The history of the first three organs of the Plainfield Church was taken from the booklet published in commemoration of the rededication of the organ and choir loft on November 11, 1984. The Organ Booklet Committee consisted of Karen Wolff, chairperson, William G. Hahn, Earl and Alice Itterly, Betty Miller, and Bev Reimer.
A pipe organ built by David Tannenberg at Lititz, PA was installed in 1776 in the union church building of the Lutheran and Reformed congregations of Easton.
Early in 1777 in Easton, several representatives of the Continental Congress, the Pennsylvania Assembly, and the Council of Safety of Pennsylvania signed a treaty with a number of Indian chiefs, representing the Six Nations and their confederates. These colonists hoped to prevent an alliance of the Indians with the British. Thomas Paine, the secretary of the American Commissioners and author of Common Sense, reported the daily ceremonies that accompanied the treaty making.
The ceremony of shaking hands being gone through, a glass of rum was served round to all the Indians present, and the health of the congress and the Six Nations with the allies were drank. The organ being ordered to play in the meantime.
The Reformed congregation sold the Tannenberg Organ to the Plainfield Church (St. Peter’s) in 1833, after the union church dissolved in 1831. Prior to this time, the Plainfield congregations worshipped with a person called a foresinger who led the singing at times. Frequently, the catechist assumed this responsibility until the election of the first organist in 1833.
Charles Hanzelman of Allentown, PA repaired the organ in 1852 by removing the original keyboard and substituting a reversed keyboard.
Lewis B. Clewell of Bethlehem, PA made alterations in 1900, but the wind chest, six sets of pipes, and the handle which pumps the bellows remained from the original organ. The remodeling cost was $670 and the organ was rededicated on December 9, 1900.
(Forty-two wooden pipes and the sound box from this instrument are now on display in the museum of the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society in Easton. One wooden pipe and a part of the wooden bellows are found in our present church.)
The minutes of the Joint Board of Trustees’ meeting on September 13, 1920, reported that $20 was on hand from the sale of the old pipe organ (Tannenberg). An organ fund was started with the $20 and an additional $25 pledge.
On January 17, 1925 at a Joint Board meeting, a motion was made by Elmer Breidinger and seconded by Joseph Albert, that the offer made by the German Singing Society relative to taking steps to procure a new pipe organ be accepted with gratitude. The motion carried.
An organ committee consisting of Rev. Brong (Reformed), Rev. Lazarus (Lutheran), Elmer Breidinger, Eugene Nicholas, Joseph Ackerman and Asher Houck was appointed to cooperate with the German Singing Society. William Becker and Howard Steinmetz aided the committee in its selection of a pipe organ.
Teams of members from both the Lutheran and Reformed congregations were selected on March 22, 1925, for the purpose of canvassing for funds and pledges of funds for procuring an organ.
By April 20, 1925, Asher Teel had received communications from five different companies regarding the purchase of an organ. The companies that sent communications were Moeller Co., Austin Organ Co., Teller Kent Co., Estey Organ Co. and Durner Organ Co.
After comments by Asher Teel at the April 20, 1925 meeting, William Becker stated that the Durner and Estey organs had been investigated by the committee on Sunday, April 19, 1925, and he gave a talk on the various qualities of each of these organs.
The organ fund had a balance of $3038.15 on April 27, 1925, at the Joint Board meeting and and at the May 4, 1925 meeting, William Becker stated that the organ committee recommended a Durner Organ to the Joint Boards. Mr. Durner was on hand at this meeting and he gave the specifications of the organ, the price of $5250 for the organ and the guarantee of the organ against any defects in workmanship and materials for a year or two.
A secret ballot followed Mr. Durner’s statements and the 15 ballots that were cast were unanimously in favor of the Durner Organ.
On Saturday, October 31, and Sunday, November 1, 1925, St. Peter’s Lutheran and Reformed Church celebrated the twenty-fifth annual Singing Reunion, Home Day, and Dedication of the new pipe organ. Capacity crowds attended the two sessions on Saturday and the three sessions on Sunday. On Sunday morning, Rev. W. H. Brong, the Reformed pastor, formally dedicated the new organ with chimes, which cost a total of $6875 and which was free of debt. The Rev. P.A. Laury, D.D., president of the Allentown Lutheran Conference, preached the sermon of dedication.
The Joint Board of the Lutheran and Reformed congregations and members of the joint organ committee donated the chimes. The following members composed the Lutheran Board: James Nicholas, Steward Stackhouse, Edwin Gum, Joseph Albert, Ammon Bitz, Eugene Nicholas, Elmer Breidinger, Floyd Breidinger, John Flory, Emery Miller, Martin Rutt, William Miller, Lewis Werkheiser, and George Houser. The reformed board was composed of the following: Joseph R. Ackerman, Samuel Berger, George Hayden, Charles Schlamp, William Mackley, William Achenbach, Alfred Houck, Granville Rissmiller, Clarence Hartzell, Samuel Smale, Walter Wagner, Morris Bierman, Asher Teel, Naaman Teel and Asher Houck.
Mr. Jacob Greger, who was associated with Mr. Durner, took an active part in the building and installing of the organ. His name also appeared on the organ console, thus the name Durner Gerger for St. Peter’s second pipe organ.
Some of the pipes for this organ were made by Mr. Gottfried, who was a well-known organ pipe craftsman. His work of the middle and late 1920’s was his finest.
The need to repair the Durner Gerger Pipe Organ became increasingly evident during the last five or six years. The Lehigh Organ Company reported in March of 1979 that the organ needed major repairs.
