[rodgersorgan] Organ advocate
- From: William E Ehrke <diapason@xxxxxxx>
- To: rodgersorgan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2002 21:05:34 -0500
Greetings, gang --
This is one of those horror stories that organ technicians tell when
they get together.
My nephew and I have just spent two days straightening out a
world-class mess. A church contracted for rear-projection equipment to
be installed in the organ chambers. Many of you have fought that battle
and lost it, so this is nothing new. At this particular church the new
screens occupy fully one-third of each grill, and the
projector/mirror/frame construct takes up the entire center of what used
to be two excellent organ chambers.
The audio/video salesman promised there would be no change in the
sound of the organ - an obviously impossible pledge but one that nobody
questioned. Then the video technicians arrived. Their very first act
was to shove all the organ speakers out of their way. There are about
20 systems in each chamber and they were slammed into disorderly piles
with the cabinets of some speakers smack-dab on top of the cones of
other speakers. The scope of damage was unbelievable. Wires were
jerked loose or cut. The amp board was pried off the wall with a claw
hammer. Scores of speaker cones were ruined. Connector blocks and
cable clamps were ripped loose. The video folks were not even neat with
their own stuff, leaving piles of wire, sawdust and hardware in the
chambers. Possibly these guys' greatest moment was when they stood the
Trumpet de Fete horn on its end to get it out of their way - and then
cut a hole in the ceiling above it. Sheetrock debris fell straight into
the horn, down its throat, and on into the driver. The organ was
unplayable
for one Sunday and barely playable the following week.
In addition to purchasing the video systems, the church now has a
sizeable organ service bill.
That's a horror story that doesn't need to happen. Anytime your
church contemplates work that will affect the organ, make sure someone
is on hand to function as an organ advocate. An advocate is a person
the church designates to protect its own interests while a project is
underway. The presence of an advocate would have guaranteed that the
equipment and wiring were treated with respect in this sad tale, saving
much of the expense. Most congregations include a core of retired men
who would gladly volunteer their time and take a no-nonsense approach to
such a role.
B.E.
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