The Organs of Central Church

A "New" Organ Arrives at Central UMC      On Saturday, October 6, Cliff Golden, Gary Quamme, Homer Ferguson III, Don Morse & Dr. Richard Haefer coordinated the move and installation of a 5-rank Schlicker pipe organ to Womack Center on the campus of Central United Methodist Church.        The organ was originally built in 1971 by the now closed Schlicker Organ of Buffalo, New York. This firm originally began in 1932 under operations the direction of the quiet and unassuming Herman Schlicker who immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1925. Orpha Ochse, in her book The History of the Organ in the United States, noted that "With his knowledge of European methods and his sympathy with German trends in design, Schlicker emerged as one of the country's most progressive builders." Herman Schlicker died in 1974 although the company continued its operations through a variety of leaders until finally closing in 2001. Stanton Peters, the last president of the Schlicker Organ Company, captures the essence of the organ now in Womack Center. He writes, "In early 1952 Herman Schlicker along with E. Power Biggs came up with the concept for a small 'unit' organ. Interestingly enough Biggs also worked with Walter Holtkamp on the same concept and we [Schlicker] both started to build these unit organs, albeit our designs were some what different." The success of these instruments was immediate and led to the building of hundreds of these unit organs ranging in size from 2 to 15 ranks installed in churches, colleges, universities and homes across the country. Many important and famous institutions dedicated to the teaching of the art of the pipe organ continue to use these ingenious little organs, a small sampling include the prestigious Eastman School of Music, St. Olaf College, Luther College, and the University of Iowa.     The Schlicker Organ now in Womack Center was originally built for Arizona State University under the direction of the late David Johnson, former Professor of Organ, most widely known for his accessible service music and trumpet tunes for organ. The "Petit" Schlicker, as it was affectionately known, served for 36 years as a practice instrument for the many organ students of ASU.  The organ was originally voiced for the Recital Hall on the 5th floor of the Music Building so that it could be moved there from the practice room when the organ was required for performance.     Providing a list of all of the students who learned their craft and art on this organ is like citing a Who's Who of the Organists not only in Arizona but those all over the country. When the University recently acquired two new practice instruments in an effort to expand their offerings to students, a 2-manual mechanical action organ built by Van Daalen and the other a 2-manual electro-pneumatic instrument built in 1937 by Aeolian-Skinner, the two Schlicker practice organs were considered redundant and thus sold. Dr.  Richard Haefer, a professor of ethnomusicology at Arizona State University purchased both Schlicker organs. His intent was to only purchase one, however, due to the university mandated auction system for the sale of surplus property, his fear of being outbid by another buyer on auction day and risking the possibility of not successfully winning the bid for either organ, led to his ownership of both organs when the other bidder later withdrew from the auction. The intent of the acquisition was for Dr. Haefer to make a gift of the larger of the two Schlicker organs, known affectionately as the "Grand" Schlicker due to its combination action and 16' manual stop, to Our Lady of the Annunciation of Clear Creek, a Benedictine monastery in the diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The founding monks at Clear Creek were all members of the monastic community at Fontgombault, France, or of her daughter houses Randol, Triors, and Gaussan. Fontgombault, a medieval abbey in central France, is a member of the Congregation of Solesmes. The "Grand" Schlicker has in turn been donated by Dr. Haefer and will be moved to the Clear Creek Monastery in January 2008.      With two organs now in his possession, Dr. Haefer searched for an appropriate home for the "Petit" Schlicker and found one at Central United Methodist Church through his association with Homer Ferguson due to the fact that Homer serves as the organist and Dr. Haefer the choir director for the Mater Misericordiae Latin Mass Mission Parish. With immense gratitude from the congregation, Dr. Haefer graciously donated the organ to Central Church. His generosity is certainly an example to follow.      The organ has been moved and cleaned and happily sings in the acoustically warm environment of Womack Center. The organ is currently being used for Thursday and Sunday morning choir rehearsals, organ practice, and is available for teaching, especially in connection with Rosie's House, a non-profit music school which provides under-served youth of Greater Phoenix with the gift of music, enhancing their daily lives by providing direction, stability and tools for future success. Dedication events are being planned for the spring and the instrument will be featured during the Advent Organ Series at Central Church, held every Wednesday during the season of Advent, at 12:15 PM.