Fire damages Steere organ at Brooklyn's Baptist Temple

by Kay McAfee

Kay McAfee is professor of organ and music history at Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and she serves there as organist for First United Methodist Church.

Twenty-four people traveled to the south and middle of England for the British Organ Music seminar, directed by Christina Harmon, the week of June 24, 2001. The great cathedrals of Winchester, Gloucester, and Liverpool formed part of the itinerary with guide John Norman, formerly of the Hill, Norman, and Beard firm, and now a consultant in Great Britain. Mr. Norman provided brochures and valuable commentary on each instrument prior to arriving at each destination. John Norman studied acoustics under Dr. R.W.B. Stephens at Imperial College, London, and organ under H.A. Roberts. At Hill, Norman, and Beard he learned voicing from Robert Lamb and tonal finishing from Mark Fairhead, working on seven cathedral organs before leaving the firm in 1974. An accredited professional organ consultant and a founding member of the Association of Independent Organ Advisers, Norman is a member of the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England, of the Organs Committee of the Council for the Care of Churches, and the London Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches. He is the author of The Organs of Britain, founder and editor of The Organbuilder, and has been a regular columnist for the Organists' Review for over twenty years.

Winchester

Traveling through the beautiful British countryside by bus, the first stop was Winchester, the ancient Roman city whose cathedral boasts the longest nave in Europe. Restored by King Alfred after the Dark Ages, two of the city's original gates are found around the perimeter of the 11th-century cathedral. The church sits in a sea of grass, and its massive thick-walled Roman-esque transepts and Gothic nave and apse protect the tombs of the early English kings. Jane Austen's tomb lies in the north aisle. Music historians are aware of the role played in the creative additions to ninth-century plainsong by the church in the preservation of the Winchester Troper, a manuscript which today is kept at Cambridge. The beautiful Winchester Bible, an illuminated manuscript, is preserved here. The twelve men of the choir, conducted by assistant organist Sarah Baldock, re-hearsed service music of Morales, Taverner, and Robert Stone pieces for the approaching Evensong service. Then, assistant organist Philip Scriven discussed the Henry Willis organ which was built for the Crystal Palace exhibition in 1851. Purchased at the urging of then-organist Samuel Sebastian Wesley, rebuilds and additions were made routinely by Willis, Heil & Co., and Harrison.

Most recently (1987), a division for the nave was added to create better support for congregational singing, a widespread practice in large English churches whose organ chambers were placed predominately on either side of the choir. Scriven demonstrated the Great Trumpet and Grand Cornet, reeds of the Pedal to 32', ringing 8' (two) and 4' Tubas on the Solo, Nave Trumpet, Great 16', 8', and 4' Trumpets, and the Swell reeds. The strings of the Swell (16', 8', 4') are particularly beautiful. Two Open Diapasons grace each of the four manual divisions, with a third on the Great. Scriven showed how any four of them sound lovely in playing the solo line of Bach's Orgelbüchlein setting of "Ich ruf zu dir." The Claribel Flute of the Great is like a harmonic flute. Participants observed the distinctly effective British practice of using a series of graduated pistons to produce crescendo and diminuendo. Participants played Elgar, Bridge, Wesley, Hollins, Handel, and Bach.

Bath Abbey

At Bath Abbey, organist and master of choristers Peter King explained the 1997 Klais organ, a rebuild of an 1868 William Hill/1895 Norman and Beard/

1914 Hill organ which sits in the north transept of the church. Few churches in England retain the organ atop the choir screen as is the situation at Westminster Abbey, Exeter, Gloucester, and King's College Chapel, and in many others, the screen has disappeared altogether. Since the late nineteenth century, the prevailing ideal has been to create an unobstructed view to the altar from the west door entrance, and many choir screens have been removed.

King told of the history of the 19th-century English Renaissance in church music and the symphonic organ required for the music of Stanford, Parry, and Elgar. Klais retained about half the pipes from the old organ and preserved the Hill, Norman, and Beard Positive division. Some of the 1895/

1914 tonal changes were reversed to revive the Hill sound ideal. The 1914 Thomas Jackson case was preserved. King played Bruhns, Mozart, Saint-Saëns, Ireland, and the Bach/Reger Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue.

Bristol

In Bristol at Saint Mary Redcliffe, a church constructed over a period of 200 years by merchants of the city, the entrance is through the north door of the porch, which dates from the 14th century. Only a fragment of the original medieval stained glass remains, the rest having been destroyed in the Reformation.

In 1726, the firm of Harris and Byfield built an organ which featured one of the country's first pedalboards with an octave permanently coupled to the Great. The present instrument by Harrison (1911) is considered one of the finest examples of that firm's work and of the Edwardian ideal. It fills three chambers on either side of the choir. Rebuilt in 1990 with few additions other than the upperwork and the console, the organ comprises 71 stops on four manuals. The tonal palette features a Double Open Wood 32' and Open Wood 16' of the Pedal, Corno di Bassetto of the Choir, and Cor Anglais, Orchestral Oboe, and Vox Humana (normally of the Solo division) and a complement of 16', two 8', and 4' reeds on the Swell. The Great Harmonics mixture includes a flat 21st which was peculiar to Arthur Harrison's design. Organist Anthony Pinell played a Ropartz Prelude, a Howells Psalm Prelude, and Fugue on the name Alain by Duruflé. He then assisted participants who played Honegger, Taverner, Howells, and Elgar on this lovely instrument.

Gloucester

Gloucester Cathedral, containing the tomb of King Edward II, was the site of a small Anglo-Saxon monastery until the 11th century, when it became a Benedictine monastery. The present building, ordered by William the Conqueror, dates from 1089. In 1541, the church became the cathedral for Gloucester. The massive Norman pillars of the nave bear red marks from a 13th-century fire. The choir vault is 14th-century perpendicular Gothic style. King Henry II was crowned there as a boy of 9 in 1216, the only monarch ever to be crowned outside of London.

Evensong canticles, Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, were by Herbert Murrill, with responses by Walsh. The anthem was Herbert Howells' "Like As The Hart." David Briggs, organist of Gloucester Cathedral, improvised the opening voluntary and later chatted about the organ. It is one of a few remaining atop the choir screen and has a long history of adaptations. It has been over the screen since 1715. The 1640 Robert Dallum chair case on the east side of the screen is all that remains of that organ. Thomas Harris built an instrument in 1665 which contained the earliest mixture stop in Britain--200 pipes of that organ remain today. In 1831, J.C. Bishop added pedal pipes, among them a Flute 16' which is possibly the widest scale Pedal Open in Britain. Father Willis contributed to the organ in 1847 and 1888 as did Harrison and Harrison in 1920. Hill, Norman, and Beard restored the organ and electrified the console in 1971 to create one of the most rapid key-responses of any organ anywhere. With the 2000 restoration by the firm of Nicholson, the organ today can be described as neo-Baroque. Briggs mentioned that most English cathedral organs are rebuilt every 20 years or so "in the fashion" of the day. Henry Willis added a pedalboard. The last rebuild made it a Romantic instrument. Harrison & Harrison changed the voicing but kept all of the pipes. The organ has a grand, rolling sound. Briggs demonstrated the seven stops which remain of the Harris organ of 1665: Great Diapasons (one facing east, one west), two 4' Principals, 12th and 15th, and Choir 4' Principal. Briggs described the foundations as "throwing down to the 16'," perhaps because there are many high cut-ups and not much nicking of the pipes. There are nine seconds of reverberation in the nave when it is empty. Briggs played the Symphonie Passion of Dupré, Fantasie and Fugue in G Minor of Bach, and a long, multi-movement improvisation of symphonic scope based upon a hymn tune. One of his generation's most gifted at improvisation, Briggs then delighted his hearers by improvising in the style of other dazzling exponents of this art: Hakim, Latry, Cochereau, Lefebvre.

Hereford

Traveling through the rich Wye valley with its beautiful truck farms and fruit orchards, we arrived at Hereford, the last cathedral town before the Welsh border. The Romanesque cathedral church contains a late-19th-century Henry Willis built at a time when the firm was copying the tonal design of Cavaillé-Coll.

Of 4 manuals and 67 stops, the 1933 Willis rebuild features a console with couplers on tablets which are below the music rack (a copy of the American design). The pedal contains a 32' Double Open Bass, the Great a Double Open Diapason 16' and three 8' Diapasons, and the Swell a Contra Gamba 16'; the powerful reeds are on high wind pressure, and the wide-scale flues have "stringy" tops. With painted pipes which are often described as looking like "rolls of linoleum," the organ is not much altered from the Willis original. John Norman's firm electrified the console in 1978, the rebuild of which was funded by a local cider maker. Peter Dyke, assistant organist and acting principal organist, spoke of former organists John Bull and S.S. Wesley. He then played Purcell, Wesley's "Air and Gavotte," and the theme and two variations of the Brahms/Rogg Variations on a Theme of Haydn.

Every year, the prestigious Three Choirs Festival is held here with performers located at the west entrance and facing the audience which is seated facing the west entrance. Dyke called our attention to an organ which sits on a wheeled platform in the south aisle. For ease of the organist's sightline, the organ is wheeled to the next bay when the festival conductor's position moves eastward as the choral and accompanying ensemble personnel change.

Birmingham

The group then arrived at Birmingham's Symphony Hall which is part of an arts complex built in the late 1980s. The German firm of Klais was installing a large instrument in this beautiful facility. The interior is surely a sister-hall to the Meyerson in Dallas, so alike are the two. At the time the building was constructed, Simon Rattle was artistic director and conductor of Birmingham's famously fine orchestra, and a poster outside the hall featured a large photo of Rattle with two organ pipes, the feet of which extend sideways from his mouth. Wide-eyed, he appealed for donations for the organ. The Klais firm won the contract in 1989. The group enjoyed taking lunch with Philipp Klais, grandson of the firm's founder and a gracious, personable man of great enthusiasm. He considers his firm's "invasion" of England for restoration and new-instrument contracts a great honor. As participants settled into the audience seats of the concert hall, Klais recalled that many "firsts" were achieved by the British: the Swell Box, the modern bellows system, over-blowing flutes, and double-mouthed pipes. As his crew worked behind him, Klais explained that the organ for the Birmingham Hall would be of four manuals and 82 stops with inauguration scheduled for October, 2001. Thomas Trotter and the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra presented three concerts on Friday and Saturday, October 19 and 20. Only the façade was built for the opening of the facility some 11 years ago. Two consoles, one of tracker and the other of electric action, are provided, allowing one of them to be placed within the orchestra. Klais mentioned that he had visited the Meyerson Center in Dallas to study the acoustical properties there. His firm has recently installed a symphony hall instrument in Singapore and will construct another in Madison, Wisconsin.

Lichfield

Next, at Lichfield Cathedral, which sits in a lovely close surrounded by old and new buildings, Andrew Lumsden, organist and master of choristers, talked of the education and appointment of organists for large English churches. Rarely is the number 2 or number 3 organist elevated through the ranks, an exception being John Scott at St. Paul's London. Lumsden was educated at Saint John's College and was number 2 at Westminster Abbey for a time. The duties of Master of Choristers used to include the teaching of Latin and Greek. The choir schools, and the advent of girls' choirs, are enormously expensive.

The original instrument before the present Hill organ of 1884 was on the choir screen and was purchased by Josiah Spode of the pottery-making family. The Hill instrument was placed on the north transept and the pipes of that organ survive into the current one, a 4-manual instrument placed on either side of the choir. A Baroque choir organ was added in 1973-74 and a recently completed 4-million pound refurbishment by Harrison added the nave organ. The Great reeds are on a separate chest under high wind pressure, and there is a wonderful Edwardian Tuba and massive pedal reeds. Lumsden played the Bach "Liebster Jesu" with choir Cornet and Great Open Diapason, Widor Symphonie V "Adagio" with foundations and strings, and Guilmant's March on a Theme of Handel.

Liverpool

The great industrial city of Liverpool was the last stop before returning to London. Ian Tracey, organist for both Saint George's Hall and the Cathedral, treated us to a well-articulated history of both structures and their instruments. Saint George's Hall is a magnificent civic monument to nineteenth-century British pride and opulence. Built in the 1840s for music festivals, the interior was copied after the Baths of Caracalla in Rome and even displays Roman military insignia on its guilded interior doors. A magnificent marble floor is now covered by wood but is revealed on special occasions, increasing the considerable reverberation by two seconds.

S.S. Wesley directed the building of the Henry Willis organ in 1855. Willis was barely 30 at the time and this organ established his reputation. The instrument featured 100 stops, the first radiating concave pedalboard, stop jambs angled towards the player, and thumb pistons. Rebuilds occurred in 1897 and 1931. The organ was dismantled after a bomb damaged the building in 1940. Many pipes were stolen, and in 1957 Henry Willis IV reconstructed the organ. Since 1989 it has been cared for by the David Wells company, with a campaign now on to further restore the organ. Today it has 120 stops, including two percussions. It still retains a classical English Great Mixture and wide scaled Diapasons.

About 200 people will attend organ recitals at any given time. At Christmas, some 1700 people congregate to enjoy dinner parties and carol singing. At other times, Tracey continues the tradition of playing the 1812 Overture while the audience provides the bell and cannon effects. In the 19th century, W.T. Best, notable for his orchestral transcriptions, would play concerts for school children and for adults, who were charged but a farthing to hear the organ. Once, a woman dressed in black appeared in Best's peripheral vision while he played a Spohr overture. He shooed her away. It was Queen Victoria. George Thalben-Ball was organist here for a time. Tracey played a Purcell March to feature the Tuba Mirabilis and double-leathered Diapason, Thalben-Ball's Elegy, and the Bossi Scherzo.

Liverpool Cathedral contains the largest organ in England. Like the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Liverpool Cathedral took most of the twentieth century to construct. Like Saint Paul's in London, the church became a national symbol of British fortitude during WWII as Churchill ordered the work to continue on the tower even as Liverpool endured saturation bombing by the Germans. Begun in 1904 and completed in the 1980s, the enormity of the structure is magnified because the nave is very wide, there is an unobstructed view from entrance to altar (1/8 mile), there are two sets of transepts, and the arches under the tower soar to 175 feet. 4000 people can congregate here, as they did when the Queen consecrated the Cathedral in 1978. Giles Gilbert Scott, 18 years old at the time, won the competition for the design. He also designed the Bank Side Power Station (now the new Tate Gallery) in London and the University Library at Cambridge. Henry Willis designed the instrument to accommodate the organist, Henry Goss-Custard, and his considerable gifts for orchestral sonorities. There are 147 speaking stops, 47 of which are reeds, including those on 30 and 50 inches of wind pressure. There are 10 ranks of mixtures on each manual, mutations, and clarinet, bassoon, and flutes, all of which are much more subtle than those at Saint George's Hall. The huge organ is mounted on both sides of the choir and faces into the nave, held up by massive load-bearing piers that were designed to hold two 200-foot towers which were never built.

Little of the organ is changed today, but in 1989 a new moveable console was provided. Tracey demonstrated the five beautiful Open Diapasons of the Great, played the Tournemire Te Deum, Joel Martinson's Aria, and his own transcription of two movements of the Respighi Pines of Rome. Participants played Karg-Elert, Widor and Mulet.

London: Temple Church

Returning to London, participants were greeted by James Vivian, organist at Temple Church, where George Thalben-Ball was organist for over 60 years.  The present organ, a 1927 Harrison & Harrison, was a gift of Lord Glentanner, in whose Scottish castle ballroom it was originally placed. Moved to the church in 1954, a Double Ophicleide was added. In 1989, Harrison revised the Great Mixture and lowered the Great reeds from 15 to 7 inches of wind pressure. The original instrument, a 1684 instrument of 23 stops, was the first 3-manual organ in England. The Echo division (a forerunner of the Swell) had a short compass to Middle C. This and subsequent instruments and their restorations were destroyed in 1941.

Saint Paul's Cathedral

At Saint Paul's Cathedral, the 5 p.m. Eucharist was sung by the choir, with service music by Harold Darke and Introit by Palestrina (Tu es petra). Andrew Reed, the number 2 organist, played for the service. After the church emptied, Huw Williams, assistant organist, led us to the choir loft to demonstrate the 1872 Father Willis organ. Today it is of 108 stops in three parts: the main organ on either side of the choir, the west entrance Trumpet en Chamade and Diapason chorus, and the Quarter Dome Northeast division of 3 tubas and a Tuba Militaire. Willis had split the original Bernard Smith organ of 1697 (a double-sided instrument located on the choir screen) and moved it to its present location on either side of the choir. The case was designed by the architect of the church, Christopher Wren. Willis claimed first use of tubular pneumatic action in this organ. From 1897 to 1900, Willis expanded the Pedal, the pipes of which lie horizontally on the north side of the choir. From 1925 to 1930 the organ was moved to the Wellington monument bay as it was feared that the dome was unstable. Restored in 1960, 1972, and 1977, windchests and other parts of the organ received major overhauls. The Mander company added Diapasons to the quarter dome division. The Swell is particularly fine, an example of an early Willis classic Swell, not deep in the case, and equal to the Great. Williams played Stanford, Howells, and Bossi to demonstrate the colors and families of stops. The finale was Grand Choeur Dialogué by Gigout in which the Royal Trumpets sounded antiphonally with the main organ.

Afterwards, the group proceeded to Saint Helen Bishopgate, near Saint Paul's, where John Norman was the consultant for a new organ. The original instrument was destroyed by an IRA bomb in the 1980s.

Saint Margaret Lothbury

Saint Margaret Lothbury, a small church nestled next to the Bank of England, was our next stop. We were greeted by Richard Townend, who is resident recitalist at Saint Margaret Lothbury and music director for Holy Trinity Church at Sloane Square. Townend was a choirboy at Westminster Abbey and sang for the funeral of Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1958. He studied at the Royal College of Music with Harold Darke and Herbert Howells, and in Switzerland with Lionel Rogg and Guy Bovet. He is also director of music for the Hill House school, which Prince Charles attended.

