Last night I attended Bell Choir rehearsal in order to record them. Mostly I just monitored the equipment, located in the balcony, adjacent to the organ so I had time to do other things. I read for awhile, and then decided to go "organ crawling" in the Hook. For the next 45 minutes or so I climbed around within the case simply viewing the historic instrument in my care.
Usually when I go into the organ it is for tuning, and most of the time it is a rush, get-it-over-quick job. While that has its own rewards as I ponder the stability of the Great Trumpet, for example, and note how little care it needs to keep in good voice (compared, at least, to many other reeds I know, or have known), I rarely take time to simply gaze at, and study our musical gem. That is what I did last night.
Sometimes I actively scanned the pipework, correlating actual pipes to the sounds they make, other times I simply stood back and took in the view. I often reflect on the history of this mighty music maker, and there are tantalizing bits that assist in this reverie. There remains stenciling from the original delivery in 1861, on the red painted (lead-based?) wind trunks, and on the Pedal 16' Open Diapason. One of my favorites says: Keep dry - This side up.
Other interesting things exist that the builders and re builders would take for granted and which most people are blissfully unaware, but which I am trying to appreciate. The Swell chests were originally built without a lower octave, as was common practice in the USA in the middle 19th Century. In 1891 Hook & Hastings very skillfully added the bottom twelve notes to the existing windchest, putting extensions on each end (C and C-Sharp side) and integrating them into the existing action. The craftsmanship is exemplary. I also studied the extensions of the Great and Pedal chests that George Bozeman added in order to add the Pedal reed, mixture, quint, and 4', as well as the Great Sharp and 1 3/5. This was also skillfully done.
Having spent over 30 years climbing about various pipe organs, some in my care, some not; some of greater quality, others less so, I continue to try to appreciate the high-quality craftsmanship and innate beauty of this work of art over which I preside. While so many other things in life shift, the beauty of this magnificent music-maker endures.
On a more practical note, the reeds are pretty out-of whack all around and await stable heating before a complete tuning ensues. A recent warming trend has postponed that day a bit longer. The organ recital on November 30 will trigger this big fall tuning whether the temperature settles in or not!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Fall Fell Fast on the Healthy Hook
When fall fell this year it fell fast and fully. Our weather has changed quickly from warm and humid, to chilly without any mild weather in between. At home we went from air conditioning to the furnace in the space of about a week. It would be nice to have had (maybe we still WILL have) a period with the windows open.
The mighty Hook organ has now begun to show the ravages of the up-and-down heating. All the reeds, three on the Swell, and one each on the Great and Pedal, have begun to drift out of tune. The Great Trumpet and Swell Hautbois are the most stable, and they are now drifting quite a bit as well. I am not inclined to tune much at this time as the temperature is so variable and the tuning will drift more before it settles in to the winter state.
We have a new boiler yoked to the old radiators which is not only more efficient, it seems to start up more quickly. Perhaps because of the expected lower operating cost the thermostat has been set at a higher temperature this year than I have ever seen it. It has also been set to raise the temperature way too quickly for the health of the organ. Already we have been sweating in the choir loft after just finishing sweating in the summer season. A number of people, not up in the choir loft where it is warmer but on the floor, volunteered that it has been TOO warm. I would willingly trade this extra heat for later in the winter when I suspect that we will be cold! Heating the building so quickly (or TRYING to heat the building too quickly) is highly detrimental to all wood because the humidity is changed too drastically in too short a space of time. All the wood in the church will suffer from this, and the organ will be negatively affected even more. I hope that I will be able to get the heat started earlier and more gently; we did this for awhile a last year for a time and it worked well. We surely saved money, avoiding "jack-rabbit-starts" as happens when the heat goes (or tries to go) from 55 degrees to 69 degrees in too short a time.
