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Organ restoration projects making the news

Started by KB7DQH, January 13, 2011, 08:37:19 PM

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KB7DQH

QuoteRefurbishing the pipe organ has been identified as the legacy project of the Irish Bicentennial celebrations taking place this year in Tignish and area.

Installed in 1882 at a cost of $2,400, the Tignish organ is the largest of the five Louis Mitchell pipe organs still in use. It is now valued at close to $1 million.

Cote suggests the organ's future is sound.

"It will work for generations," he predicts.

"It's a unique instrument," Perry says. "They call it the Tignish Treasure, and with good reason."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2011/01/13/pei-tignish-organ-restoration.html

http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2011-01-11/article-2105338/Historic-pipe-organ-to-be-repaired-in-Montreal/1?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter


Another one...
http://www.tntech.edu/pressreleases/jan-17-pipe-organ-recital-at-ttu-highlights-instruments-needs/


QuoteStructural updates along with other desired improvements to modernize the organ would cost nearly $100,000. For now Hansen is trying to raise $6,000 from private individuals to correct what he and others see as the most pressing maintenance needs this year: to increase the volume of the Great mixture, to rebuild the ailing Swell division expression machine, and to install additional racks to support the Pedal trumpet.

"Wattenbarger Auditorium is a glorious recital hall for a pipe organ," he said. "I would say that this organ has been hungry for improvement for a number of years. If we do the initial work, I think the Bryan Symphony Orchestra and other university and community events could start using the organ."

http://www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk/news/local-headlines/final_push_for_organ_cash_1_450108

QuoteA FRESH appeal has been made to raise the final funds required to restore the magnificent 19th century pipe organ at Berwick Parish Church, which has been out of action for a decade.

Vicar of Berwick, Canon Alan Hughes, revealed this week that a fantastic £155,000 has now been raised, leaving just £5,000 to be found. However, time is of the essence, with the work currently being carried out by the contractors, Principal Pipe Organs of York, due to finish this spring.

QuoteThe Harrison pipe organ was originally installed in 1869 and moved to its present position in the specially built organ chamber in 1905.

This organ was third in the line of fine organs installed since 1773. Church records show an appeal then raised £127 which fully covered the cost of the new organ.

Berwick Parish Church has particularly good acoustics and has been the venue for many excellent concerts and recitals over the years. Local choirs and travelling chamber music groups regularly perform in the church with soloists of international standing but the lack of a fine pipe organ on these occasions has restricted the range of musical options.

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) hopes it will be able to put on an improved programme of musical events once the refurbished organ is back in situ.

Apparently the "toaster" they are using in the meantime isn't good enough for concert work ???

Eric
KB7DQH

The objective is to reach human immortality—that is, to create things which are necessary to mankind, necessary to the purpose of the existence of mankind, and which have become the fruit that drives the creation of a higher state of mankind than ever existed before."

NonPlayingAnorak

#1
Oh no, Principal Pipe Organs... I've heard that they 'restored' the big Hill at St Stephen's Bournemouth (a job that should arguably have gone to their local builder, our Poole-based member Jonathan Lane) and that, before dismantling, they forgot to check the wind pressures and that, as things stand, said pressures are all over the place and the thing sounds awful!

As for the Thomas Harrison at Berwick, the firm that originally built the thing is still very much in business, and happens also to be a good deal closer to Berwick than PPO are - useful for maintenance, repairs, etc! The job really ought to have been done by Harrisons themselves. No doubt PPO are usefully cheaper...

revtonynewnham

Hi

I don't know either organ, but the PPO job's I've played are very good.  The "local" firm isn't necessarily the best value - hence our choice of Willis rather than the local builders for the historic restoration here.  For one thing, they were able to remove the organ completely - not needing to store parts in the church, which isn't practical in our building.  They weren't the cheapest quote either!

Every Blessing

Tony

Barrie Davis

PPO have got the contract to rebuild St Peters Wolverhampton (3 manual Willis rebuilt in the late 60s), they have done some good work and wait to hear the finished result.

KB7DQH

This church is planning a rebuild and expansion of their existing instrument rather than going electronic...

http://www.pennlive.com/living/index.ssf/2011/03/lemoyne_church_plans_to_expand.html

QuoteThe Moller pipe organ, installed in the historic church in 1934, still sounds beautiful. Yet it is about to undergo an expansion and refurbishing to improve the sound, said Strack, who has played that organ since 1995.


At a time when many churches are replacing traditional pipe organs with digital electronic organs, Grace United Methodist Church officials decided to rebuild and enlarge their pipe organ.

"Our plan is to add more ranks of pipes to give our organ the sound and diversity it needs for the size of our sanctuary," said Lee Zoll, who heads the church's board of trustees and its task force to refurbish the organ.

"The project includes rebuilding all the wind chests and regulators and opening the organ chamber on the wall facing the congregation for a more balanced sound."

Quote"This organ has 701 pipes," he said. "A church this size could use double that. We wanted to keep our pipe organ because pipes last forever. Digital organs are computerized and computers become obsolete. Besides, there's nothing like the sound of the pipes."

The project will include redesigning the wind chests and replacing the leather in them and adding a third keyboard and more pipes while keeping what Strack calls "the flavor of our Gothic architecture."

QuoteZoll said the trustees are interviewing bidders, getting design proposals and raising funds for a campaign called "Be An Organ Donor — Pipe Up." Strack said the project should take about six months once it gets under way.

Zoll said the church's pipe organ is "a vital tool in our worship. We look forward to the enhancement of this instrument to enrich our worship experience."


And so another pipe instrument which WON'T end up on some electronic organ builder's trophy-hunt list...
The objective is to reach human immortality—that is, to create things which are necessary to mankind, necessary to the purpose of the existence of mankind, and which have become the fruit that drives the creation of a higher state of mankind than ever existed before."

