Fellin (Viljandi) EST: Jaani Kirik

 

I have had a hard time getting my information about this card straight! Fellin is the German name of the town known in Estonian as Viljandi. Johannis Kirche in German becomes Jaani kiriku in Estonian. Once I had those details clear, I have been able to make some headway. Things were further complicated by the fact that neither the church's interior structure nor the organ are -now- as they appear on the postcard. The Jaani Kiriku is a very historic building. A church was likely on the site already in the 13th century. It was destroyed by war in the late 1500's. Rebuilding took place in the early 1600's. A rebuilt tower was added in 1815. The church was closed in the 1950's and used as a warehouse. It was re-opened as a concert hall in 1989 and as a church in 1991. This site gives a wee bit of information about the organ: "The organ of St. John's Church in Viljandi has an electropneumatic structure, 26 registers and 1 transmission register, 3 manuals and a pedal." No builder is named. Too, this information probably refers to the modern instrument shown in the image below, not the instrument shown on my card. My card is sepia-toned and is used.The stamp used is a common one (Scott 43) for the era. The card was sent from Poltsamaa according to the postmark. The image side of the card includes text, "Lichtbild von J. Riet, 1913." I have not yet been able to decipher the sending address nor the message. I know there is a fairly active organ culture in Estonia. I am hopeful someday to communicate with them and try to learn more about the organ shown on my postcard.

 

Anvers, Belgium: St Paul's Church

 

A church was located in Anvers Belgium as early as 1276. Flooding from the nearby river prompted a move which was completed with a new church in 1571. A monastery (Dominican) was added about this same time. Calvinism displaced Catholicism only a few years later and massive changes were undertaken in the structure of St Paul's. The dominant religion changed again in 1585, and work resumed on the monastery between 1605 and 1616 and completed by 1662. Pieter Verbrugghen created much of the wood furnishings in the church, including the organ case in the 1650's. The instrument itself was built by Nicholas van Haeghen. The most recent work on the instrument seems to have been done 1993-1996. My card is in black and white and has been used. the stamp and cancel are on the image side of the card. This makes reading the date of the cancellation difficult: all I can make out is 191-. The stamp is a common Belgian issue from that era. It was sent to St Petersburg, Russia. There is no message on the card per se, only a name and address: L Severin, 43 Rue de la Voile, Anvers. I do not know who this may be.

West Point (NY), USA: Cadet Chapel, US Military Academy

 

The organ in the Chapel of the US Military Academy in West Point, NY is one of the most famous organs in the US and perhaps even the world.  It consistently ranks in the top 5 instruments in terms of size anywhere in the world and in any setting (church, theater, concert hall, etc.). The organ is a Moeller instrument begun in 1911 with a long and rich history since its installation. The pipe organ database has good information.  Craig Williams, the current organist has used the past few years to really beef up the online presence of the organ via a series of videos. My card is in color and is in mint condition. It shows the console and the numerous stop controls and other control devices. The reverse includes, "The Chapel organ is the fifth largest in the world, and the second largest in a religious edifice, in terms of individual pipes. Most of the 14,600+ pipes were presented as memorial gifts. They are divided into 222 ranks, controls by over 800 stop tablets." Publication information includes: "Plastichrome by natural color company, inc, Boston 30, Mass., USA." Also included is "D.U.S.A Sales Desk" which is somewhat ambiguous. When I ponder my other collecting interest (pipe organs on postage stamps), and what organs in the US might be included if the USPS were to ever issue a set of organ-related stamps, this instrument would certainly be one I would suggest!

Atchison (KS), USA: St Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church

 

St Mark Lutheran Church in Atchison, Kansas was formed in 1868 with a small congregation. It never really got established and seemingly went defunct a few years later. It was reconstituted in the late 1800's. A new sanctuary was built 1908-1909. An organ was installed in at that time. No mention is made of the builder on the church's history page. The Pipe Organ Database suggests that it was George Kilgen, but there are no details. My card is in color, and is used with a common 1c Washington stamp paying postage from Atchison to Fort Scott. There is no identifying information on the back aside from a stylized "W" in a diamond-shaped enclosure as a logo. When I was on sabbatical in 2019 I went to Atchison to see if I could find out more about this church and instrument. I was not able to contact anyone by telephone beforehand, and the facility was closed when I was in town. I enjoyed my short visit to Atchison, but came away without the added information about this organ that I had hoped to gain.

Philadelphia (PA), USA: Old Swedes Church

 

The Old Swedes Church (Gloria Dei Church) in Philadelphia was built between 1698 and 1700. The congregation was active from 1677. It was originally a Swedish Lutheran church, but since 1845 has been an Episcopalian congregation. The church's graveyard includes sites for several important figures of the Revolutionary War and several important Swedish immigrants.  I could find very little information about the organ. This site mentions the organ but gives no details beyond the builder information. It seems the organ  is  Hook and Hastings, opus #1981 installed in either 1902 or 1903. It seems it was worked on by the R Brunner company in 1994. My card shows the rear gallery of the church including the organ. Also shown are a chandelier, a tablet (text is illegible), and some sort of scroll with two angel faces. My card is in color and is unused. Text on the back gives the name of the church and the location and, "Site of one of the first organs in America. Religious wood carving beneath the loft brought from Sweden 1642. Jenny Lind (Swedish Nighingale) sang from this balcony in 1850." Further text gives publication information: "Photographed and published by Joseph F. Marsello, 7310 Germantown Avenue, Phila, 19 Pa."

Alkmaar (NL): Grote Kerk

 

This card shows the large Hagerbeer organ in the Grote Kerk, or St Laurenskerk in Alkmaar, Netherlands. The organ is justifiably famous in its own right, aside from its location in a lovely church setting. The organ is one of two located in the church, the other being a smaller but no less compelling choir-organ at the other end of the church. Hagerbeer installed this instrument in 1646 and did work on it himself just a few years later. It has been worked on at several points over its lifetime, most recently in 2015 by the Flentrop firm of Zaandam. This site has a very good summary of the history of the organ as well as a specification. My card is black and white and is unused. It shows the west end gallery including the whole organ, and including the massive case doors. The reverse includes this information: "Uitgave Kerkvoogen NH Gemeente - Alkmaar. Interestingly, in the location where a postage stamp would go, rather than something a long the lines of, "place postage here," one finds "echte fotografie," or "real photograph."