Pipeless organs
"Any church organ is installed in a church to further the worship and mission of the church. It is not the personal plaything of the organist. Any organ installed in a church must be installed first and foremost to further the worship and mission of the church."
Paul has been involved with the pipeless organ trade for the last twenty years. A recent change of direction in career took him away from the music trade and into education as well as becoming Organs Advisor for the Rochester Diocese.
Paul's unique experience over the past twenty years has enabled him to understand how to achieve the best from instruments where churches have simply been unable (or unwilling) to spend money on either restoring pipe organs, or purchasing new instruments.
The mere mention of pipeless organs send many screaming from the room. The reality is that pipeless organs are here to stay, and unless we embrace and try and understand them, there will be bad installations.
If churches decided to go down this route there must be unbaised advice available so that they can completely understand how to get the very best for their money.
THE DO LIST
• Always compare and contrast organs
• Consider an organ with a stoplist which is relative in size and scale to the church.
• Always ensure that the sound system is generously proportioned.
• Always try and go for an organ that can be customized to some extent (most can be)
• If finances allow, go down the custom route and design an organ from scratch
• Always go and hear representative installations, and be prepared to travel. Try and avoid on-site demonstrations as the are often compromised in terms of where the sound system can be placed. Organs are hastily set up and rarely sound as good as the finished article.
• Consult your advisor at the earliest stage possible and BE PREPARED TO ACCEPT HIS ADVICE AND WORK WITH HIM.
THE DON'TS!
• Don't think that the biggest instrument is always going to be the best
• Don’t go for the cheapest if it seems like good value for money
• Unnecessary controls often make for unnecessary complications
• Don’t do anything to your present organ or purchase a new one without having first consulted your advisor and had the relevant approval of your DAC.
Here is a recent quote from a somewhat misguided organist in respect of comments made about an over-large demonstration instrument:
First to deal with size. The observation that this organ is too large for the church is completely and worringly inaccurate. A larger specification simply means a more comprehensive instrument - it very definitely does not mean an overpowering volume. One of the great joys of the advance in digital technology is that we can have accurate pipe organ sounds rather than approximations that characterised the former analogue organs. It also means that it is perfectly possible and feasible to have a large specification in a smaller building because all sounds can be set to appropriate levels. Pipe organs tend to be built relative to the size of the building. One of the great advantages of digital organs is therefore that one has no such constraint.
Sadly the writer of this report does not understand that, if pipeless organs are more convincing, they will by their very nature, be louder. If you install a 90 speaking stop organ in St Bodget's Church, Little Whipping (which seats 100 people), the organ will need to be balanced to appropriate levels. This organ cannot be anything other the a caricature of a real pipe organ. Far better to have a smaller organ which sounds convincing.
There is also a school of thought that, if St Bodget's church buys a huge organ, they will be able to attract a wonderful organist. The reality is that organists are generally intelligent people who look for other reasons to take on such posts, such as a sympathetic incumbent in terms of liturgy, choir etc etc. I have known organists who would prefer to play instruments which are uninspiring, on their last legs, or simply dreadful because they have the magic combination with clergy, choir and liturgy which enables them to make good liturgical music.