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A Renaissance In Phoenix:
The Rebirth Of A Midmer-Losh Pipe Organ
By Jelani Eddington
As published in the September/October 2008 issue of Theatre Organ
The past several years have brought about the rebirth of one of the great pipe organs of all times. Like the mythical Phoenix that rises from its
ashes, the 5-manual 106-rank symphonic-theatre organ that now resides in the Adrian W. Phillips music studio has undergone a remarkable rebirth and
transformation. For the Phillips family, who rescued the instrument in 1974 from neglect and a state of troubled disrepair, witnessing the renaissance of
this instrument represents the realization of a lifelong dream.
At a larger level, however, this newly-installed instrument realizes a dream that many organ builders have had for decades: to build a
pipe organ equally adept at playing theatre organ repertoire, classical literature, symphonic music, and orchestral transcriptions. This goal is a tall
order and falls into the category of “easier said than done.” Indeed, many have taken up the challenge, but very few have been able to accomplish the task. Yet, such a truly versatile instrument now exists in a quiet suburb of Phoenix, Arizona.
THE ORIGINAL INSTRUMENT
The organ was originally built by the Midmer-Losh organ company between 1923 and 1925 as Opus 4920 for the Atlantic City High School in Atlantic
City, New Jersey. The high school instrument was designed by New Jersey Senator and Atlantic City native, Emerson L. Richards, for whom pipe organs were a
great passion.
The original instrument totaled 75 ranks, and became the largest pipe organ ever installed in an American public school. The instrument was housed
in six chambers in the following divisions: Great Unenclosed, Great Enclosed, Solo, Orchestral, Floating, Choir Division I, Choir Division II (borrowed
from the Floating division), Antiphonal, and Pedal Unenclosed, Pedal (enclosed in the Solo Division).
Over the course of the next several years, various changes and additions were made to the instrument, bringing the organ to a total of 125 ranks.
Throughout the years that the organ played in the Auditorium, many public concerts were given, including by resident city organist, Arthur Scott Brook.
After the high school project was completed, Senator Richards went on to design and build the world's largest pipe organ: the 7-manual, 455-rank Midmer-Losh
at the Atlantic City Convention Hall.
Unfortunately, the high school along with the organ it housed fell into such a state of disrepair that much of the original pipework was beyond
salvage. In December 1974, Adrian W. Phillips, Jr. (who himself had been a student at Atlantic City High School and was class organist of 1941) was
visiting his relatives in the area for the holidays and learned that the high school organ was scheduled to be removed and discarded. Adrian and his son,
Adrian W. Phillips III, went to the school to investigate the instrument and immediately decided to purchase it. The organ was removed from the school,
placed in storage in New Jersey, and gradually transported to Phoenix over the next six years.
THE REBIRTH
In late 1980, Adrian and his family found a new site for a home located in the Doubletree Canyon area of greater Phoenix. In 1981, a new home was
built on a lot with space for a music studio to be constructed at a later date. In 1984, additional pipework was acquired from the original Longwood
Gardens estate, once owned by the Pierre S. DuPont family. Over the course of the next decade, Adrian also acquired various organ parts to be used in the
restoration process of the instrument.
In 1999, planning commenced for building the music room that would house the organ. Construction started in October 2000 and was completed in July
2001. The music room measures an impressive 178 feet long, 35 feet wide, and 24 feet high to the apex of the building. In order to accommodate the organ’s
massive 32-foot pipes, two pedal wells were constructed on the east end of the room, which sit four and six feet below the level of the main floor. With
the music room constructed, the organ restoration began in January 2002.
The Phillips family engaged long-time Phoenix resident and noted theatre organist Lyn Larsen to oversee the rebuilding and reinstallation of the
instrument. All of the organ's components were painstakingly restored from the ground up. This process continued through the end of 2006 with a crew of
four full-time organ technicians working under the direction of Mr. Larsen. Additional pipework was obtained from a variety of sources to complete the new
tonal design of the instrument.
The organ currently has 106 ranks (totaling 6,694 pipes) that speak from seven pipe chambers. Three chambers (Orchestral, Floating, and Choir) are
situated on the west end of the music room, with four chambers (Solo, Upper Great, Lower Great, and String) speaking from the opposite end of the room.
Much like the pipework in the instrument, the original Midmer-Losh console was in a state of extreme disrepair when the Phillips family acquired it
in 1974. As the reinstallation of the organ progressed, a great deal of work was done to rebuild the impressive 5-manual organ console. Ken Crome of
Reno, Nevada, repaired and refinished the original casework and built a new fallboard and stopjambs. The keyboards were completely rebuilt, and Syndyne
stop actions installed. A Uniflex 2000 computerized relay system was installed by Phoenix resident Al Young to control the instrument.
