Harrison's Forgotten American Classic
          by Jonathan Ortloff

Rochester, New York has long been a city of great wealth and innovation. It was here that George Eastman established the Eastman Kodak Company, and with his invention of flexible film in the late 19th century brought about a revolution in photography, making him millions. In 1949, the Haloid Xerox Corporation revolutionized printing technology with its Model A copier, the first dry process document reproducing machine. And Bausch and Lomb, the third partner in Rochester's corporate trinity, revolutionized optics in the same way Eastman revolutionized photography.

George Eastman had a profound sense of philanthropic obligation to his community; he had a vision for a city immersed in culture and used his great fortune to that end. In 1921, at a cost of $3 million, he gave Rochester the Eastman Theatre, the façade of which was inscribed, "For the Enrichment of Community Life." Another $2 million of Eastman's money established the music school that bears his name, which was also the first professional school of the University of Rochester. Particularly fond of organ music, Eastman installed a 60-rank Aeolian pipe organ in his home, an instrument that soon grew to 129 ranks controlled by a four-manual console. The Eastman Theatre contained the largest theatre pipe organ ever built, a 135-rank Austin, and Eastman made sure the organ department of the Eastman School of Music was outfitted with the best instruments money could buy.

It seems only fitting that a community so immersed in innovation and culture, particularly music, should be home to a watershed organ built by one of the great innovators in 20th-century organ building.

Several names are synonymous with the organ reform movement of the 1930s and '40s, one of which is G. Donald Harrison. Harrison is famous for his American Classic tonal designs that became the staple of organbuilders in the mid-20th century. Three organs are inevitably associated with the early forays into his American Classic design: Saint John's Chapel at the Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts, Church of the Advent in Boston, and St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Philadelphia.

These organs' tonal designs are typically described as groundbreaking, pioneering or revolutionary; special note is made of the use of modified French reeds, independent Pedal divisions, and unenclosed Positiv departments. They are unquestionably important instruments and deserve to be studied and hailed as pioneers. But there is another important instrument that, according to Orpha Ochse in her book The History of the Organ in the United States, "showed even more clearly the direction of the future," an instrument that remains virtually absent from these discussions: Æolian-Skinner's Opus 953 for Strong Auditorium at the University of Rochester, Harrison's fourth American Classic organ finished three months after the St. Mark's organ. In this absence, it has become an undervalued and understudied seminal example of Harrison's work with his new thoughts on tonal design.

This organ's history cannot be discussed without first discussing that of its home school. The University of Rochester was founded in 1850 on a small campus near downtown Rochester. Ground was broken in 1927 for a new campus along the Genesee River, on land purchased by George Eastman. The River Campus, as it came to be called, was a gloriously green and spacious setting, with beautiful classically-inspired brick buildings. The campus was complete with the stunning Rush Rhees Library, dormitories, academic buildings, and an elegant auditorium.

The auditorium building was donated by Hattie M. Strong, in memory of her husband, Henry Alvah Strong (the first president of Eastman Kodak), and duly named Strong Auditorium. As early as 1920, plans for the building were in the works, and in a letter dated January 3rd of that year to university president Rush Rhees, Mrs. Strong gave her support to the new campus: "I hereby pledge to the University of Rochester the sum of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) for the purpose of erecting an assembly hall on the campus of the University, in memory of my beloved husband, Henry Alvah Strong." Henry had died the year before, in 1919. The auditorium was designed to seat 990 in the orchestra and balcony, and incorporated two chambers on either side of the proscenium for a pipe organ.

In 1928, it became apparent that the initial funds would not be sufficient to complete the project, and Mrs. Strong was called upon to donate more money. Upon hearing of George Eastman's intention to match whatever gift she gave, Mrs. Strong pledged an additional $45,000. Eastman wrote to Rhees on October 28th, 1928, saying, of the combined additional $90,000, "If the combined amount will build the building I would rather not have my name appear."

The building was completed in 1929 and was dedicated in 1930 along with the rest of the campus, but without a pipe organ, due to the funding crisis aggravated by the Great Depression. Six years later, when her own financial situation had improved, Mrs. Strong wrote to Rhees, now retired, about completing her building with a pipe organ. She pledged $25,000 toward the cause, and the new president Alan Valentine charged Harold Gleason of the Eastman School of Music with the task of finding a builder capable of building an organ to Gleason's specifications for the pledged amount.

