More website changes
With google wanting to take over all the content of this blog, it has been moved off of the Blogger system and back onto the previous host. Photos and videos should be linked soon if you’re not already seeing them.
Third-Baptist-Organ.org
Posted here is information regarding the rebuilding and enlargement of the Kilgen-Moller organ of Third Baptist Church, St. Louis, Missouri.
Website changes
Blogger has changed their policies regarding how content is published. They have discontinued FTP publishing to outside domains, meaning www.third-baptist-organ.org is now being hosted on Google’s servers. There may be some downtime during this changeover, so let’s wait and see how it goes!
EDIT: Looks like it worked. The next step is to set up a subdomain on the old host so all the pictures will come back.
Where’s the progress updates?
Despite all of the date predictions of the previous posts, here in November, we still haven’t begun the next stage of installation.
Last month Dan Bogue suffered a stroke. He is recovering well and is up and working, however, he was in rehab for a few weeks, which delayed the project a bit more. Unfortunately, that puts us square in the middle of winter tunings. The result is that we have to go through Advent and Christmas this year with our minimal organ and electronic additions, and hope that things come together better in January.
A few more delays
At the first of August, there are still windchests under construction and two reed ranks waiting to be voiced. This now puts us at September for the next stage of installation, so a few more weeks with a partial organ.
In the meantime, here’s a 9 and a half minute video about the pipe organ in general, made by Concordia Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This video features a 1958 Schlicker organ (installed at a cost of just $45,000!), so it’s very different in quality. Of it’s 58 ranks, 22 are mixture ranks. There’s also a bit of a Wicks practice organ, made noticeable by the gold tuning slides.
Swell Trumpet
The Swell Trumpet is nearing completion. This rank is a copy of a Moller trumpet, built by Eastern Organ Pipes (by former Moller builders). This rank will be the independent 8′ Trumpet in the Swell and will not only combine with the existing 16′ and 4′ reed ranks, but with the borrowed Double Trumpet rank playing at 8′, be one of two 8′ Trumpet ranks available in that division.
Trechterregal
The Trechterregal stop is completed and voiced.
This stop is a half-length reed based on a design by C.B. Fisk. It gets it’s name from the funnel shaped resonator, or Trechter in German. This reed will play from the German-influenced Positiv division of the organ.
What does it sound like? Here’s a short sample:
In addition, the bottom octave of the new Great 16′ reed is in and ready to be cleaned and finished:
Reinstallation of the south chamber, the Great, Choir, Positiv, and most of the Pedal is still scheduled to begin in late July or early August. The completion date for the entire project, however, still seems to be up in the air.
Quick update
The remaining 16′ Open Diapason pipes that were left in the church were picked up this week, along with the new console and taken to Chicago for final assembly. The anticipated delivery date for the south chamber contents is now July, with the entire project completed before December.
New console pictures
The new console is stained and reassembled, and ready to be picked up and completed.
Console Progress
I went to Illinois to check on progress on the console. I can report that the keyboards did arrive from England last month and are in great shape:
One of my favorite parts is that the MIDI All Notes Off piston is labeled “PANIC”.
The internal parts of the console have been disassembled and stained and finished:
Another photo of the sidejamb carvings, and of two of the back panel carvings:
Not much new right now
There’s not much to post at the moment. The keyboards have been shipped and at least one has arrived. Here is a photo of one of the console sidejamb carvings in progress:
The south organ chamber has been cleaned out and repainted. Still to be done is some wiring clean-up and replacement of the light fixtures with flourescent ones.
For those unfamiliar with Third Baptist, here’s a short video about the church.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpcHkRcgcbw]
Recent entry
- 2010-02-23
- More website changes
- 2010-02-03
- Website changes
- 2009-11-13
- Where’s the progress updates?
- 2009-08-05
- A few more delays
- 2009-07-14
- Swell Trumpet