A mechanical-action organ is a complex machine with many thousands of
inter-related parts. The pipes and keys are just the tip of the iceberg!

After half a century, age and constant use have taken their toll, especially on the parts concealed within the instrument. For example, hundreds of leather parts have deteriorated. Huge pipes in the Pedal division, bearing the load of hundreds of pounds, need repair.

A historic organ requires expert and faithful restoration. The goal is to be faithful to the builder's vision and to return the organ to its original condition.

Trinity consulted with two expert builders familiar with the unique needs of
this Beckerath: Fritz Noack and George Taylor, both of whom apprenticed with
or worked for Rudolph von Beckerath.

They inspected the maintenance done over the years by Leonard
Berghaus, who was inspired by Trinity’s organ to start his own organ-building
company in 1967. Noack and Taylor affirmed that Berghaus’s work met the
high standards necessary for full-scale restoration of this important organ,
and they offered to collaborate as needed.

Summary of the work required
Each aspect of restoration involves a multitude of exacting tasks.

• Pipes: Repair, clean, and restore all 3,467 pipes to their original beauty and quality of sound. Revoice all the pipes to their original quality and promptness of speech.

• Wind chests: Repair wind chests to stop air leaks and to restore the organ to its original tonal brilliance and power.

• Mechanical action: Adjust and reset the action to restore the original quality of touch and to ensure that all 276 keys move precisely in the same way at the same time.

• Console: Restore the console from which the organ is played.

• Case: Repair the organ case and paint it the original white.

Go to Stages