How long have dummy facade pipes been around?

[jonmyrlebailey]

What is the most modern pipe organ with all speaking facade pipes? The notion of phony organ pipes really turns me off.

[Philip Powell]

The notion of phony organ pipes really turns me off.

They are just to look pretty. I would agree that they are deceiving when you may expect a nice pipe organ from all the beautiful pipes but instead get an electronic organ (or less nice pipe organ). Nothing beats the real deal. To answer your question: no idea; good luck!

[Piperdane]

Christ Church United Methodist Schlicker III/41 - Tucson, AZ


The entire facade are working pipes. Largest are the 16' Principal pedal rank.

[Hiawatha]

Ha! I know this place!

[myorgan]

What is the most modern pipe organ with all speaking facade pipes? The notion of phony organ pipes really turns me off.

That's like asking, Who is the last person born with naturally curly hair? The notion of phony curls really turns me off. Or you could ask, Where is the wettest place on earth? The notion of dry places really turns me off. As you should already know, the answer to these questions is a moving target. It is impossible to answer your question accurately.

Michael

P.S. Facade is spelled façade. It's a French word.

[regeron]

What is the most modern pipe organ with all speaking facade pipes?

Answer: "The one being installed today," which is another way of saying what Michael said - it's "a moving target."

While I agree that façade is a French word, I have a feeling that the English spelling "facade" is accepted because many of us don't have the fancy 'ç' on our typewriter or computer keyboards.

To answer the question about the history of dummy pipes, it would be helpful to know why the question is being asked.

[myorgan]

Peterborough,

Singular vs. plural?

Michael

[tbeck]

Paparazzo/Paparazzi
Tamal/Tamales

[Peterboroughdiapason]

Indeed, Michael: one panino.

[aeolian pat]

Probably the first dummy pipes were for the sake of symmetry.

[VaPipeorgantuner]

No one really knows the origins of 'dummy' pipes in a facade. They probably came about because there was space that needed to be filled in a facade of (mostly) speaking pipes. In the earliest days of organ building "form follows function" was certainly true. As cases became more elaborate, the pipes (of natural speaking length) may or may not have fit the space so non-speaking pipes were inserted in the design for visual purposes. Often in historic organs, the wind chests behind the facade had similar NOTE spacing for the bass pipes of the Facade rank (typically the Principal rank of the Great division) and the trebles were fitted between for compactness and utility of otherwise lost space in a tierce (that is major thirds) arrangement split between the two 'sides' of the chest. Much could be written on this subject. Perhaps a look at the Joseph Blanton book "The Organ In Church Design" would offer some useful information.

Rick in VA