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Jamestown Organ Works/
Walker Technical Company/
R. A. Colby. Inc.     2 0 0 7

Design, Case Design and
Installation by Craig Jaynes,
Jamestown Organ Works,
Jamestown, OH  45335
937-675-7055 (fax 7022)
Toll-free: 877-232-2751

www.jamestownorganworks.com

THE ORGAN in St. Mary’s Church, Urbana, Ohio was completed in December of 2007.  It is an instrument of 50 independent speaking stops on three manuals and pedal.  The solo division is floating and will play on any of the three keyboards.  The main stops of the Great and Pedal Organs are normally not expressive. However, both divisions contain certain stops that will express with another division, providing a high level of expressiveness without sacrificing the full-bodied grandeur of the organ’s tonal foundation.

The specification has been designed with the following principles in mind:

1) The organ should be of a size and overall tonal structure that is completely in harmony with the size, acoustics and musical demands of the situation.  A less-than-satisfactory acoustic may preclude the tonal scintillation that could be achieved in a tonally superior setting, but it is no excuse for an instrument that is not beautiful and useful.

2) The organ should provide the major effects required by the musical demands of the literature as well as those necessary for assistance at worship. An understanding of those requirements that is focused on musicality rather than historic idol-worship will permit design that can easily achieve both goals.

3) Every stop should be contributory to numbers 1 and 2 above and should be voiced for maximum color and beauty.  When this is done, nearly every stop will serve both major requirements.

4) Technology should be applied when it makes musical sense to do so, not just because it can be done. Geegaws and gimcracks are un-necessary in a well-designed, cohesive instrument; flexibility is increased with beauty of sound and the intelligent selection and placement of stops, not with the use of more and more whingdings, trade-and-service marked slogans, and the engineers’ latest gadgets. 

Many thanks are due the congregation and staff of St. Mary Church, especially Fr. Greg Konerman, Pastor; Mr. William Antoniak, Music Director; Sue Jenkins, Administrator and the many volunteers whose countless hours built the casework and made the installation possible as well as those whose dedication and contributions made this dream a reality.

The casework is made of the two pedal stops from the 1926 Tellers Organ that had been installed in the original church and then moved to the current building.