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FIRST CHURCH PIPE ORGAN |
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77 YEARS OF BEAUTIFUL WORSHIP MUSIC The pipe organ at First United Methodist Church was built in 1926 by the W. W. Kimball Company of Chicago for the Masonic Auditorium in New Orleans. The original cost was approximately $21,000. First Church bought it in 1945 for $12,500. The organ was dedicated on Sunday morning, November 23, 1947, followed by a recital that afternoon with choir and soloists. This year the organ will have been in service for 77 years. During that time it has been through a lot. Significant water damage has occurred several times including recently. Renovations to the sanctuary have had negative effects on the instrument, and air conditioning and heating changes have been destructive to various parts. But through it all, the organ has continued to serve the congregation. It has a warm sound with integrity and character. It can speak with authority. It can accompany and support our choir in music from every period of music. It is the best example in the city of that period or organ building, and would not be duplicated today because of the unavailability of that kind of wood and the expense of building pipes of that size. We are pleased to announce that we have just completed a good deal of work on the organ. Six new ranks of pipes have been added. A rank is one particular sound that the organ makes, with all the pipes needed of that sound to match all the keys on the console. All of these ranks have been placed in the south chamber of the organ on the left side of the chancel area as you sit in a pew and face front. This is the first time there have been pipes in that chamber in a decade! This division of the organ is called the Swell; the Great, Choir and Pedal divisions of the organ are in the North chamber. |
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John Palmer |
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For
more information about the choir you can contact First
United Methodist Church | |
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