"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing." (Psalm 100:1-2)

Serving the Streetsville and Meadowvale communities since 1836.

Phoenix Organ Installation Diary at Streetsville United

At a special congregational meeting held December 15, 2002 the congregation of Streetsville United Church approved the purchase and installation of a Phoenix PD-351 Digital Organ to replace its current Keates Pipe Organ with some components dating back to 1920. This diary will attempt to log the progress of the organ's construction and installation during the spring of 2003.

Wednesday, April 16, 2003

First Choir Practice

Voicing continued throughout the day, concluding with the programming the rise in volume associated with the Crescendo pedal. All three tonal specifications have been voiced; it turns out that, using all the stored stops for the other three manuals, they can create a fourth tonal specification representative of a theatre organ, incorporating effective use of the Tremulants. Don spent an hour giving Robin, our organist, a guided tour of the Tolton Organ, explaining parameter setting and stop changing in detail. During the afternoon Don incorporated reverberation effects (yes, there is a use for that embedded reverb box); it gave a whole new definition to the musicality and poignancy of the resulting notes.

Tonight our choir had its first exposure to the organ with very favourable feedback. On arriving at the sanctuary, John Shillingberg was explaining how he would need a couple of weeks to explore its many features and options. But then he sat down at the console and played Saint-Saens Organ Symphony (well, at least the organ part) and a couple of other favourites, bringing the sanctuary to life. While the choir initially practiced in the Choir Room to allow Robin some familiarization time, they eventually returned to the main sanctuary and rehearsed an anthem and several (Easter) hymns, accompanied by the organ.

I used the opportunity to explore the impact of the resulting music at various locations in the sanctuary, especially the balcony. The main impact is that just about everywhere, there is a fuller, richer organ sound experience. At my normal seat on the south side of the balcony, we will actually hear the fullness of the organ sound for the first time; having pipe chamber openings that face the sanctuary makes a big difference. Keep in mind that there are still adjustments to be carried out next week; we look forward to your feedback following our Easter weekend services.
Posted 4/16/2003 11:09:00 p.m. by Jim Courtney