ALLEN ORGAN INSTALLATIONS

The Old Post Chapel at Fort Myer, Virginia, is the ceremonial chapel for Arlington National Cemetery. It is used for over 600 funerals and memorial services per year-an astounding number compared to most civilian churches. Most world religions have used the chapel, and nearly every U.S. President has attended services in the Old Post Chapel. Nationally prominent clergy such as Evangelist Billy Graham, Lutheran Hour preacher Oswald Hoffman, and Roman Catholic Cardinals Spellman, Cooke and John O'Connor have presided and preached in the chapel. In addition to funerals, the chapel is used for over 300 weddings and special services annually.

In addition to being one of the most used instruments in the country, the organ in the Fort Myer Old Post Chapel is of significant historical value. It was originally installed by the M. P. Möller Company in 1935. Allen Organ Company, in conjunction with Lewis and Hitchcock, Inc. Pipe Organ Company of Maryland, recently completed the restoration and updating of this historic instrument. Allen built the new organ console and the digital interfaces for the organ. The custom designed console includes the addition of a floating Positiv division and digital pedal stops which play from the Great pipe chamber. A new digital ceremonial Trompette Militaire voice that was also added plays from all manuals and pedal as well as the Positiv division from the rear of the chapel.

The original pipe organ was English in design and did not allow for effective performance of baroque music, particularly trio sonatas or French music. The new Allen console also includes an MDS-Expander II™, which provides a vast array of sampled pipe sounds, percussion and other sounds that add dimension to the existing stops. The Allen console and the Allen digital stops provide the flexibility for unlimited performance possibilities.