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Plymouth owns one of New York City's most distinctive instruments: an Aeolian-Skinner organ known for its "American Classic" sound, installed in our Sanctuary in 1904, revised by the famed organ engineer G. Donald Harrison in 1937, and extensively restored in the 1990s. |
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Music has been a vital part of Plymouth Church since its beginnings. When the present Sanctuary was constructed in 1849, under the leadership of Senior Minister Henry Ward Beecher, a pipe organ was installed. That instrument was replaced in 1866 by what was then the largest pipe organ ever built in the United States. The casework and pipes visible today are part of that organ, made by E. and G.G. Hook of Boston.
The present organ, which still includes four ranks of pipes from the 1866 organ, was designed by G. Donald Harrison and built under his direction by the Aeolian-Skinner firm of Boston in 1937. The four-manual, 59-rank, 4162 pipe instrument is one of only a few Aeolian-Skinner organs to have retained its original design. In the Plymouth Church organ, Harrison created an elegant blending of sound, furthering his concept of what is now known as the American Classic style. A total restoration of this magnificent instrument was undertaken by Nelson Barden and Co. of Boston in the mid-1990s. A four-manual console by David Harrison of California was installed in 2000. When tonal finishing has been completed, the organ will be rededicated as the Donald and Mildred Othmer organ, in recognition of the generosity of two Plymouth members who made the lead gift for this project. The Music Program at Plymouth Church takes great pride in having this magnificent instrument available for our use.
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