Organ of the Salt Lake Tabernacle
| Organ of the Salt Lake Tabernacle | |
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| General | |
| place | Salt Lake Tabernacle |
| Organ builder | Joseph H. Ridges / Æolian-Skinner |
| Construction year | 1867/1948 |
| Last renovation / restoration | 1984 by Schoenstein & Co. |
| Organ landscape | Organ landscape North America |
| Illustrations | |
| Gaming table |
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| Technical specifications | |
| Number of pipes | 11,623 |
| Number of registers | 147 |
| Number of rows of pipes | 206 |
| Number of manuals | V / P |
| Tone tract | electro-pneumatic |
| Register action | electro-pneumatic |
| Number of 32 'registers | 6th |
| Number of 64 'registers | - |
| Others | |
| Eminent organists | |
The organ of the Salt Lake Tabernacle ( Salt Lake City ) is the epitome of classic American organ construction and is one of the largest pipe organs in the world. She was particularly known for the musical accompaniment of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir during its weekly radio and television programs "Music and the Spoken Word" (English: "Music and the spoken word").
Building history
Today's organ goes back to an instrument that the British-Australian carpenter and organ builder Joseph Harris Ridges designed in the 1860s for the Salt Lake tabernacle that was under construction. Since the city of Salt Lake City was still far from traffic routes, Ridges tried to use building materials from the surrounding area as much as possible for the construction. The timber came from the Pine Valley, some of the metal pipes and other components Ridges bought from the organ builder William BD Simmons from Boston . For the design of the case and the prospectus, Ridges based himself on the newly built Walcker organ of the Boston Music Hall . Ridges conceived a work with 32 registers on two manuals and pedal with mechanical action . The bellows was operated by hand, the gaming table was integrated into the housing.
Work on the organ began in January 1866, initially finding suitable types of wood and making the glue for assembly. The actual construction of the instrument could only begin in the summer of 1867. At the beginning of October 1867 the organ was finished to the point that it could already be used to accompany the Mormon Tabernacle Choir . At that time, the instrument had 12 registers and around 700 of the planned 1600 pipes. The work continued and was initially completed in the summer of 1869.
Extensions
According to a report in the newspaper "Utah News", the instrument already had 35 registers with 2638 pipes on two manuals and pedal by 1870, other sources mention a third manual as early as 1869. Five people were required to operate the bellows. Around 1885 the instrument had a third manual and Niels Johnson, a colleague of Ridge, expanded the organ to 57 registers. To make it easier to play, Johnson installed pneumatic play aids and now operated the bellows with a water wheel built into the foundations below the Salt Lake tabernacle. At the turn of the century, the waterwheel was replaced by two DC motors .
In 1901 the organ was completely reorganized and modernized by the Kimball Organ Company. The pneumatically assisted, mechanical action was replaced by a tube pneumatics, whereby a freely positioned gaming table could be realized. The manuals and pedals were expanded and two thirds of the pipes were replaced. After all, the organ had 62 registers and around 3,600 pipes. The wind supply was taken over by an electric fan with an output of around 10 hp .
As early as 1915, Kimball's pneumatic action had become so susceptible to failure that the Austin Organ Company was commissioned with extensive repair, modernization and expansion work. The organ received an electric action and new wind chests . Cannon & Fetzer expanded the organ case to its current appearance, and the prospectus was almost doubled. After its completion in 1916, the Austin organ had 100 stops, divided into six works (Great, Solo, Swell, Choir, Echo and Pedal), which could be played via four manuals and pedal. In 1926 the Austin Organ Company expanded the instrument by a further 24 registers and added nine registers in 1940.
Today's instrument
In order to keep the organ up to date, the Æolian-Skinner Organ Company received the order in 1945 to renew the instrument. With the exception of the case and the prospectus, two stops from the Ridges organ and a few other stops from the previous instruments, a completely new instrument was created under the direction of G. Donald Harrison as Opus 1075, which was handed over to its intended use in January 1949 . It had five manuals with pedal and 10,814 pipes, distributed over 137 registers in 189 rows of pipes. In 1979 the Canadian organ builder Casavant Frères added to the solo work.
