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Floods Damage Organs in Eastern Iowa

David C. Kelzenberg

David C. Kelzenberg studied music performance and music theory at Quincy University and the University of Iowa. He has an interest in and has performed on all keyboard instruments, including organ, harpsichord, clavichord, and piano, and has made a special study of the history of early keyboard performance practice in the 20th and 21st centuries. He has taught music theory, French horn, trumpet, organ, and piano. His organ teachers have included Richard Haas, Rudolf Zuiderveld, and Gerhard Krapf. He is co-owner of the international Internet mailing list PIPORG-L (devoted to the organ), and founder and co-owner of HPSCHD-L (devoted to stringed early keyboard instruments such as the harpsichord and clavichord). He serves on the board of directors of the Midwestern Historical Keyboard Society, the Cedar Rapids Area Theatre Organ Society, and the Iowa City Early Keyboard Society.

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Mother Nature showed her dark side during the month of June, with repeated thunderstorms dumping rain and more rain on the Midwest. Rivers, lakes, and reservoirs rose, eventually spilling over dams, levees, and banks, flooding some areas in unprecedented amounts.
Eastern Iowa was particularly hard hit, as cities along major rivers and tributaries were inundated by floodwaters. The massive Coralville Dam, built by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s, was designed to control the Iowa River upstream of the towns of Iowa City and Coralville, while creating a huge water reservoir—a man-made lake designed for recreation, boating, swimming, and fishing. For only the second time in its history, the reservoir’s capacity was exceeded, with water flowing freely over the emergency spillway of the massive dam and overrunning everything in its downstream path.
Both Iowa City and Coralville were impacted by the swiftly rising water. In Iowa City, the University of Iowa had built numerous buildings along the banks of the river, under the mistaken assumption that the Coralville Dam, some 10 miles upstream, would prevent future flooding of the Iowa River. Among the buildings constructed adjacent to the river is the Voxman Music Building, home to the university’s School of Music. Named for the renowned educator and long-time School of Music director Himie Voxman, the Voxman Music Building has housed the university’s School of Music since its construction in 1970. Along with other nearby buildings such as Hancher Auditorium, Clapp Recital Hall, the Theatre Building, the University of Iowa Museum of Art, and two art buildings, Voxman was built immediately adjacent to the scenic and usually tranquil Iowa River, a mistake that would come to haunt the university in 2008.
When it was apparent that a flood was coming, Iowa City and Coralville residents turned out in a massive sand-bagging effort. Walls of sandbags were erected along the riverbank and around low-lying buildings. But the rain kept coming, and so did the floodwaters. By the time the water stopped rising, every important university building along the river—the entire Fine Arts Complex, the Main Library, the Iowa Memorial Union, several other academic buildings, the university’s largest dormitory, and its power generating plant, not to mention numerous homes and businesses in both communities, were flooded.
Some of the victims of this devastating flood were organs. In the Voxman Music Building, two large studio organs and several practice instruments were flooded with mucky river water to a depth of about 18 inches for over a week. The most serious loss was to the university’s 1987 North German-style organ by Taylor & Boody, Op. 13, which has been widely acclaimed as a masterwork. In the other teaching studio, a large two-manual tracker instrument by Schlicker was also severely damaged. In addition, three practice instruments, by Casavant, Brombaugh, and Holtkamp, suffered a similar fate. Fortunately, the water never reached the level of the pipes, but many parts such as blowers, winding systems, pedalboards, and actions were essentially destroyed.
According to Delbert Disselhorst, longtime chair of UI’s organ department, the effect of the flooding has been devastating to the department. “All of these organs will be removed from the building and returned to organ builders for rebuilding. We estimate that the building itself will not reopen until the fall of 2009. However, it may be another year or more before the organs are back in place and ready to resume their teaching and recital duties.” Gregory Hand, new professor of organ at Iowa, added a note of optimism. “The organs, despite everyone’s best efforts, sat in 18 inches of dirty water for some nine days. However, everyone at the university has been extremely helpful towards the organ department, and there has never been any question whether the organs would be fixed.”
Carroll Hanson, the curator of organs for the university, explained further. “The damaged organs included the university’s original teaching instrument, a Holtkamp ‘Martini’, which is believed to be the last instrument built by Walter Holtkamp, Sr., in 1961. Also damaged were tracker practice instruments by Casavant and John Brombaugh. The large Schlicker studio organ, a two-manual tracker of about 25 stops, suffered severe damage to its winding system and mechanicals.”
The most severe loss was the Taylor & Boody recital instrument, which has served as a focal point for teaching and recitals. Many students and guest artists have enjoyed its remarkable qualities since its installation. This instrument and the Brombaugh practice instrument will be returned to the Taylor & Boody shop in Virginia for restoration. Work on the large Schlicker instrument and the Holtkamp Martini will be undertaken by Gene Bedient’s shop in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Casavant practice instrument will be returned to Casavant in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada, for restoration.
Fortunately, the Casavant recital instrument in Clapp Recital Hall was not damaged by the flood. This large concert instrument, reportedly the first large tracker instrument to be installed in a major American teaching institution in the 20th century, was installed in the new Clapp Recital Hall in 1971 under the supervision of the “father” of organ instruction at Iowa, the late Gerhard Krapf. But, while the organ sits high in the hall and remained above the flood-waters, the hall itself was inundated, and will require major renovation. Another survivor of the devastation, a small portable continuo organ by Taylor & Boody, was moved to the second floor before the waters rose, and was untouched by the floodwaters.
Other instruments at the university were also compromised by the flooding. Some pianos and a harpsichord were removed from the path of the rising waters, while others were not as fortunate. Steve Carver, piano maintenance coordinator for the university, recalls details of their efforts to save the instruments. “We moved pianos all week until Friday the 13th (of June). We were initially told we could work through Friday but the river came up much faster than expected, so the building was locked down early Friday morning. We will lose about 25 upright pianos, a mixture of Steinway and Everetts. We left nine Steinway grands on the first floor to finish on June 13, but were unable to access the building to complete the move. These will at the least require all new legs and lyres (about $2000 per piano), but may well be totaled too.
“I am more concerned about what the exposure to high humidity after standing in 18 inches of water will do to the soundboards, etc. of the instruments. We were able to move about 20 more Steinways upstairs. But even these may suffer from lack of proper ventilation this summer and fall. I have been recently told that all 50 grands and uprights on the second floor will have to be relocated before winter.
“We removed the Italian harpsichord (built by the Zuckermann shop) from the building on June 12 and were planning to do likewise to the remaining two (a French double by David Rubio and a Flemish single by Edward Kottick) on June 13. As we were locked out of the building, these two stood in 18 inches of water for about nine days. I cannot comment on their condition other than to say there is a good chance they will be severely damaged. I have grave concerns in the long term how this flood will impact our inventory.”
This is a crushing blow to the UI School of Music. However, their resolve to work through these problems remains strong. Teaching will continue for the current academic year in facilities provided elsewhere in town. Local churches in particular have opened their space for teaching. It is anticipated that the Voxman Music Building, Hancher Auditorium, and Clapp Recital Hall will reopen in time for the 2009–2010 academic year, although it is unclear whether the organs will be back in place by then. But return they will, hopefully in better shape than ever and with provisions in place to prevent repeating this sort of tragedy. The harpsichords and pianos will also be restored, and music instruction will continue at the high level for which the University of Iowa has become known.
Meanwhile, in nearby Cedar Rapids, it was the Red Cedar River that caused problems, and if anything, the flood was even more devastating here than in Iowa City and Coralville. Organs were severely damaged in Cedar Rapids as well, although it was organs of a different type entirely.
The Red Cedar River runs through the heart of Cedar Rapids. Much of the city’s history is tied to industry lining the river, and downtown Cedar Rapids is bisected by this body of water. In the middle of the river in the heart of the city, Mays Island has stood for hundreds of years. A prominent landmark, Mays Island is home to the city’s municipal government, making Cedar Rapids one of just a few cities whose seat of government is located on an island. Also on the island are the courthouse and Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum, home of a famous large stained glass window designed by artist Grant Wood. At the height of the flood, Mays Island was completely invisible, with only the tall buildings standing above the water to show where it once was.
Cedar Rapids knew a flood was coming, and her citizens prepared accordingly. As in Iowa City and Coralville, volunteers turned out in a monumental sand-bagging effort. What no one could have anticipated was the magnitude of the flood of 2008. The water rose, up and up, and UP, and when it peaked it had completely inundated Mays Island, downtown Cedar Rapids, and many residential neighborhoods near the river. Hundreds, if not thousands, of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. Countless people were left homeless, and the government offices of Cedar Rapids and many of its downtown and neighborhood businesses were compromised. Amid the devastation, overshadowed by the tragedies of people left homeless, businesses destroyed, and historic buildings damaged, two significant cultural icons were also devastated by the raging waters. These were architectural treasures: two historical theatres dating back to 1928, and musical treasures—the theatre pipe organs that they housed. While these instruments represent a tragic loss, things could have been worse.
In 1929, the city was proud to acquire a new municipal organ, a 4-manual, 56-rank instrument built by the Ernest M. Skinner Company and installed in Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum on Mays Island. If that important instrument were still installed in that arena, it would have been completely destroyed during this flood. Fortunately, it was spared this fate. In the 1950s, the instrument was moved to Sinclair Auditorium on the campus of Coe College, some 10 blocks above the high water line. As a result, it suffered no damage during the flood.
Unfortunately, Cedar Rapids’ two historic theatre organs did not fare as well.
The beautiful Paramount Theatre, built in 1928, stands at the corner of Third Avenue and Second Street in the heart of downtown. Built in the grand style, this 2,000-seat movie palace was completely restored to its former glory just a few years ago to the tune of 7.8 million dollars. Its grand Hall of Mirrors, modeled after the great Palais de Versailles in France, ushered generations of moviegoers toward the opulent auditorium, where the sound of the 3/12 Mighty Wurlitzer beckoned. All of this glory came to an ignominious end during the first week of June, when the river crested its banks and inundated downtown Cedar Rapids.
A wall of water rushed through the Paramount Theatre building and into the auditorium. The heavy Wurlitzer console, raised on its lift to stage level in anticipation of the flood, was savagely tossed onto its back and onto the stage. The stage extension, built of heavy reinforced panels and extending over the orchestra pit, was knocked into complete disarray. In the end, some 8.5 feet of water covered the stage, organ console, and the entire auditorium. The lift and console were completely submerged for at least a week, and in the sub-basement, the organ’s blower was under at least 30 feet of water.
Fortunately, the organ chambers were not breached by the water, or the tragedy would have been far worse. The pipes, percussions, and windchests, as well as the original Wurlitzer relay, appear to have been spared. The blower was not reachable until one full month after the floodwaters receded. It is damaged, but still responding to a turn of its motor.
The most serious loss is the console itself, which was virtually destroyed. While it was found essentially intact after the waters receded, the waters had weakened wood and joints, and it literally fell apart as workers carefully attempted to remove it from the theatre. This is particularly tragic as this was an unusual Wurlitzer console, with unique decorative details, controlling an unusual instrument. Classified by Wurlitzer as a model Balaban 1A, the Paramount’s organ (Opus 1907) is the only extant instrument of this model still in essentially original condition, still in its original home. Only seven Balaban 1As were built by Wurlitzer, and this one has resided in the Paramount Theatre since opening night in 1928.
Like the theatre itself, the Wurlitzer organ is owned by the City of Cedar Rapids. It has been carefully maintained by, and at the expense of, the Cedar Rapids Area Theatre Organ Society (CRATOS) since that group was formed in 1969. CRATOS volunteers are working hard now to restore this organ to its former glory, but many questions remain about the structural integrity of the building, possible insurance coverage, and funding. The generous support of friends of the theatre organ will be needed to allow this special Wurlitzer organ to sing again. Obviously, the console will need to be completely rebuilt or replaced.
Meanwhile, at nearby Theatre Cedar Rapids (originally the RKO Iowa Theatre), Cedar Rapids’ other historic theatre organ suffered a similar fate. Theatre Cedar Rapids is home to the celebrated “Rhinestone” Barton theatre organ (opus 510), so named because of its spectacularly decorated console. This is another unique instrument, the largest of several Bartons that were actually built by the Wangerin Company of Milwaukee, and like its Wurlitzer neighbor an original installation from the year 1928. As far as is known, this is the only organ ever delivered with a console covered in black velvet, brilliant rhinestones, and sparkling glitter. This organ was historian and restoration expert David Junchen’s favorite Barton organ, and anyone who has heard or played it in its original home in Cedar Rapids can understand why.
The news from Theatre Cedar Rapids is somewhat brighter than that from the Paramount. At First Avenue and Third Street, TCR is a bit further from the river, and there was no wall of water crashing into the building. But creep in it did, and although the console had also been raised to stage level in anticipation of the flooding, the water rose to about the level of its solo (top) manual, where it remained for several days. The console damage was disastrous. Fortunately, the blower and relay for this instrument are located at chamber level, so only the console and its Barton four-post lift were damaged by the floodwaters.
The Barton organ is owned and maintained by a small non-profit corporation, Cedar Rapids Barton, Incorporated (CRBI). The organ was not insured, and funds for its restoration will need to come from generous donors and grants. Already a grant has been provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, which has been used for the removal of the Barton console from the theatre and into safe storage where the damage is being assessed. However, significant funds are still needed to support the restoration or replacement of the organ’s console and other work needed to bring the Rhinestone Barton back to life.
With all of the personal tragedies the people of Cedar Rapids and Eastern Iowa have suffered as a consequence of this devastating flood, the restoration of these two historic theatre organs may seem an insignificant goal. Yet the people have demonstrated a strong will to restore their beloved theatres, which they consider important cultural landmarks for their city. Many of these same people have spoken out in support of restoring the organs, which they consider the “voice” of these theatres, providing much needed moral if not financial support. And it is the firm goal of CRATOS and CRBI working together to do whatever it takes to bring these unique historical instruments back to their former glory.
It will take time for these transformations to take place. And, it will take the generous financial support of many of our friends in the organ community and the music world. At the recent annual convention of the American Theatre Organ Society in Indianapolis, many people contributed to the cause of these two organs. But this is only the beginning. An online fundraising appeal is underway.
How can you help? If you would like to support the ongoing restoration and upkeep of the Cedar Rapids theatre organs, please consider making a contribution to the cause. You can do so online by visiting <www.cr-atos.com&gt;, where you may make an online contribution and view many photos and news stories on the flood damage to the organs. You may also purchase a copy of “Back in the Black,” Scott Foppiano’s spectacular CD recorded on the Rhinestone Barton, proceeds from which will support the organ fund. Or, you can send a check (made payable to CRATOS) to CRATOS, PO Box 611, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406. You can designate your donation for the Wurlitzer, the Barton, or both. The people of Cedar Rapids thank you for your support and encouragement during these difficult times.

