The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-03
TUNING A PIPE ORGAN.
A Nerve-Trying Ordeal of Some
Lengthy Duration.

1.-The misuse which many pipe organs
suffer is wonder to lie" said veteran
organ tuner and builder. Church organs
cost from 81. coo to $4,000 They are very
sensitive to changes of temperature, and
yet many are heated and chilled once a
week all winter and allowed to get damp
soaked in summer. The same people who
neglect an organ will ta..e cood care Of a
piano costing a tenth or twentieth as
much.
IAN organ is a good deal like human
being when It comes to changes of the
thermometer. Sudden drops put a man
out of tune. and it's the same with the
instrument. 1t needs an even, moderate
temperature during the winter instead Of
a roasting Gn Sunday and freeze the rest
of the week In summer a stone or brick
church gets damp. A slight fire once a
week will keep the organ dry.
"A pipe organ requires tuning at least
once year, and the best instruments are
looked over two or three times in that
period. 1t is two or three days job and
needs two men. Besides the tuner up in
the organvan assistant must be at the
keyboard 70 hold down the keys. Tenn
perature has to be considered even in
tuning. All the pipes must be brought to
pitch at about the same degree, and this
degree should be that which the organ
usually has when in use.
Il believe that pipe organ tuning is the
most nervous work one can tackle. In
fact. after long experience l have come to
believe that l tune with my nerves. No. 1
don't refer to the nerves of hearing. l get
my impressions that way, but tune with
my nervous system. My assistant strikes
a chord. 1t ii is not true feel nervous
stress and strain. AS soon as the chord
is true my nerves become harmonious,
too. 1t sounds funny. but it's so.
Two or three days may seem like
long time to take to tune an organ, but
when you stop to think of the LOO pipes
in large modern instrument it isn't so
long A large organ will have compass
of five octaves or sixty-one keys. These
instruments have twenty eight registers
and pipe to each key and register brings
the number to 1.70S. Not every key and
register has a pipe, but as some have
two it amounts to that. The pipes are
of all sorts and sizes. most of them wood
but many of metal. A small nnmber of
the Iargv and long wooden pipes never
get out OF tune. They are too long. For
many years the fancy pipes at the front
of an organ were only ornamental, but
nowadays these sound as well.
Il find that pipe tuning is mystery to
most people. They can understand how
the piano strings are frightened and loos-
ened. But changes in the pitch of pipes
queer them. 1t isn't strange. either for
the average organ has five kinds of tun-
ing. OF course. the pitch depends on the
length of the pipe. The pitch may be rails
ed by shortening the pipe or by stopping
the open end. 4 number of the wooden
pipes are stopped by wooden slides. Han
dies are attached and the pipe is turned
by moving the slides up or down. Other
woods have set in the top piece of metal
which is rolled or bent over partially to
stop the pipe.
Ribbon strips are cut in the sides OF
the tall metal pipes and rolled down.
These break the column of air and act the
same as cutting off the top of the pipe
Another kind OF pipes, the reeds. are on
different principle. The length of the reed
controls the pitch. wire presses tightly
against the reed and is moved to lengthen
or shorten the vibrating length"