1863 E.F. Walcker / 1946 Aeolian-Skinner Organ - Methuen Memorial Music Hall - Methuen, Mass. Part 1

[@Durufle68]

This organist REALLY knows and understands this instrument on a deep level. He is almost a part of the instrument and it responds to his playing beautifully. This is one of the most amazing demonstrations of instruments I have heard or seen. Thank you for showing this instrument in its best light. I love how this instrument is constantly evolving.

[@yoshiunknown]

He really does know a lot about it. He helped me out during open console day and it was amazing how much he knew.

[@user-mz6qu3hz6m]

This is one of the most beautifully voiced organs I’ve ever heard. And how gorgeous!

[@EElgar1857]

We are so lucky that money was short; it he could have, Harrison would have thrown out & replaceed many more Walcker ranks. Great video!

[@SeattleBoatdog]

I’ve always been surprised that EMS didn’t completely get into it

[@EElgar1857]

@@SeattleBoatdog Right. Maybe he was preocupied with financial problems. I've heard that Ernest wasn't a very good money manager, even at the best of times.

[@matthewbellocchio5877]

@@SeattleBoatdog Actually, EMS left his mark in an unfortunate way. According to a 1946 pipe inventory done by Arthur Howes (a MMMH trustee) and GDH, there were a few tonal changes, and several bass octaves and around a dozen ranks entirely missing. See Appendix C (p. 335) in Barbara Owen's book, "The Great Organ at Methuen."

[@EElgar1857]

@@matthewbellocchio5877 I have her book, but had forgotten that. I have to wonder if he was so short on cash, that he used those sets of pipes, and some bottom octaves, on another job he was working on. 🤔

[@stevelayden4596]

Not only is it possible he used pipes or ranks on other projects, but he removed several ranks to add his own. He replaced the 16' Great reed with a Harmonic Flute (which is now the 3 1/5' in the Pedal), replaced the Swell Rohrflöte with a Celeste, and swapped out the Swell Principal. If he stored the old ranks, they burned with the organ factory in 1943.

[@hismajestysmen]

Wonderful hearing the history of this extraordinary instrument.

[@briansmith-l1q]

this is wonderful. great stories, told very well , too. I've been there many times,,, love it so much. (I'm in Worcester)

[@matthieubazile3350]

How wonderful to have a demonstration of one of the finest organs in America! Even better, this demonstration is done by someone who has known the organ for years on end. Great video!

[@tonyfurtado5595]

Most impressive. I live in Massachusetts and one of these days I’m going to see and hear this organ in person.

[@thomaswalters4365]

Go for it. It's great. The moment you step into the Hall itself, you won't forget how huge and in-your-face the organ case is. I had that experience back in 1981.

[@heatherapastore7352]

I’m in not to far (4 hr drive) NYC. This would be amazing for me too. And we have some magnificent AS here as well. 58:32

[@NateDulcimer]

@@thomaswalters4365I think I partially had that experience at the start of this video thanks to my phone cutting off “Methuen” in the title. Once the camera panned to the case, BOOM! I can imagine the effect is even greater in person

[@pastorlarrypotts8289]

Such a privilege to listen to the history and development of this very unique instrument- thank you!!!

[@heatherapastore7352]

E. M And Aeolian-Skinner! The cream of the crop of American Pipe Organs.

[@buttersrow426]

A little Howells to start off this fantastic video was a nice touch! Well done by all involved!

[@jordanklotz1944]

What is this piece?

[@conradlogan5201]

I first heard this instrument when I was in my early 20’s (50 years ago). What an experience! Nice to have an in depth visit to the “under the hood” aspects. Thank you!

[@johanbrand8601]

Thank you for your content, sir. Marvelous!

[@davef.2329]

Beautifully presented by all. Thanks.

[@Tracygriffith-dz2ys]

Very nice organ and great sounding have a dvd called pulling the stops it has that organ there

[@andrewardizzoia]

Great intro!

[@mendesnelson]

Magnificent!!!!!

[@claysibert]

Can’t wait for this one! Have a notification set so I remember to tune in!

