First Congregational Church of Elgin will hold a concert Tuesday to commemorate the 130th anniversary of its massive pipe organ, an instrument so impressive that just moving it into the building made headlines and so resilient it survived a tornado.
Twenty-two feet wide, 10 feet deep and 30 feet high, the organ was built by the Lancashire-Marshall Organ Co. of Moline and arrived by train on Aug. 18, 1893, according to research done by church music director Jeff Neufeld.“The organ is the largest in the country and promises to be peculiarly rich and powerful in tone,” said an account in the Sept. 12, 1893, Daily Courier, a predecessor to The Courier-News. “It is pronounced by the builders to be the best instrument ever produced by them.
A dedication concert by well-known 19th century organist Clarence Eddy was held Sept. 19, 1893. A standing-room-only crowd paid 50 cents per person to attend. Three major redesigns have been made over the years, one in the 1930s, a second in the 1950s and the last in the 1970s, Neufeld’s research shows. After each a rededication concert was held.
“I am impressed by how much care over so many years has been put into maintaining and improving this amazing instrument,” Tanner said.The congregation’s decision to hold a 130th anniversary concert stemmed from a desire to celebrate something that’s been so central to the church’s worship services for so long, he said.
In its current incarnation, the organ has three keyboards and pedals that work in conjunction with more than 2,500 pipes and 48 ranks, Neufeld said.