 

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Bedient update: The University of Iowa

Jon Taylor

Jon Taylor spent the last decade as a woodworker and advertising director for Bedient Pipe Organ Company in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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The Bedient crew returned to the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, this fall to install four organs that were damaged by flooding last year. (See the article, “Floods Damage Organs in Eastern Iowa,” by David C. Kelzenberg, The Diapason, October 2008.) Our recent efforts are the final phase of a massive organ restoration project for the school. In June 2008, the Iowa River poured into the Voxman Music Building, soaking five pipe organs in 18 inches of water: 1986 Taylor & Boody (17 stops), 1971 Schlicker (22 stops), 1961 Holtkamp (5 stops), 1963 Casavant (5 stops), and a 1975 Brombaugh (3 stops). Three of the organs were refurbished in the Bedient shop, while the Taylor & Boody and the Casavant were repaired by their builders.
Because the Iowa River remains a flood threat to the school’s music building, four of the organs were reinstalled by Bedient in new locations. The Brombaugh and Holtkamp organs now reside in the University Capitol Centre. The Schlicker and Taylor & Boody were installed in St. Thomas More Catholic Church, a building that the university currently shares with the congregation. When the church moves to its new facility this winter, the building will be known as Riverside Recital Hall.
Despite languishing in the same amount of river glop, the instruments suffered different levels of damage. The Brombaugh’s lower oak case now includes a combination of refinished and replaced parts, meticulously matched by woodworker Ed Stibal. The bench is new, as are most of the ash/walnut Gedeckt pipes. Miraculously, with Stibal’s help, the original pedalboard survived the ordeal.
Repairs on the Schlicker included refinishing the lower case, renovating or replacing the entire pedal action, and updating other miscellaneous stop action and wind regulation components.
The Holtkamp organ, a renowned “Martini” model, needed substantial work. Initially, we tried to save the oak-veneered, plywood box that enclosed the blower and other mechanicals, but with a clearly delineated water line about 18 inches from the floor and disintegrating casework throughout, new construction was unavoidable. Although other water-damaged items such as the bench and pedalboard had to be replaced, the organ’s red oak keydesk was refurbished and the original key action retained. Also submerged was a portion of the organ’s stop action and the blower, necessitating upgrades to both of those systems. The organ now features a new Ventus blower and Peterson Diode Matrix switching system.
Gregory Hand, assistant professor of organ, recalled the “Summer of Flood.” “After an especially snowy winter and a very wet spring, conditions were ripe in eastern Iowa for flooding. In early June 2008, the river rose precipitously, and by Friday, June 13, it was clear that significant portions of the University of Iowa campus were in immediate danger. An all-out effort by university students, faculty, staff, and many community members attempted to clear buildings of valuables. Every effort was made to remove musical instruments from Voxman Hall, the home of the School of Music. However, it was not possible to remove the three practice organs and two studio organs that resided on the main floor of Voxman. Organ students sandbagged the organ hallway and sealed off the doorways as a last ditch protective measure.
“By Saturday morning the situation was dire, and the university shut off its electrical power facility. No one was allowed to enter any buildings, and the university community waited for seven days for the flood waters to recede.
“When re-entry to Voxman was permitted, the worst fears of the organ community were realized: the five organs on the ground floor of Voxman were sitting in 18 inches of water. Amazingly, the Taylor & Boody organ still played, as the bellows can be hand-pumped.
“The university had the good fortune that the Bedient Organ Company had space in their shop for three of the organs. Taylor & Boody arrived immediately to take their studio organ back to the shop for restoration, and Casavant Frères Ltée undertook the repair of their practice organ.
“With the efforts of these three builders, all five instruments are now completely restored and re-installed in temporary School of Music facilities. The three practice organs reside in large, high-ceilinged rooms in the University Capitol Centre, and the two studio organs flank either side of the Riverside Recital Hall (thankfully not next to the river!), a former Catholic church that was purchased by the University of Iowa to serve as a dedicated organ and recital hall for the School of Music. In the end, it took fewer than 18 months to completely refurbish the organs, design the new facilities, and install the organs in their new homes.
“As the new chair of the organ department, I had not even moved to Iowa City when the flood occurred. There were many people who contributed considerable time and effort in my absence: Delbert Disselhorst, my predecessor; Carroll Hanson, curator of the organs at the university; Kristin Thelander, director of the School of Music; and Mark Weiger, interim director of the School of Music at the time of the flood. Special thanks are in order to the heads of the organ companies who rushed to help us in our time of need: Gene Bedient, John Boody, and Jacquelin Rochette. With their help, the organ department has now resumed its normal operations, and students are able to learn, practice and perform on the university organs.” 

 

In the wind . . .

John Bishop
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Put your best foot forward.

I live in a village at the head of the Damariscotta River in Maine. It’s a tidal river—so, to the surprise of many tourists not familiar with ocean tides, the river’s current changes direction four times each day. It is by definition an estuary—a long arm of the sea that stretches inland, very much like Norway’s fjords. The tide rises and falls between nine and twelve feet each day, depending on the phase of the moon and on what meteorological events at sea might be pushing extra water our way. The timing of the tides is related not to solar days—the regular 24-hour periods by which we organize our lives—but by lunar cycles. A lunar day is a little shorter than a solar day so the timing of the tides advances about 40 minutes each day. This morning, high tide was at 12:39 am, this afternoon it will be at 1:24 pm. Tomorrow morning, 1:27 am, tomorrow afternoon high tide will be at 2:12 pm. There’s a tide clock on our living room wall that has a 24-hour face much like any clock, but it has only one hand. High tide is at the top of the face, low tide at the bottom. The trick is that it counts lunar seconds so it gains the right amount of time against the “other” clock each day. In the British Navy during the 19th century, the payroll of officers was based on the 13-month lunar year.
The river is 12 miles long and as much as 150 feet deep in places. Down near where the river meets the ocean there is a narrow passage (The Fort Island Narrows) through which pass 3400 cubic yards of water each second at full tide race. In his charming book about life on the Damariscotta, a local writer converted that number to 283 dump-truck-loads-per-second!1
Where we live, it’s about 25 feet deep in the central channel at low tide, and the banks drain to mud flats. I can see clam diggers from my desk most days at low tide. Because the mud is rich in clay, there was a booming industry of brick-making along the river throughout the 19th century. Several places along the shore are littered with bricks that cracked or twisted in the kilns and were discarded on the beach. We pass by Brick Kiln Road and Brickyard Cove on the way to our house. The other big industry in town was ship-building. Four- and five-masted schooners were built here and sailed down the river to the ocean.
Main Street comprises a three- or four-hundred yard stretch of businesses and shops, most of which are housed in 19th-century brick buildings. It’s quite a bit more crowded in the summer than in the winter, but the town has been able to maintain its historic flavor. (Last winter, in order to prevent Wal-Mart from opening a store here, the Town Meeting voted a size cap for commercial buildings that allows a typical supermarket, but nothing larger.) You can buy T-shirts with a seagull or a fish and the name of the town, but there’s no saltwater taffy shop and no miniature golf course.
Recently a local gallery hosted an art festival that concluded with a solo cello recital—three of Bach’s unaccompanied suites played by a friend of ours. My wife and I were pleased with the performance—a well-conceived and presented reading of that magnificent music. But there was a problem with communication. There was no printed program. The performer told us that he would play three suites and each suite has six movements, so we could count on our fingers and know when to applaud, but lacking the names of the movements the astute listener had no chance to deduce the difference between a Courante, a Sarabande, and an Allemande (are they dried fruits?). He gave brief spoken notes in which he compared the three suites he was playing with the other three—meaningless to an audience of laypeople. And he referred to his own scholarship in oblique terms—also meaningless. After the recital, my wife and I were chatting with him (they served champagne and strawberries dipped in chocolate) about his approach to the music. He talked about different styles of Allemandes, one of which involves a given number of couples with an extra single man, something like a game of Musical Chairs. Apparently, some of the suites were written following the death of Bach’s first wife. How fascinating that the Allemande included a figurative odd-man-out. I bet that everyone in the audience would have loved to hear that.
What do we say about what we play? How do we share the mystery, the excitement, the playfulness, the pathos of our music? How do we communicate our relationship with our instrument and its music to the listeners on whom we depend so much? Here are some rhetorical questions that come from my own experience as a concert presenter and a better-than-average informed listener of organ music. I invite you readers (as important to me as the audience at a recital) to reflect:

• How often have we given knowing chuckles or annoyed glances when a well-meaning, even enthusiastic concertgoer applauds between the Prelude and the Fugue?
• How often have we addressed an audience using organ-only jargon? “ . . . and then I will add the Fourniture and Cymbal to emphasize . . . ”
• How often have we addressed audiences with implied assumptions? “ . . . and of course you know that Herr Scheidemann . . . ”
• How often have we played chorale settings with German titles as Sunday-morning preludes without offering translation or explanation to the congregation? “Doesn’t everyone at the First Baptist Church know that you have to play Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland on the First Sunday of Advent?” Balbastre’s settings of traditional French carols are as much a part of Christmas to me as eggnog and ribbon candy, but it’s not fair to assume that everyone in pews has the same reaction.
• How many recitals have we programmed according to historic progression and accuracy without considering the audiences’ appreciation and enlightenment?

Any of these scenarios (except perhaps the first) are appropriate for a university graduate recital or a recital at an AGO convention. But consider the old saw, “preaching to the choir.” In my practical experience, the choir does not necessarily agree with the preaching. If we assume too much in front of any audience, that audience’s first perception will be that the performer is aloof, even arrogant. I am fortunate to know many brilliant organists. Some are flamboyant, some are quiet and reserved, but every one of them has a powerful ego that makes it possible for them to perform. Playing any musical instrument well is a marvelous skill, and many of your audience members will be impressed, dazzled, and mystified by what you do. But they will appreciate the experience of hearing you play so much more if you let them in on the joke or relate the music and the historic figures around it to real life. Any concertgoer knows that Bach was a great composer. But how many know that he imbedded coded names (his own and those of family members) in his music? (Thanks to the vast success of The Da Vinci Code, audiences are really interested in codes these days.) How many know that he was a fiery guy who stood up to the City Council in Leipzig (his employers) and got in trouble?
Recently James Levine added the musical directorship of the Boston Symphony Orchestra to his portfolio of responsibilities. (If you were leading the Metropolitan Opera wouldn’t you be looking for something else to do in your spare time?) He entered the scene in Boston without a trace of a suggestion that he was fitting his new job into the interstices of his life. It didn’t take long for the orchestra’s players to renegotiate their contract to allow for higher pay for the concerts Levine conducts because the rehearsal schedule and the music they are playing are so much more demanding. The orchestra’s Board of Trustees created a new endowment to pay for that. Mr. Levine is well-known for his love of contemporary music, and he has been challenging the audience with many complicated pieces that are, shall we say, less easy to hear and understand than the more traditional fare of symphonies by Brahms, Mozart, and Beethoven. Last season featured a series of concerts that contrasted and compared the music of Beethoven and Schoenberg. Schoenberg can be tough going for the average concertgoer. (In fact friends of ours gave us the chance to take over their choice subscription seats because they’d had enough of the modern music.) But presumably under Levine’s influence, the BSO created an elaborate and extensive museum-quality display of the life and work of Arnold Schoenberg. It was located in one of the large second-floor public rooms (no doubt at the sacrifice of considerable bar revenue) where the audience could view it before and after concerts and during intermission. It included biographical information and photos of Schoenberg with wives, family, and friends, even playing tennis, as well as reproductions of autograph scores and Schoenberg’s paintings. The display was effective at introducing us to Schoenberg as a man, informing us so as to allow us to appreciate the music from a wide platform of understanding. Program notes described musical motives and gave keys as to how the audience could follow the “story” and know specifically what the composer had in mind. Wonderful.
I know well from my travels that many people consider the pipe organ to be a hold-over from an earlier time. It is often and widely perceived as archaic, antediluvian, or eccentric. If we are not careful, if we fail to be good stewards and ambassadors of our instrument, that perception could become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We as educated and experienced lovers and practitioners of the organ must present the organ as a vital and integrated part of modern life. Offering concerts in the interest of the preservation of antiquity is both well and good (old music and old organs). But as we encourage congregations and concert halls to purchase pipe organs whose prices startle and amaze, we must present the organ and its music so as to raise the appreciation, awareness, and understanding of our audiences, and encourage their proselytizing. We must conscript the audience, not alienate it. The audience that goes home from a concert pleased and proud of its newly acquired knowledge will be more likely to come back than the audience that leaves a hall bewildered and excluded by the erudition of the performer.
Another old saw: “A rising tide floats all boats.” Bring your audience up to your level and everyone will be happy.
As I started with a river theme, so I’ll close with one. The Methuen Memorial Music Hall in Methuen, Massachusetts is a facility unique to American life, located on the shore of the Spicket River, a tributary of the Merrimack, which is a grand river meandering through New Hampshire and Massachusetts to the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport, Massachusetts. Methuen resident and amateur organist and enthusiast Edward Francis Searles (1841–1920) started life in the fabric and interior design business and later had the immense good fortune of marrying Mary Frances Sherwood Hopkins, the widow of railroad magnate Mark Hopkins. The couple shared a deep interest in architecture and design until her death in 1891, when Mr. Searles inherited an immense fortune. In 1899 he acted on his love of the pipe organ, his love of architecture, and his wife’s fortune by commissioning Henry Vaughan (brilliant architect, famous for the design of many fabulous church buildings, notably the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.) to design a hall for the monumental organ built by E. F. Walcker of Ludwigsburg, Germany, built for and subsequently rejected by the Boston Music Hall. Mr. Searles bought the instrument from storage at auction for $1500, established a resident organbuilding firm, installed the organ in the hall, and began its long-term renovation.
Organbuilder Ernest Skinner owned the building and the organ between 1931 and 1942, operated his company in the adjoining workshop, and presented concerts to the public including major choral works and recitals by the organ virtuosi of the day such as Marcel Dupré, Lynnwood Farnam, and E. Power Biggs. In 1946, the building and organ were acquired by a new charitable corporation created to operate the hall as a cultural center. Following several earlier periods of rebuilding and alteration, the organ was substantially rebuilt by Aeolian-Skinner in 1947 (Opus 1103), leaving little of the original character intact.2
There is no other experience in America like entering this building. The ornate Rococo interior is dominated by what must be one of the most massive, famous, and photogenic organ cases in the world. The trustees of the Methuen Memorial Music Hall (MMMH) present an annual series of Wednesday night organ recitals. You can learn more about the hall, the organ, the organization, and the recital series at their website: .
 

The show must go on.

During the week of May 21, 2006, New England experienced torrential and seemingly continuous rainstorms, and many areas suffered severe flooding—so severe that friends from Europe called to check in after seeing TV news reports about Methuen. By Monday, May 22, the water had risen above the top of the organ blower of the Methuen organ. (I’m told that the high-water mark is well up on the rubber-cloth sleeve above the blower!) The season’s opening concert (May 24) was cancelled and those scheduled for May 31 and June 7 were much in doubt, but with heroic efforts from trustees and the people of the Andover Organ Company (especially Robert Reich), the blower was dismantled and dried out, rectifiers repaired, and the organ was ready to play on Monday, May 29. Margaret Angelini (Dean of the Boston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists) was the scheduled recitalist for the 31st. She was gamely waiting in the wings not knowing if the organ would be ready, and of course losing most of her scheduled practice time! But the show must go on. A large and enthusiastic audience was on hand to hear a wonderful recital.
Though the organ is up and running and the recital series is continuing, there is a great deal of restorative work still to do. The trustees of the MMMH published this notice on their website:

We are back in operation!!!
The trustees and program committee of the Methuen Memorial Music Hall are pleased to inform you that we are resuming the 2006 summer recital series with the concert on May 31.
Please understand that the magnitude of the flood caused severe damage to the basement of the Hall, the organ blower, electrical systems and interior walls. We continue our recovery efforts. If you would like to make a donation in any amount to help us, it would be greatly appreciated. Contributions may be sent to:

Flood Recovery Fund
Methuen Memorial Music Hall, Inc. c/o Elaine M. Morissette
10 Overlook Drive
Methuen, Massachusetts 01844-2372

In tribute to this marvelous landmark of American culture, the people who care for it, and at the risk of offending the men and women of the United States Navy as I exercise my First Amendment right of free speech, I offer these words to be sung to Melita (the Navy Hymn):

Aeoli’n-Skinner, foreign made, your blower gurgles ’neath the waves.
We bid the mighty Merrimack, recede, dry out, and ne’er come back.
Oh hear us as we try to see the way to keep you mildew free.

Aeoli’n-Skinner, wide admired, your sounds for years have us inspired.
We feared you might not sing again—the forecast only told of rain.
Now Diapasons’ moistened breath show how you have forsaken death.

Aeoli’n-Skinner, grand encased, the flood has threatened, now effaced.
The waves now flow between the banks, our colleagues offer hymns of thanks.
The basement will be freed of mud, the Spicket’s spigot tames the flood.

 

Cover feature

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A. E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company, Lithonia, Georgia
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall. The levee system failed, and over 80% of New Orleans was flooded. For weeks, portions of the city remained under water, with heat and moisture completing the destructive cycle that Katrina began. While waiting for the water to dissipate, we knew that the damage to persons and property would be immense.
Our firm was called by the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to evaluate and salvage the damaged instruments on the campus. Founded in 1917, the seminary sits on a 75-acre campus in the hardest-hit 9th Ward area of New Orleans. The Division of Church Music Ministries aims “to equip leaders for excellence in music ministry among Southern Baptists through performance, education, and technology.” Our charge was to assure that the musical resources were available for their mission.
What we found upon our arrival is perhaps best described by Seminary President Dr. Charles S. Kelly, Jr.:

Hurricane Katrina well and truly earned its designation as the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States. Our campus, like most of the city, was devastated. Our homes, many of our buildings, most of our grounds, and virtually all of our musical instruments were hit very, very, hard. The recovery process was long, difficult, and messy beyond anyone’s ability to describe. . . . What made our plight even more difficult was the massive damage to the rest of the campus and the severe losses sustained by our faculty, staff, and student families. The larger picture of what had to be done to reopen the campus and care for our families made allocation of the necessary dollars for the recovery of our lost and severely damaged instruments a very difficult thing to do.

