St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Evanston, Illinois, has recently completed a year-long celebration of the restoration of its E.M. Skinner organ, Opus 327. The series of events began with a re-dedication recital by Marilyn Keiser on September 12, 1999, and continued: Gillian Weir, November 14; Karel Paukert, February 4, 2000; a Hymn Festival, March 5; and Richard Webster, April 9. The restoration was done by the A. Thompson-Allen Company of New Haven, Connecticut. The phased restoration of Opus 327 began with the Swell organ, completed in 1994, with the remainder of the instrument completed in time for Christmas 1998.
A brief history
St. Luke's Church building, regarded as the magnum opus of architect John Sutcliffe, was built in several stages between 1904 and 1914. Upon completion of the nave to its present height of 65 feet, it became obvious that the original organ would be inadequate for the finished space. Bishop George Craig Stewart, Rector of St. Luke's and later Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, led the parish in the effort to secure an organ worthy of their building and their fine organist. Herbert Hyde was hired as organist in June 1920. Dr. Hyde had studied with Charles-Marie Widor and Joseph Bonnet, had held posts at Church of the Ascension and St. Peter's in Chicago, and was organist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Hyde had studied the great romantic organs such as those at St. Sulpice and St. Eustache in Paris, built by Cavaillé-Coll, and St. Paul's Cathedral in London, built by Henry "Father" Willis.
On June 4, 1921, St. Luke's Church signed a contract with the Ernest M. Skinner Company of Boston. Dr. Hyde prepared the specification in consultation with Joseph Bonnet. About 18 months were required for construction and assembly in the Skinner factory. The organ was then disassembled, labeled, and crated for shipment in 12 boxcars to Evanston's Main Street railroad siding, two blocks from the church. Crews then worked for six months to install the organ in its three-story-high chamber, and to regulate and tune all 3,800 pipes. Upon completion the organ housed more than 10,000 parts made of wood, metal, and leather, and weighed more than 20 tons.
The week of dedication recitals, in October 1922, was enthusiastically received. Programs ranged from Bach to orchestral transcriptions to the symphonic organ works of Guilmant, Bonnet, and Widor. The Skinner organ, Opus 327, was found to be capable of everything expected of a great romantic American organ.
For the next 35 years the organ performed admirably as a significant component of the parish's reputation for excellent music integrated into the worship of the church. In its dignified yet stirring way, it proclaimed Easters and heralded Christmases, accompanied countless eucharists and evensongs, weddings and funerals, and gave voice to a wide range of organ literature.
Over time, as is always the case, musical tastes changed. The widely accepted view of the 1950s, 60s and even 70s was that these romantic instruments, with their large scales and grand sounds, had become outmoded. One critic referred to them as "green slime machines." Most organs the size and quality of Opus 327 were drastically altered or completely replaced. Some have been lost forever.
The alterations and additions to the St. Luke's organ over the years have not been drastic and have not radically altered its original character. In the Great division, the original enclosed Mixture was removed and lost, replaced with a brighter, more forward stop. The Swell Mixture was recomposed to a new pattern, and the Swell and Choir divisions had their 2' stops swapped. Also in the Choir, three stops--the Melodia 8', Flute d'amour 4', and Dulcet II--were replaced with more Baroque style sounds. Fortunately, their pipework was removed to the attic just above the south transept, where it lay for the next 40 years. What was known as the Echo organ was originally the 1909 Casavant in the Lady Chapel. This instrument was replaced in 1958 by a 14-rank M.P. Möller. Both chapel instruments were playable from the main Skinner console. In 1986 the Möller was sold to Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Rosemont, Illinois, and a new 4-stop portative organ by Karl Wilhelm took its place.
The Cymbala, a set of four Swiss bells, was added in 1958, and the antiphonal Fanfare Trumpet, which extends horizontally from the west wall, was added by the Aeolian-Skinner Company in 1959.
The 1960s saw the increasing deterioration of the organ, to the point where it was at times unplayable. Following a 1968 visit to St. Luke's, the president of one prominent organ company wrote to the Rector proposing that the original Skinner be replaced with a new organ, citing "the present instrument (as) inadequate to meet the needs of your congregation." Fortunately, because of parish financial constraints, this was never a viable option.
During the 1970s, some cleaning and releathering of the organ and refurbishing of the console took place. Though this kept the instrument running, certain stops, such as the Tuba Mirabilis and the Harp/Celesta, remained silent for two or three decades.
In 1986 the parish undertook a major restoration of the building. In addition to cleaning the interior of the nave and sanctuary to remedy the damage caused by a leaking roof and a boiler fire in the 1940s, four-inch thick horsehair and burlap padding was removed from the wooden ceiling. The padding had been put in place in 1914 to stifle reverberation and help clarify the spoken word. The restored reverberation of nearly four seconds has dramatically improved choral and congregational singing, and has served to amplify the grandeur and subtlety of the organ.
By the late 1980s, the organ and its leather had deteriorated to the point where many stops were either completely dead or had so many dead notes that they were unusable. The combination action in the console became increasingly unreliable. The situation became critial. At the time, an historically accurate reproduction of the organ was estimated to cost at least $1.5 million. A new mechanical action instrument of the size required by the space may have run to $1 million or more. Realizing that Skinner's Opus 327, registered by the Organ Historical Society, was such an outstanding instrument, part of America's musical heritage and a worthy testament to Mr. Skinner's vision, the Vestry of St. Luke's concluded that a complete restoration of the instrument was the most responsible option. In 1990 a contract was signed with the A. Thompson-Allen Company, Curators of Organs at Yale University, and widely renowned for their work in the restoration of E.M. Skinner organs.
