{"id":46,"date":"2015-09-10T14:07:27","date_gmt":"2015-09-10T14:07:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/?p=46"},"modified":"2015-10-01T20:10:24","modified_gmt":"2015-10-01T20:10:24","slug":"the-organ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/2015\/09\/10\/the-organ\/","title":{"rendered":"The Organ"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Critics say the organ inside the Meyerson Symphony Center is one of the greatest. And its acclaim inspired organ installations in concert halls around the world.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-21 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/meyersonlogo-1409772134-47.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"175\" height=\"136\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Lay Family organ made its debut in 1992, three years after the Meyerson opened. Camille Saint-Saens\u2019 Organ Symphony No. 3 capped the inaugural concert. This masterpiece is the rare classical work that almost perfectly marries the organ and the orchestra. And on that night, Dallas heard a new instrument almost perfectly matched to its home.\u201cThe Lay Family Organ at the Meyerson Center is one of the great organs of the world without question, in one of the great halls.\u201d says Michael Barone. He&#8217;s host of the award-winning radio show <em>Pipedreams<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat makes the hall wonderful is that its acoustics are adjustable, and can be made quite extravagant. And when opened up to the full, the resonance chambers really do make quite a splash of sound.\u201d<br \/>\n<figure class=\"mt-insert\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-47\" src=\"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/plantilted-1406218887-53.png\" alt=\"plantilted-1406218887-53\" width=\"1000\" height=\"842\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/plantilted-1406218887-53.png 1000w, https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/plantilted-1406218887-53-300x253.png 300w, https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/plantilted-1406218887-53-800x674.png 800w, https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/plantilted-1406218887-53-450x379.png 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><br \/>\n<\/figure><\/p>\n<h4>Sound You Can Feel<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EJfPnp8AS_k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>Watch Mary Preston play the Finale from Mendelssohn&#8217;s Organ Sonata No. 1<\/em><\/p>\n<p>That resonance thrills audiences and makes the organ sound like it\u2019s been lifted out of a grand European Cathedral, says Dallas Morning News critic Scott Cantrell.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe more reverberation there is the more they like it. So in a solo recital you can open up all those reverb chambers and get this incredible swim of sound there, although it never gets muddy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Dallas Symphony\u2019s organist Mary Preston praises builder, C.B. Fisk, for that accomplishment. \u201cThis is a glorious instrument because each of the stops is very pure. Each of the sounds of the ranks of pipes are very pure in and of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Preston has played with the DSO for 20 years. \u201cSome organs,&#8221; she says, &#8220;in order to get a pretty sound, you need to pull out a whole bunch of stops, meaning engage a whole range of pipes. On this instrument it\u2019s not so. This instrument has beautiful sounds each and every one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Thousands of pipes<\/h4>\n<p>Preston says that purity comes from the pipes. You can see 70 of them in the hall. The rest, more than 4000, are crammed into a 6-foot deep space behind the organ console.<\/p>\n<p>The smallest pipe\u2019s about an inch long. The 32-foot tallest pipe is so big a person can stand up inside it. It can play a note a full octave below anything the orchestra can.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven when you don\u2019t quite hear it, there\u2019s just this low rumble that\u2019s not so much a pitch but an experience,\u201d says Michael Barone, the radio host. \u201cWhen the full organ is going, when you pull on the big 32-foot Bombard, it\u2019s not just the sound. It\u2019s the \u201cwow\u201d impact of the sound vibrating your whole body.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- meta slider -->\n<div style=\"max-width: 700px;\" class=\"metaslider metaslider-flex metaslider-123 ml-slider\">\n    \n    <div id=\"metaslider_container_123\">\n        <div id=\"metaslider_123\">\n            <ul class=\"slides\">\n                <li style=\"display: block; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-130 ms-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/scale-2000x0x0x0-organfront-1409841214-26-551x394.jpg\" height=\"500\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-123 slide-130\" \/><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\">The Lay Family Organ | The Lay Family organ installation was completed in 1992. Photo: Dane Walters<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-132 ms-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/scale-2000x0x0x0-organpipes-1409841222-79-551x394.jpg\" height=\"500\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-123 slide-132\" \/><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\">Exterior pipes | There are 70 pipes in the facade of the case holding the organ. The case is 50 feet high, 45 feet wide, and 6 feet deep. Photo: Dane Walters<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-131 ms-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/scale-2000x0x0x0-organkeys-1409841229-80-551x394.jpg\" height=\"500\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-123 slide-131\" \/><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\">Organ console | There are 246 keys on the organ console. Photo: Dane Walters<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-275 ms-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/foot_pedals-236x169.jpg\" height=\"500\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-123 slide-275\" \/><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\">Foot pedals | Photo: Dane