By Marilyn Jozwik, Special to your Catholic Herald

MILWAUKEE — Though the largest of all instruments, something as tiny as a spider could spoil the sound of a pipe organ.

Perhaps most people wouldn’t notice. But surely Henry Weiland and J. Stanton Peters, owners of Peters-Weiland & Company of Milwaukee, would.

The organ builders, whose company is housed in an old brick building in a residential area behind St. Hedwig’s Church, recently completed work on the organ in St. Francis Chapel at the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi motherhouse. The chapel is located at 3221 S. Lake Drive, near the Cousins Center.

The company updated the organ, installed in the chapel in 1895, with a new console, a solid state system with registration activated by computer chip.

Ironically, both Weiland and Peters have ties to the creator of the organ, William Schuelke. Both began their organ-building professions at Tellers Organ Company in Erie, Pa., as apprentices of the very last Schuelke workers.

The work Peters-Weiland completed at St. Francis Chapel was the first major work done on the organ in some 70 years. The old console, fitted in the 1940s, had begun to malfunction as the electrical switching system and insulation deteriorated.

Seventy years without repair is nothing unusual for these magnificent instruments, according to Weiland.

“The interesting thing about pipe organs is that they were made so that they never wear out. All the parts can be replaced. That’s why the organs in Europe last so long,” said Weiland. “Pipe organs were built to be repaired.”

In a world of synthetics, the “all-natural label” can be attached to many parts of the old pipe organs. And that, said Weiland, is one of the keys to their longevity.

For instance, the leather used on the valve facings in the windchest, a wooden box that controls air flow into the pipes, is tanned using a natural process. “The leather could last 75-100 years before it needs to be replaced,” said Weiland. This contrasts with the chemical process used to tan leather for shoes or belts, which breaks down the material before the next fashion fad.

“When you think about it, a certain key might be hit 40,000 times a year ... these organs are really more reliable than electronics,” said Weiland.

The first sign of wear is if keys don’t play when they’re supposed to, or play when they’re not supposed to, said Weiland. These signs could take a lifetime to appear.

Besides age, the greatest enemy of leather is pollution.

“Pollution affects leather the most – pollution from coal, smoke, auto exhaust all affect leather,” said Weiland.

City churches are most assaulted by these elements. Also, many old churches were built with their organ’s motor near the coal bin, which also shortened the life of the leather.

Water can also damage leather, wood pipes and other parts of the organ.

Then there are mice. Legend has it that, some 180 years ago, the tiny creatures chewed the leather gussets on the organ’s bellows at St. Nicholas Church in Oberdorf, Austria. The mice meal could have ruined the music for the church’s midnight Mass had not Franz Gruber created a guitar piece for the service. The song became one of the most beloved carols — “Silent Night.”

In his shop at 1729 N. Pulaski St., Weiland demonstrated how the hole in the bellows would have let air escape, causing a whooshing sound and changing the pitch on the pipes.

The pipes are another part of the organ that may need attention.

“Dust and even spiders could get into the pipes and affect the sound,” said Weiland, who suggested pipe cleaning every 50 years.

Weiland took one of the big pipes and showed how a spider, with its legs flapping out of the pipe’s opening, could alter the sound. Because the metal on the pipes is very thin, it bends easily. Falling plaster or mischievous children wanting a closer look could easily damage them.

Another area that needs inspection is the motor on the blower. “The blower has an electric motor that might need some oil on the bearings,” said Weiland. Peters-Weiland recently replaced the motor on the organ at St. Louis, Caledonia. “It was probably 80 years old,” said Weiland.

Other updates that many old pipe organs undergo include changing to a solid-state system, such as the one installed at St. Francis Chapel. At his shop, Weiland had a sample of an old electrical system, a bulky series of wire-wrapped horseshoe shaped components with tiny cloth-wrapped wires at the bottom. The solid-state system improves the organ’s functionality and prevents dead notes and stops.

Once repairs are made to an organ, a voicer comes to listen to the instrument. “The voicer is able to adjust the sound so that it’s right for the room,” said Weiland. Peters is the tonal director, or voicer, at Peters-Weiland.

With pipe organs, one size does not fit all. Each one is individually built for the space in which it is to be played. Wood, which comprises 25 percent of the pipes, also affects the sound, according to Weiland.

When building an organ for a church, the company will often have to test the sound several times and make adjustments before the voicer is satisfied that the pipes are “speaking” correctly.

But once the organ is in place, it should perform for years with little attention.

Be An Informed Catholic!


For the rest of this week's news, visit the Catholic Herald web site.

Click here to subscribe to the Catholic Herald.