Volunteer Organist

I'm pretty sure this was a gift from my wife, who enjoys finding kitsch-y examples for my collection. This card shows an organ and organist at left, with "adoring" listeners seated nearby. The right side of the card shows members of a congregation likewise listening to the organist's musical offering. The substance of the card is a stanza from a poem. The designation "2" in the title suggestions there are other cards that make a small set related to church music. Indeed the reverse mentions, "Songs" Series No 5004/02 which no doubt means something to the publisher. The card was made by Samforth and Co of Holmfirth England and New York, and was printed in England. No date is given.  A copyright notice on the front states the words are used by permission of Paxton of London. My copy is in color and is un-used. The organ appears to be a three-manual instrument with richly colored facade pipes. It's impossible to know if it is a real instrument or an imagined one for the purposes of the card only.

Denver, CO (USA): Trinity Methodist

My un-used card of the sanctuary at Trinity Methodist in Denver,  CO is unused. It was produced by Mile High Photo Company, Denver. No date is given. Based solely on conjecture andd perceived condition of the card I would guess it's from the middle of the last century. Text on the card says the sanctuary can seat 1300 people and that the Roosevelt organ from the late 1800's has 4290 pipes, making it one of the nation's "most outstanding."


The church's website doesn't seem to mention the organ, but images on the site seem to indicate the current instrument is the one shown in the image. The Roosevelt organ seems to be the 3rd that has served the church, preceded by an instrument of 1886 by Charles Anderson and an Odell instrument completed before 1910. The Roosevelt instrument is Opus 380 from 1888. It's not clear to me where the organ was before coming to Trinity-Denver. It has been worked on many times over the years, most recently in 2012 by Morel and Associates.

Ocean Grove, NY (USA): Methodist Auditorium

The Methodist Church elected in 1869 to establish a permanent camp meeting in Ocean Grove, NJ. The Great Auditorium was built on the site in 1894 and is now a venue for both religious and secular events. It can seat about 7000 persons. The organ was built by Robert Hope-Jones and dedicated in 1908, having been funded in part by none other than Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), who was a friend of Hope-Jones. On-going work since 1974 under the leadership of Gordon Turk, organist and artist in residence has brought the instrument to more than 200 ranks and 12000 pipes with a five manual and pedal console. The facade as it appears on my card and that currently shown on the Auditorium website are the same.

The most recent update on the instrument at the OHS database has it at 184 ranks in 2008 after work by John Shaw. The auditorium site says an antiphonal division of 15-ranks was installed 2007-2008. That may make the difference in counts.

My color card has been used. It is dated 5 July 1958 and bears a common Jefferson two-cent stamp from that era. The card was sent to California. It was produced by Tichnor Brothers of Boston and printed by Star Stationary in Newark, NJ. Text on the card calls the instrument the "largest in the world." It certainly ranks among the several that claim that title.

Valparaiso, IN (USA): University Chapel

Few instruments are more iconic than that found in the Chapel at Valparaiso University in Indiana, USA. The chapel was built 1956-1959 and is itself a striking work of architecture. It's only fitting that the organ be similar. The nave ceiling is 58 feet; the chancel height is 98 feet, capped by stunning stained glass. The chapel can seat about 2000 person depending on the configuration of the flexible seating. Schlicker installed the organ concurrent with the completion of the building. There were 71 ranks over three manuals and pedals in 1959. Dobson worked on the instrument in 1996. There are now 102 ranks over four manuals and pedal. The organ's page on the university website includes the stoplist.

My unused card is in color. There are some extraneous pencil markings on the reverse. It was published by Harvey's Studio of Lebanon, IN, the image having been taken by Mr. Harvey himself. The chapel was known as "Memorial Chapel" from its completion until 1969 when it was re-named the Chapel of the Resurrection. The card uses the former name, which indicates it is from the earlier period in the chapel's history.

