La Casa de Cristo’s New Pipe Organ

La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church commissioned Berghaus Pipe Organ Builders Inc. of Bellwood, Illinois, to build and install a new sanctuary pipe organ. It was completed on December 6, 2008. The organ has 92 ranks, or sets of pipes, comprising 5,067 pipes in all. A four-manual and pedal console controls the pipes. The instrument is one of the largest church pipe organ in the southwest. For more Facts and Figures ..

Berghaus, founded in 1967, has grown to become a leader in the design and execution of fine liturgical and performance-based pipe organs. The company is committed to building instruments that define the state of the art.

Each Berghaus instrument is designed to be both an auditory and a visual masterpiece. The pipe façade for La Casa’s pipe organ, for example, is meant to mimic Arizona’s desert landscape.

Open Berghaus website.  (opens new window)  If you go to "Instruments", you can view photos of the La Casa organ being built and installed.

Download Stoplist for the organ.

Trompette en-Chamade

We're familiar with organ pipes that stand vertically, but what about the trumpet-looking copper pipes centered above the altar?

Those pipes make up the Trompette en-Chamade (which means, in French, “to pound”). According to Berghaus's David McCleary, “They are reeds that have a very strong and focused tone that can be heard over full organ registration and are typically used for solo passages. However, this particular set of reeds will be voiced so that it can perform as a chorus reed as well.”

New Organ will present Exciting Possibilities

La Casa’s new organ opens a world of exciting possibilities for the congregation. Besides enhancing the worship life of our members, the organ will make La Casa a sought-after concert venue for elite organists and top choirs and vocal groups.

For example, a regional conference of organists is taking place next year in Phoenix. Berghaus, the builder of the organ, would like to sponsor a concert to showcase the new instrument. This concert would, of course, be a moving spiritual experience. Such possibilities mean a richer worship life and expanded outreach opportunities for La Casa.

For more pictures, go to the Photo Gallery

Pipe Organ Facts and Figures

• The longest pipe is 21 feet and is made from solid copper.
• The shortest pipe is 8.2 inches and is made from 75 percent tin and 25 percent lead.
• The console is made from oak and burled walnut. The natural keys on the manuals and pedalboard are made from maple. The sharps on the manuals and pedalboard are made from rosewood. The drawknob faces are engraved in maple.
• The console features 256 levels of memory and a fully integrated record/playback system. These features let the organ accommodate the settings and preferences of multiple organists without having to reset combinations each time.

The chart below shows how the instrument’s pipes are organized. A glossary follows to provide definitions of terms you may not know.