Æolian-Skinner Organ Company, Inc. — Æolian-Skinner of Boston, Massachusetts was an important American builder of a large number of notable pipe organs from its inception as the Skinner Organ Company in 1901 until its closure in 1972. Key figures were Ernest M. Skinner (1866-1960), Arthur Hudson Marks (1875-1939), Joseph Whiteford, and G. Donald Harrison (1889-1956). The company was formed from the merger of the Skinner Organ Company and the pipe organ division of the Æolian Company in 1932.
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With the appointment of G. Donald Harrison as President and Tonal Director of Æolian-Skinner in 1933 by Skinner president Arthur Hudson Marks, the company’s tonal philosophy began to turn from the romantic-style orchestral instruments built under the direction of Skinner to a classically eclectic style. Organists began to look to the past to find direction for the future, and in doing so they found that they were in sympathy with the ideas being developed by Harrison. These ideas included the provision of smaller scaled diapasons, along with more higher-pitched and mutation stops in place of large-scaled unison diapasons, color reeds and flutes.
During Harrison’s tenure as president from 1933 until his death in 1956, the tonal design of Æolian-Skinner organs changed a great deal, but retained and perfected many of Ernest Skinner's mechanical innovations. The company used Skinner's Pitman windchest, for example, throughout its existence. Also the high quality and distinctive design details of the Æolian-Skinner console were preserved.
Notable instruments built or rebuilt during the Harrison period include:
After Harrison’s death in June 1956, former Vice President Joseph S. Whiteford was appointed President. Whiteford joined the company in 1948 and had distinguished himself through research in the field of musical acoustics as it relates to church music. Under his direction, Æolian-Skinner built pipe organs for five of the foremost symphony orchestras in America. His love for vocal music led him to emphasize the role of the organ in accompanying singing. He had a charismatic personality that was well suited to the prestige of the Æolian-Skinner name. In fact, his personal involvement secured many major contracts that were directly commissioned without competing bids.
Notable instruments from the Whiteford period include:
After the retirement of Whiteford in 1965, John J. Tyrell, Donald M. Gillett, Robert L. Sipe and Phil Steinhaus served as President until the company ceased operations in 1972.
Beginning In 1954, Aeolian-Skinner produced a series of ten LP records titled, "The King of Instruments". These ten LP's are devoted to the tone and history of the modern organ. Volume 1-"The American Classic Organ" contains a descriptive discussion written over both sides of the LP cover by Tyler Turner and Joseph Whiteford on the beginnings of "The American Classic Organ". The five recorded sections on the record, with G. Donald Harrison being the narrator, himself describing the five selections-being of: I-Principles, II-Flutes, III-Strings, IV-Reeds, and V-Mixtures and Mutations. Organ demonstrations comes from the Aeolian-Skinner of St. John the Divine.