Saint Margaret Lothbury was designed by Christopher Wren and built after the great fire of 1666. In danger of collapse, it was rebuilt in the 1970s. An organ of two manuals was placed in the west gallery in 1801 by G.P. England and a Choir division was added in 1845 by James Butler. In 1881 Bryceson moved the whole organ to the gallery and added the treble case from the church of St. Mildred Poultry. In 1938, Hill, Norman and Beard added a large Great Open Diapason and discarded the Great Mixture. The console was electrified and detached from the case. In 1983-84, J.C. Bishop and Son, under the direction of John Budgen and Richard Townend, completely reconstructed the organ, restoring the case to its original form. The remaining stops by England and James Butler have been incorporated in a new instrument built in the style of the original. Both Felix Mendelssohn and S.S. Wesley played here.

In 1830, the organ at St. Margaret Lothbury featured the first addition of the bottom 12 notes of pedals in England. It contains warm Open and quiet Stopped Diapasons. According to Townend, the instrument is a quintessential British organ, of "polite" sound and singing quality, but not built for playing polyphony. The Great 4' Flute "bubbles up." In English music whenever a flute is called for, it means a 4' Flute. There is an "elderly" Trumpet. The classic English chorus is 8' Open Diapason, 4' Principal, Twelfth, Fifteenth, and Mixture. The English Cornet is of 3 ranks: 8', 4', 22/3'. The Swell is soft--the Great louder. Adding the Trumpet to the Cornet gives a "Frenchy Grand Jeu." The Cremona with metal resonators, fatter than the French Cromorne, is for solo melodies.

Westminster Abbey

The group attended Evensong at Westminster Abbey to hear responses by Aylesbury, Magnificat and Nunc dimittis by Howells, and an anthem by Stanford. Afterwards, Stephen LePrevost, assistant organist, spoke briefly of the organ as playing time was limited. The organ is a 1937 rebuild by Harrison & Harrison of a William Hill instrument from 1848 and 1884. The first instrument was by the firm of Schrider & Jordan in 1727. The choir Stopped Flute and 4' Flute are reputedly from the Jordan instrument. The Bombarde division was added by Simon Preston and features the borrowing of reeds from the Great and Solo manuals. Participants played Howells, Tournemire, Handel, and Walton.

Westminster Cathedral

The imposing Roman Cathedral of Westminster, loosely based on the design of St. Mark's in Venice, was built in 1901. Past the nave with its three domes, the group gathered in the choir loft which is behind the high altar. Martin Baker, organist of Westminster Cathedral, explained that it costs around $400,000 per year to maintain the choir school. The sound of the famous choir is more "continental," rather than that of the British "hooty" sound. 95% of the music is in Latin, and the boys actually have trouble singing in English after learning the Italianate Latin vowel sounds. The Apse Organ of two manuals accompanies the choir. The large Willis Grand Organ in the west gallery is playable from the Apse Organ through setting pistons from the Grand Organ, but the two-second delay takes some getting used to.

Walking down the south triforium gallery towards the west gallery, we stopped at a bay close to the Great Organ. Comparable to the Liverpool instrument, it was built by Henry Willis III and rebuilt by Harrison in 1984. It features a Double Diapason 16' and three Open Diapasons on the Great. There is a Double Open Bass 32' and Open Bass and Open Diapason 16' in the Pedal. The Swell and Solo both contain beautiful orchestral reeds: Waldhorn, Cor Anglais, French horn, and Corno di Bassetto. The Cor de nuit celestes on the Choir are velvety and beautiful. In 1976, Stephen Cleobury directed the raising of the Apse Organ and part of the Great Organ to concert pitch. In 1985, David Hill, who began the Grand Organ Festival, had all of the Great Organ raised to concert pitch. Baker improvised on "Adoro te devote," and participants played Stanford, Parry, and Mulet.

London options

On July 1, with several Sunday service choices in London, one group of participants returned to Westminster Cathedral for a Festival Mass in celebration of the centennial anniversary year of the church. Kyrie, Gloria, and Agnus Dei, sung by the choir, were by Widor. The anthem was Parry's "I Was Glad," accompanied by both the Great Organ and the Apse Organ. The congregation sang the rest of the Latin Mass from printed plainsong. The 1700 seats of the nave were full. At Richard Townend's church, Holy Trinity at Sloane Square, an orchestra accompanied a Mozart Mass and a youth choir from Alaska participated.

Afternoon choices included hearing recitals at Saint Paul's (John Scott), Westminster Cathedral (Martin Baker), and Westminster Abbey. Participants practiced for and played a recital at Holy Trinity church at 7:00 p.m. Open to the parishioners and public, the program featured music by Walond, Lang, Howells, Rutter, Thalben-Ball, and Vierne. The interior of the church, an arts-and-crafts-Gothic design, features a breathtaking window above the altar which was the largest window ever built by the William Morris Company. Its beautiful stained-glass images were designed by pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne-Jones. J.W. Walker & Sons built an organ here in 1891 which was almost totally destroyed during WWII. It was rebuilt in 1966 by Walker, and Simon Preston inaugurated the instrument in 1967.

The British Organ Music Seminar provides participants access to great instruments and their artist-curators. For those unfamiliar with the vast repertoire of British organ music, especially that of the 19th and early 20th century, playing these works on the instruments for which they were conceived is a revelation. The reverberation of the environment, the velvety Diapasons, the exquisite Swell divisions with their strings and orchestral reeds, and the fire of the British tubas resonates long after the experience is past. The hospitality of our hosts was among the finest. At many venues, the church's staff provided a meal, either in the undercroft, or a parlor, or in a great hall. Such is what creates memories surrounding the experience of beautiful music and instruments.           

John Speller has bachelor’s degrees from Bristol University and a doctorate from Oxford, and spent much of his career working as an organ builder. He is now retired and lives in St. Louis.

The original Grand Avenue Temple Methodist Church opened at Ninth and Grand in Kansas City in 1870. This was a Victorian Gothic brick church with an imposing spire, and it had a two-manual-and-pedal Marshall Brothers tracker organ. The congregation had outgrown this church by the early twentieth century, so in 1910–1912 a new and much larger neo-classical church of poured concrete with brick facing was constructed on the same site. A contract for the 44-rank, four-manual-and-pedal organ was signed with the Ernest M. Skinner Organ Co. of Boston in 1910, and the organ, Skinner’s Op. 190, was opened with the new church in 1912. The original Marshall Brothers organ was electrified and moved by Skinner to the Assembly Hall of the new church, where it remained until the 1930s.

Skinner Op. 190 was donated in memory of Christian Edward Schoelkopf (1833–1906), a wealthy real estate developer and philanthropist who had been a member of the Grand Avenue Church. The dedication recital was played by Edward F. Kreiser (1860–1917), a well-known local organist and composer who was organist of the Independence Boulevard Christian Church in Kansas City. Kreiser is chiefly memorable for the fact that he was continually having affairs with other women, which eventually so enraged his wife that on March 3, 1917 she shot him dead. Mrs. Kreiser was put on trial for capital murder but, as was not unusual in crimes of passion in Missouri at the time, the jury acquitted her on the grounds that her husband’s infidelity justified the action.

A century later, Grand Avenue Temple United Methodist Church is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the citation unusually lists the Skinner organ as well as the building. Op. 190 has become a regal and venerable old lady and has of late been nicknamed “Victoria” in honor of the British Queen. Wilhelm Middelschulte, Marcel Dupré, Virgil Fox, Fernando Germani, and Jean Langlais are among the many famous organists who have given recitals on the organ. In 1949 Ernest M. Skinner, Inc. (Carl Bassett, president and treasurer; Ernest M. Skinner, technical director) added an additional twelve ranks, including a Flute Celeste, Choir mutations, and a five-rank Pedal Mixture. Apart from these changes, made by Mr. Skinner himself, the organ remains entirely in its 1912 condition, making it the oldest extant four-manual Skinner organ in the world that remains as its builder left it. Michael Quimby has been taking care of the instrument since the mid-1970s and has been carrying out a phased restoration ever since. As a result of this, the instrument was in good condition until a roof leak about fifteen years ago poured rainwater into the instrument, severely damaging the Swell. Fortunately, all this damage has now been repaired, apart from the reinstatement of the Swell 16′ English Horn, for which it is hoped funding will be available shortly. Meanwhile, there is another English Horn, at 8′ pitch, on the Choir-Solo—what luxury!

The 100th Birthday Recital took place at 3:30 pm on Sunday, March 25, 2012. The organist was John D. Schwandt, associate professor and founding director of the American Organ Institute at the University of Oklahoma. The recital, at which I was fortunately able to be present, included three pieces that Edward Kreiser had played at the original dedication recital of 1912. It opened with one of these, Kreiser’s stirring Festival March, in which the Tuba and Cornopean got a good airing. This was followed by another piece from the original recital, a transcription of Tchaikovsky’s Andante from the Symphonie Pathétique, in which we got to hear some of the quieter strings, flutes, and color stops. Dr. Schwandt followed this with Théodore Dubois’ Toccata in G, in which the organ again gave a good showing of itself. The Swan from Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals followed, and gave an opportunity for showcasing the Choir-Solo English Horn. 

Dispensing with a planned intermission, we then moved on directly to the second half of the program, which opened with Mendelssohn’s Sonata, op. 65, no. 1, whose last movement enabled us to hear how stunningly rapidly Op. 190’s pitman action with double primaries continues to operate, even after a century. Then followed a piece by a composer I had not heard of before, but which had also been played at the original recital of 1912: At Twilight by J. Frank Frysinger (1878–1964), a soft and gentle piece that sounded exactly the way its title might suggest. The composer of the next piece was Powell Weaver (1890–1951). Weaver is interesting in that after a stint as organist of First Baptist Church in Kansas City, he became organist of Grand Avenue Temple Methodist Church. His composition The Squirrel is an absolutely ebullient and delightful piece for the softer registers of the organ, and it seems that it was composed with the Grand Avenue Temple Skinner in mind. Again, it sounds exactly the way its title suggests, and it gave Schwandt an opportunity to show off the mutations added by Skinner in 1949. The last 25 minutes of the recital were taken up with an improvisation on a submitted theme. The theme was submitted by Michael Quimby and turned out to be The National Anthem. Schwandt suggested that we should all rise and sing The National Anthem to start with, and speaking as a British citizen, I must say I have rarely been more moved than the result of this. It certainly beats the way in which The National Anthem is mostly sung by rock stars these days. Then we all sat down and were delighted with nearly half an hour of variations, culminating in a stunning fugue and cadenza.

This was a very long recital—even without the intermission—and it must have been a grueling experience for both the recitalist and the organ. Suffice it to say that both Schwandt and “Victoria” managed this with flying colors. Neither of them ever missed a beat. 

Malcolm Wechsler was born in Da Bronx, but grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, totally unexposed to the sound of a pipe organ, but"taking" piano with a local private teacher. Entering Oberlin College, not Conservatory, in 1953, he studied piano as a college elective withthe late Emil Danenberg. Finally, attending student recitals, he experiencedthe sound of a pipe organ, and a passion developed that has continued over theyears. He became an organ student of Fenner Douglass in 1955. Wechsler enrolled at Juilliard in 1958 for graduate study in organ and church music, with Vernon deTar as his major teacher. He earned a Master of Science degree in organ and church music in 1963. After years of teaching and of church appointments inCanada and the U.S., he is now North American Representative of Mander Organsof London (since 1987), and Director of Music at Trinity Church, Stamford,Connecticut.

The 2003 national convention of the Organ Historical Society took place June 19-26 in South-Central Pennsylvania. It was a long, sometimes grueling week, but without question, a week of many happy surprises: organs, organ music, and organists. And let me not forget the opportunity to meet old friends, and to make new ones. There is nothing quite like an OHS convention, and I will attempt to report on it accurately and with balance.

Grand opening of the convention, Thursday, June 12

Erik Wm. Suter

Mr. Suter holds degrees from Oberlin and Yale, and is organist and associate choirmaster at Washington National Cathedral. His recital took place at St. Paul the Apostle R. C. Church in Annville, Pennsylvania, a building in which organ music looked to be contraindicated, partly thanks to heavy carpeting widely applied! However, the early 20th-century builders knew about building effectively for bad acoustics, and the 1902 E. W. Lane tracker organ proved a gentle but projecting instrument. The wind was pleasantly relaxed. The console is at the left side, and the instrument was restored by R. J. Brunner & Company in 2002. The program: Placare Christe Servulis (from Le Tombeau de Titelouze), Dupré; Prelude & Fugue in G Minor, Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen, Schmücke dich (on a single, beautiful flute), Brahms. The hymn, Schmücke dich (of course), was wonderfully sung and played. Then, Sonata IV, Mendelssohn; Torah Song, Craig Phillips (a very fine piece, toying with dissonances and clusters in a completely intelligible way); next, from Book 1 of Gospel Preludes by William Bolcom, "Just as I am," and "What a friend we have in Jesus"; the Duruflé Prelude on the Epiphany Introit; Adagio and Final (Symphony VI), Widor. This E. W. Lane instrument of 19 stops really does wonderfully well in this quite dry acoustic, but a genuine Cavaillé-Coll it is not, and a sort of heavier, more sustained, compensatory approach might have better suited the Widor. All that notwithstanding, this was a wonderful recital, and a perfect opening to yet another splendid OHS convention!

First full day, Friday, June 20

Agnes Armstong

Friday, June 20, was the first full day of the convention, and it began with a very fine lecture by Frederick Weiser. The topic was Pennsylvania German Culture, a perfect orientation to so much that we would see and hear throughout the week. Then buses took a long journey to Lititz to hear Agnes Armstrong in the Chapel of the Lindenhall School for Girls, the oldest boarding school for girls in the U.S. She played on a 7-rank, 1904 Hook & Hastings, restored (in 1998) by Patrick Murphy, whose ties to the OHS go back a long way, he having been the first E. Power Biggs Fellow.

Agnes Armstrong plays in two churches on Sunday--one of which, St. John's Lutheran in Altamont, New York, has a new French organ by Cabourdin. She has advanced music degrees from SUNY, the College of St. Rose, and New York University, has concertized a great deal, and her CDs are available through the OHS. As for Lititz, where the next three recitals took place, here is a quote from one of the many websites devoted to the place: "Located in the heart of beautiful Lancaster County, Lititz has an eclectic history dating well beyond its founding by Moravian missionaries in 1756. Situated among the rolling hills, quiet streams and lush farmlands of Pennsylvania Dutch Country . . . ." Other than the fact that the four days of rain had begun by now in earnest, this is a wonderful part of the world, and as the week unfolded, we learned also of its organic treasures, and I don't mean vegetables.

Agnes Armstrong played beautifully and sympathetically on wonderful and gentle sounds: Prelude in D, Vogler; Voluntary on a Moravian Hymn, Abraham Ritter (1792-1860); Largo in A-flat, Elizabeth Stirling (1819-1895); Will o' the Wisp (Scherzo-Toccatina), Gordon Balch Nevin; Postludium, Adolph Friedrich Hesse (1808-1863). The program ended with a hymn, as does every recital at these conventions, a moment to be looked forward to and savored: "We who here together are assembled," the tune, Covenant, by Christian Gregor, the words by Christian Renatus von Zinzendorf. What a lovely beginning to a fine first full day.

Robert Barney, the Chapel of the Single Brothers' House

Robert Barney drew the task of playing this tiny and quite delicate Tannenberg from 1793: four manual stops, no pedal. He did battle with it manfully, it having a very difficult and delicate action to play. The stops are 8' Gedackt, 8' Gamba (with 17 basses common with the Gedackt), 4' (Open) Floet (spelled thus), and a 2' Principal, lower 29 pipes in the façade. It is all very gentle, and in the first piece, Voluntary in G of Purcell, the clattering of the action nearly drowned out the music! Then followed a Pachelbel Choralthema in D Major with eight variations on the tune Alle Menschen müssen sterben. To me, the pleasures of the hymn singing we do at these conventions are greatly enhanced when we can sing in harmony, as we did this day. The tune is Gregor, in honor of Christian Gregor, who wrote the words "My portion is the Lord." The anonymous tune is from the Choral Buch of the Hernnhut Moravian community in Germany. The program offered next Will o' the Wisp of Nevin (Robert announced what we had all guessed, that this piece, not part of his plan at all, slipped into the book in mysterious ways, obviously from Agnes Armstrong's program just before); then Four Voice Fugue on the name B-A-C-H by Johann de Deo Beranek (1813-1875). Barney is organist at Trinity Episcopal Church, Concord, Massachusetts and associate director of the Treble Chorus of New England. He has an active performing and teaching life in the Boston area.

This organ had been built for a Moravian church in Frederick County, Maryland, which, in 1957, decided to set the instrument free. The Lititz Moravian community got it and packed it off to M. P. Möller for repairs and the move. In recent years, James McFarland & Co. have done further restorative repairs.

Ray Brunner, Auditorium of the Linden Hall School for Girls

This was a lecture that was certainly music to my ears--"Pennsylvania German Organ Building, David Tannenberg's Legacy." Any précis of this wonderful non-stop appreciation of such a strong artistic vein in the history of organ building would require reproducing the entire speech. Nothing could be left out. My small knowledge and experience of Tannenberg's work all came from books and articles. Obviously, by the end of this week, that all changed dramatically, and for me, one of the highlights, almost an emotional experience, was hearing and seeing David Tannenberg's very last organ, built in 1804, now safely situated in a small auditorium at the York County Museum. More about that later.

It was not just in this talk that we heard from Ray Brunner. It was also in the beauties of quite a number of organs heard in this convention, organs that his firm, R. J. Brunner & Company, had restored, repaired, and even rescued. [Ruth Brunner, wife of Ray Brunner, and a master organbuilder in her own right, died of cancer at the age of 45, on November 6, 2003. She worked hard planning this convention, and though clearly ill, kept things in order as the convention progressed. She is missed!] Ray and Ruth were a huge part of putting together and maintaining this distinguished convention. At one of our venues, they were both given an award for distinguished service to the OHS, this presented amidst cheers.

