Aeolian-Skinner

Æolian-Skinner Organ Company, Inc. — Æeolian-Skinner of Boston Massachusetts was a builder of a large number of pipe organs in the first part of the 20th century. Key figures were Ernest M. Skinner, Joseph Whiteford, and G. Donald Harrison. The company formed with the merger of the Skinner Organ Company and the pipe organ division of the Aeolian Company in 1932. Aeolian-Skinner built pipe organs for such places as the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. and the Community of Christ's Auditorium in Independence, Missouri. The company rebuilt and greatly expanded the organ in the LDS Church's Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah. Joseph A. Vitacco, who runs an organ-record company, JAV Recordings, Inc., is quoted by the New York Times as saying "Mr. Skinner was a genius. He invented so many mechanical and electrical devices and he voiced his instruments with such care."

First Congregational Church The First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, California, features what is believed to be the largest church organ in the world, with 346 ranks and over 20,000 pipes. It was built by Ernest Skinner in 1931, with additions by Schlicker (1969), Meunch (1994), and Robert David (1995).

Newberry Organ, Woolsey Hall The organ of Woolsey Hall at Yale University, New Haven Connecticut features some 12,500 pipes. The original instrument was built in 1902 by the Hutchings-Votey Company of Boston, Massachusetts, under the direction of George S. Hutchings, with Ernest Skinner in one of his first jobs. It was enlarged in 1915 by J. W. Steere & Son of Westfield Massachusetts, and again in 1928 and 1929 by the Skinner Organ Company, which added 5,200 pipes in the voices of French and English horns, flutes and trombones.

National Cathedral The original organ of the National Cathedral was installed in 1938 by Ernest M. Skinner & Son. Expansions were executed by Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company in 1963, and from 1970 to 1975, enlarging it to more than twice its original size. In its present form, the instrument consists of 189 ranks and 10,650 pipes. The National Cathedral is in the process of installing two new organs. Dobson Pipe Organ Builders of Lake City, Iowa is building the organ for the East end of the Cathedral. Casavant Frères of St-Hyacinthe, Québec is building a French-style organ for the West end.

Cleveland Public Auditorium The Cleveland Public Auditorium, now known as the Cleveland Convention Center, features an organ of some 10,000 pipes, built by Ernest Skinner in 1921.

East Liberty Presbyterian Church The East Liberty Presbyterian Church, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, houses an Aeolian-Skinner organ of nearly 8000 pipes. Originally built in 1935, it was restored in 2007 by the Goulding and Wood Organ Company of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Opus List

See external links for full opus list.

References

• The Life & Works of Ernest M. Skinner — 1987, by Dorothy Holden
• "JOURNEYS; Old Pipes, Heavenly View: A Search for Musical Bliss" The New York Times, article by Craig R. Whitney, April 12, 2002.

External links

• [1]
• Æolian-Skinner history, timeline, and opus lists.
• The Riverside Church, Nave Organ.
• [2]