 1/2 length)
16' Festival Trompette TC (GT)
8' Trompette (unit action)
8' Festival Trompette (GT)
8' Hautbois (ext)
4' Trompette (ext)
Tremulant
MIDI 3
MIDI 4
All standard couplers
 
PEDAL
32' Resultant
~ 16' Principal (unit action)
16' Subbass (unit action, 1-24 wood, remainder metal)
16' Bourdon (GT)
~ 8' Principal (ext)
8' Subbass (ext)
8' Bourdon (GT)
~ 4' Choral Bass
4' Subbass (ext)
~ III Mixture
16' Posaune (unit action)
16' Hautbois (SW)
8' Posaune (ext)
8' Festival Trompette (GT)
8' Hautbois (SW)
4' Hautbois (SW)
MIDI 5
MIDI 6
All standard couplers
 
If you want to see the organ, let me know, and I'll help make arrangements,
or contact the organist (Wanda Yancho) at the church.  They're happy to show
it off.  Many of the sounds are just gorgeous, and the combination of Geigen,
Viole, and Viole Celeste on the Swell is enough to melt the hardest heart!
 Scales are broad, and voicing just sings!
 
This is a wonderful example of the kind of work that Reuter is doing these
days, since the company was purchased by the Neutel family in 1980.
 
If you're interested in other recent installations that might be in your
area, I know of several.  E-mail me, and I'll let you know where they are.
 
Shawn B-K