2019 DALLAS, TEXAS THE ORGAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S 64TH ANNUAL CONVENTION PHOTOGRAPHY LEN LEVASSEUR ORGAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY DALLAS • TEXAS • JULY 14–18 C.B. Fisk, Inc., Op. 100 (1992 ) • Lay Family Concert Organ, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center ~ Dallas OHS 64th Annual Convention Guide WELCOME TO DALLAS! THE CITY OF DALLAS has a relatively patterns of the North Texas plains. Yet, day services in the principal cities of short history compared to the great cit- the young city would survive and flour- the North, and that they had never ies of Europe or of the East Coast of the ish, even without the benefit of those heard any that surpassed in beauty United States—a historical fact that has steeped in high art, music, and culture. By and impressiveness the services that plagued the psyches of Dallasites from 1877, the city’s faith community was flour- they had heard in this new little city in the beginning as they attempted to found ishing to such an extent that the first pipe the West. A stranger from the eastern and grow a cultivated, erudite society on organ, built by Joseph Gratian of Alton, states dropping into St. Matthew’s on the plains. Shortly after the city’s found- Illinois, was purchased for the Episcopal yesterday [sic] would doubtless have ing by John Neely Bryan in 1844, the first cathedral. This represented a significant experienced a change in his ideas of European settlers, utopian socialists from overall cultural advancement that the city Texas. France, Belgium, and Switzerland, indeed appreciated. The Dallas Weekly Herald on desired to establish a model society on 25 May, 1882, reviewed the cathedral’s As- Church music and organ building in the banks of the occasionally mighty (but cension Day service, noting that: this small city in the West, then, would generally dry) Trinity River. Their colony, assume its trajectory from these early however, failed to flourish, given that the The music was all of the highest days. Dallas suffered from an acute cul- settlers’ skills at weaving, watchmaking, order, and rendered in a style that tural inferiority complex relative to the and pondering the philosophical benefits would have done credit to any church more established cities of the Midwest of direct democracy and private property in Boston or New York. Indeed it was or Northeast, resulting in sometimes ownership were ill-suited to the harsh, in- remarked by many after the services cartoonish expressions of exaggerated consistent weather and unique growing that they had attended Ascension self-esteem, such that the newspapers Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co., Op. 1438 (1962) • St. Luke’s Episcopal Church ~ Dallas often zealously proclaimed each new in Oklahoma, was lovingly restored and organ at University Park United Meth- organ built as the “Largest in the World!” brought to Texas by the local American odist Church. The venerable Robert Later in the twentieth century, when Dal- Theatre Organ Society Chapter where it Anderson, longtime organ professor at las’ permanence and relative prosperity was installed in the Courtroom Theatre. Southern Methodist University, served as was assured, many of the organ installa- The old courthouse, the centerpiece of consultant for this Alsatian instrument. tions would indeed be large and signifi- the revitalized and fashionable old town Anderson had a vision that the Dallas area cant, rivaling any elsewhere in the nation. square, had been requisitioned for use would have at least one representative as a performing arts center, the 400-seat instrument from all the major historical courtroom finding new life as an audito- styles of organ building, and this instru- SUNDAY, JULY 14 rium for community theatre and concerts, ment provided tone colors that, while the Wurlitzer accompanying an annual common in Europe, were new to the area THOSE ARRIVING EARLY to Dallas can series of summer melodramas, Dicken’s at the time. Its casework and keydesk rep- partake in the wealth of fine church music Christmas Carol during December, and resent craftsmanship and artistry which programs offered in the city. Several of the the occasional wedding. was unique for its time. Anderson’s vision venues featured at the convention offer The convention proper begins with for Dallas as a veritable organ panoply regular Sunday morning music of a high evensong at Church of the Incarnation has largely been virtually fulfilled, with an caliber, including St Thomas Aquinas Cath- in Dallas, a historic church whose church international cadre of instruments from olic Church, Episcopal Church of the Incar- music program is a source of pride for the Germany, England, France, and Canada. nation, Episcopal Church of the Transfig- city. The 1994/2015 Noack organ weekly uration, First Methodist downtown, and accompanies the