[@paulh5293]

Wow. Don't often hear the phrase "...accidentally bought this organ and needed a place to put it". A fascinating instrument which sounds amazing. Not sure about the faces on the mouths on the larger front pipes - a bit Terry Gilliam-esque to my mind - but a fine instrument indeed. Maybe a good moment to give a shout out for the sound quality - anyone listening on laptop speakers or earbuds is really missing out on something, because the recording quality over good headphones is very impressive indeed. Especially those 32ft's! As always, thank you for posting.

[@cjbrown3773]

Wonderful video and playing! This is one of my favorites! It's a possibility that Walcker was sought out to build the organ because at that time the American music identity was still being established. Some people thought that it should rest upon the shoulders of the great German music tradition. Therefore, having a German built organ would have reflected this ideal.

[@MarcMercier1971]

I have the Michael Murray recording of the organ from 1977 (remastered and released on CD in like 2005/2006). I can hear a difference.

[@thomaswalters4365]

In E. Power Biggs' recording, the 32' C. Bombarde had a massive presence. Hard to believe it's a free reed.

[@thomaswalters4365]

Yup. I got the day off tomorrow. I'll be tuned in. At least two parts..... gonna be a long one that is...

[@ericalbany]

Don't forget that Searles Odell organ from his Great Barrington mansion ended up (with alterations) as the Troy NY Music Hall organ.

[@matthewbellocchio5877]

@ericalbany Searles never owned an Odell organ. The organ in his Great Barrington mansion (Kellogg Terrace) was built in 1888 by James E. Treat & Company of Methuen. That organ, electrified and tonally altered, is now in the First Congregational Church in Methuen.

[@ericalbany]

@@matthewbellocchio5877 My error - the Troy organ was from the Belden residence in NYC (greatly enlarged of course). I'm not certain WHAT I was thinking.

[@stevelayden4596]

And the Kellogg Terrace / Treat organ has another case built by the Herter Brothers! It was never as extravagant as the one built for the Walcker and it’s been a bit pared down in its new location, but still a gorgeous piece of woodworking

[@C.V.Bordeaux]

38:55 , did he improvise, or is it a written down composition, anyhow it is beautiful

[@timothytikker1147]

My understanding as to why the Walcker organ fell out of favor was that its cone-valve chests proved to be ill-suited to the New England climate, compared to the slider chests used byUS builders at that time.

[@thomaswalters4365]

They should've left the Walcker Fugara alone and made a new 17 to scale.

[@stthomasmore4811]

Completely disagree that the reeds are too loud and too bright. Probably could've used some more volume tbh. LOL

[@thomaswalters4365]

Actually, I believe Andover added the Great trumpets.

[@matthewbellocchio5877]

@thomaswalters4365 Yes, Andover added the Great 16', 8' 4' trumpets in 1970. In 2006 they moved the Choir 8' Krummhorn to a blank toeboard on the Positiv and installed an Aeolian-Skinner 8' Clarinet in its place on the Choir.

[@thomaswalters4365]

Swell chorus (without reeds) has an English sound.

[@thomaswalters4365]

Clarinet probably from the 40s or 50s. Nice.

[@natecamilleri3937]

Does the original console still work?

[@stevelayden4596]

It isn’t connected to anything, no. I would be curious to know how much of the original console mechanism is still in place though. It’s my understanding Walcker used pneumatic stop action and had a fairly unique sliding crescendo action. I don’t see the slider in place anymore (used to run horizontally above the pedalboard), but the pneumatic mechanism would be historically interesting

[@ericalbany]

I knew an organ fan who was certain that the Great Reeds ended up in the National Cathedral

[@stevelayden4596]

I'm curious if F-B uncovers anything when they begin work on the new/renovated National Cathedral organ next year. The Owen book lists the pipework Harrison found to be 'missing' when he began work on the Methuen organ, but it isn't clear which pipework Skinner may have reused elsewhere or had simply taken out in his own tinkering. Any pipework in the latter category presumably burned when the Methuen organ shop went up in flames.

