Kotzschmar Memorial Organ facts for kids
The Kotzschmar Organ is a giant pipe organ found in Merrill Auditorium at City Hall in Portland, Maine, United States. It was built in 1911 by the Austin Organ Company. When it was first made, it was the second-largest organ in the whole world! Today, it's still the biggest organ in all of Maine.
A man named Cyrus Hermann Kotzschmar Curtis gave this amazing organ to the city. He was born in Portland and started a big publishing company. He named the organ after Hermann Kotzschmar, a close family friend. Hermann Kotzschmar was a musician from Germany who moved to Portland in 1849. He became known as the most important musician in the city and lived there until he passed away in 1908.
The Kotzschmar Organ is special because it's a "municipal organ." This means it's owned by the city! Long ago, many cities in the U.S. had their own organs for public concerts. The Kotzschmar Organ was the very first municipal organ built in the U.S. Today, it's one of only two municipal organs still owned by a city. The other one is the Spreckels Organ in San Diego, California.
Meet the Organists
City Organists
In 1912, the City of Portland created a special job called Municipal Organist. This person was in charge of playing the Kotzschmar Organ for the public. The city kept this job until 1981, when they had to stop due to money problems.
But don't worry! In the same year, a group of people who loved the organ formed a non-profit organization called Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ. This group helps pay for the Municipal Organist and also makes sure the organ stays in great shape.
So far, eleven different people have been the Municipal Organist in Portland:
- Will C. Macfarlane, from 1912 to 1919
- Irvin John Morgan, from 1919 to 1921
- Edwin H. Lemare, from 1921 to 1923
- Charles Raymond Cronham, from 1924 to 1932
- Alfred Brinkler, from 1935 to 1952
- John E. Fay, from 1952 to 1976
- Douglas Rafter, from 1976 to 1981
- Gerald McGee, from 1983 to 1988
- Earl Miller, from 1988 to 1989
- Ray Cornils, from 1990 to 2017
- James Kennerley, from 2018 until today
Guest Organists
Many famous organists from all over the world have also played the Kotzschmar Organ. Here are some of them:
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Images for kids
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The Kotzschmar Organ looked like this in the 1920s!