KB7DQH

#5
http://www.motherwelltimes.co.uk/news/local-headlines/it_s_music_to_the_ears_of_dalziel_church_members_1_1525321

QuoteThe organ, which has been awarded Certificate Grade 1 by the British Institute of Organ Studies, was installed in the Grade B listed church building in 1900 and remains in original condition, having been well maintained over its long life.

Time has taken its toll, however, and following advice received from Gerhard Walcker, of the German based manufacturers, and other experts in this specialist field, the church made the decision to restore it.

Apparently there is SOME Heritage Lottery Fund money kicking around for pipe organ restorations...

Eric
KB7DQH
The objective is to reach human immortality—that is, to create things which are necessary to mankind, necessary to the purpose of the existence of mankind, and which have become the fruit that drives the creation of a higher state of mankind than ever existed before."

KB7DQH

Three news articles about two different pipe organs which have been restored... and playing again this Easter...

Quote"Too many congregations are throwing out their organs and their pews," he said. "These guys are bucking the trend."

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20110424/LIFESTYLE/104240306

This project news report includes a short Youtube video embedded...

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/restored-organ-unveiled-at-yardley-church/article_5e88cbf2-6df1-11e0-a2b1-0019bb30f31a.html

and also...http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/restored-organ-is-music-to-the-ears/article_83fe3420-6e74-11e0-83b6-001a4bcf6878.html

QuoteChurch officials unveiled a rebuilt antique pipe organ during Saturday night's Easter vigil service at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Yardley.

The rebuilt classic French style organ, which has brand new silver pipes, includes recycled parts from the old organ.

Quote

Posted: Sunday, April 24, 2011 6:08 am | Updated: 9:14 am, Sun Apr 24, 2011.

Restored organ is music to the ears Rachel Canelli, staff writer Calkins Media, Inc. | 0 comments

Yardley - As Gilbert F. Adams pressed down on each key and listened to the sound resonating from its corresponding pipe, he'd call out, "a little softer" from the console.

Across the altar, on a platform with the silver cylinders 10 feet above the floor, while an exhausted Mark Dolan wiped the sweat from his brow, and struggled to stretch his arm far enough to reach the pipe with his pliers to adjust the notes, he couldn't help but smile.

Even out of tune, the noise echoing throughout the church was beautiful music to Dolan's ears.

He and Adams have been working all week on the installation of a rebuilt antique pipe organ at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Yardley. They unveiled it during Saturday night's Easter vigil service.

"I'm very excited," said Dolan, the church's organist, as he used tools to smooth out the pipe sound. "It's magnificent. The other organ was held together with chewing gum and string."

The rebuilt classic French style organ, which has new silver pipes, includes recycled parts from the old organ.

The $300,000 organ restoration is the culmination of the church's $700,000 capital campaign over the last several years. The other monies raised were used for roofing, to repave the parking lot, install air-conditioning and donated to social service charities like food pantries, church officials said.

Buying a new organ would've cost $1 million, unless they bought an electric one for $50,000. But officials wanted to keep a portion of the old organ since it was brought there for $2,000 in the 1920s, said the Rev. Daniel Hamby, the church's pastor.

"Mechanical parts whistled and groaned," Hamby said of the old organ. "The pipe that provided air for one set of pipes had rotted away."

A heat manifold from an old Volkswagen and cabinet doors from the church kitchen were helping the organ still work, he said.

Eric
KB7DQH
The objective is to reach human immortality—that is, to create things which are necessary to mankind, necessary to the purpose of the existence of mankind, and which have become the fruit that drives the creation of a higher state of mankind than ever existed before."

KB7DQH

#7
Quote
PARISHIONERS who have become used to the unique sound of an historic pipe organ at St Paul's Church in Whiteshill, Stroud, were delighted to be awarded a multi-thousand pound grant to restore the instrument.

The Heritage Lottery Fund donated £20,500 towards the cost of renovating the organ, which produces sound using only a single reed and is one of only a handful of its kind still in its original state today.

Additional grants from the Cecil Adams Organ Trust, the Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust and generous donations by parishioners raised sufficient funds for the Whiteshill Parochial Church Council to undertake the work.

Built in 1876 by John Nicholson and later moved to its present position from the Lady Chapel in 1926, the organ has only benefited from occasional tuning since then and is in desperate need of a major overhaul.

"A thankful anthem rang out as our organist of over 50 years, Pat Middleton, heard of the generous grant," said the Rev Brian Woollaston, Vicar of St Paul's and chairman of the Whiteshill PCC.

"Worship will now continue to be accompanied by its excellent acoustics, which is popular for weddings."

As long-term organist at the church, Pat has recently began passing her skills onto trainee player Luke Bailey, 18.

Due to commence later this year, the restoration work is part of a wider project by the PCC, which also aims to publish a booklet on the history of St Paul's and its daughter church, the Church of the Holy Spirit in Paganhill.

http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/8335705.Multi_thousand_pound_grant_awarded_to_restore_historic_church_organ/

Not sure how I missed the article above but... It's DONE! 8) 8) 8)


QuotePLANS to celebrate the completed restoration of the historic pipe organ at St Paul's Church in Whiteshill have been unveiled.

A series of events and recitals will be staged later this year, including a blessing by the Bishop of Tewkesbury the Rt Rev John Went at a commemorative harvest service on October 2.

Restoration of the organ, which dates back to 1876, was made possible thanks to fundraising, donations and a £20,500 Heritage Lottery grant.

http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/9063043.Plans_announced_to_celebrate_historic_church_organ_s_restoration/

Eric
KB7DQH
The objective is to reach human immortality—that is, to create things which are necessary to mankind, necessary to the purpose of the existence of mankind, and which have become the fruit that drives the creation of a higher state of mankind than ever existed before."

