Everything (and more) You Wanted to Know About the Cathedral Organ
You may have seen the news this week that the Cathedral's organ is getting ready to undergo a major four-year renovation. Got questions? We've got answers -- lots of them.
We asked Tom Sheehan, the Cathedral’s organist, to help explain the problems with the current 1938 Skinner organ, and what will happen as we build toward a new one.
Here’s what he had to say:
History of the Cathedral Organ
The Cathedral Organ was originally installed in 1938 by the Ernest M. Skinner & Son Company as their Opus 510. A substantial rebuild was done on the organ in the period 1973–76 by employees from the then recently-closed Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, led by Joseph Whiteford and Roy Perry. This rebuild involved replacement of the majority of pipes and a stylistic shift towards more neo-classical principles and away from the symphonic style of the earlier part of the century.
READ MORE: Organ Failure: After nearly 85 years of service, the Cathedral’s massive pipe organ is nearing retirement age (Cathedral Age)
When mechanical problems began to surface shortly after due to materials failure, it was mechanically rebuilt by the R.A. Daffer Church Organs Company in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the organ was at this time placed on direct electric wind chests supplied by the Wicks Organ Company.
The Need for Renovation
Since that time, the organ has deteriorated significantly. Today, roughly a third of the organ doesn’t speak at all (including the entire enclosed Solo division); reservoirs and wind chests leak causing loud hissing noises; and the organ goes out of tune almost immediately.
The layout of the organ was never advantageous to clarity of sound in the nave, creating a stifled and confused sonic effect for most listeners.
Finally, the rather extreme neo-classical approach to organ building so popular in the middle part of the 20th century is no longer up to date—today warmer and more supportive sounds are wanted.
The Renovated Organ
The Cathedral has contracted Foley-Baker, Inc. of Tolland, Conn., to renovate the organ. Foley-Baker has restored many of America’s greatest organs, including at Duke University Chapel, The First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, and Boston Symphony Hall, among others.
This project will involve the complete removal of the organ for several years, during which time the Cathedral’s organ music will be provided by a digital organ furnished by the Walker Technical Company. This will serve as the primary organ for the Cathedral until the return of the pipe organ and the completion of the project.
It is expected that removal of the organ will begin in early 2024 and the project will be completed in 2028.
To clarify sound for listeners in the nave, a division of pipes will be added on the south side of the nave at triforium level, roughly at the midpoint east-to-west. Visually the nave will remain unchanged; the pipes will be behind the arches of that level.
To address the mechanical problems of the organ’s current state, an all-new mechanical chassis for the organ will be built and installed. Finally, to make the organ’s sound warmer and more supportive, some of the less successful ranks of pipes that were added in the 1970s will be removed. Roughly 50 ranks of 1938 Skinner pipes remain in the current instrument, and as many will be reused as possible, along with some of the most successful 1970s pipes. The rest of the organ will be new pipes, seamlessly integrated in with the old.
While the total number of pipes will be slightly lowered in the renovation, the instrument will for the first time in decades speak with a coherent voice, so the sound of the instrument will be by no means diminished. On the contrary, listeners will find that the organ is much more present and organized than it currently sounds.
The renovated instrument will honor the previous incarnations of the organ while taking the next step forward; it will be a highly versatile instrument for the present and future of the Cathedral and is among the most exciting organ projects currently happening in America.
Renovated Organ Specification (subject to modification)
GREAT
1. 32’ Double Diapason (ext.)
2. 16’ Diapason
3. 16’ Violone
4. 8’ First Diapason
5. 8’ Second Diapason
6. 8’ Third Diapason (ext.)
7. 8’ Harmonic Flute
8. 8’ Violone (ext.)
9. 8’ Salicional
10. 8’ Bourdon
11. 4’ First Octave
12. 4’ Second Octave
13. 4’ Chimney Flute
14. 2-2/3’ Twelfth
15. 2’ Fifteenth
16. 1-3/5’ Seventeenth
17. Mixture IV
18. Scharff IV
19. 16’ Ophicleide
20. 8’ Trumpet
21. 4’ Clarion
22. 8’ Tuba Mirabilis (SO)
23. 8’ Trompette en Chamade (SO)
24. Chimes (SO)
25. Harp (CH)
26. Celesta (CH)
BOMBARDE
1. 16’ Bombarde
2. 8’ Trompette
3. 4’ Clarion
4. Terzzymbel X
5. Cornet V
SWELL
1. 16’ Geigen Diapason
2. 16’ Flûte Courte
3. 8’ Diapason
4. 8’ Geigen Diapason (ext.)
