Aaron David Miller to inaugurate restored E.M. Skinner Opus 603 on April 22

St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Evanston, Illinois

by Richard Webster

St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Evanston, Illinois, has recently completed a year-long celebration of the restoration of its E.M. Skinner organ, Opus 327. The series of events began with a re-dedication recital by Marilyn Keiser on September 12, 1999, and continued: Gillian Weir, November 14; Karel Paukert, February 4, 2000; a Hymn Festival, March 5; and Richard Webster, April 9. The restoration was done by the A. Thompson-Allen Company of New Haven, Connecticut. The phased restoration of Opus 327 began with the Swell organ, completed in 1994, with the remainder of the instrument completed in time for Christmas 1998.

 

A brief history

St. Luke's Church building, regarded as the magnum opus of architect John Sutcliffe, was built in several stages between 1904 and 1914. Upon completion of the nave to its present height of 65 feet, it became obvious that the original organ would be inadequate for the finished space. Bishop George Craig Stewart, Rector of St. Luke's and later Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, led the parish in the effort to secure an organ worthy of their building and their fine organist. Herbert Hyde was hired as organist in June 1920. Dr. Hyde had studied with Charles-Marie Widor and Joseph Bonnet, had held posts at Church of the Ascension and St. Peter's in Chicago, and was organist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Hyde had studied the great romantic organs such as those at St. Sulpice and St. Eustache in Paris, built by Cavaillé-Coll, and St. Paul's Cathedral in London, built by Henry "Father" Willis.

On June 4, 1921, St. Luke's Church signed a contract with the Ernest M. Skinner Company of Boston. Dr. Hyde prepared the specification in consultation with Joseph Bonnet. About 18 months were required for construction and assembly in the Skinner factory. The organ was then disassembled, labeled, and crated for shipment in 12 boxcars to Evanston's Main Street railroad siding, two blocks from the church. Crews then worked for six months to install the organ in its three-story-high chamber, and to regulate and tune all 3,800 pipes. Upon completion the organ housed more than 10,000 parts made of wood, metal, and leather, and weighed more than 20 tons.

The week of dedication recitals, in October 1922, was enthusiastically received. Programs ranged from Bach to orchestral transcriptions to the symphonic organ works of Guilmant, Bonnet, and Widor. The Skinner organ, Opus 327, was found to be capable of everything expected of a great romantic American organ.

For the next 35 years the organ performed admirably as a significant component of the parish's reputation for excellent music integrated into the worship of the church. In its dignified yet stirring way, it proclaimed Easters and heralded Christmases, accompanied countless eucharists and evensongs, weddings and funerals, and gave voice to a wide range of organ literature.

Over time, as is always the case, musical tastes changed. The widely accepted view of the 1950s, 60s and even 70s was that these romantic instruments, with their large scales and grand sounds, had become outmoded. One critic referred to them as "green slime machines." Most organs the size and quality of Opus 327 were drastically altered or completely replaced. Some have been lost forever.

The alterations and additions to the St. Luke's organ over the years have not been drastic and have not radically altered its original character. In the Great division, the original enclosed Mixture was removed and lost, replaced with a brighter, more forward stop. The Swell Mixture was recomposed to a new pattern, and the Swell and Choir divisions had their 2' stops swapped. Also in the Choir, three stops--the Melodia 8', Flute d'amour 4', and Dulcet II--were replaced with more Baroque style sounds. Fortunately, their pipework was removed to the attic just above the south transept, where it lay for the next 40 years. What was known as the Echo organ was originally the 1909 Casavant in the Lady Chapel. This instrument was replaced in 1958 by a 14-rank M.P. Möller. Both chapel instruments were playable from the main Skinner console. In 1986 the Möller was sold to Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Rosemont, Illinois, and a new 4-stop portative organ by Karl Wilhelm took its place.

The Cymbala, a set of four Swiss bells, was added in 1958, and the antiphonal Fanfare Trumpet, which extends horizontally from the west wall, was added by the Aeolian-Skinner Company in 1959.

The 1960s saw the increasing deterioration of the organ, to the point where it was at times unplayable. Following a 1968 visit to St. Luke's, the president of one prominent organ company wrote to the Rector proposing that the original Skinner be replaced with a new organ, citing "the present instrument (as) inadequate to meet the needs of your congregation." Fortunately, because of parish financial constraints, this was never a viable option.

During the 1970s, some cleaning and releathering of the organ and refurbishing of the console took place. Though this kept the instrument running, certain stops, such as the Tuba Mirabilis and the Harp/Celesta, remained silent for two or three decades.

In 1986 the parish undertook a major restoration of the building. In addition to cleaning the interior of the nave and sanctuary to remedy the damage caused by a leaking roof and a boiler fire in the 1940s, four-inch thick horsehair and burlap padding was removed from the wooden ceiling. The padding had been put in place in 1914 to stifle reverberation and help clarify the spoken word. The restored reverberation of nearly four seconds has dramatically improved choral and congregational singing, and has served to amplify the grandeur and subtlety of the organ.

By the late 1980s, the organ and its leather had deteriorated to the point where many stops were either completely dead or had so many dead notes that they were unusable. The combination action in the console became increasingly unreliable. The situation became critial. At the time, an historically accurate reproduction of the organ was estimated to cost at least $1.5 million. A new mechanical action instrument of the size required by the space may have run to $1 million or more. Realizing that Skinner's Opus 327, registered by the Organ Historical Society, was such an outstanding instrument, part of America's musical heritage and a worthy testament to Mr. Skinner's vision, the Vestry of St. Luke's concluded that a complete restoration of the instrument was the most responsible option. In 1990 a contract was signed with the A. Thompson-Allen Company, Curators of Organs at Yale University, and widely renowned for their work in the restoration of E.M. Skinner organs.

Over the next several years, the work was accomplished in two phases. The Swell was completed in 1994, the organ's other four divisions and console in 1997-98. In stages, the organ was completely dismantled, leaving only the largest of the 32' pipes in place. Pipework, chests, wiring, tubing, and the like were transported to the Connecticut shops where components were cleaned, broken mechanicals repaired, and worn out parts replaced. The 3,800 leather pouches were releathered.

Every pipe received individual attention. Metal ones were washed, lacquered ones stripped and refinished. New tuning sleeves were installed throughout, and dents removed as necessary. Voicing was redone according to Mr. Skinner's intentions. The pitch of the organ, which had dropped over time because of tuning difficulties, was brought back to A-440. The console, with its complicated and ingenious electro-pneumatic action, was completely dismantled and reconstructed, replacing all leather and other worn out parts. The walls of the organ chambers were replastered and painted, and the ceiling cleaned and revarnished, thereby creating hard, sound-reflective surfaces. The organ's many reservoirs were also releathered and reassembled.