Our work on the campus involved the protection and removal of many of the significant music instruments including multiple grand pianos, a harpsichord, and the 1954 Möller (III/27) and 1966 Aeolian-Skinner Opus 1468 (IV/38) pipe organs. Of prime concern was protecting the instruments to prevent further damage. In addition to water, the storm brought massive amounts of airborne contaminants into the instruments, and, with heat, mold.
The Möller organ, located in the Sellers Music Building Recital Hall, was damaged when the roof gave way, flooding the organ with thousands of gallons of water that passed through the two chambers and filled the pitman chests and winding system. When we arrived several weeks later and opened the chests, there was still a significant amount of water in the organ.
The Aeolian-Skinner was damaged when the 150-mile-per-hour winds blew out the window behind the organ. For hours on end, the outside became the inside as the storm vented its fury on the Skinner. As with the recital hall organ, we found water in the organ many weeks after the storm.
It was inevitable that there would be long and intense negotiations with insurance companies about the losses and rebuilding. The enormity of Katrina simply overwhelmed insurers. One could go on at length about the negotiations and the efforts and education that were required with the insurance companies. Suffice it to say that at one point the insurers appraised the older, smaller Möller at a greater amount than the larger, newer Aeolian-Skinner.
The Möller organ’s status was very clear cut because of the extreme damage to the chassis and its utilitarian design. The Aeolian-Skinner and its disposition was a thornier issue. The damage to the organ was severe, but with heroic measures it could have been restored. The problem was that a true restoration would involve tremendous expense that could exceed the organ’s replacement cost. The insurance company did not understand that if you replace the chests, swell box, some pipework, the winding system, and the console with new materials, the organ would cease to be Opus 1468. While we fought for funds for restoration, the client and our firm resolved that either the Skinner would be unaltered and restored without change, or if changes were required, that the resources would be folded into a new instrument. As negotiations concluded, funds available for the Skinner were not sufficient for a true restoration.
In addition to wide-ranging discussions about how the instruments would be used, we also traveled with Dr. Becky Lombard, professor of music theory and keyboard studies, to hear many of our recent instruments. We evaluated how these differing specifications might relate to the needs of the seminary and the church music program. From these visits it became apparent that we would build two distinctly different instruments.

Sellers Recital Hall (III/34)
The recital hall organ is used primarily for teaching and for literature performance. Space was limited, but we felt that the organ could be enlarged to provide additional resources not present in the 1954 instrument. With the performance of literature being the goal, choices had to be made about meeting the requirements of specific periods—yet the stoplist couldn’t be too era-specific.
The decision was made to design an instrument that could create the colors of all periods of music history. We also had to consider accompaniment of voice, both solo and choral. In this diminutive hall with seating for around 100, we had to create a rich, full palette without overwhelming the performer or listener. Tonally, the voicing is in a very clean, unforced style. There is crispness to registrations that will promote clean, articulate playing.
This organ had to be able to transform itself into any number of service instruments that the student might encounter in music ministry. The organ we designed is three manuals with 34 ranks of pipe resources. It is equally tempered to accommodate contemporary worship and use with piano accompaniment, and also offers full MIDI capability. This was the first instrument delivered to the campus.

Leavell Chapel (IV/83)
The chapel organ was designed with a different focus. While literature will be performed regularly, the organ’s role in service playing determined the overriding design. Each week chapel services are held and the organ is called on to support congregational singing and to accompany soloists. Collaborative performances with the organ and piano are quite common. The organ is also used to play for services with small numbers in the congregation and, at the end of each semester, for a “packed house” during graduation ceremonies, so a wide dynamic range was needed. The chapel is a cavernous space with seating for over 2000.
When the Aeolian-Skinner was installed, it had 38 ranks with “prepared for” Choir and Positiv divisions and additional Pedal and Great registers that were never added. The room had been acoustically altered from its 1966 incarnation, and the gently voiced Great and Swell on the Skinner did not have the presence required for this hall. Because of other uses of the chapel, the room had been softened with acoustically absorbent material, and this was to remain in place.
The new organ was conceived as a four-manual with Great, Swell, Choir, and Solo divisions. It is located on the central axis of the room on a shelf. The dimensions of this space are 36 feet wide and 18 feet deep.
It was important to the school that the room remain visually unaltered; so, the old façade and casework were restored. The Skinner 16′ Sub Principal was revoiced into a 16′ Violone for the Great division. The college wanted to leave the window at the rear of the organ, which was a concern thermally and acoustically. To overcome this problem, the new windows were designed as insulated units rated to resist a storm stronger than Katrina. We placed the enclosed expression boxes across the rear span of the space with inward partitions to provide our own back chamber wall. With a height of over 16 feet, the expression boxes provide a forward focus for the organ in addition to the needed thermal barrier, while still allowing light through the windows above the organ.
In designing the specification and scaling, I wanted to provide the resources that would allow the performer a vast array of color and weight, suitable for any repertoire. The organ was built with the classical underpinnings of principal, flute, and reed chorus structure to support classical and sacred repertoire; in a bow to Romanticism, I included elements of the American romantic or symphonic organ. This blending provides an instrument that would be evocative of early American Classicism, albeit with cleaner and more articulate flue choruses.
In concert with this eclectic tonal design, an expressive, floating Solo division was included. Included in this division are some of the rarer high-pressure stops, including French Horn, English Tuba, Solo Gamba and companion Celeste, and the hauntingly beautiful 8′ Philomela and 4′ Flauto Major.
We were able to retain about half of the Skinner resources, which were revoiced and rescaled for the new instrument. Some stops were either too damaged, or the material suspect, to consider their reuse. The original Skinner reeds were French in design and small-scaled. We felt that the size and acoustic of the chapel, in conjunction with the stoplist design, would be better served with English shallots, thicker tongues, and higher wind pressures. In addition to chorus reeds, the organ has a full battery of high wind pressure solo reeds that were duplexed in a floating Trompeteria division at multiple pitches with separate couplers.
In keeping with the accompanimental nature of the organ, each division is designed around an independent 8′-weighted principal chorus. The divisional choruses, while differing in color, are designed to be compounded as a unified whole. The mixtures in this instrument are pitched lower than what might be found in many contemporary instruments. Where additional treble ascendency is required, secondary higher-pitched mixtures were also included in each division, scaled and voiced to serve as a functional foil to the divisional chorus without stridency.
The strings and flutes in the expressive divisions are designed to build weightless accompaniment for choral work, or massed in support of romantic or transcription repertoire. The organ features a divided string division located among the Swell, Choir, and Solo divisions, to be compounded by means of couplers. Ever present, to be blended with this string chorus, is the 8′ Vox Humana, which has its own enclosure and tremulant.
With the exception of some 32′ Pedal registers and percussions, the organ does not include digital augmentation. We wanted the organ to stand on wind-blown resources. In support of this decision, we added an additional register to the Pedal—the independent 16′ Wood Open. Installed to the right and left of the center organ core and on 7½ inches of wind pressure, it provides a solid fundamental that is truly felt in the room.
Our experience in servicing instruments in this region has made us aware of the need for stability in the materials and action choices, due to the temperature extremes and constant humidity. The organ chest action is electro-pneumatic slider, with all reeds on electro-pneumatic unit action. The flue pipes and the reed pipes are thus on actions that maximize the speech characteristics of each type of pipe. This also allows the flues and reeds to be placed on differing wind pressures and tremulants. The wind is regulated with dual-curtain valve, spring and weighted reservoirs.
The wind pressures on this instrument vary from 4 to 18 inches. To control these resources, the expression boxes are built 1½ inches thick, with interlocking shades. Multiple motors are used on the shade fronts to allow a full dynamic gradation. The four-manual, drawknob console, built of mahogany and ebony, includes features such as multiple-level memory, transposer, Great/Choir manual transfer, piston sequencer, programmable crescendo and sforzando, record/playback capability, and MIDI.

Installation and voicing
The removal, building, and installation of these instruments were herculean tasks. It is an understatement to say that the staff of the Schlueter firm took up residence in New Orleans. I simply cannot give enough credit to the leadership of our senior organ builders Marc Conley, John Tanner, Rob Black, and Bud Taylor for the untold hours of travel and work that they put into these projects. Organ building cannot be achieved as the result of any one individual, but requires a skilled team. These individuals continue to exceed expectations in the creation of art.
From the outset, we decided that these two instruments would be voiced in the rooms, with the pipes arriving to the installation only prevoiced to allow full latitude with cut-ups and any required nicking. All of the samples were set in the chambers on their windchests and then the pipes were removed from the chambers. We brought a portable voicing machine and layout tables into spaces adjacent to the organ chambers to voice the pipes prior to their reinstallation in the chambers for final voicing and tonal finishing. Because of the size of these two projects, it was necessary to work as a team in tonal finishing, led by Daniel Angerstein, with the able assistance of John Tanner, Marc Conley, Bud Taylor, Kevin Cartwright, Lee Hendricks, and Gerald Schultz. As with so much of our previous work, I want to single out Dan and his contributions. In the many weeks of tonal finishing, he patiently brought forth the organs as they had been envisioned by the client and the builder.

Final thoughts
As we designed the two organs, it became clear that the organs that were desired could not be afforded by the school with the balance of their settlements. Over the years, we have been privileged to gift resources to churches. As owners, my father and I looked inward and decided that the importance of a continuing role of the organ in worship was a worthy cause. This required us to consider a donation, and without revealing the dollar value of our gifts, suffice it to say that there is a four-manual, 83-rank instrument where there had been a 38-rank instrument, and a 34-rank instrument where there had been a 27-rank instrument.
We would like to thank Dr. Charles Kelly, Dr. Becky Lombard, and Dr. Kenneth Gabrielse for their contributions and support during this project. Thanks also to our dedicated staff, listed on our website (www.pipe-organ.com).
Our tonal philosophy is to “build instruments that have warmth not at the expense of clarity, and clarity not at the expense of warmth, and to serve God in our efforts.” We pray that in future years our gifts endorse the importance of the organ in worship, and we hope that our instruments will plant the seeds of worship through music, for future students who pass through this institution.
—Arthur Schlueter III

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Leavell Chapel, four manuals, 83 ranks
GREAT – Manual II (unenclosed)
16′ Violone (73 pipes) (1–24 façade)
8′ First Open Diapason (Pedal)
8′ Second Open Diapason
8′ Principal (1–12 façade)
8′ Stille Principal (from Cornet)
8′ Violone (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Harmonic Flute (49 pipes)
(1–12 common bass)
8′ Bourdon
4′ Octave
4′ Diapason (Pedal ext, 12 pipes)
4′ Nachthorn
22⁄3′ Twelfth
2′ Super Octave
V Cornet TC
2′ Mixture VI
1′ Scharf IV
16′ Contre Trumpet (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Trumpet
8′ Tromba Heroique (Choir)
8′ English Tuba (Solo)
Tremolo
Gt/Gt 16′–Unison Off–4′
SWELL – Manual III (enclosed)
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Geigen Principal
8′ Rohr Gedeckt
8′ Viola de Gamba
8′ Voix Celeste
8′ Dolce
8′ Dolce Celeste (54 pipes)
4′ Principal
4′ Harmonic Flute
22⁄3′ Nazard
2′ Flageolet
13⁄5′ Tierce
22⁄3′ Plein Jeu V
1′ Klein Fourniture IV
16′ Contra Bassoon (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Trumpet
8′ Oboe
8′ Vox Humana
4′ Clairon
Tremolo
Sw/Sw 16′–Unison Off–4′
CHOIR – Manual I (enclosed)
16′ Gemshorn (ext, 12 notes)
8′ Principal
8′ Hohl Flute
8′ Gemshorn
8′ Gemshorn Celeste (49 pipes)
4′ Principal
4′ Koppel Flute
22⁄3′ Nasat
2′ Principal
13⁄5′ Terz
11⁄3′ Larigot
11⁄3′ Choral Mixture IV
8′ Clarinet
8′ Tromba Heroique (high pressure)
8′ English Tuba (Solo)
8′ Trompette En Chamade (Trompeteria)
Tremolo
Chimes (digital)
Harp (digital)
Zimbelstern (9 bells)
Ch/Ch 16′–Unison Off–4′
SOLO – Manual IV (enclosed)
8′ Philomela
8′ Gamba
8′ Gamba Celeste
4′ Flauto Major
8′ French Horn
8′ Tromba Heroique (Choir)
8′ English Tuba (high pressure)
Tremulant
Solo/Solo 16′–Unison Off–4′
TROMPETERIA – Manual IV
16′ Tromba Heroique (Choir)
8′ Tromba Heroique (Choir)
4′ Tromba Heroique (Choir)
16′ English Tuba (Solo)
8′ English Tuba (Solo)
4′ English Tuba (Solo)
8′ Trompette En Chamade (high pressure)
Trompeteria Unison Off
Trompeteria on Great
Trompeteria on Swell
Trompeteria on Choir
PEDAL
32′ Violone (digital)
32′ Bourdon (digital)
16′ Open Wood
16′ Principal (ext, 12 pipes)
16′ Violone (Great)
16′ Gemshorn (Choir)
16′ Subbass
16′ Lieblich Gedeckt (Swell)
8′ Octave Bass
8′ Violone (Great)
8′ Bass Flute (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Spitz Flute
4′ Choral Bass
4′ Nachthorn
22⁄3′ Mixture V
32′ Harmonics (wired cornet series)
32′ Contra Trombone (digital)
16′ Trombone (ext, 12 pipes, enclosed in Ch)
16′ Contre Trumpet (Great)
16′ Contra Bassoon (Swell)
8′ Tuba (Solo)
8′ Tromba (Choir)
8′ Trumpet (Great)
4′ Tromba Clarion (Choir)

Standard couplers and MIDI

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Sellers Recital Hall, three manuals, 34 ranks

GREAT
16′ Pommer (Choir)
8′ Gedeckt Pommer (Choir)
8′ Principal
8′ Bourdon
4′ Octave
4′ Nachthorn
4′ Gedeckt (Choir)
2′ Super Octave
11⁄3′ Fourniture IV
16′ Contre Trompette (Swell)
8′ Trompette (Swell)
8′ Clarinet (Choir)
8′ Festival Trumpet (Pedal)
Tremolo
Chimes
Great 4′

SWELL (expressive)
16′ Contra Viola (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Gedeckt
8′ Viola de Gambe
8′ Viola Celeste (49 pipes)
4′ Principal
4′ Spitzflute
22⁄3′ Nazard
2′ Blockflute
13⁄5′ Tierce
2′ Plein Jeu III–IV
16′ Basson-Hautbois (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Trompette
8′ Festival Trumpet (Pedal)
8′ Hautbois
4′ Hautbois (ext, 12 pipes)
Tremolo
Swell 16′–Unison Off–4′

CHOIR (expressive)
16′ Pommer
8′ Koppel Flute
8′ Viola
8′ Viole Dolce
8′ Viole Dolce Celeste TC
4′ Principal
4′ Gedeckt (ext, 24 pipes, from 16′)
2′ Gemshorn
11⁄3′ Larigot
8′ Clarinet
8′ Festival Trumpet (Pedal)
Celesta (digital)
Harp (digital)
Tremolo
Choir 16′–Unison Off–4′

PEDAL
32′ Bourdon (digital)
16′ Principal (digital)
16′ Contra Viola (Swell)
16′ Sub Bass
16′ Pommer (Choir)
8′ Principal
8′ Viola (Swell)
8′ Bourdon (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Gedeckt (Choir)
4′ Choral Bass (ext, 12 pipes)
4′ Bourdon (ext, 12 pipes)
4′ Viola (ext, 12 pipes)
32′ Posaune (digital)
16′ Contre Trompette (ext, 12 pipes)
16′ Hautbois (ext, 12 pipes)
8′ Trompette (Swell)
8′ Hautbois (Swell)
4′ Hautbois (Swell)
4′ Clarinet (Choir)

