[rodgersorgan] Re: keeping organs in tune.........


When I was in England, My church organ (@ Elstow Abbey) had a rebuild by a
major Organ Builder, (One Who maintained many of the Cambridge University
Organs, and some Cathedrals - I say this because he should know his stuff) I
put it to him that air intake for the bellows should be thermostatically
treated so that whatever the ambient temperature the air in the bellows
would always be the same, and so help to keep in tune. (This of course does
not take into account the linear coefficient of expansion for the metalwork
of the pipes, but surely it would be a great step to keeping in tune) I also
added the possibility of humidity control. The organ builder dismissed it,
virtually saying it couldn't be done without giving a "why"

I would like to understand WHY it can't be done, I would have thought
controlling temperature, and to a lesser extent humidity, would be a great
step in keeping the king of instruments in tune.

Rod Mather
www.rodeby.net/music



----- Original Message -----
From: "Carlo Pietroniro" <organist@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "Carlo Pietroniro" <organist@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: "Rodgers Organs" <rodgersorgan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2002 2:03 PM
Subject: [rodgersorgan] keeping organs in tune.........


> I don't know about any of you, but we have a heck of a time keeping our
Casavant in tune, and it's always the same stops that go out of tune...
>
> Clarinet 8 (choir)
> Cymbel III 2/3 (choir)
> Vox Humana 8 (swell)
> Stopped Diapason 8 (great)
>
> It seems that within just a few weeks, they're already gone sour...and
oddly enough, sometimes they go sharp! We're lucky that our organ tuners are
members of the congregation, so they can tell us if the organ sounds off,
and sometimes, they'll do touch-up jobs free!
>
> Here's a question.....
>
> In most churches, the organs are located waaaaay up in a loft, and in the
case of where I play, it's 2 lofts. Knowing that heat rises, is a loft
really the best place for a pipe organ? I mean, there's beautiful to look
at. There's nothing more awesome than walking into a cathedral, looking up,
and seeing a huge organ up there. It still sends shivers down my spine, and
that was one of the reasons I wanted to become an organist! So, is a loft
the best place for an organ, and does altitude have anything to do with the
organ's ability to stay in tune, or go out of tune?
>
> Carlo Pietroniro
> St. Patrick's Basilica
> Montreal, Quebec
> 3m Casavant Opus 60, 1895
> Rodgers 960 at home
>
>



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