The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-08-02
KAWA|AHAO'
OLD ORGAN
Thirty-Seven Years
OF Splendid
Service.
|LILIUOKALANI
WAS ORGANISE
Organ That Has Been Played
at Many Historic Functions.
Grave and Gay.

hao, after thirty-seven years of
- service in the big stone church,
has been taken away to give place to
tentious, but it has not been cast aside
as thing worn out and useless. It's
tones are yet too sweet and the memo
ries of it's melodies too dear to the Ha-
waiian people Of the congregation to
permit it to be disposed of as rubbish so
it is being repainted in white and gold
and is to begin a new career in the
Rice chapel at Moiliili where it will
probably lead the harmony of song
service for many years to come.
During it's service at Kawaiahao, the
old organ has pealed forth Its tones
year after year, slowly and mournfully
in the funeral dirge and joyously in
the wedding march, often furnishing
the music for both occasions, and for
the baptismal hymn as well. Its tones
have often added solemnity to occa-
sions of special worship, and Queen
Liliuokalani, before her ascendancy to
| the throne, played upon its keys for
Emany services.
| In itself, the old organ is a wonderful
instrument, and recent repairs and rem
loyations have made it almost as good
as when it was new. 1t was brought
laround the Horn in 1863, its purchase
having been a matter of careful DELHI
leration for long time previous. The
| rxyhio
was taken up by subscription, and
some of the subscribers contributed
upon the condition that the money
might be used, if it was thought adj
lyisable later, to purchase an ordinary
u organ, it being argued that there was
no one in the Islands who would know
lhow to play a pipe organ if the church
lhad one. This difficulty did arise when
, 1.-THE organ was set up, but sailor on
whaling vessel happened in at this
port at the opportune time, and when
, it was learned that he could play the
organ he was persuaded to stay and
| teach a number of young people of the
, congregation. Queen Liliuokalani was
among his pupils and became one of the
( best organists in the Islands, playing
the instrument every Sunday for a
number of years.
:. The organist who was considered the
: best in the Islands was a native wom-
v an, Lizzie Kapohi, and she served the
: church for a long time.
Before the arrival Of the organ IN
! 1S63 a melodeon had been used in the
old church, and nothing in the nature
lof a larger instrument was known
here The advent Of the new instru-
iment, therefore, was a matter of wide
Interest. 1t was ordered from SIM
mons, the famous organ builder OF
cambridge, Massachusetts,. early in the
ispring, and towards the latter part of
. 1.-THE year it arrived. An interesting CO.
! Incidence is that at the time the old
} lorgan was built Mr.. Bergstrom, from
I whom the new organ for Kawaiahao
) Twas purchased, and who came here
D from San Francisco to personally su-
Iperintend its setting up. was employed
lin the Simmons factory, and probably
helped to build the old organ.
Hundreds of people were at the wharf
) Ito meet the organ when it arrived, and
las the workmen put the instrument to-
lgether they were surrounded by throngs
jof the curious. The process of setting
lit up was watched with the liveliest in
lterest. and on Christmas day, when II
, Twas dedicated, the big stone church
was packed to overf1owing, the cere-
mony being very impressive, King Ka-
lmehameha " and all the great digni-
itaries of the day being present
There were very few workmen in the
Islands at that time who knew any
thing about organs, and the task o.
putting together and setting up the
lcuriosity had been fraught with many
difficulties.
Soon after its dedication the sailor
Iabove referred to drifted into the Isl
lands His name was Hart, and like al
, lsailors he was somewhat fond of thu
lsauare- faced bottle. When it was dis
lowered that he could play the church
lorgan he was Immediately in great de
Inland, and the entire congrega ton join
led efforts to keep him sober Ion.
enough to give lessons to his pupils.
: Among the organists who succeede,
}, the future Queen and Lizzie Kapoh
e Twas a. T. Atkinson. the present Super
e Iintendent of Schools. who held the po
e sition until 1881. He had, before this