I have seen people walk into the cold church, supposedly heated, but still struggling to make it into the 60's, immediately walk back out the door. The idea seems to be that if the air temperature is at a certain level, then people are comfortable. Specialists in heating and cooling know that the "comfort" of a building is not based on air temperature, but the temperature of SURFACES; pews, walls, floor, etc. If the air is rapidly heated in two hours, none of the surfaces can possibly warm-up. It is no wonder people are cold and leaving. The fact that this rapid change in temperature is very bad for the organ as well as the comfort of the people leads me to hope that we can design a better way to do this. The fact that a multi-stepped, longer heat-up period would also probably save money ought to help, but I have been pressing for this approach for quite a while and am not sure that I am heard. I'll continue this effort.
I am waiting patiently to see how our heating strategy develops as the cold season advances. I feel responsible for keeping the Hook healthy and the closest thing to a threat to it at this time would be our wonderful new boiler coupled with poor thermostat management. In fact, bad thermostat management is probably also a big threat to attendance (and income?) in the next few months. STAY TUNED.
The mighty Hook organ has now begun to show the ravages of the up-and-down heating. All the reeds, three on the Swell, and one each on the Great and Pedal, have begun to drift out of tune. The Great Trumpet and Swell Hautbois are the most stable, and they are now drifting quite a bit as well. I am not inclined to tune much at this time as the temperature is so variable and the tuning will drift more before it settles in to the winter state.
We have a new boiler yoked to the old radiators which is not only more efficient, it seems to start up more quickly. Perhaps because of the expected lower operating cost the thermostat has been set at a higher temperature this year than I have ever seen it. It has also been set to raise the temperature way too quickly for the health of the organ. Already we have been sweating in the choir loft after just finishing sweating in the summer season. A number of people, not up in the choir loft where it is warmer but on the floor, volunteered that it has been TOO warm. I would willingly trade this extra heat for later in the winter when I suspect that we will be cold! Heating the building so quickly (or TRYING to heat the building too quickly) is highly detrimental to all wood because the humidity is changed too drastically in too short a space of time. All the wood in the church will suffer from this, and the organ will be negatively affected even more. I hope that I will be able to get the heat started earlier and more gently; we did this for awhile a last year for a time and it worked well. We surely saved money, avoiding "jack-rabbit-starts" as happens when the heat goes (or tries to go) from 55 degrees to 69 degrees in too short a time.
I have seen people walk into the cold church, supposedly heated, but still struggling to make it into the 60's, immediately walk back out the door. The idea seems to be that if the air temperature is at a certain level, then people are comfortable. Specialists in heating and cooling know that the "comfort" of a building is not based on air temperature, but the temperature of SURFACES; pews, walls, floor, etc. If the air is rapidly heated in two hours, none of the surfaces can possibly warm-up. It is no wonder people are cold and leaving. The fact that this rapid change in temperature is very bad for the organ as well as the comfort of the people leads me to hope that we can design a better way to do this. The fact that a multi-stepped, longer heat-up period would also probably save money ought to help, but I have been pressing for this approach for quite a while and am not sure that I am heard. I'll continue this effort.
I am waiting patiently to see how our heating strategy develops as the cold season advances. I feel responsible for keeping the Hook healthy and the closest thing to a threat to it at this time would be our wonderful new boiler coupled with poor thermostat management. In fact, bad thermostat management is probably also a big threat to attendance (and income?) in the next few months. STAY TUNED.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Leveraged fallout
As the liturgy began today I quickly realized that as I played on the Great with the Swell coupled down, one note, tenor d-sharp, was not coupling. This kind of thing happens occasionally as the "coupler levers" shift slightly and need to be nudged back into place. At the next opportunity I pulled the back off of the console expecting to find just that. Instead, there was simply NO COUPLER LEVER present for that note, just the other 55. Later I gave a thorough look through the console to see if it had somehow fallen out; it was nowhere in sight. This particular mechanism is at the top of the console and below it is another coupler mechanism with 56 more coupler levers just like it except even longer. Below that is a maze of trackers through which I can't quite imagine anything with the mass of this part, falling.
I sent a plea for help to Dave Wigton who services the instrument, and George Bozeman, who rebuilt it in the 1970's. George wrote back almost immediately to say that indeed, these coupler levers DO sometimes fall out and land beyond and below the surrounding action. I presume that this is what happened.
