Skip to main content

Cover Feature

Emery Brothers, Allentown, Pennsylvania; Stoneleigh, Villanova, Pennsylvania

Emery Brothers,

Allentown, Pennsylvania

Stoneleigh,

Villanova, Pennsylvania

In the Fall of 2017, the Organ Historical Society moved into its new headquarters, Stoneleigh, in Villanova, Pennsylvania, the former home of the John and Chara Haas family. At the time, an Aeolian-Skinner residence organ became available and plans were made to install it in the former living room of Stoneleigh. The organ dates from a crucial period in American organbuilding when, following the Great Depression, organ business declined more than sixty percent, and it was imperative for two of the country’s prestigious organ companies, Aeolian and Skinner, to join forces and form a new company, Aeolian-Skinner.

This instrument, which began as Aeolian Opus 1790 (the company’s last residence organ), was assigned a Skinner opus number—878—and has an Aeolian-Skinner nameplate. It is not only a remarkable example of a residence organ but has survived in as perfect condition as when it left the factory three-quarters of a century ago. It is now in an ideal setting in which to introduce new generations to the organ as well as to hear the hundreds of recordings made by the world’s great organists in the early twentieth century. The installation was accomplished by Emery Brothers of Allentown, Pennsylvania, under the supervision of Adam F. Dieffenbach, a descendent of four generations of Dieffenbach organbuilders, active in Berks County, Pennsylvania.

§

In October 1931, Aeolian sold its last residence organ. The “patron,” as the company referred to its clients, was Charles Walter Nichols (1875–1963), an American chemical engineer who, with his father, William H. Nichols, organized company mergers that eventually formed Allied Chemical & Dye Corporation, a precursor of Allied Signal. Charles Nichols, a vice president and general manager, acquired forty acres in West Orange, New Jersey, that he called Pleasantdale Farm, and built a twelve-bedroom Norman-style summer house there.

As his house was under construction, Nichols signed a contract on October 13, 1931, for a 32-rank Aeolian organ, Opus 1790. According to the cost sheet, the actual price was $25,474, but Aeolian sold it for $24,775—a $700 discount—“to close the deal.” Frank Taft, Aeolian’s art director and general manager who had been with the company since 1901, handled the negotiations. Taft held a seat on Aeolian’s board of directors, would have known of the impending merger of his company with the Boston firm, and would have advised Charles Nichols that his organ would be installed by the new company.

Installation

Electricity accounted for many changes in traditional organbuilding, from pipe chests and action, to stop unification and borrowing, console design, and stop management. With electricity, the organ could be placed in multiple chambers in the front and sides of churches, moved to the opposite end of the building as an Antiphonal division, and put in a remote location as an Echo. Electricity benefited the installation of organs in private homes in the same way, allowing divisions to be placed at considerable distance from one another—the main organ in the basement, a second division over the entrance hall, the Chimes in a second-floor closet, and an Echo in the attic. The “tone chute” was devised so that the pipe chambers could be located at a distance and the tone channeled through the house, sometimes up a shaft, through a wall, across the ceiling, and down into a room.

With the private home came a new set of organ design requirements and challenges, and the Nichols organ embodied those features for which the Aeolian Company was preeminent in the residence organ field:1

• it can be adapted to any house, large or small;

• it is unobtrusive, often occupying space not otherwise of use;

• it is built especially for the place it is to occupy;

• it may easily be made an architectural feature, or on the other hand may be entirely concealed from view;

• it is refined in quality of tone and of superior workmanship.

The organ at Pleasantdale Farm was installed in the basement with no egress whatsoever into the room in which it was to be heard. There were two organ chambers separated by a two-story shaft, roughly eight-feet square. The 26-foot high tone shaft ran to the ceiling of the vestibule, and at its right side was a 5½-foot hole in the living room wall covered by an elaborately carved wooden grille work through which the sound of the organ entered the room. The Great and Solo chambers were in a basement room to the right of the tone chute, and the Swell in a room at the left. The sound of the organ then rose to the house above and filtered into the living room. Frank Taft was aware of the potential problem with hearing the organ when he telegrammed the Aeolian-Skinner office that “Great must be voiced louder than Swell due to its location.”2

The organ

The stoplist of this, and most other Aeolian organs, was written in the “simplified” nomenclature adopted in 1907 when the company began printing registration on its player rolls. To make the names of stops as straightforward as possible for the laymen who would be operating the player mechanism, identification was reduced to tone quality. The pitch was eliminated and replaced with an adjective: a 16′ Bourdon became a Deep Flute; if it was loud, Deep Flute F; if soft, Deep Flute P. A 4′ Flute was a High Flute, a 2′ Fifteenth, an Acute Diapason. Assuming a violinist’s vibrato would be more familiar than the church organist’s Vox Celeste, Aeolian called its celeste rank a Vibrato String F or P.

Aeolian’s first organ consoles had traditional drawknobs arranged in horizontal jambs at either side of the keyboards. In 1905, stop control was changed to what has become the company’s most distinctive feature: horizontally arranged domino-shaped rocking tablets set in oblique vertical rows on either side of the keyboards. Aeolian changed their consoles in early 1924 to vertical tilting tablets set in vertical jambs at a 45-degree angle.3

Since the Nichols organ was equipped with an Aeolian Duo-Art player, the stoplist contained most of the ranks necessary for the playing of automatic rolls that reproduced the playing of live organists and controlled the registration and expression as well as all the notes. Thus, the Trumpet and Clarinet were on the Great, while the Swell had a second Trumpet (Cornopean), Oboe, and Vox Humana. The rolls did not specify either a 2′ or a mixture on the Swell (stops present on this organ), but they did call for a three-rank Echo division, and a 16′ Bassoon in the Pedal (the Echo was added five years later, and a 32′ Resultant was specified in place of a Bassoon).4 A luxurious five-rank Solo division was also provided. Aeolian economized only with the 97-pipe unit flute on the Swell, the 8′ extension of which, the Spanish Flute, was more frequently encountered as a Flute Español.5 By July 1932, when the chests were laid out, the two soft Swell strings, Salicional and Vox Celeste, had been changed to a Flauto Dolce and a tenor C Flute Celeste—the only celeste rank that does not extend full compass. This change is not reflected in the stop tablets, which still read Vibrato String P and String PP.

The five-rank Swell mixture is based on 4′ pitch, and the pipes are string scale with narrow mouths. This differs from Aeolian’s standard soft string mixture, originally called a Serafino, which was a Dolce Cornet with an 8′ (that began at tenor C) and 4′ added, and except for the Quintadena basses, were composed of Aeoline or Viol d’Orchestre pipes.6 Its composition is:

C–A 8-15-19-22-24

A#–c3 8-12-15-17-19

c#3–c4 8-10-12-15-15

From the beginning, Charles Nichols’s organ was something of a hybrid, apparently assembled from whatever was available as Aeolian-Skinner completed the unfinished installations of the two companies. The console and bench, “of Aeolian standard design,” may have already been built. The chests are Skinner, but the reservoirs are Aeolian. The swell shades are Skinner, but their motors are Aeolian. The Harp and Chimes are both Aeolian. Most of the pipework is Skinner, but we know from shop notes that the 97-pipe Swell 16′ unit flute was all Aeolian and that the first two octaves of the wooden Pedal 16′ Bourdon were Aeolian and notes 25 to 44 were Skinner.7 Not unusual, two ranks of pipes intended for other organs ended up in the Nichols instrument, in particular the Solo Gamba Celeste and Pedal 16′ Violone, both of which came from Opus 1649, owned by George Douglas Clews of South Orange, New Jersey.8 Surprisingly, the Clarinet is not the usual free reed, as specified in the contract, but a regular beating-reed rank, and the customary 1⁄4-length Aeolian Oboe is, instead, a full-length Skinner Oboe.

The organ was installed in the house at Pleasantdale Farm in late summer of 1932. It immediately became apparent that the Great division was too soft and “ineffective.” In January 1933, G. Donald Harrison ordered the wind pressure raised one inch to seven inches, four ranks replaced, and the Great Trumpet and Clarinet revoiced on the new wind pressure and made “as loud as possible.”9 The First Diapason was made the Second, with a new Diapason from tenor C (scale 40, 2⁄9 mouth), and the 4′ Octave was replaced with a new one (scale 56, 2⁄9 mouth). It was planned to change the stop wires of the Flute F and String F to make them the Flute and String P and replace them with a new Flute Harmonique and string rank, but these changes were never made.

After the 1932 volume increase, nothing further was done until five years later when, on July 7, 1937, probably at the suggestion of organist Archer Gibson who played frequently for the family, Nichols signed a contract for a four-rank Echo division: Diapason, Flute, String, and Vox Humana, plus a Tremolo. This was installed in a hall closet next to the tone chute. The three chests were stacked in order for the four ranks to fit in the cramped space, and the sound was conveyed through a two-foot by two-foot tone chute that extended some thirty feet inside the wall before exiting in the middle of the living room.

The organ received regular maintenance six times a year, every other month, until July 30, 1960, when Charles Nichols received a letter giving him thirty days’ notice that Aeolian-Skinner’s New York office was discontinuing service. “Mr. Martin Eisel of our New York staff has retired, and sufficiently-trained personnel simply is not available to handle this work.”10

After Charles W. Nichols’s death on April 26, 1963, Pleasantdale Farm became the property of Allied Signal, which used it as a corporate training retreat. In 1994, it was no longer required, and the company wanted to sell it to a developer. It being the last gentleman’s farm in Essex County, the newly formed West Orange Historic Preservation Commission tried to have the property designated a historic landmark, but Allied Signal assembled enough “authorities” to testify to the estate’s historic insignificance. At a town council hearing, Newark architect Harry B. Mahler described the house as “neo-historical eclectic with Norman overtones,” that the architect was influenced by the owner’s wishes, and that the main house lacked an overall harmony of de-sign. “It’s a mishmash or conglomeration of styles, forms, and materials which include Roman, Norman and Gothic, which are put together like pieces of a fruit salad and which the architect lost control of.”11 Failing landmark status, the property was sold to a restaurateur, who opened it as Pleasantdale Château and Conference Resort.

In the thirty-five years since Aeolian-Skinner discontinued maintenance service of the organ, the chambers had not been touched and everything remained in immaculate condition. Residence organs never had much success after the original owner died or the house was sold—if not demolished. Not only were residence organs not maintained after the house changed hands, but the console was often removed and destroyed, and the pipe chambers used as storage space, subject to water damage, and derelict. The only change at Pleasantdale was that console had been removed from the living room but stored in the basement.

Curt Mangel, the man responsible for the restoration of the great Wanamaker organ in Philadelphia, bought the Pleasantdale organ in 1995, removed it, and restored the console. He later sold it to Fred Cramer of Pittsburgh, who partially restored the organ. When Cramer decided to retire, he offered to sell it back to Mangel, at which point, negotiations were underway for the OHS to occupy Stoneleigh, and Fred Hass seized the opportunity to have Aeolian-Skinner Opus 878 installed in the family’s former residence.

Stoneleigh

The premise of Stephen King’s novel Pet Sematary is “they never come back the same” and this applies to Opus 878, but in a positive way. In its original placement, it is doubtful if twenty percent of the organ could be heard—and that at the remove of an entire floor level and a room—the tone had to make two right angles and rise 26 feet before exiting a hole in the wall. In the case of the Echo Organ, its sound was imagined traveling through a 30-foot pipe in the wall before being heard. The situation was in no way optimum for the transference of musical sound. Now, at Stoneleigh, Opus 878 is ideally situated in chambers directly under the room in which it is heard.

The installation was not without difficulties, however, and for the 81⁄2-foot-high basement to accommodate the organ chamber it had to be excavated to a depth of 141⁄2 feet. The underlying stone and granite had to be jackhammered and then the walls of the house reinforced. Each organ chamber was elegantly and spaciously laid out so that personnel can move about comfortably and all pipes are within reach for tuning. Every piece of wood was refinished and shellacked, pipes are as shiny as when new. Since its acquisition, Emery Brothers, as well as other subcontractors, did considerable restoration work to several of the organ’s components when the OHS acquired the organ. In the original installation, the metal Pedal 16′ Diapason stood upright in the Swell chamber, but at Stoneleigh the bottom octave had to be mitered, which was done by A. R. Schopp’s Sons and included reinforcing springs to reduce pressure on the joints. Schopp also mitered the wooden basses of the 16′ Violone, which are now mounted horizontally.

A large library of Aeolian Duo-Art rolls was also acquired from Curt Mangel, and the Duo-Art player has been masterfully restored by Chris Kehoe. The Concertola, the remote roll changer, is currently being restored by Kegg Pipe Organ Builders of Hartville, Ohio.

The organ is heard in the 24-foot by 36-foot living room through 4-foot by 6-foot bronze grilles in the floor at either side of the fireplace, devised by Curt Mangel. The console sits in a bay window at the right of the fireplace. Mangel also arranged for the clever installation of the Echo organ under the grand staircase in the hallways adjacent to the living room, which speaks through a grille in the side of the stairs.

Learn more about the installation of Aeolian-Skinner Opus 878 at www.emerybrothers.com.

The author wishes to thank those who assisted in the preparation of this article: Christopher Kehoe, project and site manager for the Stoneleigh organ installation; Curt Mangel, designer of the installation; and Bynum Petty, OHS archivist.

Rollin Smith is the Organ Historical Society’s director of publications and editor of The Tracker. He was awarded the Nicholas Bessaraboff Prize by the American Musical Instrument Society for his book Pipe Organs of the Rich and Famous, published by the OHS Press in 2014. The second edition of his The Aeolian Pipe Organ and Its Music has just been published.

Notes

1. Advertisement for the Aeolian-Pipe-Organ, Architecture, vol. 27, no. 1 (January 15, 1913): 22.

2. Telegram from Frank Taft to A. Perry Martin, July 14, 1932.

3. In late 1923, Aeolian had extended its pedal compass from 30 notes to what was, by then, the industry standard, 32 notes.

4. In the extant jack box, the 16′ Violone and Diapason were wired to come on together whenever the Bassoon was called for in the Aeolian Duo-Art rolls. The Violone came on alone when the Pedal String was called for. Information supplied by Chris Kehoe.

5. Its first appearance of the Flute Español was in Opus 1598, for William K. Vanderbilt, Jr., at Eagle Rock, the contract of which was signed on January 15, 1926.

6. Thanks to OHS archivist Bynum Petty for the analysis and composition of the Swell mixture.

7. Shop notes for Opus 878, July 28, 1932.

8. Ibid. George Douglas Clews (1886–1940) was treasurer of the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. and grandson of George Huntington Hartford, founder of the grocery chain. “He could play virtually any musical instrument, but the organ in his home received his particular attention.” “Kin of A. and P. Founder Dies,” Jersey Journal (December 6, 1940): 10.

9. Order from G. Donald Harrison, assistant general manager, to A. Perry Martin, January 25, 1933.

10. Letter of July 30, 1963, from treasurer of Aeolian-Skinner to C. W. Nichols.

11. Carlotta Gulvas Swarden, “West Orange Journal: Town and Company at Odds Over an Estate,” New York Times (November 20, 1994): 2.

 

GREAT (II, enclosed)

8′ First Diapason 73

8′ Second Diapason 73

8′ Flute F 73

8′ Flute P 73

8′ String F 73

8′ String P 73

4′ Octave 73

4′ Flute 73

2′ Piccolo 61

8′ Trumpet 73

8′ Clarinet 73

Chimes

8′ Harp (TC, 61 bars)

4′ Celesta (ext Harp)

Great Unison Release

Great 4

Great 16

Tremolo

SWELL (III, enclosed)

16′ Flute (ext 8′) 12

8′ Diapason 73

8′ Spanish Flute 73

8′ String F 73

8′ String F Vibrato 73

8′ String P 73

8′ String P Vibrato (TC) 61

4′ Flute 73

2′ Flageolet (fr. 4′)

Mixture V 305

8′ Cornopean 73

8′ Oboe 73

8′ Vox Humana 73

Swell Unison Release

Swell 4

Swell 16

Tremolo

CHOIR (I, duplexed from Gt)

8′ Diapason (Second)

8′ Flute F

8′ Flute P

8′ String F

8′ String P

4′ Flute

2′ Piccolo

8′ Trumpet

8′ Clarinet

Chimes

8′ Harp (TC)

4′ Celesta

Choir Unison Release

Choir 4

Choir 16

Tremolo

SOLO (floating, enclosed)

8′ Flute F 73

8′ String F 73

8′ String F Vibrato 73

8′ French Horn 73

8′ Tuba 73

Solo to Choir

Solo to Great

Tremolo

ECHO (III, enclosed)

8′ Diapason 73

8′ String 73

8′ Flute 73

8′ Vox Humana 73

Tremolo

Chimes (20 tubes)

PEDAL

32′ Resultant

16′ Diapason (ext Gt) 12

16′ Flute F 44

16′ Flute P (Sw)

16′ Violone 32

8′ Flute F (fr. 16′)

8′ Flute P (Sw)

Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co., Inc. Opus 878 (1931). 3 manuals, 49 stops, 37 ranks. Originally built for the C. W. Nichols residence in West Orange, New Jersey.

Related Content

Cover Feature: Emery Brothers

Emery Brothers, Allentown, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Adam F. Dieffenbach
Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral organ

Our installation of this organ was scheduled to commence on March 16, 2020. As stay-at-home orders and other government measures came into effect, these plans changed. However, this was hardly the first detour for the mighty Möller on its path to Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral.

Opus 6425 was installed in Schwab Auditorium at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania, in 1936. Designed by Möller’s illustrious, imported tonal director Richard Whitelegg, the organ’s thirty-three ranks are replete with warm, bold diapasons, evocative flutes, colorful and varied strings, and four iconic reeds, all at eight-foot pitch: Trumpet, Oboe, Clarinet, and Vox Humana. The organ was fully enclosed, including all three open 16′ flue ranks—Wood Diapason, Metal Diapason, and Gemshorn. It also included, and retains today, a set of Deagan Class-A chimes and a forty-nine-note harp. When the stylistic demands of the organ world changed, this broad-shouldered organ fell into disuse, the console cable was eventually severed, and benign neglect allowed it to survive the ravages of mid-century revisions and replacements. It was in this pristine—although inoperable—condition that we first came to know Möller Opus 6425.

Our relationship with the instrument began in 2013 when we were invited to collect its constituent parts, already dismantled by another firm, with a view to restoring the organ and installing it in a church in Philadelphia. In fact, my first day as an employee at Emery Brothers was spent unloading the last truckload of parts from State College. It took some time for restoration and relocation plans to come into focus, but we eventually entered into a contract for just that: restoring the organ to like-new condition, with no tonal changes, but with an updated solid-state control system, and a redesigned layout to fit the new space.

However, plans to install the organ in this first location were discontinued, and with roughly three-quarters of the restoration work done, Möller Opus 6425 went back into storage, its future uncertain. Then, over the next few years we continued to keep our eyes open for a new home for the organ while we continued to work through our existing backlog of projects.

At the same time, we were caring for an ailing, heavily modified and digitally hybridized 1903 Austin organ at Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral. Wind leaks from the Universal windchests, now over 110 years old, were so loud that the blower had to be turned off during the service to allow the spoken word to be heard in the church. When discussions around a long-term plan for the organ began, we immediately thought of Möller Opus 6425. All the windchests and reservoirs had been releathered, the reed pipes restored by Sam Hughes, and all the flue pipes cleaned and ready for voicing.

Some additions would be needed, including a new console and an organ in the rear gallery to support congregational and choral singing from that location. The decision was made early on to call this part of the instrument the “Nave Organ” because it has an important role as a standalone organ to support singers in the nave of the church. The decision was also made to add a few select ranks to Opus 6425 to fill out its specifications towards use in the cathedral. These were:

• 16′/8′ Tromba/Trombone (Great/Pedal)

• 32′ Harmonics (12 notes extending Trombone, 36 pipes, Pedal)

• 32′ Bourdon (12 pipes, extending existing 16′ Bourdon, Pedal)

• 16′ Double Trumpet (Swell)

• 8′ Tuba (Choir)

Around this time, we also learned of Möller Opus 6512, a two-manual Whitelegg Möller organ in a church building that was up for sale. This donor instrument provided the Tromba/Trombone pipes we added to Opus 6425 in the Great/Pedal chamber, and also allowed us to populate the Nave Organ with voices sympathetic to Opus 6425. Most of the other ranks added to Opus 6425 to create the Nave Organ came from the existing cathedral Austin. For instance, cathedral organist Wesley Parrott cleverly pointed out that the Austin Swell 4′ Traverse Flute, sub-coupled and matched to the Austin Choir 8′ Melodia, created a beautiful flute celeste effect, which we placed in the Nave Great.

In addition to its role in supporting congregational and choral singing from the rear gallery, the Nave Organ houses many of the organ’s solo voices, such as the Flugelhorn, Cromorne, Doppelflute, and Cornet (decomposé). The Nave Organ was installed first, and while assembly of the Chancel Organ was still underway, was the only organ in the cathedral for several months. Its sixteen ranks do a remarkable job of filling the room. Its design is perhaps the only real departure from a true Whitelegg installation, as the diminutive organ chambers would likely have housed an Echo or Celestial division. As it stands, several of the boldest flue voices in the organ reside in the Nave Great, including the largest diapason in the organ (42 scale, linen lead).

