All the Stops: The Glorious Pipe Organ and Its American Masters

Rating:
Summary: Authoritative without being pedantic
Review: As Whitney quotes one expert, organists are an odd lot for musicians: They often work out of sight, and almost never show much interest in other classical music. So I doubt this book will become a mainstream best-seller, but it has much to recommend it.

Whitney manages to combine a history of the pipe organ in America, especially its flourishing from about 1925 to 1975 with the personalities of the builders (Skinner, Harrison and Fisk) and two performers who defined the age. Patrician, starchy E. Power Biggs (b. 1906) who came to represent the "back to basics" German school of playing, and the flamboyant Virgil Fox (b. 1912) who promoted the romantic orchestral sound of the organ.

There's just enough background to understand the different schools of organ building (North German, English, French and American Eclectic) without getting bogged down in stoplists. Whitney is a keen observer of the instruments and the politics, so this book ends up being a combination of artistic testament, business history and social commentary. Quite an achievement and nicely readable too!

This would make a fine gift for any young organ player, and should be read by every church musician. It belongs in every school library too.

Rating:
Summary: Two remarkable sagas in one book. And then some.
Review: Craig R. Whitney, a superb writer (his "day job" with the N.Y. Times has included assignments as correspondent, foreign editor and now assistant managing editor) and an enthusiastic pipe organ expert (and, one would expect, performer as well) has written what I believe to be the authoritative book on the history of organs and organists in America. And he's written it so well that it can't fail to interest both pipe organ aficianados and the general public as well.

There are two stories interwoven together here, set against the cultural milieu that gave rise to the popularity of pipe organs in America in the first third of the 20th century, then a slow decline in interest with the advent of alternative forms of entertainment ("talkies," the phonograph, and radio and television), and, quite recently, a renewed interest in the design and installation of new instruments and the preservation and restoration of older ones.

The first story is that of the instrument itself, and of the people "who made it happen": the organ designers/builders who were central to the development of the pipe organ in America. Whitney singles out the three most influential 20th century practitioners - Edward M. Skinner, G. Donald Harrison and Charles B. Fisk - without ignoring the influences of either their domestic predecessors (George H. Ryder, E. & G.G. Hook) or their international competitors (Cavaillé-Coll, Casavant Frères, Flentrop, Ruffati). The efforts by these three, affecting the sounds of pipe organs in all sorts of installations (places of worship [obviously], but also concert halls, museums, theaters, and even retail stores and private residences), can be summarized as the search for "eclectic" organs, i.e., organs of sufficient versatility that they are "at home" playing music written for the instrument from virtually any historical period (and certainly from the baroque period of Bach, through the French romantic period, and on to the current repertoire).

The organ part of the story leaves out nothing of importance, including changes in musical taste over time, and how that taste was affected by the instrument's practitioners and composers, as well as bankruptcies and mergers and acquisitions (the most famous of which was the joining of the E. M. Skinner Company with the Aeolian Company to form Aeolian-Skinner, perhaps the largest 20th century force in the industry). Whitney leaves us at a point in history - now - where eclectic organs utilizing both baroque-era tracker mechanisms and modern-day electropneumatic actions are largely the "norm" and where new instruments incorporating such hybrid features are finding their way back into the concert hall.

The second story is that of the two instrumentalists who, over a period exceeding three decades, defined organ performance for most of us and who most directly affected organ design and performance style: E. Power Biggs and Virgil Fox.

It is hard to imagine two people more different than Biggs and Fox, and their differences were only exaggerated wtih the passage of time, with Biggs becoming more and more the "purist" (with his interest in historical instruments and performance practices) and Fox becoming more and more the "showman" (to the point where he became a self-promotional caricature of himself).

Was one better than the other? Was one "right" and the other "wrong"? Whitney writes about Biggs and Fox in a non-judgemental way, using overlapping chapters to tell the story of each, leaving us to decide for ourselves how to assess their contributions. Personally, I think we'd be the poorer if the efforts of either man were lost. Without Biggs, we might not have heard Charles Ives's "Variations on America," sent at his request for "something by Ives" by Mrs. Ives in 1948, with a note from her that Ives hadn't composed anything for the organ in over 40 years. And without Fox, we'd have never heard his organ transcription of Bach's "Komm Süsser Tod" ("Come, Sweet Death"), performed on the John Wanamaker organ in Philadelphia. Although Fox evenually went "over the top" in his "Fillmore East electric organ" phase, his very last recording, made not long before he died, on the then-new Ruffati organ at the Garden Grove Community Church, remains as testimony to his staggering technique.

