Mershon Auditorium - Columbus, OH - 3/67 Schantz

Mershon Auditorium - 3/67 Schantz

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Great Division

Swell Division

Mershon Auditorium
Columbus, OH
3/67 Schantz
1957

Photos of the Console

Click on the photo to see a larger image

Auditoriums are used for many different types of events, as a result they need to be flexible to the needs of the space. To facilitate this, the Mershon Auditorium's Schantz console sits on a platform which can be moved around (to an extent) on the stage. When not in use, the console is kept in a storage area in the back of the building.

Similar to the Robert Morton Organ at the Ohio Theatre in Columbus, the console sits on the house left (stage right) side of the stage. The organ's pneumatic and electrical connections are in the wings on this side of the stage so its movement is restricted.

	The layout of the console certainly looks like one that would be found in a church rather than a theater. The obvious spotting feature are the use of stop knobs instead of stop tabs. The organ's large size and unification make for a busy console!
	Across the center are the divisional couplers for the instrument. This allows the organist to play ranks of pipes from multiple divisions on the same manual or keyboard. The two colors are likely to help differentiate the tabs somewhat. All 8' couplers have black lettering while the 4' and 16' couplers have red lettering.
	On the right side of the console are the stop knobs for the Great and Swell Divisions. Coupler stops and reeds have red lettering, everything else is in black lettering. The Twelfth 2 2/3' stop has a replacement knob with a different name which is why it has been relabeled with the correct stop name. With few exceptions, most of the knobs shown correspond to a rank of pipes in that division. One exception are the Chimes which has a stop in the Great but physically sit in the Choir Division.
	On the left side are the stops for the Pedal and Swell Divisions. There are 26 stops in the Pedal Division, but there are only 7 ranks of pipes. Lots of borrowing from other ranks! A few Pedal stops are blanked, though all but one plays. Those that play are from left to right Super Octave 4', Octave Quinte 5 1/3', Rohrfloete 4'. There's one knob blanked with "2'" on it which may be a stop for the Open Flute which was added in 1968. This does not show on the original stop list. Other curiosities are the two different spellings for the same stop. There's Bourdon (French) and Bordun (German). The original stoplist from Schantz has everything spelled Bourdon. Finally, the word "organ" is misspelled next to the switch plate!


Across the bottom are the toe pistons and expression pedals. Each toe piston has a corresponding thumb piston on the manuals (keyboards) as well. Sometimes it is easier for the organist to change presets with their feet rather than with their hands. Judging by the dust on the pistons these haven't been used for a while, and for good reason as the combination action machine which allows the presets to be used no longer works. The only toe piston which does work is the Sforzando on the far right side. In the center are the expression pedals for the Choir and Swell, as well as for Crescendo. The further you press, the more the shutters open, thus more volume. The Choir and Swell pedals work though the response time of the shutters to open and close seemed sluggish. The Crescendo pedal allows the organist to add ranks simply by pressing further on the pedal. Pressed all the way is more or less full organ. The pedal works but was a little stiff.

	Next to the coupler tabs is a set of indicator lights for the organist. The Crescendo lights illuminate from left to right with more lights illuminating the farther the Crescendo pedal is pressed. In this photo it is showing that the pedal is pushed as far as it will go. Depressing one of the Sforzando thumb or toe pistons will illuminate the light on the console. Wind indicates the organ is on. 16's off mean just that - any rank that extends down to 16' pitch will not play that far. The Stage light likely is something that can be activated by a remote switch in the stage wings by a stage manager.
	Like most organ benches, the height can be adjusted using a crank (not shown) to meet the needs of the organist. The setting marked "AGO" referrs to a specific bench height as stated by the American Guild of Organists. The AGO has published a set of standards for organ console construction. This includes things such as bench height, pedal board radius and many other items. Here is a link to the standards book.
	Here is a view of the back of the console. This is an electro-pneumatic console meaning that things work with a combination of electricity and air. In back are several air connections which operate parts of the console. While the entire organ is playable, the combination action which is driven in part by the air does not work, meaning that all registrations must be set manually and cannot be saved. The console is definitely due for an overhaul!
	The Schantz Organ Company has been in business since 1873 and is still a family run company. Unlike many organ builders, Schantz does not assign opus numbers to its instruments. However, occasionally you will find a job number written in some areas. The Check Combinations button allows an organist to see what has been preset without actually changing the current registration. This is sometimes called "blind check".

Mershon Auditorium - 3/67 Schantz

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