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Organ
The organ is, and always has been, an important feature of the church. The Temple is fortunate to have had such a distinguished history of instruments to enhance its liturgy and music. The fame of many of the instruments is well founded, and the present organ is no exception.
The 1924 Harrison & Harrison instrument, donated to the church in 1954 by Lord Glentanar, has 62 stops over four manuals. It is versatile enough to faithfully play repertoire spanning many centuries and is a fine liturgical instrument. It can be heard at the many services and events of the church.
Each one of the organ's pipes (there are around 3,500 pipes which which range from 1" to 32' in length) is checked and tuned twice a term by the organ builder. Over time, the organ's mechanisms - many of which are constructed with leather and wood - need overhauling and repairing; the pipes become dirty and their speech becomes impeded. Some metal pipes even buckle over time.
The organ is now beginning to show the decades of wear and tear and a major overhaul will commence in 2011. The whole instrument will be removed from its chamber and all of its winding, mechanism and every one of its pipes will be checked over, cleaned and repaired. This work will take eighteen months to complete and in the interim a temporary organ will be installed.
The cost of this overhaul is substantial. Penny Jonas is always pleased to meet and discuss how you can contribute to put the Temple organ in fine voice for the future. She can be reached on organappeal@templechurch.com or on 020 7427 5640.
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