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Praising God with pipe organs; some churches decide to repair aging instruments
Organist Marcia Klunk plays the historic Skinner organ at First Congregational Church in Toledo.
( THE BLADELORI KING )
Zoom | Photo Reprints
By DAVID YONKE
BLADE RELIGION EDITOR
From heavenly high notes to pew-rumbling bass tones, pipe organs can create musical experiences that cause church-goers to marvel. But as the instruments age and parts wear out, church leaders inevitably reach a point where they must decide whether to invest in repairs and renovations.
Today, with church music styles changing and computerized organs available for a fraction of the cost, churches are dealing with more options than ever when considering whether to repair, upgrade, or replace their pipe organs.
One Toledo church, First Congregational in the Old West End, recently decided to move ahead with the restoration of its 90-year-old E.M. Skinner organ, launching a fund-raising campaign through an online auction.
“The pipe organ is just so impressive and stirring. It’s something unusual,” said Gloria Park, who is heading First Congregational’s fund-raising efforts. “We feel like we should try to preserve it.”
Marcia Klunk, the church’s organist for the last 20 years, agrees that the Skinner, with its 3,067 pipes in 47 ranks, or groupings, is special indeed. Skinner organs were built by Ernest M. Skinner, a legend in the business, and his instruments from the 19020s and 1930s are considered by experts to be among the finest ever built.
“To replace that pipe organ with an electronic one — it would a horrible thing to lose,” she said. “It has so much more of an authentic feel and sound. Even the best electronic sampling is not the same as a pipe organ. It’s hard to describe, but it’s like listening to acoustic music as opposed to amplified sounds.”
Restoration comes at a price, however.
First Congregational hopes to raise $50,000 to replace the organ’s worn leather bellows and malfunctioning mechanical parts, Ms. Park said.
And that’s cheap compared to some pipe organ projects.
The Toledo Museum of Art spent $780,000 to restore its 1926 Skinner organ, which also has more than 3,000 pipes.
First Presbyterian Church in Maumee invested $400,000 to upgrade its 1969 Möller organ, increasing the number of pipes in the sanctuary from 700 to more than 2,000. Walls were moved to make room for the additional pipes, according to Fred Schaefer, a retired engineer and church member who helped with the project.
It took 10 years and two fund-raising campaigns to raise enough money for the organ renovation, according to the Rev. Philip Jones, senior pastor.
“The elders debated for several years whether or not we should try again to raise the money to do this, and the debate centered around the topic of whether or not we should put any money into an instrument that seems to be losing popularity,” he said.
When the pipe organ was dedicated in September, 2004, the only parts of the original organ still used were the keyboards themselves, Mr. Schaefer said. The rest of the instrument was completely revamped.
Organ renovation decisions are not always based on how much the work will cost, but also whether the instrument is an integral part of the church’s identity.
“We think the pipe organ is the cornerstone of our music ministry here at First Presbyterian Church,” Mr. Jones said.
First Presbyterian also decided to transform its 1960s-era dining hall into a state-of-the-art, contemporary worship center, enabling the church to offer high-quality services in both traditional and contemporary musical styles.
“That was a little bit political and a little bit strategic,” Mr. Jones said.
The elders and pastors felt that by making First Presbyterian’s pipe organ one of the best in the region, it would help attract the finest musicians and music ministers to the church and thereby raise the bar for all its music ministries, even the ones that don’t use an organ.
“Our thinking was that while church organists are hard to come by, good organists will be attracted to a good organ,” Mr. Jones said. “And the end of the story is, it worked.”
When Cynthia Cynthia Dybdahl retired as the church’s organist, a dozen high-caliber candidates from northwest Ohio and southern Michigan applied for the position. First Presbyterian hired Wayne Whitten, who has a master’s degree in organ performance from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
“Some people will say that $400,000 would be better spent elsewhere than on an organ,” Mr. Jones said, “but the Westminster Catechism states that the first and most important thing we can do with our lives is to worship God. We feel called to do that with an excellent music ministry.”
Paul Monachino, director of liturgical music for the Toledo Catholic Diocese, frequently plays the Skinner organ in Rosary Cathedral.
