It’s a good week to be an organ lover in Vermont. I’m not talking organ meat — though there’s plenty of that to be had these days as well.
No, I’m talking about the National Convention of the Organ Historical Society, which begins today in Burlington. It’s attracted more than 300 enthusiasts from all over the U.S. and even abroad, according to convention chair Marilyn Polson of Chelsea, who plays a 119-year-old historic instrument at the Bethany Church. The OHS, she explained, was founded in 1956 by people who wanted to raise awareness of and protect/restore 19th-century pipe organs.
It seems that in the 1950s, a craze for playing Baroque music resulted in some of the instruments being altered in ways that I can’t explain — something to do with high-pitched stops. In a phone conversation, Polson was indulgent of my organ ignorance, but was firm in her assertion that “19th-century pipe organs are so listener-friendly!”
In addition to intentional alterations, she said, many organs at churches have simply suffered from “benign neglect,” as maintenance and repairs are likely not in the general budget.
The five-day convention will give participants plenty of opportunities to geek out (“We love to talk organ,” Polson quipped), including day trips on tour buses to rural churches in 14 central and northern Vermont towns that have exceptional examples of said instruments. Those are Randolph, Williamsburg, Northfield, Montpelier, Stowe, Hardwick, Greensboro, Cabot, Plainfield, St. Albans, Highgate Falls, Vergennes, Richmond and Sheldon.
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