James Darling, the Fellowship Hall of the Single Brothers' House

It is now 1:45, and I must mention that we had a beautiful box lunch which would have been eaten out of doors, were not the heavens continuing to open up. James Darling is perhaps known to many who have made the pilgrimage to Colonial Williamsburg, a wonderful place to visit. He is at the center of a lot of musical activity there, particularly in Bruton Parish Church, where he has served for almost 40 years. Here, he was playing a much-traveled single-manual Tannenberg of nine stops, built in 1787. It found its way to the Fellowship Hall of the Single Brothers' House in 1983, restored and reconstructed by James R. McFarland & Co. The organ had suffered mightily from various forms of ill treatment including a fire, and required extensive work. The 20-note pedalboard has two stops of its own, a Sub Bass at 16' and an Open Wood Oktav Bass at 8'.

The program: Allein Gott, settings by Bach and Pachelbel; Fugue & Chorale, Pachelbel; four Preludes by the English Moravian, Christian Latrobe (1758-1836); the event of the day was the hymn, "Morning Star, O cheering sight," to the tune Hagen, by the Rev. F. F. Hagen, with a very young singer from the Lititz congregation as the excellent soloist; two preludes and fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier, and closing with a Pachelbel Prelude in D.

Bruce Stevens, Salem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, Pennsylvania

At 2:30, we said goodbye to Lititz and traveled about an hour to Lebanon. Bruce Stevens played on a rather amazing organ of 1888, built by the builder who bid lowest in a competition among many, the Miller Organ Company of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The Organ Handbook gives the names and bids of the six other builders; Miller's bid was $3,300, for which they produced a lot of organ, 31 ranks on three manuals. The Great is founded on an independent 16' Double Open, the bottom four pipes of which are stopped wood, space clearly being an issue. The Pedal also has an independent Double Open, Bourdon 16', and 8' Violoncello. The Great Trumpet is the only commanding manual reed. The Swell has only a Bassoon Oboe at 8' and the Choir has a Clarionet at 8', yet this organ makes a mighty sound, full of excitement. It is also a beautiful visual presence in the room, if a bit unusual in its presentation.

Bruce Stevens is organist of Second Presbyterian Church in downtown Richmond, and is director of the OHS European Tours, this year's heading to Sweden. His degrees are from the University of Richmond and University of Illinois, with further study in Denmark with Finn Viderø and Gretha Krogh, with Anton Heiller in Vienna, and at the Royal School of Church Music, then in Croydon. He has played recitals internationally and at 12 OHS conventions, and his CDs are available from the OHS Catalogue. The program began with the March on a Theme of Handel by Guilmant; Mein junges Leben, Sweelinck; Second Sonata, Mendelssohn; the hymn, "O Christ the Word Incarnate" (so listed in the Supplement, but as "O Word of God Incarnate" in the printed program), in Mendelssohn's harmonization, connecting us back to the Sonata. At this point, wanting to be sure that we had a complete tour of the organ, Bruce showed us the somewhat audible Choir Dulciana and the gentle Swell Viola, knowing that they would be swamped in the registrations of any pieces on the program. Then, Moderato from Tre Tonstykker, Niels Gade; Fugue (Sonata 11), Rheinberger; three Chorale Preludes, Pepping; and to conclude, the Bach Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor. Following this recital, the entire convention was fed sumptuously in one of the great spaces in these spacious buildings.

Lorenz Maycher, the Memorial Chapel of Salem Lutheran Church, Lebanon

We then moved from the original church to what began as a memorial chapel, but is now really the more used of the two buildings. It is larger as well, and sounds different, too. This place is referred to as Salem Lutheran Church (Memorial Chapel). The organ is Ernest Skinner Opus 683 of 1928. Lorenz Maycher is organist-choirmaster at Trinity Episcopal Church, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and teaches at Lafayette College in Easton. He was an OHS Biggs Fellow in 1990, and has played for six OHS conventions. Having relaxed over dinner, I was slow to enter the chapel; as I arrived the Bach C Minor Fantasy and Fugue was beginning. Whatever do my ears hear? I have not heard Bach on this kind of sound for years--a 26-stop organ, 73-note chests on Swell and Choir, thus supercoupled to be sure, fighting its way out of a chamber on one side of the chancel. The playing was the kind of legato that matches all of this. Next a wonderfully orchestral performance of the Handel Concerto in F; the d'Aquin Cuckoo; Dreams, Hugh McAmis; Suite in E Major, Everett Titcomb; Fanfare d'Orgue, Harry Rowe Shelley; the hymn, "Lord Jesus, we humbly pray" to a tune by Ignaz Pleyel; Grand Choeur No. 2, Alfred Hollins; three Songs of Faith and Penitence, by Leo Sowerby (sung dramatically by Linda Laubach, and Maycher's accompaniments were nothing less than superb); then, Impromptu, Gaston Dethier (1875--1958); and lastly, Improvisation on an Irish Air, by Norman Coke-Jephcott, one-time organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York.

And here endeth a very long first day of the convention. A one-hour trip brought us back to the hotel for visiting, drinking, and buying music, books, and CDs.

Second full day, Saturday, June 21

Justin Hartz at St. James Presbyterian Church, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

We began this day with a short bus ride to Mechanicsburg. St. James Presbyterian Church is a large classroom or assembly sort of room, but with something of a raised ceiling, kind of a square dome effect. There is some acoustic to be enjoyed, not a huge amount, and we were hearing an old instrument (mid-19th century) by William H. Davis, a single-manual with a pedal Bourdon and coupler. This much traveled, much troubled instrument was rebuilt and refurbished by R. J. Brunner & Co. in 1989, including a brand new and very handsome case of simple design. Wow! What projection and richness of sound!

Justin Hartz is organist and choir director at Church of the Incarnation, Morrisville, Pennsylvania, and also frequently appears at the Aeolian organ of Longwood Gardens. A graduate of Westminster Choir College, he has a master's from Juilliard, and was a Biggs Fellow. The program: Voluntary No. 29, Andante (from American Church Organ Voluntaries, Cutter and Johnson), the 8' Open having a lovely sound and a fulfilling projection; Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, Buxtehude; Voluntary 25, Moderato, from Ryder's Short Voluntaries; Andante, K. 616, Mozart, a lovely gem of a piece, and the fluty sounds of the organ were divine; the program closed with a rather quick accompaniment to our robust singing of "Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven." This was a fine recital on a worthy little organ, by a fine organist who looked like he was having fun, the fun being happily contagious. Now, back on the buses to warm up a bit, for the short trip to Camp Hill.

Mark Brombaugh, Peace Church, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania

The organ here has a single manual with six stops, built by Conrad Doll in 1805, and lovingly restored by the Noack Organ Company in 1974. It is gentle but it is lovely, and looks down from a balcony in a truly beautiful church built in 1799. Mark Brombaugh holds degrees from Oberlin College, the University of Louisville, and Yale University. He is director of music at United Church on the Green in New Haven, and is a past national secretary of the OHS. The program: Praeludium and Fugue in A Minor (Clavier Übung 1728), Vincent Lübeck, wonderful sounds, so fresh and clean, with playing also so clean and gently driven; Partita on the Aria Jesu du bist allzu schöne, Böhm; Toccata in C, Sweelinck; Fairest Lord Jesus (five variations) by James Woodman (b. 1957), which really worked well on this small organ. All subtleties were made perfectly clear. We were well prepared, and after the fifth variation, we instantly sang, with the middle stanza in glorious harmony, thrilling in this building. Time for a fairly long bus ride to Mount Pleasant Mills, the tedium beguiled a bit by a very nice box lunch on board.

Susan Hegberg, St. Peter's Lutheran & UCC Church, Freeburg, Pennsylvania

This recital recalls the Bible quote, "it maketh the heart glad." Dr. Susan Hegberg holds degrees from St. Olaf College, the University of Michigan, and Northwestern University, and is professor of music and university organist at Susquehanna University. In addition to what turned out to be a splendid recital, we were also about to hear one of those good, old Möllers (really!). Those turn-of-the-century Möller trackers (in this case, 1904), were really lovely to hear and to behold, and this organ was reasonably substantial at 13 stops and two manuals. And, on top of all that happiness, this church greeted us with an unexpected reception, good things to eat and drink, a great kindness. The program: Sonata in D Major, C. P. E. Bach; I want Jesus to walk with me, in a fairly mild jazz setting by Joe Utterback, written for Susan Hegberg in 2002; Variations on Leoni, by Frank Ferko; after the Finale (the sixth variation), we cleverly picked up our cue, and began to sing Leoni. The whole recital was a model: the playing was solid throughout, and the program was interesting to all. Back on the bus, headed for Mount Pleasant Mills, a 30 minute journey.

MaryAnn Crugher Balduf, Botschaft ("Grubb's") Lutheran Church, Mount Pleasant Mills, Pennsylvania

Well, to begin, what's a Botschaft? My Cassell's says it's Tidings, or News, or a Message. I suppose "Tidings" has the most promise as a church name. Improbably enough, Grubb's refers to someone who actually owned the church at one time, but his name was really Kruppe--that is quite a morph. This was a Reformed congregation, but they became quite weak, and in 1934, the Lutherans took over the church, buying the building for $1, which was worth something in those days, but surely not as much as a church. The organ was built circa 1865 by John Marklove of Utica, New York. It was discovered by the Organ Clearing House, and in 1978 James R. McFarland & Co. relocated it and did the work of reconstruction and restoration.

MaryAnn Crugher Balduf is an old OHS hand, having played many a convention recital over the years. She has a reputation for presenting interesting programs on single-manual instruments, and that is what she got this year (7 stops and a pedal Bourdon): Processional, Grayston Ives (b. 1948); Cornet Voluntary in F, John Humphries (1707- 1730?); Entrée (Messe Basse, op. 30), Vierne; Koraal (Suite Modale, op. 43), Flor Peeters, Andante No. 2, Henry Stephen Cutler (1825-1902); Improvisato (op. 37, no. 6), Arthur Bird (1856-1923) [see "The Organ Works of Arthur H. Bird," The Diapason, February, 1995]; Hommage (Twenty Four Pieces for Organ) and American Folk-Hymn Settings for Organ (which incorporated five stanzas of "Amazing Grace"), Jean Langlais. Not on the printed program was the Sortie of Theodore Dubois, an exciting finale to an interesting recital. On the bus to Danville, for a ride of approximately one hour.

Michael Britt, St. Paul's-Emmanuel UMC, Danville, Pennsylvania

Heretofore, on this day, the convention had been divided in two, but before we heard Michael Britt's fine recital, we were all driven to First Baptist Church, reunited with the other half of our convention and fed a fine dinner. It was then just a short ride to St. Paul's-Emmanuel UMC. Michael Britt is native to Baltimore, and graduated from the Peabody Conservatory. He concertizes as both a "classical" and a "theatre" organist, being a frequent performer at the Capitol Theatre in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. His assigned organ this week: a really fine 19-stop A. B. Felgemaker of 1892, Opus 584, a wonderful looking instrument in addition to being distinguished tonally. The program: American Rhapsody, Pietro Yon (this was Yon at his most exploitative, a bag full of American patriotic melodies crowned at the end by the "Star Spangled Banner," assuring a standing ovation every time!); Count Your Blessings, Dan Miller (b. 1954); Hymn Prelude on the tune Bethany (op. 38), Seth Bingham; world premiere of Prelude on Marching to Zion, Wayne Wold (b. 1954), a fine work, clearly from our century, and totally digestible. The composer was in the audience, and was well cheered by all. Of course, we next sang "Marching to Zion," and the entire convention roared full throat--"We're marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion; we're marching upward to Zion, the beautiful city of God!" It was really something, and it would not have been possible without a rather incredible accompaniment from Michael Britt. What a great concert! For our next venue, no muss, no fuss, no bus, Gus. With a police escort by the entire police force of Danville, all one of them, we walked across the street to Mahoning Presbyterian Church where Bruce Cornely made a bit of OHS history.

Bruce Cornely, Hymn Sing, Mahoning Presbyterian Church, Danville, Pennsylvania

I'm not sure this evening's event was a "first," but certainly I don't remember anything quite like it at an OHS convention. It was a Hymn Sing that really was a SING. We hardly stopped, and I don't think I was alone in enjoying just about every minute of it. The whole evening was created and "executed" by Bruce Cornely. He is a long-time member of OHS and a strong presence on the Pipe Organ lists. He has studied organ with Ronald Rice, William Weaver, Robert Bennett, Robert Jones, and William Barnard, and is organist at First Baptist Church in Gainesville, Florida. The church was packed with our entire convention and many parishioners. We were well supported by Hook & Hastings Opus 1073 of 1882, a quite powerful 22-stop instrument. The Great has a 16' Bourdon, extended from the 8', a three-rank Mixture, and a Trumpet; the eight-stop Swell contains a Cornopean and a Bassoon/Oboe at 8' pitch; the Pedal has a 16' Open Wood, a 16' Bourdon, and an 8' Violoncello. Bruce varied these resources deftly, with registrations that kept us interested through the entire program. The 17-page booklet we were handed as we entered the church was beautifully organized, and cleverly, too. One could hold the booklet under the hymnal, and with the directions, like unison stanza one, etc., written way over to the left of each sheet, it was possible comfortably to read both the directions and the pages of the hymnal.

"Wind who makes all winds that blow," (Aberystwyth)--as an introduction, Bruce played a Chromatic Fugue by Johann Pachelbel; "Bless the Lord, my soul and being" (Rustington); "New songs of celebration render" (Rendez a Dieu), as introduction, No. 29 of 29 Short Preludes by Carl Nielsen; "With joy I heard my friends exclaim" (Gonfalon Royal), as a prelude, excerpts from Communion by Theodore Dubois; "Give praise to the Lord" (Laudate Dominum); "Let the whole creation cry" (Salzburg); "All praise to God for song God gives" (Sacred Song); "Called as partners in Christ's service" (Beecher); "As those of old their first fruits brought" (Forest Green); "The church of Christ in every age" (Wareham); "We all are one in mission" (Woodbird); "In Eden fair" (Aldersgate), with text and tune by Bruce Cornely. Finally, a somewhat solemn moment: another tune and text by Bruce, Laufman, in honor of the late Alan Laufman, for so many years director of the Organ Clearing House, and also editor of the yearly Organ Handbooks. This was good, and was well sung by all. Despite occasional problems in this massive undertaking, I thought it was a really rich and meaningful event, and lots of fun as well.

Third full day, Sunday, June 22

This was a gentle day, beginning with the Annual Meeting of the Organ Historical Society in the hotel at 9 am. From this meeting, one can always learn a great deal about the workings of the Society, and of the great scope of its influence and importance to us and to our chosen instrument. Michael Barone passed the office of president on to Michael Friesen, who will continue the other Michael's always wise and steady shepherding of the organization. I note with pleasure, as I have been able to do in the past, the large number of members interested enough to awaken early to attend the proceedings. Some slipped away at the Holy Hour of 11:00 to attend church in downtown Harrisburg.

Vaughn Watson, Basilica of the Sacred Heart, "Conewago Chapel," Hanover, Pennsylvania

After a good lunch at the hotel, we took a relaxing post-prandial bus ride to the historic "Conewago Chapel," or really, The Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Hanover, Pennsylvania. "Conewago" comes from a settlement near the St. Lawrence River in Canada, and a similarly named creek that runs somewhere near the church. The present, impressive, building was finished in 1787, and was then the largest church yet built in the United States. It is the oldest Catholic church in the U.S. built of stone. Neither the acoustic nor the organ are shy. Looking at the stoplist of this 10-stop Hook & Hastings instrument, Opus 1866 of 1900, one has to ask whence cometh this wall of sound. The Great has four stops, an Open Diapason, possibly the scale of a smoke stack on the Queen Mary, a Viola da Gamba, a Doppelfloete--all these at 8' pitch--and a 4' Octave. The Swell has five stops, a Violin Diapason, a Stop'd Diapason, and a Salicional, all at 8', and a 4' Flute Harmonique. There is an 8' Trumpet, for reasons unspecified, not the original, but a Hook & Hastings replacement. The sole Pedal stop is a large Open Diapason 16'; oh, and there is an intermanual supercoupler!

Vaughan Watson is a graduate of Fordham University, and has studied for a number of years with William Entriken at First Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. Since 1992, he has been director of music at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in Fort Salonga on Long Island. His program: Prelude (Three Pieces for Organ, op. 29), Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937); Lo, how a Rose and Herzliebster Jesu (Opus 122 Chorale Preludes), Brahms. Looking at the specification, one sees (and hears) the beauty of the five relatively quiet 8' stops, not, of course, counting the Open Diapason in that. This served both Brahms works wonderfully well. Sortie in E-flat, Lefébure-Wély; Prelude, C. S. Lang; the hymn: "Most Sacred Heart of Jesus," a highly sentimental-sounding tune by a Jesuit, just identified as Fr. Maher, S.J.; Nos. 3 and 5, both in D Major, from Six Little Fugues, Handel; from Three Characteristic Pieces of Langlais: 1. Pastoral-Prelude, an absolutely charming work, and the lovely and introspective Interlude, both perfect choices for the organ and the space; lastly, Variations sur un Noël Bourguignon, André Fleury (1903-1995). After the program, we sang "Faith of our Fathers," all in unison; I guess it was a special favor to someone. Anyway, unison sounded quite o.k. in this building. This was an interesting program, a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. There were nervous moments, but all in all this was very nicely done, and one is grateful for the chance to hear some music "less traveled."

At this point, a relaxing and short bus ride took us to St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Hanover, which we visited just for a very nice church supper. We were well looked after here, which gives me a chance to point out that, while registration for OHS conventions is a bit higher than is the case with AGO conventions, all meals are included, which is a great time saver for convention-goers, and the food is always well done. Usually, perhaps once when we are at concerts in the downtown area of a large city, we might have lunch on our own--a nice chance to explore restaurants in the area. This happened once during this week, and it was indeed a nice experience. Now, on to New Freedom--sounds good to me.

