Dear List,
I was fortunate to be able to attend the 100th. anniversary celebration
of the Austin firm in Hartford on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. This occasion
also celebrated the 100th. "birthday" of a landmark instrument in the
history of the Austin company: Opus 22 of 1898 at the former Horace
Bushnell Memorial Congregational Church, now Liberty Christian Center
International. The area has changed radically since the very impressive
Colonial Revival Church was built in 1913 and Opus 22 was moved to the
present building from the old church. The present African-American
congregation has a worship style which does not make use of the pipe
organ to any extent, so it sits unused most of the time now. The organ
received excellent maintenance for many years under Bon Smith of the
Austin Service Company. Now it receives no regular care at all, and the
best than can be hoped for under the circumstances is probably benign
neglect. Some of the problems with the organ due to its age and lack of
mainenance could be heard by the trained ear last Saturday, but I must
say that the good people at Austin and Bon had done a tremendous job in
getting Opus 22 in respectable condition for this momentous occasion.
The Austin people had assembled a very impressive cast of characters for
this occasion. Dignitaries from the city of Hartford were there, as the
Austin company has been very loyal to Hartford since it moved there only
five years after the company had been founded. It was the installation
of Opus 22 that caused the Austin brothers to move their fledgling
company to Hartford shortly after the organ was completed. The Austin
company, still a family owned firm, is very civic minded and always has
been; not only do they support the city, the company actively supports
many worthy musical causes all over the state of CT. Orpha Ochse, the
very distinguished author of <The History of the Organ in the United
States>, is currently writing a book on the history of the Austin
company; after words of welcome from Curt Hawkes of Austin, Prof.
emeritus Ochse gave a brief talk on the early history of the Austin
firm, and of Opus 22 in particular. As Orpha Ochse said, this organ
represented a radical departure in organ design from what had gone
before. This instrument represents the full realization of John T.
Austin's mechanical innovations in organ design, and it also contained
some stops by the great European builders, Cavaille'-Coll (the Swell
Oboe, now replaced, alas); Walcker (the Great Viola); and T.C. Lewis
(the Echo Vox humana, now silent, along with the rest of the Echo
division). In addition, most of the other flue voicing on the organ was
done by the distinguished late 19th. century voicer and organ builder,
Philip Wirsching, as Dr. Ochse pointed out to us. The mechanism of the
organ had been built to Austin's design by the firm of Clough and Warren
in Detroit. As the program points out, "This organ featured several
Austin firsts: The use of two wind pressures, adjustable combination
pistons, three enclosed divisions, with three expression pedals, and a
Sforzando pedal." As Bon Smith told me--I was privileged to sit by him
during the recital and learn many details about the organ--the organ
always had electric action from the very beginning, a fact which was
very surprising to me. Another early Austin of 1906 at St. Mary's
Church in New Britain, CT still has tubular pneumatic action; this organ
was beautifully restored a few years ago by the Foley-Baker firm of
Bolton, CT.
After a few more remarks by Kimberlee Austin, Vice-President of Austin
Organs, Inc., we heard a recital by several organists from the Hartford
area. The program was as follows:
Sonata 3 (first movement) Felix Mendelssohn
Verano Porten~o Astor Piazzolo
These were played by Ezequiel Menendez, Dean of the Hartford chapter, a
graduate of Yale and a very talented organist originally from
Argentina. The latter piece was a tango that Ezequiel transcribed
himself, and it showed off the orchestral side of the organ to great
effect.
Prelude and Fugue in G, BWV 541 J.S. Bach
(played by Charles Miller, organist of Center Church in Hartford)
Cortege and Litany, Opus 19, no. 2 Marcel Dupre'
(played by John Rose, organist of Trinity College in Hartford)
There followed a ten minute intermission, during which list member and
OHS representative Paul Marchesano presented an Historic Organ Plaque
from the OHS for Opus 22 to the church's assistant pastor.
Symphony VIII, Opus 42, No. 4, Mvt. II: Moderato Charles-Marie Widor
(played by Catherine Rodland, second place winner of the NYACOP
competition last summer, and laureate of several national and
international competitions)
Liberty Bell March John Philip Sousa
From "The 94th. Psalm": Introduction and fugue Julius Reubke
(played by David Spicer, assisted in the Sousa by a young member of the
Austin family playing a chime)
To close, David Spicer played a very entertaining and technically
impressive improvisation on "Happy Birthday", interwoven with the the
opening phrase of Bach's "Toccata in d". The improvisation concluded
with a well conceived fugue with "Happy Birthday" used as the subject.
David Spicer is a fine improviser, an excellent church musician, and a
gentleman of the first order. The occasion concluded with a tour of the
cavernous Great Universal windchest, bigger than most NYC apartments I
have seen! Bon Smith also showed me pipework of the Great, including a
marvelous open metal "Gross Flute 8'" which was used to great effect by
a number of the recitalists. A wonderful day, and a great day for the
Austin firm and the city of Hartford.
If enough of you are interested, I shall post the specification of Opus
22 to the list.
Stephen Roberts
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