Unfortunately, Harold Gleason's papers do not exist either in the university's or the Eastman School's archives, so any correspondence he had with different organ builders about building the Strong organ is undocumented. The only mention of another builder besides Æolian-Skinner is made in a letter dated December 2nd, 1936 from Gleason to Rhees in which Gleason writes, "The letter from the Wurlitzer Co. has been answered." Æolian-Skinner's name was mentioned as early as October 19th, 1936. In a letter to Dr. Rhees, Mrs. Strong stated, "I realize that the building does need an organ and think the Skinner's price reasonable."

The contract for $25,000 between the University of Rochester and the Æolian-Skinner Company was signed on December 8th, 1936 with treasurer Raymond L. Thompson representing the university and vice-president William Zeuch representing Æolian-Skinner. Harold Gleason and Ruth Hoaurer (?) served as witnesses. According to the original contract, the organ was to have seventy-three speaking stops on four manuals and pedal representing 5,049 pipes in eighty-four ranks. Æolian-Skinner sent the first invoice on December 9th, 1936, and Mrs. Strong sent her check for $25,000 on January 17th of the following year.

Almost as surprising as the tonal design the organ was to have was its price. In her October 19th letter to Rhees in 1936, Mrs. Strong told him, "I do not feel that I could possibly add more than $25,000 to the amount I have already put in it." There is no evidence of the school seeking to raise more funds, and Mrs. Strong's mention in the same letter of "Skinner's price" suggests that Æolian-Skinner quoted this price to match the donated amount. Regardless, the price was still far below that which would have been expected for an organ of that size in 1936. By comparison, the Skinner in Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School, installed fifteen years earlier, was of comparable size, and most likely cost close to $50,000.

In a letter to Harold Gleason from Æolian-Skinner Treasurer George Caitlin of May 4th, 1937, Caitlin wrote of a dispute of a few hundred dollars in freight charges, saying, "If the price at which the organ was figured was such as to enable us to make any profit, we would not say a word about this freight, but unfortunately for us that is not the case." These facts suggest that Æolian-Skinner wanted the contract badly enough that they were willing to sustain a substantial loss.

The stoplist in the contract called for another in the series of radical new Æolian-Skinner organs. Gleason described the design in The Campus, the university's student newspaper, on February 19th, 1397: "It is of the newest design and most complete construction." A future article on April 30th quoted Gleason as saying, "This organ realizes an ideal in modern organ construction in that it restores the clarity, richness and grandeur of the Baroque organ of the 17th and 18th centuries, and combines with these qualities the tonal resources of the best modern instrument."

As originally designed, the organ had essentially four manual divisions (Choir, Great, Swell, Rück-Positiv); the Solo Organ was to have but one stop, a Trumpette Harmonique, enclosed in the Choir. From the contract, it is not clear on which manual the Rück-Positiv division made its home. According to the contract specifications, it was to be duplexed to the Great. However, in the coupler listing, there were four couplers (Rück-Positiv to Great, Choir, Swell; Rück-Positiv on Solo) controlling the division. In addition, what appears to be a keycheek switch was included on the Choir: Choir on/Rück-Positiv off; Rück-Positiv on/Choir off; Both on. Gleason handwrote a duplicate switch for the Great manual and made several additional handwritten addendums to the contract, including Swell to Solo and Great to Solo couplers. Skinner had not provided any divisional pistons for the fourth manual, and Gleason added 11 pistons (0-10): "Solo (For Ch. Rück Pos)." In addition, he added three ventils similar to those he designed for the Kilbourn Hall Skinner in 1920.

Again, there is little documentation about the organ's installation, but the Campus article of April 30th 1937 mentioned that "installation was begun last January." It is also not clear when several major changes were made to the specifications. The specifications The Diapason printed on October 1st, 1937 (included with this article) that correspond with the final installation have several differences to those in the signed contract.

In the contract specifications, the Great flute chorus lacked the ultimately-installed 2' Blockflöte; the 8' Gemshorn was also a later addition. The Swell, too, was altered: the original 8' Stopped Diapason was changed to an 8' Stopped Flute, and the 8' Flute Harmonique was deleted altogether. The names of the 8' Geigen, 4' Octave Geigen, 2' Flautino, 16' Bombarde and 8' Trompette were changed to Geigen Principal, Octave, Flageolet, Double Trumpet and Trumpet, respectively; the last is significant, as it may reflect the switch from reeds with modified Cavaillé-Coll-type shallots to those of English design as were installed.

