Restoration of the 1894 Farrand & Votey Organ, St. Martin of Tours, Louisville
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,315
    There is a Facebook group run by our parish director of music, Dr. Paul Weber, who is very familiar to Colloquium attendees in recent years. It is dedicated to the restoration of our parish's unique instrument. He recently posted:

    "Well, this has been coming for months, but that warm, round trumpet in the Great Division has been silenced. Those pipes are bleading through on 29 notes, and are responsible for most of the ugly duckling sounds on Sunday mornings. Unfortunately, I had to make the decision to stop air from reaching any of the pipes because of these unwanted noises, and we will not hear this stop (one of my favorites) again until the organ is restored in the second phase of the organ project. Please consider a donation to the restoration of this historic, majestic instrument to prevent any more sounds falling silent."

    He hopes that the project can commence in early 2016. Please consider donating. The parish website is here. You'll find an online donation form, and there is more information on the student schola (of which my younger sister is a member, I am proud to say!) and on donating to the music program so that we can have singers for our two choral Masses on Sundays and feasts. Thanks, fellow forum participants!
    Thanked by 1eft94530
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    I don't have any funds at present, but I can vouch for the fact that it is a worthy project. The parish has come back from the brink of extinction, and there are several reasons:

    1) Perpetual adoration chapel, established by Fr. Robertson, If I recall.
    2) TLM
    3) Fr. Robertson
    4) Fr Cousins
    5) Fr. Klotter
    6) Fr. Beach
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,315
    It was either Fr. Robertson or Fr. Cousens (yes, the “e” throws me off too...). It is the only chapel open 24/7 in the diocese.

    Fr. Klotter really got the serving program going, and so there are only male servers in quite an abudance. Fr. Beach hired Dr. Weber, and the music program has really improved by leaps and bounds. The TLM is now a Sung Mass every Sunday and holy day.

    Certainly we started the TLM at Fr. Robertson’s initiative before the indult was officially granted. But I am under the impression it never went away entirely, at least as far as an occasional private celebration goes.
  • Abbot Jonathan CoelAbbot Jonathan Coel
    Posts: 167
    Wasn't there a total rebuild/restoration complete with new console done in the 1980's by Miller Organ Company there in Louisville? I attended a recital there one evening by Thomas Murray of YALE University. It was an amazing concert!

    I know the instrument well. As a young high school and then college kid, I use to practice on it for hours during Fr. Robertson's tenure. I also knew the organist then, Ron Crowl. He was an unusual person but an amazing organist and improvisor.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,315
    Its warm sound is what appeals to me the most.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,980
    I talked with successors to Miller Organ - Miller himself is retired and no longer associated with the firm - when they were rebuilding my Schantz console. They indicated some work had been done on the St. Martin of Tours organ, but didn't say anything about a complete rebuild.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,315
    You would have to ask Dr. Weber but I don’t think they did, hence the work now. He said this work will make it last so we can go many decades without more than maintenance.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,980
    I will say that the two guys running Miller - now Miller Organ Service - are superb and do excellent work. They rebuilt my console for half what the manufacturer asked and did a first-class job.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,315
    From the Facebook post... My sister responded to someone who at first thought no one notices, that it is not a priority due to the economy and wondered why we would bother considering the evil in the world.

    “Actually, we have noticed... And amidst the evil happening in our world we need to focus on the good, true, and beautiful, the greatest of which is the Mass. Music is a vital part of the our liturgy and it would be a tragedy if we at St. Martin's weren't able to praise God in music with the help of our rare, historic, beautiful organ.”
    Thanked by 1ryand
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,611
    35 years is about right. Pipes last "forever" consoles and pneumatic windchest actions do not. As discussed here a few years ago, leather tanning procedures changes in the mid 1920's, causing rapid aging.
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