Pipe organs at First-Plymouth Church, UCC
The Schlicker Nave Organ - Chancel and Antiphonal
Dedicated September 22, 1968
Antiphonal removed fall 1996
Chancel removed April 28, 1997
The nave organ is a memorial to Thomas C. Woods
Click on a thumbnail or hyperlink below to view the photo full size
Photos from First-Plymouth archives; Edholm & Blomgren photographers
Following are excerpts from the Dedication Program of the Schlicker Organs (Nave (Chancel and Antiphonal) and Chapel) at First-Plymouth Congregational Church Sunday, September 22, 1968:
"The organs for
First-Plymouth Congregational Church were built by the Schlicker Organ
Company of Buffalo, New York. The original contract was signed on February 8,
1965. The
installation of both organs began on April 22, 1968, and the tonal finishing was
completed
on June 19, 1968. This is the fulfillment of a dream long held by the
congregation and was
made possible through generous memorial gifts. The Nave organ is a memorial to
Thomas
C. Woods. The Chapel organ is a memorial to Arthur A. Dobson.
The placement of an organ
within the church determines in great measure its effectiveness.
A major decision of the Capital Improvements program was to purchase a new
organ, and
place it across the front of the Apse that the sound might speak directly into
the Nave. The
decision to harden the ceiling also provided better acoustics. The combination
of proper
placement and good acoustics results in an ideal acoustical situation. The
Chapel organ is
also located within an acoustically "alive" room.
The organs represent in their
design, the merging of the traditional concepts of organ
building, with modern ideas and techniques in order to produce a new and worthy
work of
art, grounded in traditional principles, but fully up-to-date.
The tonal design or
"specifications" of the instruments is inclusive of all the necessary
elements required for the playing of the Liturgical Service, the requirements of
choral
work, and the appropriation of all types of worthy organ literature. Each stop
in the
instruments is designed to stand on its own merit as a musical entity; and to
work well in
combination with the other registers in the organs. In this fashion, almost
every stop
becomes both a "solo" stop and an "accompaniment" stop at
the same time. It is this duality
of purpose which gives the organs their great flexibility.
The voicing technique which
best achieves beauty of tone is the traditional one; that is, the
use of very low wind pressures, and the classical technique of voicing. No
nicking is
employed in the voicing process so that the pipes will be prompt of speech and
will have
their full harmonic development.
( . . . )
THE NAVE ORGAN
The Nave organ has a total of 3,858 individual pipes, ranging in size from 16
feet long to
3/8 of an inch. Of these pipes, 574 are located in the antiphonal division in
the balcony. A
unique feature of the antiphonal division is the horizontal trumpets. Tonal
length ranges
from 32' pitch (16 c.p.s.) to the smallest pipe of the 1' stop, (approximately
8,200 c.p.s.).
There are 50 independent registers, comprised of 71 ranks. Materials used in the
construction of these pipes include brass, copper, zinc, and various alloys of
tin and lead
(ranging from 75% tin and 25% lead, to 40% tin, depending on the type of stop.)
Wood pipes
are made of hardwoods. Mechanically, the instrument represents a combination of
things
traditional and modern. The wind chests (the devices which control the admission
of wind
to the pipes) are slider chests, a type of chest which has existed in its basic
form for
hundreds of years. Modern technology has refined the construction of this type
of chest so
that it is virtually fool proof. In addition, however, to the savings of space,
and simplicity
and reliability of operation, the most important of the virtues of the slider
chest is its effect
on the tone of the pipes. With no other kind of organ mechanism can such gentle,
refined,
and unforced voicing be done. The constructional woods used for these chests
include virgin
growth yellow poplar and first grade regular poplar wood. Casework for console
and the
organ case itself is made from red oak. A wooden housing behind the screen
completely
encloses the pipe work to focus and project the tone into the Nave of the
church.
The large console, with three
manuals and pedal, located in the front of the church, controls
both the main organ and the antiphonal organ in the balcony. This console can be
taken
out of its pit and be moved anywhere in the Apse. A small portable console can
be placed in
the balcony to control just the antiphonal organ."
