St. John Catholic Church
Delphos, OH
3/27 M.P. Möller
Opus 5542 - 1929

Photos of the Swell Division

Click on the photo to see a larger image

	The Swell Division pipework sits inside the left organ chamber (right side if looking toward the rear of the church). With the exception of the larger bass pipes, most of the pipes rest on a platform about 10 feet off the ground. There are eight ranks of pipes in the Swell, most of which are shown in this photo.
	View from the floor looking up. The platform above is where most of the Swell Division pipes reside. The large gray pipe is the wind supply for the left chamber.  The expression shades are immediately to the left.
	Up on the platform we can see the smallest pipes of six of the eight ranks in the Swell. From front to back are the French Trumpet, Oboe, Salicional, Viol D'Orchestra, Viox Celeste and Open Diapason.
	Here's a view of some of the larger pipes of the same ranks. Immediately in front is the French Trumpet and Oboe. Note how the French Trumpet has a larger flare to the end of the pipe. The Salicional, Viol D'Orchestra and Viox Celeste ranks all have very similar construction. The Viol D'Orchestra is basically a louder version of the soft Salicional, but the Viox Celeste has  a much different sound. Click here for an example courtesy of the Encyclopedia of Organ Stops web page. The Open Diapason in the rear is another name for the Principal rank.
	The French Trumpet rank, seen in the front in the top photo, is one of the more intriguing ranks on this organ. First, its bimetal construction set it apart from other ranks. Its resonators are also different than a normal Trumpet or Trompette rank which has a gradual, even taper throughout. The sound of this rank is also much smoother than a regular Trumpet rank, fitting nicely in a Romantically voiced instrument. The bottom photo gives a better look at the name stamped on the pipe as well as the bimetal construction.
	Along the center wall of the chamber are these pipes of the Bourdon rank. Another set of smaller pipes of the same rank sits just below. Note the gray wind supply pipe behind the rank.
	Here's a closer look at some of the pipes. They are stamped "Fl D'A" for "Flute D'Amour but are considered part of the Bourdon rank. The dust on the front of the pipe illustrates how the air is blown through the pipe.
	Next to the Bourdon rank is the Vox Humana. Somewhat rare on organs today is the complete enclosure with which the pipes sit in. This rank has more of a delicate "flute-y" sound rather than an "airy" sound heard on theater organ Vox Humana ranks. This rank is almost always played with the tremulant on (vibrato effect).
More Bourdon pipes! The largest pipes in this rank sit on the left side of the chamber in front of pipes from the Pedal Division. The metal pipes on the far left are from the French Trumpet rank. The picture on the right is a view of the bottom of the pipes. The initials "LMB" are likely those of the Möller pipe builder or voicer. It is somewhat common to see this on pipework from older instruments.
	Do not adjust the picture in your computer screen. The expression shades were reoriented to open toward the center of the church when the organ was rebuilt in 1998. As a result the shutters were flipped and now the organ's opus number 5542 appears upside down.

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