In early March 2005, dozens of Pinnacle volunteers gathered to unload nearly 3500 pipes and thousands of pieces that make up the magnificent Richards & Fowkes organ into our sanctuary. It took two trucks to move all the parts from the organ shop in Tennessee and every nook and cranny to fit them in the sanctuary. It took a week to assemble the frame and two weeks to place all the pipes inside. However, it took almost a year for the organ builder Bruce Fowkes to voice the instrument.
What does it mean "to voice the instrument"? When all the pipes are in place an organ builder needs to go through and listen to every pipe in order to adjust its tonal quality. These adjustments are really what makes each pipe organ unique. A voicer has to make every pipe sound right within the acoustics of the room and in ensemble with all the other pipes in the instrument itself. Voicing is an art form, and it is one of the most challenging tasks as far as organ building goes. It requires a vast amount of knowledge, experience and expertise to give an organ its unique sound and tonal integrity.
This is also one of the main reasons why our organ at Pinnacle is so widely recognized. Organists from all over the country come to visit and ask to play it on a regular basis. Since I started working at Pinnacle I have opened up the doors to musicians from Minnesota, Kansas, Delaware, California, and New York, as well as facilitated regular visits from local organists, ASU students, Vacation Bible Study youth and children.
This July I had a wonderful opportunity to work with Bruce Fowkes when he came to maintain the organ. I had many questions and long conversations with Bruce. I shadowed him every day and learned more about the instrument, the process of making it and its history at Pinnacle. The organ was tuned, dusted off and cleaned, fixed and prepped for another year of good use. It was fascinating to learn from such a well-respected organ builder, see his passionate approach to craftsmanship and artistry, and understand the reasoning behind such attention to details and devotion in his art.
When I asked Bruce Fowkes how he feels when he comes back to see his instrument he said: "It's fun! It's like coming back to visit a child that's gone off to college and got its first job, and it's got a house and kids. You get to know it again and again each time you come out. The thing is that the organs only get interesting at the end, when all the stops are playing and I am done voicing. But immediately after I'm done I have to pack my tools and leave. I don't get to see it or hear it much. So it really is a thrill to come back."
Enjoy photos documenting his visit:
