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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Leo Abbott to Rededicate Landmark E. & G. G. Hook & Hastings Organ, Opus 801

Richard J. Clark · September 6, 2019

NE OF AMERICA’s landmark pipe organs, the E. & G. G. Hook & Hastings Organ, Opus 801 in Boston’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross has been silent for over two years. Affectionately known as “801,” this organ with over 5,300 pipes and 101 ranks was protected from construction dust during a nearly two-year renovation of the Cathedral. It was last heard in concert in May of 2017.

Leo Abbott, Music Director and Organist Emeritus of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross will play the first post-renovation concert on Sunday, September 15, 2019 at 3:00pm. He’ll perform works by Langlais, Bach, Mendelssohn, Franck, Guridi, Vierne, and Vexilla Regis Prodeunt (1995) by Naji Hakim, commissioned by Leo Abbott.

• Admission is Free. Donations are gratefully accepted for the ongoing maintenance and restoration of the Cathedral’s historic E. & G. G. Hook and Hastings Opus 801

• Download the concert poster here.

• Click here for concert program and specifications of the 101-rank E. & G. G. Hook & Hastings Organ, Opus 801

• Click here to read an historic review of the Organ Dedication concert (1876) published in “THE GRAND ORGAN.” Boston Daily Advertiser, February 24, 1876.

With the removal of carpeting and installation of marble and stone floors, the acoustic of the cathedral has been transformed. As such, the instrument will be heard as it has never been in our lifetimes.

URING THE CATHEDRAL RENOVATION, some key ranks of pipes were cleaned and restored—Great reeds 16’, 8’, & 4’ and 8’ Tuba. However, the vast bulk of the organ’s restoration occurred before the Cathedral’s renovation under Leo Abbott’s tenure and direction.

In 1986, when Abbott was named Director of Music and Organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, the pipe organ was essentially unplayable. Abbott nearly singlehandedly raised all the funds over a period of many years. His work has been a tireless labor of love. He generously invited so many organists to perform. I am personally grateful, having lost track how many of my compositions were premiered at the Cathedral. Leo was of enormous personal support. I owe him an eternal debt as do all of us who are devoted to sacred music.

• You can read a fascinating article by Josiah Fisk about Abbott and his tireless drive to renovate this instrument here.

CONSIDER DONATING TO THE CATHEDRAL ORGAN RESTORATION FUND!
You can now donate online to the Cathedral Organ Restoration Fund here. You will receive an automated letter for tax purposes. You may also set up regular giving to assist with maintenance and tuning. Even $10 per month is a big help! This Fund was established by Leo Abbott in 1987 in memory of his father, Arthur J. Abbott.

EO ABBOTT is a graduate of the St. Paul Choir School, Cambridge, and the Chaloff School of Music, Boston. His teachers include Theodore Marier, George Faxon, Clarence Watters and Flor Peeters, in organ; Naji Hakim in improvisation, and Julius Chaloff in piano. He holds the Fellowship and ChoirMaster Certificates of the American Guild of Organists, has won first prize in several international and national competitions, and was a finalist at the “Grand Prix de Chartres” in 1984.

In 1986 he was appointed Music Director and Organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston. After nearly 33 years, Mr. Abbott retired from the Cathedral, and was given the title of Music Director and Organist Emeritus. Mr. Abbott has performed for conventions of the American Guild of Organists and the Organ Historical Society, and at the Basilica of Sacré Coeur, St Sulpice and Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, St. Ouen, Rouen, Westminster Cathedral, London, Galway Cathedral, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, Methuen Memorial Music Hall, Portland City Hall, Harvard University, Grace Cathedral and St. Mary’s Cathedral, San Francisco, Cathedral of the Madeleine, Salt Lake City, and Sacred Heart Cathedral, Newark. He is an active member of the American Guild of Organists, the Organ Historical Society.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Pipe Organ Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“It is the choir that can make the most valuable contribution to the liturgy; it is through the choir that significant numbers of the congregation can make a significant and valuable offering in the community’s act of worship. The choir links directly academic excellence, artistic creation, disciplined attention and self expression in the making of something fitting for the worship of God.”

— Father Daniel Higgins, Choirmaster at Saint Edmund’s College, Ware

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