Whitney writes with infectious enthusiasm for his subject. One hardly needs to be an unrepentent pipe organ nut, as I happen to be, in order to enjoy this book. I think that anyone with an interest in music - and especially music in America - will find the book to be a delight.

I'd be remiss if I failed to mention two small points that reached me directly (perhaps more directly than they would most readers). The first is that Whitney, because of his origins, is very familiar with pipe organs in my geographical area, particularly in Worcester, MA, where there are two fine instruments. One of them - an 1864 E. & G.G. Hook organ in Mechanics Hall - is of historic importance because it was the first "grand civic" organ in the country. I've admired its (now-restored) appearance for many years (as a concert-goer), but have yet to hear the instrument. Perhaps one of these days someone will perform a recital on it.

The second point is that it pleases me to see Joe Vitacco's name in the context of commenting on this book. Joe is an expert on the instrument in his own right, in both his expertise regarding pipe organs and his endeavors as a recording specialist of pipe organs. His JAV Records label is one of the few labels that specialize in organ recordings, and, several years back, he co-produced a 4-CD album - one of my all-time favorites - of historic NYC pipe organs, with the whimsical acronym "GOONY" (Great Organs Of New York), now sadly out-of-print and a true collectible. I should think that many pipe organ fans have and treasure this album. If you don't, it is well worth the search.

Bob Zeidler

Rating:
Summary: Less than compelling
Review: I really wanted to like this book. I'm an organ enthusiast, having attended hundreds of organ concerts, including ones by Virgil Fox at the fabulous Hammond Castle described in this book. (I won't go so far as to call myself an organ player, although I have trained a bit and can punch out a few notes.) I have a good collection of organ music and listen to it a lot. I've read organ books like Schweitzer's J. S. Bach.

And Craig Whitney, the author, is clearly a talented researcher. I can only imagine the thousands of hours he put into going over every conceivable concert program, book, and letter relating to his topic. I can just see him poring over his voluminous notecards laboriously putting together each paragraph of this documentary of the history of the organ in America.

Only problem: it's BORING. Is it the story itself which is boring, or his telling of it? Probably a little of both. I'm giving the book three stars to try to show how much I value the scholarship that went into the tome while at the same time I can't recommend the flaccid narrative and tone.

There are certainly dramas in the history of the organ in America that could have been played out much more, well, dramatically here. Something beyond, Player A was a good organist, got famous, had some personal issues, then died. Organbuilder B had some good ideas, built some good organs, then died. Some people thought organs should be like X, but then there were other ones that thought they should be like Y.

This is still a useful book for those wanting to flesh out their knowledge of US organ history, but far from a must-read.

Rating:
Summary: Less than compelling
Review: I really wanted to like this book. I'm an organ enthusiast, having attended hundreds of organ concerts, including ones by Virgil Fox at the fabulous Hammond Castle described in this book. (I won't go so far as to call myself an organ player, although I have trained a bit and can punch out a few notes.) I have a good collection of organ music and listen to it a lot. I've read organ books like Schweitzer's J. S. Bach.

And Craig Whitney, the author, is clearly a talented researcher. I can only imagine the thousands of hours he put into going over every conceivable concert program, book, and letter relating to his topic. I can just see him poring over his voluminous notecards laboriously putting together each paragraph of this documentary of the history of the organ in America.

Only problem: it's BORING. Is it the story itself which is boring, or his telling of it? Probably a little of both. I'm giving the book three stars to try to show how much I value the scholarship that went into the tome while at the same time I can't recommend the flaccid narrative and tone.

There are certainly dramas in the history of the organ in America that could have been played out much more, well, dramatically here. Something beyond, Player A was a good organist, got famous, had some personal issues, then died. Organbuilder B had some good ideas, built some good organs, then died. Some people thought organs should be like X, but then there were other ones that thought they should be like Y.

This is still a useful book for those wanting to flesh out their knowledge of US organ history, but far from a must-read.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: I received this book as a Christmas present this past year. It didn't take me long to read it from cover to cover! Whitney provides a great history of the pipe organ from E.M. Skinner's era up through today, including two very informational biographies of both E. Power Biggs and Virgil Fox, the organ showmen of the 20th century.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested in the pipe organ. Whitney has a very easy writing style to read, often incorporating definitions of the organ terms he uses as he goes along. He also includes a glossary of other terms at the end for further clarification. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

And just as an end note, I believe that those who review books online (such as Bob Myers, July 14 2003, below) should remember that this is a chance to voice OPINIONS. Nobody can judge an opinion, such as his statement that this book is "boring." But it would be much more accurate for him to state that this book is, in HIS opinion, boring... rather than possibly giving someone who would very much enjoy this book the wrong idea before they even read it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: I received this book as a Christmas present this past year. It didn't take me long to read it from cover to cover! Whitney provides a great history of the pipe organ from E.M. Skinner's era up through today, including two very informational biographies of both E. Power Biggs and Virgil Fox, the organ showmen of the 20th century.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested in the pipe organ. Whitney has a very easy writing style to read, often incorporating definitions of the organ terms he uses as he goes along. He also includes a glossary of other terms at the end for further clarification. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

