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A Brief History of the Organs
At St. Lorenz Lutheran Church,
The Lutheran Church of St. Lorenz and the community of Frankenmuth (courage of the Franks) were founded in 1845 by fifteen Lutheran missionaries. From the very inception of this congregation music has been interwoven into the fabric of the worship life. Records of left to us by those original settlers indicate that included among the many items they transported with them from Germany a piano was a part of the inventory, as well as two cast church bells! The original piano can be viewed at the church’s museum located across from the sanctuary on Tuscola Road, and the bells are located outside of the replica log cabin church. That these travelers would include such a cumbersome item as a piano on what was not an easy or short journey gives us more than a glimpse as to the importance that music held in the lives of the early settlers and would come to have in the worship life of this congregation. Other musical artifacts from St. Lorenz congregation’s early years include a flute which was used by Simon Riedel, the first person designated officially as “Kantor” of the congregation, to lead the congregation in song. Kantor Riedel’s flute can be seen in the church’s museum.
Unfortunately at this writing, detailed records as to specifics of the various organs purchased and used by the congregation prior to the 1930 Tellers-Kent instrument are scant. What we do know with certainty is that there was a two-manual pipe organ with 21 registers in the 1860’s frame church. At the time of the building of the 1880 brick church (the main body of the exiting building)across the road from the frame church, the instrument from the 1860 frame church was sold to St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Frankenhilf (now Richville) for the sum of $200.00. A new two-manual 27 rank instrument, of unknown origin, was installed in the new building which served the congregation until 1930 when a new Tellers-Kent instrument was installed.
The fiftieth anniversary of the brick church structure on Tuscola Road was the occasion which marked the installation of the third pipe organ in the history of St. Lorenz church. A detailed account of the various activities of the dedication day appeared in the Frankenmuth News along with a brief overview of the congregation’s history to that date. The following photos and specifications were also included in that edition. The instrument, built by the Tellers-Kent firm of Erie, Pennsylvania was comprised of Swell, Great and Pedal in the rear gallery with two Echo divisions flanking the chancel - everything was under expression.
The Tellers Kent Organ Company was founded by two brothers, Henry and Ignatius Tellers, and William Sommerhof. Prior to this the two Tellers brothers worked at Milwaukee, Wisconsin based Schuelke Organ Company until 1892. They moved to Erie and went to work for the Felgemaker Organ Company for the next 14 years. While at Felgemaker, they met Sommerhof.
In 1906 the three men established Tellers Organ Company. In 1911, the company changed its name to Tellers-Sommerhof Organ Company. Sommerhof would sell his interest in the company to A. E. Kent - another former Felgemaker employee - in 1918. The company's name was then changed to Tellers-Kent Organ Company. Felgemaker also ceased operations that year. Tellers-Kent assumed all the open contracts and service agreement work from Felgemaker. The company was known as Tellers-Kent for a number of years until the name changed back to Tellers Organ Company.
Prof. Herman Hahn, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, played the dedicatory program, with the St. Lorenz choir assisting with several anthems. The repertoire is certainly a reflection of the general aesthetic of organ recitals in those pre-organ reform days. Another noteworthy historical point is that the installation and tonal finishing of this instrument was completed by Herman Schlicker, then shop foreman at Tellers-Kent – two years before he would start building organs under his own name in Buffalo, New York.
INSERT TELLERS KENT INFO
By the 1960’s St. Lorenz Lutheran Church had become one of the largest congregations in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. At this point in the congregation’s history the leadership of the congregation was grappling with the issue of whether to expand the existing 1880 structure or raze the site and start with a new building to accommodate the rapidly growing congregation. Wisely, the congregation chose to renovate and expand the existing historic structure. With a newly renovated building expanding the seating capacity to approximately 1400 it was realized that the existing instrument was no longer adequate for the new sapce, and that it was time to provide a new instrument to lead the congregation in worship. In 1965 conversations began in earnest regarding the best route to go in addressing this matter.
This congregation is noted for being a nurturing ground for many influential pastors and teachers of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, and one of those sons was the teacher, composer, and organ designer Paul Bunjes. Bunjes’ roots ran deep into this congregation as his father had served for more than twenty years as a teacher at the school building located on Curtis Street. It was at St. Lorenz that Paul Bunjes gained his first experiences in church music; experiences which would help set the course for the remainder of his life. Given this common history, and a deep sense of gratitude to his home congregation, Dr. Bunjes volunteered his talents to design a new instrument for St. Lorenz church.
Following months of study, several stop lists and proposed designs, bids were requested by a several leading organ builders of the time. After careful scrutiny Casavant Freres, Ltee of St. Hyacinth, Quebec, Canada was chosen to design and build the new instrument. An in depth history of the Casavant firm can be found on their website at http://www.casavant.ca .
With the construction underway at the church, and a new instrument contracted for, the 1930’s Tellers-Kent organ was removed from St. Lorenz and placed in storage until it was eventually sold to St. John’s Lutheran Church (WELS) on Brockway Rd. in Saginaw. Working in collaboration with Lawrence Phelps and Charles Perrault of the Casavant firm, the new instrument was completed and installed in 1967. It received its dedication on the Festival of the Reformation, October 29, 1967 with Dr. Paul Bunjes serving as the guest organist for the dedicatory service. The first official recital held on this instrument was presented by Dr. Paul Manz on January 28 of 1968.
INSERT DEDICATORY PROGRAM AND MANZ RECITAL PROGRAM HERE
After 37 years of faithful service the Casavant instrument at St. Lorenz Church underwent its first major upgrade and renovation. Under the direction of Hèbert & Son’s of Troy, Michigan, the project began in March of 2004 with a projected completion date set for August of 2004. Included in this project was converting all of the electro-pneumatic operating systems to a solid state Orga-Plex switching system with a fully integrated Petersen multi-level stop processing unit with 99 levels of memory, transposer, and full Midi capability. Three new couplers have also been added allowing for a greater flexibility and availability of the instruments resources. The final phase of this project is the addition of an 8’ string celeste in the Swell division. The 49 pipes (TC) for this rank were added and voiced by the Berghaus Organ Company of Bellwood, Illinois. These upgrades and additions have been done in the hope of enhancing this instrument’s inherent qualities without compromising the basic aesthetic.
It has been noted by several prominent performers and scholars that the Casavant instrument at St. Lorenz is a superb example of the type of organ building which was influenced by the tenets of the organ reform movement in this country from the mid-twentieth century. It is hoped that this instrument will be retained, maintained and preserved for future generations to see, hear and enjoy.
INSERT CASVANT PORTRAIT HERE |