This weekly radio broadcast explores the diversity of the pipe organ, its performers, and it music. Hosted by J. Michael Barone, listeners will enjoy sounds ranging from a recently restored instrument to a new composition, with many performances recorded specifically for Pipedreams. Programs can be downloaded from the web site, which also includes pictures and supplemental information.
The Society is open to anyone interested in the pipe organ and its history. It is an association of organ enthusiasts, both amateur and professional, whose activities include publishing research, hosting conventions, and fostering awareness of the rich history of the organ in North America. This non-profit group is partly supported by the sale of CDs, books, and music. The OHS Catalog, possibly the most extensive such resource, is also online.
This is the first stop for any institution considering the purchase of a used instrument. The Organ Clearing House is a firm that brokers, sells, and moves previously loved pipe organs. Created and directed by the late Alan Miller Laufman, the Organ Clearing House has become a linchpin of the organ community, relocating thousands of historic instruments around the world. OCH is now under the able direction of John Bishop and two of Alan's sons: Amory Atkin and Joshua Wood.
Robert Scott of Real-Time Specialties in Ypsilanti, Michigan is developing an excellent and highly recommended computerized organ tuning program. This program is an enhancement of his TuneLab 97 for piano tuning. Robert Scott was very responsive to our requests and provided program extensions required by organbuilders. Multiple temperaments are easily programmable, and a Fourier window is especially helpful for tuning compound ranks and high pitches. Add your own spreadsheet while TuneLab easily measures the exact cent value for accurately cutting pipes to pitch. Special provision is made for tuning mutation ranks up to the seventh harmonic and other built-in capability allows tuning mutation ranks up to the fifteenth harmonic.
Good tools make work easier and enjoyable. While Wahl Organbuilders has a basic compliment of machines to do the rough or repetitive tasks, hand tools and traditional joinery are key to the quality of finish we desire in our instruments. Most of our hand planes are from the Lie-Nielsen catalogue. We highly recommend this Warren, Maine firm to any woodworker interested in high-quality tools.
