Swampscott, Massachusetts
Organ project photographs by Dana Sawyer, Curator of E.M. Skinner Opus 368
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The Church of the Holy Name Swampscott, Massachusetts Organ project photographs by Dana Sawyer, Curator of E.M. Skinner Opus 368 |
 | Mechanical renovation (Phase I of the project) was completed in 2002, with a thorough cleaning of the organ and replacement of all the original leather parts such as gaskets and valves. This phase represented about a third of the entire renovation project. (A photo album of Phase I is available on the Church of the Holy name's web site.) |
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At some time in the 1960s our original Skinner console was replaced
with an inferior contemporary model which is now deteriorating
rapidly. Fortunately, Spencer Organ Company has a suitable
Skinner console which was originally located at the National Cathedral in
Washington, D.C. For six years prior to installing the present
Great Organ in the Cathedral in 1938, Ernest Skinner loaned the
Cathedral a smaller instrument, Opus 883. When the Great Organ
was complete, he removed this temporary organ and sold it to a
small college in the Boston area. The college subsequently
dismantled the instrument, but Spencer Organ Company was able to obtain the
console. These photographs show the console in storage at Spencer Organ. (console album, 9/11/2002) |
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This album shows the console at the Spencer Organ shop, where it was being refurbished for our organ. (console2 album, 8/8/2007) The restored console arrived at Church of the Holy Name on March 1, 2008 (see below). |
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Joseph
Rotella checks Skinner Diapason and
Octave pipes from the 1920s on a voicing machine (a small organ used to
adjust the tonal qualities of pipes). These pipes, together with
a Harmonic Flute, have now replaced the strange assortment of
non-Skinner pipes now in the Great division of our organ. A
Mixture, now being voiced, will complete the Great divisiion. (great album, 8/8/2007) |
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This
album shows the
Spencer Organ crew removing and packing the Great pipes on August
31. None of the current Great pipes were made by
Skinner, so with the exception of some pipes in the Mixture
they are being replaced with Skinner pipes made in the early 1920s.
The
Great
toe boards and rack boards were also removed to be
modified to accept Skinner pipes once again. (great_removal album, 8/31/2007) |
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Diapasons
originally from another 1922 E. M.
Skinner organ are installed on our organ. The Octave and Harmonic
Flute have since been installed, and the Mixture will follow. (great_diapasons album, 9/13/2007) |
 | We visited the Spencer shop to see the work in progress on our console and the restored pipes from our Swell division. (shop_visit album, 2/16/2008) |
 | The
restored console from the 1932-1938 interim National Cathedral organ
(Aeolian-Skinner Opus 883) arrives at our church. Connecting to
the existing signal wiring will take several more days. (new_console album, 3/31/2008) |
 | Our first Sunday with the new console. (new_console_first_sunday album, 4/6/2008) |
