Preservation and Relocation of Pipe Organs - The Organ Clearing House

[@roberthovencamp]

Fascinating lecture. Thank you Mr. Bishop!

[@florencechushoring7265]

I enjoyed this program a lot. Very enlightening! I was pleasantly surprised to see my hometown of Stoneham, Massachusetts come up. The former church mentioned there was across the street from the church I grew up in. The organ that was removed from the closed church was moved to the Follen Church in Lexington, where my dad taught Sunday School as a teenager. As a kid I spent a lot of time in Lexington as my grandparents lived there, and also in Woburn (pronounced WOO-ben), which was also shown in the video. The whole program was very interesting. Thank you for presenting it. Bob Shoring (Florence's husband)

[@jefferyrowley8873]

I have always admired and followed John Bishop and the Organ Clearing House work. He is one-of-a-kind and a National Treasure for sure. Thank you Brent for bringing this to our ears and eyes.

[@christortion4404]

Hey gentlemen! Great, great video I love the topic of finances with organs. It is so important to take it as seriously as we all do, the organ, the construction and installation, is so complex, most would never understand. I am getting to playing now and wanting to get into the construction and installation as well. I am looking at The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, The University of Dubuque, and the University of Iowa. I would love to see an episode of some of the organs in the Greensboro/Winston-Salem area. We have a great Hook and Hastings at St. Timothy’s in Winston. A amazing Fisk at uncsa, a flentrop at Salem College, and many more :) cheers 🥂

[@11sesquialtera]

Brilliant!!!!! Thank you so much for posting this wonderful talk…Rob Currier Newport RI

[@scronx]

That is fantastic -- thank you. What a saga! I read his feature in the Diapason but want to HEAR him for hours and days more!

[@geriatricyclist1950]

incredible lecture- a big thank you to OMF, American Institute of Organ builders and John Bishop.

[@rbaltimo]

In honor and memory of Barbara Owen, Westminster Choir College alumna and Organ Historical Society founder

[@anthjs70]

Not every instrument is worth saving. As we said on quite a few occasions when asked by genuiinely earnest people, what we thought they should do with the organ, the reply came back " Have you thought of gas and matches?" It's good to hear a realistic and balanced exposition of the issues and how, many times, you cannot offer a panacea to either side.

[@rosshochstrasser9606]

Great speech, very informative.

[@andrewketchum960]

Thank you for posting this lecture. I had always wondered how the Organ Clearing House worked.

[@Yaledmot]

Superb lecture. I was a member of the AIO decades ago. Their journal was always excellent. David Junchen sponsored me for membership. He has been gone since 1992, so it has been a while ago.

[@JDavidBrown]

Thanks John. I'd like to buy you a drink someday!

[@HobbyOrganist]

So much of what was said is very true, I bought my 1930, 9 rank Moller from a church in Southold Long Island in 1997, they bought an electronic organ to replace it, the 8 rk pitman windchest was beyond repair as some "repairman" had literally sawed the 8 foot long primary valve section off the chest with a sawzall, releathered it's valves and tried to glue it all back together. After I built new electric chests, a church in Fort Dodge IA was throwing away it's 3 M, 1927 Kilgen- roof leaks over the two swell boxes for years completely ruined the chests, and turned the wood pedal pipes behind them grey. People were allowed to take "souvenir" pipes from the center walkboard in one case, and thus most of the 17 or so ranks were ruined as about 15-20 pipes from each rank were gone from the middle of each. I restored the doppleflute by building the 17 missing pipes using boards saved from another wood rank. And I saved a couple of other ranks that were intact, the console, and the blower which was what I NEEDED when I learned they were planning to dump the entire organ into a 40 yard container. Another former church in Fort Dodge now a performance venue wanted it's old Moller gone to use the space for storage, the console, pedalboard and bench long gone- broken apart to get it out the door, stage scenery and the swell shades being nailed shut and covered over outside with sheetrock made removing the windchest impossible, I was able to use the stopped diapason, chimes, open diapoason and other ranks, and it's Kinetic blower. Yet another, a small Reuter in Boone IA was also to be thrown in the dumpster, I was able to use a couple of the ranks from that and sold some partial ranks., there again, people took "souvenir" pipes despite my telling the pastor in advance that if he allowed people to take pipes it basically ruins the entire rank- he let people take some pipes home. So it's all now in my residence as 14 ranks, with chimes and the restored 1930 Moller console retains it's original winded pneumatic internal controls.

[@rbaltimo]

A relic of my past-The First Presbyterian Church of Orange NJ. They had a beautiful Austin and The Reverend Elmer Lancaster was the long time organist there. I grew up in East Orange and my church, Elmwood United Presbyterian Church, had an Estey pipe organ for years which unfortunately got replaced by an Allen.

[@danielstokes8670]

I always read his article in The Diapason. Thanks for posting!

[@bsgarey]

Wow! I was one of those typists doing those lists for Alan. It was great hearing this.

[@mikemount4411]

Very much appreciated! Thanks for the fantastic video.

[@miltronix]

Loved this! Many thanks.

[@robmarais]

Just answer me this, if anyone knows: What happened to Casavant Fréres Opus 3606? Its replacement from St George’s Nashville by a Spencer was a true tragedy.

[@thebog11]

OHS doesn't say what happened to the Casavant, but it does say that it was replaced by a Buzard, not a Spencer. I've never heard of an organbuilder named Spencer.

[@21299]

Its likely Carl Klein has played a few of these organs.

[@stepheneggert9474]

My grandparents bough a m.p. moller..for our church in 1952.. it was replaced in 1997.. no maintenance done..who,s fualt ? The church..my family was vary upset..laco of maintenance..no donation for the new one..!