To add a little about Charles Meys, he was still playing at Morristown High School and was on the faculty when I was there from 1962 to 1964. Bruce Courter had removed the Aeolian Residence Organ from the upper right Chamber and it was turned into a AV room. At the time, Bruce installed it in his fathers house which was just a few doors down from the HS on Early Street.
The school purchased a Allen Organ and installed it in the auditorium. It was hardly a replacement for the pipe organ, however Mr Meys played it often for school assemblies and programs. We were all aware of his role as a theatre organist and can now say all these years later that he passed some of that on to me. I continue to play several silent movies a year in various theatres.
The Aeolian Organ was not built for the high school, but rather the home with the long fountain next to the Community Theatre. That became the city hall. The story was that the owner of the home donated the organ to the high school when it was quite new, some time in the 1920’s . There was a player action on the organ that could allow it to be played by paper rolls.
Bruce and I did a lot of work on a very large Aeolian residence organ in the Twombley Estate after it was turned into Farliegh Dickinson in Madison. That organ was twice the size of the MHS organ and had two player systems, one in the console and one in a cabinet to the left of the console. It was unfortunatly removed some time ago. Today there are still some Aeolian Residence organs in the mansions they were built for and are highly prized. Just like the destruction of so many theatres, you don’t know what you got till its gone !
Having traveled to MHS for my 50th reunuion last fall, it was wonderful to see that there is a plaque for Charles Meys in the main hall.
To add a little about Charles Meys, he was still playing at Morristown High School and was on the faculty when I was there from 1962 to 1964. Bruce Courter had removed the Aeolian Residence Organ from the upper right Chamber and it was turned into a AV room. At the time, Bruce installed it in his fathers house which was just a few doors down from the HS on Early Street.
The school purchased a Allen Organ and installed it in the auditorium. It was hardly a replacement for the pipe organ, however Mr Meys played it often for school assemblies and programs. We were all aware of his role as a theatre organist and can now say all these years later that he passed some of that on to me. I continue to play several silent movies a year in various theatres.
The Aeolian Organ was not built for the high school, but rather the home with the long fountain next to the Community Theatre. That became the city hall. The story was that the owner of the home donated the organ to the high school when it was quite new, some time in the 1920’s . There was a player action on the organ that could allow it to be played by paper rolls.
Bruce and I did a lot of work on a very large Aeolian residence organ in the Twombley Estate after it was turned into Farliegh Dickinson in Madison. That organ was twice the size of the MHS organ and had two player systems, one in the console and one in a cabinet to the left of the console. It was unfortunatly removed some time ago. Today there are still some Aeolian Residence organs in the mansions they were built for and are highly prized. Just like the destruction of so many theatres, you don’t know what you got till its gone !
Having traveled to MHS for my 50th reunuion last fall, it was wonderful to see that there is a plaque for Charles Meys in the main hall.