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770 Chemeketa St. NE Salem, OR 97301-3894 (503) 363-9234
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The OrganOur 1968 Möller pedal organ has 3 Manuals and 33 Ranks. The remodel of our chancel this year included a new console which has 12 general pistons and 99 memory levels. Other features include Midi capabilities, transposing, mobility of the console and a Zimblestern. Later this year a rank of exposed pipes will be installed in the central portion of the organ loft. This Just In:Our pipes are up and operational! We thought you might want to know some information about their construction and function. We have added two full ranks of pipes to our organ. They are constructed of a combination of tin and lead, with the visible portion being 75% tin and 25% lead and the hidden portion (behind in the organ loft) being primarily 50% tin and 50% lead (with a few made of an even greater percentage of lead). The ratio of metals is determined by function and preferred sound. The pipes take a minimum of 3 months to make. First the metal is cast and then it has to sit and age so that the stresses in the metal relax. Then it is rolled out and put through a planer, cut out and fashioned into pipes, and finally polished. Our pipes were shipped from Czechoslovakia. Meanwhile the organ builder in town (Lanny Hochhalter) was preparing the platform where the pipes sit, installing rack supports, building the action and the winding. This took about 3 weeks. Finally after the pipes' arrival, they were installed for a week followed by four days of voicing (fine-tuning so that the pipes sound correctly). Our pipes were fully operational by Sunday, April 14, 2002.So what did we hear? We have added two full ranks, one in the pedal which is actually replacing what we call a borrowed rank, a cost saving approach. We will now have the "real" rank which will smooth out octave leaps in the pedal and give the pedal a more complete sound. The other rank is on the Great manual, and is a completely new set. It will provide a heftier, more substantial sound and is appropriate for romantic music as opposed to the lighter sounds of Bach or Buxtehude. The appearance of the pipes was designed by Lanny Hochhalter in conjunction with our Fund 2000 architects. Our new ranks were featured in the Dedicatory Recital on April 20, 2002, as well as in our spring Hymnfest happening on May 11, 2002.
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Copyright © 2002 First Presbyterian Church of Salem, Oregon.