In its new arrangement, Opus 6425 surrounds the chancel, referred to in the cathedral as the presbyterium. the Great and Pedal divisions share an elevated chamber on the north side of the presbyterium. The Swell and Choir are stacked in the south chamber, with the Choir below and the Swell above. Each of these three divisions has two shade fronts—one facing the nave and one facing the presbyterium. The Nave Organ is split between two matching cases eleven feet above the gallery floor, with the Great in the north case and the Swell in the south case. Basses of both the 16′ Diapason and 16′ Gedeckt are mounted along the back wall, framing the rose window.

With five expressive divisions, eight shade fronts, and a total of 145 individual shades, expression control is an important aspect of our design for this installation. This is accomplished by way of an expression matrix, with a default setting and four settable expression pistons. While this isn’t the first time a church organ has had an expression matrix, to our knowledge this is the first range- and direction-settable expression matrix. In other words, any of the organ’s eight shade fronts can be set to function in either direction, for any range of travel on any of the four expression shoes in the console. This has led to a lot of experimentation and will provide endless flexibility in expression control for this deeply expressive organ. For instance, one of the settings currently in use has all shades assigned to one swell shoe, with all shades closed at the midpoint of its travel. As it is pushed forward, the Chancel Organ shades all open. Push the heel down, and the Nave Organ shades all open.

Having recently completed our relocation of Aeolian-Skinner Opus 878 into Stoneleigh, headquarters of the Organ Historical Society in Villanova, Pennsylvania [featured on the cover of the December 2019 issue of The Diapason], we elected to work with a partner to do some of the “heavy lifting” for the much larger cathedral installation. JR Neutel and the staff of Reuter Organ Company proved an excellent choice for this role, providing the new four-manual console, as well as the engineering and the lion’s share of the onsite installation labor for the project, and any new windchests and reservoirs required for added stops. As Pennsylvania and other states began reopening, we rescheduled and then commenced installation in September of 2020. The organ was dedicated in an inaugural recital featuring Tyrone Whiting, Jeff Brillhart, and Clara Gerdes-Bartz on October 24, 2021.

This project was made possible by generous funding from the Wyncote Foundation as recommended by Fred Haas and Rafael Gomez. We are also deeply grateful for the support of the cathedral community, including The Right Rev. Daniel G. P. Gutiérrez, Bishop; The Very Rev. Judith A. Sullivan, Dean; Canon for Music and the Arts Thomas Lloyd; Cathedral Organist Wesley Parrott; Canon for Administration Lynn Buggage; and Sexton Lamont Murray. Our network of suppliers and subcontractors for this project included Sam Hughes, Reuter Organ Company, Opus Two Instrument Control Systems, Organ Supply Industries, Rudewicz & Associates, and COE Percussion.

GREAT

16′ Double Open Diapason 12 pipes (ext Second Open Diapason)

8′ First Open Diapason  73 pipes

8′ Second Open Diapason   73 pipes

8′ Claribel Flute 73 pipes

8′ Gemshorn 73 pipes

4′ Octave 73 pipes

4′ Harmonic Flute 73 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

III Mixture 183 pipes

16′ Trombone1 (ext Tromba) 12 pipes

8′ Tromba1 73 pipes

Tremolo

8′ Tuba (Ch)

Chimes (G–g) (25 tubes)

Great 16 - Unison Off - 4

Nave Swell on Great

Nave Great on Great

Nave on Great Pistons

Pedal Combinations on Great

SWELL

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt 73 pipes

8′ Geigen Principal 73 pipes

8′ Rohr Flute 73 pipes

8′ Salicional 73 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste (TC) 61 pipes

4′ Principal 73 pipes

4′ Triangular Flute 73 pipes

IV Mixture 244 pipes

16′ Double Trumpet2 73 pipes

8′ Trumpet 73 pipes

8′ Oboe 73 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 73 pipes

Tremolo

Swell 16 - Unison Off - 4

Nave Swell on Swell

Nave Great on Swell

Nave on Swell Pistons

Pedal Combinations on Swell

CHOIR

8′ Concert Flute 73 pipes

8′ Viola 73 pipes

8′ Viola Celeste (TC) 61 pipes

8′ Dulciana 97 pipes

8′ Unda Maris (TC) 61 pipes

4′ Flute d’Amour 73 pipes

4′ Dulcet (ext Dulciana)

2-2⁄3′ Dolce Twelfth (ext Dulciana)

2′ Dolce Fifteenth (ext Dulciana)

8′ Clarinet 73 pipes

Tremolo

16′ Trombone (Gt)

8′ Tromba (Gt)

8′ Tuba (by F. J. Rogers, 15 inches pressure) 73 pipes

8′ Harp (TC) (49 bars)

Chimes (Gt)

Choir 16 - Unison Off - 4 - 22⁄3

Nave Swell on Choir

Nave Great on Choir

Pedal Combinations on Choir

PEDAL

32′ Bourdon 12 pipes

32′ Resultant

16′ Diapason 32 pipes

16′ Double Diapason (Gt)

16′ Bourdon 32 pipes

16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Sw)

16′ Gemshorn (Gt) 12 pipes

8′ Octave (ext Diapason) 12 pipes

8′ Major Flute (ext Bourdon) 12 pipes

8′ Claribel Flute (Gt)

8′ Gemshorn (Gt)

4′ Triangular Flute (Sw)

32′ Trombone (ext 16′ Trombone, 1–12 III Harmonics) 36 pipes

16′ Trombone (Gt)

16′ Double Trumpet (Sw)

8′ Tromba (Gt)

8′ Double Trumpet (Sw)

8′ Tuba (Ch)

4′ Double Trumpet (Sw)

Chimes (Gt)

NAVE GREAT

8′ Open Diapason1 61 pipes

8′ Doppleflute 49 pipes (Roosevelt, 1–12 from Melodia)

8′ Melodia2 61 pipes

8′ Bois Celeste2 (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Octave1  73 pipes

2′ Super Octave1 (ext 4′ Octave)

II Grave Mixture1 122 pipes

8′ Flugelhorn 61 pipes (from Reuter, revoiced)

8′ Cromorne3 61 pipes

Tremolo

8′ Tuba (Ch)

Tower Bells (13 bells)

Chimes (Gt)

Great on Nave

Nave Great 16 - Unison Off - 4

NAVE SWELL

16′ Gedeckt1 (ext 8′ Gedeckt) 12 pipes

8′ Viole2 73 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste2 (TC) 61 pipes

8′ Gedeckt1 73 pipes

4′ Open Flute3 73 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

2′ Piccolo1 (ext 8′ Gedeckt) 12 pipes

1-3⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes

16′ Fagotto4 (ext 8′ Fagotto) 12 pipes

8′ Fagotto4 73 pipes

Tremolo

Zimbelstern

Nave Swell 16 - Unison Off - 4

NAVE PEDAL

32′ Resultant

16′ Open Diapason (Nave Gt) 12 pipes

16′ Gedeckt (Nave Sw)

8′ Open Diapason (Nave Gt)

8′ Gedeckt (Nave Sw)

4′ Open Diapason (Nave Gt)

4′ Gedeckt (Nave Sw)

16′ Fagotto (Nave Sw)

8′ Fagotto (Nave Sw)

4′ Cromorne (Nave Gt)

COUPLERS

Great to Pedal 8, 4

Swell to Pedal 8, 4

Choir to Pedal 8, 51⁄3, 4

Nave Great to Pedal 8, 4

Nave Swell to Pedal 8

Swell to Great 16, 8, 4

Choir to Great 16, 8, 5-1⁄3, 4, 2-2⁄3

Nave Great to Great 8, 4

Nave Swell to Great 8, 4

Swell to Choir 16, 8, 4

Nave Great to Choir 8, 4

Nave Swell to Choir 8, 4

Choir to Swell 8, 4, 2-2⁄3

Nave Great to Swell 8

Nave Swell to Swell 8

Great/Choir Transfer

Notes

1. From 1937 M. P. Möller Op. 6512

2. From 1903 Austin Organ Company Opus 73

3. From inventory

4. From 1960 M. P. Möller Op. 9453

 

53 ranks, 86 stops, 3,606 pipes

 

Photo credit: Adam F. Dieffenbach

Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ Cover Feature

Midmer-Losh, Inc., Merrick, Long Island, New York, Opus 5550 (1929–1932); Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey

Where is the largest pipe organ?

If you ask the average person what Atlantic City, New Jersey, is known for, the most likely response would be “gambling.” However, Atlantic City boasts an international treasure that predates the 1976 referendum legalizing gaming in the seaside resort by more than four decades. Tucked within the walls of Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, originally known as the Atlantic City Convention Hall, is an instrument of colossal proportions boasting seven manuals, 449 ranks, and some 33,112 pipes. Built between 1929 and 1932 by the Midmer-Losh Organ Company of Merrick, Long Island, the organ is a monument of music and technology.

The end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century ushered in a dramatic shift in the art of organbuilding. Electricity brought about daily changes in all aspects of life, and organbuilders were eager to harness its possibilities. No longer bound by the limitations of mechanical or tubular-pneumatic actions, pipes could be located remotely throughout a building or in some extreme cases, other buildings and outdoors! Builders were pioneering their own electric actions, eager to outdo their competitors and build on their own successes. The Hutchings-Votey Organ Company built a sizable instrument for Yale’s Woolsey Hall from 1902 to 1903 that would see great expansion over the next two decades into the superlative instrument we know today. At the same time, the Los Angeles Art Organ Company was building a lavish instrument for the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. At the time of its construction, it was the largest pipe organ in the world with more than 10,000 pipes. It would later become the nucleus of the Wanamaker Organ in Philadelphia, where it has nearly tripled in size.

In the early 20th century, Atlantic City went through a radical building boom, and many of the seaside resort’s cottages and boarding houses were replaced with large hotels. The moderate summer temperatures and ocean breezes brought visitors by the thousands. By the 1920s, tourism was at its peak, causing many historians to deem that era “Atlantic City’s Golden Age.” Prohibition was enacted in 1919 but went largely unenforced in Atlantic City. With many local officials turning a blind eye to the illegal sale and consumption of alcohol, spirits could be readily obtained at restaurants and speakeasies, and the resort’s popularity grew further still. 

In November 1923, Mayor Edward L. Bader initiated a public referendum at which time residents approved the construction of a convention hall. Construction began in August 1926, and the building was officially opened in June 1929. At the time of its construction, the building was the world’s largest auditorium and covered seven acres. The arena, where the Midmer-Losh organ is located, measures 487 feet long, 288 feet wide, and 137 feet high. The barrel-shaped ceiling is supported by the building’s walls rather than pillars, granting an unobstructed view from one end of the room to the other.  In its original configuration, the building was a multi-purpose room that could serve as a convention hall, sports arena, and concert venue. Fixed seating in balconies ran along three of the walls, but the bulk of the seating was in bleachers or moveable chairs on the main floor. When opened the arena could hold more than 40,000 people at full capacity. Following a $90 million renovation in 1999, the capacity of the arena was reduced to just over 14,000 but with greatly improved sight lines and better access and amenities.

One of the key players responsible for the creation of the mammoth organ was a senator by the name of Emerson Lewis Richards. A lawyer and politician by profession, Richards was enthralled by pipe organs from an early age. He was well-traveled, spending a great deal of time in Europe studying historical instruments, and was well acquainted with many of the finest organbuilders and organists of the time. His family’s wealth enabled him to install numerous pipe organs in his palatial home, located only ten blocks from Convention Hall. His home instruments were a laboratory for testing new pipework, and he was notorious for swapping ranks of pipes with some frequency. One of the largest of his residence instruments, Aeolian-Skinner Opus 1047 (four manuals, 146 ranks), was built for the senator in 1944 and moved a few years later in 1948 to First Baptist Church of Denver, Colorado, where it still resides. His vision of the “perfect” pipe organ morphed considerably throughout his life, and his contributions to organbuilding cannot be overstated.

It was Richards who was the champion and mastermind behind the installation of a pipe organ in the Convention Hall. While a pipe organ would not have been uncommon in a civic building of the time, the senator used his influence to convince city officials that it would be more cost effective to spend a large sum of money up front to build an organ and then only need one organist to play it, rather than to hire a large orchestra or band every time live music was needed in the hall. The size of the instrument would have to be enormous to fill the space and lead 40,000 people in song.

Richards’s initial design called for an astonishing 592 ranks and 43,641 pipes. Space and budget constraints mercifully intervened, and the revised scheme was reduced to 403 ranks and 29,646 pipes. By the time construction was complete, the instrument grew to its present 449 ranks and 33,112 pipes. The twenty divisions of the organ are located in eight chambers at the front and center of the room. W. W. Kimball, M. P. Möller, and Midmer-Losh submitted bids for the contract. Kimball’s price was the highest at $467,617. Möller came in lower at $418,850, and the lowest bid of $347,200 came from Midmer-Losh. All of the bids were still over the $300,000 budget established by the city, but Richards pointed out that if the instrument was to fit the budget exactly, it would have to be smaller than what was, at the time, the largest organ—the Wanamaker organ in nearby Philadelphia. The fact that the city provided the extra money suggests that perhaps having the world’s largest organ was indeed part of Atlantic City’s agenda. Ultimately, Richards was able to insert a clause into the contract, which the builder accepted; it gave him the power as the architect of the organ to make any change to the contract at any time with the builder bearing the cost. Richards invoked the clause on numerous occasions with devastating financial results for the Midmer-Losh company.

Construction on the organ, Midmer-Losh’s Opus 5550, began in May 1929 and was completed in December 1932. The first two divisions to be played were the Brass Chorus and String II on July 28, 1929. They were played from a used three-manual Möller theatre organ console. As construction continued the instrument was played from the five-manual “portable” console until the seven-manual console was completed. James Winter, an electrician for Midmer-Losh, gave the first public recital on May 11, 1932, during the Atlantic City Fair.

The contract for the organ was signed only a few months before the Great Depression began, but the money for the organ was not affected and construction continued. In fact, in some ways, the Great Depression may have contributed to the success of the instrument. While other organbuilding firms were downsizing or ceasing operation altogether, there was plentiful work in Atlantic City and many of the best and brightest minds in organbuilding were associated with the project. Employees from Estey, Steere, Odell, Marr & Colton, Dennison, Gottfried, and Wurlitzer all found their way to Atlantic City, and their contributions can be seen and heard throughout the instrument. In the end, however, the project was not exempt from the financial struggles of the Depression, which led to the Midmer-Losh company and Atlantic City to be in conflict over the completion of the instrument.

The contentious end to the construction of the instrument was perhaps a foreshadowing of its future. Following the official completion of the organ, signed on December 5, 1932, the Midmer-Losh company was required for one year to keep two men at the job to carry out maintenance and, in effect, continue the tonal regulation that would have otherwise been completed during the actual construction period. One of the men tasked with this assignment was Roscoe Evans, who would remain in Atlantic City and become the organ’s first curator. His greatest challenge was the combination action for the seven-manual console. The complex machinery to control 1,235 stop tabs and 240 pistons was located in two rooms in the basement below the stage. The combination of delicate metal traces and machinery contained in wooden boxes proved a disastrous pairing, especially with a steam line running through one of the rooms! The combination action was so troublesome that it was decommissioned after only two years. The great Atlantic hurricane that struck the island in 1944 inundated the basement levels of the hall with 15 million gallons of seawater, permanently damaging the combination action and requiring extensive repair to the blowers and their motors.

Evans retired in the early 1950s, and his successor was William Rosser. Rosser continued the daunting effort of single-handedly trying to keep the largest pipe organ in the world playing. The organ was used for the 1964 Democratic National Convention held at the Hall, but by that time the instrument was already exhibiting problems. By 1962, the Gallery I reeds were no longer being used. There may have been other portions that were unplayable or only marginally playable by then as well. While there is considerable documentation from Evans’s tenure, there are no records from Rosser’s time. A stipulation for holding the 1964 convention in Atlantic City was the installation of air conditioning. While no doubt enjoyed by convention attendees and many others in the following years, leaks from condensate pans caused significant problems and plunged more of the instrument into silence. Dennis McGurk joined Rosser as his assistant in 1959. While he had no background in organbuilding, he was a quick learner and in 1984 succeeded Rosser as the third curator of organs. McGurk recalled, “Pretty much all of the organ was working when I arrived in 1959. Since that time, however, it has slowly but surely gone downhill. Roof leaks in the ’70s caused most of the damage in the two upper chambers, and the simple fact of the matter is that the authorities had little interest in spending money on repairs at a time when the City as a whole was in decline.” McGurk had the unenviable and discouraging task of keeping what little of the organ he could playable with limited budget and materials. But, perhaps his greatest contribution was keeping those who wished to simply discard the instrument at bay, thus preserving it for future restoration. McGurk retired at the end of 1998. Prior to his retirement, the Atlantic City Convention Hall Organ Society was formed to raise awareness of the instrument and begin the process of fundraising for its restoration. This group was instrumental in protecting the instrument during the 1998 building renovation and furthering McGurk’s advocation that the instrument be saved and not relegated to the scrap pile.

My first visit to Atlantic City was in the winter of 2007. At that time, the organ could not be played from the console, but that did little to dampen my excitement. The sheer size of the room, the scaling of the pipework, and seemingly endless chambers were enough of a sensory overload for a first visit. The downside to the visit was the confirmation of my study of and readings concerning the condition of the organ and the sad state of affairs of the instrument. Thankfully by that time, there was a glimmer of hope as Carl Loeser, the fourth curator of organs, was leading his staff and volunteers to mitigate the worst of the damage and prevent further destruction or loss.

Fast forward to September 1, 2015, when I began my tenure as the fifth curator of organs. The Midmer-Losh was basically a large two-manual instrument with about 25% functionality. Only the Right Stage chamber was working, with the Great, Solo, and Solo-Great divisions playing from their respective keyboards with limited sub and super coupling available to other manuals. Expression was negligible, and the shades were more for visual effect, flapping earnestly for the audience to see, but doing little to change the actual volume or timbre of the sound emanating from the chamber. Making music was a challenge at best, and subtlety and nuance were almost totally elusive. By 2015, much restoration work had already been done to the Swell division in the Left Stage chamber, but much more work in the chamber needed to be completed before pipework could be returned to the Swell chests. The other divisions in the Left Stage chamber—Swell-Choir, Unenclosed Choir, and String I—all must be accessed through the Swell, and to have put in even a few ranks in the Swell would have been far too risky. Work began in earnest to remove pipework and chests for restoration. The Swell-Choir manual windchests were sent to Columbia Organ Leathers of Columbia, Pennsylvania, for restoration, while the offset chests, tremulants, and regulators were completed in-house. Fifty-eight ranks of pipes were sent to Oyster Pipe Works of Louisville, Ohio, for restoration and repair.

On-site work at Boardwalk Hall is accomplished by a staff of six; four are full-time and two are part-time. We are assisted in our efforts by a significant group of dedicated volunteers. While this may seem like a large number by today’s standards, at the height of construction the Midmer-Losh company employed more than sixty! An early aid was a work symposium co-sponsored by the American Institute of Organbuilders and the Historic Organ Restoration Committee (the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization now overseeing the restoration of the pipe organs at Boardwalk Hall). The symposium was held in February 2016 and brought fifteen organbuilders from across the country to join the staff and volunteers at Boardwalk Hall. During that symposium, we focused on the restoration and releathering of much of the Pedal Left chest work. These efforts combined with the work completed in the Unenclosed Choir and String I allowed those divisions to be played publicly for the first time in decades during the Organ Historical Society convention on July 1, 2016.

The Swell division is the powerhouse of the Left Stage chamber, boasting 55 ranks, twenty of which are mixtures. While most Swell divisions are usually based on a 16′ string or stopped flute, the chorus here is based on a 16′ Double Diapason. The diapason chorus continues with two 8′ diapasons and extends logically upwards to the lower-pitched Furniture V, the spicy Cymbal VIII, and finally the Plein Jeu VII for brilliance and sparkle. The Harmonic Flute 8′ and its Celeste are the softest stops in the division and are hauntingly beautiful. Three pairs of celestes provide lushness, and unison strings at 16′, 8′, and 4′ provide additional clarity. Two reed choruses on 15 inches and 30 inches crown the ensemble. The lower-pressure chorus is based on the chocolatey Double Horn 16′ and is a darker and more noble chorus. The high-pressure chorus adds fire and gravity to the full ensemble with the Field Trumpet 8′ blazing through for a final punch. Perhaps the most unique reed in the Swell division is the Muted Trumpet 8′. Its 3/4-length, thin-scaled resonators remind one of an orchestral oboe. While its tone is quite lovely alone, it is perhaps most useful in coloring other stops, and its application opens up a wealth of solo possibilities.

On paper, the Swell division is curiously devoid of mutations, particularly given its large number of ranks! The answer lies immediately adjacent to the Swell. The appropriately named Swell-Choir division is meant to supplement both the Swell and Choir divisions with the entirety of its resources playable independently from both the Swell and Choir keyboards. This division provides color reeds, softer flues, and an extensive array of mutations. Independently expressive from the Swell, the division contains 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th mutations. Their use is further enhanced through unification providing pitches from 62⁄5′ all the way up to 1⁄4′. Also available in the Swell-Choir are a clarinet, oboe, and vox humana, all available at 16′, 8′, and 4′. A trio of gemshorns, one celeste tuned sharp and the other flat, further expand the utility of this division. Also in the Left Stage chamber is the String I division. Twenty ranks of strings all voiced on 25 inches of wind provide unmistakably powerful beauty. Housed within its own expression box, the String I division rounds out the immense expressive capabilities of the Left Stage chamber.

