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Posted 7 years ago
AnythingOb…
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taken with a real camera instead of a phone, after services yesterday when the stage was still "set", and further to my first post a few days ago here:
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/231317-im-violating-my-own-rule?in=user
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Can you lift it up, and show us photos of any markings on its base? ;)
LOLOL @ noob!! :-) :-) :-)
As matter of fact, it took the rental of an industrial 'extendable boom' forklift machine (+ operator) to get it from the sidewalk in front of the church up and over their front steps, then 6 or 8 strong guys to pick it up over one more short step thru the front doors. (then we just rolled it in, and the 6-8 guys got one more 'lift' up the chancel steps to the stage) I think we're guessing that console is in the 800lb range (or more)...it is definitely NOT lightweight?!
BUT -- as matter of fact, I already know what 'markings' it has on its bottom. It says something to the effect of "this will NEVER be seen again" (probably with a date?) written in pencil across the middle in lettering several inches high. I know this because I wrote it there myself one day at the shop as a joke, when its frame was being built and happened to be laying on its back on a workbench. AFAIK nobody ever sanded it off...it was still there the final time *I* saw its underside a few months later, anyways...? <giggle>
Also, the inside of the largest walnut 'base' of the center flat of facade pipes bears the signatures of those at the company (our subcontractors) who actually built and installed those portions of the instrument.
THANKS EVERYBODY for the continued loves -- it means a lot to me. I and my coworkers have at least the last year and a half's worth of blood and sweat (and sawdust and lacquer fumes) into this thing, which is only just now coming completely together in its final home, where we fully intend it should easily outlive every single one of us who built it. (and in fact, likely most anybody *reading this* too, and maybe y'alls kids...)
Today, after a couple hrs worth of cleanup tuning, I got a short chance to sit at the console and "play" at it a little...just noodling around on random chords with one hand and pedal, while eventually adding more and more stops with the other -- basically going from a gentle purr to full blown shake-the-whole-building ROAR. I cannot express in words the feeling of satisfaction...suffice it to say it was an emotional moment cut short just in time (before I started to drip over the keyboards) by my helper reminding me that a 3rd coworker was still up in there on a ladder trying to work... <oops> I'm still getting a little weepy just thinking about it... :-)
To the "rules" people -- am I allowed to add the name of our Company, or does that violate some 'self-promotion' policy?
Spectacular!
OK -- sorry, but I've gotta interrupt y'all for one more little bit of kinda shameless self-promotion... ;-) :-) In the months since I first showed this, we have indeed fully finished the instrument and it has been serving flawlessly (and then some?!) every Sunday+ since.
THIS COMING SUNDAY, 08 APR 2018 at 4PM, South Main Baptist will welcome world renowned guest organist PETER RICHARD CONTE (Grand Court Organist, The Wanamaker [Macy's] Store, Philadelphia) to present a gala concert in celebration of the new organ and gorgeous freshly restored building in which it now resides.
ANYBODY within range of Houston, TX is most cordially invited to attend!! I am planning to be there myself to enjoy the performance (which promises to be absolutely spectacular!) and probably will also will end up doing 'show-and-tell duty' through the upstairs innards of the organ afterward. (it usually happens like that anyway, when I attend dedication concert events...) It would be my additional great pleasure to have the opportunity to also meet any CW members within range, who might be able to join us (all) for the show -- please just introduce yourself to me?!!! :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
The church website has all the pertinent location/etc info. They also do online "live-streaming" of their services/concerts each week (which should include this concert when it happens?) and have an archive of past services/concerts available there:
https://www.smbc.org/
Here's a little more about Peter Richard Conte and his 'day job' organ:
http://www.concertartists.com/artists/peter-richard-conte/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanamaker_Organ
And this is the 'stoplist' of our beast, for any of y'all musician-types that might wanna know more specifics about the new instrument we'll be celebrating next weekend:
http://www.nicholsandsimpson.com/stoplists/south-main-baptist-church-houston-texas/
Bringing this back up to the top of the list, because in the last couple weeks, while the world otherwise endures the ongoing Corona virus thing, the fine folks/friends at SouthMain have been doing incredible work, using our instrument +, to otherwise continue their own purposes/ministry in as "normal" way as possible.
This has taken the form (as many other churches are doing as well) of "online broadcasts" of Sunday services. They already do that every week (and have for many years...y'all should see their "video production studio" which probably rivals or tops the local Houston TV stations?!! <wow>) and have committed to continue to do so until whenever all us people in general are again allowed to gather in groups of more than 10 people 6' apart from each other.
Many of y'all probably also realize that I myself am *not* actually a 'go to church on Sunday' guy...much preferring to instead sleep late and hope my phone doesn't ring with somebody's 'emergency problem'. It's just what kinda happens when one spends 25+yrs in the 'organ bizness'. <giggle>
ANYWAYS. I present here a link to this morning's show there, hopefully to help 'uplift' any of all y'alls in spirit (whatever spirit, even vodka?<lol>) as may be possible for me to do. I particularly recommend the 1st hymn (~10mins in) and the final Postlude (about 56mins in) but there's also a rather glorious (pre-recorded) choral anthem (which doesn't even use the organ, mostly accompanied by their handbell choir) in there too, not to mention a whole buncha truly profound and hopeful WORDS, shared by Dr. Wells and others.
While it remains completely 'spooky' to me to watch it all being 'performed to an empty house'...it ALSO makes me somehow profoundly HAPPY on a bone-deep level that I...my little old gray/balding/hoarding/otherwise slightly insane (?) self that is, helped PUT the d*mned beast there, so's it can do EXACTLY what it does, especially in these current times of societal insanity...
https://boxcast.tv/view-embed/sunday-morning-worship-763593?showTitle=1&showDescription=1&showHighlights=1&showRelated=0&showCountdown=1&market=house-of-worship&showDonations=1&showDocuments=0&showIndex=0
[if that link doesn't work, it is also easy to just go to <smbc.org> where it isn't difficult to find their video archives of everything...they have a hella-good IT dep't too... ;-) :-)
I hope y'all enjoy. If ever anybody wonders *why* I do what I do for a living, here it is.
BE WELL, all y'all... :-) :-) :-)