Hook & Hastings Organ Built 1898, Opus 1801, Restored 2015

Transcription

1 Hook & Hastings Organ Built 1898, Opus 1801, Restored 2015

2 St. Timothy s Episcopal Church Hook & Hastings Organ (Opus 1801) America s Organ Champions The Parish St. Timothy s Episcopal Church was founded in 1951 and continues to grow. It has an active congregation of about [500] families that participates in the life of the church, and is also active in community outreach. The current main sanctuary was completed in 2000 and was immediately recognized as one of the premier locations in Winston-Salem for live musical performance because of its outstanding acoustics. In 1827 brothers George and Elias Hook started an organbuilding firm in Salem, Massachusetts. The firm moved to Boston in 1832, and in 1871 was joined by Francis Hastings. When the Hook brothers retired in 1881, the firm became Hook & Hastings, and operated under that name, in a huge factory in Weston, Massachusetts until In 108 years the firm produced over 2500 organs from small single manual instruments to massive organs of more than 100 ranks. In the late years of the nineteenth century, a time considered the golden age of American organ building, Hook & Hastings was in effect America s national organbuilding champion. Regional builders built many instruments, some of landmark status, but for major pipe organs in prestigious churches or institutions, Hook & Hastings was often the builder of choice. These organs were splendidly designed and engineered; their tonal characteristics reflected the variety of music they were expected to manage from transcriptions of orchestral literature to service playing and accompaniment of choral music. They are considered among the finest instruments ever produced in America. George Hook Elias Hook Today only a handful of large nineteenth-century Francis Hastings Hook & Hastings organs survive in anything close to their original condition or configuration. Many have been radically rebuilt and altered to reflect more than a century of changing tastes, some have been broken up for parts or even trucked to landfills. A three-manual Hook & Hastings from the 1890s with all its original pipes and parts is almost unheard of.

3 Rescuing a Treasure But that is exactly what stood in a condemned church building in Taunton, Massachusetts when St. Timothy s members John and Kristin Farmer arrived there in The First Congregational Church was in poor repair, but the organ, though it needed extensive restoration, was original and complete, still standing where it had been installed a century earlier. The building was slated to be bulldozed by the city, but John and Kristin were able to purchase the organ, disassemble it, and move the pieces to Winston-Salem thus rescuing a remarkable cultural and musical artifact. The Farmers generously donated the organ to St. Timothy s to use in whatever way the church saw fit. Organ in original church. In April, 2002, the vestry established the Hook & Hastings Organ Committee to make recommendations concerning the instrument s future. After completing a thorough evaluation and business plan and garnering significant support from the parish, this group had the vision and courage to recommend to the Vestry that the rescued organ be restored for use in the sanctuary. The 1898 Hook & Hastings presented a unique opportunity for St. Timothy s that would likely never come again. The size of the organ was commensurate with the size of the new sanctuary. A new organ of identical design would have cost over a million dollars, making the project an excellent example of good stewardship. Its restoration was seen as a form of mission that would not only be a ministry to God and our community, but a way to help ensure St. Timothy s position as a vibrant growing congregation with one of the most historic and treasured musical instruments in the South. Approaching Restoration The Vestry agreed and in 2005 dissolved the Hook & Hastings Organ Committee and established the Organ Oversight Committee to oversee the organization, plan, and activities of restoration and installation, including fundraising. Donations towards the $375,000 goal flooded in from members of the parish, the wider community, and even from foundations and out-of-state donors. All of these donors enthusiastically supported the idea of preserving and restoring this treasure from the past as a gift to the future. After carefully considering bids Console before removal. from the top organ restorers around the country the vestry, at the recommendation of the committee, contracted with John Allen Farmer, Inc. of Winston- Salem. John had not only donated the organ to St. Timothy s, he had graciously stored its pieces (including massive façade pipes) in his basement for many years. Now he would undertake the process of restoring this historic gem. As part of the fundraising effort, and to make room for the restored Hook & Hastings, St. Timothy s previous organ, a single manual instrument built by John Farmer in 1996, was sold to First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro. In this way the Hook & Hastings project continued to spread music beyond the boundaries of our own community. Tracker action in disrepair.

