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History of the Organ
Scott McNulty, SP, CAGO
Music has been an important part of First Presbyterian Church from the very
beginning. Founded in 1850 in the first state capitol log cabin, some
historians date the church back earlier to 1839 when the Indians often ran
worshippers from services. Possibly made in Concord, Massachusetts, the
original instrument at First Church was a harmonium that lasted until
about 1857. A five octave melodia was then purchased for $300 from George
A. Prince of Buffalo, New York. One picture of the church in 1897 shows an
organ with several ranks of pipes, both wood and metal, in the chancel
area of the church which could be the melodia organ.
Under the leadership of long-time pastor, the Reverend E. B. Wright, the 1890 church building was built debt free. When the opportunity came later to add a fine pipe organ, the church was able to do so without adding to any existing mortgage debts. In October of 1899, the purchase of a pipe organ was approved by the Session at a cost of $2500. As part of the agreement, the old melodia was sold for $300 to the organ builder, the Möller Organ Company of Hagerstown, Maryland.
Mathias Peter Möller was born in Denmark in 1854 and began working as an apprentice with a carriage maker before coming to the United States at age seventeen. Later known for building luxury cars and taxicabs, Möller put his mechanical skills to good use in the organ industry. A series of moves in Pennsylvania and a disastrous fire at the Hagerstown location in 1895 allowed the company to rebuild and expand from a production of 20 organs a year to over 250 organs a year by 1921. After building almost twelve thousand pipe organs during a career spanning over a hundred years, the Möller company went bankrupt in the early 1990's.
Built for the church's 50th anniversary, Opus 263 was installed sometime early in 1900. The first of two inaugural concerts on the instrument was Friday, March 16th, 1900 by the famed organist Clarence Eddy. Eddy was born in Greenfield, Massachusetts, on June 23, 1851, and later performed at the Vienna Exhibition in 1873, the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, the Paris Exhibition in 1881, and the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893. Known especially for his wide repertoire, Eddy presented 100 weekly concerts without ever repeating any selection. Soon after his concert at First Church, he began a series of recitals around the country.
Eddy's First Church concert included such music as "Morceau de Concert" opus 24 (Prelude, Theme, Variations and Finale) by Alexander Guilmant, "O Divine Redeemer" by Charles Gounod, "Pilgrims Chorus" from Tannheuser by Richard Wagner, "The Holy Night" by contemporary organist Dudley Buck and "Fugue in D minor" by J.S. Bach. Eddy and Buck were some of the leaders in the U.S. to bring the music of Bach to the listening audience and regularly included Bach's music along with the typical opera transcriptions of the day. An original copy of the recital program survives in the church archives.
A total of $69.52 was raised from the Eddy recital and added to the organ fund, along with other donations and concert offerings. Among the donors of the day were the Brackenridges, L. T. Scarborough, Laura Driskoll and concerts by the Blind Pupils and resident organist David Grove. The First Church Ladies Aid Society gave the largest donation, a $1015 gift, which was quite a sum in 1900! In worship, the organ was dedicated on Sunday, March 18, 1900, with a music sermon by pastor Rev. Wright and later published by the Organ Fund Committee at the requrest of the choir. Though a few pages are missing from a later copy of the original, the fifteen pages of the sermon that survived probably show how long and detailed the weekly sermons of this popular preacher were.
The organ remained mostly untouched for the next fifty plus years. Some changes may have been included in 1929, while Dr. Dan Grieder was pastor, though no details remain. Undoubtedly the organ blowers were electrified at some point, but the original pump bellows were in existence until the 1957 rebuilding. Renovations to the sanctuary were included in the 1929 project, with special attention to improving the acoustics as well as a new heating system. One picture taken about 1914 shows the old stove pipe that was used to heat the big church during the cold winter months. The organist's salary at that time was $25 a month.
