The American Organ
I write today's blog as a break from studying for the exam I have tomorrow on American Literature. I have a peculiar (for that is what some people have called it) habit of making far-fetched connections and justifying them in my exam. Thus, I now present to you a taste of such a comparison. I shall attempt to explain the so called "American Dream" with the example of an organ.
In 1863, a pipe organ was installed in a concert hall in Boston, Massachusetts. Like the excesses common at the time, this organ was lavishly designed, and no expense was spared. What was especially new is that for the first time in the USA, an organ had been commissioned not by a church, but by a concert hall. This made this Walcker organ simultaneously the largest organ in the USA and also the sole secular pipe organ at the time. For an instrument with such close associations with the Christian faith, this is news. Was it a sign of the times? Was it proof that the organ was no longer exclusively a church instrument? Funnily enough, the future of that instrument confirms that the organ may very well always be sacred first and secular second.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra would be founded at this very hall and as their well-deserved popularity brought greater attention to orchestral music, the organ lost its limelight. The organ would be dismantled and moved into storage. It is amusing to note that one of the most highly regarded recordings of the "Organ" symphony by Camille Saint-Saëns was done by the same orchestra that had its genesis in this hall. This recording was done in the Boston Symphony Hall though and did not feature the Walcker organ. It is an astounding recording, especially in this SACD release:
What I find interesting is what happened to this Walcker organ. After changing owners, it was purchased by an architect who built his own concert hall around this massive instrument and used it privately. If one were to look at the architecture of this Serlo Organ Hall, (Now known as the Methuen Memorial Music Hall) it resembles a church. One also reads that in addition to the concerts that are common to secular institutions like similar music halls, the very first concert organ in the USA now also plays in weddings, because they are sometimes held at Methuen Memorial Music Hall also. The first secular pipe organ of USA is still sometimes a church organ.
If you would like to listen to a recording of this historic organ, I suggest starting with this recording of the American organist and composer Diane Bish at the console, playing a sparkling Toccata on the hymn "Christ the Lord is risen today". This is a snippet from her famous TV program The Joy of Music. In her own words, the mission of that TV program was "To feature great churches and organs with performances of classical and sacred music; to reflect 'Excellence in all things and all things to God's glory;' and to educate, inspire, and enrich the lives of people through God's gifts of creation." May you enjoy this arrangement of a sacred hymn played on what was once thought to be a secular instrument. This instrument is a living example of the American Dream. They built an entire organ tradition where there was none, and against all odds, this culture flourished and even as developments took them away from sacred music, the music still did remain faithful. (Forgive the pun) and enjoy!
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