James Hildreth, St. John the Baptist R. C., New Freedom, Pennsylvania

Since 1987, Mr. Hildreth has been organist at Broad Street Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio. He is also organist for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. I believe this is his first performance for an OHS convention, and I hope not his last. In a church packed with convention attendees, parishioners, and the larger community, he gave a performance that really satisfied all, both connoisseurs and amateurs alike. We were beguiled by his chosen program and the total competence of his playing; those less familiar with the organ and its repertoire also responded to his spoken comments. Well, we did too. The organ is Opus 2024 (1904) of Hook & Hastings, relocated and rebuilt by R. J. Brunner & Company, purveyors of much organic good in this part of the world. They converted the old tubular pneumatic action to electric action, which made it possible to make the console movable within the small space of the choir area. This organ is not small, with 26 stops on two manuals. Given the great numbers of parishioners present, one would assume that organ recitals here have been popular.

The program began with a solid and exciting performance of the Guilmant Grand Choeur (Alla Handel), op. 18, no. 1, our first experience of the really exciting full sound of this instrument; two Orgelbüchlein chorals, Ich ruf zu dir and Wenn wir in höchsten Nöthen sein; Trumpet Voluntary in D, John Bennett; Prelude & Fugue in G Major, Mendelssohn; Souvenir (op. 27, no. 1), Marcel Dupré, published in 1931; Nocturne, Arthur Foote; Thunderstorm, Thomas P. Ryder (no Orage pedal in sight, we had pedal clusters in abundance); Festival Toccata, Percy Fletcher (1879-1932). We sang the hymn "By all your saints still living" to the tune St. Theodulph. The evening ended with a breathtaking improvisation, merging the tune St. Theodulph with Ut Queant Laxis, the hymn of St. John the Baptist, clever and wonderful in every way. What a great recital.

Fourth full day, Monday, June 23

Thomas Lee Bailey, St. Paul's United Church of Christ, New Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania

This day began with the earliest morning bus departure of the convention: 7:45! Thomas Lee Bailey is organist and choirmaster of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York. He holds a bachelor's degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary. The organ is by Samuel Bohler, and is now 110 years old! It was built for Zion Union Church, Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania, and in 1950 was moved to St. Paul's, with some repairs, by Justus Becker. Just this year, it was restored, including a recreation of the original reservoir and wind trunks, by R. J. Brunner & Company. There are 12 stops, with the Pedal containing only a 16' Sub Bass.

The program: Scherzo in Sol Minore per Organo, Marco Enrico Bossi; Prelude in E-flat Minor, Vincent D'Indy; "Humoresque" from L'Organo Primitivo (Toccatina), Pietro Yon; the hymn, "O Master let me walk with Thee," tune de Tar by Calvin Hampton; Andante with Variations (posthumous), Mendelssohn; Roulade, Seth Bingham. (1882-1972). This was a splendid recital.

Rosalind Mohnsen, Old Belleman's Church, Mohrville, Pennsylvania

Rosalind Mohnsen's biography in the Organ Handbook mentions that this was her 17th appearance at an OHS convention! She holds degrees from the University of Nebraska and Indiana University and later studied with Jean Langlais in Paris, and is director of music at Immaculate Conception Church in Malden, Massachusetts. The organ, single-manual with 13-note pedalboard, surmised to be of the 1870s, is also surmised to be the work of Samuel Bohler, and Ray Brunner gives cogent reasons for making this assumption. The disposition is interesting. The manual compass is 54 notes, and the four 8' stops share a common bass, each thus having 37 pipes of its own; all 8': Open Diapason, Clarabella, Dulciana, and Stopped Diapason. One then draws the Stopped Diapason Bass, with its 17 pipes, to provide the lower octave and a bit. There is also a 4' Principal, Twelfth, and Fifteenth. The Pedal has a stop at 16' simply called "Pedal Bass," with 13 pipes, and there is also a pedal coupler. This handsome church is no longer in regular weekly use, but holds four annual services, and is also used for weddings. In this lovely program of ten pieces, I knew only two. There were five composers whose music I had never heard. I present this as a virtue, as none of the music was dull, or less than convincingly played: Concerto in G, Christoph Wolfgang Druckenmueller (listed as from Das Husumer Orgelbuch); Praeludium (from Three Character Pieces, op. 64, no. 1), Rudolf Bibl (1832-1902); next a selection of five quite varied chorale preludes, all of which managed to sound quite fine on this little instrument: Jesu, meine Freude (Neumeister Collection), J. S. Bach; Wo Gott der Herr nicht bey uns haelt, Johann Christoph Oley (1738-1789); Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier, op. 78, Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933); Herzlich tut mich erfreuen (alla Giga), Gerhard Krapf (b. 1974); Ein' feste Burg, Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg (1718-1795), something of a charming gallop on "full organ"! The hymn was a bit different: we sang "What a friend we have in Jesus" to the familiar tune, but in "Pennsylvania Dutch" or German, perhaps we should say. We had the words and knew the tune, so off we went in glorious unison, stumbling over the words a bit. Next, Fugue in 3 Voices, Charles Zeuner (1795-1857); Impromptu, J. Frank Donohoe (1856-1925); the program ended with Open Diapason March (1879), by Louis Meyer, in three words: corny but effective. It made a fun ending to a most interesting and rewarding recital.

Walter Krueger, Christ Little Tulpehocken UCC

While waiting for Dr. Krueger to begin his recital, we were edified by an attendance board prominently displayed: Attendance today 31, Offering $39.40. [Slightly better than a dollar per person!] Attendance last week 32, Attendance one year ago 26, Enrolment 50. Walter Krueger holds a doctorate from Northwestern University. He teaches music at Portland (Oregon) Lutheran School, is an adjunct professor at Concordia University in Portland, and is director of music at Trinity Lutheran Church, Portland. The instrument, in a high gallery, was built in 1862 by Joel Kantner, and while that is all that is known, there are many mysteries about this organ. It looks in several ways to be an English instrument, and as the Organ Handbook notes point out, and as many noticed early on, it can sound a bit like something out of 1962! There is lots of articulation, and the 4' Principal is louder than the 8', for starters. The tone is, however, gentle and singing, not always a 1962 characteristic. There are eight stops on its single manual, built, fortunately, on an 8' Open Diapason, ending with a 12th and 15th. There is no Pedal. For the perfect beginning, a lovely Toccata in the Aeolian Mode, by Sweelinck; Toccata for the Elevation (Fiori Musicali), Frescobaldi; Fugue on the Trumpet, François Couperin; La Romanesca with Five Variations, Antonio Valente (1520-1580); Berceuse (24 Pieces in Free Style), Louis Vierne; Gehende and Schnelle (from Thirty Pieces for Small Organ), Hugo Distler (1908-1942). The program ended with an attempt to meld a Johann Gottfried Walther Partita with the hymn (chorale) we were to sing. The partita was splendid--the melding process did not work too well, as in each of the three stanzas we were to sing (Jesu, meine Freude, Bach harmonization), we were really left uncertain about where to begin. The whole process began with Dr. Kreuger playing the chorale, as Walther harmonized it. Then we sang stanza 1. The second part of the Partita was played on 4' stops alone, the third on just flutes. Then we sang stanza 2. The Partita continued with part four, in sixteenth notes. Part five was on the softest stops in the organ, and part six was on two manuals. At this point, we sang stanza three of the chorale, followed by part seven of the Partita, on "full organ," an apt ending for a most pleasant concert.

Sally Cherrington Beggs, North Heidelberg UCC Church, Robesonia, Pennsylvania

Upon entering this church, one was immediately plunged into a mood of serenity and expectancy. Something lovely had to happen in this place, and it did, beginning with the visual impact of the late afternoon sun highlighting the gold in the stenciled organ case. Then, the gentle and beautiful qualities of the 1892 single-manual (and pedal) organ by Samuel Bohler. A Pennsylvania native, Sally Cherrington Beggs holds degrees from Susquehanna and Yale universities. She is presently college organist and chairs the music department at Newberry College in South Carolina. In honor of the fact that this church began life as a Moravian congregation, we first heard, from Nine Preludes for Organ of Christian Latrobe (1758-1836), Preludes 2 and 3; Variations on God Save the King, Charles Wesley (1757-1834); Adagio and Scherzo (for mechanical organ), Beethoven; Mozart Changes, Zsolt Gardonyi. Dr. Beggs had been served during this recital by a quiet and efficient page turner and stop puller. He (Stuart Weber) now became soloist, playing a Native American flute in a chorale prelude by Emma Lou Diemer, based on the Native American tune, Lacquiparle; then, Sketch No. 3 in F Minor, Schumann; the hymn, "Jesus makes my heart rejoice."

Following this recital, we hopped on the buses for an hour's ride to Annville, the home of Lebanon Valley College, which provided a very nice dinner in the college dining hall. Many of us managed to get over to the chapel, and some managed to get the Schantz wound up and going. It lacked the historicity needed for us to notice it, but I am glad we got a chance to visit the chapel and organ nonetheless. After dinner, it was back on the buses, heading for Hershey, and the Hershey Theater.

Matthew Glandorf, Hershey Theater, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Matthew Glandorf grew up in Germany, and at 16 entered the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, studying with John Weaver and Ford Lallerstedt. He presently teaches at both Curtis and Westminster Choir College. We were in a rather opulent theater with a 1932 Skinner organ, probably unlike any other, full of brassiness and with a killer Pedal division. Harrison's name is on the console, but it would seem that Skinner was actually responsible for the job, but under the thumb of Hershey's consultant, Dr. Harry Sykes of Lancaster, who probably has a lot to answer for. Certainly, what we heard this evening would not have pleased G.D.H., and possibly not E.M.S. either! Matthew Glandorf offered a mixture of a bit of organ music, several transcriptions, and one very impressive improvisation. I thought the improvisation was the most successful. The room has the deadness of any large theater, with carpets and plush seats. The program began with Sonata Eroïca, Joseph Jongen. I found it unsatisfactory on this instrument, given the over-brassy quality of the sound, which seemed to clash within itself. Glandorf's own transcription of the Rachmininoff Vocalise seemed to work quite well. It was an island of tranquility, and, I think, the sort of piece that survives transcription relatively untarnished. From then on, all hell broke loose. On to two more transcriptions of Rachmaninoff works, the first done by Mr. Glandorf himself of the famous C-Sharp Minor Prelude. With Full Organ engaged most of the time, much of the detail in the piece became muddled. Next, the Prelude in G Minor, transcribed by "G. Federlein," which could be either father (Gottlieb) or the son (Gottfried) who was organist at Temple Emmanuel in New York for many years. When it was over, I still longed for the Steinway, and in the Wagner transcription which followed, the Liebestod, transcribed by Lemare with some Glandorf additions, I wanted a full symphony orchestra to emerge on stage. Next was a brilliant performance of the Dupré Allegro Deciso, the third part of the symphonic poem, Évocation, of 1941. And then, Mr. Glandorf's towering improvisation on The Star Spangled Banner, done brilliantly, and I will happily hear him improvise again--and again. For the "hymn of the day," we then sang, of course, the "National Anthem," quite lustily, and then, it was on the buses for the Crowne Plaza, our home away from home.

Fifth full day, Tuesday, June 24

Gerald E. Mummert, York County Historical Society Museum

Today, the convention was split in three, some going to hear a 1995 organ by Ray Brunner in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, some going to the Museum of the York County Historical Society in York, and some visiting the National Clock and Watch Museum in Columbia. I frankly regretted the forced choice, wanting to hear Ray's instrument, plus the last Tannenberg, and to visit also the watches and clocks. The strongest contender in the Must Hear category was the Tannenberg in York, and that is where I chose to go. The organ is on display at the front of a small auditorium, and to me, even though simple, it was breathtaking. Ray Brunner, who has done considerable restorative work on this instrument, gave an introduction to it, before, I presume, rushing over to Mount Joy. Quoting Ray Brunner:

"Although 76 years of age and in failing health, Tannenberg completed an organ for this large Lutheran congregation in York. The wagons carrying the organ arrived in York in late April, 1804, and Tannenberg and his assistant began the installation. May 17th, while standing on a bench or scaffold tuning the organ, Tannenberg had a stroke and fell. He died two days later; the organ was finished by his assistant John Hall."

There were eleven stops, nine manual (54 notes) and two pedal (25 notes), but the Trumpet went missing at some point. There are apparently no examples of a Tannenberg Trumpet around to copy, so no attempt has been made to add one so far. The organ survived in original condition for a century, with Midmer doing a rebuild in 1905, and that is how Ray Brunner found it in 1990. There is more restorative work he hopes to do, as budget permits, but at present, the instrument is lovely to behold and to hear.

Gerald Mummert has been since 1971 director of music in the church for which the Tannenberg was originally built, Christ Lutheran Church in York. He holds degrees from Susquehanna and Indiana universities, and is adjunct professor of music at York College of Pennsylvania. A splendid player, he offered an imaginative and interesting program, one well calculated to suit the organ wonderfully. He proved yet again that wonderful music can be made on a single-manual organ, a fact well-known to OHS members. The program began with "Hampton" by The Rev. Johann Georg Schmucker, who was pastor at Christ Lutheran from 1802 to 1836; next, Herz nach dir gewacht, by Michael Bentz, who was organist of Christ Lutheran Church, Lancaster, when the Tannenberg was installed, or possibly a bit after that. Sublime is the only suitable word for the combination of the performance, the Tannenberg, and the Brahms setting of Schmücke dich; then, Elegy (Three Pieces for Organ), William Walton; Versets, Daniel Pinkham; and we closed with a hymn by Michael Bentz, Der Herr ist Sohn und Schild, sung in three parts (SAB), arranged by Gerald Mummert, a lovely ending to this really fine recital.

Scott Foppiano, Covenant UMC, Lancaster

After the sweet gentleness of the very last Tannenberg, the next recital gave something of a jolt--from both the instrument and the player. The organ is a Casavant from 1926, and not a great deal has been done to it since its installation. There was a releathering in 1959, and another in the late 1980s. In 2002, Columbia Organ Works rebuilt the console, and "at the church's insistence" made some additions at that time. The additions were, on the Great: 2' Super Octave, and 4-rank Mixture, and on the Swell, 5-rank Mixture. The given specification fails to list couplers, other than those that have reversible pistons. However, one can surmise from 73-note chests on Swell, part of the Choir, and all of the Solo, that these have super couplers to the Great. The fact that the Great has only 61-note chests comes as a relief.

Mr. Foppiano is from Memphis, where he now serves as director of music in a church not named in his program biography. After studying in Memphis, he was a student of both John and Margaret Mueller at the North Carolina School of the Arts. Further study was with Donna Robertson, David Lowry, Thomas Hazleton, the late William Whitehead, and Gregorian Chant with Dom Daniel Saulnier from Solesmes. The program: Suite for Organ, John Ireland; Prière, Rene Vierne; Tuba Tune, C. S. Lang; the hymn, both text and tune, was written by Benjamin R. Hanby (1833-1867), a pastor in the Church of the United Brethren; Prière à Notre Dame, Boëllmann; Will 'o the Wisp (Scherzo-Toccatina), Nevin; Fest-Hymnus, op. 20, of Carl (or Karl) Piutti (1846-1902). This was a most interesting program, not all the "usual stuff." So, thank you, Scott.

Peter Stoltzfus, Otterbein United Methodist Church, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Peter Stoltzfus is organist and director of music at All Saints' Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, and was returning to the church in which he grew up and where, for a time, he was organist and choirmaster before heading east. He introduced to us the lady who was his teacher and exemplar at Otterbein, and later in the program, played a piece that she had played all those years ago, a piece that turned him on to the organ, a chorale improvisation on the tune Deo Gratias by Paul Manz, and he managed to play it using the same registration that his teacher had used. The organ is Skinner Opus 805 from 1930. It has four divisions, the usual three with a small two-stop Echo, all of this in only 25 stops, 28 ranks.

The program: Trumpet Tune in D, David Johnson; Deo Gratias, Paul Manz; Gavotta, Padre Giovanni Battista Martini (1706-1784), arranged by Guilmant; Requiescat in Pace, Leo Sowerby; Allegro (Symphony V), Widor. One of the few composers in the tradition of the United Brethren in Christ denomination was Edmund S. Lorenz (1854-1942). In 1890, he established the famous Lorenz Publishing Company, and was also at one time president of Lebanon Valley College. We sang one of his hymn tunes, with a text also possibly by him: "Tell it to Jesus." It is in the gospel song tradition, and the convention no doubt gave it one of the best performances of its life. We were unrestrained in our enthusiasm, and then were similarly unrestrained in saluting Peter Stoltzfus for his good work past and present, including his fine performance of this evening.

Karl Moyer, St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

This evening's concert by Karl Moyer put the singing of the hymn first, "Holy God, we praise thy Name," to a tune whose composer is unknown. Karl established his credentials, as if he had to, as a consummate accompanist for a singing congregation. Not many are so established! Dr. Moyer spent much of his long career on the faculty at Millersville University, while serving several major parishes in the area, most recently Grace Lutheran Church in Lancaster, from which he retired a year ago. He holds degrees from Lebanon Valley College, Union Theological Seminary, Temple University, and has his doctorate from Eastman. He has also run the Boston Marathon!

The organ is a fine Barckhoff instrument from 1891, with mechanical key action and pneumatic stop action. At 26 stops, it is a quite complete two-manual, anchored by a not slender 16' Double Open and a 16' Trombone, the latter added by James McFarland in 1985 at the time of a general restoration. Columbia Organ Works later added a new blower and did further restoration work.

The program: Prelude and Fugue in G (BWV 541), Bach; Ronde Française (op. 37), Léon Boëllmann; As the Dew From Heaven Distilling, Joseph Daynes, (1851-1920), arr. Alexander Schreiner; three movements from Sonata No. 5 in C Minor of Guilmant, 1. Allegro appassionato, 4. Recitativo, and 5. Choral and Fugue; Adagio & Fugue for Violin & Organ (op. 150, no. 6), Josef Rheinberger (with violinist Scott Hohenwarter); Wir glauben all' in einen Gott, Vater, attributed to Johann Ludwig Krebs; two Bach Two-Part Inventions, with an added voice by Max Reger: No. 3 in D and No. 14 in B-flat; Claire de Lune (Three Impressions, op. 72), Sigfrid Karg-Elert; the program closed with two settings of Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, first by Paul Manz, and second, the stupendous setting by Max Reger--a grand, high octane performance, sending us out into the night most cheerfully. What a great program, and what a great organist, a man who had much to do with the success of this convention, and still had time to give us this evening.

