About the Lively-Fulcher Organ

Notes from the Organbuilders

In 2001, Lively-Fulcher Organs was contacted by Jay Rader regarding the failing Henry Pilcher organ in the Franciscan Monastery Church in NE Washington, DC. Jay Rader was the organ adviser appointed by the Monastery Guardian at that time, Brother Fabian. Talks quickly moved to the vision of a new organ reusing a few ranks of pipes from the Pilcher into a new scheme with an Anglo-French bias as a starting design point. Based on the organ budget at that time, it was decided to design a fully equipped two-manual format but with a third Bombarde keyboard to include Tuba Magna 16′, Tuba Mirabilis 8′, and Cor Harmonique 4′ based on the French-style tubas of the Cavaillé-Coll organ in the Basilica of the Sacré-Coeur of Montmartre in Paris. A wide-scaled five-rank mounted Cornet was also included to complete this small division.

It was decided not to intrude on the remarkable church architecture with a visible organ case, but to create a façade of 72% tin pipes (all speaking) fitted within the arches of the eastern first-floor overlook with an organ case proper behind. The console follows a low-profile, terraced, curved jamb design to facilitate good sight lines by the organist into the room.

Acoustically this space is just as remarkable as the architecture and was a real pleasure to work with. The pipes are generously scaled throughout the organ and voiced with warm, full tone designed to fill the space with abundant, well-blended sound. While the initial influence for the organ was an Anglo-French synthesis, care was taken in the stop-to-stop balances to afford the convincing performance of the well-loved classic literature of Germany and France. The new organ was installed and voiced in 2002 with the Organ Dedicatory Mass following shortly after completion.

Mark W. Lively & Paul J. Fulcher
Lively-Fulcher Pipe Organ Builders

Organ Specification

2002 Lively-Fulcher Organ Builders
Memorial Church of the Holy Sepulcher
Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, Washington, DC
3 manuals (61 notes), Pédale (32 notes), 38 stops, 41 ranks