Efforts to refurbish antique organ at Marylake

June 11, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Mark Pavilons
King’s Marylake Monastery and Our Lady of Grace Shrine is a place of solace and quiet contemplation.
But every so often, the 400-seat Shrine echoes with classic sounds from the 1928 Aeolian Skinner organ, one of only three in the province. It’s a melding of two famed instruments, one from the Eaton estate, the other from the Seagram estate.
With such a lineage, it would be a shame for this instrument to fall into disrepair.
According to Joe Gennaro, executive director of Marylake, the organs need roughly $100,000 worth of repairs – a total transformation to digital, while still retaining their old charm. They are working, roughly 75% of the time, but they are definitely showing their age, and emit some odd sounds from time to time. Concert organist Petra Kim lends her expertise to the organ at Marylake.
These are fixtures of King’s history, dating back to the 1960s. Both organs are Aeolian-Skinner Duo-Art made in the same factory in the same year, 1928. One organ came from the Seagram Estate and another came from the Eaton Estate. Remarkably, they are unique in that they are successive opus and are two of only five known to exist in Canada.
Starting in 1968, the intricate task of combining the two organs was completed over five years by the painstaking volunteer services of Hany Livingston, a scientist and electronic engineer, and Stewart Duncan, a retired organ company executive and organ builder. You can imagine the enormity of the task by considering that the finished project had over 3,050 pipes alone, not to mention the intricate console, electro-pneumatic, and wind supply work.
The bulk of the Seagram pipework was installed on the west side of the church forming the great and choir divisions, separately enclosed. On the opposite east side, some 60 feet away, the entire Eaton pipework, Swell, Great, and Pedal was installed in a single chamber, straddling the wall between the shrine and the side chapel with swell shutters opening onto both sides. The two manual Eaton consoles were installed in the side chapel. On the shrine console, the combined Eaton organ formed the Swell division of the three manual Seagram console.
After installation and the undertaking of several processes that included the shuffling around of ranks of the organ, eliminating some duplication, incorporating ranks from other sources, constructing chambers, constructing an extensive wind supply system for numerous chest and pneumatic actions, and restoring the 1928 electro pneumatic action, the organ was combined and was played for the first time at midnight mass in 1973.
Ever since, Marylake has been blessed with the delicate, gentle, romantic, yet powerful sounds of a classic bone fide theatre organ of great heritage and descent.
Time has taken its toll. The leather work is original, dating to 1928 and has cracked and torn. The wiring and switching is old and frayed.
A formal restoration fund has been created.
As an ongoing fundraiser, Marylake is holding a “cloth drive” that includes all manner of clothing drapery, shoes, purses, belts, boots, gloves, linens blankets, etc. Currently the collection bins are located in the parking lot.
Donations for the maintenance and repairs of this organ are always welcome. If you wish to help, please contact Marylake at 905-833-5368.
There’s an unbelievably rich heritage of sanctity, scholarship and spiritual direction at Marylake. It’s home to two orders of Augustinian nuns – The Sisters of Good Counsel and the Sisters of Consolation.
Attached to the Shrine is the long-standing Augustinian Monastery. The Augustinian order dates back to 1244, following the teachings of St. Augustine of Hippo (354- 430 AD), which promote the harmony of community.
Another important part of the monastery is the Retreat Centre, set aside for those wishing to quite simply, get away from it all, contemplate, pray and sit in on thoughtful discussions.
It’s located at the intersection of Keele and the 15th Sideroad north of King City, next to Villanova College.