A Pipe Organ Desk!

I recently created a board on Pinterest called Random Old Organ Pipes.  

I got the idea from a picture I'd seen of a birdhouse made out of two old wooden flute pipes. (Whether or not making a birdhouse from an organ pipe qualifies as a travesty is a topic for later discussion...)  Well, it's surprising what people have dreamed up.  An organ pipe shelf.  An organ pipe knife holder.  An organ pipe ribbon rack.  Organ pipe benches.  And my favorite, the aforementioned organ pipe birdhouse.

But it was the Kagen Sounds pipe organ desk that really grabbed my attention, for, not only is it beautifully crafted desk with organ pipes about; it's also a sort of puzzle!  Master wood worker and designer Kagen Sound of Denver, Colorado, has created this pipe organ desk with the most beautiful woods, unparalleled craftsmanship, and intrigue.

Kagen's specialty is secret boxes, and is a recognized member of the world's only guild of secret box makers. 

Pipe organs, as we all know, are the epitome of a "secret box" with all of their pipework, windways, windchests, mechanical actions, wiring, and bellows, reservoirs, and blowers.  So what a perfect combination, to build an organ that makes noise as one opens and closes the desk drawers.

Do you remember an episode of Scooby Doo where the team finds a note on an organ that says "FEED the organ and watch the floor?"  Its always stuck with me, that Velma (who else?) figured out that FEED meant to play the notes F, E, E, D on the organ.  Sure enough a trap door opened in the floor and Shaggy, Scooby, et. al were able to escape.

In much the same way (with apologies to Kagen Sound), the pipe organ desk--when *FED* the appropriate combination of drawers opening and closing--opens up to reveal secret compartments.  One can even play tunes and solve more puzzles contained within the larger drawers! 

 

 The amazing craftsmanship of the Pipe Organ Desk can be seen in the pictures on the site.  I've chosen a few that I found the most fascinating.

"Adjusting these pegs on the back of the memory board changes the tune it reads. The dark pegs represent the notes of the song."  (Picture and Text from Kagen Sound Website)

 Wooden air connectors inside the desk. (Picture and Text from Kagen Sound Website)

 

The pneumatic memory board and organ pipe octave.  Each pipe can be adjusted to play any note within an octave. All organ pipes can be tuned to perfect pitch.  (Picture and Text from Kagen Sound Website)

Check out Kagen Sound on the web and see his many beautiful creations, including the Koa Pipe Organ Box.  

I'd love to see this in person someday and experience working the puzzles and combinations to make music on the Kagen Sound Pipe Organ Desk!  I told my wife that someday I want something like this at home.  I suppose that's a.. uh hm, err.. pipe dream.  

©2015 Brian Ebie

 

Flute and Organ Concert Sunday, May 3, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. Historic St. Joseph Parish Randolph, Ohio

Check out Brian Ebie's Blog Post on the Flute and Organ Concert at St Joseph Parish, Randolph, Ohio.

Organist Brian Ebie and Flutist Laura Ebie will present a concert of organ works and works for flute and organ to demonstrate the ongoing restoration of the 1904 Henry Pilcher's Sons tracker pipe organ.  This program is free and open to the public.  

Brian Ebie: Flute and Organ Concert Sunday, May 3, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. Historic St. Joseph Parish Randolph, Ohio

Flute and Organ Concert

Sunday, May 3, 2015 

at 3:00 p.m.

Historic St. Joseph Parish
2643 Waterloo Road, Mogadore, Ohio 44260

Organist BrianEbie along with Flutist Laura Ebie will present a concert for flute and organ at the beautiful St. Joseph Parish in Randolph, Ohio.

The historic sanctuary of St. Joseph houses a wonderful Henry Pilcher & Sons tracker-action pipe organ dating from 1904 and beautifully restored stained-glass windows.

Brian Ebie, a local pipe organ technician, has been restoring the pipe organ for the past year, bringing it back in to playable condition and tuning. The work is ongoing, however, we wanted to offer a springtime concert to allow everyone to hear the progress thus far. Church members have assisted Brian in various stages of the work, beginning with a work party to remove all of the pipes from the main chests of the organ for cleaning, dent removal, and minor voicing work for a handful of non-speaking pipes.
The program begins at 3:00 p.m. and will last just under an hour. Spend an afternoon with beautiful works for flute and organ and solo organ, in one of the most beautiful church buildings around, and enjoy the opportunity to hear the progress of the ongoing restoration on the 111 year old pipe organ.
The program will include works by Johann Sebastian Bach, John Stanley, Cécile Louise Stéphanie Chaminade, Jacques Berthier, Gaston Belier, and others. Selections from across a broad spectrum of classical, sacred, hymn tunes, and folk/celtic music will be performed.

Laura Ebie is a graduate of the University of Arizona and studied flute at Brigham Young University and the University of Arizona. She has performed with orchestras and ensembles throughout the United States, and has played in Carnegie Hall.

Brian Ebie has performed in Europe and the United States and has played the famous 206-rank Aeolian Skinner pipe organ at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah. He also is a skilled pipe organ technician and maintains many instruments in northern Ohio.  

The program is free and open to the public.