The decision on whether to restore an organ often comes down to whether a church wants to offer members traditional or contemporary worship music, he said.
“I don’t think it would have anything to do with the organ itself, as far as its maintenance or anything. I think it’s a musical decision,” said Mr. Monachino, who also is the dean of the Toledo chapter of the American Guild of Organists, which has about 120 members.
Calvary Assembly of God in South Toledo, founded in 1951, recently made such a decision, removing its 1984 Baldwin organ — not a pipe organ — from the sanctuary.
“We weren’t using it, and for me, that was kind of the bottom line,” said the Rev. Chad Gilligan, senior pastor. “As the church’s style changed, we had come to a point where for years we hadn’t used the organ. As a result, it kind of sat there.”
It would not be wise stewardship of church funds to pay for organ repairs if the instrument was not going to be used, he said.
The Rev. Dave Feltman, Calvary’s fine arts pastor, plays an electronic keyboard in Calvary’s services.
“For us, the organ did not fit the style of music that we are currently doing,” said Mr. Feltman.
And while most organists can play piano, not all pianists can play the organ. “They are very different things,” he said.
“Occasionally, we might try to do something that is more high church, where the organ might fit in,” Mr. Feltman said. “But it was not cost-worthy to keep it up. For a couple thousand dollars, you can buy a high-quality digital instrument.”
Mr. Monachino said electronic organs do a good job of imitating the sound of a pipe organ, but cannot duplicate the sensation of the real thing. The difference is notable when the organ accompanies a large choir.
“It’s proven that they do not move as much air, that there is not as much sonic presence in the room,” he said. “They are pretty convincing when you sit and listen to them, but in the real world, they fall flat compared to the acoustic presence of pipes and their many points of sound energy.”
Mr. Jones said First Presbyterian Church’s traditional worship music appeals not only to middle-age and older churchgoers, but also to young people who want quality music they cannot found in the secular music world.
“A lot of youth want to feel as if God is in this place,” he said.
The pipe organ has been a key part of worship for centuries for a reason, Mr. Jones said.
“It can produce magnificent music that is a reflection of the magnificence of God,” Mr. Jones said.
Praising God with pipe organs; some churches decide to repair aging instruments
Organist Marcia Klunk plays the historic Skinner organ at First Congregational Church in Toledo.
( THE BLADELORI KING )
Zoom | Photo Reprints
By DAVID YONKE
BLADE RELIGION EDITOR
From heavenly high notes to pew-rumbling bass tones, pipe organs can create musical experiences that cause church-goers to marvel. But as the instruments age and parts wear out, church leaders inevitably reach a point where they must decide whether to invest in repairs and renovations.
Today, with church music styles changing and computerized organs available for a fraction of the cost, churches are dealing with more options than ever when considering whether to repair, upgrade, or replace their pipe organs.
One Toledo church, First Congregational in the Old West End, recently decided to move ahead with the restoration of its 90-year-old E.M. Skinner organ, launching a fund-raising campaign through an online auction.
“The pipe organ is just so impressive and stirring. It’s something unusual,” said Gloria Park, who is heading First Congregational’s fund-raising efforts. “We feel like we should try to preserve it.”
Marcia Klunk, the church’s organist for the last 20 years, agrees that the Skinner, with its 3,067 pipes in 47 ranks, or groupings, is special indeed. Skinner organs were built by Ernest M. Skinner, a legend in the business, and his instruments from the 19020s and 1930s are considered by experts to be among the finest ever built.
“To replace that pipe organ with an electronic one — it would a horrible thing to lose,” she said. “It has so much more of an authentic feel and sound. Even the best electronic sampling is not the same as a pipe organ. It’s hard to describe, but it’s like listening to acoustic music as opposed to amplified sounds.”
Restoration comes at a price, however.
First Congregational hopes to raise $50,000 to replace the organ’s worn leather bellows and malfunctioning mechanical parts, Ms. Park said.
And that’s cheap compared to some pipe organ projects.
The Toledo Museum of Art spent $780,000 to restore its 1926 Skinner organ, which also has more than 3,000 pipes.