KB7DQH

Installation of the restored Lewis Mitchell pipe organ at Tignish is in progress...

http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2011-06-09/article-2572668/Churchs-pipe-organ-will-play-on-/1

Quoteontreal , Western P.E.I. 

TIGNISH - Antoinette Perry says she has been thinking about the late Henri Gaudet a lot lately.

It had been a long-held dream of Gaudet's to have the Louis Mitchell tracker action organ in the St. Simon and St. Jude Roman Catholic Church's choir loft restored.  He stood his ground in an era when it appeared the organ might be lost.

"To have done away with the Tignish Organ, would have been an indictment against a priceless historic treasure," he wrote in his book "The Tignish Pipe Organ in Musical Retrospect 1882-1892."

Gaudet's dream is finally being fulfilled. A crew from Juget-Sinclair, a Montreal company that builds and restores organs, is in Tignish this week reassembling the large musical instrument. They dismantled the components in January and carted them away to their workshop to be restored.

Perry, who is one of the organists who succeeded Gaudet, can hardly wait to get back at the organ's keys.

"I'll be trying it. When they first can get that going I'll be around," she said.

That will likely not happen until at least Father's Day. A five-member crew from the company is spending all of this week reassembling the components. Two of the technicians will stay for another 10 days to do the voicing and the tuning of the pipes.

Perry is chair of the organ restoration steering committee, which has been fundraising and planning for the project since 2007. Total cost of the project, she said, will be in the $150,000 range. A new drive was launched in April to raise the final $50,000, and Perry said as of June 5 they were $22,977 from their objective. Donations are still flowing in.

The organ restoration project will also receive a portion of the proceeds from a John McDermott concert, which will be held in the church on July 31 in conjunction with the Irish Heritage Festival of P.E.I. and the bicentennial celebrations of the arrival of the first Irish families in Western P.E.I.

Although restoration work has been done on the organ in the past, Perry said this is the first complete restoration.

Company workers squeezed and contorted themselves within the organ's cabinet and around the tracks, but they acknowledged they actually had more room to move than with some of the organs they've restored.

"One of the first things we've learned about these (Louis Mitchell) organs is they are very similar," said co-owner Steve Sinclair.

As part of the project, the organ's pitch is being returned to its original 452 hertz. At some point, probably in the 1950s when an electric blower was installed, the pitch was changed to the standard international 440 pitch.  The pitch is said to be accurate at 20 degrees Celsius.

There is a possibility, Perry said, that the Tignish organ is the first historic organ in Canada to be returned to its original pitch, and to have a completely reconstructed wind system.

The restoration work might have finally laid to rest once and for all a lingering legend that the organ was never intended for St. Simon and St. Jude church, that it arrived there by accident.

"Revd D McDonald Tignish P.E.I." was printed on casework panel numbers 24, 25 and 27.

Rev. Dougald M. MacDonald had been a pastor in Tignish from 1861-1863 and 1867-1923.

Some of the organ's 1,118 original pipes were removed over the years. They have been rescued. All of the pipes have been cleaned. Some required repairs and others were replaced.


Eric
KB7DQH
The objective is to reach human immortality—that is, to create things which are necessary to mankind, necessary to the purpose of the existence of mankind, and which have become the fruit that drives the creation of a higher state of mankind than ever existed before."

KB7DQH

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20110805/NEWS01/108050345

QuoteBeing in charge of a $1.2 million project to restore the massive, 84-year-old organ at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Rochester has meant more to Matt Parsons than just hard work.

It has been a link to the past.

His great-great-grandfather, Gideon Parsons, helped build the organ, which was constructed in Boston by E.M. Skinner, America's foremost organ company in the early 1900s. His grandfather, Bryant Parsons Sr.; father, Richard; and uncle, Calvin, also have worked on maintaining the 4,474-pipe instrument over the years.

"My great-great-grandfather's signature is on some of the pipes," said Matt Parsons, 31, who is the project manager, "so that was pretty cool to see."

St. Paul's parishioners will have to wait until late this fall to hear how splendid the organ sounds once again. That's when the 18-month task of tearing out, restoring and then re-installing the organ is scheduled for completion. "Tonal finishing" and "voicing," to make sure the two-story organ sounds as it should, should be ready by this Christmas, and concerts will start in 2012, said Bob Frank, St. Paul's church warden.

"Obviously, music and tradition at St. Paul's is very important," Frank said Tuesday, the second day of the re-installation process. "(Parishioners) are thrilled. They've been very supportive."

More than half of the funds for the project have come from their donations.

Despite usual maintenance on an organ this size — pipes are made from metal and wood and range in length from 8 inches to 32 feet — sound quality was deteriorating for decades as dirt accumulated in pipes. Frank said before this restoration, the first complete job ever performed on this organ, more than 200 of its pipes couldn't be tuned or had been silenced because the valves no longer worked.

For years, though, the skill of organists, particularly David Craighead — St. Paul's organist from 1955 to 2003 — masked some of the flaws. Talk of a complete restoration started about four years ago, Frank said.

Canandaigua-based Parsons Pipe Organ Builders was a perfect fit for the job because of its history with the instrument. "We're happy to go with a local company, too," Frank said.

Quotef 2)

Two Connecticut-based organ companies helped out as well.

Since the removal of the organ, a parishioner donated a 500-pipe organ he owned to be used at St. Paul's until the original is ready.

Parsons has, at times, used nearly all of its 12 employees on the St. Paul's project. Most of its work is done in the Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo areas and south of here into Pennsylvania, but it also has done jobs in Virginia, Texas and California.

He said there are only about 20 to 30 organ builders in the country that handle jobs the size of St. Paul's. An average-sized job for Parsons would be an organ with about 2,500 pipes. This organ is nearly double that.