Two ranks were added and one deleted from the Choir. Akin to his scheme of color mutations in the Choir of the Kilbourn Hall instrument, Gleason added a Nazard and Tierce to the division, and the 8' Orchestral Oboe was moved to the Solo. The Rück-Positiv, Harrison's largest to date, lost one rank, the 8' Gemshorn, to the Great. The unistop Solo division was augmented by the Orchestral Oboe and a 4' Clarion, all on seven-inch wind pressure. With its increased size, the Solo chest was moved out of the Choir box, and placed in its own box under the Choir in the right chamber. A separate expression engine was installed to drive its shutters, still controlled by the Choir expression shoe.

The Pedal organ, which borrowed one 16' and 8' stop from each manual division save the Rück-Positiv, remained changed only in nomenclature: the unit reed of 16' Bombarde and 8' First Trompette was Anglicized to Trombone and Trumpet. The 8' Principal was changed to 8' Octave. Perhaps the most interesting modification, however, was the change of the independent 8' Second Trompette to an 8' Bassoon. This narrow-scaled stop with inverted-conical resonators of zinc was a feature not included on any other American Classic organ built by Harrison. Without proper documentation, its intended purpose can only be surmised.

On the Rück-Positiv, Harrison's third Krummhorn, and the first placed in the Positiv, stood out as an unusual stop for its day. Unlike later Aeolian-Skinner Krummhorns, which are narrow-scale cylindrical stops of pipe metal, here the resonators are of brass, with large spotted metal bells.

The four-manual console differed somewhat from the contract specifications as well as from the changes and addendums Gleason made to the contract. The divisions were laid out as was to be expected, with the drawknobs for the Rück-Positiv finding a home under the Solo division on the right jamb. Controls and mechanicals were numerous, representing Gleason's hand in the design. To the left of the 11 divisional pistons under each manual was a coupler divisional piston, labeled with letters, as in the Kilbourn instrument. To the right of the manual divisional pistons were coupler reversible pistons to bring the Rück-Positiv onto each manual.

Differing from the handwritten instructions in the contract, the fourth manual did not have 11 divisional pistons controlling the Solo and Rück-Positiv. Instead, three Solo divisionals were installed (0-2) left of center on the keyslip. Five pistons for the Rück-Positiv (0-4) were placed to the very right of the keyslip. The Rück-Positiv divisionals were also duplicated in the same position under the Choir manual. Keycheek switches on the Great and Choir manuals duplexed the Rück-Positiv divisionals to the manual divisionals, and Rück-Positiv to Pedal coupler reversible pistons were installed on the Great and Choir manuals, to the left of the Great/Choir to Pedal pistons. The three ventil pistons: 16' manuals Stops off, 16' Couplers off, and 16' Pedal Stops off, made their home at the left of the Solo keyslip, and were duplicated on toe pedals. With 10 general and 55 total divisional pistons controlled by a capture combination system, there was no room in the console for the complex machine needed to set and store combinations, and thus the capture machine was placed in the blower room.

The organ was first heard in public on June 6th, 1937 during the university's Baccalaureate service, held in the auditorium. President-emeritus Rhees and Mrs. Strong were both present, and Dr. Rhees formally dedicated the organ, after which Harold Gleason gave a brief recital.

Of the now-complete building, Rhees remarked, "It is now given its crown of beauty and usefulness in the noble organ which we here dedicate." Turning to Mrs. Strong, he expressed his and the university's appreciation for her generosity, saying, "Now we welcome you here to express our grateful and lasting appreciation of this crowning gift you have made in memory of your illustrious husband. Whenever, as now, your organ's strains reveal its quality for beautiful and uplifting harmonies, the music will be our song of perpetual appreciation of you two bearers of the name which is cut in the stone over the entrance to this building."

The following October, the organ was officially opened to the public with a weekly recital series featuring some of the period's most illustrious names in organ performance. Marcel Dupré gave the opening recital on October 10th, and The Campus buzzed with excitement, running two front-page stories on the artist and his planned program in the two weeks preceding the concert. On the Friday before Dupré's recital, the paper printed his program, reproduced here. Harold Gleason, Robert Hufstader of Princeton University (a student of Dupré's), and Catherine Crozier were among the initial artists to perform, and the October, 1937 issue of The Diapason announced that "the organ will be used for weekly public recitals to be arranged under the direction of Mr. Gleason, who will play many of the recitals and engage outside artists."

