Pipe Organs of Chicago

 

Metropolitan Chicago can be proud of its rich history of pipe organs, a history which commenced in 1837 when Henry Erben of New York City installed an instrument in Saint James Episcopal Church.  Today, this region is home to innumerable pipe organs of all sizes and ages.  This book features more than one hundred such instruments.  Many were built in Chicago, while others were brought from across the country, as well as from Canada, England, and Holland.  The authors provide detailed descriptions of each, accompanied by numerous color photographs.

 

This atlas of the King of Instruments includes a wide range of examples, from an organ built in Germany in 1698 and imported to the United States in the nineteenth century, to three instruments installed within the past year by several of the nation’s finest builders.  The several indices will ease the search for specific instruments.  This volume will be valuable to those who live in Chicago as well as those who visit here, to those who enjoy music, art, architecture, and history.

 

Further Information

 

After years of preparation, the full color book, Pipe Organs of Chicago is now available for purchase.  Stephen Schnurr and Dennis Northway have chosen just over 100 instruments to include in, what may be, the first volume of a series, that presents the rich variety of instruments in Chicago's metropolitan area.  The instruments range from a 17th century Harttman (or Hartmann) to the recently dedicated Fisk at St. Chrysostom's Church.  Generous support for the project has been given by the Chicago Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, the Chicago - Midwest Chapter of the Organ Historical Society, the North Shore Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and the Northwest Indiana Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.  The book presents, when possible, color views of the room, the console or keydesk, the organ facade and often interesting specific features.  A brief history of each church or synagogue is provided along with architectural information, organbuilder information, opus number and date of completion of the instrument.  A full stoplist is included.  To the authors' knowledge, this is the first metropolitan survey of its kind.  The book is printed by Chauncey Park Press and layout design is by Sue Austin Wells. 

 

In the Foreword, Stephen L. Pinel, Archivist of the Organ Historical Society states, " Since 1837, when the first Chicago organ was built by Henry Erben for Saint James Church, the "Windy City" has been internationally known for both the number and variety of its organs.  How fortunate we are that this salient publication provides a snapshot of the organ landscape of this important Midwestern metropolis. . . .  As we all know, organs come and go, and our snapshot is always changing.  The reasons are many, but church closings, mergers, and relocations take their toll, and then there are storms, floods, fires, and other natural disasters.  Certainly, Chicago has lost its share of organs to catastrophic fires. . . .  The labor necessary to produce this book has been exhaustive.  Not only was it necessary to carefully photograph every instrument, but compiling the stoplists and technical information required checking and re-checking those details for accuracy."