Tuesday, February 2, 1999
A Man and His Organ
ONCAMPUS: Starting a series of recitals, Thomas Harmon will
perform pieces on Royce Hall’s
newly renovated pipe organ
By Michael Rosen-Molina
Daily Bruin Contributor
When one thinks of exciting instruments, the pipe organ might
not readily spring to mind. Too often only narrow images of somber
church processions or carnival musicians with dancing monkeys comes
to mind. Thomas Harmon, though, is one man who really knows the
organ.
After a long wait, the rebuilt organ will finally premier today
with Harmon, UCLA’s official organist, at the console. Harmon will
perform pieces from the original Sept. 7, 1930, dedication ceremony
of the organ, including Johann Sebastian Bach’s "Passacaglia,"
Cesar Franck’s "Chorale in A Minor" and Henri Mulet’s
"Toccato."
Responsible for the expansion of the UCLA organ program and the
design of the Schoenberg Hall organ, Harmon, the former head of the
music department, is someone who knows the full range of this
instrument.
The university organist has been responsible for the upkeep of
the Ernest Skinner Organ in Royce Hall for the past 30 years,
through three earthquakes, two restorations and one complete
renovation.
During the 1994 Northridge quake, hundreds of organ pipes of all
sizes literally toppled over each other, smaller ones piling down
on larger ones, as rack-boards and other supports collapsed.
Fortunately, despite the terrible carnage, little of the instrument
was lost. Even so, repairs have been a long and difficult
process.
"The organ has been silent for over five years," said Harmon.
"It had to be completely removed to undergo extensive repairs and
also to permit the organ chambers – the spaces above the organ – to
be refitted and rebuilt. It’s a very time-consuming and labor
intensive operation, equivalent to installing a brand new organ all
over again."
Both the 1933 Long Beach quake and the 1971 Sylmar quake harmed
the organ, but this is the first time in its 69- year history that
it has required a complete reconstruction. One fortunate side
effect of the repairs was that the temblors provided an opportunity
to update the organ.
"It has been enlarged – in the spirit of broadening its
capabilities for playing literature from all periods," Harmon
said.
The Ernest Skinner Organ is primarily a romantic organ; that is,
it was built mainly for playing transcriptions of orchestral music
such as operas or overtures.
"Originally, it had 80 ranks; we’ve retained all of those and
added an additional 24 ranks, enlarging it by a third," Harmon
said. This addition allows the instrument to better play French
Romantic and German Baroque pieces.
Harmon hopes that these changes will also improve the organ’s
overall sound. "It will be brighter and more incisive," he
predicted. "And the enhancements of the auditory acoustics will
make it sound more spacious." Besides his duties as caretaker and
music professor, Harmon is also an expert on the history of the
instrument. Designed by Harold Gleason of the Eastman School of
Music in Rochester, NY, and built by the Skinner Organ company of
Boston, the Royce Hall organ premiered on Sept. 7, 1930, in a
performance by its very own designer.
Since then, Harmon is only the fourth caretaker in the organ’s
history. Preceding him, Alexander Schreiner (1930-39), George
McManus (1939-42) and Laurence Petran (1942-68) each held the
position. The instrument is unique in that it represents a
transition between the old Romantic style organ to the American
Classic style, a fusion between French Romantic and German Baroque
ideals.
Harmon also notes that the Skinner Organ was among the first
major organs to be made electrical.
"When electricity was first applied to pipe organ mechanisms, it
expanded its capacity for expressively imitating the orchestra,"
Harmon said.
In addition to this most recent overhaul, the organ was restored
in 1982, replacing thousands of leather bellows. "Parts deteriorate
from age and air pollution," Harmon explained. "After a while,
leather becomes grainy and powdery. Once there’s a leak, you either
get a note that won’t sound or a note that continuously
sounds."
Now that the organ is again functioning, future plans include
featuring it alongside instrument and chorale organizations,
including the UCLA Philharmonia Orchestra. Harmon also hopes to
revive a pre-earthquake tradition of using the organ to accompany
the screenings of silent films. An organist will improvise music to
go along with a featured movie.
Although the organist will not simply replay the film’s original
score, Harmon also points out that it is not total improv. An
organist might decide on an appropriate theme ahead of time or make
notes to himself in the margins of his sheets.
Even so, Harmon says the spontaneity of the performance has
always received positive responses, and he expects a similar
reaction in the future. Past presentations have included "The
Phantom of the Opera" and the original "Ben Hur."
Harmon’s recital marks the first in a series of solo organ
performances that continues through next quarter. Thomas Murray of
Yale is scheduled to perform on March 2, while Robert Glasgow from
the University of Michigan will perform on May 18.
ON-CAMPUS: Harmon’s recital, the first in a series of solo organ
performances, starts at 8 p.m. tonight in Royce Hall. Tickets for
the entire series are $38, $14 for each performance and $9 for
students. For more information, call (310) 825-2101.Center for the
Performing Arts
Thomas Harmon, UCLA’s longest-tenured university organist, will
perform works from Harold Gleason’s inaugural recital of Sept. 7,
1930, including pieces by Bach, Franck and Mulet in Royce Hall at 8
this evening.
Comments, feedback, problems?
© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]