St. Augustine's House Monastery
Oxford, Michigan Opus 39R, 2019
St. Augustine's House is a Lutheran monastery on a
"natural beauty road" in northern Oakland County. There is
a beautiful chapel which had an electric action pipe organ
built by Fr. James Serrick, SJ. Organist Daniel Susan and
David Wigton searched for years for a tracker-action
instrument that would better suit the liturgies in the
chapel. An organ builder friend, Richard Swanson of Grand
Ledge, had removed a Berghaus tracker from a church in
Midland, Michigan. That church had changed worship styles
and no longer was using the organ. When we found out about
it, we began to check into its suitability for rebuilding
it for the monastery. There were several stops missing or
only prepared-for, but the appearance and size proved to
be ideal for its new home.
Built in 1975 by Berghaus of Chicago, the organ had been
built with the Werkprinzip concept in mind; it had an 8'
Principal in the Pedal, a 4' Principal in the Hauptwerk
and a 2' Principal in the Brustwerk. Pipework was voiced
with low wind pressures and low cutups, and the available
pipes were very suitable for its new usage. We provided a
new 4' in the front of the Great, a new 2' Gemshorn and
stock pipes for the Cornet and the 8' RohrGedackt.
We converted the Brustwerk to a Swell, and provided a
balanced pedal, linkage and walnut Swell shades. An 8'
Dulciana (which shares a bass with the Gedackt) came from
the former organ of another monastery, and a revoiced 8'
Rohrschalmei went right behind the Swell shades where it
can be easily tuned.
The Pedal was missing its facade, so we added 12 new pipes
of aluminum to the front. The Pedal 16' Subbass was taking
up all the remaining room on the chest, so we relocated
and tubed off the smaller pipes above where there was
plenty of room. This allowed space for the prepared-for
4' Choral Bass and the 16' Dulzian.
The stop action was refurbished, with new engraved drawknobs. The
key action also needed re-doing, with new aluminum trackers for
the Great. We provided tremulants for both the Swell and the
Great, and a quiet blower and reservoir to go behind the organ.
We designed new pipeshades above the front pipes; these were built
by Father Jude, an accomplished woodworker who was a monastery
resident. We also provided a zimbelstern with a gold-leafed star.
A replacement pedalboard and bench completed the organ.
Scott M. Hyslop, Director of Parish Music at St. Lorenz Lutheran
Church, Frankenmuth, played the dedicatory recital in February
of 2021.
STOPLIST Great 8' Rohrgedackt 56 pipes Bass from Berghaus, rest from stock Casavant 4' Principal 56 pipes New spotted metal 2' Gemshorn 56 pipes New spotted metal Cornet II 88 Pipes From Berghaus Gemshorn and stock Mixture III 168 Pipes Regulated, new tuning slides Swell 8' Holzgedackt 56 pipes Regulated 8' Dulciana tc 44 pipes Regulated, new tuning slides 4' Harmonic Flute 56 pipes Regulated, new tuning slides 2' Principal 56 pipes Regulated, new tuning slides 8' Rohrschalmei 56 pipes Revoiced from stock Tremulant Pedal 16' Subbass 32 pipes Regulated, trebles relocated above 8' Principal 32 pipes 1-12 new aluminum, rest revoiced 4' Choralbass 32 pipes Revoiced stock pipes, new tuning slides 16' Dulzian 32 pipes Revoiced, Cassavant Pipes Couplers Sw/Gt, Sw/Pd, Gt/Pd on hitchdowns Zimbelstern, bells and star: on toe stud Totals 14 stops, 17 ranks, 820 pipes
