Blog 71 - Meet the New Organist: A. Nathaniel Gumbs

Blog 71

Meet the New Organist: A. Nathaniel Gumbs

(This is a modification of blog 28)

Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, Charlotte, NC has a Fratelli Ruffatti Pipe Organ and a new organist. Unlike the sermon building process which generally has three points, this story has two: The Fratelli Ruffatti Pipe Organ and the new organist A. Nathaniel Gumbs. The organ is described very well in a document written by the previous organist, Monty Bennett and is used in its entirety.


Sadly, it is a rare occurrence in the life of many modern churches when they acquire a wonderful new pipe organ. Gone are the days when the pipe organ was the instrument by which a church was judged. However, we celebrate both the legacy and the vision of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church as this new Fratelli Ruffatti pipe organ is shared with the community. Part of the heritage of Friendship has always been a strong music program. From the days on Brevard Street, the Friendship family worshipped to the sounds of a Pilcher pipe organ. Moving to Beatties Ford Road, through the tireless efforts of Gerado Stroud, the church replaced the Rodgers electronic organ with a large four-manual pipe organ. Many famous organists have played that instrument as staff members, in recital and as guest musicians. The new pipe organ is not only “Friendship’s organ,” but it is for the community. The music it provides is for all. It is a unique arts presence in Charlotte, from its dulcet tones that comfort those as it plays hymns of promise to the grand blaze of sound that heralds wedding processions forward. It will ultimately bring worshippers closer to the presence of God. Mozart proclaimed the pipe organ the “King of Instruments” and it is only fitting that a house of God should have such a magnificent vehicle to worship the King of Kings.


With approximately 6,000 pipes ranging in size from ¼” to 32’, the organ is capable of a larger range of sound than any symphony orchestra. The organ is also capable of a wider range of dynamics than any other musical instrument, or group of instruments. Thanks to research and development by the Ruffatti Company on winding and expression, any musician who plays the organ installed at Friendship has a greater control over the range of dynamic expression than on any other pipe organ built in the world today, due in part to the Hyper-dynamic ™ expression shades—the first of which are installed here.

All the interior woodwork of the organ is handcrafted of Sipo Mahogany from central Africa and is finished both inside and out to furniture grade. This strong wood is selected for its straight grain, but the finishing process eliminates any warping or being affected by humidity or other climactic conditions. Wooden pipes are also made of the same wood and finished inside and out and are built with tongue and groove construction.

Metal pipes are made from either 95% pure Malaysian tin, or from tin/lead alloys of 70% tin or 50% tin. The Herald Trumpet, located on the rear wall of the church, is made of polished, spun brass. Each trumpet pipe is constructed like an orchestral trumpet with a flared bell which adds great visual beauty, but also helps with the tonal quality of the stop.

The solid cherry wood console is a marvel of modern technology. With over 225 stop knobs and over 150 pistons and toe studs to control all the pipes, it is run by several computers. A computer controlled record/playback system is built into the console and recordings may be saved via the USB port onto a flash memory stick and saved onto a computer for later editing and printing in music software.

Some stops that are on this organ that should be noted are:

SWELL 4’ Flauto Veneziano—this is a copy of an antique rank of pipes by the 18th century Venetian organbuilder Gaetano Callido and is characterized by a clean, clear sound.

CHOIR 4’ Flûte d’Amour—made of solid mahagony, this stop was common in organs in the early 20th century and features a unique design and the time taken to construct it truly was a labor of “love.”

CHOIR 8’ Dulciana/Unda Maris—these soft undulating stops are purposely tuned flat from each other in the Italian manner and the slight beat that results is said to resemble the “waves of the sea.”

CHOIR 8’ Tromba dell’Amicizia—the “Friendship Trumpet”, a hooded, high pressure reed, enclosed in the Choir

GREAT 8’ Harmonic Flute—this is a copy of the Harmonic Flute that Ruffatti built for their organ in the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Fatima, Portugal.

SOLO 8’ Tuba Mirabilis—this is a replica of a 1926 WurliTzer tuba and is characterized by a rich, smooth reed tone.

USIGNOLO—the “nightingale”, five pipes submerged upside-down in oil that all play at once and replicate the sound of birds


In terms of size and cost, noted pride is evidenced that the FMBC pipe organ is the second largest in the city of Charlotte (following Calvary Church) but it is the largest musical instrument in an African American church in the nation. It is similar in size to Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, First Presbyterian Church Naples, Florida and John’s Creek Baptist Church, Alpharetta, Georgia. Ruffatti’s largest organ is the instrument at Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Ca. where Robert Schuller was pastor.

According to brother Ed Holland, the Church Administrator at FMBC, the Ruffatti Pipe organ was installed at a cost of approximately 1.5 million dollars. Considering its value in glorifying God, the enhancement of worship and community, its value is more today.

Describing the organ is only a part of the story, now the second part. A church once found itself in a heated debate as to whether the church should purchase and install a “chandelier.” One ‘attempted peace-maker’ raised the question, if the church purchased a chandelier, who would play it? That settled the question. Friendship Missionary Baptist Church never had any difficulty locating an accomplished organist.

Today, our new organist is none other than A. Nathaniel Gumbs who is a native of the Bronx, NY. He currently serves as the Interim Associate Director of Music and Arts at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC. Nat is a graduate of Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia where he received the Bachelor of Music Degree in Organ Performance, Excellence in Organ Award and was a student of Dr. Steven Cooksey. Recently, he earned the Master of Music degree in Organ Performance from Yale University, Institute of Sacred Music in New Haven, Connecticut, and was a student of Martin Jean. Nat has served as the conference organist of the Hampton Ministers’ Conference in Hampton, VA since 2009. He received both the Service Playing and Colleague Certifications from the American Guild of Organists.

We welcome and salute A. Nathaniel Gumbs, Interim Associate Director of Music and Arts of FMBC.