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The console is where
the organist sits and at which all
“commands” regarding selection of stops (sounds), dynamic
shadings, and the actual playing of the musical notes take
place.
No sounds come out of the
console. Rather, it is the starting point for all the sounds that the
listener does hear. And by the time you hear the sounds coming from the
thousands of pipes, the “commands” have already traveled long
distances—from the console in the Chancel, to the solid state mechanisms
in the blower room three floors below the Sanctuary, back up to the
organ chambers above the pulpit and lectern on what would be the 4th and
5th floors of the building or all the way to the Penn Avenue end of the
Sanctuary to the Antiphonal organ in the balcony (presently not working
except for the Trompette-en-chamade). No one has totally determined
exactly how many miles of wire there are in the ELPC organ but it is
many, many.
Not only miles of wire but
hundreds—no thousands—of electrical magnets for opening and closing
switches allowing wind to enter the predetermined selection of pipes.
And, thousands of fragile leather pouches under each of the thousands of
pipes that are activated by the organist depressing keys at the console.
And speaking of keys, there are 4 keyboards each having 61 keys, and a
pedal board having 32 keys that are part of the console. And with
hundreds of sounds to select from, how are quick changes made in sound
colors or dynamic levels? There are what are called “registrational
assists” more commonly referred to as “pistons and reversibles” in organ
language. Under each keyboard and above the pedal board a visitor to the
console will see dozens of small white buttons (pistons) each having a
number. On the ELPC console there are 64 pistons for each of the 32
levels of computer memory available to the organist. In addition there
are 13 reversible pistons or toe studs the performer can use to make
necessary tonal changed in the instrument.
In addition to all the
stop knobs on either side of the keyboards there are above the top or
4th keyboard 32 tablets known as “couplers” which enable the organist to
couple or combine the various divisions of the organ one to the other at
a variety of pitches, from unison to an octave above or an octave below
the actual pitch being played on the keyboard.
I invite you to pay a
visit to the console after any worship service or whenever you might be
in the building. It is indeed a sight to behold—a sight that one visitor
described as being likened to the command center in Houston. We are all
familiar with the wonderful announcements “Houston, we have lift-off!”
And those of us at ELPC have frequently echoed on a Sunday morning as
the organ makes up its own mind about how and what sounds it will make
those other alarming words: “Houston, we have a problem!”
But thanks to the many,
many members and friends of ELPC the campaign to restore the organ here
has been gaining momentum. Your participation in this monumental project
is greatly appreciated and will bring glorious sounds to this Sanctuary
and to the people of this congregation and of this city, those
magnificence sounds of “lift-off”, for years to come!
Next article in the
series -- Part 7: "Pipe Organ -- Q &
A"
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