Historic, one of a kind organ in Sayles Hall dazzles during major, multi year renovation

Beyond the tuning and cleaning, the renovation has entailed straightening and resoldering warped pipes, and reracking and releathering pipes and bellows, known as the wind reservoirs. It is a painstaking process that began in 2022. The pipes are being removed, restored and reinstalled in batches, including some of the longest, at 16 feet, pipes in the instrument, Steinbach said.

"Every pipe has its role to play - it takes a village, and it's just beautiful," Steinbach said. "This renovation addressed important repairs, and what's so exciting is that it restores the accuracy of the notes."

Steinbach, a professional organist who performs across the world, said the organ at Brown is notable for the breadth of sound it embodies. The organ has 60 ranks and 57 speaking stops that enable everything from mellow flute and string tones to thunderous principal choruses with heroic trumpets blaring across the hall, giving the organ the range of a full orchestra controlled by a single person, Steinbach said.

"I've had visiting organists say, 'Oh this stop sounds very English, but this stop sounds a little French, and that one sounds a little German,'" Steinbach recalled. "It has a very hybrid aesthetic."

The renovation is being supported by a generous gift from the family of David A. Lownes, who was a member of Brown's Class of 1953 who died in 2018. The family also donated a practice organ, now located in the Orwig Music Building, in his memory.

Spencer Organ Company in Waltham, Massachusetts, is leading the renovation. Martin Near, a pipe organ tuner and restorer with Spencer who has worked on the project, said people are often astounded when they enter Sayles Hall and behold its mighty organ, which comprises the entire gallery above the entrance into the main hall.