Standard couplers and MIDI

On a personal note
“New Orleans Spared”—Such was the erroneous headline of the newspaper in Savannah, Georgia, on the morning after Hurricane Katrina. At the time, the Schlueter firm was completing the organ at First Presbyterian Church in Savannah (featured in The Diapason, April 2006). My father, members of the installation crew, and I had stared anxiously at the news the previous evening and wondered about our friends in New Orleans and outlying areas. Our firm has worked in the aftermath of a number of major hurricanes and storms in recovery and restoration efforts. Unlike these other disasters, every day the situation in New Orleans grew steadily worse.
Almost exactly one year prior to Katrina, we had completed the rebuilding, relocation, and enlargement of the IV/74 instrument for the First Baptist Church in New Orleans. We made many acquaintances during this period, and through the Internet we were able to find many of our friends who had fled to other cities and states. We prepared for what would face us when the water receded and we could make our way into the city.
It was surreal as the shop vehicles were packed with our own stores of food, water, fuel and medicine for the trip. As we neared the Gulf Coast, the sheer enormity of the disaster began to unfold. We crossed Lake Pontchartrain’s 24-mile causeway on a road that had been reduced to a single lane, following the collapse of entire spans of the eastbound lanes. As we arrived in the evening, the scene before us was a macabre black hole that enveloped the city. From the elevated roadway, the marginally lit downtown of New Orleans was surrounded by a dark, lightless void for miles and miles, indicating the extent of the flooding. We arrived in the city under martial law, and had to learn the intricacies of identification and going through armed checkpoints.
With the daylight, the enormity of the flood was overwhelming. Driving into the 9th Ward, you could see watermarks that were many feet over one’s head. Homes, businesses, and structures sported the hieroglyphics of spray paint, with X’s, O’s and slashes to indicate that the structures had been searched and what had been found. Traveling around places once familiar, we found abandoned cars, collapsed buildings, and most distressingly, an absence of life. When we talked with people we knew and asked what we could do, the answer was always the same, “Pray for us.”
In the ensuing months that stretched out over two years for the three instruments we worked on, we became emotionally involved with the city and its people. We came to New Orleans to work on behalf of the First Baptist Church of New Orleans and the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and to restore part of their community. When we visit today, there are still signs of Katrina that only the passage of time will erase, but undeniable is the resilience of the people as they seek to rebuild their community. It is our hope that our response to Katrina on behalf of this community exemplifies “laborare est orare.”
—Arthur Schlueter III

 

 

The Organ Historical Society Fiftieth Anniversary Convention (part 1)

June 25–30, 2006, Saratoga Springs, New York

Frank G. Rippl

Frank Rippl is a graduate of Lawrence University Conservatory of Music where he studied with Miriam Clapp Duncan and Wolfgang Rübsam. He is co-founder of The Appleton Boychoir, coordinator of the Lunchtime Organ Recital Series in the Appleton, Wisconsin area, and has been organist/choirmaster at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Appleton for 35 years

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In the months leading up to the Organ Historical Society’s Fiftieth Anniversary National Convention, the question on everyone’s mind was “Could it live up to the level of advance excitement it was generating?” The OHS magazine, The Tracker, had published its usual pre-convention issue with mouthwatering photos of the organs and venues—pictures by Victor Hoyt and Stephen Pinel that made one fall in love with the organ all over again. There were articles and ads in the professional journals touting the instruments to be visited, not the least of which was the historic 3-manual Odell organ from 1882, the oldest large and unaltered concert hall organ in America—an instrument not heard in decades. There was the outstanding roster of performers, the beauty of New York State, the festive banquets, the cruise on Lake George, and on it went.
By the final evening, the answer was an exultant and resounding “Yes!” Convention chairman Stephen Pinel and his committee truly outdid themselves. One of the biggest surprises was the huge, lavishly illustrated and annotated 250-page, 81⁄2" x 11" convention 2006 Organ Atlas (which replaced the traditional, smaller Organ Handbook we were accustomed to seeing each year), detailing the instruments, the venues and their cities. This major document of the organs of the Albany area will be of invaluable service to historians. It represents an extraordinary amount of painstaking research by Jonathan Ambrosino, editor; Alfred V. Fedak, Scot L. Huntington, Len Levasseur, and Stephen L. Pinel. With this distinguished book, the OHS arrives at one of those new plateaus founding member Barbara Owen spoke of in her opening address. This was an exceptional convention worthy of a fiftieth anniversary. They called it “Coming Home.”
This review includes many fine photos of the convention instruments; more photos can be seen at the OHS website , which has links to previous conventions and to the daily convention programs.

Sunday, June 25

In her opening address, founder Barbara Owen recalled the old days and highlighted milestone events along the way. She especially noted the OHS Archives—now an outstanding and unique international resource. Owen said that the OHS at fifty (“middle aged”) should, like the god Janus, look both forward and backward, but should also look inward to draw upon the strengths of each member.
The first concert took place at the 1885 Round Lake Auditorium, preceded by an outdoor dinner of chicken barbecue, a local specialty. The concert featured the famous 3-manual Davis & Ferris organ (1874), originally built for Calvary Episcopal Church in New York City, and moved to Round Lake in 1888. With its sturdy gothic case and stopknobs arranged in the shape of a cross, it sits high at the back of the stage in this large shed-like building festooned with colorful paper lanterns. Chairman Pinel presented Edna Van Duzee Walter with a plaque honoring her 40 years of volunteer service caring for and promoting this historic instrument. The 2006 Organ Atlas states that “It is the only large American-made, three-manual organ from the pre-1850 period to survive in nearly intact condition.”
Organist Antonius Bittmann and the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra led by Mark Trautman offered an evening of Rheinberger. Bittmann opened with the Sonata No. 12 in D-flat, and from the first low D-flat in the pedal, it was clear that we were in the presence of an extraordinary musical instrument. Its full, broad scale filled the room with a gentle tone from a quieter, less clamorous time. Especially effective was the second movement’s use of the sweet flute sounds. The third movement, Introduction and Fugue, featured the principals and reeds and made one long for the sounds of other large instruments from that period that no longer exist. After intermission, we were summoned back to our seats by the ringing of the auditorium’s tower bell for the Concerto in G minor for organ and orchestra. This is a splendid work with soaring French horn lines and beautiful writing. The conductor led the fine orchestra and the organ with just the right blend of sweep and precision—a wonderful beginning to a week of music.

Monday, June 26

The day began at 8:00 a.m. in pouring rain. Rain was to be the uninvited guest at this convention; there would be some historic and heavy flooding throughout the area. However, enthusiasm and spirits were on the sunny side as we embarked on a two-hour bus ride out into the lovely countryside of the Mohawk River Valley to visit James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking region of New York state, beginning in Richfield Springs and Cooperstown, before ending the day in Albany.
My group began at Church of Christ Uniting in Richfield Springs with a recital by Michael J. Diorio on the 1896 Farrand & Votey organ. The twin cases that flank the altar, plus other sanctuary furniture, were all designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Unfortunately, they are lit nowadays with long fluorescent tubes in the ceiling, but the craftsmanship of the delicately carved casework is superb. Diorio’s recital gave a good tour of this instrument’s resources, programming that OHSers always appreciate. He is a fine and spirited player who earned his doctorate in organ just two weeks earlier. Particularly effective were the Adagio für die Orgel by Julius Reubke and Adagio espressivo from Sonata No. 2 by Rheinberger, which he performed with quiet tenderness.
At St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richfield Springs we heard the 1887 Hook & Hastings (photo p. 27) played by Donald K. Fellows, organist at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Pittsburgh, who announced each of his registrations. The St. John’s organ stands to the right of the altar in this intimate church. The façade pipes are painted in shades of blue, red and tan with gold trim. Each stop fills the room perfectly and confidently. Fellows used the flute stops to great effect in selections from Haydn’s charming Pieces for a Flute Clock. George Shearing’s Chorale Prelude on There Is a Happy Land showed a variety of sound including the gentle Oboe and the rich and enveloping Great chorus. There is a wonderful warmth about the building and the organ. Shades of blue dominate.
We drove to Cooperstown, along the way passing the grounds of Glimmerglass Opera and Lake Otsego. After a brief visit to the Farmer’s Museum, a collection of historic structures, we went to lunch in the Old World elegance of the Otesaga Hotel. The buffet was served on the veranda with its stunning view of Lake Otsego.
We then returned to the museum where, in a gentle rain, we toured the various buildings—avoiding puddles and observing wool spinners, blacksmiths and the like, before visiting the former Cornwallville United Methodist Church to hear the 1849 Giles Beach organ played by Eugene Roan with John Burkhalter, English flute. They presented a pleasant musicale of mostly American music from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The gentle and sweet tones of the instruments in the historic church building evoked the period of this charming literature quite nicely. We would hear several organs by Gloversville, New York builder Giles Beach at the convention—this tiny one-manual, four-stop instrument was the smallest. Beach built some 100 organs, of which only six survive.
We then drove to Albany. Following dinner at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (we ate very well all week!), we took a magical stroll to All Saints’ Cathedral, passing some of Albany’s magnificent buildings, including the splendid State Capitol building and City Hall, both by Henry Hobson Richardson. City Hall boasts a 49-bell carillon, and carillonneur Charles Semowich provided glorious “traveling music” as we walked to the cathedral.
Dedicated in 1888, Albany’s All Saints Episcopal Cathedral is one of America’s great gothic churches. At 330 feet long and 100 feet high, it is a most impressive monument. In 1900, Austin built a fine 4-manual instrument, and the organ was enlarged in 1904 when transepts were completed for the cathedral. By all accounts it was a magnificent organ. In 1956 it was greatly altered by the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, changed to reflect the American Classic style. It was changed again by Austin in 1963, and in 1986 a gallery antiphonal was added incorporating a Trompette-en-Chamade (photo p. 27).
Joan Lippincott’s large and ambitious program began with the hymn “Ancient of Days” to the tune Albany. She then played Fanfare and Fugue by Ned Rorem, which announced itself on the powerful west end Trompette-en-Chamade. Next, Bach’s Passacaglia & Fugue gave us a tour of the principal choruses. Her playing was, as always, clean, robust, and spirited; each musical line was clearly delineated. The first half ended with a brilliant reading of Mozart’s Fantasy in F Minor, in which we heard some of the quiet and gentle sounds of the organ.
Following intermission, Miss Lippincott returned to play another fanfare: Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland. I was seated in the crossing and greatly enjoyed the surround-sound effect of trumpets at east and west ends. The grand acoustics of the cathedral added to the impact of her deeply felt and spectacular performance. She then launched into one of the 20th-century’s greatest organ works: Jehan Alain’s Trois Danses. From my seat in the crossing, I could enjoy the various reed sounds bouncing now from north to south, or triforium to triforium as she used the divisions above both sides of the choir. Lippincott projected all the spirit of the dances dovetailed with the sense of melancholy and fate that pervades all of Jehan Alain’s music. To glorious effect she had reserved the evening’s first use of the 32' reed for the middle of the second Danse—the impact was staggering. The final movement (Struggles) showed why this great performer’s muscular and riveting playing is so admired. Lippincott ended with the Liszt Prelude and Fugue on B.A.C.H., a piece made for a room like All Saints Cathedral.
And that was just the first full day!

Tuesday, June 27

The day dawned sunny and clear. On this day 50 years ago, the OHS was founded, and on this day six years ago, Westminster Presbyterian Church, a red brick church on Albany’s Capitol Hill, signed a contract with the Austin Organ Company to rebuild their 3-manual 1930 E. M. Skinner organ, Opus 780. But there is a great story here. By the 1970s the Skinner needed cleaning, releathering and some renovations. Instead of doing that routine work, the church decided to spend the money on what was then a state-of-the-art electronic substitute. Thomas and Ann Older, members of the church, bought the Skinner for one dollar, and had it installed in their home where it would stay safely for the next 25 years. By 2001, the electronic was ancient and experiencing some very public embarrassing moments. The Olders graciously offered to return the Skinner to a grateful church; Austin rebuilt it, adding an antiphonal organ (in a case designed by Stephen Bicknell) with tonal finishing by Scot L. Huntington. We heard it in a very fine concert by Professor Thomas Murray of Yale University—a longtime champion of historic American organs and no stranger to the organs of Ernest Skinner.
He began with Handel’s Organ Concerto in F, op. 4, no. 4, using the antiphonal organ (which stands above the main door to the church) as the “organ,” and the main part of the instrument in the chancel as the “orchestra.” It was very effective, and the playing was clear and fine. His final piece was Duruflé’s Prelude, Adagio et Chorale varié, op. 4. I sat in the front row so that I could observe his legendary console technique—he did not disappoint. Murray’s sense of color and melodic line was a thing to behold and to hear. He made the most of the gorgeous resources of this wonderful instrument. In the final section of variations on Veni Creator (has there every been a finer harmonization of that marvelous tune?), he gradually opened the Skinner in all of its glory.
This organ exists today as a triumphant vindication of all the things for which the OHS stands: that there is great organ building in every age, and that we only need to regard current fashion as transient; we ignore the greatness of previous ages at our peril; and the lack of a clear-eyed and clear-eared vision dooms us to mediocrity. This was a great recital on a great organ!
We boarded the buses for our next event. Everyone enjoyed the architecture of this historic city as we made our way to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for a recital by Stephen Schnurr, chairman of the 2002 OHS convention in Chicago and co-author of Pipe Organs of Chicago. St. Paul’s was established in 1827, but worships in a new church completed in 1966—a white building with windows in a “sawtooth” pattern, à la the new Coventry Cathedral, which throws light upon the altar. The 3-manual Casavant organ stands behind the altar on a high platform. A delicate and stunning metal screen separates it from the altar. The sound is clear and fine in the church’s resonant acoustic, and it is an elegant example of the best organ building from its period.
The concert featured mostly Baroque music. In the Bruhns Praeludium in E Minor and the Sweelinck Variations on Mein Junges Leben hat ein End’ we heard the sparkling flues and the Dulzian, Krumhorn, Ranket and Schalmei stops—so popular in the 1960s—as well as the trumpets. In Bach’s Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 720, we heard the Sesquialtera against the Dulzian 16'—a fine OHS demonstration of an organ’s tonal variety! Schnurr next played the Bach/Vivaldi Concerto in D Minor, and I especially enjoyed the lovely flute stops in the slow movement. He closed with Gustav Merkel’s Sonata in D Minor, a four-hand piece in which he was joined on the bench by Derek Nickels. We heard the fine strings in the Adagio and enjoyed full organ at the end. A thoroughly satisfying program and performance!
We were served a box lunch at Peebles Island State Park located at the confluence of the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers, from which we could observe a lock on the Erie Canal. The OHS 2006 Organ Atlas reminded us on page 60 that “Many organs built by Erben, Hall & Labagh, Ferris and others were sent to their destinations in New York, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and to the rest of the Western Reserve through these locks . . . [making] New York State the organ building center of the U.S. until well after the Civil War.”
A short ride took us to United Church of Cohoes and our annual meeting, where we were introduced to the new executive director of the OHS, Daniel N. Colburn. Among other things, we learned of upcoming conventions: 2007 Indianapolis; 2008 Seattle; 2009 Cleveland. Sounds good to me! Daniel Schwandt, chairman of the Distinguished Service Award Committee, presented this year’s award to Edna Van Duzee Walter for her 40 years of significant and distinguished service to the Round Lake Auditorium organ and its concert series.
Following the meeting, Peter Edwin Krasinski, 2002 first prize winner of the AGO National Competition in Improvisation, demonstrated the 2-manual Giles Beach organ from 1866 with an improvisation in four movements on the hymn we sang: “Holy, Holy, Holy!” (Nicaea). I always enjoy hearing musical styles contemporary to our time played on historic instruments—thereby bringing the instruments out of the museum-type treatments we often give them. Krasinski is a gifted and versatile musician. His improvised tour of this fine and historic organ was most effective.
Our “free” evening began with an elegant cocktail reception sponsored by several organ builders in the gorgeous 1870 Canfield Casino in Saratoga’s Congress Park. The deliciously extravagant Victorian building is now a museum. Kelvin Hastie, secretary of the Organ Historical Trust of Australia, gave a lecture on Australian and New Zealand organs. It was a fascinating tour of those countries’ organ cultures complete with slides and sound samples.

