Aeolian-Skinner Opus 1053

First Installed and Dedicated:1945 at St. James the Less Episcopal Church (est.1720) in Scarsdale, New York.
Moved, Installed and Dedicated: June 3, 2018, Mt. Calvary, San Antonio, TX

A Brief History of Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company
& Opus 1053

The Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company was formed in 1932 from the merger of the Skinner Organ Company (1901) and the pipe organ division of the Aeolian Company which also produced furniture and pianos. This was the heyday of classical organ building in America and Aeolian-Skinner set the industry standards with regards to innovation, construction materials and techniques, as well as overall tonal quality.  For those reasons Aeolian-Skinner pipe organs were the organ of choice for concert halls, institutions, and churches. Some of the notable Aeolian-Skinner organs include:  the Mormon Tabernacle organ, Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, Riverside Church, Boston Symphony Hall, Lincoln Center, as well as numerous universities, and hundreds of churches. From 1901 until its closure in 1972 Skinner Organ and Aeolian Skinner built over 1600 pipe organs. Of those, only twenty were installed in Lutheran Churches. Of those, there are only three Missouri Synod Lutheran Congregations that are blessed to have one of these instruments; Our Savior Lutheran, Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin (2 manuals/19 ranks), St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran, Forest Park, Illinois (3 manuals/54 ranks, and Mount Calvary Lutheran (3 manuals/45 ranks).  

In Texas there are 48 Aeolian-Skinner organs, with four here in San Antonio. In organ building, the long-standing tradition has been that the organ builders number their instruments like composers number their musical compositions, with an opus number based on the order and timeline in which it was built. So our instrument was the 1053’rd instrument built by Aeolian-Skinner – hence Opus 1053.  I found it interesting that the that two of the three other Aeolian-Skinner Organs in San Antonio are Opus 1052  at Temple Beth-el, and Opus 1057  at Madison Square Presbyterian Church. Opus 1408 was built in 1960 at Jefferson Methodist Church.

In 1936 St. James the Less Episcopal Church (est.1720) in Scarsdale, New York, began discussion with regards to replacing their current organ for a larger instrument to support the worship needs of their growing congregation. Plans were made to enlarge the current organ but were dropped with the start of WWII. In 1944 a proposal was made to purchase a larger instrument from soon to be razed St. Agnes’s Chapel in New York City. This proposal was abandoned when a movement arose in the congregation to purchase a brand new Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ.  In 1944 the congregation at St. James the Less contracted with Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co. to begin construction of the new organ for their sanctuary.  The planning, designing, and building of Opus 1053 began in late 1944 under Aeolian-Skinner tonal director G. Donald Harrison. This instrument, installed in 1946, was the gift of many members of the church and the first organ to be built after the end of WWII by Aeolian-Skinner. The delivery and installation of the organ began in 1945.

The Zimbelstern was added a few years after the original installation and the Trompette en chamade was added to the instrument in 1971.                                                                    

In 2014 a group of benefactors at St. James the Less contributed funds to purchase a larger instrument for their church which would be part of a chancel remodeling. The 60 rank instrument would be built by Klais Organ of Bonn, Germany, and would be installed starting in June 2017.

Meanwhile, back in San Antonio, an organ committee formed at a sister congregation, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church to consider the purchase of a pipe organ.  In 2016 the committee became aware of the Aeolian-Skinner available at St. James the Less.  Near the end of 2016 a Lutheran family who desires to remain anonymous purchased the organ and offered it first to Shepherd of the Hills, which after consideration declined to proceed with the purchase of a pipe organ at this time.  

The donor family now owned the Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ outright and very much desired that the organ would be used by another LCMS congregation preferably in the San Antonio area. Mount Calvary Lutheran Church seemed like the most logical recipient of this instrument as it is a confessional and conservative church with a long history of liturgically based worship. The leadership of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church was approached in November of 2016 with the offer of the donor family to give the instrument to the church. The church moved quickly, and in January 2017 accepted the gift and entered into a contract with C. Bobsin Organ to remove the instrument from St. James the Less, and begin preparations for the installation of the organ at Mount Calvary in April of 2017.

On Easter Sunday, April, 16, 2016, 1845 miles away from Mt. Calvary, at St. James the Less Episcopal Church, Scarsdale, New York, our Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ was played for the last time after leading the song of God’s people in that place for 71 years. By God’s providence, it became possible for this beautiful instrument to be purchased and installed at Mt. Calvary in the year that followed. Now, this beautiful instrument will be leading the Church’s worship and song through the voices of His people here at Mount Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church today, and for generations to follow.

Soli Deo Gloria

Rev. Craig Meissler
Pastor / Minister of Music / Choir Director
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church