The Story of Aeolian Pipe Organ Op. 1458
Installed in the Music Room of Paul Morris in Exeter, Devon, UK.
Part Two:
When I handed over the money to
Jim Russell, on the 6th of December 2001 I officially became
the new owner of Aeolian Pipe Organ Op. 1458. This was, of
course the easiest part of the whole business!
Looking
back 8 years ago, I am amazed at how well the whole operation
went. After a minor “hiccough” of getting off the 'bus at the
wrong city in New Hampshire, and staying a night in
Manchester, a hire car was obtained, and Paul Collenette drove
us to the address in New Hampton where Jim and the organ
resided. I am amazed now too, at the matter-of -fact way in
which I perused the organ, summed it all up and decided to
purchase it. That it had been my intent to do just that for
several weeks before was true enough. One can make all sorts
of plans the other side of a crackly 'phone line, and with my
newly acquired skills as an e mailer, it all seemed so clear
and simple. With the advantage of hindsight, however, I can
see that it could all have gone so horribly wrong. My lucky
stars were shining bright that day and no mistake!
Jim
had wanted to get rid of the organ for some time, he had had a
deadline to move house, and so I guess I came along at the
right time. He had expressed understandable surprise when, in
a 'phone call, I had simply said that “ It's Monday today,
right? Well, I can get 'plane tickets tomorrow, and be with
you on Wednesday, and we can have the organ away by the
week-end” That's what I said, and I meant it too! (Actually I
already had the tickets, but I did not let on. One must never
seem too keen in these sort of situations!)
When I
think now about the sheer size of the instrument, the location
of some of the heaviest bits, the number of parts that could
be missing and the hard and skilled labour of loading it into
a container, I think I must have been on another planet! I
recall the curious dismay I felt after acquiring my previous
Aeolian – Op.1431. For some time then, I paced up and down the
outside of the van that it came in after everyone else had
gone to bed, asking myself where I was going to put it, and
why had I given myself such a large task. Richard Cole's
comment of “just do it, Paul” (made when I was considering the
purchase) seemed just a faint memory. However, this organ was
a great success, and it well prepared me for what I found in
New Hampton years later, in 2001. I seemed to “know” I would
get it all in, somehow, and that it would all get back safely,
and that I would be able to make it fill my house with music,
and I was certainly unaware of any angels who were too afraid
to tread the path I was already a long way down, on that
unusually sunny day in early December at Jim Russell's New Hampshire home.
The console of 1458
as I first saw it. |
Surrounded by yellow wood. |
The night before, with that curious
extra energy that a transatlantic flight beguiles one into
thinking one has, and with Paul's help, I began marshalling
the various components into an order that would make easier
the transfer into the huge container ordered for the next day.
Undaunted, we moved 9 and 10 rank chests from a sub floor area
to the main room, stacked top, bottom and rack boards near the
front door, and checked some of the pipes which had been
beautifully stored in pipe trays when the organ was removed
from the Pilgrim United Church, New Bedford, in 1987 All
seemed in order. There was time to take some pictures, and to
marvel at the Concertola (a ten roll player that was included
in the deal, though sadly lacking a jack box) I sat quietly
among all the yellow wood and tried to take stock of what I
had done, then I gave a brief, imaginary recital on the
dilapidated and intensely silent three manual console. No one
but but me heard the diapasons ring out, and when I drew the
solo division to manual one, and gave a fanfare on the 8”
trumpet ( a tuba really) all a casual observer would have
heard would just have been a series of soft clicks, as the key
contacts that had last been used so many years before, gave
themselves a sort of “sliding handshake”. Perhaps they were
bidding the USA a “phosphorous-bronzy farewell” or perhaps I
was just getting too sentimental. Paul and I were able to take
full advantage of Jim's hospitality and after much
refreshment, retired for the day.
Taking a break in
the front yard. |
A pensive moment at
the end of a long day. |
The following
morning saw us up early and the task began. Nearly everything
was transferred to Jim's yard, in preparation for the arrival
of the container. They say ignorance is bliss, and I was
certainly ignorant of the usual weather patterns at this time
of the year in New Hampshire. The sun shone, and we had ideal
conditions for the task. How we moved the console I do not
know. If you have moved a partially disassembled console then
you will know what I mean, and if you have not, it is better
that you did not know! Somehow, it came out via French
windows, onto a rickety wooden deck, down some steps that were
likewise, only a bit more so, and along a bit of lawn to the
drive. Horrible! The 30 or so pipe trays were also brutal. The
sheer number, let alone the weight seemed to make the job go
on for ages, but still I did not worry. “It's all going to be
fine” I seemed to hear a voice saying; but even this voice
wavered a bit when it was time to release the 16' pedal ranks
from their garage prison of 14 years. CCC of the great pedal
diapason was a struggle with two men! Just how was it going to
be fitted into my house along with its fellows that got only
slightly smaller as the chromatic scale was ascended? But I
was only thinking “I'll bet they sound fantastic” It was to be
another 7 years before I was to be proven right.