While the vast majority of the Left Stage chamber’s resources are enclosed, the loudest and softest voices are unenclosed. The Unenclosed Choir is voiced on 33⁄4 inches, the lowest pressure in the organ, and was a significant forerunner of the organ reform movement. By contrast, the Grand Choir division is the upward extension of the Pedal Left voices and boasts pipework voiced on 20 inches to 50 inches. In the Pedal Left division, the Bombarde 32′ has wooden resonators for the 32′ and 16′ octaves giving it a darker, heavier bass. Shallot construction changes no fewer than three times throughout the compass, and metal construction from 8′ C up with harmonic and double harmonic length resonators gives this voice powerful treble ascendency and allows it to bloom into a powerful solo voice in the upper register. The Major Posaune 16′ is voiced on 50 inches and is a staggeringly powerful voice reminiscent of a trombone playing fff. Finally, the Fagotto 32′ with its smaller resonators and relatively lower pressure of 20 inches finds great use under softer ensembles and is equally at home undergirding a full string ensemble.

By the latter half of 2018, the restoration work in the Left Stage chamber was largely complete, and we were able to turn some of our attention back to the Right Stage chamber. The Right Stage chamber has always been considered the “show chamber” due to its immediate proximity to the organ shop and curator’s office. Even during the darkest days of Dennis McGurk’s tenure when he was forced to shut off large portions of the instrument, he was able to continue to maintain and care for this chamber. The timing was fortuitous as another convention was looming: the Mid-Atlantic regional convention of the American Guild of Organists was to be held on July 3, 2019. While the chamber had been playing regularly since 2013, it was still riddled with dead notes and problematic issues. Carl Loeser completed considerable work in 2013 and 2014, releathering the three large pitman chests in the Solo division. This made it the most reliable of the divisions in the Right Stage chamber. Several of the lower and more accessible windchests in the Great division had also been releathered under the supervision of Dennis McGurk. To best utilize time and materials, we took on the task of releathering and repairing chests with the loudest and most important stops in the Great. The 30-inch-pressure windchest containing the First and Second 8′ Open Diapasons and Rausch Quint II was taken out of the chamber and completely restored. Two levels above it, the chest holding the Furniture VI was repaired in place. The Grand Great chests, the upward extensions of the Pedal Right stops, were also taken out of the chamber for complete restoration with new leather, gasketing, and magnets. A systematic process of rebuilding all of the pedal primaries has eliminated the vast majority of the irritating dead notes in the pedal.

The Great division boasts an incredible ten 8′ diapasons, each with its own character through the use of various construction techniques and pressures. These ten 8′s are undergirded by a 32′ Sub Principal and three 16′ Double Diapasons. Continuing up the chorus, you will find no fewer than five 4′ Octaves and three 2′ Fifteenths. An eleven-rank Grand Cornet, five-rank Major Sesquialtera, and two mixtures serve to complete the chorus. In a letter dated April 11, 1932, Senator Richards wrote to Henry Willis, III, saying “When the whole chorus is on from 32′ up to Mixtures, even the 50-inch reeds have no chance with it in power and brilliance. A demonstration that reeds are unnecessary except for a change in color.” Indeed, the Great reed chorus is quite small considering the size of the division, with only three trumpets at 16′, 8′, and 4′ pitches, albeit playing on 30 inches of wind.

The Solo division stands its own ground with a powerful Stentor Diapason 8′, Octave 4′, and Grand Chorus IX mixture; the division includes two sets of celestes and a complete flute chorus including the soaring Tibia Rex. The division’s real claim to fame, however, is its brilliant reed chorus. With pressures ranging from 30 inches to 100 inches, the chorus includes a softer Trumpet Profunda playing at 16′, 8′, and 4′, frequently used as a chorus reed. By contrast the Tuba Magna, also 16′, 8′, and 4′, plays on 50 inches and has a powerful, clear tone. Providing blazing clarity is the brass Bugle 8′, also on 50 inches. Finally, the whole ensemble is crowned by the Tuba Imperial, voiced by Roscoe Evans and playing on 100 inches of wind. Where the Solo division excels in sheer power, the neighboring Solo-Great division shines through with subtlety and color. Divided into separately expressible flue and reed ensembles, the Solo-Great is similar in concept to the Swell-Choir division in the Left Stage chamber. Like the Swell-Choir, the Solo-Great has a wealth of mutations from 102⁄3′ to 1⁄4′, two sets of softer celestes, and delicate flutes.  Eleven ranks of color reeds, six extended down to 16′, provide a wide array of solo choices.

Where the Pedal Left division is predominately darker in order to support the expressive divisions above it, the Pedal Right division must stand up to the bold choruses in the Great and Solo divisions. The 32′ Tibia is colossal in scale, and more than a few pipes in the 32′ octave have been repaired by crawling in the mouth and standing upright in the pipe. The 32′ Bombardon is voiced on 40 inches of wind and has metal resonators, the lowest of which is 24 inches in diameter. The Diaphone Phonon 16′ on 50 inches is unmistakable in its power from practically anywhere in the building. Perhaps the most notorious stop on the Midmer-Losh organ is the loudest organ stop in the world: the Grand Ophicleide. Voiced on 100 inches of wind, it is actually a pedal stop that is extended up to 85 notes to allow it to play on the seven-octave Great keyboard. In the Pedal, the stop plays at 16′ and gives an unrelenting power to the pedal line, while in the manuals its sheer power and tone cut through even the largest of registrations with ferocious clout. When a chord is released its tone seems to reverberate in the cavernous hall, long after the rest of the organ’s sound has died away. The 64′ Dulzian, one of only two real 64′ stops in the world, gives a final dramatic punch when a 32′ just won’t do! 

A continuing project since 2017 has been the restoration of the Choir division. Located in the Left Forward chamber, this is the first of the Gallery level chambers that we have addressed. Funding already in place from a settlement following damage to the winding and relay for this chamber during the 1999–2000 renovation of the building made this the most logical and financially feasible chamber to begin with (outside of the two main chambers). The Choir division is no diminutive organ, boasting 37 ranks. It has a wealth of undulating stops, complete diapason chorus, orchestral and high-pressure reeds, and multiple open 16′ stops. Restoration is now approximately 50% complete with all of the offset chests, tremulants, and four of the six large pitman chests completed. Flue pipe restoration has been completed in house or by A. R. Schopp’s Sons of Alliance, Ohio, who restored the badly damaged Dulciana, Dulciana Celeste, and Acuta VI. Along with other projects in the shop, work will continue on this chamber as time permits.

Perhaps the most significant musical turning point for the Midmer-Losh organ in modern times has been the installation of a new combination action. While it was a technological marvel of its time, its complexity and installation in a difficult environment prevented it from ever working properly. The initial plan had been to restore the movable five-manual console first and the larger seven-manual console at a later date. However, as more and more of the instrument was brought online, it became clear that not having a functioning combination action was a major hindrance. After many months of tracing cables and intensive study, we determined that a portion of the existing system in the seven-manual console could be put to use again. The existing tablets and their magnets were in good working order, and the boxes containing the mechanical components for the system in the basement made for a logical and accessible location to tie new wiring into the system. The piston rails from each of the seven keyboards were taken off and rewired, allowing all the thumb and toe pistons to be used. While it is a departure from our desire to restore the organ to its original state, the incorporation of a modern multilevel combination action has proven remarkably beneficial, and organists are now able to showcase the instrument as it was intended.

With the completion of the Left Stage chamber and the extensive repairs completed in the Right Stage chamber, the organ is now a reliable and manageable instrument. We have turned the corner from simply having a large collection of pipes to hearing a beautiful and truly musical instrument. At the time of this writing, 238 of the 449 ranks are playing—53% of the organ—all in only two of the eight chambers! With each rank brought online and the instrument becoming a more cohesive whole, the brilliance of the organ’s designer and architect, Senator Emerson Richards, becomes ever more apparent. New and exciting projects are already on the horizon as we work to restore the first of the ranks in the Center chambers. Both of the 100-inch reeds in Gallery I will soon come online as we work to bring more sound to the center of the room. Upon the completion of the Choir division, we will move to the Gallery I and II divisions, across to Gallery III and IV, and finally to the String II and Brass Chorus, completing the work on the Gallery level divisions before we undertake the herculean task of restoring the Echo and Fanfare organs in the ceiling of Boardwalk Hall.

Not to be forgotten is the magnificent W. W. Kimball pipe organ located in the Adrian Phillips Theater, adjacent to the main arena where the Midmer-Losh organ resides. In any other setting, this organ would be the showcase instrument with four manuals and 55 ranks, but it is often overshadowed by its larger neighbor. The Kimball organ is largely playable and restored thanks to efforts by previous curator Carl Loeser who had the console restored by the Crome Organ Company. Through the generosity of the American Theatre Organ Society, a pair of grants were awarded to HORC to complete the releathering of chests in the Main (left stage) and Solo (right stage) divisions and to restore the Brass Trumpet, a unique example of this stop in a Kimball organ. 

Both pipe organs at Boardwalk Hall have now returned to regular use and are a significant part of the life and events here. Recitals are enjoyed every week year-round on Wednesdays at noon and every weekday during the summer season from Memorial Day through Labor Day. In 2019, we welcomed 1,688 visitors for the Curator’s tour, 1,249 for the brief tour, and 4,093 visitors for the noon recitals. Through creative collaboration with the management of Boardwalk Hall, we are able to offer the organ for use to a multitude of events. The Midmer-Losh has been requested to play the prelude to a rodeo as well as for wrestling championships, numerous graduation ceremonies, and Miss America pageants. Likewise, the Kimball organ sees regular use for award ceremonies, banquets, and religious gatherings in the Theater. We look forward to bringing more of the instruments back online and furthering their outreach to the Atlantic City community and the world!

—Nathan L. Bryson, Curator of Pipe Organs at Boardwalk Hall

Cover photo credt: Michael Sluzenski.

PEDAL RIGHT

64′ Diaphone 

32′ Sub Principal

32′ Contra Tibia 97 pipes

21-1⁄3′ Tibia Quint 

16′ Diaphone Phonon (50′′) 39 pipes

16′ Diapason

16′ Principal 109 pipes

16′ Diapason 

16′ Geigen Principal

16′ Tibia Major 85 pipes

16′ Grand Bourdon

16′ Major Flute

16′ Wald Flute

16′ Tibia Clausa

16′ Viol 85 pipes

12-4⁄5′ Gross Tierce 68 pipes

10-2⁄3′ Diaphone Quint (50′′)

10-2⁄3′ Tibia Quint

10-2⁄3′ Tibia Quint

10-2⁄3′ Principal Quint

10-2⁄3′ Minor Quint

9-1⁄7′ Septieme 68 pipes

8′ Octave Principal

8′ Octave Major

8′ Octave Diapason

8′ Octave Geigen

8′ Gross Gemshorn

8′ Tibia Major

8′ Tibia Clausa

8′ Doppel Gedeckt

8′ Octave Viol

6-2⁄5′ Gross Tierce

5-1⁄3′ Tibia Quint

5-1⁄3′ Principal Quint

5-1⁄3′ Tibia Quint

4-4⁄7′ Gross Septieme

4′ Super Octave

4′ Super Octave

4′ Tibia Fifteenth

4′ Flute Fifteenth

4′ Viol Fifteenth

3-1⁄5′ Tierce

2-2⁄3′ Flute Nineteenth

2-2⁄3′ Tibia Major Nineteenth

2-2⁄3′ Viol Nineteenth

2-2⁄7′ Septieme

2′ Tibia Twenty-Second

2′ Flageolet

1-3⁄5′ Octave Tierce

1-1⁄3′ Tibia Twenty-Sixth

1-1⁄7′ Octave Septieme

1′ Flute Twenty-Ninth

Mixture

64′ Dulzian 85 pipes

42-2⁄3′ Contra Dulzquint

32′ Contra Bombardon 85 pipes

32′ Contra Dulzian

21-1⁄3′ Dulzian Quint

16′ Grand Ophicleide (100′′) 85 pipes

16′ Tuba Magna (50′′)

16′ Bombardon

16′ Trumpet Profunda

16′ Dulzian

16′ Trumpet 97 pipes

16′ Saxophone

16′ Krummhorn

16′ Oboe Horn

16′ English Horn

16′ French Horn

16′ Vox Baryton

10-2⁄3′ Bombard Quint

10-2⁄3′ Dulzian Quint

8′ Ophicleide (100′′)

8′ Octave Bombardon

8′ Octave Dulzian

8′ Bugle (50′′)

8′ Trumpet

8′ Octave Krummhorn

8′ Vox Baryton

5-1⁄3′ Trumpet Quint

5-1⁄3′ Bombardon Quint

4′ Dulzian Fifteenth

4′ Trumpet Fifteenth

Reed Mixture V

Brass Chorus (floating)

Pedal Divide

PEDAL LEFT

32′ Diaphone (50′′) 97 pipes

32′ Diapason 97 pipes

16′ Diaphone (50′′)

16′ Major Diapason 32 pipes

16′ Diaphone 85 pipes

16′ Diapason

16′ Diapason

16′ Tibia Clausa 85 pipes

16′ Doppel Gedeckt

16′ Stopped Diapason

16′ Bass Viol 85 pipes

16′ Bass Viol

16′ Bass Gamba

16′ Cone Gamba

10-2⁄3′ Quint Diapason

10-2⁄3′ Stopped Quint

10-2⁄3′ Cone Quint

8′ Octave Gemshorn

8′ Octave Diaphone (50′′)

8′ Octave Diapason

8′ Octave Phonon

8′ Gross Flute

8′ Flute Clarabella

8′ Cello

6-2⁄5′ Terz

5-1⁄3′ Twelfth

4-4⁄7′ Octave Septieme

4′ Fife (50′′)

4′ Super Octave

4′ Gemshorn Fifteenth

4′ Flute Fifteenth

3-1⁄5′ Tierce

2-2⁄3′ Nineteenth

2-2⁄7′ Twenty-First

2′ Gemshorn Twenty-Second

2′ Twenty-Second

2′ Fife

1′ Twenty-Ninth

Stentor Sesquialtera VII 224 pipes

Grave Mixture VI

32′ Contra Bombard (50′′) 97 pipes

32′ Fagotto 109 pipes

16′ Major Posaune (50′′) 44 pipes

16′ Bombard (50′′)

16′ Trumpet

16′ Horn

16′ Bass Clarinet

16′ Fagotto

16′ Oboe

16′ Vox Humana

8′ Major Posaune (50′′)

8′ Octave Bombard (50′′)

8′ Octave Clarinet

8′ Octave Fagotto

8′ Octave Oboe

5-1⁄3′ Horn Twelfth

4′ Bombard Fifteenth

4′ Oboe Fifteenth

4′ Horn Fifteenth

2-2⁄3′ Horn Nineteenth

2′ Fagotto Twenty-Second

String I (floating)

String II (floating)

String III (floating)

Gallery I Reeds (floating)

Gallery II Flutes (floating)

Gallery III Diapasons (floating)

Gallery IV Orchestral (floating)

PEDAL RIGHT GALLERY

32′ Contra Violone

16′ Diaphone

16′ Flute Maggiorre

16′ Flute Bourdon

16′ Spire Flute

16′ Contra Bass

16′ Contra Viol

16′ Double Bass

16′ Contra Viol

16′ Contra Gamba

10-2⁄3′ Flute Quint

8′ Cone Flute

8′ Viol 

4′ Viol

16′ Trumpet Sonora (100′′)

16′ Tuba D’Amour

16′ Chalumeau

16′ Contra Bassoon

16′ Vox Baryton

8′ Bassoon

PEDAL LEFT GALLERY

16′ Grand Diapason

16′ Dulciana

16′ Major Flute

16′ Double Melodia

8′ Melodia Flute

32′ Contra Trombone

16′ Posaune (50′′)

16′ Bombardon

16′ Trombone

16′ Trombone

16′ Saxophone

10-2⁄3′ Tromba Quint

8′ Trombone

8′ Tromba

6-2⁄5′ Tromba Tierce

5-1⁄3′ Tromba Quint

3-1⁄5′ Tromba Seventeenth

PEDAL PERCUSSION

Cymbal

Persian Cymbal

Snare Drum Roll

Snare Drum Roll

Snare Drum Strike

FF Bass Drum Strike

FF Bass Drum Roll

FF Contra Drum Roll

FF Contra Drum Strike

Persian Cymbal

Persian Cymbal

Chinese Gong Roll

Chinese Gong Strike

Cymbal

Snare Drum Roll

Snare Drum Roll

Bass Drum Roll

Bass Drum Strike

Bass Drum Roll

Bass Drum Strike

Bass Drum Roll

Bass Drum Strike

FF Contra Drum Roll

FF Contra Drum Strike

MP Contra Drum Roll

Bass Drum Strike

16′ Piano

8′ Piano

Chimes

PEDAL SECOND TOUCH

64′ Dulzian Diaphone

32′ Diaphone (50′′)

16′ Diaphone

16′ Tibia Major

16′ Contra Viol

8′ Tibia Major

8′ Viol

4′ Tibia

4′ Viola

64′ Dulzian

32′ Contra Bombard (50′′)

32′ Contra Bombardon

16′ Ophicleide (100′′)

16′ Posaune

16′ Bombard (50′′)

16′ Bombardon

8′ Octave Ophicleide (100′′)

8′ Posaune (50′′)

8′ Bombardon

8′ Dulzian

4′ Bombard (50′′)

4′ Dulzian

Chimes

Brass Chorus (floating)

Fanfare (floating)

String I (floating)

String II (floating)

Gallery Reeds I (floating)

Gallery Diapasons III (floating)

SWELL-CHOIR (Manual III)

16′ Gross Gedeckt 97 pipes

16′ Stopped Diapason 104 pipes

16′ Cone Gamba 97 pipes

8′ Gemshorn 97 pipes

8′ Gemshorn Celeste 97 pipes

8′ Gemshorn Celeste 97 pipes

8′ Dopple Gedeckt 

8′ Dopple Spitz Flute 97 pipes

8′ Clarabella 92 pipes

8′ Stopped Diapason

8′ Muted Gamba

6-2⁄5′ Terz 97 pipes

5-1⁄3′ Major Fifth 97 pipes

5-1⁄3′ Gamba Quint 

5-1⁄3′ Gemshorn Quint

4-4⁄7′ Septieme 97 pipes

4′ Octave Gemshorn

4′ Spitz Flute

4′ Clarabella

4′ Dopple Flute

4′ Stopped Flute

4′ Zauber Flute 97 pipes

4′ Cone Flute

3-5⁄9′ Ninth 85 pipes

3-1⁄5′ Major Tenth 

3-1⁄5′ Gemshorn Tenth 

2-10⁄11′ Eleventh 85 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Gemshorn Twelfth 

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth  

2-2⁄3′ Flute Twelfth 

2-2⁄3′ Stopped Flute Twelfth 

2-2⁄7′ Octave Septieme 

2′ Gemshorn Fifteenth 

2′ Gedeckt Fifteenth  

2′ Magic Flute

1-7⁄9′ Sixteenth

1-3⁄5′ Major Seventeenth 

1-3⁄5′ Gemshorn Seventeenth 

1-5⁄11′ Eighteenth 

1-1⁄3′ Major Nineteenth 

1-1⁄3′ Gemshorn Ninteenth 

1-1⁄7′ Twenty-First

1′ Twenty-Second

1′ Zauber Flute Twenty-Second 

8⁄9′ Twenty-Third

4⁄5′ Twenty-Fourth

8⁄11′ Twenty-Fifth

2⁄3′ Twenty-Sixth

1⁄2′ Twenty-Ninth

1⁄3′ Thirty-Third

1⁄4′ Thirty-Sixth

32′ Fagotto

16′ Contra Oboe 85 pipes

16′ Bass Clarinet 97 pipes

16′ Bass Vox Humana 97 pipes

8′ Oboe

8′ Clarinet

8′ Vox Humana

4′ Octave Oboe

4′ Octave Clarinet

4′ Vox Humana

8′ Marimba Repeat

8′ Marimba Stroke 61 bars

4′ Marimba Repeat

4′ Marimba Stroke

4′ Glockenspiel Single 49 bars

4′ Glockenspiel Repeat

2′ Glockenspiel Single

SWELL (Manual III)

16′ Double Diapason 104 pipes

16′ Contra Gamba 104 pipes

8′ Diapason 80 pipes

8′ Diapason 80 pipes

8′ Waldhorn 80 pipes

8′ Tibia Plena 80 pipes

8′ Hohl Flute 80 pipes

8′ Gross Gedeckt 80 pipes

8′ Harmonic Flute 80 pipes

8′ Harmonic Flute Celeste 80 pipes

8′ Gamba 80 pipes

8′ Gamba Celeste 80 pipes

8′ Violin 80 pipes

8′ Viol Celeste I (2 ranks) 148 pipes

8′ Viol Celeste II (2 ranks) 148 pipes

4′ Ocarina 80 pipes

4′ Octave 80 pipes

4′ Octave

4′ Traverse Flute 80 pipes

4′ Silver Flute 80 pipes

4′ Viol Salicet

4′ Viol Gambette 80 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 80 pipes

