The Cathedral Organ Fund
An Appeal From the Dean
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Dear Friends of Cathedral Music,
We have been blessed this year with the calling of Dr. Joshua Coble as Organist and Choirmaster here at Christ Church Cathedral. Since his arrival after Easter, Josh has revitalized our adult choir program, organized our music library and rehearsal spaces, and brought fresh expression to our pipe organ during his time on the bench. I know that you join me in thanking God for Josh’s presence among us, and I am writing to ask for your expression of gratitude and support for his ministry through a gift to our organ fund.
From the earliest years of parish life here at Christ Church, the pipe organ has been central to the musical expression of our worship. We have a rich heritage of musical excellence, and we are called to be good stewards of the instruments and traditions entrusted to our care.
You will notice here a “By the Numbers” listing of our organs and their original sizes and costs. In his 2017 assessment of our organ, Mr. Jack Bethards of Schoenstein & Co., valued the replacement cost of our present instrument at $1.8 million.
At that time, Mr. Bethards identified several repair and deferred maintenance issues that were subsequently carried out by the Milnar Organ Company of Nashville, Tennessee. Since then, the organ has been tuned regularly and a few minor repairs completed. Still, the on-going care and maintenance of an instrument of this age, size, and value is a costly responsibility.
This is where you come into the picture of the Cathedral organ’s life. To enable future generations here at Christ Church to enjoy the organ’s beauty, we have established an ongoing fund dedicated to its care and improvement. This fund provides for regular maintenance and minor enhancements, as well as building a reserve fund for any larger projects that might someday be called for. You may help keep this fund healthy through a one-time gift, a regular pledge of support, or a bequest to this fund. You will find a card in your pew or on the ministry table in the Chapter House for your response, or you may give online through our website.
We take great joy in the musical gifts God has given us at Christ Church Cathedral, and we are justifiably proud of the level of musicality that we presently enjoy. Under the leadership of Josh Coble, our musical program has a great future in store! Please be generous in showing your thankfulness for what we have and your hope for what lies ahead.
Faithfully,
Beverly+
For nearly two centuries, Christ Church has enjoyed beautiful organ music within its walls. Over the years, four different pipe organs have occupied this space. Ours is an organ tradition we can be proud of and must maintain. Our pipe organ has been the “voice of our space,” and with continued maintenance it can play this role for generations to come.
Please support our historic organ by contributing to the Cathedral Organ Fund.
The History of the Cathedral Organ
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As early as 1841, a pipe organ by renowned New York builder, Henry Erben, was in use at Christ Church, Mobile. In 1857, the famed builder returned to Mobile when a rival company, Jardine and Sons, intended to install a grand instrument in the city’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Erben, not wanting to be outdone, offered to buy Christ Church’s existing organ as long as the congregation promised to buy a new one for the cost of $6,000. When building commenced, however, Erben found he had underbid the job but he completed it at cost. Thus Christ Church was furnished with a $10,000 pipe organ, many proclaimed it the finest in the South. This instrument was “made famous” by the playing of Madame Kowalewski, and served as a centerpiece for fine music.
Disaster struck in 1906 when a hurricane sent the steeple crashing through the roof. The organ was destroyed, as was much of the interior of the church. The ladies of the church raised funds to buy a new organ, and in 1907, a fine instrument was purchased at a cost of $10,500 from the Hook & Hastings Company of Massachusetts. This instrument was altered and damaged in the 1940s, but the organ remained in faithful service for around 80 years. The Deagan Chimes of the organ were given in memory of fallen soldiers of Christ Church during the Second World War. The chimes were dedicated and first used during the midnight service on Christmas Eve of 1946. These chimes are still in use today.
As early as the 1970s, is was recommended a restoration be undertaken of the Hook & Hastings organ. As is often the case, it took until 1987 for a new iteration of the organ, built by the Steiner-Reck company of Kentucky, to come to fruition. While originally, it was recommended that the organ be restored to its original state (pre-1940s), plans grew to make Christ Church’s organ a premier concert instrument in Mobile. A restoration became a rebuilding, and the overriding goal was that the organ of Christ Church should be able to present organ repertoire authentically regardless of the historical period or school of organ building. Hence, the Hook & Hastings pipework of 1907 was married with new pipework of the 1980s, French-style reeds were introduced along with German mixtures, and the organ took on new life.
In 2009, a Trompette en Chamade (horizontal trumpet) was added to the organ and seems to usher in our “Cathedral era”. Today, the organ stands as one of the largest in the city of Mobile and at the heart of our music ministry and outreach. It sounds during weddings, funerals, diocesan events, and regular worship. Most importantly, it accompanies our songs of praise and gives voice to our prayers. We now turn our eyes to the future of this instrument.
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Pipe Organ Database: A Project of the Organ Historical Society
The Organ By The Numbers
1841 Henry Erben: $2,600
1857 Henry Erben (50 stops):
Paid $6,000 Valued at $10,000
1907 Hook & Hastings (39 stops):
Paid $10,500
1987 Steiner-Reck rebuild of
Hook & Hastings with additional pipes
(57 stops): Paid $228,771
The 2017 replacement cost of our pipe organ is $1,800,000.