Rebuilt again in 1956-7 by Otto Hofmann of Austin, Texas, at a cost of $9600, a new pedal chest was added to the organ, along with electro-pneumatic stop action, "tripper" type of combination action, and an American Guild of Organists standard pedal board (replacing a flat, 30 note board). Hoffman added several mixtures (including an eight rank Mixture on the Swell) and pedal stops while keeping the original tracker playing action which had been stiff and heavy to play. In an article dated May 29, 1960, the Austin American-Statesman said the following:
"We might add, that this particular organ's antiquity was brought to the fore recently, when in its renovation, many old newspapers that had been used as glue-battens in the original installation were withdrawn from its innards. Those old news sheets headlined the Boer War and carried advertisements about the sale of 'high class' women's shoes, 75 cents per pair, and 'choice' beefsteak, 15 cents per pound !"
Hofmann has since noted that another newspaper found in the organ proclaimed "Dewey Takes Manilla." The first American organ builder to be a part of the American Classic Organ renewal movement, Hofmann was influential in bringing affordable tracker and electro-pneumatic pipe organs to the smaller churches in Texas and the Southwest. His trips to Europe and encounters with pipe organ builders in other countries, led him to experiment with organs on low wind pressure and limiting the number of lower sounds while increasing the number of higher pitches and timbres, an "inverted pyramid".
The musicians of the church must have been heartbroken when they learned the church would be moving to the Jackson Avenue location only a few years after the last organ rebuilding project. Dr. John Bee, a University of Texas organ teacher and Organist/Choirmaster at St. David's Episcopal Church, Austin, presented a recital on the Presbyterian organ on May 29, 1960, for the 110th Anniversary of First Church. Performing an all-Bach program, the concert featured "Prelude and Fugue in B minor", three chorale tunes, "Sonata No. 1 in E Flat" and "Toccata in F Major" among others. This was probably the last concert on the organ before it was dismantled by Otto Hofmann and put into storage. For the next eighteen years, the organ sat in the PeeWee Warehouse on East First Street at a rate of $15 a month. Robbers broke into the warehouse at one point, but fortunately ignored the many pipes stacked in a confusing array. During this time, a Baldwin electronic organ was used at the Jackson Avenue site.
When the congregation decided to move to the Mesa Drive location, attention was again focused on the former organ and the many beautiful stained glass windows from the 1890 sanctuary. Rebuilt in 1979 by Rubin Frels of Victoria, Texas, the organ was given its present home on the east wall. Frels designed the beautiful layout, and built the wood pipes for the facade in his own shop. This time the organ included new Principal (Prestant) on the Great division, the addition of a Celeste and the subtraction of a Mixture on the Swell. Frels also added the Cromhorne and Cymbal on the Great. Though the 16' Pedal Prestant is an extension of the Great stop of the same name, the 16' Faggot is full length. The total cost to rebuild was budgeted at $11,000.
The dedication recital was on November 12, 1978, at 3:00 pm by Dr. James H. Cook, a former organist. Music included "Fugue in E Flat Major" by J.S. Bach, "Voluntary in G" by Henry Heron, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" by J.G. Walthers, "O Sacred Head" by Johannes Brahms, "La Nativité" by Jean Langlais and "Finale" from Symphony No. 2 by Louis Vierne.
Later minor renovations over the next few years by Broocke Eubank included the addition of a Pedal 16' Gedeckt, a Great 8' Trompette (which used to be a horizontal Trumpet and is now located in the Swell), a Swell 8' Krumhorn to replace the Swell Schalmei, a reworking of the shutters to open to 90 degrees, and the removal of the Schalmei for later use by the church. Other work hoped for included replacing the Prestant with a new 8' Spitz, changing out the 4' Octave in the Great, and replacing the 2' Nacht with a rebuilt Schalmei. On June 29, 1983, Mr. Eubank proposed reracking the Swell 8' Principal at 4' pitch because of its various origins, poor sounds and too many 8' stops on Swell. This was carried out to good success. Eventually the Trumpet was put in the Swell box, and the Krumhorn brought to the Great manual.