Wednesday, June 28

The day began with heavy rain and ominous flood warnings. We went ahead with a full day in the country, even crossing over to Vermont. One of the great and endearing charms of an OHS convention is a day spent in little rural churches listening to small historic organs. A friend called it “Melodia and Dulciana day.”
My group went first to United Presbyterian Church in Shushan, New York, where Thomas Dressler demonstrated a lovely unaltered 1891 2-manual by Woodberry & Harris, Opus 92. As the now gentle rain fell outside and a passing train joined in with its own bells and whistles, we were enchanted by the organ’s lovely tone. The Melodia was especially good, but I really liked the fine Oboe. The Stopped Diapason on the Swell had a full, room-filling quality. Dressler played Percy Whitlock’s Folk Tune from Five Short Pieces showing many of the warm soft sounds of this treasure of an organ, and ended with a stirring performance of Jacques Lemmens’s Fanfare for Concert Use.
The bus I was on got lost (!) so I missed Grant Moss’s demonstration of the Johnson & Sons Opus 843 from 1896 at First Baptist Church, Manchester Center, Vermont. My apologies to Dr. Moss and to the First Baptist Church. I was told that it went very well. He performed Albert Bigollet’s Douze pièces pour orgue.
We went to lunch at the palatial Equinox Hotel in Manchester, Vermont—another yummy feast in historic Old World elegance. I remember well the OHS meals in the good old days served in church basements. The OHS has come a long way!
My group then went to the United Methodist Church, Rupert, Vermont, to hear their historic 2-manual Johnson & Son organ, Opus 629, built in 1884, demonstrated by Robert Barney. The church has wooden theatrical seats with elaborate wrought iron framing. The Johnson organ stands in a corner to the right of the altar. Barney provided a handout detailing his registrations. He began with Pilgrim’s Chorus by Richard Wagner, which allowed us to hear a build-up of sounds as he layered stop upon stop. It is always so enlightening to hear how much these marvelous old instruments, limited in the number of stops (13), can do. The tonal properties of a single open 8' stop in this period of organ building are amazing! Next, we heard an Andante by Henry Stephen Cutler on the 4' flutes—a lovely effect. In James Woodman’s Variations on “Fairest Lord Jesus” (St. Elizabeth), Barney made fine choices of stops, ending with the Open Diapason 8' (one of the best stops of the convention!). He concluded the program with Bach’s Sinfonia to Cantata 29.
The day’s final recital was in the attractive little Episcopal Church of St. Paul in Salem, New York. Paul Tegels, assistant professor of music and university organist at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, demonstrated the E. & G. G. Hook, Opus 189, from 1855. (Is it really fair for one church to have a Hook organ AND Tiffany windows? This one does. Bless them!) While we did not get to hear much in the way of individual stops, we did hear various combinations of sounds on this sweet-toned and genteel Hook. It had the unusual feature of an attractive balustrade across the front, which supported the façade pipes. Tegels performed the Passacaglia in D minor by Buxtehude as well as music by Vaughan Williams, Haydn, and a jolly march in F major by Guilmant.
The evening weather was perfect for cocktails and a delicious dinner aboard the large riverboat Le Lac du Sacrément, as we cruised the beautiful waters of Lake George. All 450 of us fit very comfortably on this fine ship where we celebrated Michael Barone’s birthday in style!

Thursday, June 29

The day dawned with word of severe flooding in many areas. Our buses had to make a few detours to avoid bridges that were out. At one point I saw a school with water up to the middle of the first floor windows.
My group went first to Christ Episcopal Church in Duanesburg, New York, to enjoy Derek E. Nickels’ brilliant recital on a tiny 3-stop organ by Augustus Backus from ca. 1850. This charming church, which resembles a New England meeting house, is the oldest ecclesiastical structure in the Diocese of Albany. The organ is quite soft spoken, but Nickels made the most of its extraordinary sweet tone. I especially admired his performance of Pachelbel’s partita on Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan.
We next visited Kingsboro Assembly of God in Gloversville, New York, to hear Sebastian Glück demonstrate the 1857 2-manual Giles Beach organ—the earliest known two-manual organ from the Beach shop. Before the concert Stephen Schnurr, chair of the OHS Historic Organ Citations Committee, presented the church’s minister with a Historic Organ Citation for its stewardship of the Beach organ. These citations are given in recognition of instruments of exceptional historic merit. Giles Beach, his father, and his grandfather were all members of this church, making this citation even more meaningful. As well as being a fine organ scholar and writer, Sebastian Glück is artistic and tonal director of Glück New York Pipe Organ Restorers and Builders, who prepared the Beach organ for this recital as it had become unplayable. It has a lovely, delicate quality we hear in so many instruments of this period. Glück’s program was well chosen for the instrument, which, unfortunately, must speak into a very dead acoustic. Especially good were three selections from Twelve Short Pieces by Samuel Wesley. We also heard some Bach, Mozart, Lefébure-Wély, and the third movement from Sonata in D Major by João de Sousa Carvalho.
There is very little to prepare one for St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Schenectady, New York. I confess that the picture I saw of this church in The Tracker played a huge role in my decision to come to the convention. Its style, which I named ‘Richardsonian Gothic’, is striking. The exterior of the 1904 building is all red stone with a tower on each of the four corners and a large dome/lantern tower over the crossing. The vast interior space boasts all-white walls covered in plaster carvings. There are images of 38 saints and 536 images of angels inside the building! The peak of the dome rises 230 feet above the floor. The seating is in a semicircle with a horseshoe balcony. The main floor is raked toward the altar, which stands beneath an enormous gothic arch. The 3-manual organ, also from 1904, by Hutchings-Votey, Opus 1510, stands in the balcony on the left side of the room. It is an intriguing instrument possessing a Saxophone 4' on the Choir. I was told that the organ needed quite a bit of work, so we did not hear very much of it. It had the usual solid sound one expects from Hutchings-Votey instruments, and what we did hear was quite fine. The demonstration was given by organist/composer Alfred V. Fedak, who did a very fine job showing us what was available. He played his own Variations on Pange Lingua as well as pieces by Litaize and Boëllmann. Our visit was all too brief; we left with the sincere hope that this organ will be restored.
A few blocks away found us at Proctor’s Theater and Arcade, which opened in 1927—one of those grand old 2700-seat movie palaces. The original Wurlitzer 3/15 Style F, Opus 1469, was sold in 1957. The present 3-manual instrument, another Wurlitzer, Opus 2157 (“Goldie”) from 1931, was originally built for the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, Illinois, and installed in Proctor’s in 1984. It has been much enlarged over the years, and is lovingly tended to by members of the American Theatre Organ Society. We had the great good fortune to hear the brilliant young American theatre organist Jelani Eddington perform a concert and accompany a silent movie. It was one of the major treats of the convention. He amazed us with his extraordinary skills, split-second stop changes, and color and shading in places most would never imagine. After playing several great American songs and pieces by Leroy Anderson (including a previously unpublished work for organ), he accompanied the Laurel and Hardy 1928 classic Liberty. Eddington’s playing was marvelously understated, which allowed the movie itself to shine, yet he followed each nuance and facial expression of the famous duo, always deferring to them and underlining their zany mayhem in continuous musical motion. He closed his program with Tchaikovsky’s Waltz from Swan Lake. A thundering ovation brought him back for a delightful encore, The Root Beer Rag by Billy Joel—firmly fixing the art of the theatre organ in the present and the future. An amazed audience made its happy way back to the buses.
The evening saw us back in Albany for another major recital: Diane Meredith Belcher on the 1931, 4-manual Casavant organ, Opus 1420, which stands in the rear gallery of St. James’ Catholic Church. St. James’ was completed in 1929. The organ is a glorious instrument, and except for a new Great mixture that Casavant installed in 1983, it is unaltered. Because of the flooding in the area, we did not arrive at the church until after dark. The church is famous for its many large stained glass windows. I hope to return there someday to see them.
Ms. Belcher possesses a formidable technique, and plays with great passion. Torrents of sound came cascading down upon us from the lofty balcony of this acoustically live church. She opened with an expansive and powerful performance of Brahms’s Praeludium und Fuge in a-moll; next, her own transcription of Bach’s Konzert für zwei Violinen in d-moll, BWV 1043, which I found to be quite successful. The pedal part of the Vivace is not for the faint of heart; however, she tossed it off with total control. The elegant Largo was a study in grace, while the Allegro was pure virtuosic dazzle! Belcher followed with Calvin Hampton’s spellbinding Lullaby from Suite No. 2. We heard the lush strings, flutes and soft reeds of this beautiful organ. She ended the first half with Dupré’s Prélude et fugue en sol mineur, op. 7, no. 3. The subdued prelude was followed by a truly thrilling and lightning-fast performance of the famous fugue culminating in full organ.
The second half began with the audience singing Tantum Ergo in Latin—a classy touch! Then followed Franck’s Grande Pièce Symphonique, op. 17. I confess that I’ve never been fond of this particular work—it seems to outstay its welcome—but I did appreciate that here room, organ, and player were well matched in a very good performance. Belcher then played her own transcription of Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte. We heard from the abundant variety of solo stops on this organ including a terrific and bold French Horn. For her final selection, she turned to George T. Thalben-Ball for his Variations on a theme of Paganini for pedals in a brilliant performance that received a long and clamorous standing ovation. (CONTINUE TO PART 2)

 

1932 Kimball Restoration by Reuter Organ Company—Minot State University

David Engen

David Engen holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Church Music, Magna cum Laude, from St. Olaf College (1971), Master of Arts in Organ Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa (1973), and Master of Science in Software Design and Development from the University of St. Thomas (1988). He is a Senior Manager in Sales and Marketing IT at Seagate Technology in Bloomington, Minnesota, and owns David Engen & Associates, Inc., maintainers of pipe organs in the Twin Cities area and western Wisconsin since 1983. He is a member of the Kimball Organ Steering Committee for the City of Minneapolis, contributes occasionally to various music journals, consults on organ design, and is webmaster for the Twin Cities Chapter of the American Guild of Organists ().

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Introduction
W. W. Kimball of Chicago emerged in the 1920s and 1930s as a major builder of quality pipe organs, both “classic” and “theatre” in style. [See R. E. Coleberd, “Three Kimball Pipe Organs in Missouri,” The Diapason, September 2000.] In 1932, Minot Teachers College (now Minot State University, <www.minotstateu.edu>) in Minot, North Dakota, installed a 22-rank Kimball designed by William H. Barnes in the college auditorium. A recent restoration by the Reuter Organ Company of Lawrence, Kansas, has given the organ a second life, and for the first time in over a decade the public can again hear this organ. It now serves as a practice and teaching organ for a new generation of students.

Minot in the 1920s
In the 1880s and 1890s, Minot hosted many gambling houses and saloons. By the 1920s, the city had built new churches, a hospital, established the college as a degree-granting institution, and formed many cultural organizations. By 1928 Minot ranked as one of the most prosperous cities in the country, based on business volume. The Great Northern “Empire Builder” began its Seattle-to-Chicago route in 1929, passing through Minot, and the Soo Line began its “Mountaineer” service between Vancouver and Chicago.
Between 1920 and 1930, Minot’s population increased from 10,476 to 16,099. Music and cultural organizations flourished. As early as 1909, the community presented a December performance of Handel’s Messiah. The Teachers College, known first as the Normal School, offered a music curriculum in 1919. In 1921, the community started a Schumann Club and a 40-member community band. Students from the college performed Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado in 1925. In the summer of 1926 a 150-voice community chorus inspired creation of a permanent Minot Community Chorus, directed by the college’s music department chair. The 60-voice chorus first performed in January 1927. The college orchestra of 52 members first performed in 1929.
The Normal School opened in 1913. Dr. George A. McFarland became president in 1922 at the age of 64 and ran the school until his death in 1938 at the age of 80. By 1924 the Normal School had become Minot State Teachers College and offered a BA degree in education. Old Main had been expanded with a new west wing just before Dr. McFarland began his tenure. By 1925, Old Main had a new north wing housing an auditorium and a gymnasium. The auditorium would later house the Kimball organ and be named for Dr. McFarland.

Purchase
In such a fertile cultural environment, the college and the community of Minot came together to fund the organ project. A $5 gift by Mrs. Emma Cotton in 1925, earmarked specifically for an organ in the new building, started the fund drive. In 1926 the faculty pledged $1300, followed by pledges from students and college organizations, but the total fell far short of the contract amount. The college realized they alone could not fund the $12,500 needed for an acceptable instrument for the auditorium, so they extended the campaign to the business community. As a railroad town, Minot had grown quickly and the business community was active and strong. Pledges reached $10,000, still short of the goal. A final push by the business community a few years after the 1929 stock market crash allowed the college to sign a contract with Kimball at the beginning of 1932. Harry Iverson, well known for organ service and installation in Minneapolis, installed the Kimball in May of that year. Designer William H. Barnes of Evanston, Illinois, dedicated it on June 9. Total project duration, from contract to dedication, was only five months!
At the dedication concert by Dr. Barnes, the following inscription appeared on the front of the dedication brochure:

The Gift Organ . . . is presented to The State Teachers College of Minot, by the Faculty, Alumni and Students of the college and their organizations, generously and appreciatively aided by and supported by citizens of the City of Minot.
In his program, Barnes commented about the tonal design of the organ. His program was as follows:

Grand Choeur Dialogué, Gigout
Reverie, Bonnet
Caprice Héroïque, Bonnet
Choral Improvisation, Karg-Elert
The Legend of the Mountain, Karg-Elert
Andante (Sixth Symphony), Tchaikovsky
Scherzo (First Sonata), James H. Rogers
Pantomime, de Falla
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, J. S. Bach
Prelude to Lohengrin, Wagner

No other news about the organ is readily available until the departure of the last college organist in 1995. Sixty years after installation, the organ was almost silent. It was rarely used until disassembly in preparation for the building restoration.
One wonders about a possible connection between this Kimball and its much larger cousin 500 miles closer to Chicago, the great Kimball installed in the Minneapolis Auditorium in 1928. Separated by only four years, the Minneapolis Kimball has 121 ranks—120 of them playable by the 5-manual “concert” console, and 26 of the unit ranks plus a Kinura playable by the 4-manual “theatre” console. That organ is in storage in the Minneapolis Convention Center, which replaced the old Auditorium, awaiting city funding for restoration. The tonal design of the Minneapolis organ is incredibly complete for an organ designed in the 1920s, with principal, reed, flute and string choruses throughout. Three full-length 32′ stops (Open Diapason, Contra Violone, Contra Bombarde) give the organ majestic weight. Flutes and strings provide a broad range of colors and volumes. Complete principal choruses form a sturdy backbone. Reeds cover the gamut, from soft and imitative to stupendous. Was this design influenced by the local church musicians who had formed the Minot chapter of the American Guild of Organists about a decade earlier, and most of whom had studied in Europe? Did Kimball learn anything while building this huge organ that they applied to the Minot project? We will never know, but the possible connections are intriguing.

Physical layout
The Minot auditorium is much like other theaters built during this era. The main floor and balcony seats face a stage with a proscenium arch and orchestra pit. The backstage area is small. Restrained décor frames the two pipe chambers that face the auditorium from the side walls, just outside the proscenium. One story above the stage floor, the triangular chambers speak directly into the hall. The large shutter openings hold a double height shutter front. Acoustics are typical of a modest-sized theater, having a “ring” but no distinct reverberation.
This layout is problematic for performances with a chorus on the stage due to the closeness of the chambers to the listeners, which make balance and coordination with the singers a challenge. Discussions to correct this problem included the possibility of sound openings added to the rear of the chambers, and/or possibly a positive organ, able to be controlled from the main console. Funds did not allow this issue to be resolved at the time of restoration.
The left chamber houses the Great/Choir pipes on two levels, with the Pedal 16′ Open Wood on offset chests around the perimeter. The Great, mostly on the lower chest, plays many of the Choir stops as well. The Choir stops and the Harp occupy the upper level.
The right chamber houses the Swell, again on two levels. The upper chest holds the unit stops—the trebles of the Bourdon/Chimney Flute and the Trumpet. Offsets of the 16′ Bourdon, the 16′ Trumpet and other 8′ basses line the perimeter. Below the 16′ Bourdon basses is the “Vox in a box,” with its own tremulant.
Both chambers are full of pipes. Reservoirs on the floor under the chests make access for servicing a challenge. There are many ladders and walk boards, so the pipes are easy to reach for tuning. Lighting is good.

The need for restoration
After 1995 when the last college organist left the university, visitors played the organ occasionally. When dismantled before the building restoration in 2002, it barely played since the damaged basement wind line restricted airflow. Windchest leather was still intact, although the exposed leather of the high-pressure reservoirs was not in good condition and failed shortly after arrival in Lawrence. Bear in mind the upper Midwest experiences huge temperature and humidity swings each season. Humidity ranges from as low as 5% in the winter to more than 90% in August. This exposed the wood and leather parts to a great deal of stress every year of their life. It is amazing to consider that after 60 years the organ still worked as well as it did. This is a testament to the quality of materials and workmanship of the Kimball Company.
Before his retirement, President Erik Shaar spearheaded a building restoration project, which included the organ. The organ committee selected several regional and national organ building and service companies as possible contractors. Five firms submitted bids, and the committee awarded the contract to the Reuter Organ Company of Lawrence, Kansas. A community and college organ committee, chaired by Dr. Doris Slaaten, Professor Emeritus of Business, undertook the fund-raising. A single pledge of $100,000 helped kick off the campaign—far more than the original $5 gift from Mrs. Cotton in 1925! The college renamed McFarland Hall to Ann Nicole Nelson Hall after a victim of the World Trade Center attack of 9/11.
With a decline in the rail industry, Minot has been reasonably successful in finding its fortune in other industries, including hosting a nearby Air Force base and persisting as a major regional shopping destination. While Minot remains a prosperous community of some 35,000, its once large and active churches, many of Scandinavian heritage, are today a shadow of their 1920s glory years. As found in many communities, large buildings built for large congregations with big choirs and active music programs are no longer filled for worship. In an attempt to recapture the crowds, many clergy have resorted to “modern ensembles” and “blended worship,” aiming at a new common denominator that theoretically attracts the young. The organ is often not part of the equation.
Interest in the pipe organ is thus waning in Minot as it is in many communities. The small community of organists, all of whom have made their primary living in other occupations, heroically came to the aid of the university’s Kimball and helped in the fund-raising.