2′ Orchestral Piccolo 80 pipes

Plein Jeu VII 560 pipes

Cymbal VIII 640 pipes

Furniture V 400 pipes

16′ Double Trumpet 104 pipes

16′ Double Horn 104 pipes

8′ Harmonic Trumpet 80 pipes

8′ Field Trumpet 80 pipes

8′ Posaune 80 pipes

8′ Cornopean 80 pipes

8′ Muted Trumpet 80 pipes

8′ Flugel Horn 80 pipes

8′ Krummhorn 80 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 80 pipes

4′ Trumpet Clarion 80 pipes

4′ Trumpet Clarion

4′ Octave Horn

Brass Chorus (floating)

Gallery I Reeds (floating)

Gallery II Flutes (floating)

Gallery III Diapasons (floating)

Gallery IV Orchestral (floating)

String I (floating)

String II (floating)

String III (floating)

FANFARE (Manual V)

16′ Major Flute 85 pipes

8′ Stentor Diapason (fr. Stentor VII)

8′ Stentorphone 61 pipes

8′ Stentor Flute 61 pipes

8′ Pileata Magna 61 pipes

8′ Gamba Tuba 61 pipes

8′ Gamba Tuba Celeste 61 pipes

4′ Stentor Octave (fr. Stentor VII)

4′ Major Flute

4′ Flute Octaviante 61 pipes

4′ Gamba Clarion 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth Recorder 61 pipes

2′ Fife 61 pipes

Stentor VII 427 pipes

Cymbal V 305 pipes

Harmonic Mixture VI 366 pipes

16′ Contra Posaune (50′′) 85 pipes

16′ Contra Bombardon 97 pipes

16′ Contra Trombone 97 pipes

10-2⁄3′ Tromba Quint 85 pipes

8′ Harmonic Tuba (50′′) 73 pipes

4′ Tuba Melody (melody coupler)

8′ Ophicleide (50′′) 61 pipes

8′ Posaune (50′′)

8′ Bombard

8′ Tromba

8′ Trombone

6-2⁄5′ Tromba Tierce 73 pipes

5-1⁄3′ Tromba Fifth

5-1⁄3′ Trombone Fifth

4′ Harmonic Clarion (50′′)

4′ Major Clarion (50′′) 61 pipes

4′ Octave Posaune (50′′)

4′ Clarion

4′ Trombone Clarion

3-1⁄5′ Tromba Tenth

2-2⁄3′ Tromba Twelfth

2′ Clarine Fifteenth

Gallery I Reeds (floating)

Gallery II Flutes (floating)

Gallery III Diapasons (floating)

Gallery IV Orchestral (floating)

String I (floating)

String II (floating)

String III (floating)

GALLERY I (floating)

16′ Contra Diaphone 85 pipes

8′ Diaphone

8′ Diapason (fr. Mixture Mirabilis VII)

4′ Octave (fr. Mixture Mirabilis VII)

Mixture Mirabilis VII 511 pipes

16′ Trumpet Mirabilis (100′′) 85 pipes

16′ Trumpet Melody (melody coupler)

8′ Tuba Maxima (100′′) 73 pipes

8′ Trumpet Imperial (100′′)

4′ Clarion Mirabilis (100′′)

4′ Clarion Melody (melody coupler)

4′ Clarion Real (100′′)

GALLERY II (floating)

16′ Flute Maggiore 97 pipes

8′ Jubal Flute 73 pipes

4′ Jubal Melody (melody coupler)

8′ Harmonic Flute 73 pipes

4′ Melodic Flute

4′ Harmonic Flute 73 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Harmonic Twelfth 61 pipes

2′ Harmonic Piccolo 61 pipes

Harmonic Mixture III 183 pipes

GALLERY III (floating)

16′ Contra Diapason 97 pipes

8′ Diapason I 73 pipes

8′ Diapason II 73 pipes

4′ Octave I 73 pipes

4′ Octave II

2′ Fifteenth 73 pipes

Mixture IV 292 pipes

16′ Grand Piano 

8′ Grand Piano 

4′ Grand Piano

GALLERY IV (floating)

16′ Contra Saxophone 85 pipes

8′ Brass Trumpet 73 pipes

8′ Egyptian Horn 73 pipes

8′ Euphone 73 pipes

8′ Major Clarinet 73 pipes

8′ Major Oboe 73 pipes

8′ Musette Mirabilis 73 pipes

8′ Cor D’Orchestre 73 pipes

8′ Saxophone

4′ Octave Saxophone

STRING I (floating)

16′ Contra Basso 97 pipes

8′ Cello 73 pipes

8′ Cello Celeste I (2 ranks) 146 pipes

8′ Cello Celeste II (2 ranks) 134 pipes

8′ Violins I (2 ranks) 146 pipes

8′ Violins II (2 ranks) 134 pipes

8′ Violins III (2 ranks) 146 pipes

8′ Violins IV (2 ranks) 134 pipes

8′ Viol Secundo I (2 ranks) 146 pipes

8′ Viol Secundo II (2 ranks) 134 pipes

4′ Octave Viola

4′ Viol Secundo (2 ranks) 146 pipes

16′ String Melody (melody coupler)

4′ String Melody (melody coupler)

String Pizzicato

STRING II (floating)

16′ Double Bass 97 pipes

16′ Contra Bass 97 pipes

16′ Contra Viol 97 pipes

8′ Viola Diapason 73 pipes

8′ Viol Cello 73 pipes

8′ Cello Phonon 73 pipes

8′ Cello 73 pipes

8′ Cello Celeste (2 ranks) 146 pipes

8′ Viola Phonon 73 pipes

8′ Viola Celeste (2 ranks) 134 pipes

8′ Violin Phonon 73 pipes

8′ Violin 73 pipes

8′ Viol Celeste I (2 ranks) 146 pipes

8′ Viol Celeste II (2 ranks) 134 pipes

8′ Viol Celeste III (2 ranks) 134 pipes

8′ Viol Celeste IV (2 ranks) 134 pipes

8′ Viol Celeste V (2 ranks) 134 pipes

4′ Viol Principal 73 pipes

4′ Violin (2 ranks) 146 pipes

4′ Viola (2 ranks) 146 pipes

4′ Octave Cello I

4′ Octave Cello II

4′ Octave Violin

5-1⁄3′ Quint Flute 78 pipes

4′ Stopped Flute

2-2⁄3′ Flute Twelfth 73 pipes

2′ Piccolo

String Mixture V 305 pipes

8′ Tromba D’Amour 73 pipes

16′ String II Melody (melody coupler)

4′ String II Melody (melody coupler)

String II Pizzicato

STRING III (floating)

8′ Cello Celeste I (2 ranks) 146 pipes

8′ Cello Celeste II (2 ranks) 146 pipes

8′ Viola Celeste (2 ranks) 146 pipes

8′ Violins I (2 ranks) 146 pipes

8′ Violins II (2 ranks) 134 pipes

8′ Violins III (2 ranks) 146 pipes

8′ Violins IV (2 ranks) 134 pipes

8′ Viol Secundo (2 ranks) 146 pipes

8′ Cor Anglais 73 pipes

16′ Grand Piano

8′ Grand Piano

4′ Grand Piano

UNENCLOSED CHOIR (Manual I)

16′ Quintaton 73 pipes

8′ Diapason 73 pipes

8′ Holz Flute 73 pipes

4′ Octave 73 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 73 pipes

Rausch Quint II 146 pipes

Mixture II 146 pipes

CHOIR (Manual I)

16′ Contra Melodia 109 pipes

16′ Contra Dulciana 92 pipes

8′ Diapason 73 pipes

8′ Diapason 73 pipes

8′ Gemshorn 73 pipes

8′ Gemshorn Celeste 73 pipes

8′ Dulciana

8′ Dulciana Celeste 73 pipes

8′ Philomela 73 pipes

8′ Melodia

8′ Concert Flute 73 pipes

8′ Unda Maris 73 pipes

8′ Nachthorn 73 pipes

8′ Viola Pomposa 73 pipes

8′ Viola Celeste 73 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste II 134 pipes

5-1⁄3′ Dulzquint

4′ Fugara 73 pipes

4′ Dolce 85 pipes

4′ Spindle Flute 73 pipes

4′ Flute Overte 73 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Melodia Twelfth

2-2⁄3′ Dulzard

2′ Flageolet 73 pipes

2′ Melodia

2′ Dulcett

1-1⁄3′ Dulce

1′ Dulcinett

Acuta VI 438 pipes

Flute Mixture III 219 pipes

Brass Chorus (floating)

16′ Contra Tromba 97 pipes

8′ Tromba Real 73 pipes

8′ Brass Cornet 73 pipes

8′ French Horn 73 pipes

8′ Clarinet 73 pipes

8′ Bassett Horn 73 pipes

8′ Cor Anglais 73 pipes

8′ Kinura 73 pipes

4′ Tromba Clarion

String I (floating)

String II (floating)

String III (floating)

Gallery I Reeds (floating)

Gallery II Flutes (floating)

Gallery III Diapasons (floating)

Gallery IV Orchestral (floating)

GRAND CHOIR (Manual I)

16′ Diaphone (50′′)

16′ Diapahone Melody (coupler)

8′ Diaphone (50′′)

8′ Diapason

8′ Diaphonic Diapason

8′ Tibia Clausa

8′ Viol Cello

16′ Bombard (50′′)

16′ Fagotto

8′ Posaune

8′ Bombard (50′′)

4′ Bombard Melody (melody coupler)

8′ Chalumeau

4′ Octave Oboe

CHOIR SECOND TOUCH (Manual I)

16′ Double Bass

16′ Contra Bass

16′ Contra Viol

8′ Viola

8′ Viol Cello

8′ Viol Cello

4′ Viol Cello

4′ Viol Cello

String I (floating)

String II (floating)

String III (floating)

Fanfare (coupler)

CHOIR-SWELL (Manual I)

16′ Doppel Gedeckt

16′ Stopped Diapason

16′ Cone Gamba

8′ Doppel Gedeckt

8′ Stopped Flute

8′ Clarabella

8′ Spitz Flute

8′ Gemshorn

8′ Gemshorn Celeste I

8′ Gemshorn Celeste II

8′ Muted Gamba

6-2⁄5′ Third

5-1⁄3′ Fifth

5-1⁄3′ Cone Gamba Fifth

5-1⁄3′ Gemshorn Fifth

4-4⁄7′ Seventh

4′ Doppel Flute

4′ Stopped Flute

4′ Clarabella

4′ Spitz Flute

4′ Zauber Flute

4′ Gemshorn

4′ Cone Flute

3-5⁄9′ Ninth

3-1⁄5′ Tenth

3-1⁄5′ Gemshorn Tenth

2-10⁄11′ Eleventh

2-2⁄3′ Flute Twelfth

2-2⁄3′ Flute Twelfth

2-2⁄3′ Gemshorn Twelfth

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth

2-2⁄7′ Fourteenth

2′ Flute

2′ Magic Flute

2′ Gemshorn  

1-7⁄9′ Sixteenth

1-3⁄5′ Gemshorn Seventeenth

1-3⁄5′ Seventeenth

1-5⁄11′ Eighteenth

1-1⁄3′ Nineteenth

1-1⁄3′ Gemshorn  

1-1⁄7′ Twenty-First

1′ Twenty-Second

1′ Gemshorn Twenty-Second

8⁄9′ Twenty-Third

4⁄5′ Twenty-Fourth

8⁄11′ Twenty-Fifth

2⁄3′ Twenty-Sixth

1⁄2′ Gemshorn Twenty-Ninth

1⁄4′ Gemshorn Thirty-Sixth

32′ Fagotto

16′ Contra Oboe

16′ Clarinet

16′ Vox Humana

8′ Oboe

8′ Clarinet

8′ Vox Humana

4′ Oboe

4′ Clarinet

4′ Vox Humana

Chimes

8′ Marimba Repeat

8′ Marimba Stroke

4′ Glockenspiel Repeat

4′ Glockenspiel Single

2′ Glockenspiel Single

Snare Drum Roll

Snare Drum Tap

Snare Drums Roll

Snare Drums Tap

Wood Block

Castinets

Triangle

Tom Tom

GREAT (Manual II)

32′ Sub Principal 121 pipes

16′ Double Diapason I 97 pipes

16′ Double Diapason II 73 pipes

16′ Double Diapason III 73 pipes

10-2⁄3′ Sub Quint 73 pipes

8′ Principal

8′ Diapason I 73 pipes

8′ Diapason II 73 pipes

8′ Diapason III 73 pipes

8′ Diapason IV 73 pipes

8′ Diapason V 73 pipes

8′ Diapason VI 73 pipes

8′ Diapason VII 73 pipes

8′ Diapason VIII 73 pipes

8′ Diapason IX 73 pipes

8′ Diapason X 73 pipes

8′ Harmonic Flute 73 pipes

8′ Flute Overte 73 pipes

5-1⁄3′ Quint 73 pipes

4′ Octave I 73 pipes

4′ Octave II 73 pipes

4′ Octave III 73 pipes

4′ Octave

4′ Octave IV 73 pipes

4′ Octave V 73 pipes

4′ Harmonic Flute 73 pipes

3-1⁄5′ Gross Tierce 73 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Major Twelfth 73 pipes

2′ Fifteenth I 73 pipes

2′ Fifteenth II 73 pipes

2′ Fifteenth III 73 pipes

2′ Principal

5-1⁄3′ Rausch Quint 146 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Rausch Quint 146 pipes

Grand Cornet XI 803 pipes

Major Sesquialtera V 365 pipes

Furniture VI 414 pipes

Schulze Mixture V 365 pipes

Scharff Mixture III

Doublette Mixture II

16′ Trumpet 73 pipes

8′ Harmonic Trumpet 73 pipes

4′ Clarion 73 pipes

Brass Chorus (floating)

Chimes 37 tubes

8′ Harp 61 bars

4′ Harp

4′ Xylophone 49 bars

2′ Xylophone

Snare Drum Roll

Snare Drum Tap

Snare Drums Roll

Snare Drums Tap

Triangle

Tambourine

Castinets

Wood Block Stroke

Wood Block Roll

Tom Tom

Chimes S. T.

Drums Muffled S. T.

String I (floating)

String II (floating)

String III (floating)

Gallery I Reeds (floating)

Gallery II Flutes (floating)

Gallery III Diapasons (floating)

Gallery IV Orchestral (floating)

BRASS CHORUS (floating)

16′ Trombone 73 pipes

8′ Trombone 73 pipes

8′ Tromba 73 pipes

5-1⁄3′ Tromba Quint 73 pipes

4′ Trombone 73 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Tromba Twelfth 73 pipes

2′ Trombone 73 pipes

Tierce Mixture III 219 pipes

GRAND GREAT (Manual II)

8′ Principal

8′ Tibia Clausa

8′ Tibia Major

4′ Tibia Melody (melody coupler)

8′ Viol

4′ Viol Melody (melody coupler)

4′ Octave

2′ Super Octave

32′ Dulzian (currently playing at 16′)

16′ Trombone

8′ Trombone Melody (melody coupler)

8′ Ophicleide (100′′)

8′ Trumpet

4′ Clarion

4′ Clarion Melody (melody coupler)

GREAT SECOND TOUCH (Manual II)

8′ Viol Phonon

8′ Viol Cello

8′ Viol

8′ Viol

8′ Solo (coupler)

4′ Solo (coupler)

8′ Fanfare (coupler)

String I (floating)

String II (floating)

Gallery I Reeds (floating)

Brass Chorus (floating)

GREAT-SOLO (Manual II)

16′ Wald Flute 97 pipes

16′ Tibia Clausa 97 pipes

16′ Contra Geigen 97 pipes

10-2⁄3′ Wald Quint

10-2⁄3′ Tibia Quint

8′ Diapason Phonon 73 pipes

8′ Horn Diapason 85 pipes

8′ Geigen Principal

8′ Gemshorn 121 pipes

8′ Gemshorn Celeste 89 pipes

8′ Wald Flute

8′ Tibia Clausa

8′ Doppel Gedeckt 73 pipes

8′ Viola D’Gamba 73 pipes

8′ Vox Celeste 73 pipes

6-2⁄5′ Gemshorn Terz 97 pipes

5-1⁄3′ Wald Quint

5-1⁄3′ Gemshorn Quint 109 pipes

4-4⁄7′ Septieme 97 pipes

4′ Octave Phonon

4′ Octave

4′ Principal

4′ Gemshorn

4′ Gemshorn Celeste

4′ Wald Flute

4′ Stopped Flute

4′ Doppel Flute

4′ Viola

4′ Viola Celeste

3-1⁄5′ Gemshorn Tenth

3-1⁄5′ Tenth

2-2⁄3′ Flute Twelfth

2-2⁄3′ Minor Twelfth

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth

2-2⁄7′ Octave Septieme

2′ Fifteenth

2′ Geigen

2′ Gemshorn

2′ Piccolo

1-3⁄5′ Gemshorn Seventeenth

1-3⁄5′ Seventeenth

1-1⁄3′ Nineteenth

1-1⁄7′ Twenty-First

1′ Twenty-Second

4⁄5′ Twenty-Fourth

2⁄3′ Twenty-Sixth

1⁄2′ Twenty-Ninth

1⁄4′ Thirty-Sixth (currently plays Gong)

16′ Oboe Horn 97 pipes

16′ Krummhorn 97 pipes

16′ Saxophone 97 pipes

16′ English Horn 97 pipes

16′ French Horn 97 pipes

16′ Vox Baryton 97 pipes

8′ Oboe

8′ Clarinet 85 pipes

8′ Krummhorn

8′ Orchestral Saxophone 85 pipes

8′ Saxophone

8′ English Horn

8′ Orchestral Horn 85 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Flute Twelfth 73 pipes (originally 8′ French Horn)

8′ French Horn

8′ Kinura 73 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 85 pipes

8′ Vox Humana

4′ Octave Horn

4′ Krummhorn

4′ Saxophone

4′ English Horn

4′ French Horn

4′ Vox Humana

SOLO (Manual IV)

16′ Major Flute 85 pipes

10-2⁄3′ Quint Flute

8′ Stentor Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Diapason (fr. Grand Chorus IX)

8′ Tibia Rex 61 pipes

8′ Major Flute

8′ Hohl Flute 61 pipes

8′ Flute Overte 61 pipes

8′ Cello Pomposa 61 pipes

8′ Cello Celeste 61 pipes

8′ Violin 61 pipes

8′ Violin Celeste 61 pipes

5-1⁄3′ Quint Flute

4′ Stentor Octave 61 pipes

4′ Octave (fr. Grand Chorus IX)

4′ Wald Flute 61 pipes

4′ Major Flute

4′ Viola Pomposa 61 pipes

2′ Harmonic Piccolo 61 pipes

Grand Chorus IX 549 pipes

Carillon IV 244 pipes

16′ Tuba Magna (50′′) 85 pipes

16′ Trumpet Profunda 85 pipes

10-2⁄3′ Quint Trumpet

8′ Tuba Imperial (100′′) 61 pipes

8′ Tuba Magna (50”)

8′ Trumpet Royal 61 pipes

8′ Trumpet Profunda

8′ Bugle (50′′) 61 pipes

8′ English Post Horn 61 pipes

8′ French Horn 61 pipes (originally 22⁄3′ Flute Twelfth)

5-1⁄3′ Magna Fifth (50′′)

4′ Tuba Clarion (50′′)

4′ Trumpet Clarion

Brass Chorus (floating)

String I (floating)

String II (floating)

String III (floating)

Gallery I Reeds (floating)

Gallery II Flutes (floating)

Gallery III Diapasons (floating)

Gallery IV Orchestral (floating)

SOLO-GREAT (Manual IV)

16′ Wald Flute

16′ Tibia Clausa

16′ Contra Geigen

10-2⁄3′ Wald Quint

10-2⁄3′ Tibia Quint

8′ Diapason Phonon

8′ Horn Diapason

8′ Geigen Principal

8′ Gemshorn

8′ Gemshorn Celeste

8′ Wald Flute

8′ Tibia Clausa

8′ Doppel Gedeckt

8′ Viola D’Gamba

8′ Vox Celeste

6-2⁄5′ Gemshorn Terz

5-1⁄3′ Wald Quint

5-1⁄3′ Gemshorn Quint

4-4⁄7′ Gemshorn Septieme

4′ Octave Phonon

4′ Octave

4′ Octave Geigen

4′ Gemshorn

4′ Gemshorn Celeste

4′ Wald Flute

4′ Stopped Flute

4′ Doppel Flute

4′ Viola

4′ Viola Celeste

3-1⁄5′ Gemshorn Tenth

3-1⁄5′ Gemshorn Tenth

2-2⁄3′ Flute Twelfth

2-2⁄3′ Flute Twelfth (originally 8′ Fr. Horn)