4 Fashion wears out more organs than playing ever will. I love this quote from my colleague Nelson Barden, writes John Farmer, restorer of the St. Timothy s Hook & Hastings. It is all too common to find an old pipe organ so updated and improved that is bears little resemblance to the original instrument either in appearance or sound. I was determined that our restoration work on Hook & Hastings, opus 1801 would be an honest window to the past through which we could experience that which our grandfathers and great-grandfathers held in such high esteem. Despite some practical concessions, what you hear and see today is an accurate mirror of the original organ built over a century ago. In the organ world, this is a rare and special occurrence. Like other pipe organs, the Hook & Hastings is built of simple elements: hardwood timbers, skins of sheep, ivory and Working on the meticuluous repairs to the organ. ebony, and basic metals like lead and tin. These materials come together to produce natural sounds. I believe there is some elemental attraction we have to these organic sounds that is timeless and which resonates to our inner core. Part of the contract with John Farmer, Inc. stipulated that members of the parish contribute 500 hours of labor in the restoration process. The project was not far underway when groups of parishioners began working at the Farmer shop, scrubbing the soot of more than a century off hundreds of pipes and assisting in many other ways. Our parish invested much more than just money into this project. The finishing touch was the magnificent stenciling and painting of the facade pipes by Kristin Farmer, who reproduced the original look of the organ. A Grand Finale On November 16, 2014, First Notes: A Hook & Hastings Preview was held before a filled sanctuary. While there was still a bit more work to be done, many had waited a Restored façade. long time for the first music from this beautifully restored organ. It was a magical evening and none were disappointed. The organ was used as the primary worship instrument for the first time on Christmas Eve, 2014 and organist Dr. Jack Michener gave an inaugural concert on February 8, After almost seventeen years, the vision, courage, financial commitment and patience of every one who played a part in this incredible project are now on display at St. Timothy s for everyone to see, and more importantly to hear. The organ and the master musicians who sit at its keyboards lead weekly worship, presents recitals, and accompany singers and other musicians. The instrument is also made available for organ students and visiting organists. Together with organs at Old Salem, Reynolda House, and elsewhere, the Hook & Hastings is the final addition to a collection of instruments that makes Winston-Salem perhaps the finest city of organs south of Boston. Restored keyboard using only certified mammoth ivory.

5 What is a Pipe Organ? There are two magnificent 18 th -century books containing a precise description of the complex machine that is the pipe organ. It is remarkable how what was written over two hundred years ago describes in detail the majority of what lies behind the façade pipes of the St. Timothy s Hook & Hastings organ. Briefly, here are the five systems: The keyboards: There are four, three to be played with the hands and one with the feet. Each keyboard controls its own set of pipes. Hence we have four organs within the grand organ: the Great, the Swell, the Choir, and the Pedal organs. They can be coupled together if the performer desires. The pipework: The majority of the pipes are no more than glorified whistles, some built of wood and some of a lead/tin alloy, ranging in length from about three-quarters of a inch to about sixteen feet. A few of the stops are reed pipes, which produce sound by means of a vibrating brass tongue and are intended to imitate orchestral instruments such as the clarinet and trumpet. There are almost 2,500 pipes in this organ. A means to raise the wind: Here the restorer has made a concession to modernity. The organ uses an electric centrifugal blower to provide the wind and the original bellows to control it. There is a large hand lever by which one could raise the wind but it requires more effort than most of us could manage. A means of connecting the keyboards to the pipework: The restored Hook & Hastings uses the ancient method of mechanical connections, often called tracker action after one of its principal components. Though complex, it is preferred because the player has more intimate contact in controlling the speech of the pipes. The stop action: The players use knobs to the left and right of the keyboards and the buttons just below the keyboards to control the variety of sounds the organ makes. One important concession to 21st century technology the committee decided to mandate was to replace the noisy pneumatic stop action slider motors of the original organ with modern quiet electric solenoids. Now an organist can select unlimited combinations of sounds by pressing previously programmed buttons. This Hook & Hastings is a transitional organ. One foot is firmly planted in the 19th century mechanical tradition. The other is pointing towards a changing technology of the early 20th century which was starting to use electrical systems to assist the organist with stop changes and tonal schemes that emphasized foundational pitches while diminishing bright higher pitch stops. The stop list represents the builder s culmination of church organ tonal design. The ability of the various stops to work with their neighbors to produce countless varieties of coloration with an overall feeling of dignity and refinement are characteristics that make this instrument ideal in supporting congregational singing and choral accompaniment. The Builder J. Allen Farmer, Inc. Pipe Organ Builders enjoys a national reputation for new organs and historical restorations. The firm has completed over 60 projects for churches, universities and private residences across the southeastern United States, including the oldest pipe organ in South Carolina (1830) and the 1916 E. M. Skinner organ in Biltmore House. A post and beam workshop in North Carolina s Piedmont woodlands provides an old-world work environment for their skilled group of woodworkers, artists, and musicians. Their instruments are responsive to contemporary musical needs yet honor those traditional principals from the rich American organ building heritage of the past two hundred years. John Farmer (at left) and rest of crew that worked to restore the organ.

