I’ve been sad this week, and I’ve spent time reminiscing about an American organ builder.
More precisely, I’ve thought a lot about losing my friend Martin Pasi on Sunday, September 6, in Collegeville, MN. I first met Martin in the Spring of 2008, about nine months after arriving in Chicago where my wife and I were beginning our retirement. Martin had gotten my phone number from John Brombaugh, an iconic American organ builder, and he asked if I would be willing to come to Winnetka Congregational Church to demonstrate his newest organ (see photo) while he listened in the nave of the church. That was a request that couldn’t possibly be denied!
I enjoyed at least a half dozen visits to Martin’s mechanical action instrument of 47 stops, with ten reeds spread over its three keyboards and pedal. Sometimes I would improvise, sometimes I’d play repertoire and usually I’d draw registrations which Martin wanted to hear. I was amused when hearing, “that’s enough, Jay. Thanks.” He eagerly taught me many specific details about “blended sounds” (registrations), historic temperaments and keyboard actions.
Martin Pasi was born and educated in a large family in Vorarlberg, Austria, and was an apprentice organ builder with Rieger Orgelbau. Early on he received much praise for his natural skills as a pipe maker (both metal and wood), and he enjoyed many opportunities to visit antique organs in North Germany, The Netherlands, France and even the USA. The pipes in the Winnetka organ were “historically informed” creations inspired by 17th, 18th, 19th, and even 20th century organs.
Martin opened his American shop in 1990 in Roy, Washington — a rural area that we visited eagerly in 2016, after a Christ Church Winnetka Choir tour in Seattle, WA. In 2023, Martin moved his shop to Saint John’s Abbey, Collegeville, MN (another rural area) where Benedictine monks are committed to woodworking and other arts. Just this past August his new shop celebrated his twenty-ninth organ that will in the near future be delivered to St. Peter’s Catholic parish in Volo, IL, near Libertyville. https://pasiorgans.com/
Martin Pasi’s direct influence on me includes 1) his great respect for organ building of the past, 2) his gentle, generous, collegial relationships, 3) his determination not to hide any organ building secrets, 4) his dedication to family and friends.
NOTES
Readers might be interested in the following:
- The American Organist Magazine, October 2009, page 102 (accessible by logging in to your AGO member account at https://www.agohq.org/, clicking on the “Magazine” drop down menu, and scrolling to the bottom of the page to select “Access Full Archive”)
- TAO, August 2024, page 48 (accessible as in Note 1, above)
- Stephanie Brune, Liturgical Music & Choir Director at St. Peter’s Church, Volo (https://stpetervolo.org/music)
- The Diapson (https://www.thediapason.com/news/martin-pasi-dead-72)
- Randall Swanson, Organist at Winnetka Congregational Church (https://www.winnetkacongregationalchurch.org/non-denominational-church-winnetka/staff/randall-swanson/)
Submitted by Jay Peterson