Reuter today
In its 90-year history the Reuter Organ Company of Lawrence, Kansas (<www.reuterorgan.com&gt;) has grown from a regional firm to an industry-leading builder with a national presence. Like most of the major organ builders in the country, the Reuter shop, found less than an hour from Kansas City, is now managed by a new generation. Since the life cycle of a pipe organ is so long, changes in administration and philosophy of the builder do not show quickly on the national stage. This is true of Reuter, where Albert Neutel Jr. (“JR”) has recently taken over management from his father Albert Sr., who in turn had run the company following the long tenure of Franklin Mitchell. Reuter recently moved out of their downtown Lawrence building into a new shop at the north edge of Lawrence, home of the University of Kansas. The building was designed specifically for organ building. Raw materials arrive at the north end, all manner of manufacturing occurs in the middle, and assembly, testing and shipment occur at the south end. Some of the special features of the building are visible in the high assembly room near the shipping dock. There is a wood floor that allows the workers to screw organ parts in place. A gantry crane at the ceiling positions heavy parts anywhere in the room. Windows admit natural light. A balcony on two sides allows workers to move about without the need to assemble scaffolding. This room is large enough that several instruments could be undergoing assembly simultaneously.
There are many other features of the building worth noting. The large central shop includes space for making both wood and metal pipes, wind chests, casework, consoles, keyboards, and other small parts, as well as a large area devoted to pouch board assembly. Other rooms include the computer-controlled CNC router, metal casting, a large spray booth, drafting rooms, several voicing rooms isolated from shop noise, and executive offices and meeting rooms.
The Reuter crew makes almost all of their own parts. Through engineering and experimentation, the staff incorporates reliability and longevity into all of their components. Extensive testing of parts results in improvements based on scientific evidence and experiment. Rebuilds of older Reuters bring naturally aged parts through the shop. Where they find deficiencies of design in areas such as console construction, the staff can design in changes so future parts will be better and last longer.
Reuter is a small company with its roots in the heartland, and its people exhibit the common Midwestern traits of honesty and hard work. Their philosophy is inspired by the musical possibilities that present themselves with each project. They seek to build a solid and reliable product based on their own experiences with electro-pneumatic actions, yet informed by the benefits of computerized drafting and scientific inquiry. Some examples of this are:
• Adapting the Blackinton-style slider chest where suitable.
• Exclusive use of welded copper pipes (not soldered) rather than zinc where there is a possibility of pipe collapse during aging.
• A cleverly engineered solution for mounting horizontal trumpet pipes that encourages tuning stability.
• A method of “preplaying” keyboards during construction so keyboards will not need depth adjustment after installation.
• A redundant key contact that almost eliminates the possibility of dead notes caused by contact failure.
Over the decades, Reuter has built hundreds of organs in a wide range of acoustic settings. This experience has defined the pipe materials and scaling schemes. Most clients choosing to go the route of an electro-pneumatic instrument want the flexibility of a movable console, sub- and super-couplers, extensions and duplexing. Today, Reuter is creating both new instruments and rebuilding old ones.

Details of the restoration
This project was not a total historic restoration in the Organ Historical Society sense of the term. The OHS presents the following guidelines for restoration (last revised in 1986) on their website (<www.organsociety.org/html/historic/restore.html&gt;):
• In general, all extant original components should be preserved and properly repaired.
• Pipework should be carefully repaired by a professional pipemaker, replacements for missing pipes being made of the same material and construction details as the originals.
• Keyboards, stop controls, and other console components should be kept in, or restored to, their original condition.
• Pitman, ventil and other forms of tubular-pneumatic or electro-pneumatic wind chests should be restored using original techniques of design and construction and compatible materials and replacement parts.
• Original bellows, reservoirs, wind trunks, concussion bellows, and other components that determine the wind characteristics of any organ should always be retained and releathered.
• It is highly desirable that a restorer keep detailed records, measurements, photographs, etc. during the course of the restoration work.
Project organizers not only wanted to return the organ to like-new condition, but they also wanted a reliable instrument that will serve the current and future needs of the college. To that end, a genuine restoration was neither desirable nor practical. The console, for instance, was not salvageable. Reuter and the planners undertook the following, as detailed in the contract:

1. Releather all wind chests, including note pouches (1541), primaries (447), stop actions (15). (Reuter carefully reproduced leather thickness under OHS guidelines. All pouch springs were returned to their original notes. When winded there were no ciphers.)
2. Replace stop action connectors and all pitmans (903).
3. Releather Chime action.
4. Releather Harp action.
5. Releather expression motor power pneumatics (20) and primaries.
6. Releather tremolo motors (4).
7. Releather concussion bellows (4).
8. Replace all chest magnets (943).
9. Replace all tuning slides on metal flue stops with new stainless slides.
10. Repack all tuning stoppers on wood pipes.
11. Repair tuning scrolls on reed stops.
12. Make necessary repairs to any damaged pipes.
13. Provide miscellaneous replacements for missing pipes, made to match. (Only a few were missing.)
14. Clean and revoice all reed stops (5), with new tongues as needed. (In fact, the reeds were in such good condition after cleaning that they needed only minor changes.)
15. Clean all metal pipes.
16. Clean all wood pipes and parts and give all a new coat of lacquer.
17. Build a new 3-manual console with a movable platform and storage closet offstage.
18. New microprocessor solid-state switching and combination action.
19. New DC power supplies (organ, console).
20. At the suggestion of a consultant early in the project a digital 16′ extension for Choir Geigen Diapason notes 1–12 was proposed. (A new unit action replaced the straight action. Reuter retained the original action so it can be restored easily in the future if desired.)

A Reuter crew moved the many parts, already in storage, to the shop in Lawrence. There were no drawings of the layout, and none of the Reuter crew had ever seen the organ assembled in its Minot home. They undertook to reassemble everything and succeeded in figuring it out. The crew carefully measured everything, including the rise of the various bellows, before releathering. At the start of the work, plant manager Robert Vaughan told the crew that their charge was to restore all parts to like-new condition, in the style of the original Kimball work. It was not to be “Reuterized.” After cleaning, voicers checked the pipes and made only minor changes. Fortunately, the organ had suffered from “benign neglect” and was essentially as Kimball had left it.
The organ stands today in excellent condition. The clean pipes, with shiny tuning slides, look new. Even the wood pipes, with a new coat of lacquer, could be mistaken for new. New leather on all exposed reservoirs is clean and supple, and the key action is fast and crisp. The new console is beautiful and convenient to play. It has built-in wheels for movement to offstage storage, with just a few wires to connect to a convenient receptacle backstage. Reuter is justifiably proud of the result.
The restoration shows a few minor changes from the original tonal design. The biggest change was converting the 8′ Geigen Principal of the Choir from a straight stop into a unit stop, thus making it available at several pitches on both the Great and Choir. All parts from the original configuration are in storage, according to OHS guidelines, so it could be restored as a straight stop again in the future.

Rededication
Diane Bish played a dedication concert on October 19, 2004 to mark completion of the project. The well-received program adequately showcased the many colors in this small organ:

Now Thank We All Our God, Karg-Elert
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Bach
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, Bach
Bolero de Concert, Lefébure-Wély
Carillon de Westminster, Vierne
Jubilation Suite, Gordon Young
Three Hymn Improvisations, arr. Bish
Nimrod (“Enigma” Variations), Elgar
Toccata (Symphony V), Widor

In remarks and in the program text, the organ was presented to the community as complete.

Impressions
Kimball was one of the top builders of the era. Beautifully made pipes sit on a solid mechanism. It is no surprise, then, that this organ holds many lovely sounds.
The strings probably are the most satisfying to our ears today. The Salicional and its Celeste are gems, both of construction and of sound. The tapered Flute Dolce and its Celeste are ravishing in their beauty. Coming in third is the delicate Dulciana and its flat Unda Maris.
There are just a few flutes on this organ. Most interesting is the Choir Concert Flute, of Melodia form in the tenor range, but double length and over-blowing in the melodic range. It mimics the orchestral flute, yet its tone is mild. The round but delicate Swell Rohr Bourdon is the real workhorse, having to provide six pitches in the Swell. The true solo flute is the Doppel Flute of the Great.
There are eight diapasons of various pitches and scales. There is a principal chorus on the Great, with double 8′s, a 4′, and the original Grave Mixture now available as independent 2-2/3′ and 2′. There is no mixture in the organ. The Swell has its own 8′ as does the Choir. The Pedal has a 16′ Wood Diapason. Note in the original dedication program the scaling of some of the manual diapasons. Great Diapason I is scale 40, Swell Diapason is scale 42, and Great Diapason II is smaller at scale 44.
Five reeds occupy positions on all three manual divisions. The Swell Vox Humana and Choir Clarinet are soft and typical of the period. The Swell Corno d’Amour, in the shape of a trumpet, produces the sound of an oboe but with slightly more body. Perhaps because of its unification at three Swell pitches and three Pedal pitches, the large and dark Swell Trumpet dominates the organ.
Through no fault of Reuter, the organ is somewhat disappointing in the room. Reuter did, in fact, bring up the trebles of many ranks to even them out. This organ was designed to play period literature and transcriptions, but it simply isn’t big enough to move the volume of air in the room. A tubby Pedal Diapason, a refined but small Great Diapason chorus, and one dominating reed do not make much of an overwhelming impression in the room. At a recent performance of the Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony with the local orchestra, some listeners wondered when the organ was going to come in! This comment may have more to do with the Kimball orchestral voicing than with its effect in the room. A similar comment was heard following a performance of the same symphony by the Minnesota Orchestra with the 120-rank Minneapolis Auditorium Kimball, which had no problem making a big impression by itself!
Is it fair to criticize this organ from a 21st-century perspective for being something it was never intended to be? Probably not! It came out of the theatre organ era when the “classics” were largely transcriptions from the orchestral repertoire. Note the literature Barnes played at the first dedication, which included Tchaikovsky, de Falla and Wagner. Yet this is clearly not a theatre organ. Unlike its much larger brother in Minneapolis, there are no complete diapason and reed choruses, and unification provides most of the upperwork. It is a baby symphonic organ, not intended to be loud and not intended to perform what we now consider to be the classics of the organ literature. It came from a different philosophy—but it was built like a tank!
The rebirth of an organ department appears to be on the horizon (there are 3–4 beginners now), and the organ can serve admirably for teaching the basics of technique. Its lovely and subtle colors are appropriate for teaching and the fundamentals of trio playing, hymn playing and registration. Should the department grow, however, teaching the larger repertoire, organ history, and registration would be a challenge. The faculty would need to rely on the use of nearby (and larger) church organs. This idea is not new, and there are several large organs not far from the campus.

Conclusion
In spite of the Great Depression, the community leaders of Midwestern Minot made a major investment in their college in 1932. They could not see into the future where, just a few years later, teacher salaries would be cut by 40% and faculty would be required to live on campus. They had the foresight to acquire a top-quality organ, also built in the Midwest, which served for many decades before unavoidable wear required a restoration. The Reuter Organ Company we know today, founded just over a decade before the Kimball’s construction, is a company of individuals sharing a similar background. It seems fitting that time should bring the two together. Their meeting was mutually worthwhile: Reuter gained experience from one of the top organ builders of the early 20th century, and Minot got what is essentially a new organ. The community of Minot will be much richer for it.n

Thanks are due to Prof. Charles Dickson of Minot State University for his 1985 draft of “Minot History 1920–1940,” available on the Internet. Thanks also to Kari Files, Selmer Moen, and Gary Stenehjem for behind the scenes information about the project. Thanks also to the staff of Reuter, and especially to JR Neutel and Robert Vaughan who gave a detailed tour of the Reuter shop.

 

On the Road in Bach Country with Michael Barone

Pipedreams Organ Tour, April 21-May 3, 2002, Part 3

Mary Ann Dodd

Mary Ann Dodd is Colgate University Organist Emerita. Her lectures and performances have often featured the music of contemporary American composers. She is presently at work on a book about the life and times of organist Leonard Raver.

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Day 8

Altenburg

Monday morning dawned much sooner than some of us might have
wished. But here we were in Altenburg, seeing it for the first time by daylight.
Located on the Pleisse River in the northeastern corner of Thuringia, Altenburg
is a small, industrial city noted for its production of sewing machines and
playing cards and also for the fact that it fortuitously managed to escape the
Allied bombing in WW II. Its neighbors were not so lucky. But our destination
on this gray and chilly morning was the castle church and its famous
"Bach" organ. The castle dates back to the twelfth century and has
survived at least three fires and at least as many restorations. Today only the
tower and the chapel are open to the public. The original organ, built at the
end of the fifteenth century, had already undergone several renovations when
Gottfried Silbermann's advice was sought in the year 1733. A proposal for a new
instrument by the local Thuringian builder, Tobias Heinrich Gottfried Trost,
was accepted at that time. Trost, whose organ at Waltershausen we had visited
only a few days before, was a colleague and a good friend of Bach's, and we can
well imagine that Bach might have taken a lively interest in this instrument,
whose disposition does indeed seem to reflect many of Bach's ideas and
preferences regarding organ design. It is interesting to speculate on the fact
that somewhere along the way, two additions were made to the original
specification--a 32' posaune and a glockenspiel! Due to financial and technical
difficulties, the organ was not actually completed until 1739, at which time
Bach performed on the instrument and declared it an unqualified success. Also
of interest is the fact that Johann Ludwig Krebs, perhaps Bach's most famous
pupil, was court organist at Altenburg for a quarter of a century (1756-1780),
and it was for this instrument that his organ works were written. Helmut Werner
of the Eule firm was responsible for the recent restoration (1974-76) of this
important instrument.

The interior of the chapel, with its high, vaulted ceiling,
is breathtaking. The organ (II/39) sits high on the north wall, its shallow
case magnificently ornate with gilt and elaborate carving. The scene is
altogether one of quintessential "Baroquial" splendor. But by now we
had become somewhat inured to the sight of gorgeous castle interiors, and it is
the indescribable sound of this instrument that draws us in and wraps itself
around us. It is penetrating, yet gentle; bold, yet never brash. The plenum has
presence, but is never overpowering. There is gravitas aplenty, and the tierce
rank in the mixtures gives the full organ a reedy flavor. There is a
preponderance of 8' flue stops, and the strings really sound orchestral.
Organist Felix Friederich was on hand to greet us and to demonstrate the
instrument. There was open console time for those who wished to play.

I found myself reluctant to leave. Not only were we leaving Altenburg,
but also Thuringia. For the past three days, though we had traveled to several
cities and visited many organs, we had remained always within a rather
circumscribed area at the heart of Bach country. For me, musically, it had been
a landmark experience. The sights and sounds of Thuringia had altered forever
my perceptions and my understanding of Bach, the man, and his musical legacy.

Saxony

But now it was on to Saxony. Destination: Dresden. We had a
relatively long drive ahead of us--nearly two hours--and with his infallible
sense of timing, Michael seized this opportunity to let us get better
acquainted with our fellow passengers. Our bus was equipped with a good
portable microphone, which Michael and Sonja had been putting to excellent use
along the way. Now each of us was invited, as the spirit moved us, to take over
the microphone and share briefly something about ourselves and what had led us
to this time and place.

Everyone, indeed, had a story, the telling of which space
does not permit. But let me attempt a brief summary. There were perhaps only
six among us who had professional ties to the organ. There were, as one might
expect, a number of retired people. Some were seasoned travelers; others were
neophytes. Professions represented were many and various: organ builder,
physician, librarian, pastor, farmer, securities analyst, commodities trader,
tour guide, lawyer, restaurateur, academic administrator, engineer, computer
experts, and teachers. One among us had a famous name, being none other than
the son of Alexander Schreiner of Mormon Tabernacle renown. We hailed from
every corner of the country, from Alaska to California, to Florida, to Rhode
Island, and everywhere in between. Almost without exception, all were loyal
fans of Michael Barone and Pipedreams. Once begun, this "oral
history" project took on a life of its own and would continue, as
traveling time allowed, for the remainder of our trip.