                Dupré's Program:
     Fantasy and Fugue in G minor           Bach
     Concerto in B flat                     Handel
     Fantasy in F minor                     Mozart
     Comes Autumn Times                     Sowerby
     Rhapsody on a Breton Canticle          Saint-Saëns
     Allegro and Fugue from Third Sonata    Mendelssohn
     Introduction and Passacaglia           Reger
     Up the Saguenay                        Alexander Russell
     Husette Angelus                        Dupré
     Prelude and Fugue                      Dupré
     Variations and Improvisations on a submitted theme

For all its pioneering features and what must be assumed to have been meticulous tonal finishing by Harrison, the organ never performed well in the space, largely due to the room's unfortunate acoustics. Unlike its other early American Classic brothers, the Strong organ was built in an almost acoustically dead room. Eastman organ professor-emeritus David Craighead remarked that even when the organ was in perfect playing condition, the sound in the room was never quite satisfactory. To begin with, the room was small. Roughly 100 feet long by 40 feet wide by 30 feet high, there was little space for sound to develop. The decorative treatments reduced reverberation even further: the floors were carpeted, the seats cushioned, and the windows framed by heavy curtains. Acoustic tiles hung on the ceiling, absorbing even more sound. Even when empty, the hall had less than a second of reverberation. In addition, the placement of the chambers resulted in what Craighead described as a 'ping-pong effect.'

The 1928 construction of the auditorium had anticipated the organ console to be installed on a lift in the center of the orchestra pit, in the same manner as the console Gleason designed sixteen years earlier in Kilbourn Hall. The Otis Company and the Graves Elevator Company of Rochester tendered bids for the job in December 1928, with Otis quoting a price of $2,600; Graves, $1,558. When it was announced that the organ would not be installed due to financial reasons, the university decided to omit the elevator from the construction, but the elevator shaft was still built. Eight years later, when the organ contract was signed, the parties discussed the installation of a lift in the already-constructed shaft. The contract was signed with the expectation that the university would "investigate the advisability of providing an elevator for the organ console."

In a letter dated March 29th, 1937 to Æolian-Skinner vice-president William Zeuch, university treasurer Raymond Thompson wrote in reference to the contract signing, "At that time you stated that if the elevator was not provided, that the console could be installed in such a manner as to permit the installation of the elevator at some later time, if we found it to be advisable," referring to the installation of additional lengths of cable to the console to permit it to ride on a lift. The final decision was made not to install an elevator, and Thompson explained, "After investigating the advisability of installing the elevator, we have come to the conclusion that indicated conditions governing the use of the organ are such that we will not provide the elevator at this time," but instructed Zeuch to include the aforementioned extra cable "at no additional cost to us," leaving the possibility for a future lift installation. The console was thus placed on a platform built several feet down from the top of the shaft. While a seemingly minor detail of the installation, the decision not to install an elevator would contribute to the organ's demise. 

Despite the several drawbacks to the installation, the organ was used quite extensively in the years following its installation for solo concert series, orchestral performance, choral accompanying, and for ceremonies such as the baccalaureate service at which it was first heard.

Eventually, however, changing tastes in the music department and the general decline in the popularity of organ music saw the Strong organ used less and less. By the 1970s, the organ was still in acceptable operating condition, but was rarely used. According to Robert Kerner, organ maintenance technician for Eastman, "In 1977, the Berkshire Organ company conducted a report on the condition of the organ, and submitted a proposal to completely clean, releather, repair, re-regulate and tune the whole organ, including the console and remote capture machine, for $33,000." Due to financial reasons and lack of interest in the organ, the restoration never happened. With the decline of the organ's use and the lack of an elevator to move the console out of the way when the pit was needed for other uses, the decision was made in the late 1980s to lower the console to the bottom of the elevator shaft. This was accomplished with a block and tackle, and a permanent platform was built over the top of the shaft.

As late as 1992, the university was still considering restoration, and Kerner completed another survey of the organ in which he inspected the entire instrument, reporting to the music department on its condition.

