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Our Church Organs

The Niemann Organs

(Organ Historical Society 1991 Organ Handbook)

Sanctuary Organ

The present organ, installed when the interior of the church was altered in 1893, was the gift of Enoch Pratt, Treasurer of the church and a well known philanthropist. On 14 May 1894, Enoch Pratt wrote the following testimonial. "The organ Mr. Henry Niemann built and put in the First Independent Church, Corner Franklin and Charles Streets, is pronounced by all the professionals as well as the congregation, a first-class instrument, and equal to any other organ in the city, and in my opinion no one ought to go out of the city to have an organ built."

The bass notes of the great and swell chests have double pallets. A Barker lever affects the entire Great, including the Swell to Great unison and octave couplers. The Great Forte pedal brings on all stops on the Great, the Gr. to Ped. Coupler, the Ped. Open 16', and also opens the swell box!

A Melodia 8' from the Niemann organ formerly in the Church of the Fourteen Holy Martyrs in Baltimore is now on the toe board originally occupied by the Doppel Floete 8', the pipes of which are in storage. Notes 1-8 of the Sw. Bourdon 16', the Violin Diapason 8', and the Salicional 8', are unenclosed. The bottom octave of the Vox Celestis 8' is grooved from the Salicional 8'. The Cornopean 8' is gone, and a mongrel set of harmonic Trumpet pipes occupies its place. The Bassoon 8' now draws with the Oboe 8'; its knob now controls a Pedal Trombone 16'. The resonators are from a Trombone 16' in an 1866 Hall & Labagh organ formerly in Immaculate Conception Church in Baltimore; the wind chest, from Fourteen Holy Martyrs. is now fitted with electric action.

Parish Hall Organ

This organ was for many years in Mount Zion A.M.E. Church in Annapolis, Maryland. It may have been built for St. Mary's Industrial School in Baltimore. It was installed in its present location in 1895. The original reservoir is gone, replaced by a supply house regulator. The manual wind chest is chromatic.

Now is the time to Save Our Organ

Beacon, August 2008

How many times have you heard Jim Houston playing our historic Neimann organ and felt inspired? Transported? Ready for worship? These are some of the things people have told us they experience when hearing that magnificent instrument. But perhaps you didn’t know that the organ is 115 years old, or that it is badly in need of repair—and close to failing. Many of us as we listen often wonder, “How much longer can it last? More...

Enoch Pratt’s Role in Securing Our Church Organ

Beacon, September 2008

This month our church will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Enoch Pratt. Pratt joined the church soon after he moved to Baltimore in 1831, serving as Trustee from 1848-1893, as Treasurer from 1848-1860, and then as President for 30 years. An important part of Pratt’s legacy at First Unitarian is the Niemann organ he donated, which was installed when the interior of the church was altered in 1893. Pratt later wrote, “The organ Mr. Henry Niemann built and put in the First Independent Church, corner of Franklin and Charles Streets, is pronounced by all the professionals as well as the congregation, a first-class instrument, and equal to any other organ in the city, and in my opinion no one ought to go out of the city to have an organ built.” (The church was renamed when it merged with the Second Universalist Society in 1935.) More...

How Does An Organ Work? Part I

Beacon, November, 2008

Every pipe organ is a work of art. It is custom-made for the buyer, to fit the volume and type of sounds that are desired, the size of the room, even the desired look and budget. However, all organs operate basically the same and the design principals have not changed much over the last few hundred years. This is the first of two articles about how an organ works, with some surprising facts about our own unique organ. Simply put, an organ produces sound by blowing wind into pipes. The pipes are held by wooden racks on top of chests. A chest is an airtight box that has valves inside that let wind into the pipes when the organist presses keys at the console (keyboard). The wind comes from a small blower driven by an electric motor. Wind passes from the blower into a bellows, or reservoir, which regulates the wind pressure. Wind lines are conduits (pipes) made of wood or metal that conduct wind from the reservoir to the chests. More...

More Information

Contact: Music Committee

 

Please join our group! If you can share your time and talent to save the organ, send an email to organ@firstunitarian.net.