On March 21 at 3 pm, Wolfgang Rübsam will play a recital commemorating the 80th anniversary of a recital by Marcel Dupré on the 1911 Casavant organ opus 469 (three manuals and 38 stops) at First Congregational Church, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The organ has been lovingly maintained since its installation. Mr. Rübsam will recreate the recital played by Marcel Dupré on March 15, 1924. The congregation recently completed the restoration of the sanctuary balcony, returning the original acoustics to the space.
History of the sanctuary and the organ
On Sunday morning, January 7, 1912, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the people of First Congregational Church dedicated their new sanctuary. Seating 600, the imposing structure was described in the Dedication Souvenir and Program as being “old English gothic with some modifications adapted to modern needs.” Doors, pews, and organ case were all of quarter-sawn oak, the ceiling and great arching timbers were of “old English oak stain.” Six massive stone columns, with “gothic carved capitals” supported the roof. “The rich art windows were designed and installed by the Tiffany Company of New York,” with a large window on the east and west sides, with a third matching window in the “gallery,” or balcony.
Perhaps most remarkable that day was the Casavant organ, a three-manual masterpiece, “tubular-pneumatic action throughout and thirty-eight speaking stops.” The program describes the instrument:
The great variety, delicacy and characteristic quality of tone in the different truly musical stops, the dignified power of the full organ without harshness, and the perfect blending of the whole into one agreeable massive tone, yet not lacking in brilliancy, are all successful features of the voicing of the organ.
First Church’s organist, Clarence E. Shepard, no doubt wrote that description of his instrument. And it was his. Shepard, who remained the church’s organist for the next thirty years, had come to the church just a few years earlier. He had studied in France with Marcel Dupré, and it was under Shepard’s personal direction that the organ was designed and voiced. (At that dedication service he performed Wagner’s “Prelude to the 3rd Act” and “Chorus of Pilgrims” [Tannhäuser], Handel’s Largo, and Marche Religieuse by Saint-Saëns.) Under Shepard’s leadership, First Church became known in the area for its Sunday Musicales that featured musical artists of world acclaim, twice including Shepard’s teacher, Dupré.
Presumably in the congregation that morning was another, very important person--the architect, William Waters. Waters was very well known in the area, designing a great many of the churches, civic buildings, and elegant homes of Oshkosh. He had no doubt carefully planned First Church not only for its visual beauty and majesty, but also for its acoustics, as did all architects especially before the advent of sound amplification. Indeed the church became well known for its wonderful acoustics, not only for the concerts that were given there, but also, later, as a venue for recording.
Both Mr. Waters and Mr. Shepard, it is safe to guess, turned over in their graves in 1956, when the idea of bricking over the balcony (in order to create a chapel for the Junior Church) came to fruition. We do not know if there was any talk then about what the wall (a towering sixty feet of brick, covered with acoustical tile) might do to the famed acoustics of the sanctuary, not to mention the visual impact. (The north Tiffany window could no longer be seen from the sanctuary. Choirs and ministers were doomed to looking at a huge expanse of white for the next nearly half century.) We do know that not everyone in the church liked it, and while the Junior Church flourished for two decades, almost from the day the wall was built there were murmurs of taking it back down.
As time went by, the magnificent acoustics of the early years faded in memory. The sanctuary still was a good place for music. But Clarence Shepard’s Casavant Opus 469 had lost its sparkle, its ring. The “old timers” would talk about the days when choirs would come here to perform and record. And some said that if that wall ever came down the acoustics would be improved. But the cost of removal was prohibitive.
In 1999 a successful capital funds campaign was held, raising money for a number of mundane improvements, such as windows and roofs and heating/cooling system, but also the restoration of the balcony. In February of 2003 the arduous task of removing the wall began. It could not be simply demolished, of course, as that would do damage to those quarter-sawn oak pews below. And so scaffolding was erected all the way up the wall, and brick by brick it was taken down, workers carrying bucketfuls of brick--tons of it--down the scaffolding, down the stairs, and into a dumpster.
The job took about two weeks, each day a little more light peeking over the wall, as the gap between the ceiling and the top of the wall grew. (In the meantime, the carpeting that had surrounded the organ case had been taken up.) We who were watching the progress of the project were also listening--especially our organist since 1968, Joanne Peterson. While she had spent thousands of hours practicing and performing and leading worship in that sanctuary, she had never really played the organ Clarence Shepard had played. As the wall day by day disappeared, she could tell that something else was reappearing: the original acoustics of William Waters’ plan!
“Do you hear what I hear?” we would ask each other excitedly.
“It didn’t sound like this before, did it?” we would say, disbelieving our own ears.
By the time the wall was down, and some weeks later the scaffolding with its tarp removed, it was wonderfully clear: the sound was back!
To Ms. Peterson, it was like having a new organ. The trebles were brighter, the basses deeper. There is more power, both from the instrument and the choir and soloists. And there is once again a wonderful “ring” that lingers after every closing chord--as no doubt it rang for Shepard and all the organists who played here before 1956. Ms. Peterson remarks, “The organ has always sung beautifully, but the new acoustic enriches every sound. It has been thrilling to play; now it is totally overwhelming.”
In the summer of 2003 the chancel was expanded and, whereas the smaller chancel had been carpeted, the new one with broad steps is of hardwood, further adding to the wonderful reverberation of the room. The firm installing a new sound system has measured the reverberation at 2.7 seconds.
Changes to the organ over the years
Casavant Opus 469 was converted from tubular pneumatic to electro-pneumatic in 1959. Some releathering was done at the time, the work being done by Lee Stoll Organ Company, Oshkosh.
In 1967 two stops were added in memory of Florence Hollenbeck, organist here from the late 1940s to her death in 1966: the Nazard 22/3’ and the Tierce 13/5’. At that same time the Choir Larigot 11/3’ was also added. These three stops were installed by Lee Stoll, and revoiced by Ronald Wahl of Appleton, Wisconsin in 1977.
In 1986 a completely new console was installed, pipes cleaned and repaired, windchests releathered, stays replaced, reservoirs and conduits repaired, and shutter system repaired with new bushings. Also, a new blower was installed, and the entire organ cleaned. All of this work was done by Casavant, at a price of $125,339.
J. C. Taylor and Company of Kaukauna, Wisconsin, has maintained the organ since 1980. Casavant has designated him as their approved technician for this instrument. The latest addition to the organ was a set of chimes, installed in 2000.
For further information on the March 21 recital, contact Joanne Peterson, 920/231-7520;
