Friday, June 30
The final day of the convention dawned with bright and abundant sunshine—a welcome sight after all the rain. The first event was a lecture by organ scholar James Wallmann entitled “The OHS at Fifty! So What?”. He noted the Society’s accomplishments, citing especially the Archives and their growing international significance in the world of organ research, as well as the influence the OHS has had on the organ world in general. He said that organs will continue to be built and continue to change. The OHS will continue to observe and then preserve and transmit information about these instruments, and honor the best and most significant examples.
Our first recital took place at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Watervliet, New York, on a large 3-manual 1890 Geo. Jardine & Son organ, much of which, we were told, actually dates from the Civil War era. It has a huge, room-filling sound—like a warm embrace from a loving grandmother. The recitalist was Randy Bourne, who began with Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 533 (“The Cathedral”). The opening sound was quite arresting, and we knew we were hearing an uncommonly fine instrument. It rendered Bach’s music nicely on a fine, clear, and bright plenum. Next was Edward MacDowell’s Woodland Sketches, which demonstrated a great variety of this organ’s wonderful sounds. Bourne played very well with charm, sweetness, and a well-placed dash of nostalgia.
The large gothic church, with its 100-foot ceiling, soaring columns beneath a wraparound triforium gallery, and 56 windows, has suitably grand acoustics in which the full, bright-sounding reeds could especially flourish. It is a 1/6 scale replica of the church of our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes, France. Bourne next offered Pachelbel’s Ciacona in F minor, a great organ demonstration piece. The hymn was “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” and he closed with Myron Roberts’ Improvisation on the same tune, a series of variations that showed off more sounds of this amazing organ: everything from a lovely Vox Humana to a thundering pedal! It was glorious, and our spirits were ebullient!
But then, from the balcony, we were given sobering and terrible news from Scot Huntington, whose organbuilding firm had sponsored this recital and prepared the organ, that St. Patrick’s is very close to being closed and the magnificent building demolished. His voice choking up, he asked us to look carefully at the church, as it may be the last time we see it. O tempora, O mores.
With suddenly heavy hearts and shaking heads we returned to the buses for a ride to Saratoga’s Spa State Park where we were served a “Summer Grill” picnic, balm indeed for our troubled minds. We then crossed the Hudson River to Schaghticoke, New York, and the 2-manual 1865 Giles Beach organ in The United Presbyterian Church. The organ was demonstrated by Christopher Marks, assistant professor at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He opened with the charming Humoresque “L’organo primitivo” by Pietro A. Yon, which highlighted the Stopped Diapason. Next was Dudley Buck’s Variations on a Scotch Air, op. 51, in which I took great pleasure in the Clarionette and the Oboe! We then sang the hymn “God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending” to the tune Beach Spring. Marks closed with the world premier performance of Variations on Beach Spring by composer Alfred V. Fedak, written especially for this convention and this organ. Sebastian Glück and Glück Orgelbau commissioned the work for the Society. It is a fine composition that is by turns playful, quiet, restful and festive (published by Selah Publishing Co. #160-641).
A short bus ride back across the Hudson took us to Timothy Smith’s demonstration of the 3-manual E. M. Skinner organ, Opus 770, in the United Methodist Church, Mechanicville, New York. He began with Sea Sketch (“To T. Tertius Noble”) by Frank Howard Warner, a beautiful piece summoning the depth and mystery of the sea. Next was Fantasy of Moods by Charles Edgar Ford, which showcased among other things the Echo division’s Vox Humana. The strings of this organ are gorgeous (God bless Ernest Skinner!), and Smith used them well. He ended with two movements of Seth Bingham’s Baroques (“to E. Power Biggs”): Rhythmic Trumpet and Voluntary—delightful music proffering the tremendous wealth of tone in this fine organ that stands at the front of the church in a chamber behind a screen. The Echo division is at the rear of the church recessed into the wall. All in all, a very well-produced demonstration-recital of an organ one might not expect to hear in such a small town.
The final evening’s festivities began with a sumptuous banquet of shrimp and chateaubriand in the great Hall of Springs in Saratoga: a magnificent space with a vaulted 38-foot ceiling, 16 marble columns, and huge Belgian and Czechoslovakian crystal chandeliers. Many people wore formal evening attire. It was not your usual OHS banquet, but fiftieth anniversaries only come once, so why not?! After dinner, we boarded the buses for a ride down to Troy for the main event of the convention: the reopening or “resurrection” of the 3-manual, 42-stop, 1882 J. H. & C. S. Odell organ in the Music Hall, which occupies the upper five floors of the 1875 Troy Savings Bank building—a magnificent structure built in the Italian Renaissance style. The hall has outstanding acoustics: George Szell said “ . . . it is the finest auditorium in the United States;” Harold Schonberg referred to it as “one of the acoustical marvels of the world.” The organ is in need of a thorough restoration, but was made playable by a large crew of volunteer workers who came from all over America, spending months cleaning and repairing it for this convention. The organ had not been playable in nearly half a century. Along with the 1864 Hook organ in Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts, it stands as the only major 19th-century concert hall with an original period organ. But unlike the Worcester organ, the Troy organ, except for a new blower, is intact and unchanged. The bank acquired the organ in 1889. It had been in a New York City mansion whose owner declared bankruptcy. A wonderful Italianate case was designed for it, and a few stops were added. The keydesk is situated on the left side of the case, which stands proudly on a raised platform at the back of the stage.
