Kathleen Upton Byrns McClendon Organ (Aeolian
1932)
Photo of Aeolian façade pipes in the chancel.
Behind the façade pipes and carved oak screens, the
Kathleen Upton Byrns McClendon Organ is lodged in chambers
on both sides of the chancel. It remains Duke Chapel’s
original organ, built and installed in 1932 by the Aeolian
Organ Company of New York. This remarkable instrument was the
last major organ made by Aeolian before it merged with the
E. M. Skinner Organ Company, and is the firm’s only significant
organ built for a church. Designed in the post-Romantic tradition
with electro-pneumatic action, which was in fashion at the
time of its construction, the organ is known for its extremes
of dynamic expression and the orchestral voicing of its individual
stops.
The pipes visible from the nave only hint at the Aeolian’s
size, for approximately 6,600 pipes are located in the large
chambers. In 2008 the organ was completely reconditioned
by Foley-Baker, Inc., and the original four-manual console
has
been replaced by a new one in similar style, built by Richard
Houghten as part of the renovation. Recordings
of the Aeolian organ are on our CD
Recordings page.
