“The pipe organ is to be held in high esteem in the Latin Church, for it is the musical instrument of her Tradition, the sound of which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church’s ceremonies and powerfully lifts up men’s minds to God and higher things.”
-Paragraph 120, Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.
“THE ORGAN has always been considered, and rightly so, the king of musical instruments, because it takes up all the sounds of creation and gives resonance to the fullness of human sentiments, from joy to sadness, from praise to lamentation.
By transcending the merely human sphere, as all music of quality does, it evokes the Divine. The organ’s great range of timbre, from piano through to a thundering fortissimo, makes it an instrument superior to all others. It is capable of echoing and expressing all the experiences of human life. The manifold possibilities of the organ in some way reminds us of the immensity and the magnificence of God.”
-Pope Benedict XVI
On November 12 1995, the pastor and parishioners of the Church of the Good Shepherd celebrated dedication of a newly installed organ from the shop of K. C. Marrin. Dr. Charles Echols of Saint Cloud University performed the dedicatory recital (click here to see the program). Marrin congratulated the parish on this moment, stating that “the dedication of a new pipe organ is always a moment of well deserved pride and accomplishment for a parish. Today, this organ officially takes its place as a participant in your most important mission: to be a worshiping and praising community of faith.” Marrin also explained his conception of the organ in the following words:
“The organ evolved over centuries in many different national styles, so organ builders today can choose from a diverse musical palette. Early American organ builders drew from their immigrant heritage, but also developed unique tonal styles that reflected the direction of musical tastes in this country. In the tonal design of this new organ, I drew upon a popular tonal style of American organs built in the middle of the last century. The windchests of the Great and Swell are at the same level. The Swell has registers typical of the period which serve well in the choir and cantor accompaniment. The Great tonal style is more North German in character, which works wonderfully for congregational singing and much of the traditional organ literature. Our finished organ is a surprisingly flexible tonal design that functions like an instrument of much larger size.”
Stoplist
GREAT ORGAN 16 Quintadena
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SWELL ORGAN 8 Giegen Principal
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PEDAL ORGAN 16 Subbass Couplers: Tremulant Mechanical Key and Stop Action |