Wourua:1 ®f '<irlye ®rga:u �istoritnl jiodett!, �tt.C. Volume 23, Number 2 Wioter1979 THE ORGAN HIST�R!CAL SOCIETY, Inc. P.O. IJOx 209, W1lmmgton, Ohio 45177 with archives at Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio Alan Laufman .............. • • . • • • • • • • • • ........ President Volume 23, Number 2 Winter 1979 P.O. Box 104, Harrisville, N.H. 03450 Thomas L. Finch ........................... Vice President Physics Dept., St. Lawrence Univ., Canton, N.Y. 13617 Donald C. Rockwood ............................ Treasurer 50 Rockwood Road, Norfolk, Mass. 02056 James McFarland ............................... Secretary CONTENTS 114 N. George St., Millersville, P'a. 17551 Homer D. Blanchard ............................. Archivist ARTICLES 103 Griswold Street, Delaware, Ohio 43015 COUNCILLORS Five Organ Builders Talk "Tracker" 3 George Bozeman, Jr. ............. ................... 1979 by Jerry R. Chase RFD No. 1, Deerfield, NH 03037 Thomas W. Cunningham ............................. 1979 Organ Periodicals from Abroad: Summaries 26 40 E. Mt. Pleasant Rd. Wilmington, Ohio 45177 Robert C. Newton ................................... 1980 201 Tyler St., Methuen, Mass. 01844 Pipe Making - A Family Tradition 18 Lawrence Trupiano .................................. 1980 by Elizabeth Towne Schmitt AIM-55 Mercer St., New York, N.Y. 10013 William Van Pelt III ................................. 1981 Pipe Scales and Scale Data 13 Rt. 4, Box 404, Glen Allen, Va. 23060 by Homer D. Blanchard Samuel Walter ...................................... 1981 83 School House Lane, East Brunswick, NJ 08816 Saint Louis Organ History and the 1979 Convention 6 THE TRACKER staff by Robert I. Thomas Albert F. Robinson .................................Editor First Presbyterian Church, 20 King's Highway East, Haddonfield, NJ 08033 Norma cf.Cunningham .............. _ ........... Publisher 40 E. Mt. Pleasant Rd., Wilmington, Ohio 45177 F. Robert Roche .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Advertising 60 Park Street, Taunton, Mass. 02780 DEPARTMENTS Cha�rmen of Standing Committees F. Robert Roche ...................... _ ....... Advertising Book Review 26 60 Park Street, Taunton, Mass. 02780 Norman M. Walter ........................... Audio-Visual Editorial 28 25 Waterview Rd., West Chester, Pa. 19380 Lawrence Trupiano ................... Chapter Coordinator New Tracker Organs 24 AIM-56Mercer St., New York, NY 10013 Robert C. Newton .................. Convention Coordinator 201 Tyler St., Methuen, Mass. 01844 26 Record Reveiw David and Permelia Sears ................... Extant Organs P.O. Box 61, Dunstable, Mass. 01827 Thomas W. Cunningham .......................... Finance Alan M. Laufman ....... Headquarters and Foundation Grants The Rev. Culver L. Mowers ................. Historic Organs 7 Main St., Candor, NY 13743 Charles Ferguson ...........· ........ International Interests Box 44, E. Vassalboro, Maine 04935 William T. VanPelt III ..................... Public Relations COVER PHOTO - 1761 John Snetzler chamber organ, built in Rt. 4. Box 404, Glen Allen, Va. 23060 London, now located in the Smithsonian Institution, Washing­ J. Bryan Dyker ............................. Recital Series ton, D.C. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution. 114 N. George St., Millersville, Pa. 17551 John K. Ogasapian ............... Research and Publications 14 Park St., Pepperell, Mass. 01465 Chairmen of Temporary Committees THE TRACKER is published four times a year by the Organ Historical Soeiety, E.A. Boadway ................................ Nominating Inc., a non-profit, educational organization. P.O. Box 779, Claremont, N.H. 03743 Annual membership dues (including THE TRACKER): Regular members Earl C. Naylor ............................ 1979 Convention $10.00, Contributing members $15.00, Sustaining members $25.00, Patrons 7722 Dale, St. Louis, Mo. 63117 $100.00. Institutions and businesses may be non-voting subscribers at the same rates. Back issues of THE TRACKER are obtainable at $2.50 each. Send member­ The Rev. David M. Talbot .................. 1980 Convention ship dues, inquires, and address changes to: The Organ Historical Society, Inc., 210N. Cayuga St.• Ithaca. N.Y. 14850 P.O. Box 209, Wilmington, OH45177. Brian Franck ............................. 