world-renowned choir University Park United Methodist. under the leadership of Scott Dettra. This MONDAY, 15 JULY A pre-convention event that after- church is the only one in Dallas to offer noon will showcase the 1927 Wurlitzer weekly choral evensong during the aca- ALTHOUGH DALLAS ORGANS began Opus 1632 at the McKinney Performing demic year. to take on international character in the Arts Center in the northern suburb of The evening concert will feature Kim- 1970s, the city’s landscape remains a McKinney. The organ, originally installed berly Marshall at the 1978 Alfred Kern bastion of American organ building tra- can be heard throughout the city. This church also houses a 1903 Gottlieb Vot- teler organ in the chapel. One focus of this convention is on Texas organ builders, of whom the state has had its fair share. So, it is appropriate to end the day featuring the work of two Texas builders. First we visit Northaven United Methodist Church to hear the Redman organ, Opus 7, 1973. Roy Red- man, a Texas native, has built many sig- nificant organs throughout the state, participating in the tracker revival in its uniquely Texan manifestations. The day concludes in the Romanesque magnif- icence of St. Thomas Aquinas Catho- lic Church which houses the 1978/1987 Schudi organ, with its French-inspired sonorities. TUESDAY, JULY 16 THIS SECOND FULL DAY sharpens the focus on the uniqueness of Texas organs and their important history in Ameri- can organ building. We visit St. Stephen United Methodist Church with its 1962 Sipe-Yarbrough, Opus 1, an organ that quite possibly best represents the tracker revival in Texas. This neo-baroque, me- chanical action organ opened the ears of Texas organists to sounds that only those who had the luxury of extensive travel had experienced. These two Texas builders collaborated on this instrument which was more of a culmination of sev- eral years philosophizing amongst Texas builders. The patriarch of native-Texan Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co., Inc., Op. 1528 (1973) organ builders, Otto Hofmann, wrote in a Cox Chapel, Highland Park United Methodist Church ~ Dallas 1959 Diapason of the new winds blowing in the Texas organ landscape: ditions, the first organ heard on Monday Europe, houses a 2002 Noack instrument morning represents the august firm of of two manuals. Whereas the Incarnation It was a strange coincidence that Aeolian-Skinner, the chancel organ at Noack represents a grand instrument in an editorial in The Diapason of June Lovers Lane United Methodist Church. the cathedral tradition, this mechanical 1958 questioning America’s willing- Dallas had been home to numerous Ae- action instrument shines in the perfor- ness and capacity to build a mechan- olian-Skinners in the 1950s and 1960s, but mance of smaller works, which sound no ical action organ should appear when as the churches prospered (and in some less grand in the cavernous church. every square foot in our workrooms cases, migrated to different locations), the Next featured will be the 2007 and erecting area at that time was organs were frequently “upgraded” with Schoenstein at Park Cities Presbyterian full of new mechanical action organs newer installations, to mixed results. This Church. This exquisite organ, with its dou- built entirely in Texas… Almost all of instrument is one of about half a dozen ble expressive capabilities and manifold our visitors expressed surprise and that remain, and, with its favorable acous- orchestral stops, is a worthy successor amazement that this was going on in tical environment, is one of the most to the E.M. Skinner style, and is distinctly America, and of all places, in Texas! successful. American. Interestingly, Dallas only had Organ building in Texas is hardly more The All Saints Chapel at The Episco- one E.M. Skinner organ, installed in 1926 than 100 years old in contrast to a his- pal School of Dallas, a modern space at First Presbyterian Church, and long tory of well over 300 years in the land reminiscent of the great churches of since replaced. Skinner’s style, though to the south of us. Downtown Dallas is a must-see for any for a much smaller space, it is a rare gem visitor with its new Arts District encom- from an era of organ building which has passing the AT&T Performing Arts Center, few other local examples. In this case, we the Winspear Opera House, and the Mey- can be thankful that the Catholic diocese erson Symphony Center, to name but a never entertained any interest in replac- few of the significant spaces. Set within ing this historic organ. a walkable locale, we visit First Presbyte- The evening ends back at the Meyer- rian Church, recently renovated to its 1912 son Symphony Center with a hymn festi- splendor and now housing a 1977 Robert val played by Jan Kraybill in conjunction Sipe organ that utilizes about 30% of the with national convention of The Hymn original E.M.