Auriesville, NY (USA): Shrine

 

I bought this card knowing nothing about the facility depicted. Only upon doing some research did I learn that what is depicted is a four-sided altar area, but no organ! What are actually large wood columns (tree trunks) looked to me like they could have been organ pipes. Sadly they are not. This site has a pretty good collection of photos of the shrine, but no organ again. The shrine's site again shows the altar area, making it clear this is no organ, but does not show a picture of any organ at the facility. The shrine was built in 1885 and is dedicated in memory of Catholic martyrs in North America.

Monreal (IT): Duomo

Monreale is a small town in the Palermo province of Sicily, Italy. It was begun in 1174 in a basilica plan, with three apses in the choir area. The instrument no doubt has a colorful history, given its setting in such an old facility. However, I could find no helpful sites describing the instrument. Ruffatti did work on it in 1967, such that it is now comprised of 137 ranks, and possessed of a 6-manual console. I bought my two cards at different time, no doubt forgetting I had the first when I purchased the second. The console is visible in the older cards. The modern image reveals that the console has been removed to another location.

France: St Bertand de Comminges

The Cathedral St Bertrands Comminges includes Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance elements. In 1550 the striking choir stalls were completed and work begun on an organ using similar design features. The placement of the organ in it's own gallery is unusual. The cathedral website tells us that the instrument is comprised of 40 ranks over three manuals and presumably pedal.Otherwise, information about the organ is rather scarce.

Saint-Bertrand de Comminges was a stopover on one of the secondary pilgrims ways to St James of Compostela (the Piedmont Way), and the cathedral also contains the tomb of Bishop Bertrand de l'Isle who was canonised in the 13th Century.

 

I also have this card of the same church/organ. This card shows a much closer view of the organ with its unusual corner placement and he sturdy posts which uphold it. This "real-photo" card was made by C.A.P. of Strasbourg. The front tells us the instrument is from the 16th century.

 

Salisbury Cathedral

This card shows the chancel area in Salisbury Cathedral, including the organ, looking toward the west end of the building. The instrument was built by Father Willis in 1877. It remains in much the same state as when installed. There is a pdf document on the page linked above that gives a complete specification of the organ.

Emporia, KS: First ME Church

This card shows the "4800 pipe organ" in First Methodist Episcopal Church in Emporia, Kansas. Also in view are the first few pews in the nave and the chancel platform. There is no further information on the instrument. The website for the current First United Methodist Church in Emporia doesn't give any information about the music program nor organ. Their Facebook page shows a modern looking facility, so I doubt anything in the postcard remains, unless the old building (and organ) were sold to another church to occupy and use. The stenciling on the facade pipes is quite lovely. In the new building, the chancel image shows grillwork on the right side, which suggests there may be a pipe organ there, but again, no information at this time.

Versailles: Chapel

The first organ in the chapel at Versailles was a Clicquot, installed in 1711. Cavaille-Coll significantly altered the instrument in 1873. That instrument was removed in 1936 and a new instrument was installed by Victor Gonzales. Finally, in 1995 another completely new instrument was installed by Jean-Loup Boisseau and Bertrand Cattiaux, intended to be a faithful replication of the style of Clicquot. This site provided a helpful summary of the organ's history; this one provides even more detail in French. The postcard above is unused, and black/white. It shows the nave and organ from floor level. I have a second card, below, which shows the same contents, but from an elevated gallery. It too is unused and black/white.

London: Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey in London is a justifiably famous building with a long and rich history. No less colorful is the organ located there. This postcard shows the nave and west end of the abbey church, from a position at the Henry V Chantry. I had a bit of trouble orienting myself in the card, so I found a floor plan that seems to make sense. The organ casework is visible on the north and south walls of the nave. The current organ by Harrison and Harrison was installed in 1937 in advance of the cornation of King George VI. The earliest organ information is from the 1300's. Work was done on the console in 2006; a new rank of pipes was added as recently as 2008.

Boston: First Church of Christ Scientist

This card features the organ at the First Church of Christ Scientist in Boston, MA. It was built by the Aeolian-Skinner company also of Boston. It includes more than 13,000 pipes over eight divisions, and is played from a four-manual console.

Fulton, KY: First Methodist Church

This postcard features the organ at First (United) Methodist Church in Fulton, KY, USA. The church's website states that the current instrument is was built by the Moeller firm. While it is possible to discern similarities in the chancel area between the postcard image and the current interior image below, it's obvious that the organ has changed. I have inquired if there is information available on the previous instrument.

Berlin, Dom

This postcard features the instrument in the Dom (Cathedral) in Berlin, Germany. The instrument was completed in 1905 by the Sauer firm of Frankfurt, and at the time had 113 ranks of pipes, nearly 7300 pipes total. The organ endures today in its original condition, without significant changes due to changing tastes and additions. It was designed to be and remains a dramatic example of late-Romantic organ-building.

San Francisco, CA St. Mary's Cathedral

This postcard features the instrument in St. Mary's Cathedral, San Francisco, California. The organ was built by the Ruffatti firm and installed in 1971. The organ has 89 ranks of pipes, 69 stops and includes about 4800 pipes. It is interesting for the lack of a case for the organ. In that regard it is rather like many instruments built by the US firm Holtkamp in the mid- to late-1900's. The postcard neatly captures both the console and the pipework of the instrument.