2-2⁄3′ Minor Twelfth

2-2⁄3′ Gemshorn Twelfth

2-2⁄7′ Octave Septieme

2′ Fifteenth

2′ Geigen

2′ Gemshorn

2′ Piccolo

1-3⁄5′ Gemshorn Seventeenth

1-3⁄5′ Gemshorn Seventeenth

1-1⁄3′ Gemshorn Nineteenth

1-1⁄7′ Twenty-First

1′ Twenty-Second

4⁄5′ Twenty-Fourth

2⁄3′ Twenty-Sixth

1⁄2′ Twenty-Ninth

1⁄4′ Thirty-Sixth

16′ Oboe Horn

16′ Krummhorn

16′ Saxophone

16′ English Horn

16′ French Horn

16′ Vox Baryton

8′ Oboe

8′ Clarinet

8′ Krummhorn

8′ Orchestral Saxophone

8′ Saxophone

8′ English Horn

8′ Orchestral Horn

8′ French Horn

8′ Kinura

8′ Vox Humana

8′ Vox Humana

4′ Octave Horn

4′ Krummhorn

4′ Saxophone

4′ English Horn

4′ French Horn

4′ Vox Humana

Chimes

8′ Harp

4′ Harp

4′ Xylophone

2′ Xylophone

ECHO (Manual VI)

16′ Contra Violone 97 pipes

16′ Contra Gamba 85 pipes

16′ Contra Spire Flute 109 pipes

8′ Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Waldhorn 61 pipes

8′ Clarabella 97 pipes

8′ Spire Flute

8′ Spitz Flute 61 pipes

8′ Flute Celeste I 61 pipes

8′ Flute Celeste II 77 pipes

8′ Flute Sylvestre 61 pipes

8′ Flute Celeste 61 pipes

8′ Tibia Mollis 61 pipes

8′ Violone

8′ Violone Celeste 54 pipes

8′ Gamba

4′ Open Flute

4′ Rohr Flute 61 pipes

4′ Cone Flute

4′ Viol

4′ Gamba

3-1⁄5′ Spitz Tenth

2-2⁄3′ Flute Twelfth

2-2⁄3′ Spire Flute Twelfth

2′ Flute Fifteenth

2′ Spire Flute Fifteenth

1-3⁄5′ Spitz Seventeenth

1-1⁄3′ Spire Flute Nineteenth

1′ Spire Flute Twenty-Second

Aetheria VI 366 pipes

16′ Tuba D’Amour 85 pipes

16′ Contra Bassoon 85 pipes

16′ Chalumeau 85 pipes

16′ Vox Humana 85 pipes

8′ Tuba D’Amour

8′ Trumpet Minor 61 pipes

8′ Clarinet

8′ Cor D’Amour 61 pipes

8′ Bassoon

8′ Vox Humana I 61 pipes

8′ Vox Humana II

4′ Octave Clarinet

4′ Tuba D’Amour

4′ Octave Bassoon

4′ Vox Humana

Chimes 25 tubes

String I (floating)

String II (floating)

String III (floating)

Gallery I Reeds (floating)

Gallery II Flutes (floating)

Gallery III Diapasons (floating)

Gallery IV Orchestral (floating)

GALLERY MASTERS

Gallery I Reeds to Bombard

Gallery II Flutes to Bombard

Gallery III Diapasons to Bombard

Gallery IV Orchestral to Bombard

TREMOLOS

Trem Master (affects all Tremolos)

Tremolos Left:

String III

Fanfare Pileata

Fanfare

Gallery IV

Sw-Ch Vox Humana

Swell-Choir

Swell

String I

Choir Philomela

Choir

Open Choir

Tremolos Right:

Great Tibia

Solo 20′′

Gt-Solo Organ Tone

Gt-Solo Wood Wind

String II

Echo

Items in italics await restoration and thus are not operating at present.

Further information about the Midmer-Losh and Kimball pipe organs, including detailed specifications and documentation, can be found at www.boardwalkorgans.org.

Photo: The organ restoration staff (left to right): James Martin, shop apprentice; Carl Hersom, shop apprentice; Scott Banks, membership and events coordinator; Brant Duddy, senior shop technician; Nathan Bryson, curator of pipe organs; Chuck Gibson, professional assistant to the curator

Ernest M. Skinner in Chicago: The first contracts

Stephen Schnurr

Stephen Schnurr is editorial director and publisher for The Diapason; director of music for Saint Paul Catholic Church, Valparaiso, Indiana; and adjunct instructor of organ at Valparaiso University.

Ernest M. Skinner

Editor’s note: the information in this article was delivered as a lecture for the Ernest M. Skinner Sesquicentennial Conference on April 25, 2016, in Evanston, Illinois. The conference was sponsored by the Chicago, North Shore, and Fox Valley Chapters of the American Guild of Organists, the Chicago-Midwest Chapter of the Organ Historical Society, the Music Institute of Chicago, and The Diapason.

Ernest M. Skinner was a busy organbuilder from the time he first organized his own firm in 1901 in South Boston, Massachusetts. Most of the first 100 instruments were built for East Coast clients, though occasionally an organ would make its way further afield. In the Midwest United States, within a few years, Skinner organs would be sent to locations in Ohio, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Indiana; however, it would take more than a decade before the first contract for a Skinner organ was inked for a destination in Illinois.

By the turn of the twentieth century, Chicago had fully recovered from the devastating fire of October 8–10, 1871. The city hosted the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, centered where one now finds Jackson Park. Everything was new in Chicago, with resplendent churches, large fraternal lodges, educational institutions, and residences that drove a healthy, modern market for acquiring pipe organs of all sizes in the most up-to-date designs.

Breaking into the Chicago organ purchasing market must have become a priority for Skinner, for in 1913 a sudden flurry of four contracts was signed in quick succession in Chicago and Evanston for opuses 207, 208, 210, and 211. This breakthrough for the Skinner firm likely came with the assistance of the young and rising-star organist, Palmer Christian. Born in 1885 in nearby Kankakee, Illinois, Christian studied at Chicago’s American Conservatory of Music with Clarence Dickinson before traveling abroad to study with Karl Straube in Leipzig and Alexandre Guilmant in Paris. Upon his return to the United States in 1911, Palmer became organist of Kenwood Evangelical Church in the fashionable Chicago South Side neighborhood of Kenwood.

Kenwood Evangelical Church, Chicago

The city block bounded by 46th and 47th Streets and Greenwood and Ellis Avenues contains three monumental churches of significant architectural quality, all constructed between 1887 and 1926: the former Saint James United Methodist Church (46th Street and Ellis Avenue), Kenwood United Church of Christ (46th Street and Greenwood Avenue, just across the alleyway from Saint James), and Saint Ambrose Catholic Church (47th Street and Ellis Avenue). When these buildings were erected, Kenwood was a neighborhood of high society, as the likes of John G. Shedd of Marshall Field & Company fame belonged to Kenwood Evangelical Church. The Swift family of the meatpacking industry and the Harris family of banking belonged to Saint James Methodist Episcopal Church.

Kenwood Evangelical Church was organized on November 17, 1885, having grown from a Sunday school formed earlier that year. On November 26, 1887, the cornerstone of the present church was laid. The Romanesque Revival building was designed by William W. Boyington in association with H. B. Wheelock and dedicated November 18, 1888. (Boyington designed many important Chicago landmarks, most of which, like the old Chicago Board of Trade Building, are gone. His 1869 Chicago Water Tower and Pumping Station remain.) The edifice and the lot cost $65,423.92. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1888, Steere & Turner of Massachusetts installed its Opus 263, a two-manual, twenty-three-rank, mechanical-action organ costing $3,250. Portions of the gumwood case and the façade, including pipes from the Great 8′ Open Diapason, were retained to hide the new Skinner organ.

As mentioned above, in 1911 Palmer Christian was appointed organist to Kenwood Church. He soon led efforts to replace the Steere & Turner organ, and he specifically worked to have the contract awarded to the Ernest M. Skinner Company. This was to be the first Skinner contract in Illinois.

A specification was drawn for a three-manual organ in January 1913, and the contract was announced in the March issue of The Diapason. This was to be Opus 207, followed closely by three other Chicago-area contracts: Opus 208, First Church of Christ, Scientist, Evanston; Opus 210, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago; and Opus 211, Hyde Park Baptist Church, Chicago.

Several changes would be made to the specification by the time the organ was installed the following year. On May 22, Christian wrote authorizing addition of the Great 8′ Philomela, extended from the Pedal 16′ Diapason, for an additional $150. Already, Christian and Skinner were at odds on just when the organ would be finished: 

Regarding the matter of time, I have only this to say, that, inasmuch as our church was the first to get you out here—and, if I must say it, this was entirely due to my “plugging” for you—we most certainly hope that you can make a special effort in our case, if need be, to be ready according to schedule.

On July 14, 1913, the church treasurer, John B. Lord, wrote to Skinner, authorizing several changes to the specification: elimination of the Choir 8′ English Horn and casework; addition of the Choir two-rank 8′ Dulcet; 8′ Posaune, 8′ Salicional, and 4′ Octave borrows from the Swell to the Great; addition of Chimes for $500; and a six-rank Echo division on a fourth manual for $1,800. The church could now claim it was to have a four-manual organ, not three, as another Chicago church had since signed a contract for a four-manual Skinner organ, Fourth Presbyterian Church.

Christian wrote Skinner on December 19, 1913, reminding him that he wanted Swell and Choir Unison Off couplers, five pistons for each manual except Echo (there were no General pistons), Swell to Pedal reversible, and a Choir to Pedal 4′ coupler. The old organ had been removed from the church, and Christian was complaining about the delay in completing the new organ, noting he had lost $100 in wedding fees, as there was no organ to play for the ceremonies. He asked if Skinner would be able to keep a February 1, 1914, completion date, as he wanted his former teacher Clarence Dickinson to play the dedicatory recital soon thereafter when he was in Chicago.

Dickinson did not play the dedicatory recital during this visit. The May 1, 1914, issue of The Diapason notes that Christian himself played the opening recital on April 16. Apparently, Mr. Skinner was present for the program. This was the first Skinner organ to be completed in Illinois, but not for long.

The Great, Swell, Choir, and Pedal divisions are housed behind the old Steere façade above the pulpit and choir loft at the front of the nave. The Echo division and Chimes are in a room located off the second-floor rear balcony. The console sits in the choir loft at the far right. The manual compass is 61 notes (C–C); pedal compass is 32 notes (C–G). (Opus 208 would have a 30-note pedalboard.) The unaltered organ has been unplayable for several decades.

The congregation is now known as Kenwood United Church of Christ. The church has experienced a renewal in numbers over the last several decades, mostly due to the leadership of Reverend Dr. Leroy Sanders.

First Church of Christ, Scientist, Evanston

Evanston’s First Church of Christ, Scientist, was founded in January 1895. The first worship site was probably a residence located on the present property, which was converted for use as a church. This building burned in 1897, and the members of the congregation set about building a new church costing $25,000.

Construction for the present church seating 900 commenced in 1912 and was completed the following year. It is an excellent example of Neo-Classical architecture that has been revered by Christian Scientists everywhere and by the denomination’s founder, Mary Baker Eddy. Mrs. Eddy became interested in this style of architecture while attending the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. Many of the exhibition buildings reflected this influence, including the Parliament of World Religions. First Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago, now home to Grant Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church, was among the first buildings of this type. The architect of First Church, Evanston, Solon Spencer Beman, also served as architect for First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Churches of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. He designed the mansion of the W. W. Kimball family on South Prairie Avenue, Chicago, as well as the entire “town” of Pullman on the South Side of Chicago. Beman became a personal friend of Mrs. Eddy, became a Christian Scientist, and served as a consulting architect for construction of the Mother Church Extension in Boston. First Church, Evanston, was Beman’s final commission, as he died the following year at the age of sixty-one. The church reportedly cost $100,000 to build.

The first organ that the congregation owned was apparently a reed organ built by Leonard Peloubet & Co. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1902, Lyon & Healy of Chicago built their Opus 105 (factory number 1357) for the congregation. This two-manual organ had mechanical key and stop action. When the present building was constructed, the Lyon & Healy was retained and installed in the Sunday school room of the lower level. In the 1990s, the then small congregation, unable to retain the organ, turned it over to the Organ Clearing House for eventual sale.

The organ in the new church auditorium, built by the Ernest M. Skinner Company, was completed on June 1, 1914, as Opus 208. The contract was signed in 1913. It is the oldest functioning Skinner organ in the state of Illinois. The Diapason announced the organ in July 1914:

The organ chamber is at the rear of the readers’ platform, and the tone comes into the auditorium through open ornamental lattice work, which conceals the pipes. The console is at the north (right) end of the platform, at the left of the readers.

Within the organ, the Great is centrally located with the Swell behind. The Choir and three Great additions are to the right. Interestingly, the pedal compass is 30 notes (C–F). During construction, the 4′ Octave was added to the Swell division, on its own chest with channel jumpers. Wind pressure was six inches throughout. The late Roy Kehl of Evanston has noted that Opus 208 was nearly identical to Opus 204, installed in Synod Hall of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, New York, New York.

At a later date, three ranks were added to the Great. Additional tilting tablets above the Swell manual were added for these stops, which were not controlled by the combination action. This work is believed to have been carried out by La Marche of Chicago.

The congregation was served by several excellent organists. Rossetter Gleason Cole was appointed organist in 1909 and served through 1929. Cole was born in 1866. After study at the University of Michigan and in Berlin, he returned to the United States, settling in the Chicago area in 1902. For over fifty years, he served on the faculty of the Cosmopolitan Music School, and for a time served as dean of the school. He was twice dean of the Illinois (now Chicago) Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (1913–1914 and 1928–1930). On January 1, 1930, he became organist to Second Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. During his lifetime, over ninety of his compositions were published in many different forms. He died in 1952, at Hilltop, near Lake Bluff, Illinois.

One of the oldest community music schools in the state, the Music Institute of Chicago was founded in 1931 and has campuses in Downers Grove, Evanston, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, Northbrook, and Winnetka. In 2001, Music Institute purchased its second Evanston campus, the former First Church of Christ, Scientist. First Church had recently merged with Second Church of Christ, Scientist, Evanston, moving to that congregation’s worship space.

First Church vacated its building in 2001, and renovations for the Music Institute began the following year. The building is registered on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2003, when renovations were complete, the prestigious Richard H. Driehaus Award was presented to the Music Institute for its creative reuse of this historic building. For the organ’s ninetieth birthday celebration, the Organ Historical Society presented its Historic Organ Citation #312 on June 13, 2004, during a recital by James Russell Brown.

Between 2005 and 2007, the organ received a historic restoration by J. L. Weiler, Inc., of Chicago. At the conclusion of this project, the organ was reinaugurated in recital by Thomas Murray on September 28, 2007.

Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago

The Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago is the merger of North Presbyterian Church (founded in 1848) and Westminster Presbyterian Church (founded in 1855); Fourth Church was formally organized February 12, 1871, thus celebrating its sesquicentennial in 2021. According to the church’s website: “The name ‘Fourth’ was selected not because it was the fourth Presbyterian church to be founded in Chicago, but because Fourth was the lowest number then not in use.”

Fourth Church refurbished the North Church building at the southeast corner of Wabash and Grand Avenues and dedicated it on October 8, 1871. Within a day, the church burned in the Great Fire of Chicago. North Church housed 1865 Pilcher Bros. & Chant Opus 65, which burned with the church.

The congregation built a new stone building at the northwest corner of Rush and Superior Streets and dedicated it in February of 1874. This building housed Johnson & Son Opus 436, a three-manual organ.

The cornerstone of the present building was laid on September 17, 1912. The English and French Gothic edifice was designed by Ralph Adams Cram, while the accompanying buildings were built to the designs of Chicago’s Howard Van Doren Shaw. This part of what is now North Michigan Avenue was then known as Lincoln Parkway.

The building was dedicated in May 1914. In the ensuing years, the sanctuary was adorned with stained glass windows by Charles J. Connick. At its dedication, it also featured a new, four-manual organ built by the Ernest M. Skinner Company, Opus 210. In the church archives, there is a letter from Ernest M. Skinner to Mrs. Emmons Blaine, 101 Erie Street, Chicago, dated February 13, 1913. Mrs. Blaine was the donor of the organ. Apparently, Skinner had come to the church during its construction, met with Mrs. Blaine, took measurements, and drew a preliminary specification for an organ while at her house. There must have been disappointment with what was perceived to be the size of the organ that could fit into the small main chamber. In the end, the chamber’s exceptionally large height allowed Skinner to stack the organ, providing a much larger instrument to be built. Skinner probably overdid it in this letter by stating:

When I say I am pleased with the result, I mean that the tone will have a perfect outlet, that the organ is not crowded in any way, that it is roomy and convenient of access for the tuners, and that it is a very large complete instrument, second to none in this country; that while there are several stops appearing in the Cathedral organ in New York that I did not put here, I did get in one or two stops that are not in the Cathedral organ, because they were not in existence when that was built. I have invented a new stop through my study over this case.

I wanted to put in a Flute Celeste of which I am very fond. It takes up considerable room, and I set about finding a way to take less. I wanted to make the stop softer than usual, so I had some pipes made to small scale from the model of my Erzahler. The result is a most beautiful combination. I think the most beautiful soft effect I have heard.

It is easy to make a soft tone. It is not easy to make a soft tone and fill it with significance. The sheer beauty of this stop gives me a very great asset and adds another to my list of original stops. I call it “Kleine Erzahler,” which means “little story tellers.” Erzahler means story-teller, it is a german [sic] word and is a stop I designed seven or eight years ago. The stop is so talkative, I have always said it named itself. This new one is a smaller scale of the same family and it takes two pipes to each note, and so becomes plural. They speak with a vibration, as a Violin. I feel very happy over it . . . .

I say without reservation, I am better pleased with this specifications [sic] than any other I have drawn. It is a fine church organ and besides has a wealth of orchestral color and it does not contain a stop of doubtful value. I have always hoped I should land in Chicago with a big one.

While Palmer Christian may have given Ernest Skinner his first organ in Chicago, and even a four-manual organ, it was Mrs. Blane who gave Skinner his first four-manual organ in Chicago that would definitively sow the seeds for more large contracts.

The first mention of Opus 210 in The Diapason occurred in the February 1, 1913, issue on the front page:

Ernest M. Skinner has been commissioned by the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago to build for it a four-manual organ which will be one of the largest and most noteworthy instruments in the country. The organ is to be installed in the new edifice under construction by that church on the north side of the city. This will be probably the largest Presbyterian church in Chicago and the music here, which has always been of the best, is to continue so when the new building is occupied . . . . Expense is not to be spared, and Mr. Skinner is to incorporate every feature that could be of advantage when the size of the building is considered . . . . Mr. Skinner closed the deal when in Chicago about the middle of January. There was no competition for the contract.

The article also mentioned J. Lawrence Erb had been hired as the new organist for the church. The May issue provided the organ’s specification.

The June 1, 1914, issue of The Diapason noted the organ was played at the opening of the church on May 10, and that afternoon a recital was given by Eric DeLamarter, who by then had become the church’s new organist. The article noted the work on the organ had yet to be finished, and Mr. Skinner had made several visits to Chicago during installation. Voicing was done at night, “when the noises of the city were nearly enough stilled to permit them to get in their artistic touches.” Walter Binkemeyer and T. Cecil Lewis were assisting with voicing.

In 1946, Aeolian-Skinner would make some tonal revisions to the organ, adding six ranks. This project was paid for again by Mrs. Blaine. In 1971, the organ was rebuilt/replaced by the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co. with its Opus 1516, among the last organs completed by the firm, with four manuals, 125 ranks. Goulding & Wood of Indianapolis, Indiana, renovated the organ in 1994 with slight alterations. In 2015, Quimby Pipe Organs completed for this church its Opus 71, the largest organ in Chicago, with five manuals, 142 ranks.

Hyde Park Baptist Church, Chicago

On May 9, 1874, the First Baptist Church of Hyde Park was founded. Hyde Park was a township annexed by Chicago in 1889. With the opening of the University of Chicago nearby on October 1, 1892, the congregation grew rapidly in membership. One of the congregation’s new members was Dr. William R. Harper, president of the new university. Under Harper’s influence, the church began discussions about a new plant in 1893. A new chapel-sized building was finished on the present property in 1896.

In November 1897, ideas about completion of the main church and the acquisition of a pipe organ took form. In 1901 the congregation received a generous gift in the amount of $15,000 from John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who was instrumental in the building of the nearby University of Chicago. Architect James Gamble was commissioned to design the church of Romanesque influence, seating some six hundred persons. In 1904, the congregation changed its name to Hyde Park Baptist Church. The new church was dedicated on January 7, 1906. The exterior is of red sandstone with limestone trim. Original plans called for construction entirely of stone, but this proved too costly. The interior is constructed of limestone, brick, and dark oak, crowned with massive cross beams. A brochure printed by the church notes that “the peaked ceiling is as high as the center aisle is long (some 76 feet).” A small pipe organ acquired a few years earlier at a cost of $1,000 was moved from the chapel to the new church, but it proved inadequate.

In 1914, a new organ was installed by the Ernest M. Skinner Company. The contract was dated January 31, 1913, at a cost of $8,000.00. By April 30, it was decided by mail to move the Swell 8′ French Horn preparation (knob only) to the Choir. It was stipulated: “Both kinds of Vox Humana pipes to be sent for the church to decide which it wants.”