And just as an end note, I believe that those who review books online (such as Bob Myers, July 14 2003, below) should remember that this is a chance to voice OPINIONS. Nobody can judge an opinion, such as his statement that this book is "boring." But it would be much more accurate for him to state that this book is, in HIS opinion, boring... rather than possibly giving someone who would very much enjoy this book the wrong idea before they even read it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent modern history
Review: I was pleased to discover Craig Whitney's "All the Stops" when a friend recently received a copy of the book. I was even more satisfied when I bought my own copy and finished reading it.

Whitney has done a remarkable service to the world of pipe organs. For those of us who play the organ "All the Stops" contains a rich history of the instrument over the past one hundred years and it is told by an author who is an unabashed organ fan and player himself. Reading this book is like witnessing a tug of war on several levels. There is a battle of organ builders about whether or not to use tracker or electropneumatic action. Wars rage with regard to pipe vs. electric organs. How good are European organs when compared to organs in America? How much input should an organist have with regard to a particular organ being built? As Whitney underscores, the organ world is a rather elite one with egos and tempers as big as the instruments on which organists play. And all of this takes place under the shadow of two men....E.M. Skinner, one of the most successful organ builders of all time and the larger shadow of Johann Sebastian Bach.

The most enticing chapters of "All the Stops" contain the mini-biographies of and the rivalry between the two best-known organists of the twentieth century...E. Power Biggs and Virgil Fox. The playing styles and personalities of the two couldn't have been more different and Whitney does a nice job in setting the two up in conflict. Biggs and Fox represented two different likes and dislikes of organs as well with Biggs preferring the European sound and tracker action and Fox opting for a larger, more romantic style. One of the key points that Whintey makes is that earlier in this century organists promoted the bigger, romantic organs only to have that phase pass as a generation ago the smaller, brighter tracker organs became more favorable. That tide has turned yet again.

It is hard to believe that not too long ago thousands of people turned out for organ concerts....numbers that today would not be seen. But if Craig Whitney is correct, that tide is also turning. The pipe organ has no instrumental rival and its modern story is well-told in this book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent modern history
Review: I was pleased to discover Craig Whitney's "All the Stops" when a friend recently received a copy of the book. I was even more satisfied when I bought my own copy and finished reading it.

Whitney has done a remarkable service to the world of pipe organs. For those of us who play the organ "All the Stops" contains a rich history of the instrument over the past one hundred years and it is told by an author who is an unabashed organ fan and player himself. Reading this book is like witnessing a tug of war on several levels. There is a battle of organ builders about whether or not to use tracker or electropneumatic action. Wars rage with regard to pipe vs. electric organs. How good are European organs when compared to organs in America? How much input should an organist have with regard to a particular organ being built? As Whitney underscores, the organ world is a rather elite one with egos and tempers as big as the instruments on which organists play. And all of this takes place under the shadow of two men....E.M. Skinner, one of the most successful organ builders of all time and the larger shadow of Johann Sebastian Bach.

The most enticing chapters of "All the Stops" contain the mini-biographies of and the rivalry between the two best-known organists of the twentieth century...E. Power Biggs and Virgil Fox. The playing styles and personalities of the two couldn't have been more different and Whitney does a nice job in setting the two up in conflict. Biggs and Fox represented two different likes and dislikes of organs as well with Biggs preferring the European sound and tracker action and Fox opting for a larger, more romantic style. One of the key points that Whintey makes is that earlier in this century organists promoted the bigger, romantic organs only to have that phase pass as a generation ago the smaller, brighter tracker organs became more favorable. That tide has turned yet again.

It is hard to believe that not too long ago thousands of people turned out for organ concerts....numbers that today would not be seen. But if Craig Whitney is correct, that tide is also turning. The pipe organ has no instrumental rival and its modern story is well-told in this book.

Rating:
Summary: the best thing since the Erzähler - just buy it
Review: This book is the best thing to happen to the pipe organ since the Erzähler. "All the Stops" can be read by anyone that just enjoys classical music and serves as a thorough, enjoyable introduction to the King of Instruments. Organists will enjoy Craig's book as it brings together under one cover a well researched history of the American Pipe Organ. Every organ professor should make this book mandatory reading for their students! The United States has an organ history as rich as Europe's.

Just buy all the stops.