(to S. Kolbinson)
from Calgary
July 8 & 9, 1961

Dear Stuart;---

No, I actually owed you an epistle.  Now I owe for two. Sorry for the delay, but finishing off the school year, etc., has had me running, along with everything else.  We hope to add to our house this summer, and getting ready for that has kept us busy also. Have just re-read the complete Kolbinson file, in preparation for this letter, and am doing this with carbon, so will know what I've discussed with you in future!!  Was very glad to have your kind letters, and all the details regarding your instrument, and also the pictures.

First, a few "feetnotes."--- no, sorry, though Scotch, I am unable to play the pipes!  Used to thrill when a kid, though, as my uncle on his birthday, would have them out and go marching through the house playing them, and occasionally to wake up my church choir, I play a fifth on the pedal, and do a "lament" on a reedy sound on the manuals!  So, Laddie, I appreciate the instrument which was grandfeyther to the orrrrgan!

Sorry about the grasshoppers, and dry conditions.  They're bad this year in Alberta too.  Very dry.  Still, with several good years past, I suppose it's reasonable to expect a few dry ones.  Discouraging though.

As for getting together this summer, how far is it from Kindersley to Calgary?  I looked at the map today, and one would go by way of Drumheller, I presume,-- I gather it would be about 45 miles further than Medicine Hat from here, but of course in a different direction.  Not much planned in the way of holidays this year, --- broke,--- however, will keep it in mind, and more on that later.

Also, as far as borrowing books is concerned, I'd like to see some of the early issues of Diap, TAO, and the Organ; but first I'd like to know what gaps you have in the Organ, and I'd loan you what I might have that you don't.  I'll check the Volume numbers I have later, and list them for you.  I have TAO from middle of 1947, and Diap from about 1951.  More on that later too.

Now, before going into the Kolbinson organ, one other detail.  I wrote an article recently for "The Tracker," published by the "Organ Historical Society" of Boston.  Anyway, now it has been suggested that I do a bit of research on the subject of the work of Warren,-- and so I am collecting all the data, historical, specifications, etc., I can unearth on the work of Karn, Karn-Warren, Warren, Warren & Sons, and the Woodstock P.O. Builders.  I'd appreciate any tidbits you might be able to tell me regarding any of their jobs you've heard or seen. In this connection I wonder if you might be able to give me the specification of that 2m Warren of Elm Street Church in Toronto, of which you have the pipes.  You date it 1880,--- I gather it was tracker?  Oldest I've seen is an 1891 2m in New Westminster, and a honey,-- now silent beside a Hammond.  The 1913 Karn-Warren from Edmonton Church was probably MacDougall United redone about 1958 by HN&B. (later note - actually St. Johns Lutheran)

Now, the Kolbinson orgel.  You invite my comment on your specification.  I seem to recall suggesting a few wild ideas in my first letter to you, re transplanting things around an octave or so, and trying this and that.  More wild ideas come to mind on seeing your latest specification, and it all adds up to this:  I'd be tempted to put the whole thing together as per original Casavant spec, insofar as possible,--- play it awhile, then gradually make changes as you see fit, and as they come.  For instance, judging from your notes, and the date of the original, this appears to me to be an excellent specification for its time,-- for example, no leathered diapason except solo.  If the 1917 Great followed the tonal trend of other 1917 jobs, it could be quite muddy, but on the other hand they may have tried to preserve the original earlier type of tone.  If so, good, and I'd be inclined to preserve, much of it, because as you know, much of that early stuff is being rebuilt, revoiced, and even chucked out of all recognition nowadays, in the new "Phelpsavants"!

Now my first thoughts on the old Casavant, would be to keep all that was distinctive, unique, and characteristic of the old period, because, for one thing, it won't be built that way again, and then it would present the least work for you.  For instance, I have a lot of questions which come to mind as I read your stoplist, and before forming a judgment, I'd have to know what you have in mind.  I wonder why you name the Doppel Flote a Gedeckt, and the Wald and Traverse Flutes, simply Flutes.  Now no doubt you have perfectly good reasons for doing this,--- I'm merely going to give my reasoning on the matters for what they're worth.  Feel free to use them or chuck them as you see fit.