"Around the period this organ was built, they used such quality material to build it. Organs then were used to imitate an orchestra," said Justin Maxey, 23, assistant organist at St. Paul's.

"No one builds organs like this now, and if they did, they wouldn't use these types of materials, so you can't put a price tag on it."

In addition to cleaning every pipe, each leather valve was removed, cleaned, repaired or replaced (if needed) and re-glued, Parsons said.

"We've got 12,000 to 13,000 man hours in on this," Parsons said.

JDIVERON@DemocratandChronicle.com


Eric
KB7DQH
The objective is to reach human immortality—that is, to create things which are necessary to mankind, necessary to the purpose of the existence of mankind, and which have become the fruit that drives the creation of a higher state of mankind than ever existed before."

KB7DQH

QuoteDifferent Drummers / Volunteers breathe life into pipe organ rebuilt at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Linwood

QuotePosted: Sunday, September 11, 2011 11:42 pm

By STEVEN LEMONGELLO Staff Writer |

LINWOOD — Our Lady of Sorrows Church is a true house of God — but up in the balcony, God is in the details.

Stephen Beddia and his crew of loyal assistants have spent the past three years meticulously rebuilding, step by intricate step, a church pipe organ that was relocated in its entirety from Philadelphia — and they are very close to completion.

"They shared my idea to bring this big, big instrument back to life," said Beddia, surrounded by his busy volunteers. "They rescued this instrument. It would have been vandalized or scrapped for metal. Now, it's playing in a vibrant church."

A visitor to the Our Lady of Sorrows balcony enters into a kind of steampunk fantasyland, with rows upon rows of pipes sprouting from wood casings as if they grew from seeds scattered by the wind.

"The organ," explained Beddia, "is a very complex thing."

Beddia, of Egg Harbor Township, has more experience than most in all things organic, for lack of a better word — he used to build pipe organs full-time in the '70s and '80s before becoming a teacher at the township's Fernwood Avenue Middle School.

"The pipe organ is the loudest, most powerful instrument in the world," he said. "One person can control a whole symphony of sound. Each pipe acts as its own amplifier and speaker. You can't really duplicate it electronically."

An electronic organ — a "really bad" electronic organ, as Beddia described it — was what Our Lady of Sorrows used to have. So he made it his mission to find a vintage replacement through his contacts in Philadelphia.

Soon, he found a candidate — an organ built in 1952 around an original Aeolian Skinner console from 1932, which had been located at the Messiah Lutheran Church in Philadelphia. When that congregation moved out and an African-American Pentecostal congregation moved in — a congregation whose liturgical traditions were more gospel-oriented — an opportunity beckoned.

"All of us went over to (Philadelphia) and pulled out everything," Beddia said. "Every pipe had to be taken out systematically and carefully put in a crate."

The next step — a suspicious-looking procession back to New Jersey.

"There was my Suburban, Bob (Mika's) van, a whole caravan of trucks and trailers and vans," said Beddia's son, Jason, of Buena. "We tied the pipes up on our rooftops. We got some weird looks on the way home."

Or, as Charlie McFadden, of Linwood, described it: "We looked like missile deliverers."

Then came the hard part, the restoring and reassembling of all those intricate, decades-old pieces, one by one.

"There are thousands of pieces that go into a pipe organ," Beddia said. "All the operating pipes had to be completely rebuilt and rewired. Inside the windchest, all the leather valves that operate the pipes — controlled by the console over here — we've had to releather every one."

"We don't know what we're doing," joked volunteer Maryann Thomas, of Linwood. "Steve tells us what to do and we do it."

"I was usually the one they made crawl into dark corners," said the youngest volunteer, 21-year-old Leena Lewis, of Egg Harbor Township. "And I got nails, too."

John Stephanik, of Linwood, mostly worked on the refinished console but added that he worked on pipes like everyone else — everyone else, that is, except for Chuck Nardelli, of Northfield, the designated carpenter.

Vito Mennella, meanwhile, has a downright crucial role.

"I'm the gofer," the Egg Harbor Township resident explained. "I knew where the tools were."

"I'm very, very proud of my crew here," Beddia said. "Knowing absolutely nothing and still doing it."

Learning the ins and outs of such a sophisticated instrument is no easy task. There are 56 ranks of 3,000 pipes, controlled by four manual, 32-note pedal boards. Air from two huge blowers are pumped into regulators housed in a giant, sound-proof chamber, which distributes air to the five blowers for each "division" — "pedal," "swell," "solo," "positiv," and "great" — each of which has distinct timbre and pitch.

Those divisions, meanwhile, are made up of pipes of all shapes and sizes, each one designed to simulate a unique sound — whether oboes or clarinets or flutes or strings. Tuning each of those hundreds of pipes is its own challenge.

"Look at the little sleeves at the ends of the pipes," Beddia said. "You move them up or down to lengthen the pipe and change the pitch. It takes two people to change it — one to stand at the console and get yelled at, and the other person to change the tuning slots."

The console, meanwhile, is a smorgasbord of pedals and keys and knobs, the latter of which are labeled with names such as "tremulant," "Fourniture IV," "Erzahler 8," "SW Trumpet 16," and "Gedecht 4." These all mean something, Beddia said, and it is best to take his word for it.

"Right now, we're debugging and fixing problems each week, the organ gets more and more alive," he said. "It gets louder and fuller and more beautiful each week. We hope to have finished by early fall with a dedication recital in January — but we still have a lot of work to do."

When that happens, the instrument will be the largest operating church organ in Atlantic County — the best they can hope for when the largest pipe organ on the planet, the Midmer-Losh pipe organ at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall, is just down the road.

