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2010 St. Philip Presbyterian Church, Houston, OR

Organ Builder: Paul Fritts & Company Organ Builders
Pipe shades designed and carved by Jude Fritts.

This great video series shows the assembly of the new pipe organ for St. Philip Presbyterian Church in Houston TX in January 2010 as filmed and narrated by Chuck Johnson. Chuck discusses many of the intricacies and mechanics of the organ as he films, making this the best video series on pipe organs from the inside that there is.

Day 0 begins with the arrival of the truck on site and members of the congregation helping to carry pieces into the church. See the progress made day by day. By Day 14 the organ has four ranks of pipes (stops) installed, enough for the congregation to be lead in worship. By Day 28 half of the stops are tuned and ready. The rest will be tuned in February.

For the complete series and updates as they are posted, refer to Corgipower85's YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/Corgipower85 . The daily notes below are those posted by Chuck with his youtubes. Links to the first two weeks of this series is also on the church's website at
http://www.saintphilip.net/ministries/st-philip-pipe-organ/videos-organ-installation

• Day 0: The Organ Arrives!
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVI_eZr810g




• Day 1: Progress made on Day 1 of the organ build.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgKGahO_BlA




• Day 2: Wind chests and big reed pipes (posaune 32') to balcony, Sides and back are building fast, Tim shows inside of one of the "reed" blocks, organ plans on computer, blocks installed, wood carvings close up, big reed installed.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg23Z4zpOxQ




• Day 3: Much more scaffolding erected, interior work begun connecting trackers
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8yaVAw8nlo




• Day 4: Top most pieces installed, trackers to top wind chest, final extensions to the big reeds, show connections of draw nobs on console to wind chest.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqkf9F0TNvE




• Day 5: Four manual foot pedals that drive the mechanical (non power) bellows, Long trackers installed from the key desk (console) to the top most wind chest, the solid state computer that controls the thumb piston presets (manuals and pedal board), black rods called the "stop trees", front view of the 'long' trackers, area beneath the organ housing the A/C system and electrical blower motor for the instrument.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RKev3NtIAk




• Day 6: Modifying a wood connector, drawknobs (stops) connected to 'stop trees', supports for facade pipes installed, pipe racks on wind chests, top of 'stop trees' connected to the sliders on the side of the wind chest, completed mounting of the 32' Posaune (big wood reed pipes), moving large shinny facade pipe to balcony and install.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0AeZGjHeS0




• Day 8: Begin with left overs from Sat, Pipes in trays, thumb pistons, pedal board,facade pipes; Day 07 = day of rest; Day 08, many more facade pipes installed, air feeds to facade pipes, some facade pipes are non-speaking, toe studs above pedal board, swell shades pedal, draw knob install, St. Philip "stair master" aka foot pump bellows, plastic sheets installed on top of organ for hurricane proofing.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PepFYRrfjxU
  
  
• Day 9: All facade pipes installed, paint touchup, mounting remaining wood carvings, tour of the second level inside the organ, scaffolding removed from the front and it appears that the facade is complete. All wood carvings are in place.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK6UcF-2R0Q
  
  
• Day 11: Blower motor & air feed to organ, Cornet mixture explained, Tremulent explained & demonstrated, Pedal stop action and trackers installed, top part of music desk and light.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfBErwdOCsI
  
  
• Day 12: Checking the wiring that will eventually allow the computer to control the pre sets, install the two biggest flue pipes outside of the case, how a flue pipe works, attaching the connecting pipes to the 4 foot pump bellows.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL1eBaewdeU
  
  
• Day 13 part 1: Pedal board installed, about 3500 pipes to be installed, view from 2nd level inside organ - the positive division, 2-rank sesquialtera in detail, some pipes are in major thirds placement, some pipes are smaller than the diameter of a pencil.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGo06NzlkgM
  
  
• Day 13 part 2: Four of the 48 ranks are playable. This shows those in many combinations being played. Tuning different kinds of pipes. One pipe has a length less than the width of a finger nail.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50brJ-PTJWo
  
  
• Day 14: The organ has 4 ranks(stops) installed. This is enough for the congregation to be lead in worship. There was a malfunction of some sort with the video and the last minute of the postlude was not recorded. Arrrg.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGi_gYm8wDA
  
  
• Day 15: Start in Great Division (level 3) and go to Swell Division (level 4), all about tuning flue pipes.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncx1KfrlSP4
  
  
• Day 16: Positioning the mounted cornet in the great division, Rohrflote pipes, OrgMat demonstrated, tuning by opening/closing the "ears" of pipes,reviews of Positive, Great, and Swell divisions, interior organ lights in darkened sanctuary.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAR_XjRUcZQ
  