Over the next several years, the work was accomplished in two phases. The Swell was completed in 1994, the organ's other four divisions and console in 1997-98. In stages, the organ was completely dismantled, leaving only the largest of the 32' pipes in place. Pipework, chests, wiring, tubing, and the like were transported to the Connecticut shops where components were cleaned, broken mechanicals repaired, and worn out parts replaced. The 3,800 leather pouches were releathered.
Every pipe received individual attention. Metal ones were washed, lacquered ones stripped and refinished. New tuning sleeves were installed throughout, and dents removed as necessary. Voicing was redone according to Mr. Skinner's intentions. The pitch of the organ, which had dropped over time because of tuning difficulties, was brought back to A-440. The console, with its complicated and ingenious electro-pneumatic action, was completely dismantled and reconstructed, replacing all leather and other worn out parts. The walls of the organ chambers were replastered and painted, and the ceiling cleaned and revarnished, thereby creating hard, sound-reflective surfaces. The organ's many reservoirs were also releathered and reassembled.
The Spencer Turbine "Orgolo" centrifugal blower, standard for all Skinner organs, still functions reliably after 77 years. It has terrified generations of choristers who have happened to be passing through the blower room as the organ was coming to life. To this day, the lights in the entire building respectfully dim any time the organ is switched on. As a safely measure, a new protective housing was constructed around this mamouth blower in its basement room.
The three Choir division stops that had long languished in the attic now sound forth in their original locations in the organ, as do the Chimes, Harp, and Celesta. The Philomela 8' (Solo division), which had also been removed, has now been restored. As for the original Swell and Great Mixture stops, whose pipework no longer exists, Thompson-Allen has created faithful reproductions of Skinner mixtures from the 1920s. Their more gentle, "sunbeam"-like character complements and completes the rich, warm foundation tone of the organ. The Fanfare Trumpet stop, though not original to the organ, has been slightly revoiced to produce a fiery, commanding sound without being assaultive.
GREAT (unenclosed, 71/2≤ wind)
16' Diapason (73)
8' First Diapason (73)
8' Second Diapason (73)
8' Third Diapason (73)
8' Erzähler (73)
4' Octave (61)
IV Chorus Mixture1 (244)
enclosed in separate box
8' Claribel Flute (73)
4' Harmonic Flute (61)
22/3' Twelfth (61)
2' Fifteenth (61)
III Mixture (A-9)2 (183)
16' Trombone (73)
8' Trumpet (73)
4' Clarion (61)
Chimes (Solo)
SWELL (enclosed, 71/2≤ wind)
16' Bourdon (73)
8' Diapason (73)
8' Salicional (73)
8' Voix Celeste (73)
8' Gedeckt (73)
8' Spitz Flute (73)
8' Flute Celeste (TC, 61)
8' Aeoline (73)
4' Octave (61)
4' Traverse Flute (73)
2' Flautino (61)
III Mixture (C-14)4 (183)
16' Contra Posaune (73)
8' Cornopean (73)
8' Oboe (73)
8' Vox Humana (73)
4' Clarion (61)
Tremolo
Harp (Choir)
Celesta (Choir)
CHOIR (enclosed, 6≤ wind)
8' Diapason (73)
8' Dulcet II3 (146)
8' Melodia3 (73)
8' Kleine Erzähler (celeste TC, 134)
4' Flute d'amour3 (61)
22/3' Twelfth (61)
2' Piccolo (61)
13/5' Tierce (61)
8' Clarinet (73)
8' Orchestral Oboe (73)
Tremolo
Harp (61 bars)
8' Fanfare Trumpet5 (71/2≤ wind)(61)
SOLO (enclosed, 10≤ wind)
8' Diapason (73)
8' Philomela3 (73)
8' Gross Gamba (73)
8' Gamba Celeste (73)
8' French Horn (73)
8' English Horn (73)
4' Tuba Clarion (61)
Tremolo
Chimes (25 tubes)
8' Tuba Mirabilis (20≤ wind)(73)
PEDAL (6≤ wind)
32' Diapason (ext 1st, 12)
16' First Diapason (wood, 32)
16' Second Diapason (metal, 32)
16' Violone (wood & metal, 32)
16' Bourdon (wood, 32)
16' Echo Bourdon (Sw)
8' Octave (ext 1st, 12)
8' Cello (ext, 12)
8' Gedeckt (ext Bdn, 12)
4' Super Octave (ext 1st, 12)
4' Flute (ext Bdn, 12)
32' Bombarde (ext, 12)
16' Trombone (15≤ wind, 32)
8' Tromba (ext, 12)
4' Clarion (ext, 12)
1. Added in the 1950s as the gift of Dr. William H. and Edith Barnes; pipes and chests by Tellers.
2. Replication of lost A-9 mixture; pipes by Austin, voicing by D. Kingman and N. Thompson-Allen.
3. Original Skinner stops that had been removed or altered but are now restored and reinstated.
4. Skinner-style C-14 mixture replacing lost A-9 mixture; pipes by Austin, voicing by D. Kingman and A. Thompson-Allen.
5. On west wall; blower, chests and pipes added by Aeolian-Skinner in 1959.