The concert featured Dana Robinson, who teaches organ at the University of Illinois, along with the Franciscan Chamber Orchestra conducted by Ronald L. Feldman. Temperature and humidity were high. Windows were open (no air conditioning), so there was some breeze. The conductor told us that the organ was tuned at a much higher pitch than the orchestra could reach. So we had more than a bit of a celeste or schwebung effect going on all night. I was told that because of the heat the organ’s pitch was probably between A-456 and A-460 during the concert! The orchestra could not dare go above A-445. However, once we were forewarned, we could just settle back and enjoy the instrument for what it is—a very beautiful organ! Decisions will need to be made about whether or not to repitch. That will be a tough call, because, in terms of blend, it really sounds terrific with an orchestra, but the tuning problems are not to be taken lightly.
Robinson and the orchestra opened with a lovely quiet piece by Charles Édouard Lefèbvre, Meditation, op. 68, a beautiful, first-rate work I had never heard before. It was a sweet introduction to the hall and to the gorgeous soft sounds of the organ. We were all left somewhat lightheaded and limp by the purity of the acoustic, the beauty of the organ and the fine playing by all concerned. Many of us had tears in our eyes knowing how much that moment must have meant to all the people in the hall who had donated months of love and labor to finally make this sublime music possible. It was one of those unforgettable, only-at-OHS moments.
Robinson then played Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 543, a piece played by Samuel P. Warren at the organ’s inaugural program of November 5, 1890. It worked quite well on the Odell as Robinson gradually unveiled the instrument’s grace and power, adding more and more organ as he went—thrilling us at each step along the way. We next heard Sigfried Karg-Elert’s transcription of Wagner’s Pilgrims’ Chorus/, followed by Scherzo (from the Serenade), op. 35, no. 3 by Salomon Jadassohn, another piece from the 1890 inaugural concert. This was fun because it used the Odell’s cheery Solo Bells, described in the 2006 Organ Atlas as “flat glockenspiel bars struck by hard felt piano-style hammers through an escapement action.” We then enjoyed more of the soft sounds of the organ with the next two pieces: Rêverie du Soir (from Suite Algérienne, op. 60) by Saint-Saëns in a transcription by Guilmant, and Adoration, op. 44, by Guilmant—more lovely, gracious sounds awaiting a complete restoration. We have so much to learn from this amazing organ. The first half ended with another inaugural recital piece:Marche Pontificale from Widor’s Symphonie I, op. 13, no. 1, a terrific opportunity to hear the justifiably famous reeds of this organ—a rich, full-throated bunch.
The second half of the program featured Sinfonia Sacra, op. 81, by Widor for organ and orchestra—one of his five orchestral symphonies, three of which call for organ with orchestra. This is a mature and meticulously crafted work that uses the chorale Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland as its main theme. Highly contrapuntal, with deeply felt spirituality, it was a perfect choice for the evening. The orchestra was splendid, and Feldman led all concerned with command and grace. I was quite taken with the oboist, whose lovely tone in that remarkable acoustic seemed to be right in front of me in my balcony seat. The strings remained on stage the entire evening, not daring to step into another temperature lest they lose what tuning they had so carefully prepared. By this point in the evening the organ’s reeds were showing the effect of the heat, but we all understood and did not mind. Dana Robinson is a very fine organist. His playing brought out the best in the organ, and blended very well with the orchestra, whose players were great sports to put up with the heat and tuning issues. This organ is a singular musical treasure. Much thought and much money will be required to bring it back fully with a complete restoration. Hats off to all the men and women whose dedicated work allowed us the privilege of hearing what it can be. Hats off, also, to the officials at Troy Savings Bank, who recognize and support this effort.
Finally, hats off to the Organ Historical Society, which created a convention worthy of its golden anniversary, worthy of the magnificent venues and instruments it showcased, and worthy of the outstanding performers and technicians who brought them to life for us. The relaxed and gracious air they maintained for the entire week made us feel truly welcomed, and that we had indeed come home.