The Spencer Turbine "Orgolo" centrifugal blower, standard for all Skinner organs, still functions reliably after 77 years. It has terrified generations of choristers who have happened to be passing through the blower room as the organ was coming to life. To this day, the lights in the entire building respectfully dim any time the organ is switched on. As a safely measure, a new protective housing was constructed around this mamouth blower in its basement room.

The three Choir division stops that had long languished in the attic now sound forth in their original locations in the organ, as do the Chimes, Harp, and Celesta. The Philomela 8' (Solo division), which had also been removed, has now been restored. As for the original Swell and Great Mixture stops, whose pipework no longer exists, Thompson-Allen has created faithful reproductions of Skinner mixtures from the 1920s. Their more gentle, "sunbeam"-like character complements and completes the rich, warm foundation tone of the organ. The Fanfare Trumpet stop, though not original to the organ, has been slightly revoiced to produce a fiery, commanding sound without being assaultive.

 

GREAT (unenclosed, 71/2≤ wind)

                  16'          Diapason (73)

                  8'             First Diapason (73)

                  8'             Second Diapason (73)

                  8'             Third Diapason (73)

                  8'             Erzähler (73)

                  4'             Octave (61)

                  IV            Chorus Mixture1 (244)

                                    enclosed in separate box

                  8'             Claribel Flute (73)

                  4'             Harmonic Flute (61)

                  22/3'      Twelfth (61)

                  2'             Fifteenth (61)

                  III            Mixture (A-9)2 (183)

                  16'          Trombone (73)

                  8'             Trumpet (73)

                  4'             Clarion (61)

                                    Chimes (Solo)

SWELL (enclosed, 71/2≤ wind)

                  16'          Bourdon (73)

                  8'             Diapason (73)

                  8'             Salicional (73)

                  8'             Voix Celeste (73)

                  8'             Gedeckt (73)

                  8'             Spitz Flute (73)

                  8'             Flute Celeste (TC, 61)

                  8'             Aeoline (73)

                  4'             Octave (61)

                  4'             Traverse Flute (73)

                  2'             Flautino (61)

                  III           Mixture (C-14)4 (183)

                  16'          Contra Posaune (73)

                  8'             Cornopean (73)

                  8'             Oboe (73)

                  8'             Vox Humana (73)

                  4'             Clarion (61)

                                    Tremolo

                                    Harp (Choir)

                                    Celesta (Choir)

CHOIR (enclosed, 6≤ wind)

                  8'             Diapason (73)

                  8'             Dulcet II3 (146)

                  8'             Melodia3 (73)

                  8'             Kleine Erzähler (celeste TC, 134)

                  4'             Flute d'amour3 (61)

                  22/3'      Twelfth (61)

                  2'             Piccolo (61)

                  13/5'      Tierce (61)

                  8'             Clarinet (73)

                  8'             Orchestral Oboe (73)

                                    Tremolo

                                    Harp (61 bars)

                  8'             Fanfare Trumpet5 (71/2≤                                                                wind)(61)

SOLO (enclosed, 10≤ wind)

                  8'             Diapason (73)

                  8'             Philomela3 (73)

                  8'             Gross Gamba (73)

                  8'             Gamba Celeste (73)

                  8'             French Horn (73)

                  8'             English Horn (73)

                  4'             Tuba Clarion (61)

                                    Tremolo

                                    Chimes (25 tubes)

                  8'             Tuba Mirabilis (20≤ wind)(73)

PEDAL (6≤ wind)

                  32'          Diapason (ext 1st, 12)

                  16'          First Diapason (wood, 32)

                  16'          Second Diapason (metal, 32)

                  16'          Violone (wood & metal, 32)

                  16'          Bourdon (wood, 32)

                  16'          Echo Bourdon (Sw)

                  8'             Octave (ext 1st, 12)

                  8'             Cello (ext, 12)

                  8'             Gedeckt (ext Bdn, 12)

                  4'             Super Octave (ext 1st, 12)

                  4'             Flute (ext Bdn, 12)

                  32'          Bombarde (ext, 12)

                  16'          Trombone (15≤ wind, 32)

                  8'             Tromba (ext, 12)

                  4'             Clarion (ext, 12)

 

1. Added in the 1950s as the gift of Dr. William H. and Edith Barnes; pipes and chests by Tellers.

2. Replication of lost A-9 mixture; pipes by Austin, voicing by D. Kingman and N. Thompson-Allen.

3. Original Skinner stops that had been removed or altered but are now restored and reinstated.

4. Skinner-style C-14 mixture replacing lost A-9 mixture; pipes by Austin, voicing by D. Kingman and A. Thompson-Allen.

5. On west wall; blower, chests and pipes added by Aeolian-Skinner in 1959.

 

David Lowry and Andrew Forrest

Winthrop University began in 1886 in Columbia, South Carolina as the Winthrop Training School, to train women teachers. Robert Winthrop, chair of the Peabody Foundation in Boston, was the philanthropist who made the effort possible, with a generous gift of $1,500, plus a personal check for $50 for books to David Bancroft Johnson, the Columbia Superintendent of Schools, who was the school’s mentor. The state legislature soon found reason to establish a Normal and Industrial School for Women, and in 1895, Rock Hill was the chosen city. Winthrop’s name was retained. Some decades later the name was changed to Winthrop State College for Women. Eventually it became Winthrop College. Men were admitted in 1974, and a few years later the name changed to Winthrop University. Some 6,500 students at bachelor and master degree levels populate the campus today. The Department of Music is in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
The College Auditorium and Conservatory of Music (the wording engraved in stone high up on the outside façade) were built in 1938–39 with funds from the WPA (Work Projects Administration). For fourteen years the concept of an organ for the College Auditorium (later designated the James F. Byrnes Auditorium) was a dream of the music department head, Dr. Walter B. Roberts. Under Roberts’ guidance, alumni raised $15,000, and the State of South Carolina appropriated $35,000. Ultimately, the 1952 contract with the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company of Boston, Massachusetts, was for $59,865. Some months later another $3,000 was applied to the contract for the 32′ Contre Basse. The Class of 1914 (which in that fateful year was so penniless that it was unable to leave a class gift) achieved its goal in 1955 by donating $1,400 for the Deagan chime stop. The total of the initial expenditure added up to $64,265.
A 1951 letter from G. Donald Harrison, president and tonal director of the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, thanks Dr. Roberts for the invitation to design an organ for Winthrop, but Harrison goes on to say:

. . . as the college is a state school, bids will be necessary. I feel that in view of this it would be useless for us to put in a bid as we are bound to be the highest bidder with absolutely no chance of landing the contract.
President Sims just a week later, July 17, responded that

. . . the determination of which organ offered the most for the price could not be made on a mere dollar basis . . . I cannot guarantee that the committee will eventually select the organ you submit, still I do want you to feel that any proposal you make will receive careful consideration . . .
A month later, Harrison sent a specification of the proposed instrument and a justification of the tonal design that reflects the philosophy now known as “American Classic.”