In 1996 several donations totaling over $26,000 were given to the church to open an Organ Fund. As part of the fund, famed New York organist Gerre Hancock from Saint Thomas Church played a recital on August 30, 1996, that included the deGrigny, "Veni Creator," Bach "Piece d'Orgue, S. 572," Reger "Fantasia and Fugue on B-A-C-H." Hancock improvised on several submitted themes, including one using the numbers of the church phone number and zip code, and since dubbed the "Ma Bell Overture." Soon after, Roy Redman of Fort Worth, Texas was contracted to begin the latest restoration project that included making the stiff tracker action easier to play. Over the next two years, the pipes from the Swell and then the Great manuals were taken to his shop for repairs, revoicing, and in some cases, replacement with new pipes. While the Swell pipes were out, the box was repaired with a more airtight fit that permitted better control over the volume of sound coming from it. The facade metal pipes were straightened and cleaned, and the overall sound was magnified to help support congregational singing. During the 1996-1998 restoration, the organ was still playable at all services, though the effect was somewhat diminished.
The 100th birthday of "Oscar" was celebrated in two concerts on March 5 and 10, 2000, with organist Scott McNulty, the First Church Chorale with Kinley Lange, singer Julia Lacy Armstrong, and organists Kristen Simpson, Dr. Faythe Freese, and Jean Fuller, and pianist Martha Mortensen Dudgeon all providing music. In addition to including recital music from the dedication service in 1900, the modern day event raised $1200 toward finishing the restoration begun in 1996.
With an anonymous donation and matching funds from the Session, about $12,000 became available for more work in 2000. The pipes in the pedal division were taken out to be cleaned and restored. A new 10 2/3 Quint Bass was added (bringing the total ranks to 36), leather parts replaced and air leaks sealed. About the same time a new adjustable bench was added to make it easier for people of different heights to play the keyboards. In 2001 a cymbelstern (a device with eight tiny bells) was installed high above the Swell box and a new one horse power blower installed inside a box in the organ chamber, making it much more silent and powerful than the 1957 version. The cymbelstern, or "cymbel star," is a collection of eight tiny brass bells which are struck by a revolving arm with a small metal pellet attached. Originally used in Germany, the cymbelstern was normally used only at Christmas time, but with its sparkly sound, is effective throughout the year.
Today about ten ranks of pipes of the current thirty-six ranks are original to the first 1900 organ. The nickname of the organ, "Oscar," attests to its sometimes finicky nature, and as the organ begins its second century of service, more work will be needed to repair broken and worn parts. The action system (that controls the on\off selection of sounds) is barely reliable and it would be exciting to add several ranks of pipes to give organists a wider range of sounds. Though the sale of compact discs and cards with photographs from the church will assist in providing some income for future restorations, it is hoped that other generous patrons will help meet these basic needs sooner.
As the worship and the arts programs continue to grow and evolve with the congregation, it is hoped that the interest will be available to maintain and increase the versatility of this historic instrument. Through lectures, workshops, recitals, private lessons, and music academies, the music staff is dedicated to promoting this special and historic pipe organ to the Austin community. Over 2000 organ booklets have been given to the public, young and older, since the first printing in 1996, and the monthly St. Cecilia Music Series has been pivotal in presenting organ concerts. Tours are always available for those who ask, and many a child and adult have been encouraged to look at the thousands of pipes that fill the organ room.
But one primary commitment of First Presbyterian Church should be to maintain the highest quality instrument possible for its worship of God Almighty. For that we can be very grateful that many others have led the way. Our worship is not directed at some machine that speaks sonorous tones or faint whispers. We worship a living God that we hope is pleased with our humble efforts to sing psalms and spiritual songs with a variety of musical instruments. The stained glass window above the organ pipes shows an urn with fire rising out of it. Whether this represents the Holy Spirit or simply was a great place to put the large half-circle window, it seems right and proper that the blaze should crown the heart of this majestic organ. May Opus 263 lead all people to a greater understanding of God, and closer to the Divine Mystery.
Special thanks go to the late Otto Hofmann, the late Alan Laufman of the Organ Clearing House, Broocke Eubank, Rubin Frels, Roy Redman, and the many church members, staff and friends who helped with the details. Published pamphlets, church bulletins, newsletters, photographs as well as Session minutes from as far back as 1897 helped with the research of this project.
Click here for the evolution of the organ stop list since 1900.