Walters<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-135 ms-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/scale-2000x0x0x0-pipes-1409257098-10-700x500.jpg\" height=\"500\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-123 slide-135\" \/><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\">Pipes inside the organ | There are 4,535 pipes total in Opus 100. Photo: Dane Walters<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-125 ms-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/scale-2000x0x0x0-cbfisk-1409257109-47-700x500.jpg\" height=\"500\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-123 slide-125\" \/><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\">C.B. Fisk, organ builders | C.B. Fisk Corp hardware inside the organ. Photo: Dane Walters<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-127 ms-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/scale-2000x0x0x0-organbutton-1409841282-99-551x394.jpg\" height=\"500\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-123 slide-127\" \/><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\">Tuning button | This button can be played inside the organ, so the orchestra can tune their instruments. Photo: Dane Walters<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-134 ms-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/scale-2000x0x0x0-organsignatu-1409841262-64-700x500.jpg\" height=\"500\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-123 slide-134\" \/><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\">The team of builders | Members of the team that made and installed the organ all signed it. Photo: Dane Walters<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-126 ms-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/scale-2000x0x0x0-meyerson61-1409257784-39-700x500.jpg\" height=\"500\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-123 slide-126\" \/><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\">The team from Fisk looks at designs | Photo: Dallas Symphony<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-128 ms-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/scale-2000x0x0x0-organconstrc-1409257823-79-700x500.jpg\" height=\"500\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-123 slide-128\" \/><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\">Hand-made | Every piece of the organ, including the pipes, was hand crafted. Photo: Dallas Symphony<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-129 ms-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/scale-2000x0x0x0-organconstrc-1409257851-69-700x500.jpg\" height=\"500\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-123 slide-129\" \/><div class=\"caption-wrap\"><div class=\"caption\">Perfecting a pipe | Photo: Dallas Symphony<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n                <li style=\"display: none; width: 100%;\" class=\"slide-137 ms-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2015\/09\/scale-2000x0x0x0-organconstrc-1409258626-16-700x500.jpg\" height=\"500\" width=\"700\" alt=\"\" class=\"slider-123 slide-137\" \/><\/li>\n            <\/ul>\n        <\/div>\n        \n    <\/div>\n    <script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n        var metaslider_123 = function($) {\n            $('#metaslider_123').addClass('flexslider'); \/\/ theme\/plugin conflict avoidance\n            $('#metaslider_123').flexslider({ \n                slideshowSpeed:3000,\n                animation:\"fade\",\n                controlNav:true,\n                directionNav:true,\n                pauseOnHover:true,\n                direction:\"horizontal\",\n                reverse:false,\n                animationSpeed:600,\n                prevText:\"&lt;\",\n                nextText:\"&gt;\",\n                slideshow:true\n            });\n        };\n        var timer_metaslider_123 = function() {\n            var slider = !window.jQuery ? window.setTimeout(timer_metaslider_123, 100) : !jQuery.isReady ? window.setTimeout(timer_metaslider_123, 1) : metaslider_123(window.jQuery);\n        };\n        timer_metaslider_123();\n    <\/script>\n<\/div>\n<!--\/\/ meta slider-->\n<h4>So why don&#8217;t we hear it more?<\/h4>\n<p>\u201cIt would be wonderful if we could play it more,\u201d says Preston.<\/p>\n<p>Critic Cantrell is a little more emphatic: \u201cPeople want to hear this instrument. There it is. It\u2019s right at the front of the hall. It\u2019s an enormous presence. People often ask me does it ever get used? And I have to say, well, almost never.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was an international organ competition. Launched in the 90s, three were held, then the competition&#8217;s top champions retired or moved away. An ailing economy helped kill it.<\/p>\n<p>But change may be coming. The orchestra plans to program more selections that include the organ. And this coming season, the symphony will re-launch an organ recital series that includes three concerts with international soloists. Jonathan Martin, DSO President and CEO, says it will include three concerts with international soloists.<br \/>\n\u201cYou know, we\u2019ve got this great car in the driveway and we need to take it out and drive it more,\u201d says Jonathan Martin, DSO President and CEO.<\/p>\n<h4>The King of Instruments<\/h4>\n<p>Barone believes the effort will pay off once people open up to this monster that Mozart called the King of Instruments, and realize the organ, which predates Christianity, isn\u2019t just for church.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is the most complicated of musical instruments and yet to be able to make it sing, to make it touch your heart, to be able to create emotions with this machine is quite magical.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Critics say the organ inside the Meyerson Symphony Center is&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":271,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-secrets-of-the-meyerson","post_format-post-format-audio","byline-bill-zeeble","byline-dane-walters"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":280,"href":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46\/revisions\/280"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.kera.org\/meyerson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}