 It was pleasing to read a story in the Yorkshire Post about our potential contribution to the Presidential Inauguration tomorrow in Washington DC. Readers were told that 'the music that wafts above Washington on Wednesday as the new President takes the oath of office may have a distinctly Yorkshire ring to it.' This was a reference to the reed pipes we made for a new organ installed by the Noak Organ Company in 2019 in St Peter's Church on Capitol Hill. After the story appeared on Saturday, we were contacted by radio and TV stations anxious to follow-up on the idea that organ pipes made in Yorkshire would accompany an event on which the eyes of the world would be fixed. Sadly, we understand that the organ will not be used in the ceremony tomorrow. However, an idea of the variety and richness of its sound may may gained from this recording of the Mass for Easter.
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There's a particular beauty to an organ facade displaying pipes of 80 per cent tin. A great deal of delicate work goes into manufacturing them so it is important they retain the brilliance of the factory finish when installed. The picture, right, shows the covering we apply to all front pipes. It protects the metal from marks, yet the pipes can be voiced and handled until they are placed in the instrument.
These pipes come from a two-manual Forster and Andrews organ built in 1893 for a church in Scotland and recently installed in a Roman Catholic church in Leeds. They had been damaged and badly repaired over the years and were brought to us for restoration by David Wood of Wood Organ Builders of Huddersfield. George Fowler, who has a remarkable history as a restorer, repaired the flue pipes and Terry Shires, also with wide experience in pipe restoration, gave fresh life to the reeds.
This tricky sort of work would be enough to send most of us round the bend – but it's just one of the skills in regular use in our Leeds workshop. The beautifully crafted eight-foot Hautbois pipes were made by Terry Shires from zinc with spotted metal bells. He says: 'Cutting and soldering mitres is one of my favourite jobs. Preparation and experience helps too!'
 The two-manual, 28-stop organ in the First United Methodist Church in Henderson, Kentucky, is nearing completion and Shires was pleased to supply the facade pipes. The intricate gilded pipe shades, carved by Morgan Faulds Pike, add the crowning touch to this beautiful case. The instrument has been designed by the American organ builder, Michael Rathke, who spent two years of his early career with Mander Organs in London. It is catalogued as Opus 10 in the Cincinnati company's expanding output. It is also pleasing to record that Michael is among our growing number of clients in the United States. Picture by Nikolai Peek, music director and organist.
It was a great pleasure to receive positive feedback on our work from one of our customers in America. Among the reed pipes we have made for the Ortloff Organ Company of Massachusetts is this 8' Trumpet stop of zinc with spotted metal bells. It is to be installed in a new organ being built by Ortloff for St Dunstan's Episcopal Church, Shoreline in Washington State. Jonathan Ortloff kindly wrote on Facebook: 'We are lucky to be able to work with some of the best suppliers in the pipe organ business, including Shires Organ Pipes of Leeds, England. 'They have completed the two reed stops for our Opus 2 in Shoreline WA. The next pipes will be shipped here for racking next week and then to Chris Broome for voicing.'  Damaged pipes, seemingly beyond repair, arrive in our workshop in Leeds.
Here's a Gamba 8ft made by Chris Shires for our organbuilder friends in Malvern, Nicholson and Co. Many thanks to James Atherton for asking us to make this stop which features a zinc body section with spotted ends. Scale: C= 96mm. We recently made a smaller scale Gamba in spotted metal for a private client in Yorkshire who wrote: "Thank you for making such a lovely stop. It blends beautifully with the flutes 8' and 4' and brings added colour to the instrument."  |
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We manufacture, repair and restore metal organ pipes to a high standard from our workshop in West Yorkshire, UK. Please contact us to see how our team can assist your organ building or restoration project, no matter how large or small.
Website by Castle Media, West Yorkshire.
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