Chautauqua, NY (USA): Chautauqua Institute

The Chautauqua Institute was founded in 1874 as an educational locale for summer-time use. It was envisioned as an extension of church school education in local churches in the experimental setting of the NY outdoors. Founded by Methodists, it ultimately is utilized by a variety of church denominations. Music was always an important part of the Chautauqua experience and in 1929 an on-site orchestra was founded.

The OHS database has an extensive list of instruments that have been at Chautauqua, the earliest being a Ryder organ from 1881. A letter to patrons states that ice and water damaged the organ console in Winter 2018. The letter mentions the "1907 Massey Memorial Organ." That would seem to delineate the Warren Church Organ instrument in the OHS database of 1907. The Moeller company replaced the console for the 94-rank instrument in 1928 and did a thorough remaking of the instrument in 1972. The most recent substantive work seems to have been done by the Fischer company of Pennsylvania in 1992.

My sepia-toned card has been postally used. The recipient was in Kingston, NY. The postmark is dated 14 August 1919. It was published by the Institute, and was sent using a common Washington type A140. Based on the perforations (11x11), it seems this is from the 1917-1919 printing,  Scott 498

 

Tennent, NJ (USA): Old Tennent Church

 

The Old Tennent Church, or as it's currently known, Old Tennent Presbyterian Church was founded in 1692. Church history marks this as the year the congregation formed and purchased land. A second plot was purchased in 1731 and it was upon this site that the present building was situated. The 1730 date on the card seems to correspond with this later building undertaking, rather than the actual establishment of the congregation. Apparently The Rev. Mr Tennent, second pastor, experienced some sort of religious ecstasy and fell into a trance (according to information on the reverse of the card). He was pastor for this congregation for 43 years and was buried beneath the building. The present website does not mention either of these bits of information. My unused card shows the front of the church with its raised pulpit and organ beside. The building is two storied, and one can see pillars supporting the wrap-around second level of seating in the card. The present building was built in 1751 and restored 1985-1988.  

The Organ Historical Society's database lists two instruments associated with the Tennent Presbyterian Church. The earliest is a Moeller instrument (Opus 86) of one manual from the 1880's. A second installed in 1934, Moeller Opus 6275 of 8 ranks. This is probably the instrument shown in the image below. The organ on my postcard above seems to have a single manual, so it may be the earlier instrument from the 1880's.

Wellesley, MA (USA): Dana Hall

I have been able to find no information about the organ shown on this card. The caption states this is the "living room" at Dana Hall in Wellesley Mass. Dana Hall is a girls' preparatory school. C.B. Dana was a philanthropist of some renown who donated to schools of various stripes. (One of the main buildings at Guilford College, Greensboro, NC, where I graduated, includes a Dana Auditorium.) I was able to find a letter from a key figure of Dana Hall which listed various improvements at the school, including an organ that cost $7000. But I have not been able to find any more details about the instrument itself. No doubt the room has undergone changes over the years, and it's possible the organ is no longer there.

My black-and-white card is used, and was sent to Brooklyn, NY in early 1907. Postage was paid by a common 2c Washington stamp type A129 type II, Scott 319. Various shades of red determine the final version of the stamp at hand; I have not bothered to determine if mine is "carmine rose" or "scarlet."

Angers, France: Cathedral

My black and white card of the Angers Cathedral organ is unused. On the reverse is found C* des arts Photomechaniques Strasbourg-Schiltigheim" where *=an illegible character. There is no date anywhere.

Organs in Angers Cathedral have a long and colorful history. In 1869 Aristide Cavaille-Coll proposed what amounted to a new instrument, including perhaps pipework from previous instruments. It was finished in 1873 and inaugurated by Alexander Guilmant. It is this instrument which survives to this day after work at various times.  Debierre did work in 1901 and 1937. Beuchet-Debiere did more work after the war 1957-1959. At that time 19 new stops were added though the original pipework remained. This site is dedicated solely to the Angers instrument and includes a handful of fascinating images.

