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Ernest M. Skinner and the American Symphonic Organ

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Ernest M. Skinner and the American Symphonic Organ View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by ASU Digital Repository Ernest M. Skinner and the American Symphonic Organ by James Gerber A Research Paper Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Musical Arts Approved April 2012 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Kimberly Marshall, Chair Caio Pagano Russell Ryan Rodney Rogers Jody Rockmaker ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY May 2012 ABSTRACT The organ is in a continued state of evolution, tonally and mechanically, designed by the builder to meet certain expectations related to the musical aesthetics of the time. Organ building in the United States has been influenced by both European organ building traditions and American innovations. During the early twentieth century, Ernest M. Skinner emerged as one of the greatest organ builders in America. Throughout his life, Skinner’s quest was to create an "ideal organ," capable of playing a variety of music. Skinner’s vision was rooted in the Romantic Movement and influenced by the dynamic gradations and rich, colorful sonorities of orchestral and operatic music of the era. A number of technological developments were applied to the design of the organ which made the romantic organ possible. The prominent European organ builders of the nineteenth century created organs that defined the romantic-style instrument in their respective countries. By the end of the century, American organ builders were creating their own versions. Skinner traveled to Europe to learn what he could from the foreign builders. Skinner built organs that synthesized European and American elements, along with his own innovations, as continuation of nineteenth-century trends that brought the romantic-symphonic organ to its fullest realization. Additionally, Skinner developed many new organ timbres, including a number of stops that imitate various orchestral instruments. The result of Skinner’s creative work is the the American symphonic organ. This paper attempts to illustrate how the tonal designs of organs built by Walcker, Cavaillé-Coll, and Willis influenced the work of Skinner and the American i symphonic organ. The work of each builder is discussed with descriptions of their designs. The designs and innovations of Skinner are examined as related to these European builders. A number of organ specifications are provided to supplement the information presented here. Today, American symphonic organs, particularly those built by Skinner, are revered for their warmth and charm and are inspiring the work of present day organ builders who are incorporating elements of this style into their own designs. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge the following people for their assistance with this research project. Dr. Kimberly Marshall, for her continued guidance and support. Mr. Cliff Golden, for providing valuable information related to organs built by Skinner and lending me his personal copy of The Composition of the Organ by Ernest M. Skinner and Richmond H. Skinner. Mr. Thomas Weisflog and the University of Chicago for granting me access to Skinner’s Opus 634. Dr. Christine Kraemer and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston, IL for granting me access to Skinner’s Opus 327. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER Page 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 2 SKINNER’S EARLY MUSICAL INFLUENCES AND THE IDEAL ORGAN ......................................................................................................... 4 Skinner’s Quest for the Ideal Organ ............................................................ 5 Nineteenth-Century Romanticism ................................................................ 7 3 FORMATIVE EUROPEAN INFLUENCES ON SKINNER ............. 13 Walcker and the German Romantic Organ .............................................. 13 Cavaillé-Coll and the French Symphonic Organ ..................................... 20 Willis and the English Romantic Organ .................................................... 28 4 THE BIRTH OF THE AMERICAN SYMPHONIC ORGAN ............ 42 Hutchings Employs Skinner ........................................................................ 43 Rober Hope-Jones ......................................................................................... 45 George Ashdown Audsley ........................................................................... 49 5 THE SKINNER SYMPHONIC ORGAN ................................................. 52 Skinner’s Tonal Innovations ........................................................................ 59 The Reputation of the Skinner Organ ....................................................... 65 6 THE ORGAN REFORM MOVEMENT AND THE END OF AN ERA ............................................................................................................... 67 7 THE SKINNER ORGAN TODAY ............................................................ 70 An Experience with Two Skinner Organs ................................................ 71 8 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................. 79 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 82 iv APPENDICES Page A ORGAN SPECIFICATIONS .................................................................... 86 B SPECIFICATIONS OF SELECT SKINNER ORGANS .................. 111 C MECHANICAL AND TONAL DEVELOPMENTS AND TECHNICAL DISCOVERIES OF ERNEST M. SKINNER .... 153 D GLOSSARY AND ORGAN BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES ....... 158 Glossary ......................................................................................................... 159 Organ Winding ............................................................................................. 164 Key Action .................................................................................................... 166 Registration Controls .................................................................................. 170 The Swell Box ............................................................................................... 171 The German System .................................................................................... 172 v CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The organ, an ever-evolving instrument created through artistic and mechanical ingenuity, has a long and rich history, spanning over two thousand years. It is a multi-timbral instrument, built to produce a variety of tonal color. The art of registration of the organ is comparable to orchestration; the organist selects various stops to create tonal colors in a manner similar to the composer writing parts for various orchestral instruments. A composer’s orchestration is subject to the instrumental resources available; similarly, an organist’s registrations are determined by the tonal design of the organ. An organ’s tonal design is planned by the builder, who chooses specific timbres—principals, flutes, strings and reeds—and distributes them over the instrument’s manual and pedal divisions. Tonal design determines the types of pipes included and their organization throughout the organ so that the organist will be able to create primary and secondary choruses, individual solo and accompanimental timbres, and colorful combinations. Many factors affect the timbre of pipe-ranks: the materials used (various metal alloys and woods), scaling, shape of the pipe body or resonator, wind pressure, pitch level, the amount of mouth width and cut-up, tone regulation, and voicing techniques. Other instruments, such as the violin and clarinet, reached a mature form following a period of development after which they changed relatively little. However, the organ is continuously evolving in a process of tonal and mechanical 1 development. As musical aesthetics and tastes continue to change, so too does the design of the organ.1 Organ building in the United States has been influenced by many European organ building traditions. American organs have been built with designs inspired by various European models as well as incorporating uniquely American elements. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, American organ builders were constructing large, sophisticated instruments. The musical aesthetics of nineteenth century romanticism influenced their work. “By the end of the nineteenth century, builders were trying to build louder organs with greater dynamic contrast and control, and especially with greater contrasts between loud and soft stops. They were employing greater numbers of stops, especially 8 ft. and 16 ft. stops which create the solemnity, dignity, and majesty we now popularly associate with organ music. They were also experimenting with structural and tonal changes to produce the greater wind supply, range of tones, and easier access to the console controls needed by the larger number of stops. And they were producing new actions to handle more effectively the demanding orchestral transcriptions and original compositions available for the organ. Into this world of experimentation and change walked E. M. Skinner.”2 The work of organ builder Ernest M. Skinner (1866-1960), who built instruments in a romantically influenced symphonic style, is considered by historians and enthusiasts to represent the pinnacle of early twentieth-century American organ building. E. M. Skinner designed organs that combined various tonal elements of instruments built by the prominent
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