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2004 Kegg Pipe Organ Case Another view of our Kegg Pipe Organ Case Gallery Console before being lifted into the Loft
Previous Organs at St. John Church Organs
have existed in one form or another for over 2,000 years.
They have inspired composers to create masterpieces, and for centuries
they have inspired people to worship. The
original organ installed in St. John Church was built by the A.B.
Felgemaker Pipe Organ Company (Opus 253), of Erie
PA,
in
1883. There is no record of the specification for this organ.
Because
the organ was not "rebuilt" before its 1978 installation, it started
to show signs of deterioration within years. After several public
"temper tantrums" by the organ, a committee was established to study
and to be informed of what would be necessary to accomplish a restoration of our
organ. An extensive Organ Committee Information Document was
prepared by our Parish Organist and Director of Music to enlighten the committee
before they made their decision. In
2001, the Parish Church of St. John signed a contract with Charles Kegg of
Kegg Pipe Organ
Builders, (then from) Uniontown, Ohio to completely rebuild our organ. Mr.
Kegg was chosen not only because of his association with our church over the
last twenty-five years, but also because of his integrity in organ building, and
his high standards for craftsmanship. Our new Kegg Pipe Organ is one of the finest examples of pipe organ craftsmanship available today. During the planning process we knew we wanted to retain some of the stops from our previous organ, especially the many color stops (English Horn, Orchestral Oboe, Clarinet, Tuba, Neumann Trumpet, Doppelflute, etc) and Celestes (eight sets) that we enjoyed. Not only did Mr. Kegg retain these beautiful voices, but he made them more beautiful beyond our imagination. The organ now speaks clearly into the nave of the church, and has quite a presence without overwhelming the congregation. The entire organ has a cohesiveness that has surpassed our expectation. The Gothic case has also exceeded our expectation. The carvings, finials, gold facade pipes and structure are absolutely gorgeous. It compliments the style of our church building so, that it seems as if it has been in place since the church was built in 1871. In addition to the organ, new choir chairs, lighting, flooring, and color monitor & camera system were installed in the gallery. In March of 2008, the Antiphonal Organ was rebuilt by Mr. Kegg, and a 16' Pedal Stop was added.
ABOUT KEGG PIPE ORGAN BUILDERS Kegg Pipe Organ Builders is located in Hartville, Ohio which is in the Northeast part of the state, close to Canton. It was establish in 1985 by Charles E. Kegg to address the needs of those institutions that desire an electric action instrument of high quality design and construction, coupled with the tonal skill and care that can only be accomplished with proper training. Mr. Kegg trained for eleven years with Schantz, Casavant, and A.R. Schopp's Sons, and is responsible for the final voicing of many Schantz and Casavant instruments ranging in size from 4 to 132 ranks. It became clear to him that there was a need in the industry for a builder of electric action instruments that were intelligently designed to bring careful chest design, pipe scaling, and voicing to a segment of the industry that frequently neglected these important steps. The goal of the company is to continue to offer uncompromising instruments at fair and reasonable costs to those organizations that desire a truly musical instrument.
Thomas W. Hannon Previous Organists at St John Church Anna Kolp
More Pictures of our Organ
Remote Console
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St. John the Baptist Catholic
Church, Canton, Ohio. 2004-2009 ©
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