The sound of another time

Tucked away among skyscrapers, shopping centers and five-star hotels along Chang'an Avenue in Beijing, the auditorium of Peking Union Medical College — one of China's longest established medical schools — stands quietly and distinctively on the bustling street.

On the night of April 7, World Health Day, a special concert, titled Resound, was held there to celebrate the restoration of a massive theater organ, which was first installed in the auditorium when the building was constructed in 1921.

Organist Shen Yuan opened the concert by playing Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565, which is one of the most famous works in the organ repertoire.

"The organ's immersive grandeur and vast sound range offer you a uniquely physical sonic experience, which is unbelievable," says Shen, who teaches at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. "We are thrilled to bring this instrument back to life again."

She also performed music pieces that she adapted for the old instrument, such as Allegro, Chorale and Fugue in D Minor by Felix Mendelssohn and the composer's well-known organ piece, Wedding March. The concert ended with Ode to Joy — the triumphant choral climax of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No 9.

Shen started her music training at the age of 4, when she learned piano and electronic organ under the guidance of her father, Shen Xiaoming, a pioneering electronic organist who was one of the founders of professional education in the instrument in China.

Shen Yuan first saw the organ at the medical college in 2009 when she did research for her PhD thesis. She was surprised to realize that it is no ordinary organ. Unlike those mostly seen in churches and concert halls, it belongs to the family of theater organs, which was developed during the silent movie era. Movie theaters used them to provide a varied soundtrack to movies being played.

Sitting down at the organ, Shen Yuan displayed the colorful sounds that the organ could make. With keys pressed and pedals manipulated, she made sounds, such as that of a soft and gentle harp, a clanging cymbal and military drum roll.

"This is the oldest organ of its kind that still exists in China. It's also the only theater organ that was produced in China," says Shen Yuan, adding that about 7,000 theater organs were made worldwide from 1887 to 1942. About 40 of them have survived. "This organ is a great cultural legacy."

In 1917, the Rockefeller Foundation, which was founded by business magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller in 1913, established Peking Union Medical College. When the auditorium was built, Rockefeller personally paid for the organ to be installed. On Sept 18, 1921, the organ was played to celebrate the opening of Peking Union Medical College.

The auditorium and the organ have witnessed many historical moments. In 1924, Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore celebrated his 63rd birthday at the auditorium with his Chinese friends, including renowned authors Xu Zhimo and Lin Huiyin.

In 1925, a memorial event was held at the auditorium to mark the death of revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925).

Famous Chinese writer Lin Haiyin (1919-2001) married Xia Chengying (1910-2002) on May 13, 1939, to the organ's majestic sound.

During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), the auditorium and the organ fell into disrepair.

The organ's major parts are installed in a chamber at the northeast corner of the auditorium, and it produces sounds through a grille, behind which sit the swell shutters. The console is located at the foot of the auditorium, and the blower is placed in a space underneath the organ chamber, accessible only by crawling through a long, narrow passageway that can be reached from a corridor under the stage.

"I first saw the organ in 2018, and it looked very old and broken. It was just like a patient with no vital signs," recalls Wang Chen, president of Peking Union Medical College. "The organ is an important cultural relic, not only for the college, but also for the country. So we decided to repair it, and we were fully aware that it would be a very challenging project."

Supported by Sir Gordon Wu Ying-sheung and his wife Ivy Wu Kwok Sau-ping, the restoration of the organ started in 2021. The organ was shipped to Canada and the repair project was undertaken by Canadian organ building company Casavant Freres in collaboration with Jeff Weiler, president of Chicago-headquartered JL Weiler, Inc, a noted restorer of pipe organs.

The organ, which weighs about 2.7 metric tons, has more than 35,000 parts of various sizes, some of which have been lost over time. All the remaining parts were numbered and packed, which took the team about 25 days.

"We didn't put in any new wood screws or new hardware in the instrument. Instead, we preserved the original screws and hardware, which are 100 years old," says Weiler.

Now the hard work is done.

"It was very rewarding when it finally came back to life and sang again in the auditorium," says Wang.

According to Shen Yuan, who has been appointed as the artistic director of organ performance at Peking Union Medical College, the college will train students with a piano background on the organ. There will be concerts featuring the organ and other instruments, both classical and contemporary.