St. Michael Catholic Church
Worthington, OH
3/36 Muller-Schantz
1975/2009

Organ Console

Click on the photo to get a larger image

	The specification 3/36 means three manuals (or keyboards) and 36 ranks of pipes. In the photo we can see the three manuals, but far more than 36 draw knobs for the 36 ranks. Stop knobs for couplers, tremulants, percussion, and stops which combine intervals of pipes (harmonic and mutation stops) make up the difference. This is the original Schantz console for the organ, but it has been almost completely rebuilt by Muller. The only original parts are the console shell, manuals, pedal board, and bench.
	Three manuals but only two hands - what is an organist to do? Each manual represents a division of the organ. The top is the Swell, middle is the Great, and bottom is the Choir. The organist can set different registrations for each manual by selecting draw knobs from each division. Need more sound? Use the tilting tablets across the top and simply couple divisions together (Great to Swell, etc.) to get additional resources. The number of registration combinations can be mind-boggling!
	On the left side of the console we see the Pedal and Swell stop knobs. For the most part Muller stuck with English spellings of for the stop knobs. Note, for example, the Tremulant, Swell 16', and Pedal Chimes knobs which are not ranks but stops on the organ. Usually an organ will have more stops than ranks, but there are exceptions.
	On the right side we see the stop knobs for the Great and Choir divisions. A quirk of this organ is that the draw knobs for the Swell and Choir divisions are opposite of where the pipes actually reside in the chambers (Choir stops are on the right side of the console, but the pipes are in the left chamber, and vice versa for the Swell). Most of the ranks in the Choir division have softer sounding pipes.
	This organ has a set of chimes which are located in the Choir division under expression. Rotating the knob from 0 to 5 varies the strike of the hammer against the chime (5 being the hardest thus the loudest). Chimes add a nice touch to the overall organ sound.
As noted earlier, the tilting tabs (left photo below) are couplers which allow the organist to play multiple divisions of the organ at the same time. This is further broken down by fundamental of the divisions (ex: Swell to Great 16', Swell to Great 8', etc.). This organ also has a MIDI system capable of generating sound electronically. The organist first selects one of the MIDI tabs on the right, then uses the Peterson system (right photo below) to select the desired rank or sound. While the MIDI can provide a significant amount of sound, it is meant to accompany the physical organ rather than to dominate it. The Peterson system also allows the organist to record and save what is being played.

Down below we see the toe studs on the left and right sides, as well as the expression and crescendo pedals. The pedals for the Swell and Choir divisions are close enough together where they can be operated by one foot. The lever marked SFZ is for sforzando and will draw all of the principal stops.

Below Left: Indicator lights provide additional information to the organist. the CRESC light indicates that the crescendo pedal has been pressed. It does not tell how far the pedal has been pressed. The SFORZ light indicates that the sforzando button or toe stud has been pressed. The light is red for a reason! Finally, the WIND light indicates that the organ is turned on. Below Right: Many organs feature a bench with an adjustable height which helps those with shorter legs to reach the pedals, or those with longer legs to not feel so cramped. The scale on the right indicates an "AGO" setting which is the "standard height" as determined by the American Guild of Organists. The window crank is a characteristic of Schantz organs, thus lending to the auto industry near their hometown of Orrville, Ohio. General Motors window cranks were normally used.

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