  
• Day 17: Sesquialtera tested with an 8' and 4' and other combinations; taping mouths of 1 of 2 ranks in sesquialtera to voice the other; slider holes seen in action; reed pipe dissected; mounted cornet complete in sky racks.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM2CDtt0AlE
  
  
• Day 18: Woodworking excellence produced crown molding, Salicional rank voicing, rank in front of the salicional has caps being soldered on permanently.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSzEebFo4MQ
  
  
• Day 19: Fixing pipes that wiggle, pipe placement parameters, temperature chart
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQguG3Zmls0
  
  
• Day 20 part 1: Wires are being installed in the control box of the computer that will allow presets to be used to pull stops; Paul made a makeshift forge to heat two cones to be used to fire a new rack for some pipe; I made 'smores' for the group - never let a good fire go to waste.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idz5ahGmCNQ
  
  
• Day 20 part 2: The innerds of a wind chest are shown! This is a biggie. Turn your volume way up for the bellows being regulated. It's a little long but shows them from both sides.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1exAgnry-Hc
  
  
• Day 21: The organ in worship: Prelude and 2 vs. final hymn.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bnJD_bWHQs
  
  
• Day 22: Swell division has additional ranks; Final wiring of the control box for the presets; organ demo and action is shown inside the instrument as it is being played... mostly in the positive, pedal, and great divisions. NOTE: sometimes I experience "upload failure" and due to work needs I am not able to retry until the following day.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrOZqvy2nBw
  
  
• Day 23: Presets completed; Swell piston switches; speed and power of pistons to be adjusted with controls on computer circuit boards; all power supplies on line for presets control; 300 x 14 levels of presets are available; copy, insert, and delete combinations of stops.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MiD2Vg2g8U
  
  
• Day 24: Installing the (Positive Division) Scharf IV-VI.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo7Tj0WDCJY
  
  
• Day 25 & 26: Tuning the Great 16' Principal with the huge scroll key and then rolling it down manually (there is wind noise from the A/C vent). Tuning the Positive reed.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-aLqcuRFSA
  
  
• Day 27 & 28: The current schedule is for the Paul Fritts Organ Co. to return in mid-February to complete the tuning of the instrument. One half of the stops are tuned and ready to play. I plan to review the January efforts of videos and repair any holes in information as well as prepare some new info. This will take some time. You may send inquiries to Corgipower85. I am a "kid in a candy store". I began this project as a way of getting the congregation involved and keeping them updated with the build. I had no idea this would reach so many folks. Thank you for your many kind comments. Enjoy the prelude and last hymn from Sun-31-Jan-10.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdwVkfdlNV4

Photos of the Organ * In Progress Photos * Weblinks * Menu

2006 St. Joseph Cathedral, Columbus, OH

Organ Builder: Paul Fritts & Company Organ Builders
Pipe shades designed and carved by Jude Fritts.

• See a slide show of photos as the organ at St Joseph Cathedral was being built, first in Paul's shop in Tacoma, WA and
  then being reassembled at the Cathedral with assistance from the congregation:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6a60ZsNVN0






• Organist Craig Cramer plays the organ at St Joseph Cathedral Cathedral in Columbus, OH and the O'Malley organ at The University
  of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, IN. The Notre Dame concert begins about midway through.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmAwLmAUFOc







• Listen to the organ at St Joseph Cathedral in Columbus, OH (still image only)
  • Phantom of the Opera: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s74_iUTLl-I
  
  
  
  
  
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps4zG1NSqNw
  
  
  
  

More on the O'Malley Organ * Weblinks * Menu

2004 University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana

Organ Builder: Paul Fritts & Company Organ Builders
Pipe shades designed and carved by Jude Fritts.

• Organist Craig Cramer celebrates the musical works of Dieterich Buxtehude on the O'Malley organ:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro7B7gvV8QQ




• Organist Craig Cramer plays the organ at St Joseph Cathedral Cathedral in Columbus, OH and the O'Malley organ at The University
  of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, IN. The Notre Dame concert begins about midway through.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmAwLmAUFOc

Photos of the Organ * Weblinks * Menu

2000 Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NY

Organ Builder: Paul Fritts & Company Organ Builders
Pipe shades designed and carved by Jude Fritts.

• Organist Joan Lippincott plays Bach's Art of Fugue and takes you on a tour of the organ at the Princeton Theological Seminary
  in Princeton, NJ.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEPr15HDh0g