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Organ has rich
sound, richer history
Schuylerville
church instrument predates American Revolution
Published on 2/20/2002
By MARIA M.
BUCCIFERRO
Correspondent
"Its pipes echoed
the thunder of the battle of Bunker Hill, and it heard the tread of the
British troops as they evacuated the city of Boston. The British General
Gage and his officers undoubtedly listened to this instrument, as did
General Washington and his commanders after their occupancy of the town.
"General John Burgoyne was in Boston serving with the British Army
from May 1776 to the following December, and he probably attended services
in King's Chapel and heard the charming tones which the same organ pours
forth today.
"The instrument is now voicing itself on the site of General
Burgoyne's surrendered camp (old Saratoga), and within a stone's throw
almost of 'The Field of the Grounded Arms' where his defeated army laid
down their banners and implements of war."
-- Charles Ingraham, 1923
SCHUYLERVILLE -- Tucked away in a quaint white church on a quiet street in
the village of Schuylerville is a musical treasure that predates the birth
of the nation.
For more than a century, the United Methodist Church of Schuylerville has
been home to "the Handel organ" -- the oldest tracker pipe organ
in the United States.
A tracker organ's keys move its inner workings mechanically rather than
electrically.
Before it found its way to Saratoga County, the 245-year-old maple organ
was played in King's Chapel in Boston during the formative battles of our
nation's history.
Built in London in the 1750s and brought over to Boston, it sat in a crate
for several months as the more liberal and more conservative members of
King's Chapel debated its fate.
Ultimately, it served the congregation of King's Chapel for 80 years before
it was sold to the Congregational Church of Ware, Mass. There it stayed for
about 50 years, until it was sold in the summer of 1888 to the
Schuylerville Methodist Episcopal Church.
The organ and the church on Church Street will be a stop during the history
walks planned in the village this summer or fall to commemorate the 225th
history of the battles of Saratoga, the Rev. Bonnie Bates said Tuesday.
Members of the church -- which celebrates its 175th anniversary on Feb. 28
-- get to hear the historic pipe organ every Sunday at 11 a.m., during
weddings and funerals, and at occasional ecumenical choir performances.
In Handel's hands
German composer George Frideric Handel -- who wrote the classical
masterpiece "Messiah" -- is rumored to have played the organ
after it was built in 1756 in London, said 84-year-old Hugh Wanmer, a
church member since the 1920s.
"From time to time it's been referred to as Handel's organ. I don't
know where it got started, or if it's authentic," Wanmer said.
"The story is that he actually played on this organ. The organ was in
London, and he was in London."
Handel was living in London a few years before his death in 1759, and may
have even played "the Messiah" on the organ, Wanmer said.
"I don't know if we can prove that for a fact," he said.
"It's folklore, a legend, a word-of-mouth tradition that's been passed
down. It might be true, but we can't prove that it was."
Disrepair and restoration
The pipe organ has needed major restoration since coming to Schuylerville.
By the mid-20th century, the organ's rich, beautiful voice had become
"sour" in tone and it was nearly unplayable, so the church piano
was increasingly used instead.
A fire in November of 1956 caused a great deal of damage to the church, but
the ancient pipe organ was spared, except for some smoke and water damage.
During reconstruction of the church, officials wrestled with what to do
with the organ.
One faction favored scrapping it as a "worthless old organ,"
while others fought vehemently to save what they called a "priceless
heirloom."
An electric organ was purchased to replace the church piano in 1957, and
another committee was formed a year later to raise funds to have the
Andover Organ Co. of Methuen, Mass., repair the old organ. In 1962, the
Andover company and its president presented the church with 12 missing
trumpet pipes.
In 1977, complete restoration was estimated to cost $12,000. The church
planned to raise the money in stages. IBM of Poughkeepsie gave a $2,000
grant, and annual rummage sales and donations raised the rest. In November
1977, the restoration began. Church members saved money by putting the crew
from Andover up in their homes.
In 1983, 25 years and $25,000 after it began, the restoration was complete.
And on Jan. 8, 1984, Dale Brockway played the first recital on the
refurbished instrument.
Wanmer said no matter what it cost to repair and what it's valued at in
dollars, the organ's historic and sentimental value are immeasurable.
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