After almost 40 years of intensive use, the organ was carefully renovated from 1984 to 1988 by Schoenstein & Co. from San Francisco and expanded to 147 registers in 206 rows of 11,623 pipes. In addition to the modification of the wind turbine and the installation of an additional fan, the electromechanical switchgear was also replaced by electronic components. The gaming table was brought to the workshops in San Francisco, where it was completely renovated and modernized. In order to be able to continue using the organ during this period, a four-manual console was used. Meanwhile, a slowly rotating disc sunk into the floor was installed at the location of the gaming table in order to give visitors a better view.
As part of the renovation of the Salt Lake Tabernacle between 2004 and 2007, the organ was also serviced and cleaned.
The organ was used until 2000 to provide musical support to the biannual General Conference of Latter-day Saints of the Church of Jesus Christ LDS. Since 2001 the conference has been held in the nearby LDS conference center .
Disposition since 1988
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Technical specifications
- 147 registers, 206 rows of pipes, 11,623 pipes
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Wind supply :
- Fan: 3 wind motors (main, auxiliary pedal, antiphonal)
- Motor power:> 30 HP
- Choir: 121 mm WS
- Positive: 67 mm WS
- Great: 89 - 124 mm WS
- Swell: 108 - 124 mm water column
- Bombard: 156 mm water column
- Solo: 237 mm WS
- Antiphonal: 111 - 381 mm WS
- Pedal: 86 - 178 mm WS
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Mood :
- Altitude a 1 = Hz: 440 Hz at 23 ° C
- Mood floating evenly
Organists
Permanent organists
- 1867-1900: Joseph J. Daynes
- 1900–1925: John J. McClellen, 1905–1925 as senior organist
- 1905–1937: Edward P. Kimball, 1926–1937 as senior organist
- 1907-1908: Walter J. Poulton
- 1909-1930: Tracy Y. Cannon
- 1911: Moroni B. Gillespie
- 1922-1969: Frank W. Asper
- 1924–1977: Alexander Schreiner (* 1901 in Nuremberg; † 1987), including 1938–1977 as senior organist
- 1933-1944: Wade N. Stephens
- 1947–1984: Roy M. Darley, of which 1978–1984 as senior organist
- 1965–1991: Robert Cundick, of which 1985–1991 as senior organist
- 1977–2007: John Longhurst (* 1940), 1992–2007 as senior organist
- Since 1979: Bonnie Goodliffe (temporarily)
- Since 1982: Clay Christiansen, from 2008 to 2014 as senior organist
- Since 1984: Linda Margetts (temporarily)
- Since 1991: Richard Elliott
- Since 2007: Andrew Unsworth
Guest musician
- 2007: Dame Gillian Weir
- 2007: Daniel Kerr, Professor of Organ Studies, Brigham Young University
- 2008: Felix Hell
literature
- Donald Gordon McDonald: The Mormon Tabernacle Organ . Union Theological Seminary Thesis, 1952.
- Orpha Ochse: The History of the Organ in the United States . Indiana University Press, 1988, ISBN 0-253-32830-6 , pp. 189-190, 309-311 .
Recordings / sound carriers
- John Longhurst: Mormon Tabernacle Organ. 1983, Philips.
- Richard Elliott: In the Shadows of the Everlasting Hills. 1994, Pro Organo
- Robert Cundick and John Longhurst: A Tabernacle Organ Duo Extravaganza , Argo 430 426-2.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d e f g Religious Studies Center: A Historical Study of the Construction of the Salt Lake Tabernacle: The Organ. Retrieved June 13, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Organs and Organists on Temple Square - Tabernacle Organ. Retrieved June 13, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c d The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints: The Salt Lake Tabernacle Organ: Celebrating 150 Years. Retrieved June 21, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c d e The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Organs and Organists on Temple Square - Organists. Retrieved June 21, 2017 .