| A few days before Bishop Hartley of Columbus dedicated the present church, Professor T. B. Francis McDowell gave a recital on the newly completed pipe organ on Dec. 10, 1909, built by the Stevens Organ and Piano Co. of Marietta, OH.
Here is the account, as taken from the book compiled by Fr. Woesman - “St. Mary’s And Her Builders”. Included are the original 1909 specifications of the organ.
“Through the never-flagging interest of Mr. D. B. Torpy in the new undertaking, once the enterprise was fairly launched, the parish is indebted, in being able to be proud possessor of its magnificent church organ, with an outlay of money, far less than actual cost. It represents a value exceeding $5, 000.00. A careful and critical perusal of the specifications, descriptive of the grand music instrument, readily convinces the most exacting connoisseur that the builders “The Stevens Organ and Piano Co.” of Marietta, Ohio, have most conscientiously completed their task. To Mr. Stevens, the genial manager and musical expert of the company – the erection thereof was certainly a labor of love.
The instrument was, for the first time, heard in all its musical eloquence, on the occasion of the organ recital – December 10, 1909 – under the skillful touch of Professor T. B. Francis McDowell.
The program is convincing of the fact that the instrumental capabilities were brought out, in all their exacting details. A large and appreciative audience were drawn to the church that evening; tickets for entrance, had been sold – and officiousness, unsolicited distributed tickets as complimentary, to individual friends, on account of their social or musical attainment, and while not enhancing the treasury, rendered unexpected favoritism gracious and, to the distributor, inexpensive.
Ever since its erection the organ has met every expectation and under the skillful and artistic touch of the accomplished, Mrs. James Reynolds, has added greatly to the religiously inspiring atmosphere of its setting.”
In 1968, Msgr. Robert Punke became pastor of St. Mary Church. Due to influences from the Second Vatican Council of 1965, and a building that was in dire need of repair, Msgr. Punke began stirring parish support for changes and repairs to the church building.
Beginning in 1970, discussions with various organ experts and musicians were undertaken. The then, 61-year-old organ was in need of tonal and mechanical improvements. Not only for itself, but to compliment the plans for the interior renovations to the church.
In a letter to the Building Committee, Msgr. Punke described the organ as “soft and round in tonal quality, lacking sharp and distinct tonal clarity in many respects. This makes it somewhat difficult for choral accompaniment, and congregational singing. The console is defective, and the action sluggish. There are a number of mechanical problems in the instrument, and these must be corrected.”
Mr. Vargo (the renovation architect), Mr Gibbs (music director), and Msgr. Punke went to St. Vincent’s Archabbey in Latrobe, PA. in February, to study the layout and make-up of their organ. In June, the Schantz Organ Company of Orrville, Ohio was contacted to study the organ problems and submit a proposal for renovation.
Letter from the Schantz Organ Company (Orrville, OH) - June 5, 1970
“In working on the revision of your present pipe organ, much thought has been given to the best procedure for improving its overall sound while at the same time retaining as much of the original work as possible in order to remain within the renovation budget.
Many of the pipe ranks seem to be satisfactory and would not seriously compromise a new tonal scheme. Obviously poor toned ranks, such as the Great No, 1 Open Diapason, Grosse Floete, and 8’ Trumpet should be replaced. Many of the ranks are fair to average, and some indeed are quite nice, such as the Swell 16’ Bourdon and the 8’ Oboe. The Swell strings are a little thin by today’s standards, but yet, are not bad.
…the organ can be put back into reliable condition at a relatively low figure, short of entire re-leathering, if the church is willing to continue to repair parts as may be needed.
…organs always sound better when they are right out in a church rather than surrounded by walls. At least one thing to be said in this particular installation’s favor is the fact that the two-tone openings are generous.
……….the organ sounds “soft” because a) it is a relatively small instrument in a large building; b) it is voiced on the quiet side, on low wind pressure; and c) organs lacking in higher pitches do not have the necessary punch to carry well.
…Mr. Paul Schantz stated a willingness to undertake a total rebuilding of the instrument. It would be taken down by our men, returned to the Schantz factory, entirely re-leathered and repaired, a new console provided along with tonal changes.
…its layout could be modified to permit installation elsewhere in the church, even exposing the Great around the rose window if desired. |
In the fall of 1971, Mr Harry Ebert, or Ebert Organ Co. of Pittsburgh Pa, was contacted. (Ebert built the organ at St. Joseph Prep Seminary –Vienna, West Virginia.) Other organ companies who submitted proposals were: Humpe Organ Company of Richmond, OH, and the prestigious Moller Organ Company.
At the beginning of April 1972, Mr. Ebert came and made a study of the instrument. The original proposal was deemed too costly. Ebert then submitted several various alternatives, omitting and revising various parts of the original proposal, in order to stay closer to the budgeted amount. He then prepared a final contract for its renovation. The total cost was $16, 938.00. The contract was signed June 26 1972.
In comparing the 1909 tonal specifications with the renovation of 1972, one will notice which pipes of the original organ were kept (mostly softer stops and some foundations) and where Ebert introduced new pipes. The consul was replaced with a Klann Console, which is still in use today.
At that time, it was felt that the re-leathering of the wind chest pouches and primary pneumatics, and a new blower unit, was not necessary, but should be planned on for the future. Unfortunately those plans seem to have been forgotten, and patchwork jobs on the leathers continue to the present day. It took over 12 years before a new blower unit was eventually installed.
MORE TO COME..........
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