Buyer beware
If your congregation is considering buying an organ, take time to hear instruments by the builders you are considering in spaces similar to your building. If you’re hiring a consultant, hear and investigate other installations by that person. Seeking a pipe organ? Audition your local builders and see what sort of magic they can make on a small budget.
New organ, old pipes Emanuel Lutheran Church in Pleasantville, N.Y., had a 20-rank pipe organ installed in the 1970s that was quickly failing due to design and installation issues. The congregation had six to 12 months to source an alternative. For Michael Brittenback, now retired as minister
of music, there were other issues. “The softer stops couldn’t support the choir but the louder stops obliterated the choir,” he said. “It had a very unsatisfying and almost grating sound, like playing an orchestra of piccolos. Rows of pipes were not sounding. It was a mess.” They considered an Allen electronic hybrid
but at $120,000, the congregation felt it was too expensive given the expected 20-year lifespan. In
addition, “a digital organ is a fine recording of a pipe organ, but a recording is never as clear or present as the real thing,” Brittenback said. “An organ with 10 speakers cannot sound the same as 450 pipes because the pipes move much more air than speakers. You feel and hear the pipes and that’s what moves congregational singing.” In the end, Emanuel selected Kegg Pipe Organ
Builders, Hartville, Ohio, to build a new 9-rank pipe organ, citing sound quality and longevity as the main reasons for not going electronic. Kegg was able to reuse five ranks of pipes from the old organ. The total cost was $237,000 in 2013, and was financed by a fundraising campaign. Brittenback said the new instrument is four
times more versatile than the old 20-rank organ because the builder was able to coax more work out of each rank of pipes, allowing him to do more with less when he played. “I lived with the organ for a year before I retired and I was still discovering new ways of using it,” he said.
Mark Brewer is a freelance writer in Elizabeth, Ill.
Come celebrate the heritage of your Lutheran faith in the places where it all began
Reformation Heritage Tour May 26 - June 3, 2017
Luther Cities and Oktoberfest September 20 - 29, 2017
Christmas Markets in Lutherland November 27 - December 7, 2017
For more information:
wittetours.com/LutherTours 800 GO WITTE
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