As this note is an important one, and it may take awhile to get a replacement made, I removed an identical coupler lever from a note at the very top of the keyboard and placed in tenor d-sharp position, and bingo, I had a fully working coupler, except for the one very high note.
Another day, another lesson in the mechanisms of the Mighty Hook! The tuning is holding well but the swell Cornopean is beginning to drift on some notes. Soon the temps will call for some touch-up tuning, but not much more than that.
I sent a plea for help to Dave Wigton who services the instrument, and George Bozeman, who rebuilt it in the 1970's. George wrote back almost immediately to say that indeed, these coupler levers DO sometimes fall out and land beyond and below the surrounding action. I presume that this is what happened.
As this note is an important one, and it may take awhile to get a replacement made, I removed an identical coupler lever from a note at the very top of the keyboard and placed in tenor d-sharp position, and bingo, I had a fully working coupler, except for the one very high note.
Another day, another lesson in the mechanisms of the Mighty Hook! The tuning is holding well but the swell Cornopean is beginning to drift on some notes. Soon the temps will call for some touch-up tuning, but not much more than that.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Heat's on!
Today when I entered the church it was obvious that the heat had been turned on even though it wasn't that cold out (or in) and the building is certainly colder than this in the winter with the heat set at our maximum (which is 65). I sure would love to save the energy we're squandering right now to use in the winter months when I have actually seen people walk in the church, check the temperature (too cold) and walk back out.
I also worry about the organ a bit in these sudden temperature/humidity changes and sure enough today a new sticky note turned up during Mass: middle D on the Great stuck down a few times and had to be lifted. Until I caught this we had an interesting non-harmonic tone pedal-point carrying on through the Psalm.
I also worry about the organ a bit in these sudden temperature/humidity changes and sure enough today a new sticky note turned up during Mass: middle D on the Great stuck down a few times and had to be lifted. Until I caught this we had an interesting non-harmonic tone pedal-point carrying on through the Psalm.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Summer into Fall tuning
Since tuning the all the reeds in late July, they have held well through slightly hotter and slightly cooler weather. We've recently taken another step cooler as fall approaches and the tuning still holds! This past weekend we celebrated our patronal feast and I had occasion to touch a little more full organ stuff and it all sounded great, to me at least. No complaints yet!
Recent high humidity does bring out some ciphers in the swell when coupled, but these apparently date to its 70's rebuilding. When I prepare stops in silence I have to remember to first draw a QUIET swell stop to see if it will cipher, keeping the box closed, NOT doing it during quiet parts of the service. If it is ciphering I work the swell to great coupler on-and-off a couple times and it almost always takes care of it. I must remember that I can't pull on the loud reeds in one pull while we pray! This little issue multiplies when the humidity rises, as it certainly has arisen over this past weekend. I am told that the swell coupler action is closely regulated and if it were loosened so that it never ciphered, the regulation of the playing action would suffer; it's a balance. As I find myself saying to others, when WE are 148 years old we will have a few idiosyncrasies too!
Recent high humidity does bring out some ciphers in the swell when coupled, but these apparently date to its 70's rebuilding. When I prepare stops in silence I have to remember to first draw a QUIET swell stop to see if it will cipher, keeping the box closed, NOT doing it during quiet parts of the service. If it is ciphering I work the swell to great coupler on-and-off a couple times and it almost always takes care of it. I must remember that I can't pull on the loud reeds in one pull while we pray! This little issue multiplies when the humidity rises, as it certainly has arisen over this past weekend. I am told that the swell coupler action is closely regulated and if it were loosened so that it never ciphered, the regulation of the playing action would suffer; it's a balance. As I find myself saying to others, when WE are 148 years old we will have a few idiosyncrasies too!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The Mute Trombone
In early summer 2007 low C of the pedal 16' Trombone went dead. There were no mechanical issues with the trackers and action, and when the reed was re-tuned it still did not speak. We did know that air was reaching the pipe.