Meissen

Our first stop along the way was the ancient city of Meissen
where we were scheduled to tour the famous porcelain factory and see and hear
the Meissen/Jehmlich organ, I/4, with pipes of porcelain. Meissen is a
picturesque city on the banks of the Elbe River, whose mix of medieval and
Gothic architecture attests to its more than one thousand years of history.
Since the thirteenth century, porcelain had been produced only in China. But in
1710, as a result of the research instigated by Augustus II, King of Poland and
elector of Saxony, the manufacture of white, European, hard porcelain was begun
in Albrechtsburg Castle, high atop a hill overlooking the town below. Later on,
in the nineteenth century, the operation was moved from the castle to the
Meissen factory, which we would be visiting today. A tour of the facility takes
perhaps an hour and a half, affording the visitor the opportunity to actually
observe the complex process of porcelain making at each step of the way from
the creation of the design to the finished product. The pièce de
résistance is a walk through the many showrooms of priceless pieces on
display. The Meissen factory has been, from the very beginning, a state-owned
business, drawing thousands of visitors annually from all over the world.

In 1730, and again in 1920, unsuccessful attempts had been
made to produce sounding organ pipes of porcelain. Since a porcelain pipe is
not adjustable, the technological problem is to find a way to position the lips
of the pipe accurately so as to enable the wind to set up an appropriate
vibrating air column. In the year 2000, success was finally achieved through
collaboration between Horst Jehmlich of the Jehmlich Orgelbau of Dresden and
Ludwig Zepner, porcelain designer and artistic director of the Meissen factory.
The instrument is undeniably a work of art. The case of the little Positiv is of
pearwood with porcelain door wings designed by the Meissen artist Christoph
Ciesielski. The twenty-two façade pipes are porcelain flutes at 2'pitch.
The organ is opus 1140 of the Jehmlich firm, one of the oldest organbuilding
firms in Germany. All involved in this project are justifiably proud of this
unique connection between porcelain and music.

Coswig

We had one more stop to make before we reached Dresden, and
that was the Alte Kirche in the town of Coswig. The church, whose newly
restored organ may well be the oldest in Saxony, celebrated its 500th
anniversary in 1997. The builder of the organ is not known, and the earliest
documentation is from 1735, the year it came to Coswig. It is thought to be
quite old, probably dating back to the seventeenth century. The organ, of one
manual and ten stops, had become quite dysfunctional by the end of the
nineteenth century. Since there were no funds to replace it with a new
instrument, the church made do with a harmonium. A slowly evolving restoration
project in the '30s was interrupted by the war, at which time all of the metal
pipes were taken. In 1989, at the time of the reunification, Christian
Wegscheider approached the authorities about the possibility of a restoration,
and the work was begun in 1992. Almost all of the pipes are new, and a
zimbelstern has been added. The keyboard has a short octave, and the hand
bellows date from 1531. The pipe shades and their decoration are from the
eighteenth century, and the instrument has been tuned in an early Baroque meantone.
The organ was back in its case in time for the 500th anniversary jubilee in
1997, and has been playable since 1998. It was demonstrated for us on this day
by the music director Volkmar Werner, who played a Pachelbel toccata followed
by sets of variations by Pachelbel and Sweelinck. Herr Werner thoughtfully
provided us with the organ specification as well as the registrations he used
to show off the rather amazing variety of delightful sounds. But I'm getting
ahead of myself.

From the outside, this late-Gothic structure, with its
rather massive tower and gated stone walls, seemed to me more suggestive of a
fortress than a house of worship. It is not a graceful structure, but rather
staunch, and stolid, and firmly rooted, as if serving notice that it has every
intention of standing unaltered for at least another five hundred years. When
one enters the church, it is indeed to step back in time. There is an aura of
decay, and the air itself seems to come from ages past. The walls are full of
cracks and peeling plaster. The ancient stone floor, dark, sturdy wooden pews,
and large multi-paned Gothic windows are neither warm nor welcoming, and are a
far cry from the golden splendor to which we had recently become accustomed.
The room is not large and seats perhaps 100 people. The ceiling is flat and
surprisingly low, and there is a small gallery running along the north and west
side which houses the organ. What seem to light the room from within and bring
it aglow with life and warmth are the extraordinary Gothic-style paintings on
the wooden panels of the ceiling and on the fronts of the gallery rails. They
are painted directly onto the wood and date from 1611. It was a space unlike
anything in my experience--a place of sanctity, diffuse with an eerie loveliness.
That this ancient organ with its mysterious origins should reside here seemed
most apt.

It was something of a jolt to leave this otherworldly place
and find ourselves once again in the real world. As we gathered to re-board our
bus, I was touched to take note of a World War I memorial, which had been
erected on the church grounds. It listed on five separate plaques the names of
the dead for each year from 1914 through 1918. Whether members of this church
or of the entire community, it was not clear, but I was surprised to see that
there were so very many of them.

Loschwitz

Back on the bus, we were rapidly approaching the city of
Dresden. But first we had one more stop to make in the suburb of Loschwitz,
where Michael had arranged for us to visit the Evangelical Church and its new
II/20 organ by Christian Wegscheider, whose restoration of the anonymous
Renaissance organ we had just visited in Coswig. The original organ and the
original church both dated back to the eighteenth century. The organ had been expanded
and altered in typical fashion over the years. And then, in 1945, both church
and organ were destroyed by a firebomb. The reconstruction of the church was
completed in 1994, and a new instrument has been built according to
eighteenth-century practice. Christian Wegscheider has incorporated design
elements, which reflect the work of Silbermann, Hildebrandt and Leibner, the
builder of the original organ. Parking turned out to be a bit problematical,
and we ended up leaving our bus on a residential side street across from a row
of neat and rather uniform houses. The houses were smallish, as were the lots,
and all were impeccably kept. Colorful gardens reflected loving care. This was
working-class suburbia, and one presumed that the owners were likely off in
Dresden earning their livelihood. And we too were on our way to Dresden and our
next adventure.

Dresden

We would spend the next two nights in Dresden, and during
that time we would see quite a bit of the city--some of it on foot, and much of
it by bus as we moved between various locations. Dresden is a manufacturing
city and a cultural center of more than half a million people, comparable
perhaps to Leipzig, though not quite so large. Like Leipzig, it too has a
history of many wars and occupations over the centuries. Long regarded by many
as one of the world's most beautiful cities, it has been an architectural
showplace, much of it the creation of Augustus the Strong, King of Poland, who
ruled in the eighteenth century. It is a city of museums and palaces. Among the
most famous buildings are the Semper Oper and the Zwinger Palace, which houses
a priceless collection of paintings. As hard as it is for us to imagine, nearly
all of this was destroyed in 1945 during one awful night of firebombing during
which as many as 35,000 people were killed. Fortunately, the paintings had been
removed and stored for safekeeping somewhere outside the city. Now, more than
half a century later, the city is still in the process of rebuilding, stone by
stone.

Dresden is also an important inland port on the Elbe River.
Four graceful bridges cross the Elbe, and beautiful old homes line the banks of
this long, narrow river valley with the occasional hilltop palace and/or castle
sitting high above the river on the other side. There is the usual commercial
river traffic, and there are pleasure boats and paddlewheel steamers as well,
filled with tourists and visitors on holiday. Lilacs and rhododendrons were in
bloom, and there were vineyards along the river valley and lovely old half-timbered
houses, which were by now becoming a familiar sight. Always with us were the
contrasts of old and new, as in the occasional sighting of an encroaching
shopping mall or the ubiquitous "Golden Arches." We could not know
that only a few months hence, this beautiful river would be over its banks and
on the rampage, leaving a path of destruction in its wake and the recently
restored historic buildings of the old city partly submerged. Three thousand
people were evacuated. Miraculously, the more than 4,000 paintings were
salvaged by heroic efforts, and the Semper opera's production of Carmen was
staged last fall in the Volkswagen factory. "No more fire--the flood next
time!" This is indeed a remarkably resilient city whose citizens treasure
their cultural heritage and are determined to preserve it.

Kreuzkirche

That evening some of us elected
to attend an organ concert at the Kreuzkirche. This eighteenth-century church
was seriously damaged in World War II and is still rebuilding after 57 years.
There are colorful medieval paintings, and there is a curious mix of old and
new stone work. The church is home to the famous Dresden Kreuzchor and was a
meeting place for freedom demonstrators in the eighties, as was the
Nikolaikirche in Leipzig. The organ is a 1963 Jehmlich (IV/76) with mechanical
action and an enclosed Swell. The specification is typical neo-Baroque
eclectic. The performer was Christian Collum from Cologne, and the performance
was in memory of his father, Herbert Collum, who had been organist at this
church for 47 years (1935-1982). It was the twentieth anniversary of his death,
and the second half of the program was devoted entirely to his compositions.
The program was well attended, and the audience was attentive and enthusiastic.
I enjoyed the evening thoroughly and felt very much at home in my non-tourist
guise.

And then it was back to our
hotel to settle in for the night and to ponder the multitudinous events of an
unbelievably full day.

Day 9

A new day. Tuesday morning, so
it must be Dresden. Dresden is, of course, the capital of Saxony, and Saxony is
Silbermann country. All of my professional life, I had heard about Silbermann
organs and tried to imagine their "silvery" sound. And now, here we
were, about to spend an entire day seeing, hearing, and playing the instruments
of Gottfried Silbermann.

Gottfried Silbermann (1683-1753)
was a friend and colleague of Bach's. He had learned the art of woodworking
from his father, and then he had apprenticed as an organ builder with his older
brother Andreas, during which time he had spent two years in France, where he
came under the influence of both French and Italian sounds and ideas. In 1710
he returned to his native Saxony where he set up his shop in Freiberg and built
his very first instrument for his hometown of Frauenstein. He built 45
instruments in all, and 31 organs remain extant today. By 1723, such was his
reputation that he requested and was granted the title "Honorary Court and
State Organ Builder to the King of Poland and Duke of Saxony."

St. Nicholas, Langhennersdorf

On this particular day we were
scheduled to visit at least five Silbermann organs--all in the general vicinity
of Dresden. But first on our schedule was a stop in the village of Langhennersdorf
to visit a 1722 Hildebrandt (II/21) in the parish church of St. Nicholas. Some
of the non-organists in our group had elected to stay behind and do some
sightseeing on their own, so we were a somewhat smaller group than usual. What
a pleasure it was to get off the main highways and escape the ever-encroaching
roadside emblems of modernity in the form of automotive centers and shopping
malls. Instead, winding, narrow roads took us past storybook villages and small
rural farms with only an occasional graceful church spire punctuating the
horizon.

The church of St. Nicholas has
an ancient medieval tower, dating from 1350, which was part of the original
fortification around the town. The more recent adjoining chapel dates from
1530. The present organ was, so to speak, the "graduation project" of
Zacharias Hildebrand at the end of his apprenticeship to Gottfried Silbermann.
The instrument is earlier and much smaller than the Hildebrandt we had heard in
Naumburg on Friday. It was regrettably, but predictably, altered in the early
twentieth century. In 1989, after the reunification, the restoration was begun
by Christian Wegscheider and completed in 1996. The casework is lovely with
gilded pipeshades, and the contrasting panels--behind the case and on either
side of the key desk--are in that same lovely shade of blue we had seen earlier
at Naumburg. Andreas Hain, the parish organist, demonstrated for us with music
of Sweelinck, Scheidt, Bruhns and, predictably, the Bach D-minor Toccata and
Fugue. Perusing the stoplist, one can see that this early instrument is
smaller, more conservative, and lacking in some of the innovative color stops
and the gravitas of the larger, later Hildebrandt. But the glorious sound of
this little organ blows us away, leaving absolutely nothing to be desired. It
is a sound that is, quite literally, incomparable and sufficient unto itself.
How does one describe such a sound? Let me try: rich, intense,vibrant, but
never overbearing. It visibly lifted our spirits--a real ear-opener in every
way. What a way to start our day!

Perhaps this might be a good
place to comment on the relationship between the organs and those among us who
were playing them. For several days now, I had become aware of a subtle yet
unmistakable transformation that was taking place with each individual player.
It was fascinating to observe the mysterious and complex interplay that was
occurring as mind, body and instrument responded to each other, becoming more
and more as one. Many times I had to remind myself that these complex
conglomerations of wood and metal, to which we have given the name organ, are,
nevertheless, inanimate objects. All evidence to the contrary, they do not have
hearts and minds and wills of their own.

St. Petrikirche, Freiberg

And then it was back on the road
and on to Freiberg where we would see, hear and play no less than three
Silbermanns. Freiberg is an old city whose wealth came from its iron and silver
mines. Our first stop was the St. Petrikirche. Situated high on a hilltop, it is
perhaps the oldest and most important of the Freiberg churches, dating back to
the year 1210. It has been altered, damaged and reconstructed many times over
the centuries, and the original organ no longer exists. The present instrument
(II/32) was completed by Silbermann in 1735. It is the largest of Silbermann's
two-manual instruments. Nineteenth-century additions and alterations were
removed in the 1959 restoration. Much to our surprise, our demonstrator turned
out to be none other than Andreas Hain, who had just played for us at
Langhennersdorf. Herr Hain is the cantor at St. Peter's, and in an apparently
not-all-that-unusual arrangement, his services are divided among three
congregations. On this occasion, we heard works by Mendelssohn and Petr Eben.

St. Mary's Cathedral

Next on our agenda was St.
Mary's Cathedral, which houses two Silbermanns--a 1714 (III/44) and a 1719
(I/14). Both instruments were restored by Jehmlich in 1983. Gottfried
Silbermann built only four three-manual organs in his lifetime, and this was
his first. It was demonstrated for us by Jacob Wagler. It was interesting to
note that though the St. Peter's instrument was built twenty years later than
that of St. Mary's, the stoplists were basically identical, and the
sounds--including those of the one-manual organ--were unmistakably Silbermann.
Silbermann was greatly admired and respected in his time, and continues to be
today. His craftsmanship was solid, and he found his own distinctive voice
early on--powerful, colorful and brilliant. I would not have described it as
"silvery." Unfortunately, we were unable to visit the two-manual 1718
Silbermann in the Jacobiekirche because of structural work being done on the
building.

Grosshartmannsdorf and Zethau

And so we left Freiberg and
continued on to Grosshartmannsdorf to see a typical two-manual Silbermann from
1741. And then it was on to the village of Zethau and the recently restored
1788 Oehme organ (II/20) in the Elisabethkirche. This lovely old Baroque
church, built between 1728 and 1736, stands atop a rather steep hill. One must
park below and climb the path leading up to the old tower and gatehouse. The
old gated cemetery is here and--as we have come to expect--is beautifully
landscaped and tended. The interior of the church, with its vaulted ceiling and
double galleries, is at once simple and elegant. The building has been lovingly
restored between the years 1982 to 1983. Adam Gottfried Oehme (1719-1789)
apprenticed under Silbermann and was perhaps his most important student. The
restoration by Christian Wegscheider was completed in 2001.

Parish Church, Nassau

One more Silbermann to go, and
that would be in the parish church at Nassau. In 1745 the congregation decided
to replace their organ from which pipes had been stolen, leaving it in a very
sad state of disrepair. On the basis of his reputation for quality materials
and workmanship, a contract was signed with Gottfried Silbermann for a
"standard" village organ of two manuals and nineteen stops. Not only
were there problems in coming up with the necessary cash, but the Silesian War
was raging, and Prussia had invaded Saxony. Two thousand cavalry troops were
quartered in Nassau during the winter of 1745, and the village suffered all
manner of hardships and deprivation. The details are not precisely clear, but
apparently some financial assistance was forthcoming through the offices of
authorities in Dresden and/or Freiburg. In 1748, the organ was finally
delivered. After the reunification in 1990, the church itself was restored, and
in 1998, the Jehmlich firm of Dresden undertook a complete restoration of the
organ in time for its 250th anniversary in 1998. 

Another beautiful, park-like
setting with lovely tall shade trees. The graveyard and the surrounding grounds
enchant us. The church is impressive both outside and in. A tall tower graces
the steep, slate-tiled roof. Inside, narrow, arched floor-to-ceiling windows
illuminate the interior and its two-tiered galleries. The acoustics are
wonderful--live and very intimate. Before we take our turns at the organ, Herr
Katschke demonstrates for us with works by Zachau, Pachelbel and Krieger.

What a day it has been. We take
our leave reluctantly, our ears filled with Silbermann sounds, and our hearts
filled with the beauty and the peace of these lovely old churches and the
surrounding countryside. It is late afternoon as we settle in for our drive
back to Dresden. Time to reflect on what we have seen and heard as we pass
through evergreen forests punctuated by birch and accompanied by ever-meandering
streams. Far off to our right, in the distance, we could see the Czech Republic
across the border. It was dinner on our own this last night in Dresden, and
some of the hardier souls in our group had made plans. Three of us joined
forces and made our way to an outside table at what appeared to be a popular
restaurant/bar up above the street level. Relaxing over a beer and a simple
meal, my companions and I pretended that, for at least a little while, we were
simply "Dresdenites"--old friends out to enjoy the early evening.

