Organ at Perkins School for the blind, in Watertown, MA

[festivaltrumpet8]

Hi all, I know that this facility has an organ in it. I'm curious as to what brand it is. In looking at a database maintained I believe by the organ historical society, I found three instruments listed. One a Hook and Hastings, an Eolien Skinner, and a third instrument, the brand of which i cannot recall. Out of the three, the Skinner instrument was the one which they had the most information on. Is that the current instrument that is in there today?

[ponsonby britt]

Re: Organ at Perkins School for the blind, in Watertown, MA



Hi!

I was curious about this instrument as well. My hope was that the original Hook organ was stilll intact (and perhaps for sale), but no it wasn't. The information I got from the librarian of the Perkins School states:

"The original 1862 E. & G.G. Hook organ was transported to Perkins'current location when the school moved in 1912. It was replaced in 1932 as a gift of the school's alumni at the centennial celebration in 1932. That organ was created by Skinner Organ Company and is still knocking
our socks off."

I'm surprisedno one has ever made a recording on this instrument. At any rate, here's the stoplist (courtesy of the Aeolian-Skinner Archives)

Builder: Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co., Inc.
Year: 1932
Opus: 888

No. manuals:		4

No. stops:		43

No. ranks:		39

No. pipes:		2,568

Specification

Great

	16'	Diapason		61

	8'	First Diapason		61

	8'	Second Diapason		61

	8'	Flute			61

	8'	Erzahler		61

	4'	Octave			61

	4'	Flute			61

	II	Grave Mixture		122

	8'	Tromba			61

	4'	Clarion			61

Swell

	16'	Bourdon			73

	8'	Diapason		73

	8'	Rohrflote		73

	8'	Salicional		73

	8'	Voix Celeste		73

	8'	Flauto Dolce		73

	8'	Flute Celeste		61	tc

	4'	Octave			73

	4'	Flute Triangulaire	73

	III	Mixture			183

	16'	Waldhorn		73

	8'	Trumpet			73

	8'	Flugel Horn		73

	8'	Vox Humana		73

	4'	Clarion			73

		Tremolo

Choir

	8'	Geigen			73

	8'	Concert Flute		73

	8'	Kleine Erzahler		73

	8'	Kleine Erzahler Celeste	73

	4'	Flute			73

	2 2/3'	Nazard			61

	2'	Piccolo			61

	8'	Clarinet		73

		Tremolo

		Chimes			20 tubes

Echo-Antiphonal (prepared for)

Pedal

	16'	Diapason		32

	16'	Diapason		GT

	16'	Bourdon			32

	16'	Echo Lieblich		SW

	8'	Octave			12

	8'	Gedeckt			12

	8'	Still Gedeckt		SW

	4'	Flute			12

	16'	Trombone		32

	8'	Tromba			12

		Chimes			CH

Source: THE DIAPASON, May 1932, via Jonathan Bowen

So there it is!

L.