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A Brief
History of the Cathedral
Organ
“It has been
pronounced by competent
judges to be hitherto
unsurpassed.” “The
Magnificent Cathedral
Organ,” New York Times,
Oct. 29, 1852.
The dedication of the
Cathedral in 1852 saw the
installation of a fine
three-manual and pedal pipe
organ built by the
distinguished American
builder
Henry Erben.
Some fifty-two feet high,
thirty feet wide, and twenty
feet deep, it contained
forty two stops, three
thousand pipes, and was
built at the cost of $8,000
(more
info). In 1880
(Bishop Francis McNierny/Organist
Léandre Arthur DuMouchel),
significant modifications to
the organ were made
including overhanging keys,
additional notes for the
swell and pedal keyboards,
and a series of mechanical
stop controls,
state-of-the-art for the
time. The instrument served
the Cathedral well for over
sixty years.
In 1947 (Bishop Edmund
Gibbons/Organist Frank
Walsh), the firm of M.P.
Moeller of Hagerstown, MD
built a new three manual and
pedal instrument
incorporating several ranks
of the original Erben
pipework (more
info). The organ case
was redesigned and the
original Erben casework
discarded. The only
successive modification was
the addition of a trumpet
en chamade in 1969
(Bishop Edwin
Broderick/Organist J. Robert
Sheehan) by the firm of L.A.
Carlson, East Greenbush, NY.
Residual
damage from the construction
of the nearby Empire State
Plaza (1964-1976) rendered
the organ essentially
unplayable by the
late-1970’s. An electronic
instrument was placed in the
sanctuary to be used for
more than thirty years. In
March of 2009 during the
interior restoration of the
Cathedral, the Erben/Moeller
pipework was safely removed
from the gallery and put in
storage. At this time, the
aging electronic organ was
also removed. Currently, a
small, temporary electronic
instrument is in use.
The beautiful visual and
acoustical environment of
the Cathedral of the
Immaculate Conception in
addition to its prominent
role as the mother church of
the diocese in the capital
of New York State, merit a
pipe organ of supreme
quality. Over the period of
some thirty years, many
attempts to secure a new
instrument have been made,
most notably by organist J.
Robert Sheehan (director of
music from 1964-2000) and
his successor, William Glenn
Osborne (director of music
from 2000-2007).
After extensive research, in
June of 2010 the Cathedral
Organ Committee recommended
the
Noack Organ Company
of Georgetown, MA to restore
and enhance the Cathedral
organ. The proposed
instrument will have one
hundred and seven stops (more
info) disposed on
two four manual and pedal
consoles. All of the
existing Moeller/Erben
pipework will be refurbished
and reused. This will be
played in the choir loft and
housed in a case reminiscent
of the original Henry Erben
design. A significant
component of new pipe work
with an additional console
will be placed in the
sanctuary. This will provide
needed support for
congregational singing,
choir accompaniment, and be
a comprehensive instrument
to render the gamut of organ
literature. Its beautiful
case will be a stunning
visual addition to the front
of the Cathedral.
Those
wishing to support this
project or desiring more
information are asked to
please contact Rev.
William Pape, rector at
(518) 463-4447/email:
ecathedr@nycap.rr.com
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