Thus ended the fifth full day of this great convention.

Sixth full day, June 25, 2003

Ann Marie Rigler, St. John's UCC, Boalsburg, Pennsylvania

Boalsburg is one of many historic towns in this part of Pennsylvania, and one of its claims to fame seems to be as the birthplace of Memorial Day. In late May, 1864, two families by coincidence met at the cemetery to place flowers on the graves of loved ones who had died in the Civil War. They later decided to meet again at the same time the next year, and others from the community joined them in the same observance. The idea soon spread to other communities, and that is how it all began. St. John's UCC Church was built in 1861, and by 1868 it became the home of the very first church organ built by Charles Durner. Durner was born in Germany in 1838 into a five-generation family of organbuilders. At age 21 he came to Pennsylvania and set up shop. The St. John's organ has 14 stops, including a Great 16' Bourdon (only to tenor g#) and Principals to the Fifteenth, including a Twelfth. The Swell offers two 8' Flutes and a Dulciana, 4' Flute and Vox Humana to tenor C (really a Clarinet). In the Pedal, 16' Sub Bass, and 8' Violin Bass (Open Wood). The organ had been in a west gallery, but at the turn of the century was brought down to a chamber in front. In 1971 Hartmann Beatty rebuilt the instrument, bringing the pedal to 30 notes from its original 20, and in 1990 R. J. Brunner did a proper restoration. This congregation has lovingly cared for the instrument, and has produced a fine booklet about its history.

Ann Marie Rigler is both instructor in music (organ and music appreciation) and reference librarian at the University Park campus of Penn State University. Prior to coming to Pennsylvania, she taught at a number of well-known universities, and has a long list of performance credits, including at AGO conventions. She holds undergraduate and doctoral degrees in organ performance from SMU and from the University of Iowa respectively, and a master's degree in library and information science and musicology from the University of Illinois. Generally, it takes me about five bars to figure out what kind of recital is in store. Dr. Rigler set me at ease in perhaps two bars, with her great musical assurance and musicality, and the program began with the Mendelssohn G Major Prelude (op. 37, no. 2), rather the perfect beginning for a recital on a not very large but totally unforced and honest instrument. It was beautiful sound combined with beautiful playing. Next, Canzonetta (op. 71, no. 4), Arthur Foote; Concert Variations on the Austrian Hymn (op. 3), John Knowles Paine (1839-1906), who was Foote's teacher; we finished with the expected hymn, chosen by the recitalist--in this case, Austrian Hymn, of course. Dr. Rigler's accompaniments were just right. She led us without crushing us. She was under us with just the right amount of support, leaving room for us to hear and enjoy our own singing together.

Following this recital, we strolled around the town's historic district while the other half of the convention heard the same recital. Then buses picked us all up for a short trip to State College, Pennsylvania and lunch at the elegant Nittany Lion Inn.

David Dahl, St. John's Episcopal Church, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

This, the penultimate day of the convention, is about as perfect a day of music as one could hope for, and not the only such day in this convention, or in other conventions. Please, even if you have never done it before, give serious consideration to attending this summer in Buffalo, New York, July 13-20. You will not believe the roster of artists and the distinguished collection of organs arranged for us by Joe McCabe and his committee. Go to and click on Conventions.

The 15-stop mechanical action organ at St. John's Episcopal Church was built circa 1892 by J. W. Steere & Sons. It is an untouched original, other than for routine maintenance and tuning, and it is in perfect working order. David Dahl's program began with the Buxtehude Toccata & Fugue in F, impeccably and beautifully played; Du, O schönes Weltgebaude, Ethel Smyth (1858-1944); Concerto Voluntary-Homage to John Stanley, David Dahl; Calvin Hampton's lovely Hymn Prelude on America, the beautiful-Materna served as a prelude to our, as always, spectacular hymn singing. We were given the directions we like to have: Stanza 1, Unison; Stanza 2, Harmony, sung quietly; Stanza 3, Harmony, sung boldly. There was not a dry eye to be found. Then, Allegro in C Major (for Flute Clock Organ), Haydn; Sidste Vaar (The Last Spring), Edvard Grieg, arr. Hans Olaf Lien; Toccata in G, Theodore Dubois, a very exciting end to this splendid performance. David Dahl recently retired from Pacific Lutheran University, and continues as director of music ministries at Christ Episcopal Church in Tacoma, Washington. His list of performances in this country and abroad is a long one, and there are numerous recordings.

Kola Owolabi, Trinity United Methodist Church, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

I first heard Kola Owolabi in Spivey Hall outside Atlanta in 2002. He was a semi-finalist in the Calgary International Organ Competition. He has a bachelor's from McGill, a master's from Yale in organ performance and choral conducting, and is now enrolled at Eastman. In 2002, in Philadelphia, he was awarded Second Prize and the Audience Prize in the AGO National Organ Performance Competition. A published composer, he has received commissions from the Archdiocese of Toronto and the Royal Canadian College of Organists. For his performance here, he played a 1902 Hook & Hastings Organ of 16 stops, Opus 1893, restored by R. J. Brunner & Co. in 1991.

The program: Sonata III in A Major, Mendelssohn; here followed the hymn, Aus tiefer Not; from the Six Canonic Studies of Schumann, we heard No. 4 in A-flat major; Voluntary No. 4, William Russell (1777-1813); O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good (from Portraits from the Psalms), Kola Olowabi; this music is unique and wonderful, while yet accessible to all. Do watch for this name--I know there will be more music. This muse cannot be stilled.

Ken Cowan, Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Altoona, Pennsylvania

Ken Cowan's recitals always create a great buzz of anticipation. What marvelous new delights will he unleash this time? Then, add in an organ not heard by many previously, but an instrument of incredible importance in organ history. It's an unbeatable formula. We certainly were not disappointed in the least with either organist or organ. The organ at the cathedral was built in 1931 by G.F. Steinmeyer & Company of Oettingen, Bavaria, Germany, as their Opus 1543. It comprises 83 ranks over three manuals and pedal, and a fourth manual and couplers were provided for a Sanctuary division, prepared for in 1931. The organ was restored in 1990-92 by Columbia Organ Works. Cowan began his recital with the Franck E Major Choral, which sent chills down our spines. This organ is capable of tremendous volume, but it all fits incredibly comfortably in the building, so no one is overwhelmed but all are moved powerfully. Next, Variations on Weinen, Klagen, Liszt, arranged from the original piano version by Alexander Winterberger (a pupil of Liszt), and by Ken Cowan; Valse Mignon, Karg-Elert; Max Reger's transcription of the Bach Chromatic Fantasie and Fugue for harpsichord turns it into a big Romantic affair, and it got a blaze of glory at the end. After intermission, we sang Calvin Hampton's tune St. Helena to the text "There's a wideness in God's mercy;" then, O Lamm Gottes (BWV 656), Allein Gott (BWV 664), Bach; and, finally, Hallelujah, Gott zu Loben, Reger. The ovation that followed is best described as tumultuous. It just would not stop, until Ken made it clear he was to offer up one more piece. The "Jig" Fugue was the perfect encore.

Last day, Thursday, June 26

The 2003 convention's last day featured single-manual organs. Over the years, the OHS has taught many organists that for the careful listener, wonderful music can be made on an organ of only one manual and a very few stops. While we miss here a large palette of stops of differing colors, we hear the music, its quality adorned by a mere handful of stops, themselves, hopefully, of great beauty. I have heard people say of, perhaps, a particular 8' Principal or a Flute, that "This is a sound I can listen to all day." It's this kind of experience that validates a day with four recitals on single-manual organs by builders of unquestioned quality, along with players who know how to best exploit them.

John Charles Schucker, Salem United Church, Bethel, Pennsylvania

The first recital of the day was played by John Charles Schucker, a name new to me, and a person I hope to hear again. He was at one time an organ student of Karl Moyer, who was perhaps responsible for bringing him to this convention. Mr. Schucker holds bachelor and master's degrees from the Juilliard School, where he studied organ with Vernon deTar and piano with Earl Wild. He is now pianist and organist with The American Boychoir in Princeton, New Jersey. The organ was built in 1872 by the distinguished Pennsylvania German organbuilder, Thomas Dieffenbach. It is one of two instruments we will hear today that has a Pedal division, in this case, a 16' Bourdon, a coupler, and only 13 pedal keys. The manual division is fairly complete with three 8' stops--Open Diapason, Flute, and Dulciana--a Principal, Flute, and Stopped Diapason at 4', and a 2' Fifteenth. The console is detached and reversed. The Wanamaker organ it is not, but for the careful listener, there is much beauty to be found.

Mr. Schucker's program: Sinfonia in E-flat major, BWV 791 (Three Part Inventions), Bach; two settings of Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten, by Telemann and Jacob Friedrich Greiss; Andantino in E Minor (L'Organiste), César Franck; O Gott, du frommer Gott, Brahms; we also sang the chorale, in Bach's glorious harmonization; Fugue on the name Julian (Three Fugues in honor of Thomas Julian Talley), David Hurd; two choral preludes on Vom Himmel hoch, by Friedrich Wilhelm Zachau (1663-1712) and Helmut Walcha (1907-1991); Fugue in C, Buxtehude. How wonderful, and what a fine recital, resourceful in its choice of music for the instrument, and played with both verve and sensitivity.

Lou Carol Fix at Peter Hall, Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

After a relaxing, snoozing trip to Bethlehem and Moravian College, the convention divided into two parts, one having an early lunch, while my group headed upstairs to Peter Hall, with its wonderful little late 18th-century organ by Samuel Green of London. This is smaller than the Dieffenbach instrument, having no pedal division at all, and only four stops. It is also approximately 100 years older! There is an 8' Open Diapason and an 8' Stopped Diapason, a 4' Principal, divided Bass and Treble, and a 2' Fifteenth, also divided. So, smaller instrument, but a new flexibility, reflected in Ms. Fix's fine program. Ray Brunner (R. J. Brunner & Co.) meticulously restored this instrument in 1998.

The organ has an ingenious wind supply system. There is a wooden handle at the back right which can be pumped easily from there, but there is also a foot pedal which is movable. It can slide over to the right side of the case front where the pumper can both pump and, with hands free, turn pages or pull stops. However, this clever pedal can also be moved close enough to the organist so he or she can pump and provide wind while playing the organ.

Lou Carol Fix is artist/lecturer at Moravian College, teaching organ, recorder, and music history since 1985. She has degrees in organ and musicology from Salem College and Indiana University, and is organist and director of music at Peace-Tohickon Lutheran Church in Perkasie, Pennsylvania. The program began with a familiar Moravian hymn by Christian Gregor, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes . . ." Next, a hymn setting, thus called to set it apart from a simple chorale prelude. This was an historic manner of accompanying a hymn, Allein Gott, by Van Vleck; Prelude III (Nine Preludes, 1806), Christian Latrobe (1758-1836); the divided stops came into their own in a Trumpet Voluntary by John Bennett (c. 1735-1784); Toccata Terza (The First Book of Toccatas, Partitas), Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643); the mean tone temperament of this instrument combines with this early 17th-century work to create sounds of a rare beauty. The concert ended with Voluntary for the Organ by Benjamin Carr, born in England in 1768, but coming to the U.S. in 1793, and settling in Philadelphia. And so ended a second fine recital on this final day of the convention.

Thomas Dressler, Moravian Historical Museum

Next was lunch and a stroll around the grounds, before hopping on the bus for Nazareth and Whitefield House of the Moravian Historical Museum. The organs are getting smaller! Not so much, actually, as this organ by Tannenberg has four stops as did the Samuel Green instrument, but here the stops are not divided, and there is not an 8' Open Diapason, but rather a Flute Amabile, an open stop beautiful in its own right, but without quite the strength that a Diapason would have. The honor of playing this lovely instrument went to Thomas Dressler who studied as a teenager with James Boeringer, later earning a Bachelor of Music degree, cum laude, at Susquehanna University, and then a Master of Music degree in performance, with honors, at Westminster Choir College. His teachers at Westminster were Mark Brombaugh and Joan Lippincott.

The program began with our magnificent singing of a hymn in glorious harmony, a hymn that is apparently of tremendous significance in Moravian congregations, "Sing hallelujah, praise the Lord" to a tune by Bishop John Bechler (1784-1857); next, Trip to Pawtucket, Oliver Shaw; Voluntary #1 (from American Church Organ Voluntaries, 1856); Rondo, Oliver Shaw; Voluntary in C (Century of American Organ Music 1776-1876, Vol. 3), James Cox Beckel (1811-1880); The Bristol March, Oliver Shaw; Partita on Gelobet seist du, and Capriccio in D, Georg Böhm (1661-1733).

After a suitable interval, we found our way to the buses, heading for Shartlesville, for The Pennsylvania Dutch Dinner at the famous Haag's Hotel. We then were given the choice of taking the bus or a short walk to Friedens Church, still in Shartlesville.

Lois Regestein, Friedens Church, Shartlesville

The final recital of the day, and also of the convention, was given by Lois Regestein, an OHS regular of long standing. She began with the lovely Prelude in F of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847); Pastorale, Bach; The Nines, a most interesting piece written in 1992 by a well-known member of the OHS family, Rachel Archibald; Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g'mein, Ernst Pepping (1900-1981); a lovely Polish carol, Pospieszcie pastuszki do stajenki, Stefan Surzyuski; Freuet euch, ihr Christen alle, Pepping; The Nighting Gall, Henry Loosemore, (c.1605-1670); The Thunder Storm, Thomas P. Ryder (1836-1887); we sang the hymn quoted in the last movement of the Ryder, the well-known Vesper Hymn, to a tune attributed to Bortniansky. The organ was by Thomas Dieffenbach, built in 1891, one of his last instruments. Like the Dieffenbach we heard first today, the console is detached and reversed. The manual division of this instrument has eight stops, four at 8' (Open Diapason, Stopped Diapason, Flute, and Dulciana); at 4', Principal and Stopped Diapason, Quint (shown as 3' here) and 2' Flauto. There are 20 pedal notes, and the two stops are a 16' Sub Bass and an 8' Violin Bass, plus a coupler.

Mrs. Regestein holds degrees from both Oberlin and the Yale School of Music. Since 1983, she has been organist for the First Congregational Church in Winchester, Massachusetts. In 1987, the OHS conferred on her The Distinguished Service Award for her efforts to protect the splendid 1863 E. & G.G. Hook Organ in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Boston, from threatened damage or removal.

2004 Convention

Let us all gather in Buffalo this summer, from July 13th through the 20th for the 2004 Convention of The Organ Historical Society. For information: 804/353-9226; www.organsociety.org.

July 12–18, 2005

Ronald E. Dean is Organist and Choirmaster at the Church of the Holy Cross (Episcopal), in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Professor of Music, Emeritus, at the Hurley School of Music, Centenary College. A graduate of Williams College and The University of Michigan, his organ study was with Frederick Kinsley, Robert Barrow, and Robert Noehren.

The fiftieth convention of the Organ Historical Society was itself an historical occasion and was held in an appropriately historical locale in Massachusetts, the “Old Colony,” part of which had been the center of the first permanent English settlement of colonists who came to New England in 1620. Headquarters was the Radisson Hotel in Brockton, a convenient departure spot for the many bus trips to the week’s events. Keywords for the convention were “History” (lots of it), “Heritage” (cultural, sociological and organ), and “Hope” (one senses an optimistic future). To these three “H’s” should be added “HOT,” since the afternoon and evening programs were accompanied by one of the famous New England summer heat waves, creating some very uncomfortable conditions for both listeners and performers.

Tuesday

Even though most of the week’s activities centered around the larger metropolitan areas of the “Silver City” of Taunton, the Fall River of Lizzie Borden and her axe, and the New Bedford of Herman Melville and Moby Dick, the first event took place in Providence, Rhode Island. Peter Krasinski played a recital on the 3-manual Hutchings-Votey, Op. 1637 of 1912, at First Church of Christ, Scientist. The imposing and dignified structure is located in the historic College Hill section, which is noted for the outstanding architecture of its many residences as well as being the site of Brown University. His program: chorale prelude on the tune Freedom, improvised by Krasinski; the hymn “Saw Ye My Saviour” sung to the tune Freedom; “Thine Is the Greatness,” Galbraith, sung by soprano Gina Beck; Lyric Rhapsody, Wright; the hymn “Come, Labor On” sung to the tune Qui Laborat Orat, followed by Krasinski’s improvisation on the same tune. This first half was based on the order of the Christian Science service. Post-intermission selections were Allegro (Symphony No. 5) and Serenade, both by Widor; Fantasia in E-Flat, Saint-Saëns; selections from Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Grieg, followed by an encore: Arab Dance, also by Grieg. The much-rebuilt organ contains the color and hefty dignity associated with a late Hutchings but seemed unable to take advantage of the rather good acoustical setting offered by the tastefully appointed Beaux Arts style interior. One conventioneer was heard to mutter, “ . . . the chamber must be lined with Celotex!”

