Charles Brenton Fisk | |
|---|---|
 Fisk in 1964 | |
| Born | (1925-02-07)February 7, 1925 Washington, D.C., US |
| Died | December 16, 1983(1983-12-16) (aged 58) |
| Occupation | Organ builder |
| Years active | 33[1]: Preface |
| Known for | Building historical organs |
| Movement | Organ Reform Movement |
| Relatives | Joyce C. Stearns (uncle) |
Charles Brenton Fisk (February 7, 1925 – December 16, 1983) was an Americanpipe organ builder who was one of the first to reintroduce mechanicaltracker actions in modern organ building overelectro-pneumatic actions.
Born in Washington D. C., he developed an early fascination with organs and electronics. After graduating high school, he was drafted intoWorld War II as a technician. He was later transferred toLos Alamos Laboratory, where he unknowingly contributed to theManhattan Project and subsequently the atomic bombFat Man. Afterwards, Fisk initially pursued a career inatomic physics, earning a degree fromHarvard University. However, he soon decided to abandon physics and dedicate himself to organbuilding.
He took apprenticeship under John Swinford and Walter Holtkamp and made frequent trips to Europe to study European organs. Often associated with theOrgan Reform Movement, he often incorporated historical features into his organs. Afterward he became a partner of the Andover Organ Company, which he renamed toC.B. Fisk, Inc. after the departure of its owner, Thomas A. Byrk. Under Fisk, the firm has produced many significant organs, such as those atMemorial Church of Harvard,Old West Church on Boston, and King's Chapel on Tremont Street. The firm continues to manufacture organs today.
Fisk was born inWashington, DC, United States, on February 7, 1925, to Brenton Kern Fisk, a lawyer, and Amelia Worthington Fisk, a social worker andsuffragette.[2] In the early 1930s, the Fisk family moved to the city ofCambridge, Massachusetts.[3] As a soprano, he joined the choir of theChrist Church of theCambridge Common, at whichE. Power Biggs was the choirmaster[4] and organist.[5] At this point in life, Fisk reflected that his interest in organs had not matured yet, describing organs as simple "moaning in the background".[6]: 87 In addition to singing, he played trumpets and organs.[4]
On Fisk's 13th birthday, he was gifted a reed organ, on which he made minor repairs.[7]: 2 According to one of Fisk's friends, Fisk fiddled with electromechanical devices and built his ownamplifiers when he was 14 years old.[4] After playing his sister's Bach recordings on his amplifiers, he started to develop a fondness for the sound of organs. He was well-versed in creatingtube amplifiers, and acquaintances of Fisk's parents often asked for him to make one for them.[6]: 88
Fisk studied atThe Cambridge School of Weston from 1938, and graduated in 1942.[8][7]: 1 In 1943, at age 17, he secured a job in theUniversity of Chicago'sMetallurgical Laboratory with the help of his physicist uncle,Joyce Stearns, who also worked there.[4][9] Stearns had suggested to Fisk's parents that Fisk work with him to avoid beingconscripted into the battlefields ofWorld War II.[7]: 2 [9]
Soon after graduating high school, Fisk was drafted[2] toArmy Air Corps, where he worked as aLink Trainer mechanic. A year later, he was transferred to theLos Alamos Laboratory in July 1944.[4][8][6]: 88
While at Los Alamos, Fisk was assigned as an electronics technician and a lab helper in the Bomb Physics division.[2] He worked underDarol Froman with twenty other people. As a member of the 9812th Special Engineer Detachment, Fisk was part of a unit that collected knowledgeable people to conduct research.[9][10]
His job included solderingpre-amps for electronic sensors. These sensors were used for detecting the presence of a sphericalimplosion during bomb testing, which is needed forplutonium bombs to function. Those designs were eventually implemented into theFat Man atomic bomb, which was dropped ontoNagasaki in 1945.[4] It can be said Fisk worked as a part of theManhattan Project,[3] but he was unaware of his involvement until some weeks before the bomb was dropped.[9]
The work I am doing means nothing to me. That is, I don't understand what the object of it is. Of course, the principle of the whole thing is secrecy, and I am just as much in the dark about the project as you are. My official status is 'Lab helper in the Metallurgical Lab of the University of Chicago.' Metallurgy and the University of Chicago have about as much to do with the project as a baby elephant.[9]
— Charles Fisk, letter to his parents in February 1943