Fifteen or more years ago, I developed a type of organ which combined both Classical and Romantic material in one instrument, the sole idea being to produce an organ that was capable of giving authentic renditions of all types of worthwhile organ music and an instrument that would suit players such as Virgil Fox, on the one hand, and Professor Fritz Heitmann at the Berlin Dom, on the other.

Harrison himself was in the auditorium in August 1955 for the final voicing of the organ. It was ten months later that Harrison died in his apartment in New York City, while finishing the rebuilding of the E. M. Skinner organ (Opus 205A) in St. Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue.
Today the D. B. Johnson Memorial organ stands as one of the few Aeolian-Skinner organs with Harrison’s signature that is not a rebuild of a previous instrument. It reflects Harrison’s 1950s concept of what his American Classic sound should be, and he obviously took advantage of calculating his design for the 3,500-seat space, which boasts a two-second reverberation time. Virgil Fox played the inaugural recitals November 2 and 3, 1955.
For the first ten years after the installation, the college organists (a title no longer used) were Jeannette Roth, Wilbur Sheridan, Wilmer Hayden Welsh, and George Klump. David M. Lowry became college organist in 1965. Lowry became professor emeritus in 1996, and has remained the part-time organ professor since. Many undergraduate and graduate students have performed their degree recitals on the Byrnes Auditorium organ. Lowry has been heard in nearly 100 performances—solo recitals, lecture-recitals, ensemble concerts, symphony orchestra programs, and the annual Festival of Carols.
The roster of guest artists on the organ is remarkable, due greatly to the support of Dr. Roberts for its first few years, then with the continued support of Dr. Jess T. Casey for over thirty years. That list includes Marie-Claire Alain, Robert Anderson, Robert Baker, David Craighead, Catharine Crozier, Virgil Fox, Fernando Germani, Jerald Hamilton, Yuko Hayashi, Anton Heiller, Paul Jenkins, Wilma Jensen, Marilyn Keiser, Jean Langlais, Simon Preston, Alexander Schreiner, Larry Smith, Murray Somerville, John Chappell Stowe, and many others.
As with the purchase of the instrument, the search for a builder to restore the instrument fell into a category of specialized work where the low bid did not have to be the winner. A panel of judges read the proposals, and the voting for the winner was under the supervision of a state agent. Létourneau Pipe Organs of Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec won the contract. In 1967, Fernand Létourneau, at just 23 years of age, was present in Rock Hill installing an organ for another firm when Marie-Claire Alain played a recital in Byrnes Auditorium. Following the concert, he came to a private party for her and engaged her in conversation about Dom Bédos de Celles. It was a significant moment in his life that he has never forgotten, and he made it very clear to Winthrop authorities that he was in total agreement about not changing anything tonally on the organ. Andrew Forrest, artistic director of the firm, achieved total cooperation with all the artisans in the project.
Today the restored organ stands as one of the country’s prized historic instruments, in that the number of nearly pure G. Donald Harrison signature organs becomes ever more rare.
—David Lowry, DMA, HonRSCM
Professor of Music Emeritus
Curator for the Restoration

The Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company’s tumultuous history is well documented and the cast of characters still seems familiar nearly forty years after the company’s demise. The books The American Classic Organ and Aeolian-Skinner Remembered by Charles Callahan vividly illustrate the ideas, external pressures and internal tensions that shaped the company until 1972 and, indeed, there remain many parallels in the daily machinations of an organ shop over thirty-five years later. Specifically, The American Classic Organ provides helpful insights into the motivations of G. Donald Harrison, the company’s tonal director from 1933 through to his death in 1956. Jonathan Ambrosino has also done much to document Aeolian-Skinner and Harrison’s rise to prominence through his writings for numerous journals and his scholarly liner notes for JAV Recordings’ series of recordings on vintage Aeolian-Skinners.
Aeolian-Skinner’s Opus 1257 in Byrnes Auditorium at Winthrop University is a remarkably unaltered example of Aeolian-Skinner’s work in 1955. Harrison’s work in the 1950s was marked by a number of prestigious rebuilding projects, and against this backdrop, the Winthrop contract represented a real opportunity for Harrison to design a large instrument free from outside influences. All decisions regarding the organ’s tonal design, from its stoplist to scaling and winding details, were left to Harrison, and the console plate bearing his signature indicates a particular interest in the final result. Following the organ’s installation during the early summer of 1955, Harrison traveled to Rock Hill to personally supervise the tonal finishing for several days during the month of August. As such, the D. B. Johnson Memorial Organ is a landmark instrument: in addition to its celebrated status as a superbly effective pipe organ, it also represents one of the last significant Aeolian-Skinners supervised from beginning to end by Harrison.
Jumping ahead to the 21st century, the D. B. Johnson Memorial Organ was still in remarkably good form some 52 years after it was completed, thanks to Professor of Music Emeritus David Lowry’s efforts. Fundraising for the restoration was generously provided by Winthrop alumni plus local individuals and businesses, with the project being spearheaded by Shirley Fishburne and David White and the university’s Alumni Association and Development Offices. An in-house recording of the instrument’s au revoir bash on May 21, 2007 gives a good account of repertoire from Bach to Howells to Diemer, rendered with conviction and color. Nonetheless, the instrument was in growing need of attention by then: the console’s pistons were temperamental at best, one of the pneumatic swell engines had failed entirely, and with increasing regularity, individual notes or entire stops had become unreliable or outright inoperative. From the very beginning of the project, it was imperative that the instrument remain tonally unchanged, and our approach here was to treat Opus 1257 with great deference. Largely a mechanical restoration, the instrument is today ready to serve for additional decades as an acclaimed concert and teaching instrument.
The most obvious indicators of the recent work are the discrete changes to the instrument’s four-manual console, though the console had also undergone some earlier restorative efforts. The organ’s original remote combination machines had been replaced by a primitive Solid State Logic (now Solid State Organ Systems) capture system in the early 1980s—following repeated floods in the auditorium basement—and three of the console’s four manuals had also been recovered with new ivories. As part of the 2007–2009 restoration project, the console was upgraded with new solid-state equipment, including capture and coupling systems. The console now boasts 256 levels of memory, a USB-based system for storing and recalling memory levels, the usual complement of general and divisional pistons, and a new general piston sequencer. The new coupling system also permits a Great–Choir manual transfer and restores the console’s All Swells to Swell feature (now programmable on general pistons as desired). At the request of David Lowry, one new coupler was added for additional flexibility, the Positiv to Choir 16′.
The console’s original silver wire and bronze plate contact system was restored with new silver wire contacts, while the four manuals’ bushings were replaced and the ivory key coverings cleaned and polished. New thumb pistons and toe pistons—in the Aeolian-Skinner style—were provided, using the same contact mechanism as the originals, while the original pneumatic stopknob actions were replaced with new electro-repulsion solenoids from Harris Precision Products. The walnut console shell and elegant dog-leg bench were both stripped, repaired as needed and refinished.
The organ itself was dismantled in late May of 2007, and the console, reed stops, and other restorable components were packed and shipped to our workshops in Québec. All 8′ and smaller flue pipes were also removed from the chambers and packed carefully for storage in various locations within Byrnes Auditorium. Subsequent to the organ’s return, the chambers were cleaned and painted by John Dower and Company.
Once in our workshops, all of the organ’s various pneumatic actions were recovered with new leather, including wind reservoirs, concussion bellows, expression motors, pouchboards, note and stop primaries, and tremolo units. The organ’s reed stops were carefully dismantled, cleaned and measured; resonators were repaired as needed and then each stop was checked on a voicing jack. As much as possible, the existing reed tongues were reused, with new tongues being provided only where the existing tongue was damaged. The single exception to this was the bass octave of the Choir 16′ English Horn, which was revoiced to cure a chronic slow speech problem.
We returned to Winthrop University with the organ in October 2008 to begin reinstalling the organ’s many components. During this process, the two wind reservoirs that had proved impossible to remove were recovered with new leather, and all of the organ’s wind chests and wooden framing were wiped down. The organ’s flue pipes were also cleaned prior to reinstallation, with tuning scrolls being soldered closed and re-cut for the 16′ and 8′ octaves. The longest pipes of the 32′ Contre Basse extension had originally been mitered to fit under the chamber ceiling and were fitted with baling wire slings in the early 1960s for support, with the slings coming down through holes in the plaster ceiling above. To provide better access to the top of the chamber, we built a new access ladder and platform, and the mitered 32′ pipes were fitted with new twill tape slings. Again, the slings pass through the chamber ceiling to a sturdy metal frame in the attic above. The tuning scrolls on these large pipes had also, over time, succumbed to gravity and unrolled and ultimately proved impossible to salvage; these scrolls were cut off and custom-made tuning sleeves lined with felt were provided for tuning.
The organ’s wind system and electro-pneumatic windchests were then reassembled, with care taken to replace all wind trunk collars with new split leather gaskets. The organ was also entirely rewired within the chambers, joining the new SSOS coupling system to the new Reisner electro-magnets that were retrofitted in our workshops. Wind pressures throughout the organ were restored to those listed in the 1955 specification, as the Swell and Choir divisions had slipped slightly. The wind reservoir feeding the 8′–4′ Trompette en chamade rank and the Pedal 16′–8′–4′ Bombarde unit was, however, restored to the 87⁄8″ pressure as it was when we began our restoration.
Following the reassembly of the instrument and testing, a team of voicers began their work that continued into January 2009. All of the organ’s 3,820 pipes were thoroughly regulated for proper volume and speech, but few alterations were made in cases where there were obvious problems between adjacent pipes. New adjustable toe blocks were fitted for the bass octaves of the Great 16′ Contra Geigen and the Swell 16′ Flauto Dolce, allowing much finer regulation for these pipes. The relatively simple but time-consuming regulation process yielded some unexpected results, with particular improvements in the clarity and overall refinement of the 32′ and 16′ registers.
A detailed inventory was also taken on site of most flue stops in an effort to flesh out G. Donald Harrison’s scaling practices at the end of his career. Generally, the pipework confirms that Harrison favored narrow basses and broader trebles, coupled with a fine, refined style of voicing. Reed stops are generally small to average in scale—the 8′ Trompette en chamade and the Swell 8′ Trompette were built to the same scale!—but are on generally high wind pressures. A surprising variety of shallot types were also used to good effect.
Prior to our restoration, two tonal alterations had been made to Opus 1257. The first change was a revision of the Swell III-rank Plein jeu, as the original was felt to be insufficient against the powerful Swell reed chorus. Modified in 1965 by Arthur Birchall, the mixture was transposed up a fifth, going from 2′ pitch to 11⁄3′ pitch. From a detailed examination of the pipes, it appears that as many of the 1955 pipes were reused as was practical, requiring but 31 new pipes to complete the revised stop. Despite its non-original composition, our restoration of the organ left the III-rank Plein jeu in its 1965 form, as the mixture is a good fit with the rest of organ and in particular, addresses the Swell reeds in a telling fashion.
The 8′–4′ Trompette en chamade was also modified during the 1970s by moving up the break between natural and harmonic-length resonators, with the first harmonic pipe moving from c25 to f#31. This cured persistent tuning problems in this range and what David Lowry remembers as “an unfortunate tone akin to a New York City taxi cab.” At the same time, the unit chest for this stop was also moved to the very front of the Great-Pedal chamber from its original location beside the Pedal main chest for better projection. An angled plywood baffle was also added above the pipes, providing protection from dust contamination and directing sound out of the chamber.
In conclusion, our work on the D. B. Johnson Memorial Organ at Winthrop University is one of the most interesting and best-documented restorations we’ve been privileged to carry out in recent years. Opus 1257 is a persuasive, musical instrument through which Harrison’s tonal philosophy shines; it has much to offer today’s tonal discussions. We are grateful to have had this opportunity to restore and perhaps more importantly, learn from this magnificent pipe organ.
— Andrew Forrest, Artistic Director
Létourneau Pipe Organs

GREAT (3-3⁄4″ wind pressure)
16′ Contra Geigen
8′ Diapason
8′ Spitz Principal
8′ Holzflöte
4′ Principal
4′ Rohrflöte
2-2⁄3′ Quint
2′ Super Octave
1′ Fourniture IV
2′ Cornet III–VI
8′ Trompette en chamade (Pos)
4′ Clairon en chamade (Pos)
Chimes (Ch)

SWELL (expressive) (6″ w.p.)
16′ Flauto Dolce (ext)
8′ Geigen Principal
8′ Stopped Diapason
8′ Viole de Gambe
8′ Viole Celeste
8′ Flauto Dolce
8′ Flute Celeste (t.c.)
4′ Prestant
4′ Flauto Traverso
2′ Fifteenth
1-1⁄3′ Plein jeu III
16′ Fagot
8′ Trompette
8′ Hautbois
8′ Vox Humana
4′ Clairon
Tremulant

CHOIR (expressive) (5″ w.p.)
8′ Viola
8′ Viola Celeste
8′ Dulciana
8′ Concert Flute
4′ Prestant
4′ Flûte harmonique
2-2⁄3′ Sesquialtera II
16′ English Horn
8′ Cromorne
4′ Rohr Schalmei
Tremulant
8′ Trompette en chamade (Pos)
4′ Clairon en chamade (Pos)
Chimes

POSITIV (3″ w.p.)
8′ Nason Flute
4′ Koppelflöte
2′ Principal
1-3⁄5′ Tierce
1-1⁄3′ Larigot
1⁄4′ Cymbel III
8′ Trompette en chamade (8-7⁄8″ w.p.)
4′ Clairon en chamade (ext) (8-7⁄8″ w.p.)

