abstract: The organ is in a continued state of evolution, tonally and mechanically, designed by the builder to meet certain expectations related to the musical aesthetics of the time. Organ building in the United States has been influenced by both European organ building traditions and American innovations. During the early twentieth century, Ernest M. Skinner emerged as one of the greatest organ builders in America. Throughout his life, Skinner's quest was to create an "ideal organ," capable of playing a variety of music. Skinner's vision was rooted in the Romantic Movement and influenced by the dynamic gradations and rich, colorful sonorities of orchestral and operatic music of the era. A number of technological developments were applied to the design of the organ which made the romantic organ possible. The prominent European organ builders of the nineteenth century created organs that defined the romantic-style instrument in their respective countries. By the end of the century, American organ builders were creating their own versions. Skinner traveled to Europe to learn what he could from the foreign builders. Skinner built organs that synthesized European and American elements, along with his own innovations, as continuation of nineteenth-century trends that brought the romantic-symphonic organ to its fullest realization. Additionally, Skinner developed many new organ timbres, including a number of stops that imitate various orchestral instruments. The result of Skinner's creative work is the the American symphonic organ. This paper attempts to illustrate how the tonal designs of organs built by Walcker, Cavaillé-Coll, and Willis influenced the work of Skinner and the American symphonic organ. The work of each builder is discussed with descriptions of their designs. The designs and innovations of Skinner are examined as related to these European builders. A number of organ specifications are provided to supplement the information presented here. Today, American symphonic organs, particularly those built by Skinner, are revered for their warmth and charm and are inspiring the work of present day organ builders who are incorporating elements of this style into their own designs. / Dissertation/Thesis / D.M.A. Music 2012

abstract: Nineteenth-century French organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll and organist-composer César Franck established a foundation for the revival of organ music in France. Following the French Revolution, organ culture had degenerated because of the instrument's association with the church. Beginning with his instrument at St. Dénis, Cavaillé-Coll created a new symphonic organ that made it possible for composers to write organ music in the new Romantic aesthetic. In 1859, Franck received a new Cavaillé-Coll organ at the Parisian church where he served as organist, Sainte-Clotilde. He began experimenting with the innovations of this instrument: an expressive division, mechanical assists, new types of tone color, and an expanded pedal division. From about 1860, Franck began composing his first pieces for the Cavaillé-Coll organ; these were published in 1868 as the Six Pièces. With these compositions, Franck led the way in adapting the resources of the French symphonic organ to Romantic music. In this paper, I provide an analysis of the structure of each of the Six Pièces as a foundation for exploring ways in which Franck exploited the new features of his Cavaillé-Coll organ. I have made sound recordings to demonstrate specific examples of how the music fits the organ. Thanks to Cavaillé-Coll's innovations in organ building, Franck was able to write large-scale, multi-thematic works with the sonorous resources necessary to render them convincingly. The Six Pièces reveal a strong creative exchange between organist and organ builder, and they portend many of the subsequent developments of the French symphonic organ school. / Dissertation/Thesis / D.M.A. Music 2012

I mitten av 1800-talet inleddes i Frankrike en renässans för den tidiga kyrkomusiken i allmänhet och den gregorianska sången i synnerhet. Charles-Marie Widor var en av dem som tog intryck av denna rörelse och genom den utvecklade och delvis omvärderade sin syn på musik i kyrkan. Han baserade sina sista två orgelsymfonier, Symphonie Gothique och Symphonie Romane på kyrkans mest centrala teman – Kristi födelse och uppståndelse. Mitt syfte med denna uppsats och att studera dessa orgelsymfonier har varit att fördjupa mig i hur gregorianiken påverkade Widors kompositionsstil och hur konsertant musik utanför gudstjänstens liturgi kan bära ett kyrkligt budskap baserat i dess valda teman. Jag har velat dokumentera min process att som organist och kyrkomusiker studera in och komma fram till en medveten konstnärlig gestaltning av symfonierna. Widor blev med åren övertygad om att kyrkomusik måste vara baserad på kyrkans egna teman för att kunna bli sakral konst. Han använde sig också av en palett av former och kompositionstekniska grepp för att variera musiken i symfoniska dimensioner. Dessa två orgelsymfonier är Widors bidrag till den rörelse som inte bara återupprättade utan gav den gregorianska sången högsta status i den romersk-katolska kyrkan vid sekelskiftet 1900.