Installation of the Bigelow 'Opus 30' Pipe Organ

Courtesy of William Van Pelt       

On April 28, 2003, following the removal of the old Allen digital organ , and the morning after the Procession of the Pipes, the assembly and installation of our beautiful new Bigelow organ began .

This installation was, of course, only the final stage in the building of the "Opus 30". Our instrument, the 30th organ built by M. L. Bigelow & Company of American Fork, Utah, had already had over 5500 direct labor hours expended in its construction within the Bigelow shop. Once tested and approved, the organ was then disassembled into manageable pieces and transported to Pennsylvania to await the reassembly process.

Led by a team of Bigelow professionals, and supported by many St. Peter's volunteers, the literally thousands of parts and sub-assemblies, including 499 individual pipes, were unpacked and "fed" into the assembly stream. This meticulous process would continue over the next month, coming to completion on May 24, 2003.

Every Bigelow organ is designed and handcrafted to the architecture, musical requirements and acoustics of its new home. Our 'Opus 30' was no exception. Here are several facts about this instrument that will interest you:

• The original construction of the stone sanctuary of St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley was completed  in 1744. Our new Bigelow organ's case was therefore designed after one crafted by David Tannenberg, a prominent Pennsylvania organ builder from the late 1700's. The case is made of hand planed and painted poplar, with all carvings created of basswood with 23 karat gold leaf. The case is located on the balcony rail with the keyboard facing the back of the sanctuary. The organist views the church service by means of a small video monitor.
   
• The Opus 30 has a "key desk" with two manuals (keyboards), and a full set of pedals. Natural keys are plated with bone, and the sharps are of ebony. Each key activates pipes inside the case, while the pedals can play the pipes arrayed behind the case and facing the front of the sanctuary, or play the pipes inside the case by means of a "coupler".
   
• An organ "stop" is a set of pipes which produce a distinct tone, with typically one pipe for each key comprising that tone. The Opus 30 has ten stops located above the keyboards.
   
• The keys on the two desks are each connected to air valves under the pipes by means of "trackers" constructed of basswood.
   
• The organ's "lungs" are comprised by a single bellows fed by an electric blower. As pipes are played, the weighted bellows' top falls which opens a valve which permits the blower to again refill the bellows.

On Sunday, June 8, 2003 (The Day of Pentecost) a dedication liturgy in honor of our beautiful new organ took place at all three services.

For a closer look at these collected photographs of the installation process of the 'Opus 30', simply double-click on your selection: