The Roswell
Presbyterian
Church Organ
Casavant Frères
Three manuals and pedals, 47 stops, 68 ranks
Movable drawknob console, compass 61/32
Electro-pneumatic action Opus 3789, 2000
Photograph: Stanley Scheer
In 1838 the first families arrived in the area north of Atlanta that would become Roswell to begin a new life on the Georgia frontier. A year later, they invited a pastor to organize a Presbyterian church. The first church, which remains today as a chapel, was built to a design similar to the New England meetinghouses that the early members would have known. Over the years, the church grew and built additional facilities on the property, including a church seating several hundred. When this building became too small to house the congregation, plans began for a new church with an 800-seat capacity. Interviews of potential organ builders were held, and the builder was selected sufficiently early to begin meetings with the architect, acoustician, and members of the congregation to plan the design of the building. The organ is elevated at the front of the nave, directly behind the large choir loft.
The divisions are well developed with appropriate choruses of principals on all divisions, including eight-foot principals in both expressive divisions. The nave has a high ceiling, hard walls, and a reflective floor surface to promote good acoustics. Due to the long nave, we recommended an antiphonal division at the back of the church. The Antiphonal plenum helps lead the congregation and maintain the pulse of hymns, especially during choir processions. Pipework from the previous organ was revoiced and reused in the Antiphonal division (flues) and the Positif: Flûte conique and Flûte céleste.