After the conclusion of the war, Fisk studied atHarvard University.[11] Continuing his interest in music, he joined aglee club at theuniversity's Memorial Church.[7]: 3 He graduated from Harvard with anundergraduate degree in physics in 1949.[2][9] After graduating, Fisk desired to stay in New Mexico and was offered a position as an assistant in Los Alamos. However, due to his father's declining health and his commitment to his would-be future spouse Ann Lindenmuth, he rejected the offer.[7]: 4 For a year and a half, Fisk studiedcosmic rays at theBrookhaven National Laboratory. From 1950 to 1951, he lived inCalifornia and attendedStanford University, intending on receiving aPhD in physics.[2][6]: 89 [9] At Stanford, Fisk also studied under the American organist Herbert Nanney and became an apprentice of the organ builder John Swinford.[12][2] He left Stanford's physics curriculum after only completing one six-week semester,[2][9] and ended up switching to a music curriculum.[1]: 1
TheBoston Globe andThe Diapason attributed Fisk's decision to leave physics to the unease he felt for contributing to thebombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.[2][10] However,The Georgia Review argues this is an oversimplification.[9] In a letter Fisk sent to his parents on August 12, 1945, he wrote:
With only two bombs we have killed between 250,000 and 300,000 Japanese people. Divided evenly over the number of people on the project, each member is responsible for the death of four Japanese. I cannot count this as an honor.[4]
and
As for myself, I see no reason why you should not tell people of my association with this project. Despite all the foregoing, there has been introduced into our lives an element of pride, the pride that accompanies the success of a mission. I think I can look a combat soldier in the eye now. If you feel like being a little proud too, that's OK. But bear in mind that this is not basically something to be proud of, and if you feel like offering a prayer for the human race, now is a good time.[9]
In October 1950, Fisk wrote to his parents that he was switching to a career in music.[12] Fisk continued working part-time as an apprentice under John Swinford inRedwood City, California,[4][13] while studying under music professorsPutnam Aldrich and George Houle.[1]: 1 One of Fisk's earliest experiences with organs came when he assisted Swinford in building the organ for Santa Barbara'sTrinity Episcopal Church.[2] Fellow organbuilder Walter Holtkamp offered Fisk a position in 1952, and in 1954, Fisk, at Swinford's urging, became his apprentice inCleveland, Ohio.[7]: 7 [4][1]: 1 Fisk learned various aspects of shop technique under Holtkamp, which was something that his apprenticeship with Swinford had lacked.[2][7]: 9 His work with Holtkamp included installing the organ of St. John's Chapel of theEpiscopal Theological School in 1956.[5] Eventually, he dropped out of his music degree program to focus on organ building.[13]
In a later interview by Keith Yocum, Fisk, aged 54, commented:
I don't know enough about Hiroshima and Nagasaki to know what was lost there, culturally, but I know what was lost in some of the big cities in Europe, which seems much more tragic to me right now. For instance, I can't get over what an incredible tragedy existed in one particular place: Katharinenkirche—St. Catherine's Church—in Hamburg, where there was an organ that Bach played, that was just perfect. ... The joys that could have come out of that one particular instrument were such that. ... I just think of what was lost.[9]
In 1955, Fisk returned toPigeon Cove, Massachusetts[2] near his family's summer home.[5][14] That same year, he became a partner in the Andover Organ Company inMethuen, Massachusetts, a firm founded in 1948 by Thomas W. Byers.[2][1]: 1 [15] Like Fisk, Byers was an organ builder who preferred manual organs over electric ones.[16] In 1958, Fisk bought out Byers'ownership interest and became sole owner of the firm.[1]: 1 [16]
In 1960, Fisk changed the firm's name to C.B. Fisk, Inc.[1]: 1 He was the firm's president and tonal designer,[8] responsible for voicing the pipes.[17] In 1961, the firm relocated to more spacious premises at 105 Maplewood Avenue,Gloucester, Massachusetts[2][12] a former factory that once manufactured rope and fishing nets.[17] Some employees chose to remain in Methuen and established a new company under the original name, the Andover Organ Company.[1]: 2 After Fisk's death, C. B. Fisk, Inc. became anemployee-owned company,[18] and continues to manufacture organs to the present day.[2] It is now located at 21 Kondelin Road.[19]
C. B. Fisk, Inc. and Andover Organ Company employed notable organistsBarbara Owen,Fritz Noack, andJohn Brombaugh.[20] Some of these organists have moved on from C. B. Fisk and created their own organ-building companies, with Noack establishing theNoack Organ Company[21] and Brombaugh establishing John Brombaugh & Associates.[22] The 46thmayor of Gloucester,Joseph F. Grace, was also an employee.[17]
Fisk was a member of the American Pipe Organ Association, the International Society of Organ Builders, the American Institute of Organ Builders, theOrgan Historical Society, and theAmerican Guild of Organists.[8]
Fisk married Ann Warren Lindenmuth in 1950,[23] with whom he had a son and a daughter.[2]: 5
His second marriage was to Virginia Lee Crist, who was fromGloucester. He and Crist married atRockport, Massachusetts.[2]: 5 They had two daughters and a son.[24]
Fisk died on December 16, 1983, aged 58 years,[3] due to a liverautoimmune condition, at Philips House,Massachusetts General Hospital.[9] Fisk had lived withsclerosing cholangitis for nearly three decades, but it was only diagnosed a few years before his death.[9] Fisk's funeral was held on December 20, 1983, at St. John's Episcopal Church, Gloucester. A memorial service was held in theMemorial Church of Harvard University on January 21, 1984. Dedicated organ performances were made throughout January.[2]
In contrast to thetracker-action organs of thebaroque period,[25] the use ofelectro-pneumatic action mechanisms was the mainstream practice in early 20th-century organ building. Fisk was among the first builders to break with this practice: he adopted the tracker action andstop-action mechanisms of historical European and American organs, making him one of the first modern American organ builders to do so.[4] The revitalization of tracker action was a part of theOrgan Reform Movement, of which Fisk was cited as a major participant byThe American Organist.[26]
In tracker-action organs, the movement of the keys or pedals is mechanically linked to the valves, enabling air to flow through theorgan pipes. Inelectro-pneumatic action, valves and keys are connected electrically, without the use of mechanical trackers. An organ manual is a set of keys that are played with the hands, similar to the keyboard on a piano. However, unlike a piano, an organ can have multiple manuals, which are arranged in tiers.[27]
To further his understanding of traditional organs, Fisk studied features of historical European organs. Trips to Europe were common,[12][25] with the first one being in 1959, where he traveled with Arthur Howes.[1]: 7 Fisk was particularly interested in the organ located in theJakobikirche church, and he made three journeys to Germany to study the organ.[28] He then tried to emulate them in his own designs.[2][4][29]
In addition to building new organs, Fisk restored various historical organs.[8]Barbara Owen, a former collaborator, wrote that his works were influenced by German and French organs.[1]: 29 His organs were described as having an eclectic nature, as he never stuck to a singular style of organ building.[30]
Fisk gave his organsopus numbers. However, some were never built due to cancellations. Some were merely restorations or additions to existing organs. Opus 1 through 24 were not built by Fisk. This was because he continued the preexisting opus numbers of the Andover Organ Company, meaning those organs were built by Byers.[1]: 2
Opus 24 through 27 were built when Byers and Fisk co-owned Andover, and opus 28 through 35 were built before the rebranding to C. B. Fisk, Inc. Opus 35 through 85 were built by C. B. Fisk, Inc., when Fisk was still alive, and the rest were built after his death.[1]: 77–82
Jones Boyds, an organist atStetson University, wrote that Fisk had mixed views on the organ being used in an orchestral setting, citing Fisk's remarks: "[T]he fortunes of the organ and of the orchestra are to an extent mutually exclusive and my personal view is that the one instrument takes the place of the other [...] There is a human craving, musically speaking, for a towering musical effect. The organ satisfied this craving for hundreds of years before the 19th century orchestra took it over". Still, Fisk continued to study concert-hall organs since 1976.[31]
Jonathan Ambrosino, an organ historian, wrote that although Fisk was inspired by older organs, he added his own personal touches rather than exactly replicating historical organs.[32]
In 1968,The Diapason published an article, written by Fisk and entitled "The Organ's Breath of Life", in which Fisk argued in favor of using historical organ wind systems.[29] In his essay, he wrote that organs with electrical wind supply should still capture "warbling" quality of a hand-cranked wind supply by making mechanical changes to the wind supply. This idea was negatively received in its publication[33] but now is an industry-standard.[34][6]: 92–93
THE ORGAN IS…A MACHINE, whose machine-made sounds will always be without interest unless they can appear to be coming from a living organism. The organ has to seem to be alive.