The
container arrived, just a little late, and Paul, two lads
(whose names I have forgotten) the father of one of them and
myself began loading. Sadly Jim was not available for this
part, so he missed out on all the fun. The trick was to fill
the container so that everything was packed in tightly, and to
use the space in such a way as not to create voids at the
front that couldn't be filled subsequently, as more space
became needed. Much of this technique I have learned from
Richard Cole when he and Bernie Brown helped me with previous
organ adventures. After about 7 hours, the container was
really filled, all 40 feet of its length, and with nearly no
room to spare. Halogen lights had been installed, since the
last part of the job was done after dark. My last memories of
that part are one of the lads (the taller, lankier one) saying
“It's done” and, my goodness me, it certainly was!
Some of the
carefully boxed pipes. |
It's finished. |
We left Jim Russel's a little earlier than planned. Jim was busy,
and needed time to himself and suggested that we took a trip
to a fellow organ enthusiast: Larry Leonard, who lived in
nearby Laconia. This we did, and by more good fortune, ended
the rest of our stay in the delightful home of one of the most
hospitable gentlemen I have ever met. Larry could not do
enough for us, and to say his house was full of the most
fantastic items of mechanical music (and a few hundred clocks)
would be an understatement. Tired though we both were after
the day's organ packing, I found energy to play his superb
Estey residence organ, and to take a little more video tape
during what must have been one of the most exciting days of my
life.
Larry was quite taken-aback when he learned that
I had purchased Jim Russell's old organ, and considering we
had only just all met up a few hours ago, we all got on
famously then Larry dropped the bomb-shell. “Are you still
buying?” he said and I wondered what this could mean. It
turned out that he was the proud owner of Mrs. McK.
Twombley-Vanderbilt's Duo-Art organ player, complete with jack
box and quite a few rolls. If I had known the day before, it
could have gone in the container, however, very much better
late than never I gladly accepted, and another, albeit smaller
consignment was made up and sent off.
More things to pack and ship. |
The other
surprise that the following day brought us was the weather. We
woke up to several inches of snow, and instantly I realised
just how lucky we had been the day before. A snowstorm then
with everything out in the yard would have spelt disaster. Our
last few days in New Hampshire were very mellow; listening to
organ rolls, other items of mechanical music, playing Larry's
superb Mason and Hamlin grand piano. We were also introduced
to the pleasures of the Zinfandel grape, and the lovely
refreshments that can be made from it. All too soon it was
time to fly home.
Once back, the
whole adventure took on a dream-like quality, and I was loathe
to believe it had happened at all. One of the small things I
had overlooked when I agreed to purchase what has turned out
to be the largest Aeolian residence organ in Europe was where
to put it. I was hoping some plan would form in my mind, but I
consoled myself that I had a few weeks to come up with
something. I very much doubted that the container would leave
America until after the new year, and then it would be several
weeks. How wrong I was. This was an unwatched kettle that had
boiled, therefore, almost immediately. Whilst we were sipping
our Zinfandel, the container had made good progress to the
port of Montreal, in Quebec and had just made it onto a boat
that was set to sail immediately. This vessel, the “Cast
Power” had lost no time either and seems to have got to
Liverpool in record time. Keen to tie up all loose ends before
the end of the year, the industrious and efficient men of
Liverpool wafted the container through, and even Her Majesty's
Customs Officials hardly gave it a glance, with the result
that my prized possession was almost waiting for me when we
got home! If that is an exaggeration, it is not much of one.
The organ left Jim Russell on the 9th and it arrived in
Liverpool and was unloaded by 19th as I was advised by a
cheery 'phone call. Considering I had arrived back on around
the 15th and was battling with the usual jet-lag for about a
week, it all seemed rather sudden. Now all I needed was a room
in which to store it all. A BIG room, and fast!
© Paul Morris 2009
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Part 3 Coming
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