Day 10

Up early. Ah, yes, I
particularly remember the birds of Dresden--no silent spring here! My hotel
room was high and overlooked a commercial, not-all-that-attractive back street
with relatively few trees. I slept with my window open and had wakened each
morning to the cheerful song of birds soaring over and above the traffic noise
below. The birds of Dresden seem to be as resilient and indomitable as their
human counterparts.

Last minute packing. Luggage in
the hall to be collected. Only two more days remain. We would be leaving
Germany today, and tonight we would sleep in Prague. But, as usual, we had some
interesting stops to make along the way.

Lohmen

Destination: Lohmen. We traveled
again along the Elbe to reach this beautiful, rural area of woodland and
meadow, settled by German farmers as early as the thirteenth century. An
earlier church no longer exists. The church that stands today is thought by
many to be the most beautiful in Saxony, and it is not hard to see why. Planning
for this remarkable structure began as early as 1781, and the first stone was
laid in 1786. It is constructed of massive squares of sandstone. With its
sturdy clock tower dominating the landscape, it presents an almost
fortress-like appearance. The overall structure of the building is that of a
symmetrical octagon with two longer opposing sides and three shorter sides on
each end. The interior is breathtaking--all in white and gold, including the
organ, which sits high above the altar. There are three (!) tiers of galleries,
and the multi-paned windows, which rise all the way from floor to ceiling, seem
to bathe this magnificent space with ethereal light. The church seats more than
eight hundred people, and the pews on the first level--also in white--sit on
the original stone floor. They are in three banks, facing the organ and altar
(east) as well as north and south, giving at least a partial effect of
"church-in-the-round."

The organ (II/18) was built in
1789 by Johann Christian Kayser (1750-1813), another student of Silbermann.
Just as we saw in the case of Hildebrandt, the organ looks and sounds very like
the work of the teacher. No surprises here:  lovely, exquisite, individual colors, all of which blend well
together, and big but gentle principals. There are no manual reeds, but the 16'
posaune in the pedal supplies ample gravitas. The acoustics are wonderful--a
felicitous conjunction of surface and space that could not be improved upon. I
can only describe it as "surround-sound," eighteenth-century style.
With eyes closed, my ears hadn't a clue as to where the organ was located.
There was no one to officially greet or play for us (perhaps because it was a
regional holiday), and so we were free to explore the instrument on our own. It
was hard to leave, and one wished for time to explore the old, walled
churchyard with its ancient stones and inscriptions.

Reinhardtsgrimma

But today we did indeed have
many miles to go before we slept, and so it was back on the bus and on to
Reinhardtsgrimma, another small village with a very special organ in the
Evangelical Lutheran Church. The organ, a Silbermann (II/20), was purchased for
the church in 1731 by a wealthy widow of high position. In its white and gold
case, it sits high in a rear balcony. It was recently restored by Christian
Wegscheider. Again, there were no surprises, visually or tonally, and the now
familiar, bright Silbermann sound did not disappoint. Herr Katzschke, whom we
remembered from the parish church in Nassau on the previous day, played Tunder,
Pachelbel and Mendelssohn for us.

Frauenstein

We had one last stop to make
before heading for the Czech border. Destination: Frauenstein, where we would
have time for lunch before visiting the Silbermann Museum. Frauenstein is the hometown
of Gottfried Silbermann, and it was to this place that he returned after his
apprenticeship to establish his own business in 1711. The museum, founded by
the Silbermann scholar Werner Muller, is located in a sixteenth-century castle,
which sits on a hill high above the town. It opened in 1983, just in time to
celebrate the 300th anniversary of Silbermann's birth. The exhibits have been
thoughtfully and attractively arranged, and there is a plethora of material to
be seen in the form of photographs and documents. One of the most popular
exhibits is a "hands on" working model provided by the Jehmlich
company, which demonstrates the inner workings of an organ from bellows, to
stops, to keys, to pipes. The pièce de résistance is the small
1993 organ (I/8) by Wegscheider--an exact replica of the1732 Silbermann, which
now resides in the Cathedral in Bremen. Ordinarily, I enjoy museums, but after
two days of such intense exposure to the real thing, the museum seemed
anti-climactic.

Back on the bus once more, we
settled in for the relatively long drive to Prague. By now, nearly all of us
who wished had taken a turn at the microphone. Another pastime, in which we had
been engaging, also deserves mention here. I'm not quite sure exactly how it
all began, but for several days now, several of us had been indulging in
limerick writing, along with some other equally silly word play. These
contributions were deposited with Michael, who proceeded to serve them up at
what he deemed to be appropriate times. Here, for example, is one of my humble
contributions:              

When a feisty old lady from
Kassel

Tried the organ at Altenburg
Castle,

It is sad to relate

A pipe fell from the Great,

And her fingers are no longer
facile.

A word of caution is due here:
limerick writing is known to be habit forming and may become seriously
addictive.

It was a pleasant bus ride
marked only by what seemed to be an unwarranted and nerve-wracking delay at the
border crossing. The Czech countryside offered a welcome contrast to the
landscape to which we had become accustomed. There was a lot of climbing
through forested, mountainous country, marked occasionally by some rather
spectacular panoramic vistas. When we reached Prague, we would be checking into
two separate hotels because of space limitations, and then we would gather for
a meal that had been arranged at a local restaurant. So we had a good
introduction to Prague from the bus during the rather lengthy process of
dropping people off at two different locations and then picking them up again to
transport them to dinner. Tomorrow--our last day--would e a whole new
adventure, albeit a short one. Since tomorrow belongs to Prague, this seems to
be the time and place to tie up a few loose ends and to give some overall
consideration to the Bach-country experience.

First, the loose ends. I
believe, but am not sure, that the incident which I'm about to describe
happened en route from Freiberg to Grosshartmannsdorf. Sonja Ritter's parents
live in the little village of Brand-Erbisdorf and had been told by Sonja that
our bus would be passing right by their house. There was no time to stop, but
Manuela slowed the bus down just enough to allow time for big smiles and
enthusiastic waving all around. Forever engraved in my memory is the sight of
this merry couple leaning out of their second story window, beaming and waving,
looking for all the world like storybook characters out of a nineteenth-century
children's tale. And speaking of tales, mention needs to be made here of the
storybook charm of the countryside through which we had been traveling the past
few days. The small "storybook" farms are right in the villages, or
perhaps I should say that the villages are really clusters of small farms with
one or two small shops near by. A typical front yard might have flowers, a
vegetable garden, a cow and/or a goat, pig or sheep, and perhaps a few geese,
ducks and chickens. Outside one of the old, stone churches to which we had
climbed, we were greeted by a tethered sheep grazing contentedly on the grass.
One has the impression that nothing has changed all that much over the
centuries. There is a timelessness and an authenticity about these places
unlike anything I have ever experienced. The churches we visited were typically
on hilltops, and when Manuela would park our bus at the side of the road below,
it sometimes caused quite a stir--this anachronistic behemoth driven by a
woman, no less!

At one of these small
churches--and I forget which one--we were warmly received by a gentleman who
proceeded to give us a fascinating and detailed history of the organ, told with
great pride and enthusiasm. We all assumed that he was the local organist.
Imagine our astonishment when he turned out to be the pastor! No longer
subsidized by the state, and with attendance and membership down, times have
been difficult for these small churches since the reunification. The amazing
thing is the pride that the people take in these wonderful old churches and
their organs. Their tenaciousness and their strong sense of stewardship in
preserving and restoring them is to be marveled at. Many of these churches have
concert series and festivals and are a real source of pride to the entire
community.

And lastly, but not at all in
the least, the organs we had seen, and heard, and played. Peter Williams' book,
The European Organ: 1450-1850, begins
with a quote from D. A. Flentrop: "It is not easy to write about organs;
they need to be played or listened to." And to that, I would add the word,
seen. The vivid intensity of each individual experience was indeed
indescribable. So very many instruments in such a few short days! Our senses
were at times overwhelmed. The larger, sometimes newer, instruments in the
cities were magnificent to be sure, but in retrospect, I find that what I
treasure most are the memories of the smaller instruments in the smaller
parishes off the beaten path. In this case, the whole was indeed greater than
the sum of the individual parts, and now, in memory, these kaleidoscopic images
seem to have merged into a kind of visual and sonic template: the incredible
sweetness and vibrancy of the sounds combined with that translucent,
transforming light which flooded the rooms with an almost palpable energy. Most
important of all--and a real gift, since I hadn't expected it--is the recent discovery
that my approach to the music of Bach has been forever changed in some
fundamental, yet mysterious way. This is not a conscious change, and I am not
speaking of things musicological. I can neither describe nor explain it. It
remains my own priceless souvenir.

And having said all of that, I
must in all honesty admit that Prague, with all of its magnificence and
splendor, would be, for me, an anti-climax.

Day 11

Prague

Thursday, May 2. It is blessedly
warm, and the sun is shining! It is the last day of our tour, and our one and
only day in Prague. It is, of course, impossible to do more than barely scratch
the surface. Prague is the first really large city we have visited since we
started out in Berlin. Berlin, in many aspects, resembles any modern western
city. Prague, by comparison, seems strange and exotic. Though the Germans have
a certain formality about them, they are, by and large, a warm and friendly
people. The Czechs seem more distant and remote. Since we were not due at the
Basilica of St. James/St. Jacob until ten o'clock, we began our day with a
walking tour accompanied by our new guide. Sonja was still with us, but our
arrangements through the travel agency specified that here, in the Czech
Republic, we should use a Czech guide.

Architecturally, Prague is
undeniably stunning--a city of golden domes, graceful spires, and red-tiled
roofs. Back in the fourteenth century, Emperor Charles IV set out to create the
most splendid city in all of Europe, and it would seem that he succeeded. It is
a colorful city whose buildings and streets span a period of more than a
thousand years. Castles, palaces, cathedrals, libraries, museums, theaters and
concert halls attest to a marvelously rich cultural heritage. Charles
University, one of the oldest and largest in all of Europe, dates back to 1348.
This is the city of King Wenceslaus, Kafka, Kepler, Smetana and Dvorák,
to name but a few. Music is everywhere, and Prague is home to many of Europe's
finest orchestras and chamber music groups.

Prague is a port city with an
important inland harbor. The Vltava River (the Moldau to us Westerners) divides
the city in half with two ancient castles standing sentinel on the right and
left banks of the river respectively. It is a city of bridges--fifteen in
all--the most famous being the Charles, with its splendid Gothic arches dating
back to the fourteenth century. Pleasure boats ply the river along with the
usual commercial river traffic. None of us could know that only a few months
hence the newspapers at home would be filled with photographs and accounts of
the devastating flooding of the Vltava into the old sections of Prague.
Thousands would be evacuated from their homes and much property destroyed.

I had been told by friends at
home that this was an excellent time to visit Prague because we would be there
before the height of the tourist season. I cannot, nor do I want to, even
imagine what that must be like. As it was, we were surrounded by a great number
of tourists--many in groups like ours. I found this phenomenon to be a major
distraction to say the least--dominating the scene and tending to obliterate
those very sights and sounds that had drawn us here. It was pedestrian gridlock
of the worst kind, and it was all we could do to stay connected with our own
group and not end up in another! Not only that, but there was a plethora of
little tourist shops which seemed to have sprung up in every nook and cranny,
seriously--in my opinion--detracting from the authenticity of the old parts of
the city. Perhaps I was a bit travel weary at this point and wasn't really
ready for Prague. But the truth is that I had left my heart back in Bach
country.

Basilica of St. James/St. Jacob

Our first musical stop was at
the Basilica of St. James/St. Jacob. The organ had its beginnings in 1705 as a
two-manual instrument of twenty-six stops by the builder, Abraham Stark.
Although it has been expanded, the original case remains today along with a few
of the original Stark registers. Over the years, it has been extensively
altered and expanded, most recently by the Rieger-Kloss firm in 1982. It now
has four manuals and 91 stops, and it may very well be the largest organ in the
Czech Republic. On this day, the organ was impressively demonstrated for us by
Irene Chribkova.

By now it was nearly noon, and
so we were able to join the droves of tourists in the Old Town Square as we
waited in front of the Old Town Hall for the striking of the fifteenth-century
astronomical clock. At noon, twelve elaborately carved apostles appear, while a
bell-ringing skeleton dances off to the side.

Strahov Monastery

Then it was on--or perhaps I
should say up--to the ancient monastery at Strahov, which was built on the
highest point on the approach to Prague Castle.  Now the Museum of National Literature, the library houses
many thousands of books and works of art, the oldest dating back to the tenth
century. We had come to see and hear the small cabinet organ of six registers
in the chapel upon which Mozart once improvised.

Tyne Church

Our last organ--and the last
organ on our tour--was an instrument by Hans Heinrich Mundt built in 1673 for
the Tyne Church. A two-manual instrument of twenty-nine stops, it was restored
in the year 2000 by the Klais firm. The organ has survived largely intact and
offers an interesting blend of Austrian-Moravian and Netherlands-North German
building styles.

A farewell dinner had been
arranged for us at a restaurant overlooking the river at the foot of the
Charles Bridge. There was much camaraderie as well as some spontaneous toasts
and impromptu entertainments. Some in our group departed early in order to
attend various performances in the city that evening. The more adventurous
among us concluded the evening by walking across the famous Charles Bridge. And
then it was back to our bus and on to our hotels for the night. Some had very
early departures in the morning, a few would remain in Prague for more
sightseeing, and the rest of us would be bussed to the airport where we would
begin to go our separate ways. Our extraordinary journey had come to an end.

Postlude

Though we have come to the end
of this narrative, the astute reader will have noticed that little mention has
been made of our genial tour host, Michael Barone. That is simply because it is
Michael's style to keep a low profile. As his Pipedreams fans have come to
expect, the focus is always on the organs and the music. Throughout the entire
trip, he seemed to be everywhere and nowhere all at once. Talk about
multi-tasking! In his quiet, efficient way, he somehow managed to keep us
always on schedule. Up in the organ loft, he was our great "enabler,"
ever ready to lend a hand or an ear as needed to register, pull stops and turn
pages. He encouraged those who needed encouragement and made sure that no one
took more than his/her fair share of time at the organ. Often, but not always,
he also played. If everything was under control at the console, he was off to
sample the sounds of the organ from as many different locations in the room as
possible. In addition, he held doors, distributed sandwiches or concert tickets
as the occasion demanded, and otherwise kept himself in constant circulation in
order to ascertain that all was well with each of us. In regard to the hosts
and performers at our many and various venues, he was ever the gracious
ambassador, sowing seeds of goodwill and laying the groundwork for future
exchanges. Yet the casual observer might easily have been unaware that he was,
indeed, our leader. A Pipedreams organ tour is not unlike the weekly radio
broadcast. The difference--and it is a big one--is that in this case, we have
become much more than mere armchair travelers. Michael's challenge to each of
us, as it is each week, is to open our ears and our minds--and in this case,
our eyes--and make our own discoveries.

It was our good fortune on this
particular tour to be the direct beneficiaries of Michael's having led an
almost identical tour two years before. Not only were we able to profit from
this experience, but we also inherited the other two members of this great leadership
team--our bus driver, Manuela Huwe, and our German tour guide, Sonja Ritter.
Manuela was wonderful, always keeping us safely on track, getting us there on
time, and taking our bus into places it was never designed to go! Sonja's
excellent English and her engaging and informed commentary enriched our whole
experience immeasurably. Our one day in Prague without Sonja as our guide only
made us appreciate her all the more.

Another important aspect of this
tour, in my opinion, was the makeup of our group. We were as unlikely a
collection of people as one could possibly imagine, coming from an amazing
variety of backgrounds, experiences and expectations. How marvelous to think
that this unique and ancient instrument we call the organ had brought us all together
in a joint adventure of discovery and enlightenment. In the light of the
uncertain and disturbing political climate in which we find ourselves today,
tours such as this afford a wonderful opportunity to build bridges between
countries and cultures and people.

I hope you enjoyed reading about
my Pipedreams adventure. If, in the future, the opportunity to take a
Pipedreams tour presents itself, I urge you to take it. Much will be promised,
and you will find few, if any, disappointments, and a great many unexpected
delights. In the meantime, I encourage you to take the "virtual"
Pipedreams tour each week and to support your local public radio station. To
learn more and whet your appetite even further, you can explore Pipedreams
online at

<www.pipedreams.org&gt;.

Ending on a lighter note, this
is my limerick for Michael, which I wrote somewhere along the way:

Through ancient cathedrals so
pietal,

With organs of endless varietal,

With Baronial splendor,

Apt words he did tender.

Heartfelt praises and thanks to
our Michael!  

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