Streeter Organ Rebuilt
Marcel Dupre, noted French organist, gave the first concert on the renovated Streeter Organ in Rollins Chapel, October 12. Photographs of the new four-manual console and of the interior of the chapel as it now appears are reproduced in this section of the MAGAZINE . During the summer, the organ has been given a complete overhauling and many repairs and improvements have been effected.
The organ in the College Chapel, which was presented by the late Frank S. Streeter in 1918, and installed by the Austin Organ Company at Hartford, Conn., was placed at a disadvantage for a large instrument, for it was necessary to place both organ and choir in a rather small gallery. In 1924 the choir gallery was removed, the choir seats and the organ console placed on the floor level. The organ proper, which consists of its wind chests, action and pipes, was left undisturbed, until such time as the instrument could be most advantageously placed.
Funds became available and it was possible during the past months to bring about these necessary and important developments. The William Laws Organ Company of Beverly, Mass., has completely renovated and rebuilt the organ; a new four-manual Austin console has been installed, the electro-pneumatic action improved, most of the pipe work relocated, the front re-designed, room provided for future additions, and many other detailed improvements brought about. As it now stands, the instrument contains 64 stops, 3,500 pipes, 94 mechanical accessories and five indicators, and it will be evident, even to the casual listener, that a remarkable improvement has been accomplished in its tonal qualities, ease of control, and appearance.
"Our ivy's dead. We helped it die, And wiped a sentimental eye. And we confess, and you'll agree We aren't the men we used to be. We moon about this ancient place In search of a familiar face. No drug-store clerk calls us by name, And town police don't look the same. Professors seem absurdly young And students speak a foreign tongue. The girls we meet don't smile, becuz We aren't as handsome as we was. The hair falls out, the teeth cave in, We get too fat or else too thin. We wear our rubbers on our feet And need to know what not to eat. Our health is guarded by the wife,— We're passing through the prime of life. It may be true as true can be We aren't the men we meant to be, But we should like to tell you, Sir, That we are still the boys we were." Burges Johnson in Amherst Alumni News.