The Kerner survey was extensive and reported that the organ was still in fairly good condition. Most of the leather was still intact and in good shape. The console showed less-than-normal wear. There was some vandalism and damage in the pipe chambers: a single pipe from four ranks in the Choir chamber was missing, as were "a dozen or so" mixture pipes from the lower Great chest. Due to failed racking, or misracked pipes, pipes in the Solo division had their resonators bent at the base. One of the resonators of the Pedal Trumpet, while still intact, had broken off. In the left chamber, many of the offset pipes had come loose from their racks, and were mildly damaged. One pipe from the Great Gemshorn offset was "damaged beyond repair." Kerner estimated the price for returning the organ to playable condition, saying, "somewhere between $15,000 and $25,000 would see the Strong pipe organ in useable form." Once again, however, no action was taken, and in the ensuing years the organ fell into even deeper disrepair.

In 1998, a renovation of the basement of the building, as well as the stage of the lower auditorium under the main hall resulted in the reconfiguration of the basement rooms under the main auditorium's stage. In the area requiring remodeling was the blower room containing the blower, static reservoirs and remote capture machine as well as the bottom of the console elevator shaft. The decision was made to remove the console, blower, static reservoirs, and capture machine to make way for the new space, effectively spelling the end of the organ's life. Kerner was called in to remove the components.

The two pairs of high and low pressure metal windlines from the blower room to each chamber were cut, their openings filled in with cement. The contents of the blower room were carefully removed and placed in storage.

To remove the console, contractors tore out a wall of the elevator shaft so Kerner could remove it through the service entrance in the basement. With the pass of a reciprocating saw through the cable, the console was free to be removed to storage, in nearly-new condition due to its sparse use during the previous three decades.

In 1994, Dan Harrison (no relation to the organbuilder), a member of the university music faculty and himself an accomplished organist wrote to Eastman organ professor David Higgs about the organ and the impending renovation of Strong Auditorium, saying, "If renovation of Strong happens, then I would want to make sure that the organ renovation is included. The fact that it is an early G. Donald Harrison and that it is [a] large and impressive instrument would be decisive, I think." According to Higgs, the university had no desire to keep the instrument in place at that time, citing the infrequent use they would have for it. As plans for the renovation were laid out, Eastman expressed interest in taking possession of the instrument and moving the organ out of the building.

While the professors of the organ department realized the historical significance in restoring the organ in place, they took into account the use the organ would get in Strong Auditorium by the university music department, as well as the availability of the instrument for Eastman organists. At that time, both factors recommended that the organ be moved out of the auditorium to ensure its use. Higgs recounted this in a 2004 interview, saying, "We [the organ department] understood at that time that the hall was in constant use, and that we would not be able to use the organ much for lessons and concerts. The university music department also informed us that they would have little use for the organ. While we understood the ideal situation of leaving it there, we realized that the organ would see just as little use as it had previously and most likely would fall into disrepair again."

The organ department had found a new home for Opus 953 in Christ Episcopal Church, adjacent to the Eastman building in downtown Rochester. The organ department planned to construct a gallery across the back wall of the church on which to install the organ, placing the console on the main floor. On June 26th of that year, Thomas LeBlanc, Vice Provost and Dean of the Faculty wrote to Eastman Director and Dean James Undercofler, saying, "On behalf of the College [of Arts and Sciences], I am pleased to offer the Eastman School the organ 'as is.'" The letter made clear that Eastman would bear the costs of removing the organ, any storage costs, and the restoration and re-installation costs.

In preparation for the renovation of the auditorium in 1998, Eastman hired Schoenstein & Co. Organbuilders to prepare a proposal for the removal, restoration, and reinstallation of the Strong organ in Christ Church. Jack Bethards, President of Schoenstein, sent the proposed plan along with budget estimates to David Higgs on March 19th of that year. The outline for work to be done was detailed and extensive, estimating a total of 127 weeks would be needed to complete the project with an estimated budget ranging from $800,000 to $1.8 million.

At that time, there was a discussion of making changes and tonal additions to the organ to better suit the teaching requirements of the Eastman School. Bethards included a carefully-worded two-page section at the end of his report outlining "the important issues both artistic and political in changing this organ." He noted the responsibility placed upon "anyone controlling the destiny of an organ designed by G. Donald Harrison," and remarked on tonal changes and modifications to the console and mechanical systems. On the subject of tonal changes and additions, he stressed the need for keeping the tonal design of the organ original, saying "Every bit of the existing tonal material should be preserved." The only exceptions to which he gave credence were "necessary changes due to the change in the acoustical environment," (Christ Church is substantially bigger than the auditorium and has much greater reverberation). Writing on tonal additions, Bethards made clear that "any addition would not in any way compromise the tonal balance or egress of the original material," and that additions "should be kept to the absolute minimum."

