ALLEN ORGAN INSTALLATIONS

Historic Christ Reformed Church's high-ceilinged nave with its wooden floor and pews is a wonderful room for sound. However, their historic 8-stop pipe organ had become inadequate for their present musical needs. Space prohibited any further additions without extensive structural changes to the building. Consulting with the church authorities and the Hagerstown Organ Company (a successor to M. P. Möller), Allen furnished a Two-Manual Allen console with MIDI Division II™, and incorporated into the installation as much of the historic pipework as possible. The parts of the old organ that consumed the most space and the stops that were the most difficult to keep in tune were eliminated. The result has delighted the congregation. The organ now has a greatly expanded stoplist without requiring any additional space. Plus, Christ Reformed Church was able to remain within their relatively modest budget.

Six pipe stops augment the organ. Once the pipes were installed and regulated, the digital stops were carefully balanced to blend with them. The result has stunned even the most die-hard purists. Finally, as a crowning touch, Eastern Organ Pipes of Hagerstown, who built the new pipework, restored the original façade pipes that grace the 1900 case by Kimball. This instrument boasts tonal flexibility of organs many times its size, yet in the same space as before. The organ has already attracted students at nearby Shepherd College and is used for practice, lessons and concerts. An organ recital series, a first for this community, is being planned by the church.