The Great:  You probably know that Doppel Flotes are no longer built.  It's a good voice, a bit bulbous for the modern shiny sound, but it's beautiful and it makes MUSIC, an important factor in deciding a voice's usefulness. It could be softened slightly, and still retain its identity.  I mention the other two 4' flutes,-- Wen I play, I like to know what kind of sound to expect,--as, Wald, or Traverse;-----Flute alone, could be Hammond.  (Sorry, that's a naughty word, isn't it!)  Otherwise I'm in perfect accord with your Great, which, in absence of leather looks fine, and I'll bet sounds fine.  From about 1915 to 1940 or so, Casavant greats declined.  The earlier ones sounded better.  The more recent ones changed their nationality!

The Swell:  Fairhead would first of all switch Stopped Diapason and Melodia, also Flageolet and Flautino, and call the one on swell Fifteenth. That's what you had in mind? OK. That is IF there ain't gonna be no Positiv. (Positif if Casavant!)  Also, he'd move 12th and 17th of Cornet to the Choir, and place new III rank Quint Mix on Swell. Good. I presume you plan using one of your Warren Mixtures on Swell? Good IF it's the right composition. We'll look into that in aminute. Now, if I read right, you plan a lot of revoicing on the swell: to wit: So Bourdon 16' becomes Quintaton. Mark Fairhead can do it, --- Good. I'd have chucked the Clarabella and left the Stopped. Two 8' flutes on one manual are redundant, especially if there's a Clarion missing. At Knox, Calgary, I knocked poor old Clara sharp and used her for a Floodt Celeste, -- quite purty she was too. On the rebuild she was chucked for a new Quintadena 8'. I presume your swell is all one chest and all one pressure? At Knox both Great and Swell were on two chests each and two pressures, ---also Central Swell here. The higher one was 6" I believe. NOW I'd compare carefully the Clarabella and the Melodia. The usual Casavant Melodia is poor, hooty dull. As I recall Clara was same only bigger. It may be that Clara has more character than Mel. If so, keep her, and move Stopped to Choir, chuck Melodia, and we'll come to Choir in aminute. Swell Octave, Violina revoiced? Could do. Cathedral (Anglic.) here did, ---- quite good. Swell reed a Trumpet or Cornopean? Your two lists show both. making a Trompette mit French action from either, will take some doing, ----especially if it's Cornop! Unimpossible! (Even more so than imposs.!!) Clarion new?

Choir: Sorry, old boy, but here I really disagree with you, ---- a Choir mitout a Floodt 8'. I've seen this error done on two orgels, --- one Calgary, one Lethbridge, and I'd advise against it. Now I see two possibilities: 1) Leave swell and Choir as are, and put all mutations on Positiv. or 2) Move Stopped Diap to Choir, Put Clarion on its rank, or move another around to get it; more on that later; --switch the 2' stops a la Fairhead, then make up Choir like this: Stopped Diap 8'   Dulciana 8'  Harmonic Flute 4' Twelfth 2-2/3   Flautino 2'   Tierce 1-3/5. There's your classic Cornet. The 12th and Tierce come from the Swell Cornet. Now this displaces Clarinet and Viol Dap. I wish we could get you another Dulciana on the Choir, tuned flat with the original, to give Unda Maris. It's lovely. IF above mutational Choir scheme were used, then Positif could go: Nason 8'   Rohr or Koppel 4'  Octav 2' (left over from Swell Cornet!) Quint 1-1/3 Scharf III (excellent!!!) and Krumhorn 8'. Now where in tarnation did you get the Positiv pipes whereof you speak? Imported??

I'm not happy about reeds yet -- I'd like to keep Vox in if at all possible,-- Franck calls for him, and I disagree with modern Voxless organs on that ground alone. Again I want to preserve. Also we must keep Clarinet. Viol Diap I'd use at 4' to make a Principal somewhere out of it, either Swell or Choir. So all this is an argument for setting up organ as is, then trying changes gradually! G'night!

