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Home > Music > Organs > Flentrop
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The Flentrop organ, located over the entrance to Duke Chapel, was
installed in 1976 and dedicated to the memory of Benjamin N. Duke
(the primary benefactor of Trinity College after it relocated to
Durham). The organ was built in Zaandam, Holland, at the famous
organ shop of Dirk A. Flentrop. It was the last major instrument
whose design and construction Mr. Flentrop supervised before his
retirement. Planning, design, and construction took six years.
Both tonally and visually, the Flentrop organ reflects the characteristics
of Dutch and French organs of the early 18th century. It is not
a copy of any specific baroque organ, but was designed especially
for Duke Chapel according to the rediscovered principles of 18th-century
organ building. Only natural materials — wood, metal, ivory,
and leather — were used in its construction. Located in
a magnificent and ideally suited Gothic structure, the Flentrop
organ allows us to hear in the most authentic way the great compositions
of Bach, Couperin, and other composers active during the Golden
Age of the organ.
At Mr. Flentrop’s suggestion, the acoustics of the Chapel
were adjusted to provide an ideal environment for the organ. When
the Chapel was first built, its acoustics were deliberately deadened
through the use of special sound-absorbing stone tile. With the
help of Bolt, Beranek and Newman, the famous acoustical consulting
firm, a solution was found to make the acoustics livelier while
accommodating the spoken word. The absorptive tile was sealed,
increasing the maximum reverberation time from about 3 seconds
to about 8 seconds, and a time-delay speech-reinforcement system
was designed and installed.
The organ contains 5,033 speaking pipes, played by four manual
keyboards and a pedal keyboard. The main case houses four divisions
of pipes; it rises approximately 40 feet above the gallery floor
and is only about 4-1/2 feet deep. A smaller case, located on
the gallery rail, houses one division of pipes; it is 10 feet
high and 4 feet deep. The cases are made of solid African mahogany,
painted and decorated in gold leaf and harmonized colors. The
gallery, designed and built for this instrument in Durham by William
T. Muirhead, is constructed of solid oak in the classical style.
The organ was first played publicly in an informal preview for
Duke University students on December 6, 1976, and in the Sunday
morning worship service on Founders Day, December 12, 1976. An
inaugural recital was played at 5:00 that afternoon by Fenner
Douglass, University Organist at that time.
The Flentrop organ is used mainly for recitals and for hymns
and voluntaries at worship services and university events. The
organ gallery is not open to the public, but demonstration concerts
are presented most weekdays at 12:30 p.m.
Flentrop Links
2003–2004 Recital Schedule
All recitals are on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. and are free and open to all.
Recordings of the Flentrop organ
Stoplist
Flentrop Essays
Behind the Pipes
An essay by Dirk A. Flentrop describing the design of the organ,
with drawings, published at the time of the organ’s dedication.
A Historical Perspective
A brief history of the art of organ building, by former University
Organist Fenner Douglass, published at the time of the organ’s
dedication.
What Is Past Is Prologue
Excerpts from an essay by James G. Ferguson, Jr., of the Chapel
Renovation Committee, on the history of the organs in Duke Chapel,
published at the time of the organ’s dedication.
Inaugural Recital
List of works performed in the Flentrop organ’s inaugural
recital by former University Organist Fenner Douglass.
25th Anniversary Recital
List of works and program notes for the Flentrop’s 25th
anniversary recital by Chapel Organist David Arcus.
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