PEDAL (5″ w.p.)
32′ Contre Basse (ext Gt 16′) (6-1⁄4″ w.p.)
16′ Contre Basse (6-1⁄4″ w.p.)
16′ Geigen (Gt)
16′ Bourdon
16′ Flauto Dolce (Sw)
8′ Principal
8′ Gedeckt Pommer
4′ Choral Bass
4′ Nachthorn
2′ Blockflöte
2-2⁄3′ Mixture IV
32′ Fagot (half-length ext Sw 16′)
16′ Bombarde (87⁄8″ w.p.)
16′ Fagot (Sw)
8′ Trompette (ext) (87⁄8″ w.p.)
4′ Clairon (ext) (87⁄8″ w.p.)
8′ Trompette en chamade (Pos)
Chimes (Ch)

Mixture Compositions (as of 2009):

Great IV Fourniture:
c1 to b12: 22-26-29-33
c13 to b24: 19-22-26-29
c25 to b36: 15-19-22-26
c37 to b48: 12-15-19-22
c49 to f#55: 8-12-15-19
g56 to c61: 5 - 8-12-15

Great III–VI Cornet:
c1 to f18: 15-17-19
f#19 to f42: 12-15-17-19
f#43 to f54: 8-12-15-17
f#55 to c61: 5-8-8-10-12-15

Swell III Plein jeu:
c1 to f18: 19-22-26
f#19 to f42: 15-19-22
f#43 to f54: 12-15-19
f#55 to c61: 8-12-15

Positiv III Cymbel:
c1 to f6: 36-40-43
f#7 to b12: 33-36-40
c13 to f18: 29-33-36
f#19 to b24: 26-29-33
c25 to f30: 22-26-29
f#31 to b36: 19-22-26
c37 to f42: 15-19-22
f#43 to b48: 12-15-19
c49 to c61: 8-12-15

Pedal IV Mixture:
c1 to g32: 19-22-26-29

Ronald Cameron Bishop

Ronald Cameron Bishop obtained a job with the New York M. P. Möller crew in the fall of 1955, after observing the Möller installation crew at his family’s church that summer. He worked with the New York crew through the fall of 1957, when he joined the organ maintenance staff at Radio City Music Hall. At that time he also formed his own pipe organ service firm. He married Emma Stiffler, who had been a Rockette at the Music Hall, on September 3, 1960, and they have two sons. In 1973, John A. Schantz invited Ron to become a district representative for the Schantz Organ Company, where he remained for over 32 years. The Music Hall in-house maintenance staff was eliminated in the late 1960s. In late 1975, Raymond F. Bohr, Music Hall head organist, and John Henry Jackson, vice president and senior producer at the theater, invited Ronald Bishop to return and begin the much-needed restoration of the Grand Organ. He now serves in two emeritus positions and assists his wife in the operation of her dance studio, in addition with his organ consultation services.

At the time that I joined the Möller New York City maintenance staff in 1955, the Rev. Dr. Hugh Giles concert series at Central Presbyterian Church (Park Avenue at 64th Street) was a major factor in the city’s music scene. Its centerpiece was the superb four-manual instrument (M. P. Möller opus 8000), which had been given to the church as memorial to Reginald Lindsey Sweet by his widow. Dr. Giles had worked with Möller’s tonal designer Ernest White to achieve this remarkable installation. My immediate superiors, Arthur Brady and Larry Horn, had headed the installation crew when the instrument was delivered and often spoke of what was involved during the placement process.
The main body of Central’s organ installation is placed in a large chamber to the right of the chancel and at gallery level. It speaks through a Möller-created grille to the chancel and quite exquisite casework that faces the south gallery. The Antiphonal divisions are located in the tower to the northwest. The acoustic of the sanctuary is ideal for organ, choral work, and even the spoken word.
Mr. Brady and I were assigned to the concert schedule at Central, which consisted of tuning, moving the console to chancel center (done in the early morning the second scheduled day and quite a project), and later on standby for the performance, and then returning the console to service position the following morning. I had the very special pleasure of covering these events, as only one service person was required. A small pew section in the west gallery was selected for my use so that I could get to both the antiphonal and main organ chambers with ease in the event of cipher problems (which did not happen during my tenure, but I surely did have a wonderful musical experience).

Flor Peeters
Our first artist during the 1955 season was Flor Peeters. The console moving session also included our remaining for the organist’s rehearsal period (at least until 5:00 pm; we started work at 8:00 am in those days). Obviously the preparation time went on through the evening hours.
Mr. Brady had gone out to lunch with a friend, and I settled down in Dr. Giles’ study to consume what I had brought from home. Almost one half hour passed by, and then I heard a voice calling from the sanctuary. It was Flor Peeters. In his cadenced English he said, “Ronald you vil play zee organ for me, pleeze.” Now, on a good day my skills of improvisation might just get by—maybe (just ask John Weaver). Here was this eighteen-year-old being asked by a world class artist to “play zee organ pleeze.” I advised the gentleman of what he might expect, and he indicated that I was to play through his piston settings as he called them out from various locations in the church. The writer is certain that this great man soon realized why I had entered the organ maintenance field (Mother did pay—or my godmother did pay for six years of piano, but it never did “take”).
The first composition on his program was Peeters’ own Aria. My appreciation of this work remains to this day. In preparation for our wedding in 1960, I asked my Emma Elizabeth to play it for her pleasure, and we both felt it should be the first composition to be played in the service prelude. Needless to say, Flor Peeters’ recital was played to a full house that autumn evening and was very well received.

André Marchal
The next guest on Dr. Giles’ schedule was the blind organist André Marchal. Brady and I got everything ready, and I was amazed after just about a half hour with his associate as a guide, Marchal was quite familiar with the four-manual console and most every stop and coupler location. He asked us just how the capture combination system functioned and grasped what this equipment was all about in a matter of minutes, including all piston and reversible locations.
This gifted artist played an impeccable program at his evening performance—again to a packed church. I remember being so impressed with his gift for registration and keyboard ability. A number of encores were indeed in order that night, as they had been for Flor Peeters.