Wednesday

The first full day of the convention began at the North Congregational Church in the charming small town of North Middleboro. Cheryl Drewes played on a somewhat earlier Hutchings 2-manual tracker, Op. 339 of 1895, as restored by Roche in 1992. The small organ sang out its rich and colorful sounds as Ms. Drewes performed expertly. Her husband, organ builder and organist Tim Drewes (to be heard later in the convention), assisted at the console. The program: Concerto in C Major, BWV 595, Ernst/Bach; Three Partitas from Ach wie nichtig, ach wie flüchtig, Böhm; the hymn “Come Down, O Love Divine” sung to Down Ampney; Response, Chadwick; The Baltimore Todolo, Blake; Offertorio, Petrali. Drewes did a fine job of displaying the musical versatility of this little nine-rank jewel, which sounded superb in spite of being in a totally carpeted and cushioned room. The United Methodist Church in Bridgewater hosted the next recital—yet another demonstration of the potential of a small tracker (only six ranks this time). This Hook & Hastings 2-manual, Op. 2325 of 1913, was the first of 14 Hooks to be heard during the convention. This great little organ, restored and somewhat repositioned by the Andover Organ Co. in 1998, benefits from a sympathetic acoustical environment and proved once again that a small instrument, well voiced and well maintained, can serve a wide variety of literature. This was amply demonstrated by the wise programming and artistic playing of organist Steven Young and trombonist Douglas Wauchope in the following program: Old Hundred, op. 49, no. 2, Buck; Variations to the Sicilian Hymn, Carr; Solemnities for Trombone and Organ, Pinkham; the hymn “Break Thou the Bread of Life” sung to the tune Bread of Life; and Sonata II in C major, op. 5, Thayer.
Since the previous two programs were presented in churches with limited seating capacity, the convention had split into “A” and “B” groups with the performances repeated. The entire group reassembled in the historic 1845 Meeting House of the First Parish Church (UU) in Bridgewater where Marian Ruhl Metson played the following program on an Andover reconstruction of what had been a highly altered E. & G. G. Hook 2-manual tracker, Op. 132 of 1852: Voluntary in A Major, Selby; God Save the King with New Variations, Wesley; “Voluntary for the Cornet” (from An English Suite), Dahl; Chorale, Aria and Toccata, Sandowski; “Schmücke dich, O liebe Seele” (from Eleven Chorale Preludes, op. 122), Brahms; Pavane, Fauré, arr. Paxton; Flowers of the Forest, anon.; Newburyport Polka, Johnson; Le Cygne, Saint-Saëns; Toccatina, Whiting; and the hymn “A Fierce Unrest” sung to the tune Salvation. Ms. Metson, as usual, had the organ give a good account of itself in the somewhat dry acountics of the very interesting building. The ceiling has acoustical tiles (certainly not an original 1845 item!) and wall decorations that at first glance appear to be applied architectural features, but are instead expertly executed trompe-l’oeil painted simulations. Behind the high central pulpit (a feature of many Protestant churches of the era) there is a dramatic painting of a scene that brings one’s eye into a perspective of considerable depth.
The group then walked across the street to Tillinghast Hall on the campus of Bridgewater State College for a buffet lunch and the official Annual Meeting of the Organ Historical Society. Prior to both events, Lisa Compton, a professional historian as well as a musician (and wife of convention co-chair Matthew Bellocchio), gave a slide-lecture on “Old Colony Origins, Organs and Oddities.” Her presentation was at once scholarly, entrancing, humorous, and informative—a tour de force result of deep and intense research coupled with an obvious love of the topic.
The business meeting was handled with reasonable dispatch since written reports had already been distributed to the membership. During this period, Derek Nickels made the formal introduction of this year’s Biggs Fellows, Bradley Althoff from St. Paul, Minnesota; Christopher Deibert from South Amboy, New Jersey; and Rachel Tissue from Grand Rapids, Michigan. The results of the election of officers and councilors were read from the podium and are published in The Tracker. Two items deserve special mention here: first, the Distinguished Service Citation presented to Rachelen Lien of New Orleans, a true “spark plug” and enthusiastic member, promoter and councilor of the OHS for many years; and, second, the announcement of the “hot off the press” publication of a festschrift written in honor of Barbara Owen. She is one of the nation’s most knowledgeable scholars of American organ history and the first president of the OHS. The beautiful volume, titled Litterae Organi, contains a variety of articles by 15 distinguished authors. Published by the OHS Press, it is available from the Society (www.ohscatalog.org). Both honorees were genuinely moved and obviously totally surprised by the awards. Their reactions proved that secrets can indeed be kept!
A more somber announcement concerned the fact that long-time OHS member and former editor of The Tracker, John Ogasapian, had died on Monday that week as the result of a mercifully short battle with cancer.
The group then split again to hear two short recitals in the historically important town of North Easton, known for its large collection of 19th-century buildings designed by the noted Boston architect Henry Hobson Richardson. Convention co-chair (and indefatigable tour commentator) Richard Hill played the following program in Unity Church (UU) on a much-rebuilt Hook & Hastings, Op. 786 of 1895, as modified by Aeolian-Skinner and others: the hymn, “Rank by Rank Again We Stand” (get it?) sung to the tune Reunion; Festal March, Clark; Minuetto, Shelley; and Ballet Egyptien, Luigini, arr. Feibel. The building, unlike many rather stark and unadorned Unitarian churches in New England, is a highly decorated Victorian neo-Gothic delight that features elaborate wood carvings (added later) and two magnificent large LaFarge stained glass windows at the ends of both transepts. Since the organ console is directly opposite the “Angel of Help” window (said to be LaFarge’s masterpiece), Hill admitted to being so entranced by the changing colors and moods of the window, that he frequently is distracted from his organ practice by its overwhelming beauty. Since Hill has been organist of the church for 28 years, he was able to demonstrate effectively the color and power potential of the small 2-manual instrument in spite of the fact that it must speak through some of the openings in the spectacular wood carvings located at the front of the church.
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in North Easton was the site for a short recital by Kevin Birch on a 3-manual Hook & Hastings tracker, Op. 254 of 1859, that had been added to and rebuilt several times prior to its relocation to Holy Trinity in 1982. Andover Organ Company accomplished a very effective restorative transplant into the rear gallery of a typical 1950s A-frame church. The organ has both a visually and sonically splendid presence in the room whose fine acoustics are enhanced by its high peaked roof. Birch, a superb player, presented the following program: Variaties over “Ontwaak, gij die slaapt,” Bolt; the hymn “Rise, My Soul, to Watch and Pray” sung to the tune Straf mich nicht; Cantilena in G, op. 71, no. 1, Foote; and Prelude No. 3 in d, Mendelssohn. The result was distinguished playing on a terrific instrument.
After a short time to explore the sights of North Easton, we returned to Brockton and the hotel for dinner and then departed for the evening program—a recital by Bruce Stevens at St. Jacques R.C. Church in Taunton. The organ, a 2-manual Hook & Hastings tracker, Op. 1595 of 1894, was originally installed in St. Mathieu R.C. Church, Fall River, then restored and moved to St. Jacques by the Delisle Pipe Organ Co. in 1989. Fr. Thomas Morrissey, who gave a warm welcome to the conventioneers and the many other listeners, noted that he had also served St. Mathieu when the organ had been there, and that the organ “ . . . fits [the church] like a glove” and that [it] “ . . . sounds even better here than it did at St. Mathieu.” The lively acoustics, enhanced by the high barrel vault ceiling, and the fine installation all responded to Bruce Stevens’ expert, dramatic, yet always flexible, playing. The result was a wonderfully satisfying musical experience with which to end the first full day of the convention. His program: Prelude and Fugue in D Minor, Böhm; Partita on Werde munter, Pachelbel; Four Pieces for Trumpet Clock, W. A. Plagiavsky Mozart; Toccata, Adagio and Fugue, BWV 564, Bach; the hymn “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” sung to the tune Hyfrydol; Benedictus, op. 59, no. 9, and Scherzo, op. 65, no. 10, Reger; and Sonata 13 in E-flat Major, op. 161, Rheinberger. The quasi-Mozart piece was a whimsical bit of musical entertainment in the guise of a serious musicological discovery of great importance—it ended with a movement titled “Rondo alla Turkey,” an obvious reference to one of Mozart’s most well-known piano movements. It was accompanied by a set of program notes done up in the best academic garb to trap the unwary.

Thursday

Again, we split into two groups for the morning’s events in Swansea. Robert Barney played a short program on a somewhat altered, small 2-manual Hutchings tracker, Op. 515 of 1900. The instrument is in a chamber on the Epistle side of the chancel of the elegant and intimate Christ Church (Episcopal). The façade of the organ (designed by Henry Vaughan) is exquisitely designed as is the entire church. Unfortunately, much of Barney’s well-chosen program was marred by the sound of hammering and sawing from a building next door. Thanks to co-chair Richard Hill, who dashed out to get the workmen to cease their activities, Barney was able to soldier on through the following program: Fantasia und Fuge in c moll, Wq 119, no. 7, C.P.E. Bach; Andante in G, S. S. Wesley; Fiat Lux (from Twelve Pieces), Dubois; and the hymn “When in Our Music God Is Glorified” sung to Engelberg.
The next program was in the First Christian Congregational Church where Thomas W. D. Guthrie played its one-manual, eight-stop E. & G. G. Hook, Op. 460 of 1868, as restored by Andover in 1963. The little organ sang out its wonderfully bright yet warm sounds in the following selections: La Marseillaise, Rouget de Lisle (performed in honor of “Bastille Day,” July 14, the day of this program); Liberty March, Frysinger; Fanfare, Mason; Nachspiel, Bruckner; Navidad (from Seis Piezas Breves), Torres; Welcome the Nation’s Guest (“A Military Divertimento, Composed & Respectfully Dedicated to General Lafayette on his visit to Providence”), Shaw; and the hymn “Awake, My Soul, Stretch Every Nerve” sung to the tune Christmas. Tommy Lee Whitlock provided narration in the naïvely charming Shaw tribute to Lafayette while attired in appropriate 18th-century costume. Guthrie did an outstanding job of providing a program that allowed the fine little instrument to display the surprisingly large variety of registrational effects available from only eight ranks.
The whole group then assembled in Fall River and the freshly redecorated St. Joseph’s R.C. Church, where Kimberly Hess played on a highly altered example of a rare 2-manual tracker originally built by W. K. Adams & Son of Providence in 1883. The organ had suffered some damage in the 1980s by some unfortunately placed scaffolding. It was returned to at least a modicum of playing condition by the valiant work of some OHS members and others. Ms. Hess did a fine job of music-making in the following program: the hymn “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” sung to Lobe den Herren; Elevation No. 2 in c minor, Batiste; Reverie and Elegie, Still; Petit Prélude in g minor (Aria), Jongen; and Postlude on a Theme by Handel, Guilmant.
The undercroft of Good Shepherd Parish (R.C.) in Fall River was the site for lunch after which we went upstairs into the vast, high, and beautiful main church for a particularly fine recital by Kevin Kissinger on yet another transplanted instrument: what had been a large 2-manual Erben of 1863 originally in the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in Providence and later moved to Fall River. Welte-Whalon did some alterations and reconstruction in 1954. Organbuilder Ray Whalon, the present organist of the parish, was introduced and justifiably commended for his fine work. The organ, enhanced by the church’s superb acoustics, was masterfully handled in Kissinger’s program: the hymn “All People That on Earth Do Dwell” sung to Old Hundredth, then selected portions of Concert Variations on Old One Hundred, Paine; then Celeste (which also features the Melodia stop), Kissinger.
A rare treat followed with Mark Steinbach playing a true historic survivor, an original 2-manual, nine-rank Möller, Op. 864 of 1908, in St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. It has been wonderfully maintained and sounded out proudly in the following eclectic program: Sonatina per offertorio e postcommunio, Bergamo; Le jardin suspendu, Alain; “The Cat” and “Grandfather’s Wooden Leg” (from Fireside Fancies), Clokey; the hymn “By All Your Saints Still Striving” sung to King’s Lynn; and Rondo and Winslow Blues Bugle March, Shaw. Some unfortunate ambient rumbles (not from the organ) failed to swallow up the delicate effects of the more subtle voices. Steinbach (Brown University Organist) played especially musically on the entire program. The Alain was particularly effective on what one might think of as an unlikely instrument for that piece—it worked.
The final event of the afternoon was a recital in First Congregational Church where perennial OHS favorite Lorenz Maycher played superbly on an early and very fundamental-sounding Ernest M. Skinner, Op. 191 of 1911, with some minor tonal revisions done by Aeolian-Skinner in 1964. The organ had a more complete restoration in 2002 by Emery Bros. of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, with assistance by Charles Callahan and Maycher. The rear gallery location (which at first gives the impression of a free-standing case) allows the instrument to gain at least some sense of projection in a room with wall-to-wall carpet and thus very dry acoustics. The high ceiling together with the organ’s placement helped somewhat to overcome the “sofa cushion” effect of an otherwise visually stunning and richly furnished room that contains, among other treasures, windows by both Tiffany and LaFarge. Maycher’s program: Allegro vivace (Symphony No. 6), Widor; Musician’s Hymn, Jackson; Adagio cantabile, Bach, arr. Perry; Solo de Flûte (from Three Miniatures), Lemmens; A Fancy Sketch, Frost; Capriccio (On the Notes of the Cuckoo), Purvis; Harmonies du Soir, Karg-Elert; Requiescat in Pace, Sowerby; and Carillon de Westminster, Vierne. Typically smooth early Skinner reeds were featured mostly in the vigorously played opening and closing French works, with the other orchestral colors displayed in the remainder of the enthusiastically received and well-chosen program.
We then took a short walk to what had been the Victorian Gothic Central Congregational Church, now the location of the Abbey Grille and its Great Hall. We were served a gourmet dinner by students of the International Institute of Culinary Arts, whose headquarters is in the former church complex. Located prominently in a corner of the large room (formerly the main church) is an eye-catching monumental organ case of carved black walnut behind which are the remains of a large 2-manual E. & G. G. Hook & Hastings, Op. 806 of 1875, later enlarged and electrified by Hook & Hastings as their Op. 2388 in 1916. Though the instrument is currently unplayable, it could be restored. What a fine and unusual adjunct to the restaurant and reception hall that would be!
Buses then took us to the huge, sumptuous, and beautifully maintained St. Anne’s R.C. Church, also in Fall River. Located on a high spot of land and fronted by twin towers soaring over 150 feet into the air, the church is one of the most commanding pieces of church architecture in the city. The program was a change of pace in that the organ here is neither old nor a rebuild of a vintage instrument, but rather a 3-manual Phelps Casavant, Op. 2796 of 1964, voiced strongly and with many high-pitched stops and speech attack that take advantage of the outstanding acoustical environment afforded by the large enclosure. The high rear gallery location allowed for clear and reflective sound projection down the very long nave. The following program featured the Sine Nomine Chamber Choir directed by Glenn Giuttari with organist Andrew Galuska: three motets, Coelos Ascendit Hodie, Beati Quorum Via, and Justorum Animae, Stanford; Christus Pro Nobis Passus Est, Klemetti; I Am the Rose of Sharon, Billings; Followers of the Lamb, Shaker Tune; the hymn “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” Azmon; followed by the Gregorian Salve Regina, each verse alternating with improvised sections in the manner of a French symphony; Salve Regina, Poulenc; organ improvisation on Salve Regina; and Gloria by Poulenc. The performers were awarded protracted applause for their presentation of a demanding musical offering.

Friday

The day began in a “picture postcard” setting: Middleboro’s First Congregational Church—the “Church on the Green.” The 1828 building houses a 2-manual S. S. Hamill tracker of 1887 reworked by F. Robert Roche. The beautiful old structure still has its box pews with doors and a rear gallery from which the organ speaks clearly and with authority under a shallow barrel vault ceiling. The interior is enhanced by more examples of fascinating trompe-l’oeil decoration. SharonRose Pfeiffer played with both verve and sensitivity in the following program: the hymn “How Firm a Foundation” sung to the tune Foundation, then Adler’s setting of the same tune from Hymnset; Arietta, Elegy and Melody, all by Taylor; winding up with “Deep in Our Hearts,” also from Hymnset. This was an auspicious beginning for the day’s events—a fine program in an historic old New England Congregational church.
Another Congregational church, Central in Middleboro, was the spot for David Chalmers to demonstrate the features of what had begun in 1925 as a 2-manual Hook & Hastings, Op. 2503. After a couple of reworkings, it retains the remains of the case of the church’s previous organ, a George Stevens of 1871 that had been situated in a rear gallery. After much remodeling of the interior, the organ was moved to the front of the church and had more case wings added. Chalmers showed that he understood both the potential and limitations of the instrument in the following program: Veni Creator, Spiritus (Praeludium), Sowerby; Prelude, op. 50, no. 5, Foote; “My Soul Forsakes Her Vain Delight” and “Do Not I Love Thee, O My Lord” (from Eight Preludes on Southern Hymns, op. 90), Read; ending with the hymn “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” sung to the tune Coronation. The organ has a firm and generous tone with the building offering no reverberation whatsoever. Fortunately, it is located in a front choir gallery and thus speaks down the room’s central axis. We rarely hear examples of the late work of Hook & Hastings, but there were three examples available at this convention (one a transplant).
The charming elliptical Rochester civic “square” contains a library, town offices, and the ubiquitous First Congregational Church, in whose Parish Hall we ate our box lunches. This was a refreshing time to enjoy a lovely spot and soak up some small town ambiance. Peter Crisafulli played a masterful program on the altered, bold, bright, and lively 1-manual E. & G. G. Hook, Op. 387 of 1866. The rear gallery location allowed good projection of the organ’s delightful sound, although the somewhat cramped location meant that the organ bench (and Crisafulli) were perched precariouly close to the edge of the rail. His program: Voluntary in A, Selby; Jesu, meine Zuversicht, Zeuner; Variations on “Fairest Lord Jesus,” Woodman; the hymn “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy” sung to Crisafulli’s own tune New Mercy.
One could not imagine a more apt example of a close-knit country congregation than that found at the little United Methodist Church in Marion, Massachusetts. The delightful and intimate building (complete with embossed tin interior walls and ceiling) houses a much traveled and altered 1-manual organ of uncertain manufacture, but presumed to have been built by Giles Beach of Gloversville, New York in the mid 1860s. Judith Conrad, who obviously fell in love with the tiny instrument and its intimate sounds, arranged the following appropriate program to display its captivating qualities: Fantasie in the 6th Tone, Carreira; Hexachordum Appo-linis, Pachelbel; Voluntary and Fugue in D, Wesley; Ave Maria by Arcadelt, Liszt; the hymn “The Day of the Lord Is at Hand” sung to the tune Remember the Poor; and concluded with two Lemare transcriptions: “Old Black Joe” and “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again.” Both her playing and the instrument suited the friendly small building. One hopes that this worthy gem will receive a well-deserved museum-quality restoration.
The remaining three events of the afternoon took place in the once-affluent city of Fairhaven and featured several examples of the civic generosity of its greatest benefactor, Standard Oil magnate Henry Huttleston Rogers. The first of these was the incredibly beautiful Memorial Unitarian Church. Forget any ideas of the usual stark and understated New England Unitarian building—this one is an example of architectural magnificence done up in the lofty English neo-Gothic style. There are delights for the eye everywhere. The organ is a 1904 3-manual Hutchings-Votey, Op. 565, as reworked in 1971 by F. Robert Roche, and must be regarded as the local (nearby Taunton) builder’s magnum opus. The twin cases are lavishly carved and contain gilt façade pipes that are themselves highly decorated with elaborate stencil work. As if all of this were not enough, more woodcarvings abound as do Tiffany windows. Dwight Thomas, the incumbent musician of the church and a very fine organist, played a program that suited the church’s great acoustics: Woodland Flute Call, Dillon; Trumpet Tune, Swann; The Squirrel, Weaver; the hymn “Let There Be Light” sung to the tune Concord; and Dawn by Jenkins. His altogether too short performance showed off the beautifully balanced sound of this very colorful instrument. The whole experience was magnificent.
A short stroll down Center Street brought us to the restored Fairhaven Town Hall and a short lecture by Christopher Richard on Henry H. Rogers and his architectural gifts to the city. In addition, we all were able to take a short tour, both verbally and later in person, through the nearby portions of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
The multi-talented George Bozeman then gave an outstanding recital in the First Congregational Church, built in 1845. The organ is what can best be described as an “assembled” instrument of two manuals rebuilt and reconfigured by Roche in 1977. The visual aspect (reminiscent of much of the original case), as well as the sound, is very much in the style of a mid 19th-century instrument. The rear gallery location allows the sound to blend and project well. Curiously, in the front of the auditorium there are two matching pipe fences that at one time formed a façade for a small 3-manual Kimball, Smallman and Frazee of 1911. These quite uninteresting flats were said to have been designed by E. M. Skinner. Bozeman’s program: the hymn “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” sung to Melita; Concerto in d minor, Vivaldi/Bach; Dolce and Scherzo (from Symphony No. 4 in f minor), Widor. As usual, Bozeman displayed his customary musical playing, which is always propelled by a telling rhythmic liveliness.
We returned to Brockton for the final event of the day, a recital by Ray Cornils, Municipal Organist of Portland, Maine, where he continues his distinguished tenure (among other appointments) presiding over the monumental Kotzschmar Organ (Austin, Op. 323, 1912) in the Merrill Auditorium. His recital here was on a 2-manual 23-rank Hook & Hastings, Op. 2461 of 1923, which had been transplanted from Brockton’s Olympic Theatre to the rear gallery of St. Casimir’s R.C. Church where its robust tones sounded out vigorously in the fine acoustical setting of the 1950s room. Cornils displayed his usual blazing verve as he let the Hook “rip” in the following program: Carillon de Westminster, Vierne; Rosace (from Byzantine Sketches), Mulet; “You Raise the Flute to Your Lips” (from Four Eclogues), DeLamarter; Will o’ the Wisp, Nevin; The Leviathan March, Kotzschmar; Melody in Mauve, Purvis; the hymn “For All the Saints” sung to Sine Nomine; and Variations on “Sine Nomine,” Weaver. That this was one of the loudest instruments to be heard in the entire convention, there can be no doubt. Many conventioneers were heard to remark that hearing more of the available subtler sounds would have been welcome. Unfortunately, Cornils decided to play a “full bore” romp on Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor as an encore. It could well have been omitted as we already had heard a surfeit of fortissimo.

Saturday

This was “Taunton Day.” It began with a gem of a recital by Lois Regestein on a genuinely historically important instrument, a 2-manual E. & G. G. Hook, Op. 764 of 1874, in St. John’s Episcopal Church. The organ, original to the building, has served valiantly throughout the years with only periodic maintenance and cleaning. A damaged Great Trumpet was replaced by a fine period-sounding one in 1965 by James Winters. Snugly situated at the front of the south aisle, the organ sounds through its original façade of tastefully decorated Open Diapason pipes. Lois Regestein is often featured on the smaller trackers during OHS conventions and knows how to choose repertoire to suit them. Her program: Motet for Organ on the Third Tone of Thomas Tallis, Schaffer; “O Gott, du frommer Gott” (from Eleven Chorale Preludes, op. 122), Brahms; “March 24: Saint Gabriel” and “November 22: Saint Cecilia” (from Saint’s Days: Twelve Preludes for Organ), Pinkham; Suite of Dances, Phalese, transcr. Johnson; the hymn “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” sung to the tune St. Columba; and “Moderato” (from Three Tone Pieces, op. 22), Gade. The Phalese dances were charming demonstrations of the sounds of individual stops. The combination of church, instrument and artist was a wonderful way to begin a very busy day.
Once again, the conventioneers split into two groups in order to be accommodated in the somewhat smaller spaces for the next two programs. The first of these was the Berkley Congregational Church where founding member and the first president of the OHS, Barbara Owen, played happily on what may be the oldest known functioning church organ by the firm of E. & G. G. Hook, a delightful 1-manual tracker of ca. 1834–1837 that had resided in several other locales prior to its settling in Berkley in 1875. Sensitively and thoroughly restored by Roche in 1983 after much research, the once-white case now displays its warm original mahogany veneer and was somewhat redesigned to reveal its now elegant proportions. Ms. Owen, internationally known both as an organ historian and an editor and compiler of organ literature, played the following program: God Save the King, with Variations, Wesley; Wie nach einer Wasserquelle, BWV 1119, Bach; O wie selig seid ihr doch, ihr Frommen, Brahms; Trip to Pawtucket and The Bristol March, Shaw; Flutedance, Utterback; All’ Elevatione II and All’ Offertorio, Zipoli; and the hymn “Years Are Coming” sung to Hyfrydol. As an added bit of interest, Matthew Bellocchio was called upon to use the hand pump during The Bristol March. He had also redesigned the case modeled on two earlier Hook organs. Even though in a non-reverberant room, the organ has a bright, yet subtle and singing tone which, notwithstanding its peripatetic history and alterations, and thanks to careful tonal reconstruction, has the charming sound one associates with early Hook instruments.
Back in Taunton proper, we experienced a rare treat, an air conditioned space—Our Lady of the Holy Rosary R.C. Church, where Philip Jones played a pre-lunch program on a small 2-manual Roche organ that has portions of Estey’s Op. 2486 of 1926 and Ryder’s Op. 147 of ca. 1887 as well as new material. Though certainly far from being an historic instrument, it is an effective example of what can be done to provide a workable pipe organ for a small parish church. The program: Ciacona, Buxtehude; Two Preludes on Asian Hymns, Jones; Jesu, Jesu, Thou Art Mine (three variations plus chorale by Bach), Fedak; Spiritual Needs, Fletcher; the hymn “Father, We Praise Thee” sung to Christe Sanctorum; and Two Hymn Preludes (“The Kingsfold Trumpet” and “A Carol for the New Year”), Fedak. Lunch followed in the Parish Hall.
Will Headlee then played an exciting recital on Pilgrim Congregational Church’s reconstructed late 2-manual Johnson, Op. 745 of 1890. The organ has been subjected to several additions and reworkings, most recently by Roche in 1995–1997. As the result of much careful work, the tonal effect is a more than reasonably good approximation of the characteristic Johnson sound. It is quite thrilling in the room, and Headlee was enthusiastic in his praise for the instrument that responded joyfully under his expert playing of the following program: “Choral” (from Quatre Pièces, op. 37, no. 4), Jongen; Three Pieces for Organ (from the film, Richard III), Walton; Reverie, Macfarlane; “Allegretto” (from Sonata in e-flat minor, op. 65), Parker; “Hamburg” (from Ten Hymn Tune Fantasies), McKinley; Ronde Française, op. 37, Boëllmann; and the hymn “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken” sung to Abbot’s Leigh. The entire program was spectacularly played, and special note must be made about his outstanding hymn accompaniment.
The next organ, that in the 1831 First Parish Church (UU), is a highly modified reworking of a 2-manual E. & G. G. Hook, Op. 348 of 1864. The lore is that the original organ was the first one with which young Ernest M. Skinner became acquainted when his father, Washington Skinner, was tenor soloist for the church during the 1870s and 1880s. Over the years, the instrument received several modifications including some work done by E. M. Skinner himself in 1949, two generations after his first acquaintance with it. Rebuilding by Roche in the 1980s resulted in an essentially new instrument behind the original façade but with enough 19th-century “accent” to sound reasonably authentic. Rosalind Mohnsen played with her usual verve, style, and understanding in spite of the room’s total lack of presence. Her program: Orgelsinfonie zum Ausgang, Tag; “Cantabile” (from Ecole d’orgue), Lemmens; the hymn “Lead, Kindly Light” sung to Lux Benigna; In Memoriam, op. 17, Dunham; Washington’s Grand Centennial March and Bristol Waltz, Shaw; ending with Postlude, Whiting. Grant Hellmers assisted at the console.
We were then offered a break in routine by having the option of the following tours: exploring the offerings of the Old Colony Historical Society located on the Green and directly opposite the First Parish Church; visiting the Reed and Barton Factory Store; or taking a walking tour of the Taunton area and seeing the house where Ernest Skinner lived as well as the building where Washington Skinner had his singing studio. From the many parcels brought onto the bus, it seemed that many conventioneers opted to shop for silver goodies.
The final event of the afternoon was an altogether too short recital played by Joseph O’Donnell in St. Mary’s R.C. Church where its lofty nave helped enhance the distinguished tone of the 3-manual Hook & Hastings, Op. 1674 of 1895, located high in the rear gallery. The instrument is the largest surviving Hook in this part of the Commonwealth. Even though it has had occasional repairs and replacement of its pedalboard, it is in essentially original condition and is obviously in need of a thorough restoration. O’Donnell’s program: the hymn “Mary, Woman of the Promise” sung to the tune Drakes Broughton; and Plymouth Suite, Whitlock. He played with both technical brilliance and musical sensitivity. What a sound! Before the major evening performance, we bused to the West Congregational Church where they have a spacious pavilion on the grounds set up for an authentic New England clambake complete with tender steamed clams, sausages and vegetables in seemingly limitless quantities, and topped off with slices of refreshing watermelon. The small church itself was open for those who wished to sample a “taste” of a very late 3-rank Hook & Hastings unit organ, Op. 2604 of 1933 (their final instrument was Op. 2614 installed in 1935).
Perennial favorite Thomas Murray demonstrated his usual astounding artistry on Taunton’s largest organ, a much-rebuilt Jardine, Op. 1257 of 1899, in historic St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Fortunately, the high vaults of the beautiful but non-reverberant Upjohn-designed building helped to disperse the sound. Murray gave some welcome informative explanatory comments during the following program: Three Pieces, op. 29 (Prélude, Cantilène, and Scherzando), Pierné; Concerto Grosso in d, Vivaldi/Bach; Six Versets on the Magnificat, op. 18, Dupré; a commissioned hymn “O God, We Thank You” sung to Coram Hall; Grand Choeur Dialogué, Gigout; Evening Song, Bairstow; and Sonata I in d, op. 42, Guilmant. Once again, the oppressive heat occasioned by both the weather and the packed nave must have been quite a challenge for the artist, who seems to be able to overcome any obstacle and produce magnificent musical results. The console is located in what is best termed a “cozy” cubbyhole on the Gospel side of the chancel. Its location must create real balance perception problems for the organist which, coupled with the presence of a large portion of the Great whose pipework extends several feet into the south aisle, must be quite unsettling. The case pipes of this division stand very close to the pulpit, and their presence may seem occasionally intimidating to the person delivering wisdom from that spot. Even near the rear of the nave, the Great division certainly makes itself felt. Fortunately, Murray has had a long association with this instrument and was, indeed, the consultant for its rebuild by the Roche firm in 1980.

Sunday

After several event-packed days, the schedule allowed for a Sunday morning free for those who chose to attend local church services or who opted instead for a later start to their day.
Travel to the lovely town of Duxbury brought us to the picture-gorgeous 1840 meeting house of the First Parish Church (UU) where Frances Conover Fitch played a short program on Andover’s 1967 rebuild of the church’s Wm. B. D. Simmons 2-manual tracker of 1853. The elegantly proportioned room still includes much of its original décor, conveys an overall feeling of uncomplicated serenity, and is an ideal setting for the proud little organ’s gallery location and a bright summer morning recital. Her program: “Toccata per l’Elevazione” (from Messa degli Apostoli), Frescobaldi; Voluntary I in g minor, Stanley; the hymn “Winds Be Still” sung to Lead Me Lord; and Praeludium and Fuga, Wesley. Ms. Fitch’s exquisite playing was a fine match for both the ambiance and the rebuilt Simmons.
On we went to nearby Plymouth where we visited the large granite National Monument to the Forefathers that was erected in the 19th century. The huge figure of Faith stands atop the pedestal and faces appropriately toward the sea, which is visible from the monument’s location on high ground. At least one of the OHSers found the name of his Mayflower ancestor among those engraved on the base of the monument.
The remainder of the day was devoted to further Pilgrim matters and a visit to Plimouth Plantation, an extrordinary place that includes a living museum where one can wander through a recreation of what might have been similar to a portion of the Plymouth of 1627. Featured there are structures and events portrayed by “villagers” who will speak to the tourists as desired, but in an accent that is supposed to be like that of the Massachusetts colonists of the 1620s. We were admonished not to ask them or speak to them about anything in our current time as they would know nothing about events later than what happened in the Plymouth of 1627! Following this fascinating experience, we met for a “Pilgrim Feast” featuring 17th-century fare served by some of the same costumed and well-informed guides whom we had seen in the village. During the dinner they gave comments (in the same 17th-century accent) on the various dishes and “contemporary” ways of eating. Forget Emily Post or Miss Manners. Gentlemen, for instance, were shown the proper way to wear a dinner napkin (when one was used) in 1627—not in the lap, but slung over the left shoulder. Try it sometime—the thing really doesn’t want to stay there. The final event of the day took place in the Church of the Pilgrimage in Plymouth with Brian Jones, Organist Emeritus of Trinity Church, Boston, and Peter Gomes, distinguished author, theologian and Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard. Jones, a native of nearby Duxbury and at one time organist at the Church of the Pilgrimage, and Gomes, a Plymouth native and former organist at Memorial Methodist Church, became acquainted as youths, long before they went on to their respective notable careers. The historic building, a good one for support of congregational singing, houses a room-filling organ rebuilt and moved several times prior to its present reconfiguration by Roche in 1991. The program consisted of congregational hymns and organ works appropriate for both the location and the general themes of the convention. Aiding in the performances was a choir of singers from the Church of the Pilgrimage, William Richter, director; and First Baptist Church, Patricia Peterson, director. Both Gomes and Jones enlivened the evening with frequently humorous comments. The program: the hymn “O God, Beneath Thy Guiding Hand” sung to Duke Street; A Song of the Sea, Matthews; the hymn “It’s Good unto Jehovah to Confess” (from the Ainsworth Psalter) sung to Old 124th; “A.D. 1620” (from Sea Pieces, op. 55), MacDowell; the hymn “The Breaking Waves Dashed High” sung to Plymouth; March of the Magi, Dubois; choral anthems, The King of Love My Shepherd Is, Shelley and Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem, Maunder (conducted by Gomes); the hymn “Lead on, O King Eternal” sung to Lancashire; “War March of the Priests” (from Athalie), Mendelssohn; and the hymn “O Beautiful for Spacious Skies” sung to Materna. There was also time allotted for hymn requests, with numbers of favorites being shouted from the audience.

