History of the Pipe Organ at FUMC
First United Methodist Church has maintained a presence in the Salisbury, North Carolina, community since its inception in 1783. In 1980, the church installed a new 3-manual and 53-rank Schantz organ (Op. 1590) in the sanctuary to replace the former organ installed when the current sanctuary was completed in 1963 (Op. 818). In 2001, Parkey Organ Builders removed all exposed pipework, covered exposed chest work, and sealed chamber openings while the sanctuary was being repainted. They also re-leathered all internal pipe valve actions and windchest primary actions.
By 2005, it was becoming clear that a recurring humidity problem was taking its toll on the organ. Chest action and pipe failures became more apparent. In 2008, the Board of Trustees signed a contract for the complete replacement of reed stops, 9 ranks in total, and an updated console. The console was returned to Parkey’s shop in Norcross, Georgia, during the summer of 2008 for complete refinishing and renovation. A new relay and capture system using Solid State Organ Systems components was installed. The capture action offered 100 levels of memory with Solid State Organ Systems’ “Any Piston Next” sequencer. The console’s internal dolly system for mobility had collapsed, rendering the console difficult for one person to move. That dolly system was restored and reinforced. New interior jambs of burled walnut housed the new drawknobs of ebony and maple woods. These complemented the new reverse color tracker touch keyboards with ebony naturals and maple sharps. Console renovations were completed in fall of 2008.
The original 1980 organ possessed a sound indicative of the 1960s and 70s neo-Baroque era. The organ favored a tone that was very bright but failed to fill the room and lead congregational singing. The fluework of the organ began showing its age in tonal regulation. Notes of inconsistent volume and slow-to-speak or off-speech pipes could be heard throughout the instrument. During the reparative regulation, we were able to foster a more fundamental bloom of tone. The exposed mixtures were relaxed and tamed as well. In a final analysis, Parkey was able to coax more color from the 8′ line of the ensemble and yet maintain a silvery clarity in sound. This project included increasing the scaling of the stops in proportion to the room. The French and German textures of sound for the reeds were maintained as originally set forth in the specification and the rebuild project was completed in the spring of 2009. (This instrument was featured on Pipedreams Episode #1041.)
In 2021, the Trustees noted some ongoing electrical issues occurring with the organ and the discovery of several leaks in some of the windchests. They began to investigate options for renovating and repairing the organ, including hybrid and digital options. By January 2023, an entire division became unreliable and after consulting a few organ firms, in the interest of stewardship, the decision was made to purchase a new Rodgers Infinity 489 from R. A. Daffer Organs, Inc. to replace the former Shantz/Parkey instrument. The new Rodgers features an antiphonal division and will allow additional versatility and customization to support the worship and music ministry for generations to come!