Birmingham Chapter
		The American Guild of Organists

Instruments

Even though Birmingham is a relatively young city, it has a rich history of outstanding pipe organs. From its foundation as a city in the 1870's until the present day, some of the nation's finest builders have placed instruments in its homes, theatres and places of worship. With the passage of time, however, some of those instruments have been replaced, and those of us who weren't around to hear them have no knowledge of some of these lost treasures.

Take a look at this photograph, for example. Does this look like any place you've ever seen in Birmingham? The photograph is from an advertising brochure published by Pilcher around 1930; the caption reads "Organ in Theatre, Birmingham, Ala." This is only one example, but we could name others, as well. First Baptist Church of Birmingham and the Cathedral Church of the Advent had instruments in place before the Austins that were installed just after World War I. They are now lost, as is the 1889 organ in Temple Emmanuel: Möller's Opus 33!

The point of the preceding paragraph is that changing times have in many cases required new instruments, even in existing buildings. As we continue to grow and develop as a city, we will continue to install new instruments, sometimes in new buildings, but at other times in existing buildings as replacements for older organs. All of these instruments, both old and new, are part of Birmingham's musical life, past and present.

This web site is planned as a parallel to this image of Birmingham as it is revealed in its most enduring musical instruments. It will include photographs and stoplists of organs in the city and its suburbs, becoming a sort of "virtual coffee table book."

As all such projects must, this one begins somewhat modestly. At present it contains the stoplists of organs used in Chapter programs during the 2000-2001 season and some of the instruments used during the 1997 Region IV Convention.

To see stoplists, descriptions, and photographs, please make a selection from the menu on the left.

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