Rector's Message continued...

Another issue to be addressed is moving from a two manual to a three manual instrument.  Many non-organists assume that the larger an instrument is, the louder it is.  This is not correct. Organs are subdivided into divisions, which are usually identified with the keyboard from which they are played.  For example, the current instrument has three divisions, the swell (upper manual), great (lower manual) and pedal.  The new organ will add a fourth division, the choir, which plays from the lowest of the three keyboards.  Each division houses a related group of voices controlled by the stops on the two sides of the keyboards. Just as a master chef uses a variety of ingredients and spices to enhance the complexity and richness of flavor, so a well-trained organist will select and combine the various voices within, between and among the divisions to enhance and refine the sound for a particular piece of music. Therefore, the greater the number of voices and divisions the more flexible the tonal qualities available to the player.  Volume is determined by the voicing done at the time of the installation and is specific to the room where the organ is speaking.

One final thought concerning divisions and tonal resources: part of this installation will be an MDS Expander II that will allow the organist to add from a selection of 100 different voices to each of the four divisions.  These are specialty stops that occur only on the largest of organs.  These combined with the 45 stops and 56 rank equivalent of the basic organ will provide the opportunity to perform all but the most complex compositions in the master repertoire for organ.

What does all this have to do with the quality of worship at St Luke’s?  The people who worship in our parish are enthusiastic about the role of music within the service.  They eagerly sing along not only with hymns, but also with the service music in the various settings of the Gloria, Trisagion, Kyrie, Psalms settings, prayer responses, Sanctus and Fraction Anthems we use throughout the year. Our new audio system with antiphonal speakers in the rear of the nave will offer support for those who choose to sit there. The antiphonals will also provide a richness to balance and blend the sound for the acoustics of the room. An added advantage is that since they will be voiced at a lower volume than the main battery of speakers at the front of the nave, the antiphonal speakers will provide opportunities for ethereal accompaniments and improvisations during communion and special musical numbers.  The richer quality of sound from appropriate voicing gauged specifically for the church space and acoustics will also enhance the beauty and original composers’ intent for organ voluntaries (yes, even all that French stuff I like!), and anthems.

I hope this brief summary has been helpful to you, and that you will be as excited as I for the installation and dedication of our new instrument.

Soli Deo Gloria!

P. Bruce Sholley, MM

Minister of Music