With regards to the console, Bethards again took a conservative but realistic approach, citing the ideal situation in keeping the console completely original. However, he said, "requirements for mobility or multiple [combination] memory may require changes." He offered three options, including retention of the electro-pneumatic combination action, replacing it with a modern electric action, and constructing an entirely new console, keeping the original as a second console. All three options, however, included removing the original capture machine, and replacing it with a solid-state system. The original electro-pneumatic relay was also to be replaced with a solid-state system.

The Schoenstein figures, even without budgeting for additions, were far higher than Eastman had expected, and despite the significant progress made on the preparations for moving the organ to Christ Church, it soon became apparent there would not be sufficient funds to complete the project. The renovation of the auditorium went forward as planned, and the organ remained in its chambers.

In a visit to the organ in 2004, Rob Kerner noted that the vandalism and general state of the pipework had worsened slightly since his last visit 12 years before. In the left chamber housing the Great, Swell and Pedal flues, most of the Great 8' Principal pipes on offset chests had fallen due to failed racking, and were leaning against other pipes. The top octave of the Great Fourniture and slightly more than that of the two-rank Pedal Fourniture was missing. Single pipes from several ranks were also missing, and many pipes had come out of their racking and were strewn about the floor. They were all promptly returned to their chests.

In the right chamber, the damage to the pipework was more extensive. Immediately upon entering the chamber, it was apparent that the Pedal Trombone unit was in poor condition. The top six pipes on the C side of the chest closest to the chamber door were badly damaged: resonators were broken off, bent and dented. A pipe halfway down the C side had come out of its rack; the resonator had bent at the bottom and was leaning on the 16' Flute Conique, three feet away. Boots, resonators, and whole pipes lay on the floor next to the chest, and as many as could be were returned to their chest. The resonator of the CC of the 8' Bassoon had been severed at the block, and was hanging on its hook. As in the other chamber, pipes were missing, most notably two from the Krummhorn and one from the Bassoon. In the Solo box, again, pipes had fallen out of their racks, and some were missing. Several flue trebles of the 4' Clarion were damaged beyond repair. The Choir division was the only division to escape serious damage. The inside of the box was not only very clean, but was in pristine condition, save for the four missing pipes Kerner had noted in his previous survey.

This brings the story of Æolian-Skinner Opus 953 to the present. The console, static reservoirs and blower sit in safe storage in a Rochester warehouse. The pedalboard, bench, and console kneeboard lie in storage in the Eastman School building along with the remote capture machine. It is not known when the organ was last heard.

Generally, the organ is very dirty, as would be expected. The Choir and Swell boxes were designed to have their shutters close rather than open when the organ was turned off, a feature that has saved those two divisions from the blanket of dust that covers the rest of the instrument. In the right chamber, chunks of plaster from construction above fill some of the pipes.

And while it may not be in ideal condition, the organ is certainly in a state to permit a thorough and historically accurate restoration. For the most part, a thorough cleaning would bring divisions back to like-new condition. Although the leather, save for several reservoir gussets, is in operational condition, a complete re-leathering of the instrument would be in order.

Presently, the Eastman organ department continues to express interest in the organ through the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI). EROI's goal is to assemble an unparalleled collection of instruments in various historical styles at the school and in the Rochester area. In the Summer 2003 issue of Resonance, the newsletter of the Eastman organ department, plans for the Strong organ were mentioned, describing, "the relocation and restoration of the completely original Æolian-Skinner organ designed by G. Donald Harrison and Harold Gleason."

While Eastman has been more vocal about it, the university music department is not indifferent to the future of the organ. Dr. Kim Kowalke, chairman of the department (separate from the Eastman school) now realizes the importance and significance of the instrument, and does not rule out its restoration in its original hall. Despite the less-than-ideal acoustics, Kowalke says Strong would be an ideal performance and practice space: "The hall sits empty from morning till night most days. It's a better practice facility, use facility and concert facility for Eastman organists than moving it [to a church or other facility that sees considerable use]."

