Alice Tully Hall - New York City (photo: Paul Masck)
 
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Alice Tully Hall

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Broadway at 65th Street
New York, N.Y. 10023
http://www.lincolncenter.org/







Alice Tully Hall is located in the Juilliard Building on the northern end of Lincoln Center Plaza, and was the last public hall to be completed in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex. Designed as a space for chamber music, it was the gift of Miss Alice Tully (1902-1993), a U.S. singer, music promoter and philanthropist. The daughter of a Corning heiress and a state senator, Miss Tully trained as a singer in Europe before turning her love of music toward enlightened philanthropy. Chair of the board of directors for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for nearly twenty-five years, she also served on the boards of the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and The Juilliard School, and as a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Pierpont Morgan Library, and the Museum of Modern Art. For her cultural contributions, New York City awarded her the Handel Medallion, and France conferred on her the three steps of the National Order of Merit as well as the prestigious Legion of Honor. In 1958, Miss Tully inherited the estate of her grandfather, William Houghton, founder of the Corning Glass Works. During the rest of her life, she donated much of her income to arts institutions. Her cousin, Arthur Houghton Jr., one of the founders of the Lincoln Center, suggested that she give money for a chamber music hall, which came to be known as the Alice Tully Hall.

 
Original exterior (1969-2007)
  
Alice Tully Hall is the 1,096-seat "chamber music hall" of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. It was dedicated in October 1969, with a gala televised concert conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Since its opening, Alice Tully Hall has served as the principal venue of the New York Film Festival, an annual event sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

From 2007–2009, as part of Lincoln Center's 65th Street Development Project, Alice Tully Hall received its first major renovation since it opened in 1969. As designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, in collaboration with FXFOWLE, the aesthetic and functional renovation included a 25,000 square foot expansion to accomodate support spaces. The original exterior, designed by Pietro Belluschi in a softened Brutalist style, was reworked to include a glass facade along Broadway and an enlarged entrance. Most noticeable is the new three-story all glass lobby that includes a bar and concession that is open to the public both day and night.
 
  Th. Kuhn Organ (1975) in Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center - New York City (Th. Kuhn Organ Builders Ltd.)
Th. Kuhn Organ Builders Ltd.
Männedorf, Switzerland (1974)
Mechanical key action
Electric stop and combination action
4 manuals, 64 stops, 85 ranks






The organ in Alice Tully Hall was the gift of Miss Tully in memory of Edward Graeffe, a singer who was a close friend for many years. Miss Tully wished to enable an exemplary organ to be built for the hall.

Installed in 1974, the organ was built by Orgelbau Th. Kuhn of Männedorf, Switzerland. As originally built, the four-manual organ consisted of 61 stops. The façade is exemplary in terms of the visual clarity of its sectioning into the various divisions. The Swell, which is not visible, is designed as a large French "Récit expressif." In the Great, the name "Flûte harmonique" is conspicuous, once described by Pierre Chérons as "the warhorse of Cavaillé-Colls." The 4,192-pipe instrument, installed at the back of the stage, was designed by Friedrich Jako, director of the firm, with stop-control and combination systems by consultant Lawrence Phelps. Jakob Schmidt of Lucerne, Switzerland, was the visual designer.

Kuhn Organ (1975) in Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center - New York City (University of Quebec)  
On Wednesday evening, April 9, 1975, the organ was formally dedicated before an invited audience with a recital played by Miss Tully's friend, André Marchal, the blind French organist who was then 81 years old. Marchal's program included works by the Couperins, Bach's Prelude and Fugue in C (BWV 447), Liszt's Prelude and Fugue on BACH, and Franck's Chorale in B minor. Two days later, on April 11, the organ was heard again when Sixten Ehrling conducted the Juilliard Orchestra with student soloists: Randall Atcheson, a pupil of Anthony Newman, performed Hindemith's Organ Concerto (1962) that had been composed for the organ in Philharmonic Hall, and John Schuder, a student of Vernon de Tar, was on the bench for Saint-Saëns' Symphonie No. 3 "avec orgue." On Saturday night, April 12, German virtuoso Karl Richter played an all-Bach program that, according to Allen Hughes, the venerable New York Times critic, "dazzled the ear with color and brilliance." The dedicatory series concluded on Sunday night, April 13, with a program presented three organ soloists accompanied by the Musica Aeterna Orchestra, Frederic Waldman, conductor. First to perform was E. Power Biggs, who was soloist for Bach's Sinfonia to Cantata 29 and Haydn's Organ Concerto No. 2 in C. The program continued with Catharine Crozier playing Samuel Barber's Toccata Festiva, and concluded with Thomas Schippers performing Poulenc's Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani.

Over the next several weeks, the organ was heard in solo recitals given by Leonard Raver and Anthony Newman. In September 1975 the first debut recital was given by Walter Hilse, at the time on the faculty of Columbia University and organist of St. Luke's Lutheran Church. By all accounts, the Kuhn organ in Alice Tully Hall was met with undivided approval among experts and judged to be a spectacular success. E. Power Biggs proclaimed, "This is the way God intended organs to be built!"

In 1984, the 32' Contrebombarde stop was added to the Pédale when the 16' Bombarde was extended down an octave with the addition of twelve pipes. This stop was also a gift from Miss Alice Tully.

The organ was removed to storage in 2006 during the renovation of Alice Tully Hall, and was reinstalled by Th. Kuhn during the summer of 2010. At that time, two digital stops (32' Soubasse and 16' Flûte) were added to the Pédale, and the console was updated with a new combination action and piston sequencer. The organ was reinaugurated on November 16, 2010, when Paul Jacobs, Chair of the Juilliard organ department, performed J.S. Bach's Clavier-Übung III, assisted by the Clarion Choir, Steven Fox, conductor, who sang the chorales.
               