Contact Steven Lemongello:

609-272-7275

SLemongello@pressofac.com

Eric
KB7DQH
The objective is to reach human immortality—that is, to create things which are necessary to mankind, necessary to the purpose of the existence of mankind, and which have become the fruit that drives the creation of a higher state of mankind than ever existed before."

KB7DQH

In the Republic of the Phillipines...

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/17665/la-naval%E2%80%99s-76-year-old-pipe-organ-to-be-restored

QuoteThe Shrine of Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario, La Naval de Manila, at Santo Domingo Church features a musical masterpiece with much historical value—the 76-year-old organ that makes use of over a thousand pipes. The musical instrument, a cultural heritage, is set to undergo restoration.

To raise funds for the expensive restoration, the officials of the shrine, headed by Fr. Giuseppe Pietro V. Arsciwals, OP, launched the adopt-a-pipe project.

The cost to  complete the project amounts to P3.5 million. The Diego Cera Organbuilders, Inc., curator of the world-famous bamboo organ of Las Piñas, has been commissioned to execute the restoration.

Antonio Hila, historian and former choirmaster of the Tiples de Santo Domingo (1987 2000), the Philippines' oldest boys choir, says the restoration is a must.

"It's about time [to restore the organ]," he explains. "For a church as big as Santo Domingo Church, we need that organ for the massive sound that would accompany the choirs so that the music would be more appreciated."

The pipe organ was  made in Rosaryhill in Hong Kong on Nov. 24, 1935. However, the closure of the Chapel of St. Albert the Great's Priory, the center of religious formation and studies of the Dominican Province of the Holy Rosary, led to its transport to the Santo Domingo Church in 1954.

According to the province's documents, the construction of the organ cost $30,000. It was Fr. Gregorio Hontomin, OP, "a genius in fixing anything that needed repair," who dismantled the instrument in Hong Kong and "almost single-handedly" reinstalled it in Quezon City.

The official inauguration of the pipe organ was June 9, 1959.

Eric
KB7DQH
The objective is to reach human immortality—that is, to create things which are necessary to mankind, necessary to the purpose of the existence of mankind, and which have become the fruit that drives the creation of a higher state of mankind than ever existed before."

KB7DQH

QuoteHoly Rosary Church's grand organ will get a makeover
Published: Sunday, October 16, 2011, 7:00 PM
Contributing writer, The Times-Picayune By Contributing writer, The Times-Picayune


Like the grand old lady that it is, the 1,200-pipe organ of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, installed during the instrument's heyday, has reigned over the sanctuary for 80 years. "It is exquisite," said Music Director Kiley Hyman. "The organ adds so much majesty to the services."
ocorgan122.jpgDaniel Erath, The Times-Picayune Our Lady of the Rosary Church in New Orleans is raising money to restore its 80-year-old pipe organ.

The organ has horizontal trumpet pipes that stretch out over the pews, parallel to the floor below. The organ loft is at the back, behind the sanctuary centerpiece, a dome of stained-glass windows.

The acoustics are superb, organist Tommy Zanca said. And inside the dome is "music fit for the angels," Zanca said.

The organ was built in Erie, Pa., and installed at the Faubourg St. John church in 1929, during a five-year period in New Orleans that saw more than 45 organs added to churches and theaters. The original nameplate was lost when the organ console was replaced 30 years ago, but records indicate the builder may be Anton Gottfried or the Tellers Organ Co.

The years have taken their toll, and the organ is due to be spruced up.

Recent work on the sanctuary under the leadership of the Rev. David Robicheaux, pastor, has included replastering and painting, refurbishing of the doors, the addition of external lighting on the copper-topped dome. Now it's time for renovations to the organ.

"It's time," said Zanca. "There is some deferred maintenance that is pressing."

The organ repairs will include replacing the leather components of the Swell division, one of three sections of the organ. Some leather has been patched. Some is believed to be original, Zanca said.
organ-holy-rosary.jpgView full sizeDaniel Erath, The Times-PicayuneThe church choir practices while Tommy Zanca plays the pipe organ, installed in the church in 1929.

Old leather is brittle and allows leaks in the reservoirs that push air through the pipes to produce sound. If the leather fails, the instrument becomes unplayable.

"During choir practice this year, a note went out," Hyman said.

The choir watched as Zanca crawled inside the organ. "He came back with his face covered in dust, but (his repair) worked," Hyman said.

Another time, Zanca turned on the organ to hear a continuous low note caused by pressurized air seeping into a pipe. Zanca pulled the pipe and plugged the hole with tape and the handle of a screwdriver.

"Then I prayed it wouldn't become a projectile," Zanca said.

Zanca learned repairs while studying under James Hammann, a former University of New Orleans music professor and New Orleans Civic Symphony conductor.

Zanca said Hammann taught him how to use a dollar bill and a rubber band for a quick repair "if you think you have dust on a reed." Zanca said it's also not unusual for an organ to be enhanced or renovated with parts from other organs.

"People like to sing with a pipe organ," Hyman said. "It fits the human voice." Hyman said the mechanism of air pushing through pipes is the same as air flowing across vocal cords.

"My goal is to get the people singing," Zanca said. "Nothing is more satisfying than hearing the 400 untrained 'members of the choir' down below. They can raise the roof."

During renovation, the reservoirs of pressurized air will be removed, lifted over the balcony railing, lowered to street level and taken to a shop for repairs. While the division is dismantled, improvements will be made.

A "whisper stop," a sound so soft it can't be heard over the hum of the air conditioning, and a "second trumpet" will be replaced with more useful sounds. The Swell box louvers that open and close like Venetian blinds to regulate volume will be rebuilt.

The choir is devoted to the sound. With fewer than a dozen members, it practices year-round without taking the summer off, Zanca said.

The organ will continue to be used during repairs. Renovations should last 25 years or more.

