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St. Christopher’s has a 24 rank Rieger Model V compact pipe organ. With the exception of the blower, it is self-contained in a 6’x7’6” footprint which sits on a wheeled platform in the chancel. St. Christopher’s purchased the Rieger from John Lyon, a harpsichord and fortepiano builder from the Detroit area in 2012. This little tracker organ was actually built in 1952, imported to the US from Austria and purchased by a church member for use in the Church of our Savior Episcopal in Mechanicsburg, Ohio. John Lyon purchased the Rieger from Church of our Savior around 2001 and fully rebuilt, cleaned and regulated it in a mostly historically accurate restoration. During some time in storage there was a fire, some parts were not salvageable and had to be replaced. Additionally, the original cables for the tracker action were reportedly prone to breakage and he used lightweight, but very strong bicycle cable wire in their place. The pedals were very dark and were not suited to refinishing, so the natural or “white” pedals have been completely replaced. There are a few other minor modifications as well, but the instrument is musically what the builder intended it to be.
The builder, Rieger Orgelbau is an Austrian company begun by Franz Rieger in 1845 and located in Schwarzach, Austria near Salzburg. In 1950, Rieger exhibited a small six rank organ at the World Exhibition in Chicago. This was the first of these free-standing, compact organs. The conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan and composer/conductor, Paul Hindemith had seen the little organ and loved it, and used it with their orchestras. As a result of the publicity, Rieger imported 20 compact organs of varying sizes to the US in the 1950’s. During this period Rieger Orgelbau made many smaller traditional organs for the church market, and interestingly, there are still several in the upper Midwest today. Additionally, this widely respected organ builder has many large pipe organs in famous venues around the world, including Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, the London College of Music, the Vienna Konzerthaus and Christchurch Town Hall, New Zealand to name a few.
The Rieger compact organ is a “tracker” or mechanical action instrument, with all of the pipes arrayed around the console where the organist sits. The pipes are almost all exposed, meaning that none of them are “under expression” or behind shutters that let more or less sound out. Instead, the volume is controlled by the number of stops selected at a time. For tuning or repair, the pipes are accessed either directly, or by removing the music rack or the bench. In addition, there are four little doors in the case itself. The compactness is a wonder of post-war Austrian engineering, as all 1197 pipes and the tracker mechanics are neatly folded into this very small space.
The builder, Rieger Orgelbau is an Austrian company begun by Franz Rieger in 1845 and located in Schwarzach, Austria near Salzburg. In 1950, Rieger exhibited a small six rank organ at the World Exhibition in Chicago. This was the first of these free-standing, compact organs. The conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan and composer/conductor, Paul Hindemith had seen the little organ and loved it, and used it with their orchestras. As a result of the publicity, Rieger imported 20 compact organs of varying sizes to the US in the 1950’s. During this period Rieger Orgelbau made many smaller traditional organs for the church market, and interestingly, there are still several in the upper Midwest today. Additionally, this widely respected organ builder has many large pipe organs in famous venues around the world, including Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, the London College of Music, the Vienna Konzerthaus and Christchurch Town Hall, New Zealand to name a few.
The Rieger compact organ is a “tracker” or mechanical action instrument, with all of the pipes arrayed around the console where the organist sits. The pipes are almost all exposed, meaning that none of them are “under expression” or behind shutters that let more or less sound out. Instead, the volume is controlled by the number of stops selected at a time. For tuning or repair, the pipes are accessed either directly, or by removing the music rack or the bench. In addition, there are four little doors in the case itself. The compactness is a wonder of post-war Austrian engineering, as all 1197 pipes and the tracker mechanics are neatly folded into this very small space.