While he concedes that the university music department would have less use for the organ as would a professional music school such as Eastman, Kowalke says that the primary use of the instrument would be open to Eastman for student practice, classes, and concerts, in addition to performance of orchestral and choral repertoire with university ensembles. Kowalke noted that a planned renovation of the building to convert it from a multi-use facility to a strictly music performance hall would provide the perfect opportunity to include the restoration of the organ, as well as to improve the acoustics. Without the dramatic productions taking place in the auditorium as they currently do, much more time would be available for using the organ. While a timeframe has not been set, Kowalke mentioned the renovation would most likely be taking place within the next five years.

If the goal of EROI is to assemble historic instruments, leaving the organ in Strong Auditorium would not only agree with that goal, but would seem to be the perfect setting.

In February 2004 both the Eastman organ department and the university music department received information that makes the possibility of restoring the organ in place a real one. David Higgs, currently the chairman of the Eastman organ department, was unaware of the current schedule in Strong, and the large amount of time that would be available for student practice. He was also unaware of the impending renovation of the auditorium, and the university music department's desire to keep the organ in Strong. At the same time, Kim Kowalke was unaware of the importance of the organ, and the possibility to restore it in its original home. As this article is being written, the two parties are coming together to discuss the growing possibility of restoring the organ in Strong Auditorium as part of the first phase of EROI.

And so the future of this important organ, while looking brighter than previously, still hangs somewhat in the balance. The article in Resonance makes the most important point about this organ: it is one hundred percent original. Ironically, the principal benefit of its limited use is that no one ever became interested in altering it. The pipes exist today exactly as Harrison left them in 1937. The chest and chamber layouts remain unchanged, and the acoustics of the hall, however problematic, have been changed only to the degree that the acoustic ceiling tiles have been removed.

The author examined the organ in February 2004, and had the chance to hear how the organ reacted to the slightly-altered room. Due largely to an all-new ceiling that excludes acoustic tiles, there was a clear reverb of at least 1.5 to 2 seconds when pipes were blown to speak. However, the heavy velvet drapes still hang on the windows, the seats are still cushioned, and the floors are still carpeted, leaving several possibilities for improvement.

It is true that there are more famous, more complete and more 'important' organs in the Harrison American Classic oeuvre, but the organ world has in Rochester a single untouched relic from the beginning of the organ reform movement. The Groton organ, although having just undergone a restoration to turn back the clock on much-altered voicing, nevertheless remains altered from it original state. Jonathan Ambrosino, who worked on the Groton project, admits this, saying, "It's all conjectural, and at its best it gets back into the style without quite getting back to the original tone...the organ begins to sound far closer to something Harrison himself might recognize. But this is a third chapter in the organ's life, not a return to the first one."

The organ in The Church of the Advent also exists in an altered state, its voicing changed and with tonal substitutions. The Saint Mark's organ was recently augmented with dozens of new pipe and digital ranks. It is an unfortunate fact that most organs from this time period lie in this condition.

Yet among all the landmark early Harrison organs of the 1930s, Opus 953 in Rochester stands out as the only completely unaltered instrument in a list of dozens of phenomenal organs from the 1930 and '40s. The closest any Harrison organ from that period comes to being one hundred percent original is the gallery organ of Opus 927 for Trinity Episcopal Church in New Haven, Connecticut, built in 1935. And even there, the Swell 8 and 4-foot chorus reeds were replaced by Æolian-Skinner in 1948.

And so the Rochester organ remains a valuable artifact from which the organ world can learn much, seeing Harrison's thoughts on tonal matters in the early days of the organ reform movement without having to piece the vision together from unaltered portions of various extant organs.

All the original components necessary for the organ to function exist, even though some have been removed. The instrument could be completely re-assembled with all-original equipment in its original room, turning back the clock seventy years.

The organ community has a fantastic and unique opportunity in Rochester. The decision on what to do with the organ is one that carries great weight and responsibility. Whoever makes the decision, whether a group of people or a single person, will have to consider what this organ means historically in its original home. Several considerations including the acoustics of the room, the use for the organ if restored in that room, and finances will all play in important part in the decision-making process. With a planned renovation of Strong Auditorium pending in the near future, the possibility of restoring the organ as part of that renovation is real.

If good use of the organ can be made in Strong Auditorium, the restoration of Æolian-Skinner's Opus 953 in place is certainly an opportunity to be seriously considered, especially when the American Classic organ is now becoming an historic style of organbuilding. In Rochester, the opportunity exists to restore one of the only completely unchanged Harrison pipe organs left, and preserve this important instrument for future generations.
 

© 2009 Jonathan Ortloff