The recent funeral of a parishioner who had been baptized, confirmed and married at Holy Rosary reminded Zanca how much the church is part of the community. The church also hosts the Contessa Entellina Society, the 125-year-old society of citizens of Albanian descent.

"It's the spirit here," Zanca said. "It's just a great place to make music."

Proceeds from a raffle and tailgating party Sunday at 1 p.m., will go toward the organ renovation. Three 60-inch flat-screen television sets will be raffled. Food will be available for purchase and covered seating will be provided.

The $30 admission ticket to the tailgating party includes a chance on the raffle. Separate raffle tickets are available for $20. Free babysitting will be provided inside. For tickets, call 504.488. 2659.

•••••••
http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2011/10/holy_rosary_churchs_grand_orga.html
Eric
KB7DQH
The objective is to reach human immortality—that is, to create things which are necessary to mankind, necessary to the purpose of the existence of mankind, and which have become the fruit that drives the creation of a higher state of mankind than ever existed before."

KB7DQH

http://www.qt.com.au/story/2012/02/14/church-celebrates-560000-donation-jani-haenke/

QuoteChurch celebrates $560,000 donation

14th February 2012


Tags: jani haenke foundation, michelle jaques, st paul's anglican church

A GENEROUS donation of $560,000 from the Jani Haenke Foundation will go a long way to rebuilding the historic 1860 pipe organ at St Paul's Anglican Church.


A GENEROUS donation of $560,000 from the Jani Haenke Foundation will go a long way to rebuilding the historic 1860 pipe organ at St Paul's Anglican Church.

The church is hosting a celebratory free Twilight Concert this Sunday to thank the foundation trustees and introduce the organ builder who will work on the treasured instrument.

St Paul's director of music Michelle Jaques said the rebuilt organ would be the "envy of Queensland".

"There will not be an organ of this calibre outside the cathedral," she said.

"The organ builder will start work by the end of 2013, then it will be at least a year until it's finished."

The pipe organ in the Ipswich CBD church is Queensland's first organ, built by JW Walker just a year after Queensland was declared a state.

It will be merged with a 1904 Fincham from Sydney in the rebuild, producing what Ms Jaques believes will be the "Rolls Royce" of organs.

Ms Jaques will play the organ at the concert, and confirms that it's showing its age.

"The pipework is 150 years old and it's on its last legs," she said.

"The church still has to put in about $100,000 for the rebuilding. We haven't raised that yet."

St Paul's has been fundraising for the project for three or four years.

"This is an artistic thing, so it appealed to the Jani Haenke Foundation trustees," Ms Jaques said.

"They were happy to see the money kept in Ipswich."

Jani Haenke grew up in Ipswich, at her family's home Rockton, and was a student of Ipswich Girls' Grammar School. She died in September 2009.

Jani's younger sister, Angela Geertsma, is a foundation trustee.

"My sister left a lot to charity," Mrs Geertsma said.

"She was very classically minded with music and always had a lot to do with it."

As a child, Ms Haenke was confirmed at St Paul's and attended the youth group.

Mrs Geertsma said the grant for the organ at St Paul's was the first from the foundation to be given to an Ipswich cause.

"There's another one coming to Ipswich," she said.

The Twilight Concert will begin at 4pm this Sunday at St Paul's Church, D'Arcy Doyle Place.

Eric
KB7DQH
The objective is to reach human immortality—that is, to create things which are necessary to mankind, necessary to the purpose of the existence of mankind, and which have become the fruit that drives the creation of a higher state of mankind than ever existed before."

KB7DQH

http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/02/17/utah-state-universitys-40-year-old-organ-needs-tuning-and-refurbishing

Quote
Utah State University's 40-year-old organ needs tuning and refurbishing
By Nancy Van Valkenburg
Standard-Examiner staff
Fri, 02/17/2012 - 10:53pm

LOGAN -- After 40 years of classical and choral concerts, Utah State University's 3,000-piece Holtkamp organ had serious sonic issues.

The pipes needed cleaning, voicing and tuning. The original 1972 wiring in the console needed a 21st-century update.

And the growing population of dust bunnies housed throughout the historic "habitat" needed evacuating.

"They weren't quite the size of real bunnies. Maybe very large mice," said Lynn Thomas, USU director of organ studies.

"Can you imagine what your front room would look like if you didn't dust for 40 years? It was like that."

More than halfway through the project, the organ, perched in the Kent Concert Hall loft of the Chase Fine Arts Center, already is producing better tones than it has in decades.

"In laymen's terms, it's going to sound great," Thomas said. "It rocks."

Jonathan Rose, a USU senior majoring in organ performance, is helping with restoration.

"This cleaning will restore the organ to its former splendor," Rose said.

The Fine Arts Center Hall organ is the largest such instrument north of Salt Lake City and one of the largest in the state, Thomas said.

It was donated, primarily by Melvin and Editha Kent, in 1972 and was worth about $100,000 at that time. To replace it today would require close to $2 million, Thomas said.

"A pipe organ is one of the most complex mechanical contraptions there is on Earth, not just of musical machines, but any machines," Thomas said. "After 40 years, things begin to break down and change."

The Holtkamp organ began to show audible signs of wear, and donors stepped forward.

Paul and former USU organ student Paulette Campbell, of Cache County's Campbell Scientific, donated $50,000, then doubled that when electronics issues came up.

The university budgeted another $73,000 to cover remaining needs.

That covered the cost of:

* Bringing in Holtkamp artists/engineers to pack and ship about 1,500 of the organ's pipes to the home office in Cleveland, where pipes were polished, refurbished and repaired.

* Paying experts, aided by volunteers, to disassemble, clean, polish and tune the 1,500 pipes that remained in Logan, then to reassemble the organ.

* The installation of a playback system that will allow student performers to stand at a distance and listen to what they just played.

