The Kate Frierson Memorial Organ
First Presbyterian Church, Dallas

MARY KATE FRIERSON - 1886 -1973

        Mary Kate Frierson - dedicated Christian, devoted family member, philanthropist, and friend to many - was a lifelong member of First Presbyterian Church of Dallas. From the time she joined in 1918 after moving to Dallas from Tyler, until her death on May 12, 1973, she was active in the life and work of the First Presbyterian congregation, especially in the Business Women of the Church. Kate Frierson was secretary for many years to Mr. E. R. Brown, then the president of Magnolia Petroleum Company. She was a member of Business and Professional Women and the Altrusa clubs.

        Kate Frierson 's witness is no more powerfully present than through the rich, majestic tones of the organ that bears her name. This instru ment has lifted the praises of God's people in worship, testified to the creative powers of mankind, and supported the voices of the congrega tion and community in praise, prayer, and affirmation. The Kate Frier son Memorial Organ represents the faithful stewardship of a woman of God and will continue to speak to many generations to come.

HISTORY:  Kate Frierson Memorial Organ
First Presbyterian Church; Dallas, Texas

        In 1928 the E. M. Skinner Co. of Boston installed a new organ in the sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church. A gift of Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Caruth, it has been cited by Orphe Ochse in The History of the Organ in the United States (Indiana University Press, 1975) as being representative of the organs of its day.
  
        Forty-five years later, due to its deteriorating condition and tonal obsolescence it was sorely in need of replacement. A generous bequest to the congregation from the estate of Kate Frierson enabled the Session to authorize the formation of an organ committee whose task was to assess the congregation's needs and recommend what should be done. After much research and deliberation the committee wisely decided that an encased, mechanical action instrument was the most practical and musically satisfying solution. In 1975 a contract to build such an instrument was awarded to Robert Sipe, Organ Builder, of Dallas.

        Mr. Sipe designed and built a mechanical action instrument of 39 independent registers and 54 ranks of pipes.

        The key action is direct mechanical action ("tracker"), and the stop action is electric - allowing the use of electronic combination action. The console is detached from the organ approximately six feet, which necessitates horizontal trackers running under the choir floor to connect with the vertical trackers inside the organ. The detached console enables the organist to hear the instrument at a greater advantage.

        The instrument is completely encased in the traditional manner although the case is recessed into the former organ chamber. Front and center placement allows ideal tonal egress into the Church, and provides a striking visual arrangement which logically displays each division of the organ. The large flamed copper-pipes to each side are those of the Pedal organ, the smaller burnished tin pipes in the lower section are those of the Positiv organ, and the larger burnished tin pipes in the upper section are those of the Great organ. The only division of the organ not visually displayed is the Swell organ, deriving its name from the fact that it is covered by Swell shutters (louvers) controlled from the console which gives greater dynamic control over that particular division. The swell organ is placed immediately behind the Positiv organ, and contains the more Romantic tonal colors of the instrument.

        The tonal design of the organ is basically eclectic in style, that is, it combines the essential elements of the classic and romantic organs and is capable of rendering organ literature of all periods effectively.

        The Trompette en Chamade stop has enormous visual and aural impact. The origin of such stops is from Early Spanish organs where they were called "Trompetas Reales" (Royal Trumpets), the sound of which suggested ancient pageantry.

        Approximately one half of the pipes in the organ are reconstructed and revoiced pipes from the former organ which served the Church for over half a century.

        The windchests, console, and many of the pipes were imported from West Germany. Other pipes were handcrafted to the Builder's exacting specifications in shops in Ohio, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. The casework and all mechanical action were constructed in the Builder's shop and in the Church.

        This instrument has received enthusiastic praise from all who have played it.
  

The above material was first printed in 1987 
by the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas
  

ROBERT L. SIPE
The Builder

   Robert L. Sipe of Dallas, Texas, has established a reputation as one of the foremost designers and voicers of pipe organs in America. His experience in organ building began while he was in high school, continued during his education at Baylor University, and was extended through subsequent study of historic and contemporary organs throughout Europe.

        During the years 1960-1964, after studying sacred music at Baylor on scholarship doing organ maintenance for the University, Robert entered into partnership with J. Rodney Yarbrough. In 1965 he continued under the name of Robert L. Sipe, Inc, and married his wife Susan in May of 1968. Susan at that time was an organ student at North Texas University, and after their marriage transferred to SMU as an organ student of Robert Anderson. 
After several years of building instruments on his own, he was asked to join Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company of Boston in 1968. Robert became vice president and a co-owner of the company in 1969 and expanded their work into the field of mechanical action instruments. He functioned as the technical and artistic director until 1972. One of the last instruments completed under Sipe's direction was the concert organ installed in the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C. When it was apparent the company would not survive hard times, he returned to Dallas to resume organ construction under his own company name.

        Sipe's organs reflect the contemporary movement for organ reform wherever the organ plays an important part in religious and cultural expression. This movement was influenced by missionary-physician-musician Albert Schweitzer's 1906 pamphlet advocating a return to 17th and 18th-century design concepts. Among these principles are low wind pressure, slider wind chests, mechanical key action, the integrity of each separate division housed in the main organ case, and the case itself "standing high and free...the sound can travel in every direction unhindered." Following this classical design appropriate to the traditional polyphonic literature for the organ, Sipe organs also incorporate certain modifications to meet requirements of many 19th and 20th-century compositions and the need for versatility in the leadership of modern worship.

        Robert L. Sipe, Inc. has completed over 60 instruments in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Kentucky, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.