SACO — When John Sullivan’s fingers tapped out a Bach piece on the keys of his instrument, the sound issued was not the sober, cutting resonance of a grand piano. The notes, teased out of a traveling pipe organ, sounded almost whimsical, a happy affair in inviting tones that called to mind swinging hymns in a Southern revival choir, or the finger-snapping accompaniments to silent films.

On Friday night, the traveling pipe organ rambled its way into the Deering Room of the Dyer Library in Saco. As children, parents and the merely curious filed their way into the room, Sullivan’s anticipation for the performance was evident, and his pleasure justified: He has been playing the organ now for about 50 years.

“I took piano lessons when I was in the fourth, fifth grade,” said Sullivan. “My piano teacher was also an organist, and while she didn’t teach me how to play, she sparked my interest.”

That interest eventually led to Sullivan’s involvement in the Friends of Kotzschmar Organ, a Portland-based group that is dedicated to the preservation of the oldest, working municipal pipe organ in the country: The Kotzschmar ”“ which for years has resided in Portland’s Merrill Auditorium.

“We’re trying to bring an awareness of the organ to the greater Portland area, including Saco,” said Sullivan.

That awareness includes not just a cursory knowledge of the organ and how it works, but a bit of the history behind the Kotzschmar itself.

In 1908, said Sullivan, Portland’s City Hall burned to the ground, and when it was rebuilt in 1912, magazine magnate Cyrus H.K. Curtis commissioned the construction of the Kotzschmar, named after his father, Herman Kotzschmar.

The organ ”“ electrified, and with about 6,800 pipes ”“ turns 100 years old this August, but is in need of repairs. The City of Portland, said Sullivan, has agreed to pay half of the $2.5 million cost to restore the instrument, and the Friends of Kotzschmar Organ have already secured enough funding to cover the remaining half; Sullivan said the eventual establishment of an endowment fund will ensure that paying for future repairs will no longer be an issue.

In the meantime, Sullivan has been traveling to spread the word about the Kotzschmar and its importance, as well as to educate children and their families on the finer points of the decidedly unique instrument.

When Dyer Library Program and Education Manager Camille Smalley heard of the traveling organ, she leapt on the chance to bring it to Saco.

“One of our volunteers is also part of Friends of Kotzschmar Organ and mentioned something about it, and I just thought it sounded great,” she said.

The traveling organ, while dubbed the “Kotzschmar Jr.,” is not a scaled-down replica of its namesake. Built by Friends of Kotzschmar Organ specifically for educational purposes, the Kotzschmar Jr. has been constructed with exposed pipes and Plexiglass panels so that children and families can see the inner workings of the machine. There are only 149 pipes in the organ, and while the original Kotzschmar is fully electric, the pipes of the Kotzschmar Jr. must be manually filled with a hand pump; otherwise, pressing keys will result in silence rather than those warm, hymnal notes.

On Friday, after Sullivan played a few classical pieces and some jaunty tunes from Disney films, he invited children to the front of the room to try the instrument for themselves; a cluster of curious young minds lined up to try the manual pump, and experiment with the “stops,” those buttons on the side of an organ that change the tonal quality of the notes.

But it wasn’t just children who benefited from the Kotzschmar Jr. At least one woman felt a deeper connection.

“My grandmother lived within walking distance of City Hall (in Portland),” said Kitty Chadbourne, who listened to the concert with rapt attention. “Her grandfather was from Germany. When the Kotzschmar organ came to Portland, her grandfather would take her down to hear it on Sundays. She became enthralled with the music.

“She ended up becoming the first violinist for the Portland Symphony Orchestra, before the group was officially called the Portland Symphony Orchestra,” she said, “and it was the Kotzschmar organ that did it.”

— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319 or jlagasse@journaltribune.com.