Construction of the organ commenced in May 1914, and it was dedicated on October 22 of that year. This project corresponded with a general decoration of the church interior, designed by James R. M. Morrison. The three-manual, electro-pneumatic action organ, Opus 211, consisted of thirty-one stops, twenty-one ranks, with a total of 1,281 pipes. The console had a manual compass of 61 notes (C–C) and a pedal compass of 30 notes (C–F). The organ was powered by a 71⁄2-horsepower Spencer Orgoblo turbine. Several years later, a set of chimes was added in memory of T. B. Merrill.

This organ was rebuilt by M. P. Möller of Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1956, and is now a thirty-rank organ. The project retained seven ranks of Skinner pipework as well as most of the chests. A new three-manual, drawknob console with 32-note pedalboard was installed. The existing blower was reused. In 1965, the congregation again changed its name, becoming the Hyde Park Union Church, reflecting its affiliation with both the American Baptist Church and the United Church of Christ.

§

The year 1914 became an important and busy year for Skinner in Chicago. Opus 207 (Kenwood Evangelical) and Opus 210 (Fourth Presbyterian) had their first recitals within a month of each other (April 16 and May 10, respectively), and the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Evanston, organ (Opus 208) was finished the following month (June 1). Dedication for Opus 211 at Hyde Park Baptist was not that far behind (October 22). Once these instruments became known to organists of the region, the Skinner and Aeolian-Skinner firms would proceed to build dozens of additional organs for the area, continuing through to the end of the company’s work.

Kenwood Evangelical Church, Chicago

Specification of 1914 Ernest M. Skinner Organ Company Opus 207

GREAT (Manual II, 6″ wind pressure)

16′ Bourdon 61 pipes

8′ First Diapason (scale 42) 61 pipes

8′ Second Diapason (scale 45) 61 pipes

8′ Philomela 73 pipes

8′ Waldflote 61 pipes

8′ Salicional (fr Sw 8′ Salicional)

8′ Erzahler (“com”) 61 pipes

4′ Octave (fr Sw 4′ Octave)

4′ Flute (“Har #2”) 61 pipes

8′ Posaune (fr Sw 8′ Posaune)

Chimes (fr Echo)

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed, 7-1/2″ wind pressure)

16′ Bourdon (“#2”) 73 pipes

8′ Diapason (scale 44) 73 pipes

8′ Gedackt (“com”) 73 pipes

8′ Salicional (scale 64) 73 pipes

8′ Voix Celestes (scale 64) 73 pipes

8′ Aeoline (scale 60) 73 pipes

8′ Unda Maris (TC, scale 60) 61 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Flute (“#2”) 61 pipes

2′ Piccolo (“com”) 61 pipes

[III] Mixture (“1 break”) 183 pipes

16′ Contra Posaune (“cc 4-1⁄2”) 73 pipes

8′ Posaune (“cc 4-1⁄2”) 73 pipes

8′ Oboe (“com”) 73 pipes

8′ Vox Humana (“com”) 73 pipes

Tremolo

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed, 6″ wind pressure)

8′ Diapason (scale 50) 61 pipes

8′ Concert Flute 61 pipes

8′ Dulciana (scale 56) 61 pipes

8′ Dulcet 122 pipes

4′ Flauto Traverso (“#2”) 61 pipes

8′ Clarinet (“com”) 61 pipes

8′ French Horn (“com”) 61 pipes

8′ Orchestral Oboe (“com”) 61 pipes

Tremolo

Celesta

ECHO (Manual IV, enclosed, 5″ wind pressure)

8′ Rohrflöte 73 pipes

8′ Quintadena 61 pipes

8′ Unda Maris (2nd rank TC) 110 pipes

4′ Flute 61 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes

Tremolo

Cathedral Chimes 25 tubes

PEDAL

16′ Diapason (ext Gt 8′ Philomela)

16′ First Bourdon (Gt)

16′ Second Bourdon (Sw)

16′ Echo Bourdon (ext Echo 8′ Rohrfl)

10-2⁄3′ Quinte (fr Gt 16′ Bourdon)

8′ Octave (fr Gt 8′ Philomela)

8′ Gedackt (fr Gt 16′ Bourdon)

16′ Ophicleide (fr Sw 16′ Contra Pos)

COUPLERS

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Swell to Pedal 4

Choir to Pedal

Choir to Pedal 4

Echo to Pedal

Swell to Great

Choir to Great

Echo to Great

Swell to Choir

Great to Great 4

Swell to Great 16

Swell to Great 4

Choir to Choir 16

Choir to Choir 4

Swell to Swell 16

Swell to Swell 4

ACCESSORIES

5 Great Pistons (thumb)

5 Swell Pistons (thumb and toe)

5 Choir Pistons (thumb)

3 Echo Pistons (thumb)

5 Pedal Pistons (toe)

Combination Setter (thumb)

Pedal to Great Combination On/Off (thumb)

Pedal to Swell Combination On/Off (thumb)

Pedal to Choir Combination On/Off (thumb)

Pedal to Echo Combination On/Off (thumb)

Great Unison On/Off (thumb, left key cheek)

Swell Unison On/Off (thumb, left key cheek)

Choir Unison On/Off (thumb, left key cheek)

Balanced Swell expression shoe

Balanced Choir expression shoe

Balanced Crescendo shoe

Sforzando Reversible (toe, hitch-down)

 

First Church of Christ, Scientist, Evanston

Specification of 1914 Ernest M. Skinner Company Opus 208:

GREAT (Manual II)

16′ Bourdon (49 stopped wood, 12 open metal trebles) 61 pipes

8′ Diapason (leathered lips, metal) 68 pipes

8′ Philomela (wood) 80 pipes

8′ Erzähler (metal) 68 pipes

8′ Gedackt (fr Sw 8′ Gedackt)

8′ Dulciana (fr Sw 8′ Aeoline)

4′ Flute (fr Sw 4′ Flute)

8′ Cornopean (fr Sw 8′ Cornopean)

4′ Octave (addition, metal) 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Twelfth (addition, metal) 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth (addition, metal) 61 pipes

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed)

16′ Bourdon (wood) 68 pipes

8′ Diapason (metal) 68 pipes

8′ Gedackt (wood) 68 pipes

8′ Salicional (metal) 68 pipes

8′ Voix Celestes (metal) 68 pipes

8′ Aeoline (metal) 68 pipes

8′ Unda Maris (TC, metal) 56 pipes

4′ Octave (metal) 68 pipes

4′ Flute (metal) 68 pipes

2′ Flautino (metal) 61 pipes

16′ Posaune (metal) 68 pipes

8′ Cornopean (metal) 68 pipes

8′ Flügel Horn (metal) 68 pipes

8′ Vox Humana (metal) 68 pipes

Tremolo

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed)

8′ Geigen Principal (metal) 61 pipes

8′ Concert Flute (12 stopped wood basses, 25 open wood, 24 open metal trebles) 61 pipes

4′ Flute (metal) 61 pipes

8′ Clarinet (metal) 61 pipes

Tremolo

PEDAL

16′ Diapason (ext Gt 8′ Philomela)

16′ First Bourdon (Gt)

16′ Second Bourdon (Sw)

8′ Octave (fr Gt 8′ Philomela)

8′ Still Gedackt (fr Sw 16′ Bourdon)

16′ Posaune (Sw)

COUPLERS

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Swell to Pedal 4

Choir to Pedal

Great to Great 4

Swell to Great

Choir to Great

Swell to Choir

Swell to Great 16

Swell to Great 4

Choir to Great 16

Swell to Swell 16

Swell to Swell 4

ACCESSORIES

4 Great Pistons (thumb)

5 Swell Pistons (thumb)

4 Choir Pistons (thumb)

4 Pedal Pistons (toe)

Great to Pedal Reversible (toe)

Pedals to Great Combinations on/off (thumb)

Pedals to Swell Combinations on/off (thumb)

Pedals to Choir Combinations on/off (thumb)

Combination Setter (thumb)

Balanced Swell Expression Shoe

Balanced Choir Expression Shoe

Balanced Crescendo Shoe

Sforzando Reversible (toe)

 

Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago

Specification of 1914 Ernest M. Skinner Company Opus 210:

GREAT (Manual II, 6″ wind pressure, 16′ Diapason on 5″)

16′ Diapason 73 pipes

16′ Bourdon 61 pipes

8′ First Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Second Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Third Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Philomela 73 pipes

8′ Waldflöte 61 pipes

8′ Erzähler 61 pipes

4′ Octave 61 pipes

4′ Flute 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

16′ Ophicleide (10′′ wind pressure) 97 pipes

8′ Tromba (ext 16′ Ophicleide)

4′ Clarion (ext 16′ Ophicleide)

SWELL (Manual III, 7-1/2″ wind pressure, enclosed)

16′ Bourdon 73 pipes

16′ Dulciana 73 pipes

8′ Diapason 73 pipes

8′ Clarabella 73 pipes

8′ Gedeckt 73 pipes

8′ Spitzflöte 73 pipes

8′ Salicional 73 pipes

8′ Voix Celestes 73 pipes

8′ Aeoline 73 pipes

8′ Unda Maris (TC) 61 pipes

4′ Octave 73 pipes

4′ Flute 73 pipes

2′ Flautino 61 pipes

III Mixture (12-15-17) 183 pipes

16′ Contra Posaune 73 pipes

8′ Cornopean 73 pipes

8′ Oboe 73 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 73 pipes

4′ Clarion 73 pipes

Tremolo

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed, 6″ wind pressure)

16′ Gamba 73 pipes

8′ Geigen Principal 73 pipes

8′ Concert Flute 73 pipes

8′ Quintadena 73 pipes

8′ Kleine Erzähler (2nd rank TC) 110 pipes

8′ Dulcet II 122 pipes

4′ Flute 73 pipes

2′ Piccolo 61 pipes

16′ English Horn 73 pipes

16′ Fagotto (So) 

8′ Clarinet 73 pipes

8′ Orchestral Oboe (So)

8′ Flügel Horn (So)

Tremolo

Celesta (61 bars)

SOLO (Manual IV, enclosed, 10″ wind pressure)

8′ Philomela (Gt)

8′ Gamba 73 pipes

8′ Gamba Celeste 73 pipes

16′ Fagotto 73 pipes

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (15′′ wind pressure) 73 pipes

8′ French Horn 73 pipes

8′ Flügel Horn 73 pipes

8′ Orchestral Oboe 73 pipes

Tremolo

ECHO (6″ wind pressure, enclosed)

8′ Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Gedeckt 61 pipes

4′ Flute 61 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes

Tremolo (by Solo Tremolo knob)

PEDAL (5″ and 6″ wind pressure)

32′ Contra Violone 56 pipes

16′ Diapason (ext Gt 8′ Philomela)

16′ Violone (ext 32′)

16′ First Bourdon (Gt)

16′ Second Bourdon (Sw)

16′ Gamba (Ch)

16′ Dulciana (Sw)

8′ Octave (fr Gt 8′ Philomela)

8′ Gedeckt (fr Gt 16′ First Bourdon)

8′ Still Gedeckt (fr Sw 16′ Bourdon)

8′ Cello (So)

32′ Bombarde (ext Gt 16′ Ophicleide)

16′ Ophicleide (fr Gt 16′ Ophicleide)

16′ Posaune (Sw)

8′ Tromba (fr Gt 16′ Ophicleide)

4′ Tromba (fr Gt 16′ Ophicleide)

COUPLERS

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Swell to Pedal 4

Choir to Pedal

Choir to Pedal 4

Solo to Pedal

Swell to Great

Choir to Great

Solo to Great

Swell to Choir

Choir Sub

Choir Super 

Swell Sub *

Swell Super *

Solo Sub *

Solo Super *

Echo to Solo

* “transferred to Great with Swell to Great”

ACCESSORIES

3 Full pistons (draw manual and pedal combinations 5, 6, and 7, does not affect couplers)

7 Great pistons (thumb)

7 Swell pistons (thumb and toe)

7 Choir pistons (thumb)

7 Solo and Echo pistons (thumb)

7 Pedal pistons (toe)

Pedal to Swell Combinations on/off

Pedal to Great Combinations on/off (Great and Pedal combinations effect the other)

Pedal to Choir Combinations on/off

Pedal to Solo Combinations on/off

Combination adjuster (thumb)

Great to Pedal reversible (toe)

Balanced Swell expression shoe

Balanced Choir and Solo expression shoe

Balanced Crescendo shoe

Sforzando reversible (toe, hitch-down)

 

Hyde Park Baptist Church, Chicago

Specification of 1914 Ernest M. Skinner Company Opus 211:

GREAT (Manual II)

16′ Bourdon 61 pipes

8′ Diapason (17 basses in façade) 61 pipes

8′ Philomela 73 pipes

8′ Erzähler 61 pipes

8′ Gedackt (Sw)

8 Dulciana (Sw)

4 Flute (Sw)

8 Cornopean (Sw)

SWELL (Manual III, enclosed)

16′ Bourdon 61 pipes

8′ Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Gedackt 61 pipes

8′ Salicional 61 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste 61 pipes

8′ Dulciana 61 pipes

8′ Unda Maris (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Violin (knob only)

4′ Flute 61 pipes

2′ Piccolo 61 pipes

8′ Cornopean 61 pipes

8′ Flügel Horn 61 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes

Tremolo

CHOIR (Manual I, enclosed)

8′ Geigen Principal 61 pipes

8′ Concert Flute 61 pipes

4′ Flauto Traverso 61 pipes

8′ Clarinet 61 pipes

8′ Orchestral Oboe 61 pipes

8′ French Horn (“knob only”)

Tremolo

PEDAL

16′ Diapason (ext Gt 8′ Philomela)

16′ First Bourdon (Gt)

16′ Second Bourdon (Sw)

8′ Octave (fr Gt 8′ Philomela)

8′ Gedackt (fr Gt 16′ Bourdon)

8′ Still Gedackt (fr Sw 16′ Bourdon)

COUPLERS

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Choir to Pedal

Swell to Great

Choir to Great

Swell to Choir

Great 4

Choir to Great 16

Choir to Great 4

Swell to Great 16

Swell to Great 4

Choir 4

Choir 16

Swell 4

Swell 16

ACCESSORIES

3 General Pistons (toe)

5 Great Pistons and Cancel (thumb)

5 Swell Pistons and Cancel (thumb)

5 Choir Pistons and Cancel (thumb)

5 Pedal Pistons (thumb)

Pedal to Great Combinations on/off (thumb)

Pedal to Swell Combinations on/off (thumb)

Pedal to Choir Combinations on/off (thumb)

Great to Pedal Reversible (thumb and toe)

Swell to Pedal Reversible (toe)

Choir to Pedal Reversible (toe)

Balanced Swell Expression Shoe

Balanced Choir Expression Shoe

Balanced Crescendo Shoe (with indicator)

Sforzando Reversible (toe)

Cover Feature: Community of Jesus, Orleans, MA

The Saint Cecilia Organ, Church of the Transfiguration; Community of Jesus, Orleans, Massachusetts

Community of Jesus, Orleans, MA

If we all embrace a new vision, special guidance and support will surely come.

—Nelson Barden

On Monday, May 15, 1995, at 10:56 p.m., a fax from Nelson Barden (president, Nelson Barden & Associates, restorer-in-residence, Boston University) arrived in the music office. This was not just another fax. This document was in response to Nelson’s first visit to the Community of Jesus to meet with the superior, Mother Betty Pugsley, during which they discussed the vision, need, scope, and reason for an organ of incredible depth, proportion, beauty, and scale that would support the worship at the Community of Jesus and its world-renowned music outreach. Nelson realized instantly and exactly what she was saying, and both agreed that, “Above all other considerations, this organ must uncompromisingly spring from its spiritual and artistic vision until that vision becomes reality.”

To that end, the organ’s specification, geographic layout, and overall design were inspired and motivated by the ministry and mission of Gloriæ Dei Cantores (the resident professional choir at the Community of Jesus) as well as the community’s enthusiastic hymn singing. Gloriæ Dei Cantores performs repertoire of more than thirty nationalities, from Gregorian chant to music of the present day—a challenge for any organ to support, given the number of genres this includes!

Before meeting Nelson, we had committed to the restoration of an E. M. Skinner organ for the Church of the Transfiguration, knowing the innate beauty and flexibility of these instruments. In fact, we had already purchased, and had in storage, Skinner Organ Company Opus 762 from the Munn Avenue Presbyterian Church in East Orange, New Jersey. We soon realized, however, that this instrument would not be enough on its own and instead would need to become the basis for something far larger and with greater impact. In order to fulfill his vision and charge to unite the organ with the basilica form of the church, Nelson said, “Surround Sound:”

For this installation, I suggest rotating the traditional east-west organ placement 90 degrees to north-south and stretching the instrument completely down the nave in balconies over both side aisles. The divisions would start near the chancel (above the choir seating) with the Swell and Choir on opposite sides. These would be followed by an exposed Great and an Enclosed Great (including some Pedal) to broaden the tone and bring it down the nave . . . . Next would be matching north and south Solo divisions, followed by North and South Orchestral. These paired divisions would contain similar but distinct voices. These four matched divisions would form the “moving melody” section. . . . Near the west end would be the Bombarde/Antiphonal opposite the Echo. The shades of these divisions would not open directly toward the congregation but project the sound toward the back wall. This would modulate the heavy hitters in the Bombarde and allow the Echo to do a tonal “disappearing act.” The directional and surround effects achieved by computer control of stops and shades would lift the instrument beyond state-of-the-art into a unique realm. Moving melody could range freely over the building from left to right and front to back . . . . A single pianissimo chord from the chancel could grow into a mighty wave of sound, roll down the entire length of the nave, cascade into the Echo, and disappear.

Over the course of many years, there ensued hundreds of discussions about the numerous specifics needed to arrive at such a conclusion. (The specification alone has been through more than 150 revisions!) Only two weeks after the first fax came the next “prophetic” fax that would soon reveal the platform upon which we would collaborate for more than two and a half decades.

In addition to the primary precept of always maintaining the spiritual and artistic vision, two other significant points were developed from this second exchange:

1. Encourage apprentice-interested Community of Jesus members into the organ building field to act as good stewards in both the construction and future care of this instrument; and

2. Let the project take the time required for the organ to “teach and tell us” how it should grow and be transformed through varied experiences.

Upon mutually enthusiastic agreement, we reviewed the concepts set forth in the May 15 document in which Nelson said the organ should be:

1. World-class and unique

2. Ideally suited to your purposes

3. A tangible expression of Community of Jesus spiritual principles

4. Beautiful and musical, with instantly recognizable tone

5. Designed for posterity; built to last forever

6. Able to perform both nineteenth-century music authentically and eighteenth-century Bach convincingly

7. Capable of eliciting profound emotions

8. Designed for HDCD recordings

9. Focused on future developments, not current technology

10. A “trend setter.”

These discussion points quickly converted into:

1. Adopting the vision

2. Making the commitment to move forward

3. Incorporating the organ space into the church design

4. Refining the vision, shaping it to our precise needs

5. Defining the mechanical system of the organ

6. Developing a plan of action and a realistic budget

7. Locating a shop and storage space

8. Beginning to implement the plan of action

9. Training part-time workers and develop their expertise

10. Acquiring more component parts to restore

11. Organizing and commencing restoration work

12. Setting up a division and playing it for inspiration!

Thus, the organ restoration project began in earnest.

Fast forward to the summer of 2021, and we look back to see that Nelson’s original division layout, with some changes in nomenclature, has come true. The disposition of the divisions is as follows:

APSE

Choir Swell

North Gt (& Ped) South Gt (& Ped)

Solo (& Pedal) String (& Pedal)

Antiphonal/Processional Echo

WEST END

We were extremely fortunate to find instruments available for purchase that, together, created a “joyful musical genesis.” Below is a partial list of the Skinner organs whose components constitute this “new” instrument:

Opus 140, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Cleveland, Ohio

Opus 195, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts

Opus 310, Plymouth Church, Shaker Heights, Ohio

Opus 473, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

Opus 540, Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church, Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Opus 541, First Congregational Church, St. Petersburg, Florida

Opus 655, Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, Rochester, New York

Opus 656, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

Opus 762, Munn Avenue Presbyterian Church, East Orange, New Jersey

Opus 855, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Opus 858, Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida

Opus 934, Saint Joseph’s College, Adrian, Michigan

Opus 991, Broadway Tabernacle, New York, New York

Opus 1242, First Baptist Church, Abilene, Texas

Nelson and the Community of Jesus have maintained an organ building apprenticeship program over these many years, having trained one of our members to journeyman status (over the course of twenty years), and four others in multi-year, work-training situations. During this time, the construction and installation truly did follow Nelson’s initial concept—division by division. This is what allowed the organ to “teach” us. Below are some other significant dates in the history of this organ:

June 2000: Dedication of the Church of the Transfiguration: North Great, Swell, and Tuba Mirabilis

June 2003: Great Artist series begins with American Guild of Organists Regions I and II convention, featuring Thomas Murray: Choir division

June 2005: Fifth anniversary of the Church of the Transfiguration: Antiphonal/Processional divisions

June 2010: Tenth anniversary of the Church of the Transfiguration: Echo division and arrival of the West End console for the concerts by Gerre and Judith Hancock and Thomas Murray

Summer 2018: 32′ Bombarde installed on South side

Summer 2019: removal of 1929 console and return of the rewired west end console serving as temporary main console

February 2020: Arrival of the final console

Our new console was designed, constructed, and installed by Richard Houghten and Joseph Zamberlan. From 2000 until 2020, we had used the original Skinner Organ Company console from Opus 762, which by 2020 the organ had long outgrown. The new console was designed to be as comfortable as a Skinner one, with everything clearly identified and within reach. Special features include shade expression thumb slides underneath the bottom three keyboards, an expression matrix so that any of the divisions can be assigned to a specific swell shoe (the entire organ is under expression), ivory keyboards that came from the Opus 762 console and are E. M. Skinner’s “tracker touch.” Some unusual couplers such as pedal to manual are included.

