Early 1993, Saint Jude's Pastor requested members of Saint Jude Parish to join an organ search committee.
Five people accepted the challenge. We shared our love for church
music and formed the common bond to work together to find the
best classical organ for our parish. Initial meetings were held
to determine our approach; we contacted an organ consultant, and
many organ manufacturers by letter and telephone. Representatives
of several organ manufacturers visited our parish, sent us videos
of their facilities and products, and invited us to visit churches
to hear their organs. Although each of us had different experiences
with liturgical music, each of us identified the same strengths
and weaknesses in each organ and our evaluations were unanimous.
During this process we met Mr Richard Knapp the regional representative
for Casavant Freres Ltd.
He gave a professional presentation of the Casavant
Organ, he demonstrated several
Casavant organs. We were all impressed
with the quality of both their sound and construction. After
hearing the Casavant organs, we knew this was the
organ for Saint Jude Church. We requested several changes to the
original Casavant organ specifications; and the Casavant Organ
contract was signed on July 21,1994.
Today the administrative offices of Casavant occupy the home where the Casavant brothers were born. After returning from an apprenticeship in Europe, Samuel and Claver Casavant founded their business in 1879. Their first organ was built in 1880 for the Chapelle Notre Dame-de-Lourdes in Montreal. This organ had two keyboards 13 stops and required 870 pipes and is still in use today. This organ launched Casavant's reputation for superior tone, mechanical durability and exquisitely crafted casework. In over 125 years Casavant has installed more than 3,700 organs ranging from 4 stops to 136 stops. Today, Casavant remains one of the largest pipe organ firms in the world with over 75 full time employees in a facility of over 120,000 square feet. Their workshop has many young employees learning the Casavant tradition. These traditions are being updated to include proven new materials and technology. No other North American organ builder has as many international customers as Casavant.
Creative work for each installation begins
with the development of the specifications for the organ, followed
by an acoustical analysis of the room to be filled with music.
This analysis determines the scale and wind pressure required
for each division of the organ. Casavant takes care in matching visible
organ components to both the color and style of the design elements
within each church. Their designers incorporate the features necessary
to satisfy both the musical and physical requirements.
Immediately after the signing of the contract
new pipe metal is poured and machined in preparation to fabrication
of the pipes. Wood is selected and glued to prevent warpage. From
the final measurements taken at Saint Jude the final drawings for
each chamber is completed. Requests are passed back to Saint Jude
to configure the church to accept the organ. Each element of the
organ is then crafted in turn until the keys, keyboard, stop tabs,
console, pipes, windchests, control cables, hoses, and air ducts
have been made.
All organ components are brought together
for the first time in one of the six organ erecting workshops
where the organ is completely assembled. The organ is initially
tonally finished and all functions are tested as the instrument
is played by Casavant staff organists. The Saint Jude
Organ Committee was invited to see and hear and play their Casavant for the first time on June 12,1995,
this was followed by a tour of the facility. Following all critical tests the organ is completely disassembled. The components are carefully wrapped and packed for shipment.
Late in June an oversized moving van arrived
from Casavant, met by Mr. and Mrs Richard
Knapp and dozens of volunteers from Saint Jude Parish. This energetic group of individuals carefully unloaded all of the organ components from the van placing the structural parts in the church and the pipes in the basement for installation later. The Knapp family
was assisted by a few members of Saint Jude Parish during the installation
of the organ. Mr. Yves Champagne and Mr Alain Couture, tonal
experts from Casavant, adjusted each pipe so their sound would fit the acoustics of Saint Jude Church.
Casavant instruments have been praised around
the world. French Organist and Composer Louis Vierne has stated
"These Casavants are veritable artists. They have done much for the organ, its
precision and the progress of its mechanics. Their instruments
are jewels." Mr. Stan Scheer, Casavant Vice President for Sales, has commented on their organ "But in the end, words are useless
to describe it (the sound of our organ). The music begins where
the spoken word ends."
ORGAN BLESSING AND DEDICATION by MOST REVEREND EDWARD M. EGAN, J.C.D. Bishop of Bridgeport
DEDICATION CONCERT by MARK R. SCHOLTZ Sunday October 29, 1995
