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OHS ORGAN CRAWL AND CONCERT SCHEDULED
The New Orleans Chapter of the Historical Society is holding a citywide organ crawl on Saturday, April 6th. It will be followed by a recital Sunday, April 7th at 4 p.m. by noted recitalist and organ builder, George Bozeman of New Hampshire. The recital will be at Parker Memorial United Methodist Church, 1130 Nashville Ave. which houses a 12 stop Kilgen tracker organ, c.1910 which is probably the oldest organ in New Orleans in continuous service. An amazing organ and not to be missed! After the recital we will honor George with a Dutch treat dinner at the Maple St. Café, 7623 Maple St. All are welcome.
Organ Crawl Schedule
9 a.m. Our Lady of the Rosary, 3368 Esplanade Tommy Zanca organist
10a.m. Central St. Matthew UCC, 1333 South Carrollton Ave. Ryan Celestin organist
11:15 Residence of Robert Zanca, 4113 Tchoupitoulas St. Robert Zanca host
Lunch: 12 noon New Orleans Hamburger & Seafood, 4141 St. Charles Avenue
1:30 St..Theresa of Avila, 1404 Erato St. at Camp St. Norman Maunz, organist
2:45 St. Mary’s Assumption 2030 Constance St. Robert Zanca, organist
4 p.m. Rayne Memorial United Methodist Church, 3900 St. Charles Ave. Joel Bevington, organist
As is OHS custom each organ will be demonstrated briefly by the organist, there will be a handout with church and organ histories, and a time for you to play as time permits. That is what makes a day with the OHS so enjoyable and informative. If you plan to attend the crawl and/ or the dinner please call Rachelen Lien at 899-1139 or e-mail her at rachelen@bellsouth.net. We hope to see you at both events.
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New Organ Coming To A
New Orleans Area Residence
Roy Redman reports that Hook And Hastings Opus 2217, which was originally built for St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Palestine, TX, will be coming soon to reside in the home of New Orleans OHS Chapter president Robert Zanca in New Orleans. The instrument, which has undergone some changes over the years, was removed from the church in 1970, and then became the property of Rev. Richard Howell of Dallas. As part of the current work, the Redman firm is providing the organ with a new facade and replacing missing toe boards. It will be delivered in February, and a welcoming is planned by the new owner.
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Mini-Odyssey Weekend
A Mini-Odyssey weekend is planned for April 6th and 7th. The program will include two days of special events back-to-back so that out-of-town members and friends can easily attend. On Saturday, April 6th, tour will include several churches in New Orleans. On the following day, we plan to present a recital by organist and builder George Bozeman at Parker Memorial Church in New Orleans. George has been a friend of the chapter, and he is responsible for the construction and restoration of over one-hundred organs.
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Rare Debierre Organ Saved
in Louisiana
The OHS extant list in the 1970’s indicated that an organ by the French builder, Louis Debierre was in Moreauville, LA. The organ was seen by Roy Redman and later by Rachelen Lien and Sydney Boner. At. that time the organ was in the possession of Monsignor John Timmermans. He tells us the amazing story of this organ in his own words:
“The old organ was in the choir loft of St. Peter Catholic Church in Bordelonville, LA. The pastor was Monsignor Isidore Dekeulaer, who was from Belgium. When I was visiting him (around 1960) he
showed it to me and I was very impressed. Monsignor Dukeulaer retired in 1969 and went back to his native country to take care of his older and blind brother (also a priest). He died unexpectedly in 1971.
“To my great surprise, he left the organ to me in his will. One of his successors (Fr. James Aroy) called me around 1978 to get some people to move the organ out of the choir loft because they were restoring the church. I moved the organ to my workshop for preservation. I found that in the history of that church several priests were from Belgium. I feel fairly certain that Fr. Henry Jacquemin who was an excellent musician and organist brought the organ to this country. It resided in my garage until March 2012.
Roy Redman expressed an interest in restoring this organ, and in March 2012 he acquired the organ. It now resides in his shop in Fort Worth. We are grateful to Father Timmermans for keeping this organ from destruction.
Here are the organ’s particulars:
Mechanical Key & Stop Action
67 keys FFF to b” – transposing 7 half-tones
Completely enclosed with swell shades on top of the organ operated by a knee lever.
Stoplist:
16’ Quintaton Ten. C, divided
8’ Bourdon, divided
4’ Flute, divided
8’ Diapason, treble
8’ Violoncello, treble
Organ 60” x 39” x 56”
Debierre Orgue
Louis Debierre, the son of a carpenter, was born in Nantes in 1842. He built his first organ in Nantes at the Church of Our Lady of All Joys. This instrument was followed by many others. The firm built over 600 organs. Many were small choir organs such as the one found in Louisiana. Much information about Debierre is available on line. Although the writing is all in French you may request an English translation.
PETER PICERNO RECITAL
I am happy to report a fine recital at Parker Methodist, New Orleans on Sunday.
Peter Picerno played in honor of the organ's one hundred tenth year. The
organ was renovated by Redman Organ Company in 1998; assisted by members of
the New Orleans Organ Historical Society. Sharon Redman releathered the reservoir and feeders for hand pumping. She also refinished the front pipes, including duplicate stenciling. Sunday's recital included one hand pumped selection,
and many were sure that the organ sounded better when hand pumped!
Roy Redman
Hear Peter Picerno's recital - click here