G'Morning! To continue: Regarding reeds: A Clarinet makes an excellent reed at 16' pitch, and with different pitches, you get a diversified reed chorus, without losing the value of the reed as a solo voice. This is an argument in favour of a "Unison Off" coupler, which, along with the appropriate Sub or Super, will transpose said reed to 8' pitch for solo work if you like. This idea came forth in the course of discussion on the plan for Knox, here. See enclosed "manifesto", I may have sent you a copy already,-- if so, keep them both, it shows some ideas in restoration of a 4-m Casavant. It turned out that mechanically some of these ideas were mechanically not practicable,--but the tonal ideas might have been applied. A few of them were. Note reeds on solo for chorus. I've tried the double Clarinet idea on Hillhurst, and my friend E.M. Nye has it on his rebuilt Austin-Keefer in Seattle. Again, I hope you will try to retain the Vox, at least for Franck. Is that the Regal you had in mind for the Choir? Oh yes, if Choir and Positiv share same manual, how about either a Pos Unison Off and Ch Unison Off; or separate couplers Ch-Gt, and Pos-Gt, so those two divisions could be played separately against each other on different manuals? This would be most valuable if the Mutational choir design were adopted. The two could "dialogue" nicely.

Finally, Mixtures: I presume the Warren ones (three of them?) might be of value here. Now some Warren mixtures are good, and one I know is bad,---I've found it on three swells, Hillhurst was one. It begins 17-19-22, then at middle G-sharp breaks back a whole octave to 8-12-15. This tremendous jump right in the middle range is bad, also the 17th is a Chorus Mixture. By hours of pipe transplanting and some new pipes I made it a proper three break Quint Mixture which is good now, brighter than the average Casavant, and good. I'll tell you the story of that one some day. This seemed to be their favorite for the swell, I know of several other identical ones to it. Now the other mixtures would do fine for the swell. We must look into their composition. If you have the Elm Street specifications, we can see what else might go in place of Clara, Mel, etc.

Well Stuart I've given you enough to keep you awake a night or two I'm afraid, but those ideas have been buzzing around and I wanted to get them on paper. Some time within the next few years, you might get time to answer some of the questions! I'd start with Casavant as is, then gradually modify as spirit moves! I've left the solo, Stentor to 4', Rohr or Quint to 4', reeds Orch Ob 8' Cor Angl 4' maybe, (tried it at Knox, lovely colour, or maybe chuck Stentor and put Clarinet on at 16'. Lotsa possibilities!

Now, later this summer, we may run to Edmonton, over into Sask, and possibly stop by Kindersley on way home,--- depending on finances, etc., but if so I'll give you fair storm warning first so you can leave town! Don't count on it, but it just might happen later on. I presume there are motels in around Kindersley where the Kennedys could camp overnight! By the way we have three small kids, 6, 3, and 16 mos. But chances are on such a jaunt we'd leave No 2 and No 3 at home! At any rate Stuart, thanks for the invitation, and while not too likely,---it's just possible that we may steal a day or two out that way. This could be awkward in your busy season, though, couldn't it.

As for borrowing literature, maybe some early Diapasons and TAOs might be interesting for a start, Stuart, if you can spare them,---and the minute you let me know what issues of "The Organ" you lack, I'll ship out a volume or two to you. OK? I'll maybe exchange books with you later on, if ok?

By the way, what's to be seen on a circle tour, say, Edmonton, Lloydminster, North Battleford, (historic site?) Saskatoon, then Kindersley? If not this year, at least it's something to keep in mind for future reference. Right? Look over the above ideas, tell me I'm crazy if you like but have fun. Meanwhile, thanks for the details, and pictures. You'll have a masterpiece one of these days. Keep up the good work. Sorry to be so long in writing. All the best to you and yours,

Sincerely,
Stuart
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