Church Organist and Director of Music, Bruce Ensinger, helps debut the new pipe organ

The 100th Psalm commands, Jubilate Deo: “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.”

And it was so, Nov. 16, when Sistersville’s First Presbyterian Church dedicated its new pipe organ, with choir, brass, timpani, prayer and scripture during a special dedication service at 4 p.m.

The service opened and concluded with the singing of the familiar hymns, “Holy, Holy, Holy” and “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.” respectively. In between were other hymns, anthems and organ compositions selected by the church’s Organist and Director of Music Bruce Ensinger.

The music showed off the unique and versatile capabilities of this new pipe organ, from a seriously deep and resonant 32′ pedal stop, to the light and cheerful jingle of a zimbelstern, most commonly found in organs of Germany and Northern Europe.

The church’s pastor, Rev. Colleen Griffith, told the aisle-seating-only congregation, “This service was designed to give honor and glory to God, to sing God’s praises and to thank him for this gift that will help us praise his holy name.” She added, I know this new organ will bless our worship for many years to come.

Special performers were invited to participate in the dedication of the new pipe organ.

Scripture readings, selected by Griffith and Ensinger, were chosen carefully to explore the Liturgical Church, from Advent to Easter, and included Gospels from Matthew, Luke and John, as well as the prophet Isaiah.

The choir included members of the church’s choir, supported by non-members who were invited by Ensinger. The brass ensemble, conducted by Amanda McPherson, was comprised of professional musicians whom Ensinger has engaged for similar events during his 30 years at the Sistersville church and during his 22 years at St. Vincent dePaul Church in New Martinsville. Ensinger also is beginning his 38th year as music instructor at New Martinsville School.

Parts of the organ were transported by tractor-trailers from the Schantz Organ Factory in Orrville, Ohio, about 25 miles southwest of Akron. Installation began in mid-October and it was first used for services on Sunday, Nov. 9.

The decision to purchase a new organ was made last year, when Ensinger convinced church officials that the existing instrument had reached its limit and could no longer be upgraded. He also advised that an electronic organ would be less expensive.

In an era in which many churches — such as the cathedral-like St. Matthew’s Episcopal in Wheeling — are replacing their pipe organs with electronic ones, Ensinger noted: “Sistersville is a community with very traditional values. Several other churches here maintain pipe organs and every member of the selection committee was interested in a pipe organ. They had no interest in an electronic one.”

The process took about a year from the time a contract was signed to purchase the instrument. Schantz technicians removed the old organ console, an M. P. Moller installed 47 years ago, the wind chests and most of the pipes.

In addition, some water damage had to be repaired, new electrical circuitry and lighting had to be installed and the organ chamber was re-painted. A new triforium gallery, or facade, on the right-hand side of the chancel was designed to match existing woodwork. The enclosed organ chamber itself was enlarged slightly.

Organs are used in churches because they are capable of imitating any instrument. Ensinger, who wrote the new organ specification, noted that several features about the Schantz that make it unique among other pipe organs in the Ohio Valley.

The zimbelstern stop is a complex series of small bells on a star-shaped mount that is rotated at different speeds to produce tinkling sounds. Ensinger explained that a zimbelstern, which means “cymbal star” in German, is often used in Baroque music, particularly from the 16th-18th centuries. In some Christian liturgies, it is played during the Sanctus or the doxology stanzas of a hymn.

Another unique feature is a 32′ pedal stop. While the pipe is physically only 16′ long, it was voiced by the organ maker to produce the thunderous sound of a 32′ pipe.

To better appreciate the significance of this stop, consider that middle C on a piano is a “normal” sound. A 32′ stop is two octaves below that. It produces a very deep, resonant, almost defiant tone. The pipe will likely be used often in festive compositions, such as some of those performed at the Nov. 16 dedication service. In a lifetime, it is unlikely that most listeners will ever hear a live 32′ stop.

There do exist 64′ stops and even 128′ stops. All that is needed is a place that can accommodate a pipe that is 64 or 128 feet long. For that reason, they are even more rare and are almost exclusively found in very large cathedrals or concert-theater venues.

In addition, the new Schantz can automatically transpose a composition from its native key to any other key without actually playing it in a different key. The feature, more commonly found only on electronic organs until recently, is useful in making a hymn or anthem more “singable” by congregation or choir.

Another extraordinary capability built into the organ console allows music to be programmed into memory and replayed at a later time, including changes in the stops used, changes in volume and any other changes that have to be made manually.

Ensinger noted that the feature allows the organist to play a piano or other instrument at the same time the organ is playing. He emphasized that the replay is not a recording. It is the actual working organ.

The length and juxtaposition of the pipes are critical to producing the desired sounds. The longer a pipe, the lower the sound that it produces. The quality of the tone (known as timbre) depends on the volume of air being pumped into the pipe and the way the pipe was built by the organ maker.

Pipes are arranged into ranks, according to their pitch and timbre. Ranks are allocated into divisions. Typically, each division is played from its own keyboard, known as a manual, and could be considered as an instrument unto itself.

However, one or more manuals may be joined together by means of electronic couplers, thus rendering, simultaneously, the sounds of all the manuals that have been joined together.

As if it is not complex enough, there also are switches known as pistons that can be programmed to engage or disengage a different combination of pipes. Pistons are small buttons located immediately beneath each manual to be operated by the thumb, and on the pedal board to be operated by the toe.

Pistons can produce a theoretically infinite combination of pipes, and, therefore, a theoretically infinite number of sounds and combination of sounds.

Presbyterian’s Schantz has 1,632 pipes in 26 ranks spread across a Great, a Swell and a Pedal division, represented in two keyboards played by hand and the foot-operated pedals. The pipes are located in floor-level chambers, in lofts that surround the altar and in the faade to the right of the altar.

Anthems performed during the service were the “Magnificat” by James Chepponis; “Pie Jesu” from the Requiem of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber (b. 1948); and “Thou Art God” by John Ness Beck.

Four pipe organ compositions also were on the program: “Noel” by Domenico Zipolli; “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” by James Southbridge; “Fanfare” by Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens (1823-1881); and a setting by John Ness Beck, “The King of Love My Shepherd Is.”

Members of the choir on this special day were Genie Clements, Linda Glover, Dawn Kelly, Amanda McPherson, Regina Reynolds and Miranda Rogers; Barb Daly, Anita Dober, Katie Ensinger, Meg Ensinger, Colleen Griffith, Gail Haught and Barbara Slider; Bart Cannaizzaro, Tom Carson, Sandy Herrick, Mark Lemasters, Pat Malone and Martin Parrish; Art Burnside, Joe Griffith, Dan Henthorn, John McDonough, Jim McIntyre and Greg Richmond. Soloists were Amanda McPherson, Greg Richmond, Dawn Kelly and Regina Reynolds.

Brass instrumentalists were Duane Dober, Danny Grimm, Matt Jennings, Wayne Smith, Mike Sutton and Brian Bailey, timpani.