First Presbyterian Church

Batesville, Arkansas

Year Built: 1999
Manuals: 2
Stops: 15
Ranks: 18

Swell Organ (Expressive)

8′ Geigen
8′ Chimney Flute
8′ Salicional
8′ Voix Céleste TC
4′ Principal
4′ Harmonic Flute
2′ Octavin
IV Plein Jeu
16′ Contre Trompette*
8′ Trompette
8′ Oboe
Tremolo
Swell to Swell 16′
Swell Unison Off
Swell to Swell 4′

Pedal Organ

32′ Basse (wired)
16′ Subbass
16′ Gedeckt
8′ Octave
8′ Bourdon (GT)
8′ Gedeckt (SW)
4′ Choral Bass
16′ Contre Trompette* (SW)
8′ Trompette (SW)
4′ Trompette (SW)
Chimes

Great Organ (Expressive)

16′ Gedeckt (SW)
8′ Principal
8′ Bourdon
4′ Octave
4′ Bourdon
2 2/3 Twelfth
2′ Fifteenth
1 3/5 Seventeenth*
IV Fourniture*
8′ Trompette (SW)
Chimes
Tremolo
Great Unison Off

Reversibles

Great to Pedal (with toe piston)
Swell to Pedal (wtih toe piston)
Swell to Great
Tutti (with toe piston)

Couplers

Great to Swell 8′
Swell to Great 16′ 8′ 4′
Great to Pedal 8′
Swell to Pedal 8′ 4′

Pistons

10 General (with toe pistons)
5 Swell
5 Great
4 Pedal (with toe pistons)
* prepared for later addition

The Nichols & Simpson instrument at First Presbyterian Church in Batesville, Arkansas replaces a Möller pipe organ that was originally built in the 1920’s. When the present church was constructed in 1965, the Möller was sent back to the factory and was re-built. There had been some subsequent additions made to the instrument by a service technician. The new Nichols & Simpson pipe organ incorporates some pipework from the Möller and two ranks of pipes that were added by the service technician. The new instrument features a new console with manual natural keys of bone and sharps of rosewood, rosewood drawknobs with bone faces inset for engraving, and rosewood expression shoes. The organ also was provided with new Nichols & Simpson pallet-and-slider windchests and new expression shades.

Those who contributed to the realization of the organ include:

C. Joseph Nichols
(engineering, installation, tonal finishing)

Wayne E. Simpson III
(design, voicing, tonal finishing)

Duane Vanderpluym
(construction, installation)

Jorge A. Osorio
(console, construction, installation)

Timothy M. Bovard
(construction, installation)

Bryan K. Gray
(computer-aided drawing and design)

A. R. Schopp’s Sons
(pipework)