Above, architect Russell Johnson walks the Chancel roof to get the big picture and some measurements to design the new organ chamber.

HOLLYWOOD LUTHERAN CHURCH'S
"NEW" PIPE ORGAN

Hello, friends!

For nearly four years, we have been eganged in the refurbishing and enlarging of our 1920s-era pipe organ.  Originally purchased from Warner Bros. Theater in the 1930s, when the silent movies were coming to an end and "talkies" began to capture the movie maker's imagination, our Wurlitzer pipe organ served well beyond its years without a major rennovation.

Everyone knows the term "deferred maintenance"-- the euphemism for chronic neglect.  By 2007 our pipe organ had become a prime example of such neglect.

But in recent years we've known that the 6-rank instrument needed re-leathering and other work because there are many "dead notes."  When the air supply coming to each pipe can no longer be controlled because of a defective valve, the note is said to be "cyphering" -- it plays continuously even when no one is holding down a key.  The pipe must therefore be removed until the valve can be repaired.  At present we have dead notes in almost all of the organ's ranks of pipes, making it difficult to play.

The 80-year old wind chests are literally being held together with duct tape! 

"Miss Wheezie" 

In recent years, it had been painful to hear the "old lady" gasping for air.  Our former music director, Eldon Turner, affectionately dubbed the organ "Miss Wheezie" because the escaping wind from leaking wind chests is a constant reminder that the instrument is suffering badly. 

After months of careful planning, research and discussion by an Organ Committee, the voters of Hollywood Lutheran Church made the decision in November 2007 to set aside funds for the complete re-working and enlargement of the instrument.  Here is the general plan which has been taking shape since  January 2008:

  • We have purchased a 22-rank Reuter oran built in the 1960s from  Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills (which has completely replaced it with an organ costing more than $700,000).  More than a thousand pipes, wind chests, console, relays and other parts were packed and brought to Hollywood Lutheran Church on June 10-11, 2008, where they were carefully stored away.
  • A second organ chamber was created out of unused space in the south tower.  Both the oroginal chamber and the new chamber "speak" directly into the Nave.
  • Organs are traditionally designed in disivions, called Great, Swell, Choir, Pedal, etc.  The preliminary design for our refurbished organ calls for the Great organ to be housed in one chamber and the Choir division in the present chamber above the Choir office (right side) directly above the Choir seating.  Both chambers will be "under expression" with closeable shutters.
  • One rank of exposed decorative pipes will be placed in the rear of the Sanctuary as well, on either side of the "Christ of Peace" carving by noted Armenian artist Nishan Toor.
  • The complicated work of marrying two instruments as one, and of revoicing 1,800 individual pipes to provide the appropriate sound and quality for our space, is being carried out by Los Angeles area organ crafter Weston Harris.

The entire Sanctuary building is part of the instrument.  The architecture and materials of both the organ chambers and the Nave itself affect the sound.  Soft, spongy materials eat up sound and defeat one of the major purposes of a pipe organ -- to support congregational singing.  As part of the restoration and refurbishing project, sound-deadening material in our Nave has been removed, including acoustic boards on the rear wall and over 1,000 sq. ft. of carpet. 

 

HOLLYWOOD LUTHERAN CHURCH  +  1733 N. New Hampshire Avenue

Los Angeles, CA  90027  +  (323) 667-1212  +  Fax:  (323) 667-1222  www.hollywoodlutheran.org

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