Originally published on August 27, 2020.
The first large organ at the Cathedral was built by the self-taught organ builder William M. Goodrich. Mr. Goodrich is now known by some as ‘the father of the Boston organ-building industry.’ Mr. Goodrich was born in Templeton, Massachusetts in 1777, the son of Ebenezer Goodrich, a farmer in Templeton. William learned to make things while a young man. He repaired and cleaned clocks with another mechanic in town, Mr. Eli Bruce. It was during this time that William helped to construct a small organ with wooden pipes. He learned more about organ construction by making instruments with several other builders.
William Goodrich started constructing church organs himself around 1805 in Boston when he constructed a small instrument for what is now Holy Cross Cathedral. William later built a larger instrument for the Cathedral in 1822.
“The contract for the organ at St. Paul’s Church was signed in 1822, and a smaller organ, loaned to the church by Goodrich, was used while he planned and built the largest organ of his career. It was the first 3- manual & pedal organ to have been built in Boston at that time, and was not completed until the Spring of 1827. It had 26 speaking stops, one of which was a 17-note 16’ Open Diapason in the Pedal. The manual compass was 58 notes, GGG to f3. It was in a classical case 27’ high, 16’ wide and 9 ½’ deep. The building was described as the largest church in Boston at that time, and Goodrich was praised for constructing an organ of sufficient power for it. When the organ builders E. & G. G. Hook replaced the Goodrich organ in 1854, it was sold to Plymouth Congregational Church in Framingham, originally located in the gallery but later moved to a recess behind the pulpit. It remained in use until 1930, when it was replaced by a 3-manual Skinner organ. Skinner refused to salvage any pipework from it, and Goodrich’s magnum opus was presumably destroyed.” (from notes provided by organ historian Barbara Owen)
There is more information to be found in Barbara Owens book The Organ in New England. Much of the information in this short article is found in Ms. Owens’ book as well as an anonymous biographical memoir of William M. Goodrich found at wikisource.org.
- Louise Mundinger
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