Perhaps the most moving realizations are the visionary outlooks of how this organ would affect people as they listened and experienced it in the setting of the Church of the Transfiguration. In concluding his initial thoughts to us in May 1995, Nelson wrote this to encourage us to take this on:

The Ultimate Goal

Every church is an expression of the builders, and so is every organ. When this instrument is finished, Community members will feel they are a part of the organ, and the organ is part of them. It will give voice to their aspirations and resonate with deep-seated meaning.

Building a magnificent instrument is hard work, sometimes tedious and always prolonged. Non-professionals may become discouraged, just as organ builders are when the job drags on. The difference is that organ builders hold a vision that gives them boundless energy and faith. They know the end result and imagine how it sounds.

Community members will understand everything when their labor comes to life and the organ starts to play. Lumber and leather, wire, and wind—if a pipe organ can sing with the angels, isn’t there hope for us all?

The list of people to thank is simply endless at this point, but here are names of those without whom this organ would not exist:

Mother Betty Pugsley

Nelson Barden

Sean O’Donnell

Joseph Sloan

Joseph Rotella

John Ananda

Jonathon Ambrosino

Duane Prill

William Czelusniak

Richard Houghten

Joseph Zamberlan

Christopher Broome

David Broome*

James Hudson Crissman

Peter Rudewicz

Thomas Murray

David Craighead*

Gerre Hancock*

*deceased

To learn more, please visit our website, www.communityofjesus.org.

—Nelson Barden and Jim Jordan

Since 1956, Nelson Barden has been recognized as one of America’s leading experts in the museum quality restoration of orchestral pipe organs—particularly the work of E. M. Skinner—and is President of Nelson Barden & Associates.

Jim Jordan is one of the organists in residence at the Church of the Transfiguration at the Community of Jesus since 1988, during which has performed as an organ accompanist for Gloriæ Dei Cantores, and a soloist throughout the United States and Eastern and Western Europe.

RELATED: View a video about the project here

Nelson Barden & Associates

Church of the Transfiguration, Orleans, Massachusetts

NORTH GREAT

1. 16′ Violone 73

2. 8′ First Diapason 61

3. 8′ Second Diapason 61

    8′ Violone --

4. 8′ Harmonic Flute 61

5. 8′ Gemshorn 61

6. 8′ Gemshorn Celeste (TC) 49

7. 4′ Octave 61

8. 4′ Harmonic Flute 61

9. 2′ Fifteenth 61

10. Willis Mixture IV 244

15 19 22 26 12

12 15 19 22 24

8 12 15 19 12

1 8 12 15 13

11. 16′ Posaune 61

12. 8′ Cornopean 61

13. 4′ Clarion 61

Tremolo

North Great Sub

North Great Unison Off

North Great Super

8′ Tuba Mirabilis Choir

8′ Tuba Major Processional

8′ Trompette Militaire Processional

SOUTH GREAT

14. 16′ Gedecktpommer 68

15. 8′ Stentorphone 73

16. 8′ Principal 61

17. 8′ Bourdon 61

18. 4′ Octave 61

19. 4′ Nachthorn 61

20. 2-2⁄3′ Twelfth 61

21. 2′ Fifteenth 61

22. Fourniture III–V 245

15 19 22 12

12 15 19 22 12

8 12 15 19 12

1 8 12 15 12

1 5 8 12 15 13

23. Scharff III–IV 220

15 19 22 18

12 15 19 6

12 15 17 19 18

8 12 15 17 6

8 10 12 15 13

24. 16′ Willis Trombone 56

25. 8′ Willis Trumpet 61

26. 8′ Hautbois 68

27. 4′ Clairon 68

Tremolo

South Great Unison Off

East Chimes

SWELL

28. 16′ Bourdon 73

29. 8′ Diapason 73

30. 8′ Salicional 73

31. 8′ Voix Celeste 73

      8′ Bourdon (ext 16′ Bourdon) --

32. 8′ Rohrflöte 61

33. 8′ Flauto Dolce 73

34. 8′ Flute Celeste (TC) 61

35. 4′ Octave 73

36. 4′ Triangle Flute 73

37. 2′ Flautino 61

38. Willis Mixture IV 244

15 19 22 26 12

8 12 15 19 36

1 8 12 15 13

39. 16′ Waldhorn 73

40. 8′ Trumpet 73

41. 8′ Oboe d’Amour 73

42. 8′ Vox Humana 73

43. 4′ Clarion 61

Tremolo

Swell Sub

Swell Unison Off

Swell Super

8′ Tuba Mirabilis Choir

8′ Tuba Major Processional

8′ Trompette Militaire Processional

Orchestral Bells

Orchestral Harp

ANTIPHONAL

44. 16′ Lieblich Bourdon 61

45. 8′ Diapason 73

46. 8′ Gross Flute 73

47. 8′ Clarabella 73

48. 8′ Erzähler Celeste II (celeste TC) 134

49. 4′ Principal 61

50. 4′ Harmonic Flute 61

51. Mixture IV 244

12 15 19 22 18

8 12 15 19 12

1 8 12 15 31

Tremolo

Antiphonal Sub

Antiphonal Unison Off

Antiphonal Super

CHOIR

52. 16′ Erzähler 85

53. 8′ Diapason 73

54. 8′ Cello 73

55. 8′ Cello Celeste 73

56. 8′ Viola 73

57. 8′ Viola Celeste 73

58. 8′ Concert Flute 73

59. 8′ Lieblich Gedeckt 73

      8′ Erzähler --

60. 8′ Erzähler Celeste 73

61. 8′ Aeoline Celeste II (celeste TC) 110

62. 4′ Principal 73

63. 4′ Flute 61

64. 2-2⁄3′ Nazard 61

65. 2′ Piccolo 61

66. 1-3⁄5′ Tierce 61

67. 1′ Sifflöte (to f54) 54

68. Low Mixture III–IV 207

15 19 22 12

12 15 19 12

8 12 15 13

1 8 12 15 24

69. High Mixture III 183

22 26 29 18

19 22 26 12

15 19 22 12

12 15 19 6

8 12 15 13

70. 16′ Heckelphone 73

      8′ Heckelphone --

71. 8′ Flügel Horn 73

72. 8′ English Horn 73

73. 8′ Clarinet 73

Tremolo

74. 8′ Tuba Mirabilis 67

Choir Sub

Choir Unison Off

Choir Super

PROCESSIONAL

75. 8′ Principal Diapason 73

76. 8′ Gamba Celeste II 146

77. 8′ Orchestral Flute 73

78. 8′ Chorus Trumpet 73

Tremolo

79. 8′ Tuba Major 73

80. 8′ Trompette Militaire 73

Processional Sub

Processional Unison Off

Processional Super

STRING

      16′ Double Violin (Kimball, ext) --

      16′ Contra Viol (Haskell, ext. Ætheria)

81. 16′ Bourdon 73

82. 8′ Diapason 61

83. 8′ Violin 85

84. 8′ Violin Celeste 73

85. 8′ Cello 73

86. 8′ Cello Celeste 73

87. 8′ Flared Gamba 73

88. 8′ Flared Gamba Celeste 73

89. 8′ Gross Gamba 73

90. 8′ Gross Gamba Celeste 73

91. 8′ Cellos II (flat-front) 134

92. 8′ Salicional 73

93. 8′ Voix Celeste 73

94. 8′ Viole Ætheria 97

95. 8′ Viole Ætheria Celeste (TC) 61

96. 8′ Voix Celeste II (celeste TC) 110

97. 8′ Chimney Flute 73

98. 8′ Dulciana 73

99. 8′ Unda Maris (TC) 61

100. 8′ Quintadena 73

101. 8′ Quintadena Celeste (TC) 61

102. 8′ Flute Celeste II (celeste TC) 110

      4′ Violin Celeste II --

      4′ Violina Ætheria --

      4′ Voix Celeste II --

103. 4′ Triangle Flute 61

104. 2-2⁄3′ String Nazard 61

      2′ Violette

105. 1-3⁄5′ String Tierce (to c49) 49

106. 8′ Cornopean 61

107. 8′ French Horn 61

108. 8′ English Horn (free reed) 61

109. 8′ Oboe (labial) 61

110. 8′ Vox Humana (TC) 49

Tremolo

String Sub

String Super

String Unison Off

SOLO

111. 8′ Horn Diapason 73

112. 8′ Flauto Mirabilis 73

113. 8′ Saxophone (wood) 73

114. 8′ Viola 73

115. 8′ Viola Celeste 73

116. 8′ Dulcet II 146

117. 8′ Silver Flute 73

118. 4′ Concert Flute 61

119. 4′ Viole Celeste II 122

      4′ Silver Flute --

120. 8′ English Horn 73

121. 8′ Labial Clarinet 61

122. 8′ Orchestral Oboe 73

Tremolo

8′ Tuba Mirabilis Choir

8′ Tuba Major Processional

8′ Trompette Militaire Processional

Tremolo

Solo Sub

Solo Unison Off

Solo Super

Orchestral Harp

Harp

Orchestral Bells

East Chimes—West Chimes

ECHO

123. 8′ Echo Principal 61

124. 8′ Gamba 66

125. 8′ Dulcet Celeste II 146

126. 8′ Philomela 73

127. 8′ Fern Flute 73

128. 8′ Wood Celeste (TC) 49

129. 8′ Muted Viole 73

130. 8′ Muted Viole Celeste 73

131. 8′ Spitzflute Celeste II (celeste TC) 134

132. 8′ Double-Enclosed Aeoline 61

133. 4′ Fugara 61

134. 4′ Harmonic Flute 61

135. 2′ Piccolo 61

16′ Clarinet (Bassoon bass) 12

136. 8′ Clarinet (free-reed) 73

Tremolo

137. 16′ Bass Vox 73

138. 8′ Baritone Vox 73

139. 8′ Tenor Vox 73

140. 8′ Alto Vox 73

141. 8-4′ Soprano Vox I-II 112

142. 8′ Vox Humana (doubly-enclosed) 61

143. Aeolian Mixture IV–V 275

8 12 15 17 18

1 8 12 15 17 31

1 8 12 15 12

Vox Chorus Tremolo

PEDAL

      64′ Gravissima --

      32′ Open Wood (ext Major Bass) 12

      32′ Erzähler (ext Choir) 12

144. 16′ Open Wood 56

145. 16′ Major Bass (wood, Haskell bass) 44

146. 16′ Open Diapason (metal) 32

      16′ Double Violin String

      16′ Violone North Great

      16′ Contra Viol String

     16′ Erzähler Choir

      16′ Bourdon Swell

      16′ Echo Bourdon String

      16′ Lieblich Bourdon Processional

 .    16′ Gedecktpommer South Great

147. 16′ Quintadena (in Echo) 32

      8′ Open Wood --

148. 8′ Principal 44

      8′ Major Bass --

      8′ Violone North Great

      8′ Viol Ætheria String

      8′ Concert Flute Choir

      8′ Erzähler Choir

      8′ Gedeckt Swell

      8′ Still Gedeckt String

      8′ Lieblich Gedeckt Processional

      4′ Octave --

      4′ Concert Flute Choir

      4′ Erzähler Choir

      4′ Gedeckt Swell

      32′ Bombarde --

      32′ Waldhorn (TC) Swell

149. 16′ Bombarde 56

      16′ Posaune North Great

      16′ Willis Trombone South Great

      16′ Waldhorn Swell

      16′ Heckelphone Choir

      16′ Clarinet Echo

      8′ Bombarde --

      8′ Heckelphone Choir

      8′ English Horn Choir

      4′ Heckelphone Choir

      8′ Tuba Mirabilis Choir

      8′ Tuba Major Processional

      8′ Trompette Militaire Processional

COUPLERS

N. Great to Pedal

N. Great to Pedal 4

S. Great to Pedal

S. Great to Pedal 4

Swell to Pedal

Swell to Pedal 4

Choir to Pedal

Choir to Pedal 4

Solo to Pedal

Solo to Pedal 4

Swell to Great 16

Swell to Great

Swell to Great 4

Choir to Great 16

Choir to Great

Choir to Great 4

Solo to Great 16

Solo to Great

Solo to Great 4

Solo to Swell

Choir to Swell

Great to Solo

Swell to Solo

Swell to Choir 16

Swell to Choir

Swell to Choir 4

Solo to Choir 16

Solo to Choir

Solo to Choir 4

String on Great

Echo on Great

Antiph. on Great

Proc. on Great

String on Swell

Echo on Swell

Antiph. on Swell

Proc. on Swell

String on Choir

Echo on Choir

Antiph. on Choir

Proc. on Choir

String on Solo

Echo on Solo

Antiph. on Solo

Proc. on Solo

BALANCED PEDALS

I—II—III—IV—V/Crescendo

EXPRESSION THUMB SLIDES

Swell—Great—Choir

EXPRESSION MATRIX

Assigns any of the following onto any or all of the balanced pedals and thumb slides. When an enclosure or control is assigned to more than one pedal or slide, the pedal or slide open furthest takes precedent.

North Great

South Great

Swell

Choir

Solo

Echo (west end only)

Interior Echo (speaking into String enclosure)

String

Pedal

Antiphonal

Processional

Tremolo Speed

Tremolo Depth

All Swells

The Matrix has its own divisionals

Standard–1–2–3–4–5–6–7

COMBINATIONS

Generals 1–25 / 1–10 Thumb/Toe

Great 1–10 Thumb

Swell 1–10 Thumb

Choir 1–10 Thumb

Solo 1–8 Thumb

Pedal 1–10 Toe

Great to Pedal Thumb/Toe

Swell to Pedal Thumb/Toe

Choir to Pedal Thumb

Solo to Pedal Thumb

All Divisionals Next – All Generals Next

Next and Previous (multiple)

Library – Scope – Set – Cancel

Solid State Organ Systems Organist Palette

149 independent stops

185 ranks

11,964 pipes

Cover Feature: St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Philadelphia

A. Thompson-Allen Company, New Haven, Connecticut; Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

St. Peter's Church

Philadelphia’s Society Hill

Society Hill is Center City Philadelphia’s oldest residential neighborhood, a one-quarter square-mile area that was first settled in the 1680s. It took its name from the Free Society of Traders, an association of merchants and landowners chosen by William Penn to shape the future of that growing city. During the nineteenth century, as Philadelphia’s population expanded westward away from the Delaware River, the area became rundown and disreputable, and by the end of the Second World War was one of that city’s worst slums. A successful urban renewal program begun in the 1950s largely returned Society Hill to its former character. Today it is known for its expanse of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century row houses, traversed by narrow cobblestone streets lined with brick sidewalks and punctuated by street lamps after a design by Benjamin Franklin.

Saint Peter’s Church

Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church, at the corner of Third and Pine Streets, was originally intended as a “chapel of ease” for nearby Christ Church and was built to accommodate the burgeoning congregation of that parish. On land donated by two of William Penn’s sons, architect-builder Robert Smith (1722–1777) designed a church based upon Christopher Wren’s “auditory” style. With this plan, sightlines and speech clarity are of primary importance, especially for a worship service focused upon Scripture and preaching. The first services in the church were held on September 4, 1761.

It is an edifice of breathtaking elegance in its simplicity. To stand within its sun-drenched walls, absorbing the ambience of centuries, is to experience a whiff of eighteenth-century Philadelphia. Many civic luminaries have been members of Saint Peter’s. Mayor Samuel Powel, who lived just down Third Street, often shared his family’s pew with George and Martha Washington. 

Saint Peter’s is one of two churches of its type surviving in America, the other located in Cooper River, South Carolina, built in 1763. In these churches, the pulpit and lectern are at the opposite end of the main aisle from the altar, which is placed against the east wall, beneath a large Palladian window. Most of the tall box pews have seating on three sides. Following the readings and sermon, the congregation turns and faces the altar for the rest of the service. 

In 1832 Saint Peter’s and Christ Church parted ways and became separate parishes. Ten years later, the vestry commissioned William Strickland to build a new tower to accommodate a chime of eight bells given by Benjamin Chew Wilcocks. The soaring 210-foot tower and steeple are conspicuously out of scale with Robert Smith’s church, perhaps to allow the bells to be heard at a greater distance, or possibly to reflect the congregation’s desire to establish a strong visual presence in its neighborhood.

Earlier instruments

The first permanent organ for Saint Peter’s was constructed by Philip Feyring (1730–1767), who died the year it was completed. His two-manual instrument consumed almost half of the north gallery and caused regular complaints from those seated nearby that it was too loud. In 1774 the vestry voted to remove the organ and put it into storage until it could be sold. Fortunately, nothing happened for fifteen years, and then in 1789 Feyring’s organ was moved to a newly constructed organ loft above the altar, where it continues to cover most of the Palladian window behind it.  

This instrument served Saint Peter’s for more than fifty years and in 1815 was either rebuilt or replaced (vestry records are sometimes incomplete). Little is known about this second instrument apart from its short career in the church. In 1829 London-trained organ-builder Henry Corrie furnished a new instrument using some of the pipes from the 1815 organ. Corrie’s work served for twenty-seven years, but in 1855 local builder John C. B. Standbridge reported that it was beyond repair. The following year he signed a contract for a new instrument, dedicated in 1857.  

Hilborne Roosevelt rebuilt the Standbridge organ in 1886 and added a third manual to the console. Within two years, however, the vestry began to consider replacing the “double quartet” that stood with the organ in the loft, with a men-and-boys choir on the main floor of the church. Charles S. Haskell, a former employee of the Roosevelt firm, electrified the organ in 1892 and provided a four-manual console placed among the new choir stalls on the main floor. Additions in 1911 included a small Echo Organ, located within the walls of the original tower immediately behind the pulpit door, and a Choir Organ, placed unfortunately beneath an iron grate under the choir stalls in a basement chamber.

The Choir Organ suffered from constant dampness and regular water seepage, especially following a heavy rainfall. Eight years after the Choir Organ was installed, Haskell had to remove portions of that division for repairs. A contract dispute between Haskell and the vestry ensued in 1921, with the builder refusing to return the parts taken from the church. About 1928 the Choir Organ was completely removed, and its chamber abandoned.  

The Skinner organ

Weary of their troublesome instrument, parts of which were very old, the vestry contracted with the Skinner Organ Company to build an entirely new instrument, their Opus 862, finished in November 1931. It is a three-manual, 49-stop organ placed entirely within the organ case, which was enlarged (probably in the 1892 rebuilding) by bringing the façade forward to the edge of the organ loft. Nothing except Feyring’s case remains of the earlier instruments, and there is credible speculation that even it was made by David Tannenberg of nearby Lititz, Pennsylvania.  

As the Skinner organ approached fifty years old, its pneumatic leatherwork began to fail. Saint Peter’s vestry was committed to keeping the organ in good order, and much of the instrument was releathered as necessary to keep the organ playing reliably. At ninety-one years, the Skinner organ holds the record for the longest tenure of all of Saint Peter’s instruments. The current work is the first comprehensive restoration of this organ.  

—Joseph F. Dzeda

The restoration of Opus 862

The mechanism and pipework were found to be mostly complete. The original “vertical selector” electro-pneumatic console was long gone and had been replaced, first by an Austin tab console in the 1970s, and then by a solid-state console by David Harris in 1985. Richard Houghten updated and rebuilt this console in 2017, and it remains as such. All of the components of the 1931 chassis remain and have been fully restored.  

Opus 862 underwent tonal changes characteristic of their time. The 4′ Flute on the Great was replaced by a high-pitched mixture, and the Great 8′ Tromba, enclosed in the Choir expression box, was revoiced as a bright Trumpet. The Choir Nazard was replaced by a 4′ Principal. The Class A Deagan Cathedral Chimes were removed, along with their electric action, from the Swell box, and the Harp/Celesta was removed from the Choir box in preparation for tonal additions that were never realized.  

The pipework was mostly complete and has been restored to the original specifications except for one missing stop, the Swell Aeoline. This stop was a 75-scale string, also sometimes called Echo Gamba or Dulcet. These are very rare. We did replace it with a 75-scale Dulcet from an earlier Skinner. Also missing were the Harp and Chimes. These have been replaced with identical items from Opus 659.

The blower has been fully restored by Joseph Sloane, converting the original motor from two-phase to three-phase. The reeds have been restored by Chris Broome of Broome & Co., LLC, to the original specifications. The original reed tongues were gone and had been replaced with thinner tongues and reduced loading. Chris Broome has replaced these using the thickness and loading schedules as listed in the Skinner records. The goal of the restoration has been to restore the organ to “as built” condition throughout.