Under the direction of the Church Council, the Worship and Music Committee and the Finance Committee held a joint meeting on March 24, 1981 to discuss the steps necessary to raise funds for repairing the organ. Various suggestions were made and on May 4, 1981, the following proposal for the organ restoration fund was adopted: “Starting on May 1, 1981, 100 percent of all monies received in the Red Building Improvement Fund Envelopes will be designated receipts for an Organ Restoration Fund… with matching funds from an investment income source.”
The Church Council appointed the following persons to an Organ Committee on April 5, 1982: Robert Faulds, Jr., Chairman; Louise Engler, Jan Snyder, William Kessler, Lorene Paulus, Elwood Borger, and Pastor Wolff. The Organ Committee had representation from the Council, the Property Committee, the Worship and Music Committee and the Finance Committee. Its purpose was to study the organ and make recommendations to Council toward restoring the organ.
The Organ Committee began its work knowing that the organ should be repaired, but also upgraded so that it would be an instrument to use with the Green Lutheran Book of Worship (put into use at St. Peter’s in January, 1980).
Floyd Schlegel and Emerson Harding, organists in churches in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, met with the Committee and agreed with the proposals for repairing and upgrading the organ.
Specifications for the organ work were drawn up and sent to the following for their bids: Herbert Hartman, Lehigh Organ Company, Wicks Organ Company, Moeller Company, and U.S. Pipe Organ Company.
The Organ Committee reviewed the bids that it received and recommended the bid of Herbert Hartman after presenting Mr. Hartman’s proposed contract at the meeting of the Church Council on October 4, 1982. The Council voted to recommend Mr. Hartman’s organ proposal.
A special congregational meeting was held on October 24, 1982. The organ renovation proposal was one of three items of business at this meeting. The result of a secret ballot vote regarding a motion to accept the recommendation of the Organ Committee and Church Council for organ renovations as stated in the specifics of Herbert Hartman was: 54 yes, 10 no, and 3 abstentions.
Mr. Hartman began work on the organ in may 1983, and the completion of the work was contracted to be no later than December 1, 1983. The cost of the organ renovation was $40,665.
A new free -standing console, which was manufactured by Reisner was installed in front of the choir loft. Mr. Uliana built five tiers in the choir loft according to drawings prepared by Glenn E. Brodt. A major consideration in the plans was to have eye contact between the organist and the choir members. New choir chairs with book racks were purchased and the previous choir pews were placed in the Sunday School for additional congregational seating.
The Durner Gerger Hartman Organ, St. Peter’s third pipe organ, incorporates old and new as seen in the following specifications, which are listed for all three of the organs.
This information was taken from the booklet prepared for the organ dedication on June 2, 2002.
The Walker Organ was dedicated on June 2, 2002. This organ represents the culmination of many hours of research and discussion. It is the outcome of a centuries old art blended with the convenience of modern technology. In a way, today's organ builders are living a schizophrenic life by plying their trade in a dichotomous instrument. Our position is to recreate those tonal resources by fusing modern technology with old world craftmanship. The result is an instrument that can satisfy current and future musical demands as well as embrace the warmth and aura of a true pipe organ. By pushing the organ to its time honored position, perhaps it should not only be called the King of instruments, but also the instrument for the King.
Historically, the core of the church worship accompaniment has been the pipe organ. Recently, however, with the fast paced changes in today's society, church music styles have begun to drift. Church musicians, while retaining traditional music, have introduced some contemporary styles in order to satisfy today's demand for greater variety. This broadened music repertoire had placed increased demands on the tonal resources of the instruments. Where pipe organs are used exclusively, the new organ specifications are going toward the symphonic organ with many strings and solo voices rather than the Neo-Baroque style of the 60's and 70's. These increased tonal sonorities have allowed the organist to accompany some of the newer music with the full cohesive sound achieved only by a pipe organ.
This organ's aggrandizement is morphed into reality by the introduction of the Walker Paradox System by the Walker Technical Company. Simply stated, it is a very high quality, sampled sound, pipe reproduction and control system in which space or funding for wind blown pipes is a problem. The system has been designed with the latest technology available and incorporates extensive software.
In addition to the advanced electronics utilized in this organ, the splendid handmade wooden console houses them in an aesthetically pleasing yet functional environment. Carefully selected hardwoods are used throughout the construction of this organ. The shell is made from quarter-sawn white oak with custom raised panels on the sides and back. In addition, the panels are removable for service and transportation. The inserts, drawknob jambs, keycheeks, music rack and other keyboard area items are all made from a single Brazilian rosewood tree. Attention to detail is paramount here from the removable music rack and sliding keyboards, to the hand rubbed polyester finish that gives it a warmth of reassurance. Other materials include a straight-grained maple used in the naturals of the pedal-board, the faux ivory coverings used on the keyboards and more rosewood on the hand turned drawknobs.
This overall combination creates an instrument capable of providing a visual medium that blends existing joinery and furnishings, yet can exude a musical sensation that replicates a fine pipe organ, one whose sonorities can evoke emotions of sorrow and sadness, yet rejoice in celebrations. It is the sound of the cohesive ensemble that stirs the emotional soul, one that brings people to worship, and one that will root its foundations in the architecture of assurance.
The organ was built by Walker Technical Company, 6610 Crown Lane, Zionsville, PA. The console was crafted by William Zeiler, Fullerton, CA. The consultant assisting the congregation in designing and selecting the instrument was Mark Suter, Allentown, PA. He was the organist for the dedication service.