Blog of Dr. Crista Miller

• Ash Wedensday Thoughts

  Hello! Crista Miller here! e started this blog so that you might be able to hear a little about the progress on the organ each day. I try to make a visit up into the space several times a week because seeing, touching and climbing on the parts enhances understanding greatly. I'm a little behind on sharing these experiences with you, but let's jump in with some observations for today, February 17, 2010.

  I took a look today after playing the 12:10 PM Ash Wednesday Mass. It's beginning to look like an organ up there! Martin Pasi, the builder, both oversees and works alongside the crew, Markus, Rocky, Mike and Doug. They are an amazing team. It seems every day there is a new challenge. Once a plan is made, they work really quickly to execute it. Every day seems to bring an interesting problem, then a solution.

  While we had black ashes downstairs in the church today, up in the choir loft it's all about white sawdust. Today - in between Masses - the crew is working on fitting the 32' ranks into the space. We have a luxurious THREE 32' ranks of pipes in this organ. This is a challenge, too - the pipes are heavy, and they need support. Interestingly, the longest of the 32's reed ranks are installed on the staircase level so that they fit in the space. You can see the "tops" of these pipes today on the right; they look like a picket fence. Six of the 32' Bombarde pipes are next to six of the 32' Trombone (I think of this stop by its German name, Posaune) down in the "blower" room.

  What happens to the other 32' pipes? Some of them have had to have little cuts out of them to accommodate concrete beams in the space, and some have had to be "mitered." Mitered means that instead of a long straight length of pipe 180 degrees, the last bit is at a 90 degree angle. Another project for today is constructing supports for these long pipes when currently there is nothing dividing the space. If you've been in the church recently, you've probably heard a lot of sawing, and those are the reasons why.

  When the organ is operational, you'll *know* when these low bass pipes play - these are the ones that rumble and roar and shake.

  Blessed Ash Wednesday and Lent, everyone. Parce Domine...

  posted in Opus 19 February 17, 2010

  

• Coming soon

  Watch this spot closely for the blog on the Opus XIX Pipe Organ This will be the home of the official blog of Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart's own Dr. Crista Miller.

  posted in Opus 19 January 16, 2010