|
|
|
The organ at St. Paul's Episcopal Church was originally built by the E. M. Skinner Company of Boston, Massachusetts. Skinner's 31 rank Opus 604 was completed in 1926.
|
|
|
|
In 1958 Guido Nenninger of Munich, Germany substantially rebuilt the organ and nearly doubled the number of ranks. Much of the original Skinner pipework was discarded and replaced with inferior quality German pipework in the spirit of the "organ reform movement." An Antiphonal organ was added on the back wall of the church balcony, and the Skinner draw-knob console was removed in favor of a supply house stop key console with a cabinet of modern design.
|
|
|
By the 1980's the organ was in unreliable condition, in large part due to the poor quality of the work done in the 1950's. Slider windchests added by Nenninger were jammed and inoperable due to sap from the poor grade pine sliders. The Antiphonal Organ was gradually coming unanchored from the back wall. Metal fatigue, a common issue with inferior 8' bass pipes, was such a problem that even 4' basses were collapsing!
|
|
Thirty years of perspective were also passing judgment on the Nenninger tonal alterations. The pipe work sounded harsh and shrill, and the reed stops were thin and strident. There was no cohesiveness to the ensemble as the German stops didn't blend with the beautiful character of the remaining Skinner flutes and strings.
St. Paul's Church brought in the Muller Company to make recommendations for restoration and improvement of the instrument. A plan was developed to preserve and restore all of the existing Skinner pipework and augment it with new pipes in a specification designed in the "American Classic" style of the Aeolian-Skinner Company. The Great, Choir, one of the two Swell windchests, as well as the Pedal Bourdon windchests (all Skinner) were salvageable and remain. The balance of the organ was installed on new windchests. A new three manual drawknob console of white oak with multi-memory level combination action was also provided on a moveable platform.
|
|
|
|
The work was done in two phases, with the new console and the Great, Choir and Pedal flutes and reeds making the first phase. The Swell Organ and Pedal principals were done in the second phase. At that time a new Trompette en Chamade on the back balcony wall replaced the Nenninger Antiphonal Organ.
The work was completed in 1989, and Gerre Hancock played the dedication recital.
The restored Skinner pipework includes the Swell 16' Bourdon, 8' Gedeckt, 4' Harmonic Flute, 8' Salicoinal & Voix Celeste, and 8' Flauto Dolce & Flute Celeste; the Choir 8' Concert Flute and 8'Clarinet; and the Pedal 16' Subbass & 8' Flute. The balance of the organ is made up of new pipework voiced to blend with the Skinner stops. The instrument has 43 ranks.
The Great Organ, on 4" wind, has complete principal chorus with two mixtures and an English chorus reed. The Great 8' Rohrflöte & 4' Spitzflöte are in the Choir box as was customary with E. M. Skinner. The Swell Organ features the Skinner strings and flutes on their original 7" wind. On lighter 4" wind is the straight French reed chorus (with the Contre Fagotto being a hybrid stop with a German shallot) and a IV Mixture. The Choir Organ, on 4 1/2" wind, has a flute cornet and the Skinner 8' Clarinet. Both the Swell and Choir are in the original Skinner expression boxes. The Pedal features principals and flutes at 16', 8' and 4' pitches, as well as a 3 rank Mixture an an independent French reed.
The 8' Trompette en Chamade on the balcony wall is playable on the Great and Choir and is on 6" wind pressure.
|
|
|
|
|
