St. Mark's repairs its majestic pipe organ

[KB7DQH]

At a time when more and more churches are opting for electric guitars, drums and contemporary music instruments in worship services, St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral is investing in the more traditional: its massive 5,000-pipe organ.

The stately, nearly century-old church off Hennepin Avenue spent close to $1.2 million restoring the majestic instrument, a process that took some 18 months. The new-and-improved organ will be played publicly for the first time in a concert Saturday and dedicated in Sunday worship services.

"This is a real gem," said Raymond Johnston, director of music for the cathedral, which has nearly 2,000 members. "It's romantic in that it has lots of expression, it has orchestral colors ... clarinet, oboe and all this sort of stuff. It's a different organ than many around [the Twin Cities]."

Installed in 1928, the organ began to show its age in recent years. It was nearly impossible for a tuner to gain access into the instrument to maintain it. Some of the pipes installed in the 1960s were bending over, suffering from metal fatigue, Johnston said.

In 2009, the cathedral asked an instrument repair company to restore the organ. It was dismantled and shipped to Connecticut, where work included rebuilding the organ's blower and reinstalling the pipes to be more accessible for tuning and repair. The organ was brought back to the cathedral in January and reinstalled in recent weeks.

"Whilst organ-based church music may be seen by some as a little bit out of touch, it's been the backbone of ... Episcopal worship for centuries," Johnston said. "The organ is such a versatile instrument. It adds color through its sound. It has a massive dynamic range, so it has a real presence. It's one of those where the hair stands up on the back of your neck. It just sort of goes through your very body, really.

"That's what many people particularly enjoy about it. It transcends for them the everyday. And I'm just lucky I get to play it every day."

http://www.startribune.com/local/152105715.html

Eric
KB7DQH