When the Capitol Theater in Binghamton, NY was scheduled to be torn down, Ed Link's dormant love for the organ was awakened. It was suggested that the Capitol's Link organ, which had not been used in more than twenty years, be removed and installed in a new building of the Roberson Museum and Science Center, an idea which pleased and intrigued the hoard and management of the Center. After negotiation, the organ was purchased and brought piece by piece to a garage workshop at Mr. Link's home. A complete miniature "organ factory" was set up to rebuild and enlarge the organ. This three manual, eleven rank unit organ was named for its designer, the well-known theater organist of the Twenties, C. Sharpe Minor.

Almost two years were spent by Mr. Link, a full-time and a part-time assistant, in addition to a number of volunteers interested in restoring the instrument. The organ builders of those other days were long-since gone, and Ed was faced with the task of dredging his memory for knowledge buried there. Considering that the art of organ building over the past 40 years had become almost extinct, this was a rather colossal task. Tools and equipment had to be redesigned, practice and voicing equipment rebuilt. The task has now been accomplished.

In the ensuing months, Ed, with the help of a zealous team of organ enthusiasts, completely rebuilt and restored the organ. This was a tremendous job. Since the organ had lain dormant for two decades, the pipes had acquired a 40 year accumulation of greasy residue. The rubber cloth and leather had dried and cracked and needed replacement, and the complicated wiring system and electrical contacts were badly corroded and had to be completely rebuilt.

The gumwood console was originally painted an antique white with gold trim. This was removed and the case was refinished in natural wood to match the interior of the Roberson hall. In order to remove the dust and cobwebs which interfered with the action, the pipes had to be thoroughly overhauled. Those which had been damaged had to be restored. Needless to say, great skill was demanded, and all the damaged and missing pipes were replaced with a newly designed group. Finally, the entire ensemble of pipes was revoiced.

Planning for the installation of the organ at Roberson began even before it was removed from the Capitol Theater. An organ loft separated into three compartments was designed into the building on the third floor above the stage. Large chutes built at either side of the stage, their openings partially concealed by decorative grills, carry the sound to the auditorium. A third opening above the proscenium carries the sound from the central percussion chamber. The console is mounted on a hydraulic lift that lowers it into a chamber beneath the auditorium floor when not in use.

The console consists of three manuals and a pedal board. A circular area surrounding the manuals contains the many stops which govern the ranks of pipes. No sounds come from the console, since all playing is transmitted by electrical impulses to the organ lofts above the auditorium stage. Three sets of shutters control the volume of sound coining from the many ranks of pipes. (These three lofts can be viewed through glass windows in a corridor above the auditorium.) The air which blows the pipes and works the various pcrcussions of such a large organ, requires several motors and generators developing more than 10 horsepower. These are located in back of the stage in a separate room isolating the noise from the organ.

Although the original organ contained 11 ranks of pipes, the Roberson installation comprises 17 ranks, with the addition of six beautiful new stops: the Gedeckt. Salicional. Post Horn, Oboe Horn. Gemshorn and Quintadena.

The left chamber contains the pipes for the Open Diapason, Concert Flute, Vox Humana. Viole d'Orchestra, Viole Celeste, and Clarinet. to which have been added the Gedeckt and Salicional.

The right loft contains the pipes of the Tibia Clausa, Tuba Trumpet, Orchestral Oboe, Kinura, and Solo String. The Post Horn, Oboe Horn, Gemshorn and Quintadena have been added to the original ranks.

The center loft contains all tuned and untuned percussions including Martial Drums, Piano, Traps, Harp, Marimba, Carillon, Metotone, Orchestra Bells, Roll Xylophone and Cathedral Chimes. Also located in this loft are the relay switch racks, as they are known among organ builders. In modern terms, this is the computer center, the nerve center of the organ. This maze of electrical wiring, switches, and relays sorts out the electrical impulses produced by the organist at the console keyboard, routing them to the proper tonal combination and to the pipe which produces the tone. Or, the electrical impulses are relayed to the percussions and various other sections of the organ.

The names and tones of the ranks of pipes are generally akin to the instruments in a symphony orchestra, with the exception of the Open Diapason, which is a basic foundation of the church organ. Another stop that is indigenous to the church organ is the Tibia Clausa, known as the Stop Diapason in church organs. Because of its distinc­tive. flute-like tone it has also become a basic stop in the modem theater orchestral organ.

All of these ranks of pipes can he activated by any one of the three keyboards or by the pedal board. Because of the unit-type construction, they can be drawn at several pitches, or octaves or, that is, in organ terms: 16 feet, 8 feet, 4 feet, and 2 feet, which is the length of the pipe which produces the note. This gives the organist great flexibility for blending tones. In addition to the organ pipes, the organist also has available the wide range of an orchestra's percussion instruments.

Generally, the bass accompaniment, such as Bass Violin and Bass Tuba, is played by the organist's feet. His left hand plays the accompaniment, which may be Violins or Flutes, while his right hand plays the solo part, such as Trumpet, Trombone, Tibia, or Flute. The third keyboard can be set up so that the organist can make quick changes or select distinctive combinations for special effects. The accomplished organist of today is truly a one-man symphony, for he has an entire orchestra at his command.