[@StoreeDenson]

@@stevelayden4596 Rosales is not working on the organ at the National Cathedral. It is Foley-Baker unless Rosales is working with them.

[@stevelayden4596]

My mistake! You’re absolutely right

[@timothytikker1147]

That's beyond unlikely. The original Walcker reeds were of a construction type that was completely at odds with Skinner's esthetic.

[@johannessilver8653]

Why not to go to Europe to find great organ 4:10? All the best builders come from there originally and later too. Walker is one of them. All the grand master organs are there including the finest one in Notre Dame Paris. In US they made some nice pipes though by Natives.

[@timothytikker1147]

Barbara Owen's book _The Great Organ at Methuen_ details the process of choosing the organ builder. This selection was essentially undertaken by one man, Dr. J. B. Upham, a music enthusiast but not a musician. He visited England and Germany to inspect the work of builders there, eventually obtaining proposals from a number of them. Besides Walcker, proposals were obtained from Hill and possibly Willis in England, and Ladegast, Schulze and Weigle in Germany, among others, as well as firms in Boston and New York. Reading Upham's reports on his visits, it becomes clear that he was most impressed by the organs that struck him as innovative and technically advanced, which is why he finally settled on Walcker, what with their "scientific" approach to scaling and mixture composition, development of various console accessories including balanced swell and crescendo pedals, and the cone-valve (Kegellade) chest design -- which latter would ultimately prove the organ's weakness, as this system didn't fare well in the New England climate, where local builders kept to the traditional slider chest.

[@thomaswalters4365]

1942. Lead, otherwise needed for pipes, used for munitions.

[@thomaswalters4365]

Back when E. Power Biggs did his Bicentennial LP, many stops mentioned were over-powering. While watching this, in retrospect this organ was a bit imbalanced back then.

[@Lubbert77]

There isn‘t much Walcker left in this instrument. Technically the instrument is not in great shape. Tonally it is a bit of a Frankenstein. A lot of things don‘t work together even though they should. Even so, it is impressive.

[@matthewbellocchio5877]

@Lubbert77 To the contrary, many of the Walcker pipes still survive, though some were moved around by A-S. The organ is maintained in great shape by the Andover Organ Co. And many organists who played it before before and after the recent tonal re-regulation say that it now sounds much better - almost like a different instrument.

[@ryanbartosiewicz4587]

I disagree with this comment as well. For at least 50 years the Andover Organ Company has been taking care of this organ and keeping it going strong through weekly use and a limited budget. It is only very recently, where more money has become available, that the tonal finishing was made possible. Fred MacArthur has donated a lot of his time to this project and is to be commended for it. His tireless efforts, the generous help offered by his finishers, and the ongoing careful/competent maintenance provided by Andover Organ allows this organ to be continually played and enjoyed. It is a treasure.

[@thomaswalters4365]

Skinner Clarion and Oboe? Or A-S Clarion and Oboe?.....

[@matthewbellocchio5877]

@thomaswalters4365 All of the Swell reeds (16' Basson, 8' Trompette, 8' Hautbois, 4' Clarion) are Aeolian-Skinner from 1947.

[@thomaswalters4365]

😮The case isn't German??....

[@EElgar1857]

No; Walcker only built the internals.

[@matthewbellocchio5877]

@thomaswalters4365 The case was built by the NYC firm of Herter Brothers, who were furniture makers to the very wealthy. Coincidentally, Gustave (1830-1898) and Christian Herter (1839-1883) were German immigrants, born in Württemberg, Germany.

[@jaredharris1940]

With all due respect, I don't think I've heard a harsher instrument! Scare the devil out of me...

[@timothytikker1147]

I played a concert here in 2015. The organ doesn't sound harsh in person. Some of the unenclosed mixtures were quite prominent (though I understand these were regulated softer in recent years), but even then their effect isn't really harsh as such, just overly brilliant. Believe me, I have heard SO MANY organs that sound genuinely harsh, that I would never put this organ in that category! In fact, I was overall quite pleased with it, finding it exceeded my expectations, given its composite nature.