From the Skinner documents we have acquired, it is clear that Opus 862 was overseen and designed by Ernest Skinner personally. For point of reference, we are going to compare Opus 862 with Opus 836, Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown, New Jersey. We are including the original voicer’s charts for both organs. Opus 836, again from factory documents, was clearly overseen by G. Donald Harrison. The two organs are similar in many ways. The strings and flutes are identical for the most part, but the chorus reeds and principal choruses are quite different. As indicated in the reed voicer’s charts, the Swell chorus reeds are “Skinner” in 862, and the Swell chorus reeds are “English” in 836. The “Skinner” reeds are harmonic at 2′ F-sharp and the “English” reeds are harmonic at 1′ F#, and the harmonic pipes are spotted metal. The “Skinner” reeds have different shallots and loading producing a rounder, fuller, and refined tone. The “English” reeds are brighter with more “clang” and are reproductions of Willis reeds. The specifications of the “English” reeds were part of the exchange established between Skinner and Henry Willis III during their quid pro quo arrangement of exchanging Skinner’s mechanical innovations with Willis’s pipe construction and reed voicing details. Both of these reed choruses are beautiful in their own way, but the differences are very obvious.

The same can be said for the principal choruses. If you compare the two flue voicer’s charts, you will notice that there are no 1/4 mouths in 862. The upper work is more restrained in 862, and conversely more pronounced in 836. The biggest and most noticeable difference is that if you run up the scale on any of the Diapason stops, 862 gently fades, while 836 is pushed to the limit. I believe that this is due to the Willis influence as carried out by Harrison. It is interesting to note that Harrison abandoned both of these tonal set ups after 1932. These are both beautiful Skinner organs from the same period but realized differently by Skinner and Harrison.

—Nicholas Thompson-Allen

Frederick Lee Richards’s 1992 paper, Old St. Peter’s Protestant Episcopal Church, Philadelphia: An Architectural History and Inventory (1758-1991), provided much of the historical information cited above.

Builder’s website: www.thompson-allen.com

Church’s website: www.stpetersphila.org

Photo credit: David Ottenstein Photography (©2022 David Ottenstein)

 

GREAT (5″ wind pressure)

16′ Bourdon (Pedal) 17 pipes

8′ First Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Second Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Principal Flute 61 pipes

8′ Erzähler 61 pipes

4′ Principal 61 pipes

4′ Flute 61 pipes

II Grave Mixture (2-2⁄3′ – 2′) 122 pipes

Enclosed in Choir box 10″ w.p.

8′ Tromba 61 pipes

8′ French Horn 61 pipes

Chimes (in Swell box) 20 tubes

SWELL (Enclosed) (71⁄2″ wind pressure)

16′ Echo Lieblich 73 pipes

8′ Diapason 73 pipes

8′ Rohrflöte 73 pipes

8′ Salicional 73 pipes

8′ Voix Celeste (CC) 73 pipes

8′ Aeoline 73 pipes

4′ Octave 73 pipes

4′ Flute Triangulaire 73 pipes

2′ Flautino 61 pipes

III Mixture (C-14) 183 pipes

16′ Waldhorn 73 pipes

8′ Cornopean 73 pipes

8′ Oboe 73 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 73 pipes

Tremolo

CHOIR (Enclosed) (6″ wind pressure)

16′ Contra Gamba 61 pipes

8′ Diapason 61 pipes

8′ Concert Flute 61 pipes

8′ Gamba 61 pipes

8′ Dulciana 61 pipes

8′ Unda Maris (TC) 49 pipes

4′ Flute 61 pipes

2-2⁄3′ Nazard 61 pipes

8′ Clarinet 61 pipes

8′ English Horn 61 pipes

Harp (TC) 49 bars

Celesta (CC) 12 bars

Tremolo

PEDAL (6″ wind pressure)

32′ Resultant

16′ Diapason (bearded) 32 pipes

16′ Bourdon 32 pipes

16′ Echo Lieblich (Swell)

16′ Contra Gamba (Choir)

8′ Octave (ext Diapason) 12 pipes

8′ Gedeckt (ext Bourdon) 12 pipes

8′ Still Gedeckt (Swell)

8′ Cello (Choir)

32′ Fagotto 12 pipes (10″ w.p., ext Sw Waldhorn)

16′ Trombone 12 pipes (10″ w.p., ext Gt Tromba)

16′ Waldhorn (Swell)

Chimes

49 stops, 38 ranks, 2,457 pipes

Cover feature

The First Church, UCC, Nashua, New Hampshire

Austin Organs, Inc., Hartford, Connecticut, Opus 1406

From the Minister of Music and Consultant

When I was appointed Minister of Music in 2008, the organ was to be on the docket for a long-anticipated restoration early in my tenure. Upon learning about the vision for this instrument that was started under Dr. Robin Dinda, FAGO, in the early 1990s, two things were clear: the Young Memorial Console built by Austin in 1996 prepared the organ for significant expansion, and a new floating Solo division was to be part of this vision.

Over the years, attempts were made to undo tonal changes from the 1970s and 1980s (primarily light upperwork in the Great), which sacrificed some of the instrument’s most beautiful original softer stops. At some point in the past two decades, the original enclosed Great 8′ Gemshorn (once stored inside the organ casework) disappeared, as well as the original 8′ Harmonic Tuba. A significant, but somewhat misguided change to the entire Great division in the early 2000s continued to take the instrument away from its original symphonic roots. The “return” to these 1926 roots ultimately became the basis for our church’s $2.3 million Capital Campaign for Ministry, Music, and Mission in 2014.

This vision would be to restore the organ to its 1926 tonal specification and nomenclature and add new upperwork, scaled and voiced in typical 1920s Austin character. The original tonal design had no mixtures or mutations and only one 2′ stop (in the Swell). The existing stewardship of our 1996 three-manual console guided us in adding the prepared floating Solo division, with an eye toward more liturgical function rather than tonal tradition. In effect, we now have a III/47 versatile main instrument, with a 13-rank Solo (with two composite stops) bringing the total rank count to 60—an instrument easily suited for four manuals, but keeping former stewardship and sightline considerations in check for a three-manual console, with many options.

The Solo was designed with double-sided nave and chancel sets of swell shades. This allows use of the Solo division not only as a powerful solo voice (or part of the greater organ ensemble) but also adds the possibility of accompanying a choir from that area of the sanctuary with closed shades and Pedal stop additions. Consequently, the new division also assists our 5-octave bell choir, through a tonal reference closer to their placement in the church.

Austin concentrated on securing Austin (or similar) pipework from the original era, and where vintage pipes could not be sourced, Austin provided new pipework made to patterns Austin used in the 1920s. As a result, we have a thrilling instrument with a 21st-century eye towards its 1926 heritage—an impressive, warm sound over six divisions, and one of the most flexible accompanying instruments in Northern New England. Four celestes (three string and one flute) add wonderful warmth. Original color stops like the Vox Humana and vintage Harp (and classic fan tremulants) deliver sounds of yesteryear. The organ features complete string, flute, and diapason ensembles, with reeds (some independent and some unit treatments), and has retained the original two full-length 16′ reeds under expression! The versatility of the instrument is astounding, especially when one utilizes sub/super-coupling and unisons off. The return of 23 ranks of extension octaves (73 notes) provides a thrilling shimmer that can compete with the best of Boston’s local craze with Skinner and Aeolian-Skinner.

Two of the organ’s returned softest stops, the Swell 8′ Echo Salicional, (1930 Midmer-Losh) and the Enclosed Great 8′ Gemshorn  (1925 Austin) have added sensitive softer dynamics, which now allow the instrument to offer every variation from ppp to ffff. Masterful tonal finishing led by Daniel Kingman, Austin’s senior voicer and associate tonal director, truly kept everything warm, lush, and never shrill. Full organ never “screams.” Additions to the instrument include the three-rank Solo Vox Seraphique (15th, 17th, 19th), a 1924-vintage harmonics stop that is designed to pair with the Major Gamba and Celeste to create a unique shimmer and color combination; this is a rare effect found in perhaps only a very small handful of instruments. The large-scaled Mounted Cornet IV in the Solo is designed to pair with the Solo’s Doppelflute, and also pairs with the new linen-lead pattern, leather-lipped Grand Diapason on the Open Great. This near-Stentorphone color alone fills the room with a sound long forgotten (and greatly misunderstood) in the days of American Classic and Neo-Baroque revival.

Complex “borrows” of stops, either as new divisional extensions, or in the Pedal, add amazing variations to registration. Cross-coupling of the Enclosed Great and Choir (to the Choir and Swell respectively) allows a flexibility unparalleled for an organ of this size. The mechanics are truly an engineering marvel, and every ounce of possibility was brought out of this instrument’s re-design, thanks to collaboration with the Austin staff.

I am privileged to sit at this console every week and was truly honored to serve as the principal consultant for this important and historic work. Thanks are due in particular to Charles Morris who acted as the church’s representative. The team at Austin was accommodating of nearly anything asked of them. The extension of the case and grillework for the new Solo division truly looks like it has always been in the sanctuary. The resulting instrument thrills congregation, recitalists, and audiences alike. By offering a minimum of seven public programs featuring the Anderson Memorial Organ annually on our First Music Concert Series, the organ’s voice is widely heard in this region and has garnered much regional attention, in print and on television—as the most significant organ project in the state of New Hampshire in a decade. It is an honor to be at the helm of this historic ministry, now with an instrument that will continue to praise God for generations to come. Soli Deo Gloria.

—Joseph R. Olefirowicz, CAGO

Minister of Music

Principal Organ Consultant

From the Builder

On our preliminary visit to the church, we were introduced to an instrument built by Austin some 90 years previous that was barely an echo of what had been installed. The contract was signed on December 19, 1925, with promised completion by September 1, 1926. By today’s standards, this timeframe would be unheard of, since a 3-manual, 42-stop instrument would surely require a minimum of 16 to 24 months. In 1925, however, the company was in the epoch of its greatest production, shipping nearly two organs per week. This contract was signed on behalf of Austin by Elisha Fowler of Boston, formerly of the Hutchings Company, but since 1919 served as New England (and later Midwest) sales representative for Austin. Also a seasoned tonal designer, Mr. Fowler likely had strong influence in drawing up the tonal specification for this organ. One interesting element in the contract stated that:

The Austin Organ Company hereby guarantees tonal satisfaction to Mrs. Frank Anderson, donor; Earl F. Nauss, minister; and Maurice Hoffman, organist; and agrees to exchange any and all pipes which do not satisfy and to continue to do so until results satisfactory to the committee named have been attained.

Perusing the files, no pipes appeared to have been returned by order of the committee; a happy circumstance that must have caused sighs of great relief in Hartford!

The organ was initially scaled rather heroically on wind pressure of seven inches water column. The Great Principal Diapason was 40 scale (nearly 6¾ inches diameter at bottom C). There was an accompanying “Small Diapason” of 46 scale, which is a scale that would be typical of instruments built in the late 1960s to 1970s. A revision in March of 1926 shows that the Principal Diapason bass was changed to 43 scale and the Small Diapason to 49 scale. This would be more in keeping with other similar instruments of the time in typical rooms. In today’s thinking, the 43 scale/17th ratio is typical of German Normalmensur, while the 49-scale Diapason (with a narrow mouth) is typical of a Violin Diapason and would be a bit more incisive. Likewise, the Swell Diapason bass was changed from 40 scale to 43. This provided the power and color in the manual range, without excessive heaviness in the pedal; it also consumed less windchest real estate.

The tonal palette of this instrument was certainly typical for the era and boasted a plethora of fundamental stops; absent were mixtures or mutations. Similar organs of the period—for example, Opus 1409 at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Bridgeport, Connecticut, an instrument of 75 stops—boasted upperwork and a full set of independent mutations in the Swell, including a Nazard, Flautina, Tierce, Septieme, and Twenty Second. (An interesting side note, this organ appears to be the first instance found of an Austin with double expression—a box within a box—in the Swell department.) Mixtures were found in several instruments of the period, but usually confined to the Swell Organ. A notable exception is Austin Opus 1416, for the Sesquicentennial Exposition, built in 1926. At 162 ranks—it was for many generations the largest pipe organ built by Austin under a single contract. Each of the principal divisions has multiple ranks of mixtures; and of course, reed choruses, flute choruses, strings, mutations, etc.

Armed with this history, we surveyed the condition of this venerable instrument in Nashua. The organ had been a victim of several attempts at “tonal modernization” over the years. Diapasons had been removed and replaced with lighter-scaled pipework; a rather large mixture was added to the Great; and the Tuba was removed and replaced with a poorly recycled supply-house Trumpet. Also, the enclosed divisions had several stops removed, altered, or replaced entirely with random pipework. Many hours of discussion were spent attempting to recreate, or frankly create a new tonal specification that would echo the vision for this instrument, as if a time machine had transported us back to 1926, but with greater resources available, such as were reserved for larger instruments as mentioned above.

The result of fraternal collaboration between Joseph Olefirowicz and the Austin staff was to create a tonal design that could have been lifted from Austin’s archives. The overall limit of the “new” specification was perhaps a bit exhaustive, but the result is an extremely versatile instrument with amazing tonal variety and possibilities.

In our grand scheme, a significant addition was the inclusion of a new Solo division. There was space allowed on the 1996 console, and we were offered the possibility of utilizing a pass-through storage area located on the far right of the organ case. To transform this space into an organ chamber would require the construction of some new casework with additional tone openings. The existing organ has some unique carving that resembles vines within its openings. We scanned images of this casework and created a CAD file that was turned into magnificent scaled panels identical to the original. The Solo was voiced to speak on 10 inches wind pressure, typical of the era, which required the installation of an additional blower. To accommodate this requirement, we pulled a vintage Spencer blower from our inventory and sent it back to the factory for refurbishment and a new motor equipped with a variable frequency drive controller.

Upon completing the design phase, reality struck a severe chord when the actual challenge of building this instrument necessitated sourcing the required pipes to achieve the desired result. In some cases, it was as simple as making (or finding) an octave or a few pipes to restore scaling; many of the 73-note extension octaves had been lost to time, but happily we were able to source replacements for all of those lost from vintage inventory. In other cases we required complete stops; many were procured from Austin’s inventory. Some stops were new manufactured pipes made to vintage Austin patterns. An example is the 8′ Bassoon in the Great.  While perhaps not typical of the time, there was a desire and need for a lighter chorus reed in the exposed division. This particular pattern was originally used in Opus 1010 (c. 1921 in the Eastman Theatre, Rochester New York) and also in Opus 1109 (1922, at the Cincinnati Music Hall). The original patterns were located in our archive and used for this instrument. Likewise, vintage patterns likely used for the original pipes in 1926 were used for the replacement Tuba in the Great. Conversely, we chose a vintage E. M. Skinner pattern for the Solo Tuba—for variety of dynamic and color. The Solo English Horn was sourced from vintage inventory, a 1924 Austin instrument.

We feel that this instrument embodies not only the 1920s tonal concepts, as detailed herein, but Austin’s design paradigm—a concept we refer to as Symphonic-Liturgical Tonal Design

It is arguable that the most advanced form of musical expression we celebrate today is the symphony orchestra. It is a comprehensive and versatile entity. Evidence of this fact is provided by reviewing any concert program. On any given evening, one can encounter a most sublime movement from Ravel; just a moment later, the terrific thunder crash of a powerful Wagnerian overture! These variations in repertoire, dynamic, and emotion are all delivered by the same performers and the same instruments. In much the same way, a well-designed tonal palette in an organ capable of supporting these timbres and styles gives an organist the ability to perform with similar flexibility.

Why do we consider this ability to be important?

The pipe organ in church today must bridge the gap between traditional solo organ literature, liturgical accompaniment, choral support, and yet have the ability to perform contemporary accompaniment and literature. One can only imagine where the next trend might lead! The tone of the instrument must be pleasing—but not that alone—for the instrument must be capable of fulfilling its role in the liturgy. In summation: the organ must be extremely versatile and able to be play almost any literature, and the organ’s tonality also has to be outstanding in its conceptualization, voicing, and disposition.

We feel that the Austin organ is built of the most solid construction to support the extra demands placed on a symphonic organ. Our design (the famed Austin Universal Airchest System) assures the church of steady wind, ease of maintenance, and maximum utilization of available space. We strive to build the most comfortable organ consoles with the finest control systems available.

The sound of an Austin organ plenum (tonal ensemble) is unique. To achieve our desired level of warmth and simultaneous transparency requires not only our specific style of voicing, but very close attention to pipe scaling, regulation, and of great importance, explicit confidence in our Austin Universal Airchest System.

Celebrating 125 years of pipe organ building experience, and our dedicated staff comprising one of the oldest pipe organ factories in the country; we are ready to build one of the finest instruments possible, and then provide ongoing support and service.

—Michael Fazio

President & Tonal Director

Austin Organs, Inc.

Austin team members involved with Opus 1406 renovation:

Raymond Albright

Michael Chiradia

Bruce Coderre

Colin Coderre

Jacob Dowgewicz

Michael Hart

Curt Hawkes

Victor Hoyt

Dan Kingman

Rafael Ramos

David Secour

Stewart Skates +

Richard Taylor

Tony Valdez

Anne Wysocki

Mike Fazio

GREAT ORGAN (* = enclosed Great)

16′ Major Diapason 73 pipes

8′ Grand Diapason 73 pipes

8′ Principal Diapason 73 pipes

8′ Small Diapason (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Flauto Major (Ped 16′ Dia) 41 pipes

8′ Violoncello * 73 pipes

8′ Gemshorn * 73 pipes

8′ Bourdon * 73 pipes

8′ Flute Celeste (Ch)

8′ Unda Maris (Ch)

4′ Octave 73 pipes

4′ Principal * 73 pipes

4′ Harmonic Flute * 73 pipes

22⁄3′ Twelfth 61 pipes

2′ Fifteenth 61 pipes

IV Fourniture (19-22-26-29) 244 pipes

16′ Tuba * (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Harmonic Tuba * 61 pipes

8′ Bassoon 73 pipes

4′ Clarion * (ext) 12 pipes

Harp (Ch)

Chimes 25 tubes

Tremulant *

SWELL ORGAN

16′ Bourdon 73 pipes

8′ Open Diapason 73 pipes

8′ Rohr Flute 73 pipes

8′ Viole D’Orchestre 73 pipes

8′ Viole Celeste (TC) 61 pipes

8′ Echo Salicional 73 pipes

4′ Fugara 73 pipes

4′ Flauto Traverso 73 pipes

4′ Violina (ext)

22⁄3′ Nasard 61 pipes

2′ Flageolet 61 pipes

13⁄5′ Tierce 61 pipes

III Mixture (15-19-22) 183 pipes

16′ Contra Posaune 73 pipes

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)

8′ Cornopean 73 pipes

8′ Oboe 73 pipes

8′ Vox Humana 61 pipes

Tremulant

CHOIR ORGAN

16′ Quintade (ext) 12 pipes

8′ Geigen Principal 73 pipes

8′ Concert Flute 73 pipes

8′ Flute Celeste (TC) 61 pipes

8′ Dulciana 73 pipes

8′ Unda Maris (TC) 61 pipes

8′ Quintadena 73 pipes

4′ Geigen Octave (ext)

4′ Flute D’Amour 73 pipes

2′ Piccolo 61 pipes

11⁄3′ Larigot 61 pipes

16′ Tuba (Gt)

8′ Harmonic Tuba (Gt)

8′ Clarinet 73 pipes

4′ Tuba Clarion (Gt)

Harp (Austin) 61 bars

Chimes (Gt)

Tremulant

SOLO ORGAN

8′ Doppelflute 73 pipes

8′ Major Gamba 73 pipes

8′ Gamba Celeste 73 pipes

4′ Flute Ouverte 73 pipes

4′ Gambette (ext) 12 pipes

4′ Gambette Celeste (ext) 12 pipes

III Vox Seraphique (15-17-19) 183 pipes

IV Mounted Cornet (TC) (8-12-15-17) 196 pipes

8′ Cor Anglais 73 pipes

8′ Tuba Mirabilis 73 pipes

Tremulant

Nave Shades Off

Chancel Shades Off

PEDAL ORGAN

32′ Diapason (Resultant)

32′ Bourdon (Resultant)

32′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Resultant, Sw)

16′ Open Diapason 32 pipes

16′ Violone (Gt)

16′ Bourdon 32 pipes

16′ Flute Bass (ext, Solo) 12 pipes

16′ Quintaten (Ch)

16′ Lieblich (Sw)

8′ Octave (Gt)

8′ Major Flute (Solo)

8′ Gross Flute (ext 16′ Diap) 12 pipes

8′ Flauto Dolce (ext 16′ Bdn) 12 pipes

4′ Super Octave (Gt)

4′ Flute (Sw)

32′ Grand Cornet (Resultant)

16′ Tuba (Gt)

16′ Posaune (Sw)

8′ Tuba Mirabilis (Solo)

8′ Harmonic Tuba (Gt)

4′ Clarion (Gt)

Chimes (Gt)

Pedal to Pedal 4

EXPRESSION PEDALS

Choir/Enclosed Great

Swell

Solo

Register Crescendo

CONTROLS

999-levels of memory

Bridal signal (HCTB)

Clock

Continuo

“Go-to” function

Manual Transfer

Piston sequencer

Playback

Transposer

Ventil (mixtures)

Ventil (reeds)

Builder’s website: http://austinorgans.com

Church’s website: tfcucc.org

Photo credit: Len Levasseur

Current Issue