Organ History
by
Ivan J. McKenrick
(This story was first published in a church bulletin in 1964. Ivan McKenrick and his son, Fremont McKenrick, both served as organists for many decades.)
Our church building was erected in 1914, 50 years ago, in the pastorate of the Reverend Brainerd F. Henry, now deceased. It replaced the one built on the same site in 1881. John L. Elder and Hugh O. Evans were the general contractors.
In 1901, the M.P. Moller Organ Company of Hagerstown, Maryland, installed our first pipe organ at the expense of the congregation. The organ was beautiful in design and tone and ample for the then needs of the congregation.
In 1914, it was apparent that a modern organ commensurate with the size of the auditorium was necessary to preserve the high standard of music which had always characterized our church services. Organs were expensive and the cost of a new organ, added to the cost of the new building, was clearly beyond our means. But, we had friends.
The Park family of Pittsburgh who maintained their summer residence here, had made many gifts to the community. The original pipe organ in the Congregational Church, the Y.M.C.A., the auditorium on the present site of the Rivoll Theater, half the cost of the municipal building, the improvement of the Borough water system are evidences of their regard for the people of Ebensburg. Miss Eleanor G. Park quietly let it be known that she desired to donate a suitable modern organ if our church would accept it. Our prayers were answered, our problem solved.
The Moller Company was awarded the contract for the new organ. Mr. John Bell, organist of the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh which the Park family attended, prepared the specifications, supervised the work and gave the dedicatory recital.
The Moller Company had its problems, too. If the organ occupied the entire front of the sanctuary, there would be no place for the necessary choir. Dr. Albert Schweitzer, one of the world’s great organists and the designer of many famous organs in Europe, insists that an organ should be as high as possible above the floor of the building in order to obtain the best tonal effects. Our organ meets Dr. Schweitzer’s specification. The Moller Company met its responsibility by building three separate organs, instead of a single unit in the conventional style.
I might suggest that the beautiful memorial window, installed some years later, could have had no other proper place. It is strange, almost prophetic, how things work out.
At the left is the Swell organ. All of the speaking pipes are enclosed in a huge, insulated box with shutters that open and close to control the volume of sound. The display pipes at the left are ornamental. At the right is the Great organ. All of the pipes, except those of the open diapason stop—a stop is a group of pipes of the same quality of tone-are likewise enclosed in a swell box. The diapason pipes at the right, and many similar ones behind them, 61 in all, actually play and are not mere ornaments.
The pedal organ, with thirty-five keys, is played with the feet and provides the deep bass tones. The pedal pipes are of wood and some are so large that they are placed horizontally under the choir loft and behind the organ case.
Our church building was erected in 1914, 50 years ago, in the pastorate of the Reverend Brainerd F. Henry, now deceased. It replaced the one built on the same site in 1881. John L. Elder and Hugh O. Evans were the general contractors.
In 1901, the M.P. Moller Organ Company of Hagerstown, Maryland, installed our first pipe organ at the expense of the congregation. The organ was beautiful in design and tone and ample for the then needs of the congregation.
In 1914, it was apparent that a modern organ commensurate with the size of the auditorium was necessary to preserve the high standard of music which had always characterized our church services. Organs were expensive and the cost of a new organ, added to the cost of the new building, was clearly beyond our means. But, we had friends.
The Park family of Pittsburgh who maintained their summer residence here, had made many gifts to the community. The original pipe organ in the Congregational Church, the Y.M.C.A., the auditorium on the present site of the Rivoll Theater, half the cost of the municipal building, the improvement of the Borough water system are evidences of their regard for the people of Ebensburg. Miss Eleanor G. Park quietly let it be known that she desired to donate a suitable modern organ if our church would accept it. Our prayers were answered, our problem solved.
The Moller Company was awarded the contract for the new organ. Mr. John Bell, organist of the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh which the Park family attended, prepared the specifications, supervised the work and gave the dedicatory recital.
The Moller Company had its problems, too. If the organ occupied the entire front of the sanctuary, there would be no place for the necessary choir. Dr. Albert Schweitzer, one of the world’s great organists and the designer of many famous organs in Europe, insists that an organ should be as high as possible above the floor of the building in order to obtain the best tonal effects. Our organ meets Dr. Schweitzer’s specification. The Moller Company met its responsibility by building three separate organs, instead of a single unit in the conventional style.
I might suggest that the beautiful memorial window, installed some years later, could have had no other proper place. It is strange, almost prophetic, how things work out.
At the left is the Swell organ. All of the speaking pipes are enclosed in a huge, insulated box with shutters that open and close to control the volume of sound. The display pipes at the left are ornamental. At the right is the Great organ. All of the pipes, except those of the open diapason stop—a stop is a group of pipes of the same quality of tone-are likewise enclosed in a swell box. The diapason pipes at the right, and many similar ones behind them, 61 in all, actually play and are not mere ornaments.
The pedal organ, with thirty-five keys, is played with the feet and provides the deep bass tones. The pedal pipes are of wood and some are so large that they are placed horizontally under the choir loft and behind the organ case.