— Charles Fisk, Organ's Breath of Life[35]
In September 1978, Fisk wrote the article "Some Thoughts on Pipe Metal", in which he described the differences between the tonal qualities of metals used in pipes. He described lead pipes as "a darkness, a hollowness, a sound as of deepest antiquity [and] a strength of sound." and that tin pipes embodied the "sound of refinement". It was published byThe American Organist and was cited by organists Jonathan M. Gregoire and Hans Davidsson.[36][37]
In 1958,Rice University commissioned the Andover Company to build a two-manual, 16 stop organ (op. 25) for its Rice Memorial Chapel at the price of $19,680. It was one of the first Fisk organs to be made completely from scratch. Opus 25 marks the last electric organ Fisk would ever make: all of his later works predominantly feature tracker actions. A historical feature found in this organ is theRückpositiv [de]. Rückpositiv is a smaller section of organ pipes that can be played separately from the larger main pipes. Though Rückpositiv can be easily seen in old organs, they became essentially extinct in the 1960s when this organ was built. This organ is also known as the Andover-Fisk Organ.[16]
Fisk's first major work, completed in 1961, was a two-manual, fully mechanical-action organ forMount Calvary Episcopal Church in Baltimore (op. 35). The design of its tonal and mechanical components was developed with advice from fellow organ builder Dirk Flentrop, while Fisk oversaw the final design, voicing, and construction.[20] Its name, "Flentrop-Andover", was chosen because it was built when Fisk was still the president of the Andover Company. Andrew Johnson, an organist at Mount Calvary Church, described the organ as being "clear", "responsive", and as appearing to "shape the player". This organ includes two pedals that may be configured to activate specificstops to achieve a different tonal qualities, bypassing the need to manually pull the organ stops. These special pedals specifically affect the lower register section, called the Pedal division, of the main keyboard, called the Great.[26]
In 1964, Fisk built the first modern mechanical organ, of three manuals, in King's Chapel onTremont Street (op. 44),[8] superseding anE.M. Skinner organ. Organist George Bozeman wrote inThe Tracker that it provided a "vivid, rich sound, and a crystalline clarity that reveals the color and texture of each stop".[38] InAmerican Record Guide, William Gatens wrote that the organ sounded "thin and strident" and felt "dry" compared to Fisk's later works.[39] According toBoston Globe, this organ, along with his organs in Harvard University and Old West Church, are "considered to be landmarks" in the field of organbuilding.[8]
In 1967, Fisk built an organ for theMemorial Church of Harvard (op. 46).[11] At first, Fisk made an attempt to renovate a pre-existing E. M. Skinner organ in Appleton Chapel, a smallerchancel of the church. Despite Fisk's efforts, an organ tuned for the chancel turned out to be unbalanced for the larger chapel, and vice versa. Accordingly, a decision was made to build a new organ; this time located in the chancel.[40] As for the completed organ, organist Christian Lane said that the control of the wind felt "amazing and voluptuous".[11] In 2010, the organ was relocated to the Presbyterian church in Austin, Texas, and was replaced by a 1929 Skinner Organ Co. organ.[11] Because the Presbyterian church had taller ceilings, it was possible to install full-length 32 ft (~10 m) stops.[18] In 2012, C. B. Fisk, inc. was commissioned to build another organ in the church's rear gallery (op. 139).[11]
In 1970, Fisk installed a three-manual pedal organ (op. 55) that was inspired byJohann Silbermann's work atOld West Church, reusing casework from an earlier Thomas Appleton organ.[2] According to a 1975 interview, removing the need to build entirely new casework lowered the cost of the organ.[41] According toThe Diapason, it is considered to be one of "the most beautiful contemporary instrument in the world."[42]
In 1976, Fisk and Fenner Douglass installed a French classic-style organ at theUniversity of Vermont's then-newly constructed music building (op. 68). Douglass was hired by the university as a contractor, who in turn recommended Fisk. Tonal planning was completed in 1975, which included a 16' Montre in the Great division. It was tuned according toWerckmeister II, an unequal temperament system. The main facade was inspired by the Robert Clicquot organ of St. Louis des Invalides in Paris, featuring five pipe-containing towers. At Douglass's request, the Positive case protrudes from the main case. Fisk decided tocantilever the Positive case right above where the organist would sit, allowing for sound to pass through the airshaft unimpeded to the organist. The organ replicates many of Classical French designs, though the lack of the4' Clarion is notable.[42]
