The King of Instruments
An organ aficionado sharing his passion with the world
M.P. Möller Organ, Op. 10100
Opus 10100 was manufactured by the M.P. Möller Organ Company, located in Hagerstown, Maryland, for St. John Vianney College Seminary, located in Miami, Florida. The organ is installed in the seminary’s principle chapel, named after the Archangel Raphael. This chapel was erected by the Vincentian Fathers at the request of Bishop Coleman F. Carroll,[1] who broke ground for this seminary just eight months after he was installed as first Bishop of Miami.[2] Bishop Carroll signed the contract with Möller on January 25, 1965 at a cost of $29,556.00.[3] The organ is currently comprised of about twenty ranks over two manuals and pedal. The console is detached from the case, located near the sanctuary of the chapel. The chambers are located near the narthex of the chapel, right above the entrance. The casework, made from African mahogany,[4] is a set of wooden slits which hide most of the pipe work.
Hurricane Andrew hit the state of Florida in August of 1992. The storm caused much damage to the seminary, including St. Raphael Chapel. The hurricane ripped off the roof of the Chapel and caused considerable water damage to the console; the pedal-board had to be rebuilt, the console back needed replacement and the entire console casework needed to be repaired and refinished. This was all done by Guzowski & Steppe Organbuilders, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. By 2002 the organ was unplayable due to insect or humidity damage to the reservoirs. The reservoirs were re-leathered in early that same year by Guzowski & Steppe.
Shortly after this, Davett & Co. were contracted to a complete restoration, which included the addition of a 16ft Sub-Principle and a 2ft doublet placed outside the casework. This was completed by 2005. However, the organ soon was out of commission for about two years. In 2007, Fr. Robert Vallee asked Guzowski & Steppe to survey the organ as he had some concerns regarding the quality of the restoration work done to the instrument. Upon inspection, they found a considerable amount of trash and debris in the organ leftover from the construction and installation of the façade chests and associated wiring.[5]
The combination action also had been partially disabled. Only the divisional pistons were, and presently are, functioning. There were two stops in the organ that did not play at all and the 8ft Gemshorn Céleste in the Swell also brought on the Swell to Swell 4ft coupler. The Great division was un-playable due to a run between two notes right in the middle of the playing range.[6] Looking within the console, there was found a wiring nightmare. Some of the wiring harnesses were stripped of their coverings and splayed out. The original console wiring is DCC Organ Wire (Double Cotton Covered). It is meant to be securely wrapped with a flame retardant covering. Even with the addition of some fuses the exposed wiring has the potential of posing a fire hazard. A few of the stop knobs had been relocated to accommodate the additions with some of that wiring being draped across the middle of the console. Guzowski & Steppe found that the wiring between the general piston relays and the pneumatic motors had been cut or damaged. The relocated stops that did not play needed an additional stop contact in order to engage the chest action. Guzowski & Steppe added the necessary contacts and returned the stops to normal function.[7]
Today, with its continual querks, Op. 10100 is played for the various liturgies held at St. Raphael Chapel. The saving grace for this organ is the amazing acoustics of the chapel. The stopllist can be found here.
[1] The Voice, January 21, 1966
[2] The Voice, January 14, 1966
[3] Purchasing records from the M.P. Möller Organ Company
[4] The Voice, January 14, 1966
[5] Provided by Douglas Cable, Guzowski & Steppe Organbuilders, Inc.
[6] A run is when two notes play when only one key is pressed.
[7] Paraphrased letter from Guzowski & Steppe to the Rev. Robert Vallee, Ph.D