History of Bill’s Regal Organ

While on tour in Europe in 1970, Bill commissioned organ builder, Paul Ott of Göttingen, Germany to build a one manual regal organ with one rank of reeds. Bill’s regal was shipped from Germany to Berkeley, California where Paul Ott was installing an organ in the First Congregational Church. Bill drove from Pasadena, California to collect his regal organ, and premiered it on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1970 at All Saints Pasadena Episcopal Church where he was Organist/Choir Director.  According to Bill, “The instrument was one of hundreds of little regals that were begotten. It added flavor along with strings and the regular organ in a large 3-choir Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672) composition when it premiered.”

(Quotes from interview with Bill MacGowan July 15, 2008 in Gainesville, Florida)

Disposition commissioned by William MacGowan• built in 1970 by Paul Ott, Göttingen, Germany•  premiered by William MacGowan, Organist/Choir • Director on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1970 at All Saints Pasadena Episcopal Church, Pasadena, California onemanual, 1 rank of brass reeds, 49 ebony spindles• mechanical sticker action, 49 ebony keys• Laukhuff blower in case, 110 volt, 2 inches wind pres-•  sure 2 handcarved wooden heads (uncertain identity)•           

History of the Regal as an Instrument

The regal was a small medieval portable organ with beating reeds very popular in the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe. Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) mentions a larger regal used in orchestras of German princes, and they were among Henry VIII’s musical instruments. The pipes in the regal were not

intended to reinforce the vibrations of the beating reed or of

its overtones as in the reed pipes of the organ, but merely to

form an attachment for keeping the reed in its place without

interfering with its functions. The regal may be seen as the

ancestor of the harmonium, the reed organ, and various va-

rieties of ‘squeezebox’ such as the accordion. For more infor-

mation please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regal_(musi-

cal_instrument)

About the Organ Builder

Paul Ott (* August 23, 1903 in Oberteuringen; † October 28, 1991 in Bovenden) was a major

German organ builder of the organ reform movement (Orgelbewegung) of the 20th century.

His tonal approach included narrow scaling, low wind pressure, and minimal nicking which

were an effort to shift tonal philosophy away from Romantic orchestral stop lists. The intent

was to enhance the listening experience to perform music of an earlier period on instruments

authentic to that period, e.g. Baroque. In 1928/29 Paul Ott apprenticed with the organ com-

pany Steinmeyer in Oettingen. In 1937 he received the Meisterbrief and began to build a num-

ber of important small organs, e.g. in 1938 a house organ for Hugo Distler. He also began a

significant effort to restore historic organs in northern Germany, e.g. in Lemgo, Borgentreich,

and Stade/St. Cosmae which included larger instruments after World War II. In 1980, his son

Dieter Ott took over the workshop where Paul continued to work until 1990. Paul also trained

his nephew Martin Ott who established the Martin Ott Pipe Organ Company in St. Louis,

Missouri in 1973. Martin Ott  is continuing Paul Ott’s legacy building tracker (mechanical)

action and slider chest action organs in the United States. 

We would like to express our profound gratitude to William MacGowan, Organist & Choir

Director, for his generous donation of his unique Ott regal organ to St. Michael’s Episcopal

Church in Gainesville, Florida

We would like to also thank the following people for generously sharing their time and talents to

install this unique regal organ in St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Gainesville, Florida on July

20, 2008 so its voice may continue to be heard for many years.

Dave Klug, organ curator, P.O. Box 90216, Lakeland, Florida - dklug@aol.com

John, Jane, Brad & Liz MacGowan

Dr. Mikesch Muecke

Clare Stokes

Rev. Dale Warner

Dr. Miriam Zach       

- notes by Dr. Miriam Zach