“In my eyes and ears, the organ will forever be the king of instruments.” – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
This oft-quoted phrase does a number to describe the technological engineering and Old World craftsmanship that make up the pipe organ.
Although the pipes of the instrument range in size from an impressive 16 feet or more in length, the pipe organ is still made by hand today by master craftsmen- some of whom still live and work in East Tennessee.
“The Chattanooga area is fortunate to have some of the finest pipe organs in the Southeast,” says Sheryl Horton, dean of the Chattanooga chapter of the American Guild of Organists, a professional association dedicated to enriching lives through organ music. “It is a little known fact that East Tennessee is also home to several prominent pipe organ builders whose instruments are heard throughout the world.”
To celebrate the anniversary of one of Chattanooga’s pipe organs, First-Centenary United Methodist Church will hold a concert January 16 at 7 p.m. featuring the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera with Maestro Kayoko Dan in a performance of Saint-Säens’ renowned Symphony #3.
Camille Saint-Säens wrote the Symphony #3 in C Minor to be performed with full orchestra and pipe organ in a live acoustical setting, yet most performances of this work are in concert halls without pipe organs.
“The CSO is excited to present this seldom-heard symphony to the Chattanooga community utilizing the resources originally intended by the composer,” says Molly Sasse, executive director of the CSO.
Musical Multitasking
Pipe organs are played from consoles that rival that of an airplane cockpit with displays and controls for both the hands and the feet. The console at First-Centenary United Methodist Church has 183 keys over three separate keyboards, a 32-note pedalboard for the feet, three acceleratorlike pedals to control volume, a digital record and playback system, 71 drawknobs to select which pipes are activated to play and more than 990 control buttons to pre-set the different tonal combinations. The Schantz Organ Company of Orrville, Ohio installed the console in 1999.