"They'll be able to hear if they were really as good or as bad as they thought they were," Thomas said.

* Dust bunny removal, keyboard refurbishment and console rewiring.

* And the final step, still under way, of tuning each pipe for optimal sound in the specific room where the organ resides.

"They've been here for weeks going over every pipe. Sometimes they take a pipe in and out of the organ eight times, making tiny adjustments. They hear things I can't even hear," Thomas said of workers.

"They are three-fourths of the way through the voicing process, and the organ just sounds beautiful in the room. The intonation of the whole organ has improved, and the tone of the organ in the room is better than when it was new.

"It has a silvery sound. It's just a reborn instrument."

Thomas believes Holtkamp has done everything possible to enhance the organ and could have charged a lot more. The instrument is a proud part of company history, he said.

The organ, previously played by musical masters including Alexander Shiner, Xavier Darasse, Michael Murray and Alexander Schreiner, will be rededicated with a concert near the end of March.

Details are still being determined, but Thomas said Richard Elliott, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's chief organist, will play and USU choral groups will perform.

Thomas hopes to start a new program that would allow organ and choral experts from USU to travel and teach at Utah sites, such as churches, that have organs.

He hopes the refurbishing of the instrument will help revitalize USU's whole organ program.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime event," Thomas said. "The organ is set to go for another 50 to 100 years."
Tags


Eric
KB7DQH
The objective is to reach human immortality—that is, to create things which are necessary to mankind, necessary to the purpose of the existence of mankind, and which have become the fruit that drives the creation of a higher state of mankind than ever existed before."

KB7DQH

QuoteKiepper Organ to restore Aeolian pipe organ

Kiepper Organ Company of Springfield will restore the historic Aeolian pipe organ in the chapel of University Heights Baptist Church.

The organ, the Aeolian firm's opus 1289, was built in 1914 for the Springfield home of Mr. and Mrs. Alva D. Milligan, a local dry goods wholesaler. It was moved from the Milligan home and installed in the church in October of 1950 in time for the dedication services of the then-new building.

"We are excited to be faithful stewards of the musical heritage entrusted to us by the founders of our church," said Marvin R. Murphree, minister of music. "The installation of this organ was a dream embraced by the Women's Missionary Union in their very first meeting in 1945 in which the organ fund was established with a five dollar pledge. I'm sure our work to renovate the organ would make these faithful ladies very happy and it will ensure the continued service of this instrument to future generations."

The Kiepper Organ Company, owned by Christopher Kiepper, maintains a number of organs, including the Möller organs of the Westminster Presbyterian Church and St. John's Episcopal Church in Springfield, the 1945 Aeolian-Skinner organ of the Pilgrim Congregational Church in St. Louis, the 1922 Kimball Pipe Organ of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, and the Holtkamp organ of the First Presbyterian Church of Warren, Ohio.

For more information, visit kiepperorgans.webs.com.

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20120225/LIFE07/302250019/Faith-Matters?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cp

Eric
KB7DQH
The objective is to reach human immortality—that is, to create things which are necessary to mankind, necessary to the purpose of the existence of mankind, and which have become the fruit that drives the creation of a higher state of mankind than ever existed before."

KB7DQH

http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/9617749.Families_raise___64_000_to_restore_church_organ/

Quote
Families raise £64,000 to restore church organ

5:00pm Thursday 29th March 2012 in News By Jacqueline McMillan
Restoration hopes – the Rev Marion Walford with the organ Restoration hopes – the Rev Marion Walford with the organ

GENEROUS families have raised more than £64,000 to breathe new life into an old church organ.

Major repairs are set to be undertaken to a Victorian pipe organ at St Nicholas Church, in Long Road, Canvey, which will enable it to last for another 100 years.

The run-down instrument is the last traditional organ on the island.

Parishioners have funded various patchwork repairs to the organ over the past 30 years since buying it secondhand, but say a complete refurbishment is now desperately needed to keep it running and improve the sound quality.

Volunteers have spent more than seven years raising money for the restoration.

Funding has been provided through public donations and charitable events, after the church was refused financial backing from the Heritage Lottery fund due to red tape.

The lottery foundation claimed it could not support the project as it would involve improving the organ, not restoring it to a historical state.

The Rev Marion Walford said: "People have been really generous in helping us raise this money and we are so thankful to them. Although we have a piano, which is beautiful, you can do so much more with a church organ because it helps create that certain type of atmosphere.

"At the moment we cannot rely on the organ for any major events, which is a shame, so restoring it will have a big impact on the congregation."

Fundraising efforts are also close to complete for a new community stained glass window at the church which will serve as a memento to the people of the island.

Families can sponsor one of the window's 1,038 shards to have their names engraved in memory of an important event or loved one.

The congregation is hoping to have all the shards sponsored by April 30, so the new windows can be installed while the organ is away for repair.

Residents can sponsor a piece by contacting the church on 01268 511098 and filling out an application form.


And now, the news article comments :o ;)


Quotements(9)

soul man says...
7:24pm Thu 29 Mar 12
64k for an organ, why not buy an electric one, and the church being the richest of land owners in the uk, beg beg beg, thats all the church does

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LibbyJ says...
10:49am Fri 30 Mar 12
I think this is wonderful. There is no comparison in sound with cheap alternatives. A pipe organ is the Bentley of musical instruments.

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The Cater Wood Creeper says...
11:52am Fri 30 Mar 12

    soul man wrote:
    64k for an organ, why not buy an electric one, and the church being the richest of land owners in the uk, beg beg beg, thats all the church does

you don't stay rich by spending your own money.....

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barrylabs says...
2:34pm Fri 30 Mar 12
What a heart-warming story

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Mr. Pedantic says...
2:40pm Fri 30 Mar 12
Nice to see whole families being organ donors.