5. 8’ Stopped Diapason
6. 8’ Viole de Gambe
7. 8’ Viole Celeste
8. 8’ Voix Celeste II
9. 8’ Flauto Dolce
10. 8’ Flute Celeste
11. 4’ Octave
12. 4’ Flûte Traversière
13. 2’ Octavin
14. Chorus Mixture V
15. Cymbal IV
16. 32’ Contra Fagotto
17. 16’ Bombarde
18. 8’ Trompette
19. 8’ Hautbois
20. 8’ Cor d’Amour
21. 8’ Vox Humana
22. 4’ Clairon
CHOIR
1. 16’ Contra Gamba
2. 8’ Diapason
3. 8’ Gamba
4. 8’ Gamba Celeste
5. 8’ Chimney Flute
6. 8’ Concert Flute
7. 8’ Viole
8. 8’ Voix Celeste
9. 8’ Kleiner Erzähler
10. 8’ Erzähler Celeste
11. 4’ Octave
12. 4’ Koppel Flute
13. 4’ Gambette
14. 2-2/3’ Nazard
15. 2’ Piccolo
16. 1-3/5’ Tierce
17. 1-1/3’ Larigot
18. Mixture IV
19. Glockenspiel II
20. 16’ Bassoon
21. 8’ Trumpet
22. 8’ Bassoon (ext.)
23. 8’ Clarinet
24. 8’ Tuba Mirabilis (SO)
25. 8’ Trompette en Chamade (SO)
26. 8’ State Trumpet (SO)
27. Harp
28. Celesta
29. Zimbelstern
SOLO
1. 8’ Diapason
2. 8’ Flauto Mirabilis
3. 8’ Cello
4. 8’ Cello Celeste
5. 4’ Octave
6. 4’ Orchestral Flute
7. Full Mixture VI
8. 16’ Corno di Bassetto
9. 8’ Tuba
10. 8’ Trompette Harmonique
11. 8’ Corno di Bassetto (ext.)
12. 8’ French Horn
13. 8’ English Horn
14. 8’ Flugel Horn
15. 4’ Clairon Harmonique
16. 8’ Tuba Mirabilis
17. 8’ Trompette en Chamade
18. 8’ State Trumpet
19. Harp
20. Celesta
STRING
1. 8’-4’ Coeur des Violes V
2. 8’ Viols d’Orchestre III
3. 8’ Eolienne Celeste II
4. 8’ Flûte d’Argent II
5. 8’ Vox Humana
PEDAL
1. 32’ Contra Violone (ext.)
2. 32’ Subbass (ext.)
3. 16’ Contra Bass
4. 16’ Bourdon
5. 16’ Principal
6. 16’ Diapason (GT)
7. 16’ Geigen Diapason (SW)
8. 16’ Violone (GT)
9. 16’ Contra Gamba (CH)
10. 16’ Flûte Courte (SW)
11. 8’ Octave
12. 8’ Diapason (GT)
13. 8’ Bourdon (ext.)
14. 8’ Cello III
15. 8’ Spitzflöte
16. 8’ Flûte Courte (SW)
17. 4’ Choral Bass
18. 4’ Cor de Nuit
19. Fourniture IV
20. 32’ Basse de Cornet IV
21. 64’ Double Trombone (ext. to low A)
22. 32’ Contra Trombone (ext.)
23. 32’ Contra Fagotto (SW)
24. 16’ Trombone
25. 16’ Ophicleide (GT)
26. 16’ Bombarde (SW)
27. 16’ Corno di Bassetto (SO)
28. 16’ Fagotto (SW)
29. 16’ Bassoon (CH)
30. 8’ Trumpet
31. 8’ Fagotto (SW)
32. 8’ Bassoon (CH)
33. 4’ Clarion
34. 4’ Bassoon (CH)
35. 8’ Tuba Mirabilis (SO)
36. 8’ Trompette en Chamade
37. Chimes
GALLERY DIVISIONS
Gallery Great
1. 8’ Principal
2. 4’ Octave
3. 2’ Super Octave
4. Mixture IV
Chair
1. 8’ Gedeckt
2. 8’ Dulciana
3. 4’ Rohrflute
4. 2’ Nachthorn
Gallery Pedal
1. 16’ Bourdon (ext.)
2. 8’ Principal
3. 4’ Octave (ext.)
NAVE DIVISIONS
Nave Great
1. 8’ Principal
2. 4’ Octave
3. 2’ Fifteenth
Nave Swell
1. 8’ Bourdon
2. 8’ Viole
3. 8’ Viole Celeste
4. 4’ Flute
5. 8’ Trumpet
Nave Pedal
1. 16’ Bourdon (ext.)
2. 16’ Contra Trumpet (ext.)
3. 8’ Bourdon (N SW)
Total: 172 ranks; 9,787 pipes