WISE OUTDOES ITSELF AGAIN AT ITHACA HIGH SCHOOL

Ithaca High School has all sorts of fascinating WISE projects in the works, in a wide assortment of areas, ranging from sustainable farming not just in Ithaca but also in New Zealand, composing and recording electronic music, making glass art, Old English and historical linguistics, beekeeping, medieval cookery (ending up in a medieval feast), and the intersection of art and sexuality and gender to a variety of ‘construction’ or ‘making’ projects: making a Geiger counter, making a gold club, building a ‘tiny structure’ or house,  building an organ.

None of these projects are for the faint of heart; many of them require a degree of dedication and dexterity that would elude most adults. The organ project, for example.

The Making of a Chamber Organ                                                                                                It’s no small matter to make an organ, even the small “chamber organ” proposed in this project. Its creator, Kelly C, is not only a musician but a craftsperson, one with a refined vision of the (immensely complicated) instrument he wishes to create. His blog follows his project from his initial vision  and design (see image on left) through each step in this fascinating process.

Dovetails on Organ Case

Kelly’s WISE project was the result of a long held interest in building and playing the organ. In fact, between ninth and tenth grades, he had gone ahead and built a small ‘positiv’ organ (37 pipes, electric key action) which was satisfying as a start – but only that. For his new attempt, he envisioned “a continuo style… including 3 stops, for a total of 126 pipes, of which I would make myself from wood. The organ would be completely mechanical, with a foot pumped bellows.” To bring this off, he needed to pursue not only woodworking, and related trades, but also the history and science of organ construction.

Testing WIndchest for Air Leaks

Challenges and Inspiration                                                           The complexity of the project is suggested by Kelly’s writing, in his blog, about the tonal form of the organ representing a “gap in the vision I have…I have a set of metal pipes that I would like the wood pipes to complement, but I don’t know how to achieve this. I may need to consult an organ builder for a lesson in voicing, but I may be able to get a start through my text resources. If possible I would like the organ’s sound to reflect some convention of established organ building. The sound I am leaning towards would be renaissance to baroque,and very bright, ideal for a Buxtehude fugue.”

Where did Kelly receive his inspiration? He explains that he has played many local organs that have been inspirational, especially Cornell’s baroque organ with flute tones that he hopes to strive for in his own organ. Of course, the large size of these organs make them difficult as models for a small, chamber, organ but he hopes to go ahead and see other, smaller, organs as well, and investigate their innards as well as their outside form.

WISE GIVES US TIME TO ATTEMPT THE EXTRAORDINARY                                           How many adults would have the patience, the perseverance, the skill to first do the necessary research into both instrument making and woodworking, into the attributes and technicalities that make a great organ and then develop the detailed, painstaking design, woodworking and assembling skills that would turn an idea into reality?  WISE projects are often extraordinary, and the time afforded a senior to take such a visionary, complex and demanding project and move it forward is invaluable. We look forward to seeing – and hearing – the final product.