Fernando Germani
The schedule continued with the very wonderful and quite charming Fernando Germani. It was a joy to be in his company. (Later I had the pleasure of hearing Germani play the complete works of Bach in a series at St. Thomas Church.) Mr. Germani’s rehearsal went on without incident. He was at one with this superb Möller creation and enjoyed himself very much during his preparation time.
During the evening’s program that joy continued with a wonderful performance of Dupré’s Variations sur en Noël. At its conclusion, a well-deserved ovation took place, which Germani turned to acknowledge, pushing the general cancel in the process, not realizing that the Sforzando did not cancel on this particular combination action system.
The next selection was one of my very favorites, Vierne’s Clair de Lune, and you guessed it: Germani prepared his registration not giving any notice to that RED indicator light on the nameboard. I was trying to send mental signals from my seat in the gallery, but he placed his hand on the manuals with a full organ result. Of course, this most gracious man stopped at once, turning on the bench and saying to the audience, “Excusa.”
With the full-organ control reversed, a most delicate and beautiful performance of this work followed. Although many consoles featured the automatic Sforzando cancel at that point in time, many Möllers did not. When Mr. Brady and I returned to set the console back in service position, I was provided with a bottle of red nail polish and told to coat the Sforzando toe piston with it.

Jean Langlais
If I recall correctly, Jean Langlais next visited with opus 8000. This was my first introduction to this wonderful artist and his amazing musical works. A few years later, his then student (later wife) Marie Louise stayed with Emmie and me twice at our home in Maplewood, New Jersey, during her concert tours of the United States. Along with our two sons we enjoyed these visits with this lovely lady. Her recital at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark was a truly grand event.
After their marriage, Prof. Langlais was engaged to play a recital for Lester Berenbroick during his ministry of music in the Presbyterian Church at Madison, New Jersey. At Lester’s request, I assisted my foreman in the organ’s tuning. Langlais was involved in a press conference at the rear of the sanctuary. Hearing us in the chancel, he finished his comments and came to the console. He wanted to be sure to convey his thanks to Emmie and me for taking such good care of his Marie during her past visits to this country. We ended up chatting for about a half hour. As he left, I was tuning the top octave of the 8′ Clarinet, just arriving at top C. The good professor shouted from the aisle “do not bother with that *@&+ note—I do not use it in MY music.”

Hugh Giles
At this point, I believe some thoughts on Dr. Giles might be appropriate. To my knowledge, he was the first ordained Presbyterian clergyman to be appointed as full-time minister of music. He was also called as the associate pastor of Central Church at that time. Hugh had a remarkable and engaging personality, and in addition to his superb musical talent was a gifted preacher as well.
In addition to the concert series (which was second to none in talent and presentation), Dr. Giles directed a music ministry, which included professional singers. He was also responsible for the organ’s care and had a wonderful working relationship with the Möller technical staff. All of us on the New York/metro crew enjoyed working with and for Hugh at Central.
The inspired creation of opus 8000 was a joint effort between Ernest White and Hugh Giles. It was the Möller showpiece in New York City for a number of years and was a major feature of that decade’s AGO national convention. To Messrs. White and Giles’ credit, the scaling of this instrument was perfect for that beautiful sanctuary on Park Avenue. The edifice was first built as the Park Avenue Baptist Church, but was deemed not large enough for the preaching gifts of Harry Emerson Fosdick. The gracious Riverside Church was constructed to fill this need, and the original building became Central Presbyterian.

Ernest White
Just a word about Ernest White. During one of my first weeks working for Möller, I was sent to work with Mr. White at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin. The company maintained the beautiful Aeolian-Skinner in the church, the choir room Möller, and the Aeolian-Skinner in the organist’s study. I tuned for Ernest (he held keys) and sometimes he went into the instruments to make adjustments himself. During lunch I would sit in the organ loft or choir room while he played Franck. What an experience. This gentleman taught me a great deal about the art of organ building. His associate, Edward Linzel, also became a good friend. I still have the recordings made by these two men at St. Mary’s.

West Point
Theodore Gyler Speers was the senior pastor of Central Church and gave his full gracious support to his associate and the ministry of music. Dr. Speers later moved on to that glorious chapel above the plain at West Point, New York. The Möller New York/metro crew had been involved with the installation of the superb console at the Military Academy along with earlier portions of this grand instrument. In fact, Arthur Brady installed the original Möller organ and did extensive tonal regulation work for Frederick Mayer in the cadet chapel.
In 1929 Mr. Brady had continued his association with Mr. Mayer when he was called upon to install a smaller version of the West Point design (49 ranks) for the Church of the Holy Communion at South Orange, New Jersey. Here
M. P. Möller built another gem, which was given to the parish by the Vanston family. During my time working with Dr. Giles, he suggested that I visit West Point, and I then had the opportunity to meet Jack Davis, the chapel organist and choirmaster. What a wonderful visit that was, and in recent years I had the pleasure to work with Dr. Davis in the design and installation of the Schantz organ at the Reformed Church in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he continues his work in a truly dedicated and loving manner as has always been this fine gentleman’s custom.

Jeanne Demessieux
A major happening in the concert series that year (and believe me, all the performances were quite special) was the appearance of Jeanne Demessieux. Her performance was to include the Ad Nos along with many other audience favorites. I recall that the New York press had done a fine job of pre-recital coverage.
Knowing of my interest in the instrument and the artists who played it, Dr. Giles had arranged for a private meeting for Ms. Demessieux and myself in his study between her preparation time and the performance. We had a lovely visit, with Hugh the ever-proper host. This lady did indeed play the organ in those high-high-heels (and never missed a note). She was just a lovely person and this showed in her music. What a night—encore and after encore followed (I cannot recall how many), with a mystical silence as the audience filed out.