In 1979 (or 1978)[43] Fisk built a large four-manual, mechanical-action organ for the House of Hope Presbyterian Church inSt. Paul, Minnesota,[4] tuned inunequal temperament.The Musical Times described the organ as "neo-Schnitger" and its reeds as having an "abrasive" quality.[43]Daniel Pinkham composed a suite titledEpiphanies for the opening of the organ, containing five movements.[44] One critic praised the suite,[44] though another believed the tonal qualities of the organ did not suit the composition well.[43]
In 1981, Fisk built an organ (op. 83) for the Downtown United Presbyterian Church ofRochester, New York; it was installed in 1983. It has 2600 pipes, weighs 9 tons, and cost $300,000. Like many of his organs, it uses manual trackers rather than electric ones.[45][46]
From 1980 to 1981, a historical baroque organ (op. 72), tuned inmean-tone temperament, was recreated and installed in Houghton Chapel ofWellesley College.[2] It uses reeds copied from historical organs and historical organ wind systems.[29] More specifically, the Rückpositiv and Brustwerk sections of the organ were recreated from theFriederich Stellwagen organ located in the Jakobikirche church in Lubeck. The four Brustpedal cantus firmus stops were copied from the Compenius organ located inFrederiksborg Castle inCopenhagen.[47] Additionally, it was designed so the air supply can be supplied electrically or through manual pedals.[48]
In 1981, another organ was planned for Palmer Memorial Church, a de facto church ofRice University. Though Fisk was chosen as the builder, he died before the construction. Thus C.B. Fisk, Inc., continued to build the organ. The design commenced in 1989.[16]
In 1984, after Fisk's death, a four-manual organ (op. 85) was completed at Stanford's Memorial Church.[2][49] Originally commissioned in 1973, financial and logistics issues caused a delay of 25 years. It is the largest organ in the Memorial Church and is named the "Fisk-Nanney" organ, referencing to the church's organist, Herbert Nanney. It is designed to accommodate two different tuning systems:meantone andwell temperament. It is unique in that a lever above the manuals allows the organist to switch between the two systems.[49]Manuel J. Rosales was consulted during the building process.[16] In 1988, musicologistMark Lindley published an analysis of the organ's tuning system. He found that the organ included tuning discrepancies, as some notes were fewcents off from their proper tunings. More specifically, he noted that a) the diatonic major thirds were too small for the proper well-tempered tuning, b) chromatic notes were uneven when set to meantone mode, and c) the fifths in the well-tempered mode were tempered incorrectly. While Lindley notified Fisk of the errors, he died before the arrival of the letter.[50] (See alsoStanford Memorial Church § Organs)
In 1992, a Fisk organ was installed inMeyerson Symphony Center,Dallas, Texas. It was originally conceived in 1982. With a tonal design plan completed in 1983, this project was aided by architectI. M. Pei, acousticianRussell Johnson, and visual designer Charles Nazarian. Pei suggested that brass highlights be added to make the organ fit better with its surroundings. The Resonance division of the organ, which operates at high pressure, was made easier to play by using Fisk company's servopneumatic lever mechanism. The organ was well regarded byJames Moeser, the former president of theAmerican Guild of Organists, who described the organ as "one of the most important organs to have been built in this or any century".[31]
Fisk has received media attention from various television shows and radio programs, such as NBC'sToday Show,CBS'sSunday Morning withCharles Kuralt, andNPR'sThe Rest of the Story.[9] In 2013, a 60-minute documentary film named "Opus 139: To Hear the Music" by Dennis Lanson was screened. The documentary details how C. B. Fisk, Inc. employees take to build organs and the life of Fisk.[51][52]
After Fisk's death, two novels based on his life were published. One is titledThe Organ Builder, written byRobert Cohen (ISBN 9780060159092). It was inspired by Fisk's life and work as described in his obituary inThe New York Times.[9] Another was published a few decades later, in 2020, when Stephen Kiernan published a novel namedUniverse of Two. The protagonist of the novel, Charlie Fish, is inspired by Fisk (ISBN 978-0062878441).[53] A two-volume biography namedCharles Brenton Fisk, Organ Builder was published two years after Fisk's death. It includes his writings and details about the Fisk organs.[1]
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