The first sounds of the instrument were heard in November 2003 with just a few ranks playing on the west end of the room. In May 2004, with 35
ranks complete, the organ made its public début to the American Guild of Organists with 130 people in attendance. During the next two years, the organ was
completed on the west end of the room, and construction began in the chambers on the east end. The four chambers located on the east end were completed by
the end of 2006.
In mid-2007, Jelani Eddington approached the Phillips family about making a commercial recording of the instrument. That album, titled
Phoenix Renaissance, explores a diverse pallet of styles and sounds, including the first-ever
recording of the complete Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 for organ and piano.
THE REVOLUTION IN ORGAN DESIGN
The resulting instrument represents a true revolution in organ design. Notably, when the plans were first drawn up for the reinstallation of the
instrument, much thought was given to how to create a truly versatile instrument capable of performing an unprecedented variety of repertoire.
The Phillips family wanted to have an instrument that could successfully interpret the gamut of classical and symphonic repertoire, orchestral
music, as well as theatre organ works. Creating such an instrument is a frequently sought-after, yet rarely attained goal. Indeed, organists have often
expressed frustration when approaching an instrument that is rigidly locked into one specific musical style.
Because of the way certain instruments are designed, many theatre organs have difficulty playing classical repertoire convincingly. Conversely, many
classical organs struggle to recreate the lighter and more orchestral music so often associated with the theatre organ. These limitations are not
surprising, given that many instruments are designed to interpret a relatively narrow range of music. Coaxing an organ to recreate music of a style it was
never designed to play is akin to the age-old dilemma of the square peg and the round hole.
To that end, two very important decisions were made early on that would allow the Midmer-Losh to become an instrument equally at home playing
classical, symphonic, orchestral, and theatre organ repertoire. First, the organ was reinstalled primarily on unit chests. The unit chest design--a
quintessential hallmark of theatre organ building--allows the organ's various ranks to be playable at any pitch from any of the instrument's five manuals
and pedal. Second, and equally as important, the winding systems were redesigned to ensure that enough of the ranks were independent of each other so that
a variety of tremulants could be used throughout the organ where appropriate.
Among the ranks added to the organ during the reinstallation were a select handful of theatre organ pipework from various builders, including
Wurlitzer, Kimball, Barton, and Robert-Morton. Every care was taken so that all of the organ's voices from all of the manufacturers would blend well
together and create a unified and musically successful sound.
The result is an instrument that is truly the first of its kind, in that it beautifully synthesizes the best of symphonic/classical organ design
with the best of theatre organ design. When played as a classical organ, one is immediately reminded of the so-called "English cathedral organ" school of
organ building, with its solid Diapason choruses and broad, majestic chorus reeds. When played theatrically, the organist can find every nuance contained
in the most refined of theatre organs.
And when the instrument is played orchestrally, the Midmer-Losh truly finds its voice. It is not simply the 29 ranks of strings and an abundance
of orchestral reeds and flutes that makes the instrument so successful in the orchestral genre. Rather, the instrument recreates orchestral repertoire so
successfully because it is faithful to the notion of how an orchestra makes music. One of the most important aspects of a symphony orchestra's sound is
that virtually all of the instrumentalists introduce vibrato into their playing as the music requires. In fact, the stringed instruments (Violin, Viola,
Cello, and Contrabass)--which comprise roughly two-thirds of the instruments in a modern symphony orchestra--play with vibrato far more often than not.
In fact, if a bowed passage is to be played without vibrato, the composer must specifically indicate senza vibrato in the score.
Accordingly, to recreate these sounds faithfully on an organ, it is of the utmost importance, not only that these same types of sounds be present
(strings, woodwind, brass, etc.), but also that they can come to life as they do in an orchestra through the use of vibrato....These concepts--borrowed
heavily from theatre organ building and design--allow the Midmer-Losh to recreate orchestral music to a breathtaking degree of realism.
At bottom, the organ's revolutionary design works because it makes sense musically. Like a chameleon, this instrument can seamlessly switch among
various styles, remaining faithful to each musical school of thought without the slightest compromise.
The Midmer-Losh will be featured prominently during the upcoming Desert Winds Regional, November 28-30, 2008, hosted by the Valley Of The Sun
Chapter. All are invited to attend and experience the sounds of this revolutionary instrument.
For a complete chamber analysis of the instrument, please Click Here
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