Möller New York City/metro crew
While all these wonderful happenings did so much for the New York City concert season, I must not lose sight of the many projects the M. P. Möller metro service crew was attending to. Aside from the contracted maintenance of some 600-plus Möller instruments, the eight of us were quite often called upon to assist the Hagerstown road crew installation folks.
The metro crew was a group of characters unto itself, headed by our senior members. Larry Horn spoke with the right side of his mouth lowered for a very dramatic accent (and related visual effect). Larry’s partner at the directorial level was one Rudy Lung (that is right, LUNG), who spoke with the left side of his mouth lowered (also a most interesting effect when those two stood side by side on the job site). Larry and Rudy were almost always teamed together, with the resulting comedy (for lack of anything else to call it) vocal plus visual effects. I should note here that this “team” had a favorite word that contained four letters and began with the letter “F.” It was always an experience to go into a church with them and hold one’s breath during any initial discussions with the assembled clergy and members on hand. It was amazing how they “cleaned up their act” until out of earshot (at least we all hoped so).
Then there was one George Siska, a very kindly Hungarian gentleman who stated constantly that he was in reality a “Woycer” and did not belong on a regular pipe organ maintenance crew. Many times I was paired with George (when Mr. Brady was on a releathering job or whatever) as it seemed that our boss (one John Byer) thought that I was patient and understanding and would put up with Mr. Siska’s constant complaining about not being assigned to the appropriate tasks befitting his talents.
There were indeed very bright lights in this group, including of course Mr. Brady, who was a mechanical wonder person and tuner, with a special ability for tonal regulation. Ernest Lucas is one of the best people ever to be in the pipe organ field, along with his brother Harold, who left our merry band to work with Aeolian-Skinner in Chicago. George Eisell had joined our group from Aeolian-Skinner and was expert in just about anything. George had recently installed the five-manual console with its some seventeen remote combination machines for Virgil Fox at the Riverside Church. George told me of his wonderful experience in working with Virgil, as did all who had the special opportunity of working for and with this great man. I know full well that Dr. Fox was well respected by all of us in the industry and that feeling was returned tenfold.
For many years M. P. Möller kept offices in a suite at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, which included a pipe organ that was later moved to a church in Harlem. In addition, the Grand Ballroom contained a very large twin-consoled four-manual installation. (One console was of the English drawknob type and the other a theatre-style unit—both with plug-in connectors.)
As time passed, the Möller office relocated to Yonkers, New York. The Grand Ballroom instrument was placed in storage and, after a factory rebuild plus new console, sold to the State University of New Jersey for their Montclair campus. They had built a quite lovely auditorium with chambers at stage right and left, all ready for the organ’s installation. The new four-manual console was placed in the orchestra pit at stage right.
Our entire group was assigned to assist that factory installation crew for this project. This led to a very interesting situation with Larry Horn (mouth listing to the right) having so-called equal “bossing” responsibility with “Wild” Bill Slaughterback (loud mouth—period) of the Hagerstown group.
The university campus is set on a hillside in northern New Jersey, with a haunting view of New York City to the east. As we began our installation process, major construction was in progress all over the area. The Möller trucks arrived so our gang could unload, with everything placed in and around the large scene dock entrance for the stage complex. We got everything placed for proper installation sequence, including the large two-stage wooden-cased organ blower (original to the instrument).
Within the hour it was discovered that this large wind machine belonged two floors down. I should mention that the building sat on the gentle slope of the hillside. This is when the fun started. “Wild” Bill and Larry decided to appropriate a front end loader that was just sitting there at idle in the parking lot.
The gentlemen both decided they knew how to operate this unit, but before all hell broke loose they were “observed” by the rightful operator. Then money matters for the use of the machine ensued. This involved much loud talking (Larry trying to outdo Wild Bill to NO avail)—thank goodness for the coffee truck (where the rest of us fled) that was on site. At last the money matters were settled, and the sight of our fearless leaders riding in the bucket of the loader was a vision to behold. They got the loader up to the scene dock, and we started to shove the blower toward it (Möller did not provide dollies in those days). At last the machine fell into the bucket and began its trip to the lower-level blower room with Bill and Larry yelling at each other—I never did figure out about what—for the duration of the trip, brief as it was.
Once the auditorium installation was completed and the tonal regulation done, the university arranged to have Virgil Fox dedicate the instrument. It was always a pleasure for us to work with and for Dr. Fox, a true professional and a really nice person. Mr. Brady and I were to be on call should the organ require any last-minute attention. Well, Dr. Fox got into one of his beautiful full registrations and we soon discovered that nobody had thought to rebuild the curtain valve in the blower static air reservoir. Obviously the organ just stopped in its tracks. We soon got the problem repaired, and one beautiful recital played to another full house was the end result. I am certain that Virgil had played the organ more than once in its original location and he enjoyed very much making “friends” with it once again.

Further adventures
Looking back, I think that all this fun and games stuff began with the New York/metro crew itself when we did one of our first solo installations in a very conservative college up in South Lancaster, Massachusetts. It was a small three-manual in a chapel/auditorium-type setup, with chambers to the left and right of the platform area. Larry was in charge, with Rudy and his ever-available comments and “assistance.” Larry had placed the organ installation drawings on a table in the middle of the room, laid out for all to see and work from at his direction. We started hauling parts up ladders to the chambers as ordered and soon found out that nothing, I mean nothing, fit. Larry insisted he was giving the right directions and ordered baseboards and other materials that he thought in the way, removed from the organ loft locations. Eighteen-year-old me suggested that HE look at the drawings again and was TOLD IN NO FEW WORDS TO MIND MY OWN BUSINESS AND THAT I WAS JUST A HELPER (plus a few other choice words). This all went on until it was time to go to lunch; there was a wonderful diner down the road and we all wanted to get there FAST. By this time, organ parts were all over the place, jammed into the chamber and what not. Progress was non-existent.
I made certain I was the last one out of the room to head for that diner. I had hours ago figured out that Larry had laid out the prints wrong, and he was trying to have us place the Swell organ in the Great/Choir chamber and vice versa. Mr. Bullhead would not think any other way. (Bright me reset the prints as I went out the door.)
When we all returned from lunch, Larry said, “oh, here is the problem”: THEY had laid the drawings wrong and he had figured out THEIR mistake. Once we had switched everything around (no easy job) all was now right with the world. What brain power and an ego this man had. Please remember I was just a helper. In the end the organ turned out to be a very fine little three-manual, and the client was well pleased.
Again in retrospect, maybe this is why the boss always sent Mr. Brady and me to assist Dr. Giles with the concert series needs. (Larry and Rudy had worked the crew on Opus 8000 and done an excellent installation, but Hugh did say to us one day that he recalled them as an “interesting” pair to say the very least.)
Returning to the university campus in New Jersey, the blower was, at last, put in place and we all got to work on the actual chamber(s) installation process. After some back and forth, it was decided that the factory crew would attend to the stage left chamber and we New York/metro boys could take care of the stage right location. Please remember after all the fun up in New England and the give and take on this New Jersey project and despite all the carrying on discussed above, the Möller company always did excellent work, and I very much enjoyed my time and learning experience with this fine firm.
Our combined crew soon completed the transplant of the Waldorf instrument, and Larry stayed on to assist John Schiegh, Möller’s head tonal finisher, as they spent several weeks going through the organ pipe by pipe.

John Schiegh and John Schantz
The two tonal finishers I worked with were both named John—the aforementioned Mr. Schiegh and for thirty-two-plus years beginning in 1973, John A. Schantz. Although our friend from Möller did not know how to play the instrument too well, he had a knack for getting a wonderful balance of tone. On the other hand, John Schantz was and is a superb organist and knew only too well how he could obtain exquisite musical results from the organs he designed and voiced.
Over the years, John A. Schantz has been a valued mentor, teaching me many valued lessons about the instrument we both admire so much. I can recall during a backstage visit at Radio City Music Hall in 1958, both Dr. William Barnes and Dr. Charles Courboin telling me of the great Schantz organ at the Cathedral (now Basilica) of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey, and John’s wonderful work there. Little did I know that about a decade or so later Mr. Schantz would ask me to represent his firm.

