Charles Marie Courboin (1884–1973) was a Belgian–American organ virtuoso who enjoyed popularity during the 1920s. During this time he was engaged by department store magnate Rodman Wanamaker to oversee the second enlargement of the Wanamaker Organ. He added the huge string and orchestral sections bringing it to 461 ranks and 28,482 pipes. He also served as Director of Music for St. Patrick Cathedral, New York City from 1943 until his retirement in 1968.
Early history
A native of Antwerp, Courboin showed musical aptitude at an early age when he was able to play concertos and symphonies by ear. He studied piano for five years at the conservatory in his birthplace, and at the age of 12 was appointed organist at Notre Dame College in the same city. Later he concentrated on the organ, which he studied under at the Brussels Conservatoire. There he won the International Organ Prize over eight other contestants. When still a mere 18 years old, he became organist at Antwerp Cathedral.
Relocation to United States
Courboin came to the United States in 1904 to serve as organist at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church in Oswego, New York. He was recommended for the position by the great French organ virtuoso Alexandre Guilmant, who played a recital at the church following his 'famous 40' concerts at the St Louis Exposition organ during the 1904 World's Fair. That instrument would later be purchased by Wanamaker and comprise the nucleus of Philadelphia's Wanamaker Organ. It was while serving at St. Paul that Courboin would first meet then Syracuse organ professor Alexander Russell who would later serve as music director for the Wanamaker stores and as Courboin's personal manager.
In 1915 Courboin became organist of the First Baptist Church, Syracuse New York where he played the four-manual Casavant Frères organ, the largest instrument in New York State outside of New York City. This organ was later relocated to Jacoby Symphony Hall, Jacksonville, Florida by the Quimby Organ Company.
Courboin was appointed, in 1918, civic organist for the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, where he performed on a four-manual Steere organ.
Three years later, Courboin left his Syracuse position to assume the role of organist of Hickory Street Presbyterian Church in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he played a Casavant organ built to his design. The move was made in part to ease Courboin's travels to both New York and Philadelphia for his many concert engagements at the Wanamaker stores.
Association with Wanamaker
Courboin had a major career break in 1919 when he was chosen by Dr. Russell along with Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra to perform the rededication concert for the newly enlarged Wanamaker Organ. Fifteen thousand people attended this event with an equal number being turned away.
Thereafter Courboin continued to be one of the favorite performers for the Wanamaker organization. During this period he gave several recitals at both the Philadelphia and New York stores, the latter housing a four-manual Austin organ greatly revised and expanded in the early 1920s by the Wanamaker Organ Shop with Courboin's assistance (to 115 stops, 118 ranks and 7,422 pipes).
In 1926 Courboin would be employed by Wanamaker to spearhead the second expansion of the Wanamaker Organ thus maintaining its position as the largest organ in the World. Although he served under a committee chaired by Dr. Russell Courboin's wishes were largely carried out. His stature further rose in the fall of 1926, when Rodman Wanamaker's impatience with setbacks in the progress of the Wanamaker Organ's second enlargement caused him to put Courboin in charge of the whole project. The Wanamaker Organ during Courboin's tenure added the celebrated, vast String Division, the Orchestral Division of Kimball reeds and of flutes, and the Great Chorus division. A planned Stentor division was not built, owing to the 1928 death of Rodman Wanamaker. Typical of this second enlargement was the addition of choirs of like-sounding stops, such as Vox Humanas, French Horns, Dulcianas, Muted Strings, etc. This enabled the ensemble to be built up and brought down seamlessly through addition and subtraction of ranks. During his tenure at Wanamaker's collaboration and friendship with the organbuilder Robert Pier Elliot led to Wanamaker patronage of the companies Elliot successively worked for, such as Kimball and Welte.