Positif (Manual I) – 61 notes
16
  Quintaton
61
2
  Quarte de nazard
61
8
  Salicional
61
1 3/5
  Tierce
61
8
  Bourdon
61
1 1/3
  Larigot
61
4
  Prestant
61
2/3
  Cymbale IV rangs
244
4
  Flûte à fuseau
61
8
  Cromorne
61
2 2/3
  Nazard
61
    Tremblant  
2
  Doublette
61
       
 
     
 
     
Grand Orgue (Manual II) – 61 notes
16
  Bourdon
61
2
  Doublette
61
8
  Montre 
61
1 1/3
  Fourniture V rangs
305
8
  Flûte harmonique 
61
1/2
  Cymbale III rangs
183
8
  Bourdon à cheminée 
61
8
  Cornet V rangs [f6-c61]
280
4
  Prestant 
61
16
  Douçaine
61
4
  Flûte ouverte 
61
8
  Trompette
61
2 2/3
  Quinte 
61
4
  Clairon
61
 
     
 
     
Récit (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
  Bourdon doux
61
2
  Flûte des bois
61
8
  Principal étroit 
61
2
  Plein jeu V rangs
305
8
  Viole de gambe 
61
16
  Basson
61
8
  Voix céleste [f6-c61]
56
8
  Trompette
61
8
  Flûte à cheminée 
61
8
  Hautbois
61
4
  Principal conique 
61
4
  Clairon
61
4
  Flûte traversière 
61
    Tremblant  
               
Positif de chambre (Manual IV) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
  Bourdon en bois
61
1
  Piccolo
61
8
  Quintaton
61
1/3
  Cymbale III rangs
183
4
  Flûte conique
61
2 2/3
  Sesquialtera II rangs
122
2
  Doublette
61
8
  Régale
61
1 1/3
  Quinte
61
    Tremblant  
               
Pédale – 32 notes
32
   Soubasse **
digital
2
   Flûte à bec
32
16
  Principal
32
2
  Fourniture V rangs
160
16
  Soubasse
32
32
  Contrebombarde [ext.] *
12
16
  Flûte **
digital
16
  Bombarde 
32
16
   Quintaton
32
16
  Basson 
32
8
  Principal
32
8
  Trompette
32
8
   Bourdon
32
4
  Chalumeau
32
4
  Prestant
32
   
* added 1984
4
   Flûte a cheminée
32
   
** added 2010
             
Accouplements
    Pos. de cham. – G.O.   Pos. de cham. – Pédale
    Récit – G.O.   Récit – Pédale
    Positif – G.O.   G.O. – Pédale
    Récit – Positif   Positif – Pédale
    Positif de chambre au lieu du Positif (transfer)
             
Adjustable Combinations
   
Positif de chambre Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Récit Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Grand Orgue Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Positif Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Pédale Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb & toe)
Généraux Pistons 1-24 (thumb; odd numbers 1-21 duplicated by toe)
  Set Piston (thumb)
  Cancel Piston (thumb)
             
Reversibles
    Récit – Pédale (thumb & toe)   Plein Jeu (thumb)
    G.O. – Pédale (thumb & toe)   Grand Jeu (thumb)
    Positif – Pédale (thumb & toe)   Tutti (thumb & toe)
    Positif – G.O. (thumb & toe)   Crescendo On (thumb)
    Récit – G.O. (thumb & toe)   Coupler assistance (toe)
    Récit – Positif (thumb & toe)    
             
Sequencer and Combinations Controls
    Next (>) Piston – 4 thumb; 1 toe   All Pistons Next (thumb)
    Prev (<) Piston – 1 thumb; 1 toe    
             
Expression
    Balanced Pedal – Positif de chambre    
    Balanced Pedal – Récit    
    Balanced Pedal – Crescendo    
           
Sources:
     Fuller, Albert. Alice Tully: An Intimate Portrait. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1999.
     FXFOWLE Architects web site: http://www.fxfowle.com
     Glueck, Grace. "J.D. Rockefeller, J.S. Bach Inaugurate Tully Hall," The New York Times (Sep. 12, 1969).
     Hughes, Allen. "A New Organ Is Dedicated at Tully Hall," The New York Times (Apr. 11, 1975).
     Hughes, Allen. "Karl Richter Dazzles Ear With Bach on Tully Organ," The New York Times (Apr. 14, 1975).
     Hughes, Allen. " 'Perfect' Tully Hall Organ Is No Trifle," The New York Times (Apr. 9, 1975).
     "Karl Richter Dazzles Ear With Bach on Tully Organ," The New York Times (Apr. 14, 1975).
     Kozinn, Allan. "Alice Tully Is Dead at 91; Lifelong Patron of the Arts," The New York Times (Dec. 11, 1993).
     Lincoln Center web site: www.lincolncenter.org
     Oestreich, James R. "Pipe Organ Returns to Alice Tully Hall," The New York Times (June 14, 2010).
     Olmstead, Andrea. Juilliard: A History. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1999.
     Orgelbau Th. Kuhn AG web site: http://www.kuhn-org.com/english/default.htm
     Schonberg, Harold C. "Music: Good Acoustics," The New York Times (Sep. 12, 1969).
     "Three Special Programs Scheduled for Weekend," The New York Times (Apr. 9, 1975).

Illustrations:
     http://www.uquebec.ca/musique/orgues/etatsunis/newyorklc1.html. Th. Kuhn Organ (1974) (color).
     Masck, Paul. Exterior of renovated building (Feb. 23, 2009).
     Orgelbau Th. Kuhn AG web site. Th. Kuhn Organ (1974) (b&w).