Ohio Theatre - Columbus, OH
Main Chamber - Middle Level
The middle level in the Main Chamber is where the majority of the pipe work resides. Things are very neatly laid out with ample space for the pipes to speak their song.
Directly below the Tibia Minor rank on the top level is the 8' Tibia Plena rank. On 15" of wind pressure, it is one of the original 20 ranks of the organ. Though similar in name to its upstairs neighbor, there are some distinct construction differences between the two Tibia ranks. Click here to look at the other Tibia rank.
This view gives a nice look at several of the ranks on the middle level of pipes. It also gives a nice illustration of the different types of pipe construction between the reeds, flues, and strings. The labels for each rank can be seen in the middle. From front to back are 8' Vox Humana, 8' Saxophone, 16' Violin Celeste, 8' Horn Diapason, the other rank of the 16' Violin Celeste, and the 8' Tibia Plena. All of these ranks are original to the organ. Note the overall absence of dust on the pipe racks! Kudos to the maintenance crew.
Below: Additional views of the
ranks of pipes seen above.
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Left:
On the other side of the middle level are these pipes. Looking down the
ranks of pipes we see the 8' Clarinet, the smaller pipes of the 16'
Oboe Horn and 8' Saxophone, and the 8' Concert Violin. Right: In this photo the metal pipes in the middle are the 8' Salicional. It is sandwiched on either side by the 16' Concert Flute rank. |
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Though not technically on the middle level, in the front corner of the chamber are the largest pipes of the 16' Concert Flute rank (wood pipes) which are marked "Bass Flute" on the pipes. These pipes look similar to the Subbass rank on a classical organ. The metal pipes in front are likely from the Salicional or Violin ranks. Just to the left of the pipes are the swell shutters for the chamber.
In most of the pictures above, the stamp applied by the Robert Morton factory can be seen. In addition to the stamp seen on the left, most pipe ranks have another stamp from the Chest Department as shown on the right, along with a date for when the rank of pipes was built. Build dates vary even on ranks part of the original installation. It is quite possible that ranks of pipes were built for other organs and never installed, thus the reason for date differences. Below is a stamp from the Wiring Department.
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