Organ Specifications

>WHAT TO DO?

This was the question facing us when we knew something had to be done about the Skinner. It did not take long to determine that we had a rare instrument, one which escaped alterations over the years, one which is made of materials of high quality, and one which was designed perfectly for the Anglican choral tradition.

Space in the main pipe chamber is very limited, and while we aimed to have nothing changed with the stops we had, it was our desire to have what additional stops were possible due to space limitations. An additional celeste rank was very important, and since there was room in the Choir division for one rank only, it was decided to add on original Skinner Unda Maris which celestes to the present Dulciana, and which is tuned flat to its parent Dulciana to achieve an undulating, ethereal effect.

The small chamber located above the console recess area was built when the Skinner was installed in 1927. This was always meant for the stops of the "fourth manual", which, in the case with Skinners, would have been a Solo division. The room could only accommodate two large-scale ranks. Since we desired a Tuba very much and at least one other imitative reed made famous by Ernest M. Skinner, we got an original Skinner Tuba and French Horn. The word "Ancillary" was chosen for this division and not Solo, because it is a floating division playable from all stations.

The pedal really needed at least one additional 16' voice, and an original 16' Skinner Bourdon was located through the Organ Clearing House. It is half way in dynamics between the 16' Diapason and the 16' Lieblich Gedeckt. Since there was no room for the rank elsewhere, it was decided to suspend it on the nave-side wall of the Swell and Choir division.

The organ itself is fully restored: all pipe chests and reservoirs carefully rebuilt and re-leathered with some of the finest leather in the world--kangaroo leather--which can no longer be obtained in the U.S. All metal wind lines have been restored. The Tuba and French Horn chest is a restored Skinner chest coming from another Skinner which met its fate. The only things new in the chambers themselves are: the off-set chests and wind line for the 16' Bourdon and the Unda Maris. Everything else is absolutely original Skinner Opus 679. So, when we say that the organ is the fully restored 1927 instrument, it is just that.

The Console was a different problem. Purists believe that we should have kept the console as it was. The console mechanisms were riddled with problems and would have continued being a problem by the very nature of the mechanisms themselves, even if restored. On top of that, there were few combination pistons and no general pistons controlling stops or couplers, and it took the feat of a contortion artist to manipulate the stop/coupler changes and play at the same time. We declined to live the life of an illusionary purist; and while we have a rare instrument, it is a service instrument and not a museum relic.

We believe firmly that if Ernest M. Skinner had been blessed with the technology of today, all of his organ consoles would have been fitted with the latest technology, especially since he was a lover of "gadgets" and inventions. All couplers and draw knobs are exact replicas of the old, and the "innards" of the console replaced with a new solid-state combination action. The console shell is original; the draw knob jambs are original; and the manuals or keyboards are covered in bone, replacing the plastic installed by Lewis and Hitchcock in 1968, which replaced the original ivory. Ivory is no longer available, and we would have chosen bone over ivory in any event.

Facing the choice of adding new stops posed a quandary: do we add high pitched ranks to give brightness, or do we add to the orchestrally-oriented palette? We decided to go with the orchestral additions rather than try to make the Skinner what it is not. This was a controversial decision, but we believe, as does the restorer, that we made the right decision. The addition of the Great 4' coupler and extending the Great chest to 73-notes has done wonders for added brightness.

If we could have done so, we would have liked to have had an independent 16' Pedal Reed of some kind. But we are very pleased with the range of voices and their ability to work with a wide variety of musical idioms and periods, but most especially we are pleased because it is a thrilling service instrument. It was never meant to be the total panacea representing all aspects of organ building and musical styles. What we accomplished was to add to its personality and identity without compromising its individuality and character. What we accomplished was the saving of an ever-increasing rarity, a Skinner organ!