Preserving a magnificent heritage

Tuesday, August 26, 2003

The board of trustees at Memorial United Methodist Church approved a $14,000 renovation of the church's massive 1,502 pipes pipe organ this summer, employing the expertise of Dan Vaughan, a master organ builder and renovator.

Originally installed in 1927 at a cost of $5,000 the organ consisted of 16 ranks of pipes. Each rank represents the pipes of one voice necessary to produce a note for every key on the one of the manuals or keyboards, each of which have 61 keys. The original organ had 976 pipes. The instrument was remodeled and expanded to contain 25 ranks, 1,502 pipes and 21 chimes in 1981. Experts have estimated that it would cost well in excess of $1 million to replace the instrument today.

The organ, which has served to enhance and beautify countless worship services, weddings, funerals, concerts and recitals is an intricate part of the heritage of Memorial United Methodist Church and Southwest Nebraska. Under the gifted and skilled hands of organists such as Jay Gordon Christiansen of Imperial, Evie Caldwell and Marie Coffey, people of all ages have been exposed to a variety of breathtaking musical experiences at MUMC.

A pipe organ, at its simplest, is no different than a trumpet or clarinet, explained Jon Wacker in a presentation to the congregation. Air has to be blown through a metal or wooden pipe to produce a tone. Each pipe has to have a valve to open and close the air supply, which requires an electronic relay that receives a signal from the keyboard for the particular note being played. This requires a couple of miles of wiring, more than a thousand relay switches, and the equipment required to generate and control the air pressure to each of the ranks of pipes.

What is seen from the sanctuary is only a fraction of the entire structure of the organ. Chamber rooms behind the screen at the alter hold the pipes, the relay switches, and the custom cut woodwork. Second only in size to the sanctuary itself, the organ is a complex combination of art, woodworking and mechanical craftsmanship.

The renovation will include replacing all of the wiring for the pipe cabinets, as well as the addition of fuses, an item not included in the original construction. The keyboard contacts will all be replaced, as well as the air-driven motors which control the volume. The top boards will be replaced with poplar, which doesn't leak sap, a condition suspected to have caused the valves to foul and stick in the past. The repair and renovation will take from two to three weeks to complete.

Dan Vaughan, the master organ builder, grew up in the family business and brings with him years of experience, "The best teacher." He lives in Rockwall, Texas and is assisted on this job by Miriam Eberhardt of Florissant, Colo., and Oscar Sielaff of Denver, Colo.

"We have been blessed to have such a wonderful musical instrument in our church," said Jon Wacker in his presentation. "It should serve for 100 more years because we have had the vision to preserve and maintain our heritage."

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