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During the week of October 13-17, the components of the new pipe organ at the Bloomfield Presbyterian Church on the Green were delivered and moved up into the balcony of the sanctuary. The facade (exposed casework) was installed, and the windchests and most of the larger pipes were moved into place in the three chambers behind the choir loft. In coming weeks, the wind system (blowers, reservoirs, windchests, hoses, etc.) will be installed, followed by the wiring and electrical systems, then the final cleaning, tuning and voicing of the 2869 pipes that make up our new organ.
For more photos of the organ being built in the Peragallo workshops, please see our August, September and October updates.
Before the organ was delivered, new halogen lights were installed in the rear of the sanctuary to give better lighting to the choir, a new floor was laid down in the choir loft to improve the acoustics, and the three organ chambers behind the choir loft were cleaned, patched, spackled, caulked, and painted. This not only improves the acoustics of the chambers, but will reduce the amount of maintenance required over the long term by keeping out dirt and dust.
On Monday, October 13, the components of the new pipe organ were delivered by the Marshall Moving Company, who estimated that the total weight of the organ was 20,000 pounds (10 tons). The console was delivered in a separate trip on Friday. Scaffolding was erected in the sanctuary to provide access to the choir loft, and the pews were padded to serve as temporary resting places for the various parts.
Windchests are the long, flat wooden boxes on which the pipes rest. Inside each windchest are the pipe actions, small electronic devices that control the flow of air into each pipe. During the week, five large windchests were moved into place: one for the exposed Grand Orgue (Great) division in the center, and two each for the Recit (Swell) and Choeur (Choir) divisions enclosed in the side chambers.
Most of the pipes of the organ will live in the three chambers behind the choir loft and not be visible from the sanctuary. Before anything else out front could be installed, the biggest pipes had to be moved into their places in the chambers. Pictured here is the largest pipe in the organ being lifted and maneuvered to fit into the central chamber.
The facade was designed to complement the appearance of the sanctuary, and also to disguise the fact that at 200+ years old our building is not level: the ceiling slants one way and the floor slants another. The facade is aligned with the ceiling, which is visible from the first floor of the sanctuary, but where it rests on the floor of the choir loft there is a two-inch difference between the ends. The sections of the facade were designed to be at different levels and depths, so that no continuous horizontal line might emphasize the slant of the ceiling or the floor. The mahogany woodwork matches the finish of the pews, and the use of rounded arches in the cabinets and the pipes reflect the arches of the stained glass windows.
At about 800 pounds, the console is the heaviest single piece of the organ. It required a zig-zag arrangement of scaffolding to lift it up, over the rail, and into the choir loft.
Everything had to be off the pews by the end of day Friday so that we could worship in the sanctuary on Sunday. Shown here are some of the pipes of the Great and Pedal divisions being carried up and placed in the facade.
The Peragallo Pipe Organ Company has installed hundreds of church organs, so they know how to treat our space with respect. Many people at worship on Sunday did not even realize that the workers had been in the sanctuary.