The Church of the
Holy Name - Episcopal
Swampscott, MA USA

E. M. Skinner Opus 368 stoplist: past, present, and future

¹ non-Skinner stop
² replica of original stop using vintage or replica pipes (ext or e) extension of another stop
³ these stops which are now missing will be replaced with other Skinner stops
⁴ new Skinner stop on original windchests using vintage or replica pipes
⁵ new Skinner stop on added windchests using vintage or replica pipes
⁶ restoration of original stop using our original pipes plus some vintage or replica pipes
⁷ original pipes transposed up
⁸ original pipes transposed down

Notes on the Stoplist

This organ was built during the peak years of the "romantic" or "symphonic" style organ, which provided a rich palette of voices more or less imitative of contemporary orchestral instruments. These organs use electrically powered blowers and electro-pneumatic actions to produce and control the high wind pressures required by this type of voicing.

In the following decades, fashion changed to favor "neo-Baroque" organs which were based loosely on 18th century northern German organs. Many romantic organs were replaced or modified during that time, and ours did not escape the trend.

The first modification to ours was to convert the 2' Piccolo to a 2 2/3' Nazard by transposing each note down a fourth. This left the organ without a 2' stop, so the 4' Flute was then transposed up an octave to make a new 2' Piccolo. This in turn meant there was no 4' stop on the Swell and Choir, so the 8' Aoline was eventually replaced with a 4' Rohrflöte.

In 1974, all the original stops in the Great were removed and replaced with a neo-Baroque diapason chorus plus a 2' flute. This change was particularly unsuccessful, as the Octave and Mixture are harsh sounding and do not blend with the rest of the organ.

Also in 1974, the original Lieblich Gedeckt and Echo Lieblich were removed from the Pedal division, and replaced by an 8' Diapason and a 4' Choralbass; these were partly constructed from the Swell 8' Diapason. The original position of the Swell Diapason was filled by an 8' Gemshorn, of which the lowest few pipes were adapted from the original Great 8' Erzähler and the rest were probably used pipes from another instrument.

Either in 1974 or prior, the wind pressure of the organ was reduced to little more than half its design value. The reduction in wind pressure has markedly weakened the tone of the organ, especially in the Pedal, and made it almost impossible for the reed stops to speak properly. Revoicing of some of the existing stops has also detracted from the sound.

The proposal from Spencer Organ Company is to reverse all of these changes. Except for the few surviving pipes from the original 8' Erzähler, all of the original pipes which still exist will be restored to their original pitch and voicing, and the wind pressures will be reset to their original design values. All pipes will be cleaned and refurbished as needed. Ranks which are incomplete (in most cases, missing the top or bottom octave) are indicated by ⁶; the missing pipes will be replaced with new or vintage pipes depending on availability.

For each of the stops which was removed by prior modifications, a great deal of thought has been given to whether the original stop should be recreated, or whether it should be replaced by a different stop. In three cases marked by ², it was decided to recreate the stops either from new or vintage pipes, depending on availability. In four other cases, the decision was to substitute other authentic Skinner stops which are felt to be more appropriate in light of our musical needs, especially the need to support congregational singing. The original stops which will not be recreated are marked with ³, and the replacements with ⁴.

Finally, added stops on new windchests are proposed to strengthen the Pedal division and to provide a reed stop on the Great which can also be played from the Choir or Pedal. These added stops, which will greatly increase the flexibility of the organ, are marked with ⁵.

The result of this restoration and augmentation will be to re-establish the original character of the instrument. The addition of the Trumpet and several stops in the Pedal will help meet today's more varied musical demands, but will be respectful of the instrument and will leave it as it was meant to be: a versatile instrument of modest size, suitable for every need of a relatively small church.

Dana Sawyer, January 18 2001