6 1898 Hook & Hastings, Opus restored - J. Allen Farmer, Opus 59 Three Manuals / 35 Stops / 39 Ranks SPECIFICATION Great: 61 notes, C1-g61, unenclosed 1. Dbl. Open Diapason pipes Open metal, facade 2. Open Diapason 8 61 Open metal 3. Viol da Gamba 8 61 Open metal 4. Viola 8 61 Open metal 5. Doppel Flute 8 61 Stopped wood 6. Octave 4 61 Open metal 7. Twelfth 3 61 Open metal 8. Fifteenth 2 61 Open metal 9. Mixture III 1 1/3 183 Open metal 10. Trumpet 8 61 Tapered metal Clarion 4 - prepared for Swell: 61 notes, C1-g61, enclosed 11. Bourdon (treble) Stopped wood Bourdon (bass) Stopped wood 12. Open Diapason 8 61 Open metal 13. Stopped Diapason 8 61 Stopped wood 14. Salicional 8 61 Open metal 15. Voix Celeste 8 61 Open metal 16. Aeoline 8 61 Open metal 17. Flauto Traverso 4 61 Open wood 18. Violina 4 61 Open metal 19. Flautino 2 61 Open metal 20. Dolce Cornet III Open metal 21. Vox Humana 8 61 Stopped metal 22. Oboe 8 61 Tapered metal 23. Cornopean 8 61 Tapered metal Bassoon 16 - prepared for Tremolo Choir: 61 notes, C1-g61, unenclosed 24. Geigen Principal 8 61 Open metal tc/stpd bass 25. Melodia 8 61 Open wood 26. Dulciana 8 61 Open metal 27. Flute d Amour 4 61 Stopped wood 28. Fugara 4 61 Open metal 29. Piccolo Harmonique 2 61 Open metal 30. Clarinet (tc) 8 49 Open metal Zimbelstern (9 bells) prepared for Pedal: 30 notes, C1-f30, unenclosed 31. Grand Bourdon ⅔, tc from # Dbl. Open Diapason Open wood 33. Bourdon Stopped wood 34. Violoncello 8 30 Tapered metal 35. Trombone Wooden resonators Total number of pipes = 2,494 Couplers: Swell to Pedal Great to Pedal Choir to Pedal Swell to Great Choir to Great Swell to Choir ACCESSORIES Combination Action: 8 general pistons / toestuds 16 divisional pistons Set and General cancel Tutti Gt to Ped reversible 128 memory levels Sequencer - European style Balanced swell pedal wind pressure = 3½ Crescendo pedal Equal temperment, a = 435 Adjustable bench Cone tuned

7 Dedicatory Recital for the Hook & Hastings Organ St. Timothy s Episcopal Church Winston-Salem, NC Fantaisie in E flat Major ( ) Three Chorale Preludes February 8, :00 pm Jack Mitchener, Organist -PROGRAM- Camille Saint-Saëns Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 645 Johann Sebastian Bach (Sleepers wake, a voice is calling) ( ) Schücke dich, O liebe Seele Gottfried August Homilius (Deck thyself, my soul with gladness) ( ) Hilft, Herr Jesu, lass gelingen (Help us, Lord Jesus, to succeed) G. A. Homilius Set Me As a Seal Upon Thine Heart (2005) Margaret Vardell Sandresky (b. 1921) From Seven Pieces for Organ Arthur Foote 4. Canzonetta ( ) 7. Toccata From Windows of Comfort, Organbook I (1996) Dan Locklair 4. beside the still waters. [Chaconne] (Psalm 23) (b. 1949) Fantasie and Fugue, Op. 52, No. 3 Max Reger Hallelujah, Gott zu loben bleibe meine Seelenfreud ( ) (Hallelujah, May Praising God Forever be My Soul s Delight) We are grateful for the support of this recital from an anonymous donor, Winston-Salem AGO, WFDD, and Whiteheart Advertising.

8 St. Timothy s is honored to host Jack Mitchener for this dedication recital, he has been a supporter of the restoration of the Hook & Hastings from the inception of the project. Jack Mitchener is Director of the Townsend-McAfee Institute of Church Music, Associate Professor of Organ in the Townsend School of Music and University Organist at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. He also serves as Organist/Choirmaster at the historic Christ Episcopal Church in the same city. A former faculty member at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, he also has served on the faculties of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Salem College, the Eastman School of Music (Community Education Division) and the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. Dr. Mitchener has concertized widely and received critical acclaim for his expressive and original playing and his poetic style (The American Organist). His repertoire includes extensive works from the early literature, the complete organ works of J. S. Bach, many major compositions of the 19 th century, and premières of new works by Emma Lou Diemer, Dan Locklair, Margaret Vardell Sandresky, and Robert Ward (winner of the Pulitzer Prize). A former organ student of Marie-Claire Alain, Guy Bovet, David Craighead, David Higgs, Susan Landale, Louise Leach (his first organ teacher), John Mueller, Robert Murphy, and Russell Saunders, he also studied improvisation with Gerre Hancock. He studied piano with James Cobb, Louise Leach, Kimberly Kabala, and Clifton Matthews and harpsichord with Arthur Haas and Huguette Dreyfus. He holds two master s degrees and the Doctor of Musical Arts as well as the Performer s Certificate in both organ and harpsichord from The Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester. His undergraduate degree is from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. During his two years studying in Paris, he won the Médaille d or (Gold Medal), Prix d Excellence, and Prix de Virtuosité at the Conservatoire National de Rueil-Malmaison, France. In addition to teaching and performing, Jack Mitchener has had a long career in the field of church music, serving several congregations including the American Cathedral in Paris and St. Paul s Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem, NC, where he played the historic E.M. Skinner organ, Opus 712. For the American Guild of Organists, he has been a chapter dean and a member of the National Committee on Professional Education. In addition, he was President of the Board of Trustees of the Moravian Music Foundation, is a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, and has been cited in numerous Who s Who publications. Jack Mitchener is a member of Windwerk Artists Management. For more information, visit

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