The Need
Despite having been built with the finest materials of its time, the perishable parts in Pasadena’s 1959 4-manual, 60-rank M. P. Moller pipe organ, Opus 9258 have reached the end of their useful life span.
Leather pouches, pneumatic expression engines, and reservoirs have dried out. With the instrument’s switching system now unreliable, and out of date with the National Electric Code regulations for organs. Early in 2023, the organ began playing random notes and, at times, playing a blaringly loud sound that could not be controlled and required frantic shutdowns. Pasadena’s beloved organ can no longer reliably lead or support our worship.
The PCC Trustees appointed a task force to explore options to repair or replace the organ. The Organ Task Force discovered a range of choices by taking field trips to other churches and consulting with experts. The task force explored some computerized alternatives, and one proposal included a hybrid model that utilizes a computer and speakers to produce pipe sounds. The task force determined that patchwork repairs would neither be cost effective, nor stem continued deterioration. The task force heard suggestions that ranged from ignoring the current problems and allowing the organ to continue deteriorating, to restorations that range in cost from $900,000 to $350,000.
Thankfully, with the high quality of 3,422 original pipes, and relatively few changes through the years, the task force and Trustees became convinced that Pasadena’s organ can be restored to its former glory. Once renovated, the organ will sing with its original voice, influencing our worship life, serving as a beacon for musical outreach, engaging others beyond our faith community. The choice to renovate became even clearer when a generous donor offered $200,000 toward a renovation. It became a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore the organ at less than half of what it would have cost the church had we tried to raise to all of the funds needed to do the work. You might be surprised to see the thousands upon thousands of wires and connectors, air ducts and processors that live out-of-sight behind the pipes. Here is a look behind the wall at some of the wiring that will be replaced with up-to-date wiring and connections.
Contrast those images with the electronics connected by fiber optics that are included in the refurbishment of the PCC organ. You don’t have to know much about electronics to see the stark difference in technology between what we have now and what we will have after the work is completed.
“Listen, and for organ music thou wilt ever, as of old, hear the Morning Stars sing together.”
– Thomas Carlyle