AGO Organ History & Instrument Design 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1811–1899) was the defining master builder of which organ tradition?
- German Romantic
- French Romantic (Correct answer)
- English Cathedral
- American Symphonic
Correct answer: French Romantic
Cavaillé-Coll built magnificent organs in France — including those at Saint-Sulpice and Notre-Dame de Paris — defining the French Romantic sound that inspired Franck, Widor, Vierne, and Dupré.
Question 2: The Wanamaker Grand Court Organ in Philadelphia is notable for being:
- The oldest surviving pipe organ in the United States
- The world's largest fully playable pipe organ (Correct answer)
- The first American organ to use electric action
- The only major organ to survive the San Francisco earthquake of 1906
Correct answer: The world's largest fully playable pipe organ
The Wanamaker Organ (now housed in Macy's Center City Philadelphia) is considered the world's largest fully playable pipe organ, with approximately 28,500 pipes, and is still played in daily concerts.
Question 3: Ernest M. Skinner (1866–1960) became famous in American organ building for developing:
- Tracker-action Baroque revival organs
- Theater organs with extensive tremolo effects
- Orchestrally voiced symphonic pipe organs (Correct answer)
- Electronic digital pipe organ hybrid systems
Correct answer: Orchestrally voiced symphonic pipe organs
Ernest M. Skinner pioneered the American symphonic organ, developing new orchestral stops — including the French Horn, English Horn, and Unda Maris — designed to imitate the sounds of a full symphony orchestra.
Question 4: G. Donald Harrison, who headed Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, is credited with developing which influential American organ aesthetic?
- The theater organ revival
- The American Classic organ style (Correct answer)
- The neo-Baroque tracker movement
- The all-electric digital organ aesthetic
Correct answer: The American Classic organ style
G. Donald Harrison developed the 'American Classic' style, blending French and German Baroque clarity and ensemble transparency with American symphonic warmth, exemplified by organs at Harvard, Princeton, and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.
Question 5: The Casavant Frères company, one of the most prolific organ builders in North America, is headquartered in:
- Montreal, Quebec
- Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec (Correct answer)
- Toronto, Ontario
- Boston, Massachusetts
Correct answer: Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
Casavant Frères, founded in 1879 by Claver and Samuel Casavant, is based in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada, and has built thousands of organs across North America and internationally.
Question 6: Charles Fisk (1925–1983) and C.B. Fisk, Inc. became particularly known for:
- Building large theater organs for early 20th-century movie palaces
- Pioneering American tracker organ building in the neo-Baroque tradition (Correct answer)
- Developing the first commercially successful electronic digital organ
- Mass-producing small portable organs for small rural churches
Correct answer: Pioneering American tracker organ building in the neo-Baroque tradition
Charles Fisk and C.B. Fisk, Inc. were central to reviving mechanical tracker-action organ building in the United States, creating historically informed instruments that helped launch the American organ reform movement.
Question 7: The Swell division of a pipe organ is distinguished from other divisions primarily by:
- Using only reed stops without any flue pipes
- Being enclosed in a box with movable shutters for dynamic expression (Correct answer)
- Always being played from the lowest (first) manual
- Containing only the largest, lowest-pitched stops on the instrument
Correct answer: Being enclosed in a box with movable shutters for dynamic expression
The Swell division is housed in a wooden 'swell box' fitted with movable jalousie shutters controlled by a swell shoe pedal, allowing the organist to achieve gradual crescendo and diminuendo.
AGO Organ History & Instrument Design 2
Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1811–1899) was the defining master builder of which organ tradition?