St. Alban's Episcopal Church - Bexley, OH - 2/23 Austin

St. Alban's Episcopal Church - 2/23 Austin

St. Alban's Episcopal Church
Bexley, OH
2/23 Austin
Opus 2588 - 1975

Photos of the Swell Division

Click on the photo to see a larger image

The Swell Division is used to create expression in a pipe organ, and also is often used exclusively when accompanying a vocalist or choir. Shades open and close to vary the amount of sound from the pipe chambers.

This pipe organ's Swell Division sits in a room on the front right side of the church sanctuary. The photo at the left shows the screen which hides the Swell's expression shades as well as the pipes behind. Whomever sits in the chairs directly in front of the screen gets a full dose of organ sound! The open door on the right is the access door to the chamber.

From the outside looking it, we can see that the Swell chamber is packed full of pipes and equipment. We can also see that the height of the room is not very high, thus the need to miter the larger pipes so that they can fit. In the left photo, look just inside on the right to see some mitered metal pipes, and in the background for some wood pipes at an angle. In the center photo, the mitered big wood pipes in the center are easy to see.

In the left photo is a list of dates of when the pipe organ was tuned as well as several temperature readings. Temperature affects the pitch of the pipes and it is important to know what the normal temperature of the room is when tuning the instrument. If it is tuned when the room is colder than normal, it will sound sharp at the room's normal temperature reading, and vice versa if it is warmer than normal. The thermometer in the right photo helps the organ tuners get an idea of how to tune the instrument so that it sounds good at all times.

	On the side of each piece of wood in the chamber is the number 2588 which is the Austin Organ opus number for this instrument. Austin seems to do a good job at stamping everything in sight with the opus number, probably if nothing else to help keep things together in the shop.
	Here's a better look inside from the entrance. The pipes immediately to the left are of the Trumpet rank, and those to the immediate right are of the III Plein Jeu rank. Playing one note on the organ console plays three pipes. The Plein Jeu adds brilliance to the overall sound. The mitered wood pipes in back are from the Rohrflöte rank in the Pedal Division.
	Sandwiched just inside the door are the largest pipes of the Trumpet rank. A lot of mitering has been done to make sure these pipes fit!
	Staying on the right side in the chamber, behind the Plein Jeu are the Rohrflöte rank (red felt), and in front of it are pipes of the Viole Celeste rank. The Viole Celeste rank is a new addition, replacing the original Gemshorn Celeste rank.
	This is a good view of the ranks on the right side of the Swell. In front is the Plein Jeu, behind it is the Viole Celeste (skinny pipes), on the end next to the Viole Celeste is the Trumpet, further back with the red felt is the Rohrflöte rank with the basses of the same rank just barely in view against the back wall.
	In the back corner is this collection of pipes illustrating the different types, sizes, and construction of pipes. The wood pipes are the basses of the Rohrflöte rank. The wood stick in the top is used to tune the pipe. The skinny pipes in the foreground are of the Viole Celeste rank. Note the metal tuning sleeve below the narrow opening at the top of the pipe. Behind on the left with the white strings around them are a couple of the larger pipes of the Trumpet rank.While the trumpet is a brass instrument, in the pipe organ world the Trumpet is a reed. These pipes are tuned using a small metal tuning slide in the boot of the pipe. Also note the close clearance to the roof of the chamber.


In the back are these pipes which seem to be begging for attention, so we'll give them their 15 minutes of fame. These are from the Rohrflöte rank, with the left pipe being the largest (CCC). It's quite evident that there's no way these pipes can stand up straight so Austin mitered them so that they could fit in the chamber. The left photo clearly shows the stopper in the top of the pipe which is used to tune the pipe. A bit of physics is going on as well - capping the end of a pipe makes it speak at twice its physical length. So these 8' pipes are speaking at the 16' pitch due to the stopper on the end. The middle photo illustrates how much these pipes span over the other pipes in the chamber. The right photo shows the pipe markings stamped into the pipe by Austin. Note that the sharp symbol (#) looks more like an X, common on Austin wood pipes.

	Here's a top down view of the ranks on the left side in the Swell. From left to right, just barely in the picture is the Trumpet rank, next is the Tierce, slightly larger to the right is the Principal, next with the red felt is the Koppelflöte, and finally on the far right is the Viole rank. The Swell shutters are on the far right side.
	On the left side in the middle are the smaller pipes of the Trumpet rank. Note that the smallest pipes in the middle do not have the flared top that the larger pipes do.
	A closer look at one of the pipes in the Trumpet rank reveals the stamp identifying the pipe. The brass wire at the bottom is the tuning slide for the pipe.
	Here's a better look at the Koppelflöte rank (red felt). This is probably one of the more peculiarly-shaped pipes in this pipe organ. In the foreground is the Principal rank, and behind is the Viole, a new addition to this pipe organ which replaced the original Austin Gemshorn rank.
	The Viole rank also has its location in the pipe organ stamped on it (SW for Swell). The lack of dust on the pipes is a clue that it is a brand new rank.
	Here's a better perspective of how the pipes on the left side stack up. It is interesting to note the different sizes and shapes of the pipes. The Swell shutters are on the left side as is the control unit for the shades.
	The largest pipes in the Viole rank are haskelled, which means that basically they built as a pipe within a pipe. Again this is another example of physics in action. The construction allows for the pipe to speak at a lower pitch than its physical length. Note the metal tabs which are holding the inner piece of the pipe in place with the outer pipe piece.
	While writing on walls is generally not acceptable, in this case it probably does more good than harm. The finisher from Austin wanted everyone to know who performed the final tonal adjustments, what the wind pressure was and when it was done.

St. Alban's Episcopal Church - 2/23 Austin

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