First Presbyterian Church in Maumee invested $400,000 to upgrade its 1969 Möller organ, increasing the number of pipes in the sanctuary from 700 to more than 2,000. Walls were moved to make room for the additional pipes, according to Fred Schaefer, a retired engineer and church member who helped with the project.
It took 10 years and two fund-raising campaigns to raise enough money for the organ renovation, according to the Rev. Philip Jones, senior pastor.
“The elders debated for several years whether or not we should try again to raise the money to do this, and the debate centered around the topic of whether or not we should put any money into an instrument that seems to be losing popularity,” he said.
When the pipe organ was dedicated in September, 2004, the only parts of the original organ still used were the keyboards themselves, Mr. Schaefer said. The rest of the instrument was completely revamped.
Organ renovation decisions are not always based on how much the work will cost, but also whether the instrument is an integral part of the church’s identity.
“We think the pipe organ is the cornerstone of our music ministry here at First Presbyterian Church,” Mr. Jones said.
First Presbyterian also decided to transform its 1960s-era dining hall into a state-of-the-art, contemporary worship center, enabling the church to offer high-quality services in both traditional and contemporary musical styles.
“That was a little bit political and a little bit strategic,” Mr. Jones said.
The elders and pastors felt that by making First Presbyterian’s pipe organ one of the best in the region, it would help attract the finest musicians and music ministers to the church and thereby raise the bar for all its music ministries, even the ones that don’t use an organ.
“Our thinking was that while church organists are hard to come by, good organists will be attracted to a good organ,” Mr. Jones said. “And the end of the story is, it worked.”
When Cynthia Cynthia Dybdahl retired as the church’s organist, a dozen high-caliber candidates from northwest Ohio and southern Michigan applied for the position. First Presbyterian hired Wayne Whitten, who has a master’s degree in organ performance from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
“Some people will say that $400,000 would be better spent elsewhere than on an organ,” Mr. Jones said, “but the Westminster Catechism states that the first and most important thing we can do with our lives is to worship God. We feel called to do that with an excellent music ministry.”
Paul Monachino, director of liturgical music for the Toledo Catholic Diocese, frequently plays the Skinner organ in Rosary Cathedral.
The decision on whether to restore an organ often comes down to whether a church wants to offer members traditional or contemporary worship music, he said.
“I don’t think it would have anything to do with the organ itself, as far as its maintenance or anything. I think it’s a musical decision,” said Mr. Monachino, who also is the dean of the Toledo chapter of the American Guild of Organists, which has about 120 members.
Calvary Assembly of God in South Toledo, founded in 1951, recently made such a decision, removing its 1984 Baldwin organ — not a pipe organ — from the sanctuary.
“We weren’t using it, and for me, that was kind of the bottom line,” said the Rev. Chad Gilligan, senior pastor. “As the church’s style changed, we had come to a point where for years we hadn’t used the organ. As a result, it kind of sat there.”
It would not be wise stewardship of church funds to pay for organ repairs if the instrument was not going to be used, he said.
The Rev. Dave Feltman, Calvary’s fine arts pastor, plays an electronic keyboard in Calvary’s services.
“For us, the organ did not fit the style of music that we are currently doing,” said Mr. Feltman.
And while most organists can play piano, not all pianists can play the organ. “They are very different things,” he said.
“Occasionally, we might try to do something that is more high church, where the organ might fit in,” Mr. Feltman said. “But it was not cost-worthy to keep it up. For a couple thousand dollars, you can buy a high-quality digital instrument.”
Mr. Monachino said electronic organs do a good job of imitating the sound of a pipe organ, but cannot duplicate the sensation of the real thing. The difference is notable when the organ accompanies a large choir.
“It’s proven that they do not move as much air, that there is not as much sonic presence in the room,” he said. “They are pretty convincing when you sit and listen to them, but in the real world, they fall flat compared to the acoustic presence of pipes and their many points of sound energy.”
Mr. Jones said First Presbyterian Church’s traditional worship music appeals not only to middle-age and older churchgoers, but also to young people who want quality music they cannot found in the secular music world.
“A lot of youth want to feel as if God is in this place,” he said.
The pipe organ has been a key part of worship for centuries for a reason, Mr. Jones said.
“It can produce magnificent music that is a reflection of the magnificence of God,” Mr. Jones said.
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