The
front
pipes
are
made
of
burnished
83%
tin.
"This
is
the
largest
facade
in
the
United
States
made
of
polished
tin,"
Dobson
says.
In
addition
to
the
large
vertical
pipes,
there
are
horizontal
trumpet
pipes,
some
as
long
as
sixteen
feet,
which
also
are
the
largest
of
their
kind
in
the
United
States.
The
biggest
pipe
inside
the
organ
is
twenty-four
inches
square
and
is
made
of
wood.
While
many
of
the
larger
pipes
are
made
of
wood,
the
majority
of
them
are
made
of
alloys
of
tin
and
lead.
They
are
arranged
in
six
divisions,
Great,
Swell,
Positive,
Solo,
Fanfare
and
Pedal.
The
forty-two
ton
organ
is
supported
on
a
steel
structure
built
into
the
wall.
In
the
Cathedral
basement
are
three
blowers
totaling
twenty-seven
horsepower,
which
supply
the
organ
with
wind
pressure
ranging
from
five
inches
to
twenty
inches
water
column.
A
twenty
inch
wind
pressure
is
very
high
for
an
organ.
"The
reason
for
such
a
high
pressure
is
that
the
Cathedral
itself
is
so
large
that
to
generate
enough
sound
to
fill
the
room
adequately,
we
had
to
go
with
higher
wind
pressure,"
Dobson
explains.
The
organ
is
encased
in
solid
cherry
wood,
unusual
in
that
most
organ
cases
are
built
out
of
less
expensive
lumber,
such
as
oak,
or
in
Europe,
painted
pine.
"It
must
be
the
biggest
cherry
organ
case
in
the
world,"
Dobson
exclaims.
Although
the
type
of
wood
has
little
to
do
with
sound
quality,
Moneo's
design
called
for
cherry
woodwork
throughout
the
Cathedral.
Dobson's
company
was
chosen
to
build
an
"eclectic"
organ,
one
that
could
as
easily
play
different
styles
of
music,
from
the
1500s
to
the
present
day.
They
are
experts
in
the
history
of
organ
building
from
all
different
periods
and
understand
the
requirements
the
various
musical
styles
make
of
the
organ.
Dobson
has
taken
their
knowledge
of
each
period
and
has
blended
it
into
a
new
style
of
organ,
allowing
the
Cathedral
instrument
to
sound
convincing
in
various
musical
styles.
"We've
made
a
new
organ
for
a
new
Church,"
he
declares.
To
ensure
the
instrument's
success
in
the
vast
nave,
the
voicing
and
tonal
finishing
of
the
organ
was
performed
in
the
Cathedral.
The
process,
which
took
approximately
six
months,
was
carried
out
by
Dobson
personnel
under
the
direction
of
Lynn
Dobson
and
John
Panning,
the
firm's
tonal
director,
in
consultation
with
Frank
Brownstead,
Director
of
the
Archdiocesan
Music
Office
and
Manuel
Rosales,
president
of
Rosales
Organ
Builders
and
technical
consultant
for
the
project.
The
power
of
the
organ
makes
the
room
vibrate
enabling
the
assembly
to
not
only
hear
the
music,
but
also
feel
it,
making
the
experience
all
the
more
powerful,
emotionally,
as
well
as
physically.
Please
visit
http://www.dobsonorgan.com/html/instruments/op75_losangeles.html