Troyes (FR): Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul

A church building has been on the site of Troyes Cathedral since the 5th century. Begun in the 1200's it took a couple hundred years to complete the cathedral: chancel, nave, stained glass, pulpitum, towers. The modern history of the organ dates from 1731-1736 when Jacques Cochu installed an instrument in the gallery. The French Revolution led to creative methods of preservation. The instrument survived the Romantic era unchanged, but not the neo-Classic "wave." Work by Danion-Gonzalez between 1964 and 1969 radically altered the sound of the instrument. The most recent though less substantial work seems to have been completed in 2004. The case was declared a national treasure in 1974, which helps explain the consistent representation of it in many photographs. Without knowing for sure, I suspect my card dates from the early 1900's perhaps around the time Jacquot-Jeanpierre did work on the instrument. My unused card is in black and white with red lettering on the front. Though it's hard to read, it seems that Granddidier of Troyes produced the card.

Chalons-sur-Marne (FR) St Stepen's

 

My card has been used. It looks like it may have been postmarked in 1906 based on the postmark and the message on the reverse. It is black and white, but has no identification of the publisher. Postage was paid by what appears to be Scott 113, a common "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" stamp from 1900-1929. The 5c stamp is light green-blue. This site gives a good description of the church and the organ along with the specification. There were instruments in the facility prior, but the current history begins in when Salmon built a postif instrument for the west gallery. He added other divisions over the next 20 years. In 1839 John Abbey of Versailles was selected to build a new instrument but by 1849 it was still not complete and Abbey went out of business. In 1896-1898 Abbey's sons undertook completion of the instrument. It is this instrument that was damaged during World War 2, and repaired, altered in 1957 by Roethinger, and variously worked on over the next several years. The most recent work was completed in 2006. Much of the 1898 instrument remains.  

St-Omer Pas-de-Calais (FR): Notre-Dame Basilica

My card is in a striking shade of blue which is unusual in my experience. It shows part of the nave looking west toward the gallery and the organ there. There is no information about the card's publisher on my unused example. The organ of St-Omer is striking for its casework as much as for it's musical aspects. The Piette family of woodworkers spent several years at the beginning of the 18th century building the case. Thomas and Jean-Jacques Defontaines built the organ in 1717. The instrument served its purpose well while being worked on by various builders over the course of 140 years. By 1853 Aristide Cavaille-Coll submitted a proposal for a major reworking of the instrument which was received by the cathedral; that instrument was inaugurated in 1855. Further work was done in 1927, 1973 and 1985, though the instrument still contains pipework from both the 1717 instrument and that of 1855.

Geneva (SW): Cathedral of St Peter

At least three organs have stood in the west gallery of the St Peter cathedral in Geneva. I believe that my postcard shows the second. This helpful site gives a thorough history of the cathedral as well as the organs, in French and English. This site also gives information about the organ's history in the cathedral. Both describe the Tschanun organ as having a "Gothic facade" which is definitely what appears on the postcard. This instrument was installed in 1907 but within several years was having problems with its action. In the early 1960's upon examination it was decided that replacement of the mechanical systems would be nearly as expensive as installing a new instrument. So the decision was made to go in the direction of a new instrument for the west gallery. It was built by Metzler of Switzerland. My card was produced by O Sartori of Geneva. Metzler has a page on their site on the instrument.

 

Paris (FR): Notre-Dame

This card seems to focus on the statue, Our Lady of Paris (Notre-Dame de Paris), but the choir organ (orgue du cheour) is visible in the background. My card is unused, with serrated edges, in black and white. It was produced by Chantal of Paris. The statue is still in place in the cathedral, though the elaborate encasement has been removed. The organ facade is today much as depicted in the card. This site gives a specification for the instrument (but not the builder's name). The cathedral's website describes a bit of how the instrument is used in conjunction with the "grand organ" in the west gallery. But again the builder is not mentioned. This site in Canada gives a very thorough histroy of both the gallery organ and the chancel organ. The content is provided in French at the top of the page; you can read in English by scrolling down. The specification and more images are provided. The organ dates from 1968, standing within the casework from 1863.

In the picture below one can see the statue as it is today. The facade is barely visible in the background on the left. The bottom photo shows the choir organ more clearly.