1981 Convention Advertisers may address inquires to the Advertising Chairman. Closing dates 14 Montello St., Lewiston, Maine 04240 for advertising matter: Fall, No. 1 - July 12; Winter, No. 2 - September 12; Spring, No. 3- January 12; Summer, No. 4 - May 12. Make all checks payable Correspondents of the Chapters to the Organ Historical Society, Inc. Alan Laufman .......................... Boston Organ Club Editorial correspondence and articles to be considered for publication may be P.O. Box 104, HarrisviUe, N.H. 03450 addressed to the Editor. Editorial closing dates: Fall, No. 1 - July 1; Winter, No. 2 - September l; Spring, No. 3- January 1; Summer, No. 4 - May 1. Harriett Kerr Scott ...................... Central New York Responsibility for facts and opinions expressed in articles rests upon the authors Box 146, Hamilton, N. Y. 13346 and not upon the Organ Historical Soeiety, Inc. All material accepted for publi­ Matthew Bellocchio ................. Greater New York City cation in THE TRACKER becomes the property of the Organ Historical Society, P.O. Box 106, Taunton, Mass. 02780 Inc., and cannot be returned. Material published in THE TRACKER may not be re­ produced without permission of the Editor. Robert I. Thomas ........................ Greater St. Louis THE ORGAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY is not beholden to any commerical in­ 11816 Devonshire, St. Louis, Mo. 63131 terest. There is no intention to discredit or recommend any existing organ manufac­ Peter N. Ziegler ............. Hilbus (Washington-Baltimore) tory or concern. No such information inferred or construed in any form may be used 14300 Medwick Ct., Upper Marlboro, Md. 20870 in advertising or for any commercial purpose. The Soeietywill take all steps open to it to prevent or prosecute any such use of its material, the name THE TRACKER, Randall McCarty ........................ Pacific Northwest or the name THE ORGAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 1622 Bellevue Ave., Seattle, Wash. 98122 Copyright 1979 The Organ Historical Society_.Inc. Permelia Sears .......... Tannenberg (Central Pennsylvania) P.O. Box 61, Dunstable, Mass. 01827 2 ♦• \\\ Organbuilders' Rountable at 1978 Smithsonian Folk Festival: I. to r., David Moore, John Brombaugh, George Taylor, David Gibson, and Si Fisk. Voicing table in background. Five Organ Builders Talk "Tracker" by Jerry R. Chase Five organ builders met during this year's Festival of working in a small shop and the kind of instruments they American Folklife at the Smithsonian Institute in Washing­ make. After each of these brief sessions they went to their ton, D.C. to discuss and demonstrate to the general public work benches and demonstrated how to work with lead alloy their unique craft of making mechanical-action organs. This in making pipes. Once the pipes were made they were seminar had greater implications than just acquainting the placed on a voicing machine and voiced to the particular general populace with organ building. For probably the first sound and quality desired. The visitors talked freely with time in recent American history have this many experienced the organ builders asking a large range of questions: What mechanical-action organ builders come together under one makes your organs different from the electronic organ in my roof to share with one another and the public the techniques church? What combination of metals do you use for the that give their instruments identity. The builders who pipes? What influence does a case around the pipes have on joined in the workshop are John Brombaugh and Si Fisk who the sound of the organ? live and work in Eugene, Oregon; George Taylor in German­ Several of the builders contributed various pieces of town. Ohio; A. David Moore in North Pomfret, Vermont; organ building equipment for the workshop. Most notable and David_ Gibson in Deerfield, New Hampshire. was the voicing machine, already mentioned, built by A. Two sessions met daily from October 4 through October David Moore, utilizing a wind chest and keyboard from a 9, 1978, to discuss what it is like to be an organ craftsman 19th century organ. To this he added an air reservoir and a 3 footoperated bellows situated in such a way that. the person fact, now laymen often maintain the church organs which I playing could also work the bellows. He also made one rank have built. If something is disconnected or broken, you see it of principal pipes to be used in tuning the pipes made at the right away. If need be, you can use primitive materials such workshop. On one side of the wind chest a small window was as popscicle-sticks and rubber bands to make a repair. My made so that one could see how the pallets moved to allow experience rebuilding and restoring old American trackers air to enter the pipes. A hammering machine, also built by has taught me just how yaluable an asset this can be. If an A. David Moore, patterned after a design in L'Art du electronic component fails on Sunday morning it is very un­ Facteur d'Orgues(1766) by F. Bedos de Celles, was display­ likely that you can find a replacement much less a competent ed and used during the workshop. This machine is used in person to make the replacement in time for the morning ser­ hammering the metal for pipes, giving the metal a more un­ vice." even consistancy which improves the tone. I