WITHOUT MODERN electric light, our Sanctuary would be noticeably darker today than when it was built. In 1875, neighboring lots featured low buildings or none at all, and sun would have streamed through the new stained glass. But another aspect of the Sanctuary’s design is as brilliant today as it always was. And that is the acoustics of the spoken word.

Today’s electrical sound system is a helpful aid, but even without it, someone standing in the pulpit can speak comfortably to people seated in the farthest pew. Numerous aspects of architect Carl Pfeiffer’s design make this possible: a relatively sound-absorbent ceiling made of canvas-covered panels; a pulpit area lined with reflective wood and shaped like a band shell; and the Thermos-like wrapping of a wooden interior within a stone exterior to create double windows and walls, effectively insulating the interior from outside street noise.

However, the same design that makes the Sanctuary exceptional for speech poses challenges for choral music. In 2007, professional acousticians measured the loss of sound energy from the choir to the pews and discovered the most extreme drop of any church they knew! Part of the problem was certainly the choir loft’s cork floor and flimsy ceiling—since replaced with hardwood and sound-reflecting panels. But most sacred choral music was written for reverberant, stone interiors. It is difficult to create a full and blended sound in a wide, carpeted hall.

Also, while the organ is well placed and has the enormous power necessary, the Sanctuary was never designed to
accommodate a sizable choir. Since the early 20th century, a series of modifications has addressed the problem of
where to put a group of more than four singers. How can they stand together in front of a conductor, hear each
other—not easy in a room that can feel like an outdoor arena—and be heard by the congregation?

A fascinating photograph from 1893 shows an organ loft and pulpit canopy very different from today. Originally, the band shell-like structure behind the pulpit was taller and more deeply recessed (excellent for projecting the preacher’s voice across the main floor). The organist perched on a kind of turret that protruded over the ministers’ chairs. Around the organist was just enough space for four singers. Flanking the turret were three pews for congregants: two on the north, one on the south. From here, church members must have been able to read the preacher’s notes!

Behind stood an organ made in 1893 by Odell, whose workshop was on West 42nd Street. In the photograph, organ pipes are leaning on the left side, awaiting installation. The case of the Odell organ matches the style of the church but with an exaggerated, heavy quality. By 1913, this aesthetic was likely an embarrassment to 20th-century New Yorkers and, with a new instrument needed, the Session was happy to modernize.

Another beautiful photograph (from 1914 or later) shows the new organ, built more tightly to the rear wall. This opened more space for singers, allowing for an ensemble of 12 during the 1920s and, somehow, a choir double that number in the 1940s. Gone from the 1914 photograph is the original turret-like structure above the ministers’ chairs: the gallery edge has been lowered and straightened across the front, the preacher’s chair nudged forward, and the acoustic canopy halved in size. In 1926 or soon after, the three pews overlooking the pulpit were removed, and the organ console was lowered into a shallow pit.

ALTHOUGH THE solid oak panels of the case reflected sound well for the congregation, the singers themselves were unable to hear across the space, nor were they well placed to see the conductor. So with the installation of the Austin organ came a major modification to organ case: the interior front panels were pushed back to create room for the choir. For the first time, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church could properly accommodate a choir in the gallery, with the singers arranged in a continuous arc in front of the conductor.

Yet the acoustics of the new choir loft proved less than ideal. Despite walls on three sides, it remained difficult for the singers to hear one another, and too much sound escaped up into the organ case instead of flowing down to the congregation.

Meanwhile, with the console still in its shallow pit, the organist had a hard time judging the sound of the organ and leading hymn singing sensitively. Still, the 1961 layout persisted for55 years, until an inferior 1990s replacement of the original console began to fail.

In 2017, the church remodeled the choir loft once more, when a new organ console was installed. Above the choir, curved panels were added to reflect sound back upon the singers and out to the congregation. Underfoot, a simple hardwood platform replaced the stepped cork floor. Movable risers anda moveable console now ensure a flexible space for our musicians in the years ahead, and the new floor helps to blend the choral sound better than ever before.

Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church is blessed with a second worship space—with far more reverberant acoustics. Kirkland Chapel, designed by the noted architect James Gamble Rogers, dates from 1925, when the Curry Church House was constructed. The chapel replaced an original Lecture Room, which contained a small pipe organ. Regular choral concerts have been given in Kirkland Chapel since 2013.