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barrylabs says...
2:46pm Fri 30 Mar 12
I hope they raise enough money to be able to de-liver the repairs required

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Mr. Pedantic says...
3:08pm Fri 30 Mar 12
I can't think of anything cornea than that Barry!

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barrylabs says...
3:26pm Fri 30 Mar 12
I now, It was a rather spleend-id response

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Mr. Pedantic says...
3:53pm Fri 30 Mar 12
I wonder if the kids in the families rasied moeny with a sponsored game of snakes & bladders?
Mr. Pedantic
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Eric
KB7DQH
The objective is to reach human immortality—that is, to create things which are necessary to mankind, necessary to the purpose of the existence of mankind, and which have become the fruit that drives the creation of a higher state of mankind than ever existed before."

AnOrganCornucopia


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QuoteNoteworthy: Restoration of historic pipe organ reaches a milestone

QuoteCEDAR RAPIDS — A restoration that is breathing new life into a historic pipe organ at Coe College took a major step forward last week, when the "lungs" of the instrument were reinstalled after a year of repair.

The airtight maze of metal ducts and two large turbines were installed in the new environmentally controlled blower room beneath the Sinclair Auditorium stage. The blower provides the air, or "wind," that makes the sounds for the Skinner organ.

"This is the lungs of the colossus," said Jeff Weiler, a 1981 Coe graduate and organ curator based in Chicago who is leading the restoration. "What this represents is the first major phase of a multiphase, multiyear project that will restore this instrument to its 1929 condition."

It's important for the college and the Cedar Rapids community to understand that they are home to "one of the most important pipe organs in the world," Weiler said.

"It's an enormous cultural asset," he said. "It's iconic in terms of its heritage value."

Constructed by esteemed builder Ernest M. Skinner, considered the "best of the best" in American organ building, it will be one of few Skinner organs in the country to be fully restored upon completion of this project in several years, Weiler said. And the Coe organ represents the work of the Skinner firm at the zenith of the company, he said.

Skinner organs are no longer made. To build something like this today would cost millions of dollars, and certain materials used in the instrument are no longer available, said Weiler, a Traer native.

The old blower room was located in an unsuitable environment, next to where steam entered the building, he said. Burst steam pipes on several occasions caused water and mold damage to some of the old blower components, so a few portions were rebuilt with new materials.

But the rest of the blower's original parts were restored in this project, Weiler said. The blower also will be restored to "full voices," since the instrument's power was tamped down in the move to Sinclair Auditorium in 1952.

The organ actually belongs to the city of Cedar Rapids. The Veterans Memorial Commission purchased it new for $35,000 in 1930; it was not unusual at that time for cities to buy organs for civic auditoriums. But by the 1950s, the organ had fallen into disuse and some disrepair. The city struck a deal with Coe to move the organ to campus in 1952, and Coe has since housed and maintained the instrument.

Coe raised more than $100,000 for the restoration. The college hopes to get $800,000 from the Bradley Foundation in Bryn Mawr, Pa., a philanthropic group with the sole purpose of supporting the preservation of Skinner pipe organs, to complete the rest of the restoration to the 3,170 pipes and organ console. What happens next in the process and how long that takes depends on the amount officials receive from the Bradley Foundation.

About 40 local donors contributed to Coe's fundraising effort, with the Veterans Memorial Commission making the largest contribution, said Dick Meisterling, Coe's vice president for advancement.

"We are very excited to reach this stage," he said. "This is a big deal for us."

The quality of the restored organ will be such that organ enthusiasts from around the world will come to see it, Weiler said.

"There is interest on an international scale," he said. "What you see here is the best of the best."

http://thegazette.com/2012/05/07/noteworthy-restoration-of-historic-pipe-organ-reaches-a-milestone/

Eric

KB7DQH
The objective is to reach human immortality—that is, to create things which are necessary to mankind, necessary to the purpose of the existence of mankind, and which have become the fruit that drives the creation of a higher state of mankind than ever existed before."

KB7DQH

QuoteEmmanuel UCC's organ being restored

QuoteDon Horneff had lost confidence in the 1930 E.M. Skinner pipe organ console at Emmanuel United Church of Christ in Hanover.

"Every time I sat down week after week, I didn't know what was going to play and what wasn't going to play," said Horneff, music director for the church.

The organ suffered from failing switches, electrical shorts and other maladies associated with an antique musical instrument. Those problems should disappear once the retooled organ returns from New Jersey in September, Horneff said.

A crew from the Peragallo Pipe Organ Co. in Paterson, N.J., spent two days at Emmanuel UCC last week carefully removing more than 4,000 pipes and packing them in crates.

Peragallo is restoring the organ as part of a $209,000 project. The church has raised more than $80,000 to date, said Barb Horneff, church secretary. The church will continue raising money, she said, and has applied for several grants.

All of the metal pipes will be washed and the tuners checked for proper fit. The wood pipes will be cleaned and receive a coat of sealer. All of the reed pipes will be disassembled and the brass reed tongues and shallots cleaned and polished. The larger pipes will be cleaned in place.

While the organ work is being done over the next several weeks, Don Horneff will perform Sunday music on a Clavinova electronic keyboard.

He is looking forward to the added capabilities the renovated organ will provide. For example, the additional memory will enable Horneff to program wedding arrangements for future use.

A dedication concert is planned for 3 p.m. Nov. 4. John Peragallo III agreed to be the first person to play the organ his family business is restoring.

"I think it's a very fitting thing for him to do the rededication concert," Don Horneff said.

http://www.ydr.com/living/ci_21094357/emmanuel-uccs-organ-being-restored

Eric
KB7DQH
The objective is to reach human immortality—that is, to create things which are necessary to mankind, necessary to the purpose of the existence of mankind, and which have become the fruit that drives the creation of a higher state of mankind than ever existed before."