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"It has been three months since the completion
and dedication (in May 1998) of our new organ
at First Lutheran and I am finally writing to
you to let you know some of my thoughts concerning
the choice and installation of the organ over
the past two years and more.
"We, at First Lutheran, are extremely fortunate
to have one of the finest musical instruments
of its size in the Boston area due to the dedication
of you and all your staff. I want to thank you
all for your conscientious work. We really appreciate
the connecting of our Deagan tubular chimes,
and the new electronic carillon.
"As you may remember, we at First Lutheran
were in a dilemma. The pipe organ we had chosen
to replace the tired, old instrument we had,
turned out to be more expensive than the church
could realistically afford. We listened to a
couple of electronic organs built in the US
and we came away from these experiences less
than enthused.
"We were assured that the Copeman Hart
instruments should not be put into this category,
so we decided to meet you personally; your easy
manner and straight-forwardness were appreciated.
"As time passed, the more that I talked
to you, the more comfortable I became with your
assurance that no stone would be left unturned
by you and your staff. It was in the Fall of
1997 when we received the anxiously awaited
'package' from England. As we lovingly uncrated
and moved all hardware into the church we finally
got a chance to appreciate the beauty and workmanship
of that handsome oak console. It was early December
when I picked you up at the airport and you
began turning that console, speakers and semiconductors
into a sound that a music lover could appreciate.
"We were assured that the Copeman Hart
instruments should not be put into this category,
so we decided to meet you personally; your easy
manner and straight-forwardness were appreciated.
"I have no idea what magic you have developed
over the last forty years, but I have to say
that after a week or so all my apprehensions
disappeared. We had all our electronic stops
for Christmas, and they were very welcomed and
appreciated. The Austin portion was delivered
and installed the week after you had completed
your initial voicing. The one disappointment
is that all of the pipe stops are somewhat larger
in scale, and due to the very live chamber,
seem somewhat overdone. The voicers did their
best and although a bit loud, it worked out
quite well. All the plans for the dedication
were completed for a May 3 program when you
again arrived in Lynn to complete your final
voicing and miscellaneous tasks. This is where
Copeman Hart really shone.
"We threw a couple of curve balls at you
by asking you to change two stops. This, of
course, would have been an impossibility for
a completed pipe organ. You did not let us down.
The louder than anticipated pipe work also did
not phase you. You revoiced your stops to blend
all the voices on our organ as one. I do not
believe that anyone listening to our instrument
would ever guess that it is not 100% pipe.
"The instrument is giving us so much pleasure
week after week . . . ."
Carl B Bratt, Chairman of
the Organ Committee, First Lutheran Church,
Lynn, MA, USA
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