Monday

The final day of the convention was held in New Bedford, once the nation’s most wealthy city largely as the result of the extensive whaling industry that was centered here. Once again, because of limited seating in the first two churches, the group was split into two with the programs repeated.
Timothy Drewes, organ builder and husband of Cheryl, heard the previous Wednesday on the Hutchings at North Congregational Church, North Middleboro (q.v.), played a “whale” of a delightful program on the only surviving organ built by Charles Chadwick, his 2-manual Op. 1 of 1901 in North Baptist Church. As we entered the church, we were greeted by the ringing of the tower bell. The fine and generously-toned instrument was rebuilt with some tonal changes by Roche in 1981. The program: “The Pharos (Lighthouse) of Alexandria” and “The Pyramids of Giza” (from Ancient Wonders), Arcus; the hymn, “The Ribs and Terrors in the Whale” sung to Windham; “Pawles Wharfe” (from The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book), Farnaby; “Drake’s Drum” and “Pirate Song” (from Three Nautical Songs), G. W. Chadwick; and “The War Dance Festival” (from Impressions of the Philippine Islands), Moline. The Chadwick songs (by the more well-known composer brother of the organ builder) were sung both stylishly and with drama by tenor Frederick Louis Jodry who would be heard as organist at the First Unitarian Church later in the day. The informative program notes explained the seafaring thread that ran through the pieces performed. The Moline dance, which could serve only as a grand finale, was a truly wild romp. At St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Joyce Painter Rice played a program of appropriate pieces on the oldest organ in New Bedford, a transplanted 2-manual George Stevens tracker of 1852 that had been acquired by the church in 1977 through the advice of Barbara Owen. It had some restoration by Roche in 1978. It was a delight to hear the sweet and cohesive tone of this little jewel as it sang out from the gallery of the small building. The program: Andante in D Major, Blewitt; Fugue on Es ist gewisslich an der Zeit, Stirling; “Moderato in G Major” and “Allegro in D Major” (from American Church Organ Voluntaries), pub., A. N. Johnson, 1852; Choral Song and Fugue, S. S. Wesley; and the hymn “Thou Did’st Leave Thy Throne and Kingly Crown” sung to Margaret. Ms. Rice performed with grace and skill and did not let the occasional out of tune flue rank disturb her in the least.
The final program of the morning took place in the elegantly decorated and massive St. Anthony of Padua R.C. Church, which boasts the tallest spire in New England. The high, vast interior contains hardly a square inch of undecorated area and is a continual feast for the eyes. It is climaxed by 32 heroic-sized angels on pedestals that ring the room. The organ, Casavant’s 4-manual, 60-rank, Op. 489 of 1912, is located high in the second (organ) balcony at the west end of the church. It speaks with authority down the massive barrel vault and features a truly glorious crescendo. Timothy Edward Smith, assisted by Tom Murray, conductor, and Michael Calmès, tenor and narrator, presented the following program: “Sanctus” (from the St. Cecilia Mass), Gounod; Marche Funèbre et Chant Séraphique, Guilmant; Carnival of the Animals (with verse by Ogden Nash), Saint-Saëns; ending with the hymn “Angels We Have Heard on High” sung to the tune Gloria. The assembled audience formed the choir for the Gounod “Sanctus” (conducted by Murray), and Calmès narrated the clever Nash poetry that accompanied the Saint-Saëns menagerie. The hymn was an appropriate “nod” to the angels and seraphim that ringed the nave. For a final “Gee Whiz” moment we were treated to a display of some 5,500 light bulbs that enhance the curves of the many arches in the church. We were told that the local power company had to be notified in advance as to the exact time that the switches were to be thrown so that proper preparation could be made for the great power demand. Evidently all went well, as there were no reports of “brown-outs” in the city of New Bedford. Smith, justifiably long an OHS favorite, seemed quite at ease amid both the great roars and subtle tones of this terrific organ. His playing together with Calmès’s tenor and the large choral forces filled the room with glorious sound.
After lunch in St. Anthony’s large parish hall, we went to Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish at St. James R.C. Church for a recital by Christopher Marks on a much-rebuilt and relocated Hilborne Roosevelt, Op. 29 of 1876, that had originally been in Trinity Episcopal Church, Boston. After a couple of rebuilds there, it was moved to St. James in 1927 and installed in the rear gallery. The organ had been out of service for some time and was heard this afternoon for the first time in over 30 years. It was put into basic playing condition by a group of dedicated artisans, one of whom was seen with misty eyes during the program as the organ had regained at least some of its voice after several decades. Fortunately, there were many parishioners present who expressed their delight and appreciation at hearing the sounds from the west gallery, many for the first time in their lives. Marks, Syracuse University Organist, played the following program with great élan: the hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” sung to Nettleton; “Berceuse” (from Suite Bretonne), Dupré; Concert Variations on The Star Spangled Banner, Buck. He also supplied enlightening and witty program notes that explained some of his registrations. Will Headlee assisted at the console as there is currently no working combination action. Marks is a rapidly rising young star who seemed not at all hampered by what must have been less than ideal playing conditions, but who performed with great style and assurance nevertheless. Sincere bravos go to Marks, the consortium of technicians (under the guidance of Bruce Gardzina), and to the church and its pastor, Fr. Wilson, who gave us a hearty welcome.
Renea Waligora and narrator Sean Fletcher presented the next program in the recently closed St. Anne’s R.C. Church, which together with another parish had merged to join with that of Our Lady of Guadalupe, just visited. The organ, a 2-manual Hutchings, Plaisted Op. 42 of 1874, had been in a church in East Boston, and then another church in New Bedford before being moved to St. Anne’s by Raymond Whalon in 1985. It sounded magnificent in the almost barren church. The program: “Andante” (from Sonata I), Borowski; Dinosauria, op. 16 (“A Mesozoic Menagerie for Organ and Narrator”), Dinda; and the hymn “My Life Flows on in Endless Song” sung to the tune Singing. The fine little organ with its decorated façade pipes sounded clean and colorful under Ms. Waligora’s assured and flexible playing. Dinosauria was written by Waligora’s husband, Robin Dinda, and dramatically narrated by the talented young actor, Sean Fletcher. It is a whimsical piece very much in the tradition of the Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals heard earlier in the day. As an amusing prop, Fletcher produced a small dinosaur figurine that resided on the lid of a nearby grand piano during the performance.
After a short bus ride to downtown New Bedford, we were set free to wander around the historic district and to visit some of the museums and other attractions. All paths eventually led to the large stone Victorian Gothic First Unitarian Church for a well-played program by Frederick Louis Jodry, heard earlier in the day as tenor soloist at North Baptist Church. The room holds many items of interest for the audience including its original pew doors and a stunning large Tiffany mosaic, The Pilgrimage of Life, located at the very front of the room. Jodry’s program: “Allegro” (from Sonata in E-flat Major, BWV 525), Bach; Tiento de mano derecha, Bruña; Introduction and Variations on “Nicaea,” Post; the hymn “Bring, O Morn, Thy Music” sung to Nicaea; and the Fugue in E-flat Major (“St. Anne”), BWV 552, Bach. Jodry played with great panache on the church’s 2-manual 25-stop Flentrop of 1966 located in the rear gallery. It sounds quite strong in the large but acoustically dry room and had received needed restoration work and tonal refinement by Scot Huntington in 1995.
Dinner followed at the Wamsutta Club, an elegant facility that originally had been one of New Bedford’s many opulent mansions. A short walk took us to the final recital of the convention, a brilliant performance by the popular Peter Sykes on the much-rebuilt 2-manual E. & G. G. Hook, Op. 244 of 1859, in Centre-Trinity United Methodist Church. His program: Pastorale, Franck; “Scherzetto”, Lied” and “Arabesque” (from Pièces en style libre), Vierne; “Scherzo” and “Prelude – Chorale and Allegro” (from Ten Pieces), Gigout; the hymn “Abide with Me” sung to Eventide; Sonata, op. 65, no. 1, Mendelssohn; Abide with Me (“Improvisation”, “Prelude” and “Chorale”), Woodman; Prelude and Fugue in e minor, BWV 548, Bach. As usual, Sykes, always a favorite, played spectacularly with his accustomed musical intensity, which must have been difficult to maintain given the extreme heat and humidity, especially in the organ gallery. Also, an annoying “thrumming” of an idling diesel engine just outside one of the open windows of the church interfered with the enjoyment of the Franck Pastorale and the organ’s fine Hautboy stop. Fortunately, the engine noise stopped about half-way through the piece. An extremely brisk tempo for the Bach “Wedge” left many listeners breathless.
The many events of the very busy week had many ponder whether the otherwise well-organized (no pun intended) convention may have been over-scheduled. A wealth of interesting instruments are available in this part of the Old Colony, but perhaps we were led to see too many of them, particularly since there were quite a few that could hardly be considered as “historic” in the usual sense. Nonetheless, bravos must go to the hard-working convention committee and to the many organ technicians who put the instruments into playing condition.
Special mention is due to the compilers of the Organ Handbook, 2005 for the many hours of research and writing that went into the volume. It is the largest one produced thus far (at 288 pages) and again is a beautifully illustrated and information-filled source of background material on both the instruments and their locales. The editors, under the overall direction of Lisa Compton, deserve our admiring thanks.
OHS conventions are always enjoyable, and often much of the pleasure comes from being with colleagues who share the common interest of the history of North American organ building. The 2006 convention will be headquartered in scenic Saratoga Springs, New York, and will run from June 25 through 30. It will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Society’s official founding. For further information, contact the Organ Historical Society at their website: .
(Note: Much of the background information on the instruments and their locales was distilled from the Organ Handbook, 2005, noted above. It and its predecessors offer the reader a great fund of information on the history of organ building in North America.)

Charles F. Swisher is a senior audio and acoustical consultant with wide experience in the design of systems for speech and music reinforcement, electronic architecture, video, recordings, and multi-media productions. He holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois. Prior to joining Jaffe Holden Acoustics of Norwalk, Connecticut, in 1968, he worked for Ampex Corporation and Vega Electronics Corporation. He is a Fellow of the Audio Engineering Society and an audio consultant specializing in church sound system design and recording projects. Since 1994 he has been executive director of the American Pipe Organ Museum, Inc., a non-profit foundation to establish a national home to showcase the history of American pipe organ design. He became vice-president of the Atlantic City Convention Hall Organ Society, Inc. in 1997. Carl Loeser is curator of the Boardwalk Hall pipe organs in Atlantic City, New Jersey. A New Jersey native, he has worked in the pipe organ field for 30 years. Following college, he pursued a career in electrical engineering and concurrently started a side business doing organ maintenance and tuning. In 1988, he switched to pipe organ work on a full time basis. He has assisted in the installation of new organs and provided service for Schantz, Casavant, Reuter, and Austin. He has also done extensive rebuilding and restoration work. Among these projects was the complete restoration of the Ethereal Division of the John Wanamaker organ.

Eleven years have passed since the Midmer-Losh organ in Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall was last heard, when the ACCHOS CD/01 was recorded on November 3–4, 1998. The Atlantic City Convention Hall was renamed Boardwalk Hall and was closed for four years (1999–2002) to undergo a $90 million renovation, which, sadly, did not include work on the organ. The hall is now considered one of the finest performing arts facilities of its kind in America.

Background
In the early 1920s, Atlantic City decided to build a massive Convention Hall; 30,000 people gathered for its dedication in June 1929. New Jersey State Senator Emerson L. Richards designed both the Midmer-Losh organ and the ballroom’s Kimball organ. The Midmer-Losh Organ Company of Merrick, Long Island, installed the organ from 1929–1932. The organ is housed in eight chambers in a surround-sound configuration in the hall. Two ceiling chambers house the Fanfare and Echo organs, and two gallery chambers are located in the left and right forward and center areas of the hall.
The main console has seven manuals (located in a kiosk at stage level), and a movable console is available with five manuals. The organ has some 33,112 pipes and was listed for decades in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest pipe organ in the world.
In the 1980s and ’90s, both organs fell into disuse and were neglected by management. In 1997, following an e-mail plea by Stephen D. Smith in London, the Atlantic City Convention Hall Organ Society, Inc. was formed to foster the preservation and restoration of both organs in the hall.
As it was, a lot of damage to both organs occurred during hall renovation. The architect at the time had the Kimball relay removed to make way for a stairway, and the left stage chamber relay of the Midmer-Losh was removed as the old balconies were demolished.
The Society has published two books, Atlantic City’s Musical Masterpiece and The Atlantic City Convention Hall Organ—A Pictorial Essay about the World’s Largest Pipe Organ. Two CD recordings and a DVD have also been released. The ACCHOS website
(www.acchos.org) continues to attract countless thousands of visitors from 41 countries around the world.
Worldwide interest in the Midmer-Losh organ is greater than ever. On April 20, 2008, the entire organ class from the Royal Academy of Music in Denmark flew over to get a firsthand look at the organ, and they were delighted. Board member and tour leader Harry Bellangy said they were all like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory!

Current status
In 2007, Carl Loeser was appointed curator of organs, and in 2008, Stephen D. Smith, ACCHOS president and author, was named Honorary Curator of the Boardwalk Hall Organs in perpetuity. The restoration of the two instruments has begun, and the results thus far have been very promising. Here is a general summary of where things stand as of June 2009.
In 1930, the hall’s first general manager wanted a straightforward theatre organ for the ballroom, but Emerson Richards had in mind an orchestral instrument that included some proper organ choruses. The resulting scheme of 42 voices—19 straight and 23 extended—was heralded as a “pioneer” organ and included the first brass stop installed by Kimball. Three wind pressures are employed among the 55 ranks and 4,151 pipes.
The Kimball organ was intact and fully functional before the building renovation, and therefore its restoration is relatively straightforward. The original relay system and booster blower were removed during the renovation to accommodate a new stairway. The booster blower is being relocated and a new Peterson relay system is being installed in the organ to replace the original relay. Ken Crome is restoring the console at his shop in Reno, Nevada. The relay installation should be completed this summer, and the console returned by the end of the year. The main blower room and static reservoirs have been completely restored. The instrument should be playable once again by early next year.
Work on the Midmer-Losh organ will not be quite so straightforward. Most of the organ is in reasonable condition, with a few isolated areas of water damage and vandalism. It is a testimony to the diligence and concern of the staff at Boardwalk Hall that the organ survived the building renovation process relatively unscathed. Anyone who has worked in this trade, and been involved with protecting a pipe organ during construction work, will realize how difficult this must have been for an instrument of this size, spread out as it is throughout the building. In fact, the organ has suffered from benign neglect more than anything else.
Work has begun on the right stage chamber, since it was the only portion of the organ that was kept in operating condition for many years and will require the least amount of work to be put back into operation. As many will recall from the 1998 recording, there were many dead notes. Although much of the chestwork in this chamber had been releathered over the years, many of the chest magnets had failed. They are of a compound type that, in addition to an armature, have an internal pouch and primary valve. The leather had failed in many of the magnets, and the zinc castings had become brittle, making it difficult to rebuild them. They had not been produced in decades, and no spares remained. The original magnets were manufactured by Klann Organ Supply Co., and Klann has been assisting in developing a direct replacement. Several prototypes are currently being tested, and it is anticipated that production of new magnets will commence before the end of the summer.
Once on hand, the new magnets will be installed where needed in the right stage chamber, and that should bring a large number of pipes back to life and allow much of the Great, Solo, and Pedal divisions to be put back into playable condition. If all goes well, this should be completed by early next year.
As an interesting aside, several of the old magnets were sent to Klann for evaluation. Paul Klann, retired from the firm, was visiting the plant one day and was shown one of the magnets, with no explanation given about them. He recognized them immediately and then expressed interest as to who was presently taking care of the Convention Hall organ in Atlantic City.

Restoration plans
The Swell division will be the first non-playable portion of the organ to be restored. This will include rebuilding the windchests, cleaning and repair of the pipes, and some repairs to the blowers and winding system. The pipes and windchests are being removed, and rebuilding work on them has begun. Again, if all goes well, the Swell division should be back in operation by the end of next year. Following the Swell restoration, the remaining parts of the left stage chamber will be restored, including the ranks of the Swell-Choir, Unenclosed Choir, String I, and Pedal Left.
As funding permits, the gallery and ceiling chambers will be restored, although the specific order for this has not yet been determined. These include:
Right Forward chamber (Brass Chorus and String II)
Right Center chamber (Gallery I and Gallery II)
Right Upper chamber (Echo including the 16′ Bassoon made of paper mâché!)
Left Forward (Choir)
Left Center (Gallery III, Gallery IV, and the Chickering concert grand piano)
Left Upper chamber (Fanfare and String III)
The Fanfare division is one of the real highlights of the Midmer-Losh. Stephen Smith wrote:

The Fanfare organ, with its blaze of mixtures and reeds, is intended to be a ‘super’ department. Its stentorian diapasons, 18 ranks of mixtures, and barrage of reeds (four of them voiced on 50 inches of wind) provide a stunning and formidable antiphonal opponent to the Main organ in the Stage chambers. It was reputed to have been Emerson Richards’ favorite department, and one can well imagine the majesty of its sound pouring into the center of the Hall, filling the room.1

A new control system for the entire Midmer-Losh organ will be designed, and the entire organ will be rewired. It is interesting to note that the entire coupling system for the seven-manual console was contained in the key contact trays for each keyboard, a very compact system. Not so with the original combination action, a portion of which is shown in the photo. It took up two entire rooms in the basement and, unfortunately, had a relatively short life, being ruined when the basement areas flooded during a hurricane in 1944.
Once the Midmer-Losh can be heard again, there will be a very pleasant surprise for everyone. Prior to the renovation the reverberation time in the main hall was over 7–9 seconds. Following removal of the asbestos-laden ceiling, a new more porous material was substituted. A small group of us were present in 2002 when the right stage chamber was fired up briefly in its new acoustic setting. The results were exciting. The reverberation time had been reduced to 5–6 seconds. All present agreed that the organ spoke with more precision, improved clarity and diffusion in the great space. This chamber alone with its 132 ranks well tuned, including the 64′ Dulzian, will provide an impressive experience next year.

The Unenclosed Choir
One of the very special parts of the organ is the Unenclosed Choir in the left stage chamber. Stephen Smith says:

It may come as a surprise to learn that the entire rationale behind the “core” of the Convention Hall organ can be summed up by looking at the stoplist of just one of the instrument’s departments. Even more surprisingly, it’s one of the smallest departments and its stops are voiced on the organ’s lowest wind pressure.
The department in question is the Unenclosed Choir (Quintaton 16, Diapason 8, Holz Flute 8, Octave 4, Fifteenth 2, Rausch Quint 12-15 & 19-22). It is this tiny department that encapsulates the message Emerson Richards was trying to put across to the American organ world at the time. That message was about the need for tonal cohesion and harmonic structure—in a phrase, “proper choruses.” Richards said this Unenclosed Choir was to be a “little Great organ . . . similar to the Silbermann organ familiar to Bach.” Of course “proper choruses” were nothing new; they had been included in organs for decades. However, that was in the past, and Richards and a growing number of other organists considered that the organ had “gone off” its tonal tracks since then. “Proper choruses” were out of favor; while an ever-increasing variety of flutes, strings, and diminutive reeds—usually at 8-foot pitch—were the vogue.
The Convention Hall instrument was to be the world’s largest organ and it would probably be the most publicized too. What better place could there be to make such a statement? The problem was that there were so many statements and so many attractions, that the Unenclosed Choir’s message was all but lost! Despite this, that message did, finally, get through. However, it wasn’t because of the Unenclosed Choir alone, nor was it due solely to the efforts of Richards—although he undoubtedly took the lead role in changing opinion and, thereby, preparing the way for a return to “proper choruses.”2
There are a number of videos that have been posted on YouTube.com. Some are from ACCHOS, but a wide variety of other posts are there as well.
Monthly tours are now available on a regular basis. The tours last about two hours. Detailed information is on the website at www.acchos.org and reservations can be made by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

Photos by Harry Bellangy, Fred Hess & Son, Antoni Scott