The Metropolitan Museum of Art

1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street
New York, N.Y. 10128
http://www.metmuseum.org

Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium

Organ Specifications:
II/30 Holtkamp Organ Company (1965)
II/23 Rieger Orgelbau (1952)

See also the Equestrian Court.
             
The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium in The Metropolitan Museum of Art was created as part of an ambitious rebuilding program costing $9.6 million in the 1950s. It was named for the philanthropist and patron of the arts whose estate provided a generous grant toward the the construction of the $1.2 million auditorium. The 708-seat auditorium, which replaced the smaller lecture hall in the North (Egyptian) Wing of the museum, was designed by Voorhees, Walker, Foley & Smith. A ground floor entrance at Fifth Avenue and 83rd Street was provided to allow the auditorium to be used without opening the entire museum. Its 1,450-square-foot stage can accommodate a symphony orchestra and chorus, and originally had a movable plaster partition that cut off a third of the area for a single speaker; curved sound reflectors above the stage help to project the sound. The acoustics were designed by Bolt, Beranek & Newman of Cambridge, Mass.

The auditorium opened to an invited audience of Museum members on Tuesday, May 11, 1954. Margaret Hillis conducted a concert performance of Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie that was presented by 15 solo singers and accompanied by period instruments from the Met's extensive collection. On the following day, a series of free organ recitals was begun by Claire Coci, who was then the official organist of the New York Philharmonic Symphony Society. Since its opening, the auditorium has been a popular venue for musical concerts and lectures.
             
  Holtkamp Organ (1965) in Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York City (photo: Steven E. Lawson)
 
click on images to enlarge
Holtkamp Organ Company
Cleveland, Ohio (1965)
Electric key, stop and combination action
2 manuals, 21 stops, 30 ranks, 1,540 pipes



The two-manual Holtkamp organ in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is installed in a chamber behind the left stage wall. When not in use, the organ pipes are concealed by movable African korina wood panelling, and the console is stored in an area below the chests.

E. Power Biggs opened the organ on Saturday, December 18, 1965, in a concert with the Musica Aeterna Orchestra, Frederic Waldman conducting. Mr. Biggs' program included Handel's "The Cuckoo and the Nightingale," Mozart's "Epistle Sonata" in C major, K.317a, and Poulenc's "Concerto in G minor" for organ, strings and timpani. It is believed that the organ was last used ca. 1996. In the Fall of 2006, the organ was found to be in very good working condition.
               
Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes
8
  Copula
61
2
  Doublette
61
8
  Quintadena
61
1
  Mixture (IV ranks)
244
4
  Octave
61
8
  Schalmey
61
4
  Flute
61
     

     

     
Positiv Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes
8
  Copula
61
2 2/3
  Sesquialtera (II ranks)
122
4
  Rohrflöte
61
1/2
  Scharf (III ranks)
183
2
  Octave
61
8
  Krummhorn
61
1 1/3
  Quinte
61
   

     

     
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
16
  Coppel
32
2
  Rauschpfeife (IV ranks)
128
8
  Gedackt
32
16
  Fagott
32
4
  Choral Bass
32
4
  Schalmey
32
2
  Octavin
32
       
               
Couplers
    Great to Pedal   Positiv to Great
    Positiv to Pedal    
               
Combinations (adjustable by setterboard)
    Great Organ 1-2-3-4 (thumb)
    Positiv Organ 1-2-3-4 (thumb)
    Pedal Organ 1-2-3-4 (toe)
    Generals 1-2-3-4 (thumb and toe)
               
Reversibles
    Great to Pedal (toe and thumb)
    Full Organ (toe)
               
Pedal Movements
    Balanced Swell Pedal      

     

     
Holtkamp Organ (1965) in Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York City (photo: Steven E. Lawson)   Setterboard of the Holtkamp Organ (1965) in Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York City (photo: Steven E. Lawson)
   
Setterboard
Holtkamp Organ (1965) in Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York City (photo: Steven E. Lawson)
 
Holtkamp Organ (1965) in Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York City (photo: Steven E. Lawson)
 
Holtkamp Organ (1965) in Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York City (photo: Steven E. Lawson)
             
  Rieger Organ, Model DRP 1 (1952) in Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, The Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York City
Rieger Orgelbau
Schwarzach, Austria – "Model DRP 1" (1952)
Mechanical key action
2 manuals, 21 stops, 23 ranks



The original organ in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium was built in 1952 by Rieger Orgelbau of Austria. According to the Uwe Pape book, The Tracker Organ Revival in America, the Rieger organ was relocated to the Buffalo, N.Y. residence of Jack Barr in 1975.
               
Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes
16
  Quintadena
61
2 2/3
  Nazard
61
8
  Rohrflöte
61
2
  Gemshorn
61
8
  Koppelflöte
61
1 3/5
  Terz
61
4
  Prestant
61
  Mixture, 3f
183
 
Positiv Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes
8
  Gedeckt
61
1
  Sifflöte
61
4
  Holzflöte
61
  Cymbel, 2f
122
2
  Principal
61
8
  Krummhorn
61
1 1/3
  Quinte
61
  Tremolo
               
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
16
  Subbass
12
2
  Loch Gedeckt
32
8
  Gedeckt
12
  Rauschpfeife, 2f
64
4
  Gedecktflöte
32
8
  Regal
32
               
Couplers
    Great to Pedal          
    Positiv to Great          
             
Sources:
     The American Organist, July 1962. Specifications of similar Rieger organ (c.1950).
     Brown, John Mason. "The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, Vol. 12, No. 9 (May, 1954).
     "E. Power Biggs Plays as Museum Unveils Organ," article in The New York Times, Dec. 20, 1965.
     Holtkamp Organ Company: http://www.holtkamporgan.com/
     The Metropolitan Museum of Art: http://www.metmuseum.org
     "Museum Finishing New Auditorium," article in The New York Times, May 2, 1954.
     "Music Finds a Place in Metropolitan Museum as New Auditorium is Opened," article in The New York Times, May 16, 1954.
     Pape, Uwe. The Tracker Organ Revival in America: Die Orgelbewegung in Amerika. Berlin: Pape Verlag, 1978. Courtesy James Stettner.
     Rieger Orgelbau website: http://www.rieger-orgelbau.com/

Photos:
     The American Organist, September 1952: Rieger Organ "Model DRP 1" (1952).
     Lawson, Steven E.: Holtkamp organ (1965).
             

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