Life after Möller
I left M. P. Möller (and sadly Mr. Brady) to attend college in the fall of 1957. Later that year, I was hired as associate organ technician for Radio City Music Hall, upon the recommendation of another Möller employee who was working the night shift there. I still hold an Emeritus title at the theater to this day. Soon after joining the Music Hall staff, I met a beautiful young lady named Emma Stiffler, who was then a Rockette. We were married in September of 1960 and through God’s blessing share a love that grows deeper as each day goes by.
About eight years after our marriage, I met up with opus 8000 once again when Richard Westenburg asked me to take charge of the instrument as it continued to play an important role in his Musica Sacra series and the ministry of music at Central Church. The late William Whitehead and the recently retired John Weaver shared the continuo work with Dick conducting the chorus, and in the course of the season Dr. Weaver played a stunning performance of the Poulenc organ concerto under Richard’s baton to a well-deserved standing ovation. Opus 8000 really did its thing that evening. Around 1978, I again had the honor of hearing this work on the Schantz organ at Abyssinian Baptist Church, with the late Leon Thompson conducting members of the New York Philharmonic, of which he was an associate conductor—once again a standing ovation from a full congregation, 2,300 in this beautiful setting. I had assisted John A. Schantz in the design, installation, and tonal finishing of this five-manual instrument, which contained some pipework from the previous installation there that preceded opus 8000 by a few years. Frederick Swann had served the congregation as consultant, and the organ’s opening performance included the full New York Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta conducting, with the late Leonard Raver at the console and Leontyne Price a vocal soloist. New York City concertgoers did indeed enjoy the wonderful concert seasons.
Emmie and I became patrons of Dr. Westenburg’s program at Central, which kept us in contact with our four-manual Möller friend for several more years. That series was music-making of the highest order and later moved to Avery Fisher Hall. In addition, Dick went on to become music director of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Dan Locklair
In the summer of 1976, Emmie, our sons, and I took a summer home on Hart Lake (Pennsylvania), in the mountains just below Binghamton, New York. Dan Locklair had contracted with Schantz (with me as project director) to do extensive tonal work and additions to the fine Link organ at First Presbyterian Church, Binghamton. My staff and I had a wonderful time working with and for Dan, and we have been dear friends ever since. Later on, Dr. Locklair composed an anthem in our honor entitled A Christmas Carol. Dan and his lovely wife Paula are doing wonderful things in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina area. John A. Schantz joined me in doing the tonal finishing of the Binghamton organ. One of the major donors came to me and said it is just perfect and thank you and Mr. Schantz.

New York City installations
In thinking about New York City’s two major concert halls, one does wonder about the lack of organs in both of them. When I first started at the Music Hall, my boss, Louis Ferrara, took me up to Carnegie Hall to see the Kilgen installation there. He would be asked to tune it from time to time, and our friend Claire Coci was organist of the Philharmonic, which resided there back then. I later serviced the instrument in Claire’s home until her unfortunate passing. The late and quite wonderful George William Volkel also played the Kilgen for the Bell Telephone Hour, which was broadcast in its radio days from the hall. George even played a half-hour recital for the audience prior to the program going on the air “live.” Although buried, that instrument could make itself known but was later removed for whatever reason.
At the time Avery Fisher (then Philharmonic) Hall was completed, Louis, Ray Bohr (Music Hall organist) and I were invited by the Aeolian-Skinner foreman to visit the organ installation, which had just been rough tuned. The stage crew brought that very beautiful ebony console to the stage on its elevator. Ray and Lou went out into the house and asked me to PLAY. Now we already know of my playing skills (?!), but that organ and its gorgeous sound made even me sound decent. In my opinion, it was just a sin to remove that instrument. At the time of the Abyssinian Baptist Church installation and through Dr. Leon Thompson’s kindness, Zubin Mehta asked me to come to the hall and see what could be done relative to a possible new Schantz installation. During my visit, I was told by the stage manager that if the sliding steel door (à la the Kennedy Center Aeolian-Skinner installation in Washington, DC) had been installed, the original organ would still be there. The powers that be would not, however, spend the money for that installation. The organ chamber was still there, walled over, and used for storage. The “acoustical” person granted such a limited space for any replacement organ that the project was just impossible to consider. Believe me, John Schantz and I spent a great deal of time discussing the matter to no avail.
Despite this lacking, the area churches really provided some great concert venues, thinking of Dr. Giles and opus 8000 and our wonderful friends at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, who have continued to invite the New York Philharmonic to appear with their-five manual instrument.
Even the Grand Organ at Radio City Music Hall has taken its concert turn under the batons of Carmine Coppola and James Levine, with Frederick Swann and Anthony Newman as guest organ soloists. Even back in the presentation days, the great Raymond Paige conducted the Music Hall Symphony Orchestra in the Bach Festival Overture, with Richard Leibert at the console. The superb arrangement for this presentation was made by Rayburn Wright. This format was further developed with the Richard Rodgers Overture, again with Mr. Leibert as featured artist. Ray Bohr played all the regular organ intermissions on the opposite console. In later years, Robert MacDonald not only played the opening for Liberace’s show, but also joined the orchestra for the second act overture to the music of J. S. Bach. Needless to say, Robert and the organ were well received by all concerned.
A few years before his death, Virgil Fox called me to discuss a magazine article we were preparing on the Music Hall Grand Organ, its various uses and upkeep. After about ten minutes’ discussion of the article’s material, we spent another hour going over the planning of an organ program Dr. Fox and I were working on for a proposed New York appearance at Radio City Music Hall. He wanted to do the first portion of his program on the stage right console, then move to his Allen touring organ, which would be placed stage center, making full use of the elevators and turntable equipment. The light show would have been included and at one point he would move to the stage left console for another portion of the program. The finale section and any encores (Perpetual Motion for certain) would be played on the touring organ, and we got to wondering if the cabling on it would allow Dr. Fox to move down stage out onto the stage-level orchestra pit elevator so that his pedal work could be spotlighted to the greatest advantage. It is indeed unfortunate that this wonderful man never got to perform this program. I am certain that he would have sold out the vast theater, and many standing ovations would have taken place that evening.
It is obvious that the instrument we all care about has been featured in concert venues by many talented people. Broadway history alone tells me that Firmin Swinnen did a pedal solo four times a day at the Rivoli Theater with his footwork spotlighted from on high as he played The Flight of the Bumble Bee.
It was the happenings that I have known and surely my discussion with Dr. Fox that led me and my son Richard to include plug-in connectors and traveling cable materials when we rebuilt both Music Hall consoles. They can now remain in their normal alcove settings or be placed anywhere on the stage, turntable, or orchestra pit. Dr. Fox would have loved the possibilities. When Mr. Swann, Mr. Coppola and the American Symphony concluded their program, with the orchestra at stage level bathed in the appropriate light and the organist and console spotlighted in white, there was of course a standing ovation and the magic had happened once again.
With the many recent concert hall organs now installed and being planned, I know that magic will happen again. In a way, Dr. Giles helped it all get started again after World War II. The music ministry at Abyssinian has helped to continue the adventure along with the late Richard Westenburg’s ongoing contributions. Let us all continue to enjoy, support, and celebrate such ventures.