The Trombone has full-length wooden resonators and is by-and-large very easy to access EXCEPT FOR THE BOTTOM FEW PIPES on the C side, which is very difficult to get to. Knowing that the issue was within the pipe, likely a dirty reed and/or dead bird or bat, the next step would need to include lifting the resonator and block off of the boot. This would allow cleaning of the reed and removal of any dead animal or other debris blocking the air flow. This is easier said than done and after some months and numerous attempts, I gave up. The problem was not going to fix itself and I was not going to be able to do it myself even with the good advice I gathered from George Bozeman and Dave Wigton. In addition I brought some clever mechanical-type problem solvers in to see the logistical issues and although we had ideas, none was pursued. I finally called in Dave Wigton to do the deed.
Dave climbed up on the top of the 16' open wood and lifted the resonator from above while an assistant at the bottom helped guide and support it. Finally it broke free and was lifted up over the walk-board behind the Swell, turned upside down and after some poking and shaking, a long-dead bird fell out.
The reed was cleaned and put back in place and the resonator restored to its home (long to stay put I trust), tuned and regulated and we were back in low C Trombone land!
The Trombone has full-length wooden resonators and is by-and-large very easy to access EXCEPT FOR THE BOTTOM FEW PIPES on the C side, which is very difficult to get to. Knowing that the issue was within the pipe, likely a dirty reed and/or dead bird or bat, the next step would need to include lifting the resonator and block off of the boot. This would allow cleaning of the reed and removal of any dead animal or other debris blocking the air flow. This is easier said than done and after some months and numerous attempts, I gave up. The problem was not going to fix itself and I was not going to be able to do it myself even with the good advice I gathered from George Bozeman and Dave Wigton. In addition I brought some clever mechanical-type problem solvers in to see the logistical issues and although we had ideas, none was pursued. I finally called in Dave Wigton to do the deed.
Dave climbed up on the top of the 16' open wood and lifted the resonator from above while an assistant at the bottom helped guide and support it. Finally it broke free and was lifted up over the walk-board behind the Swell, turned upside down and after some poking and shaking, a long-dead bird fell out.
The reed was cleaned and put back in place and the resonator restored to its home (long to stay put I trust), tuned and regulated and we were back in low C Trombone land!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
The Mighty Hook
I have the joy and responsibility of playing and tending the three-manual, 41-rank pipe organ originally built in 1861 by E. & G. G. Hook, Boston, as Opus 300 for St. John's Episcopal Church, Detroit, and rebuilt by Hook & Hastings in 1891.
In 1903 the organ was sold to Holy Cross Church, Marine City, for the new church building. It has served faithfully in this second home for over a century. The organ, which contains mostly unaltered Hook pipework, was rebuilt/restored in 1977 by George Bozeman who added some stops originally planned for, and who restored a suitable case as was present in the original installation, the original case being discarded in 1891.
I do virtually all of the tuning and day-to-day maintenance of this instrument (Dave Wigton is on call and does the tricky, specialized stuff). In the five years since my arrival at this place I have increased in awe and respect for the innate quality of the construction and beauty of the voicing. As most of the flue pipes are cone-tuned and exceedingly stable, I rarely touch them. The reeds take most of my tuning attention and I intend to log the ongoing process of tuning them, as well as the other occasional mechanical and maintenance issues that I attend to.
Stay tuned!
In 1903 the organ was sold to Holy Cross Church, Marine City, for the new church building. It has served faithfully in this second home for over a century. The organ, which contains mostly unaltered Hook pipework, was rebuilt/restored in 1977 by George Bozeman who added some stops originally planned for, and who restored a suitable case as was present in the original installation, the original case being discarded in 1891.
I do virtually all of the tuning and day-to-day maintenance of this instrument (Dave Wigton is on call and does the tricky, specialized stuff). In the five years since my arrival at this place I have increased in awe and respect for the innate quality of the construction and beauty of the voicing. As most of the flue pipes are cone-tuned and exceedingly stable, I rarely touch them. The reeds take most of my tuning attention and I intend to log the ongoing process of tuning them, as well as the other occasional mechanical and maintenance issues that I attend to.
Stay tuned!
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