The iconic Jerusalem Marthoma Church in Kottayam, with its brick tile roof and magnificent spires, now houses a brand new church organ, brought all the way from the Netherlands. The Johannus Opus 380 church organ has become a joyous addition to the church which celebrates its 125th anniversary. The church organ is operated using the player's hands and feet and digitally sampled realisitic notes are generated through resounding 4.1 speakers.

The Jerusalem Marthoma Church choir holds an estimable reputation within the Marthoma church and supporters have been encouraging the ensemble to include an organ to embellish the service.

With zero plans and merely a dream, the choir had been in casual talks with John Eapen, the dealer of the Johannus brand in India. But talk quickly turned to action when Eapen informed them that the owners of Johannus were visiting India. A meeting was arranged and the church welcomed the Dutch visitors who quickly saw it as an appropriate home for their Opus 380 series. A deal, sweetened by the personal interaction, was struck at ₹17 lakhs and the organ was homebound.

“Somehow, it all worked out,” Rev K A Abraham told Onmanorama. The vicar had been assisting the church committee in organising fundraising activities to spare no expense for the quasquicentennial jubilee. 

“Many are familiar with our church choir”, says Reuben Philip Abraham, one of the choir leaders, who has been part of the group for around 22 years.

“The organ’s tone and that of the keyboard cannot be compared,” asserts Reuben. “Now, we laugh about how we used kalla (dummy) organ tones on our keyboard so far.”

Reuben reveals that this is the first installation of the Opus 380 series in India. An exemplary digital church organ, the Opus 380 has three manuals, 43 stops and 4 in-built speakers. Each of the 43 stops have specific tones that were recorded, digitised and programmed into the instrument giving it the ability to produce different sounds and provoke different moods. It includes samples from recordings of five famous pipe organs from churches in Kampen, Miami, Raalte, Paris and Dresden. In addition to pipe organ tones, it also has stops that produce the sound of wind instruments like the pan flute and the trumpet.

According to choir master Gibu George, the church organ’s vibrant and majestic tone supports the vocals. “It’s more powerful and natural than other instruments so when you pair it with vocals, you can open up and sing,” he shares. The choir master pointed out that the difference between an actual pipe organ and a keyboard is that the pipe organ produces an indirect sound—one that bounces off different parts of the room it sits in before reaching the ears of a listener. “That’s why if you place the same pipe organ in five different churches, you get five different feelings,” he adds, attributing the instrument’s distinct sound to its surroundings.

As Reuben and his choral compatriots transition from their old keyboard to the new church organ, the Jerusalem Marthoma Church choir is ready to add a deeper dimension to their service. “Nowadays, the younger generation wants to try different things,  so our older members are making new investments to support their dreams,” shares Rev. Abraham. The church organ was donated by Manapurath Dr. George M Abraham and Dr. Susan V George, in memory of his parents, late Rev. Dr. M V Abraham and Mary Abraham. Dr. George and Dr. Susan share a deep love for music and are passionate organists and members of Carmel Mar Thoma Church, Boston.

As the choir at Jerusalem Marthoma Church introduce their latest intrument to the service, they remember the legacy of their late organist V C Cherian, whose music and spirit continue to be deeply missed.