Historical Narrative
1855-1913
When analyzing the organ at Bates College and its significance in material culture it is important to first have an understanding of its history. It is first interesting to point out that Bates College was founded under strong Christian ideals, however the school did not have a designated place for religious worship for almost 60 years. Before the construction of the chapel the entire school would meet in the basement of Hathorn Hall for daily services. Unfortunately, as the school grew the basement, holding only 150 people, proved to be too small to hold the entire community. In order to solve this problem the main floor of Hathorn was renovated into a chapel like space, holding 400 people, however the size of the school had already grown to 450 students. Although this space proved useful, it still lacked a sense of pure religious power as the building was used for multiple purposes. It was still missing one important element necessary to give Bates the feel of a truly Christian college. This element came with the construction of the chapel and the inauguration of the college’s first organ in 1913, 58 years after the founding of the school.
1913-1938
The Bates College Peter J. Gomes Chapel was erected in 1913, which came along with the installation of the original organ. The chapel was financed by a donation $50,000 from Mrs. Ellen S. James of New York. This donation was later raised to $60,000 to include the organ. This was the first of three organs in Bates history. Mrs. James donated this organ with the hopes that Bates would remain a primarily Christian school and wanted the organ used during Christian services. The first organ contained 25,000 distinct pieces and was powered by a water motor which was installed in the chapel basement directly below the organ. However, by the late 1930s the original organ was in need of a replacement, as a result of damage and devaluation overtime (The Bates Student, Volume 41).
1938-1982
In 1938 Arthur C. James, son of Ellen S. James, donated the funds for a replacement organ. At the time the second organ was installed it rivaled the finest organs in the country for its size, coming equipped with an echo organ. They were both built and installed by the Estey Organ Company of Brattleboro, Vermont. Cost was estimated to be $15,400. Once Arthur C. James made the donation, the organ was installed hastily as to insure it would be ready for the graduation of the class of 1938 (The Bates Student, Volume 65).
As one would expect, like his mother Ellen, Arthur C. James also donated the second organ in hopes that Bates maintain Christian values. This desire may have provided the inspiration for his generous gift. What is not clear in the organ’s history is at which point the use of the organ diverged from its Christian roots. Today the chapel and its organ are multicultural and used for services from a variety of religious backgrounds. It is likely that this shift came about gradually as the Bates campus diversitized and space was needed to accommodate the varying backgrounds. Perhaps Arthur C. James did not feel as strongly about the Christian affiliation of the college as his mother and was not concerned by the multicultural uses of his donation. However it is likely that the religious desires James family were not shared by Thomas Hedley Reynolds, the fifth president of Bates College, and this shift was made with his donation of the third and current organ.
During his time at Bates, Peter J. Gomes, Bates class of 1965, whom which the chapel was recently named after, was one of the few organists on campus. As an undergraduate he also served as a choirmaster, and minister to his peers. Gomes then went on to become a professor at Harvard Divinity School and a minister at Harvard’s Memorial Church. He was, in the words of Drew Gilpin Faust, 28th president of Harvard University, “one of the great preachers of our generation, and a living symbol of courage and conviction.” He passed away in February, 2011 (Harvard Gazette).
1982-Present
The organ that presently resides in the Gomes chapel was installed in 1982 and was built by Hellmuth Wolff of Laval, Canada. It is a thirty-six-stop organ, which means there are thirty six controls that determine the type of sound available on the organ. As described by former Bates Professor of Music Marion Anderson, “its Renaissance-style case of stained white oak was inspired by the organ in St. Geroen, Cologne. The pipeshades, of hand-carved butternut wood, reflect some of the wood carvings found elsewhere in the Chapel” (bates.edu). The pipes in the visible portion of the case are made of an alloy of tin and lead, and are responsible for most of the sound.