Chapter 4 The Willow Branch Organ
Mr. Edwin, being a good Baptist, asked Jimmy and Harry if they went to Sunday School. Harry replied, “Yes, we go to the Presbyterian church, but there you can only hear the organ and you can't see anything.”
Mr. Edwin asked them their names and who their parents were. It turned out that Mr. Edwin was good friends with both the boys' fathers --something to do with Mr. Killman's insurance company, and Mr. Day's bank.
“Follow me.” commanded Mr. Edwin, satisfied that he had a rare opportunity, he led Harry and Jimmy to the organ console.
The two boys took stock of their surroundings during the trek to the choir loft. Harry noticed the height of the ceiling - very tall, and the shape of the building - eight sides, it's an octopus, no - an octagon, he thought. Jimmy noticed the color of the windows - blue out where the pews were but with gold ones just above where the choir sat, and the fact that there was just one pulpit to the left of the choir. There was two at his church, one on each side of the altar.
They walked up the center steps on to the platform and made a right turn which took them out of the sanctuary, then back in immediately as they made a left turn around a corner into the choir loft. It was then that Harry and Jimmy saw their first organ console. They saw a huge square case that had long sticks coming out the bottom of the front side, with a wide rectangular bench standing above them. Above that was one, two, three layers of piano-like keys. On either side of these there were many, many white knobs like the ones on kitchen cabinets, but with writing on them. Behind the choir seats were tall round topped windows; openings with shiny pipes in them arranged from short to tall to short again.
The very first thing they learned was that the big case with all the sticks, knobs and keyboards wasn't really the organ. The organ was really the pipes and such up in special rooms behind those round topped windows called chambers. The big case with all the keys and knobs Mr. Edwin called the console. “Chambers, chambers. Pipes, pipes. Console, console.” Each boy solemnly repeated each important word.
Next they learned that the knobs that turned on the sounds were called stops.
Jimmy, thinking this out, asked, “If they start the sound, how come they're called stops?” he 
asked.
asked. Mr. Edwin looked with amazement and respect at the small boy. No one, not even his very best students had ever asked that before!
Mr. Edwin answered: “Because, Jimmy, a long, long time ago when people first started building organs they made them so that all the different sounds were on all the time. Soon people figured out that they needed a thing to turn off, or stop, each sound. Today we still call the thing that turns on or off a sound a `stop.' Jimmy, you ask very good questions!”
Mr. Edwin further explained that each stop controlled a row of pipes, which air was blown through like whistles.
“Each of these rows of pipes is called a rank. And, like soldiers who stand in ranks and dress
all alike, pipes that look and sound alike, and stand altogether, are called a rank of pipes.”
all alike, pipes that look and sound alike, and stand altogether, are called a rank of pipes.” Harry wanted to know: “Mr. Edwin, how come there are three steps of keys and what are those sticks on the floor for?”
Mr. Edwin marveled. These small boys really were interested in the organ!
He answered: “Harry, the keyboard steps are called manuals, and the reason that there are three of them is this; I can play two different sounds or more at one time, one sound each, on a different keyboard, without mixing them together. And because there are three keyboards I can just change keyboards to change the sounds very quickly. See?” He demonstrated. The boys were amazed at the different sounds and the speed of Mr. Edwin's hands going from sound to sound, keyboard to keyboard.
Mr. Edwin continued: “Those sticks on the floor are really just another big keyboard that I can play with my feet. They are called pedals. See? The long white sticks and the short black sticks are arranged just like the white and black keys on the manuals. Another very good question!” Mr. Edwin played a melody on the deep sounding notes with his feet. Jimmy and Harry looked at one another and giggled.
Then Jimmy, still giggling, said: “Mr. Edwin this must be a really good organ!”
To which Mr. Edwin grinned and replied: “It needs some work, but I think so! But why do you say that, Jimmy?”
“Well, it says so right there on that little sign. It says SWELL.”
“Yes sir!” said Harry, “It says GREAT on that other sign, too!”
Mr. Edwin laughed, “So you boys can read! That little sign means that all those knobs under it belong to either the `Swell' keyboard division or the `Great' keyboard division.”
Harry said, “Division. You mean like the arithmetic the third and fourth grade does?”
“No,” chuckled Mr. Edwin, “the word Division means a section or group of pipe ranks that belong together. For example; the Swell division pipe ranks belong to the top keyboard which is called the Swell manual. The front opening of the chamber where the Swell pipes are has little narrow doors called shutters that open and close when this big wide pedal in the middle here is pushed forward or backward. In music the word `Swell' means to get louder and the shutters open to make the sound louder and they close to make it softer.”
He pointed as he spoke, “There are three more divisions on this organ: the Great division, the Pedal division and the Choir division.”
Jimmy, concentrating, said: “OK, let's see, the top keyboard is called the Swell, . . .”
“Right!”
“ . . . and the middle keyboard is called the Great, . . . “
“Right again!”
“ . . . and the bottom keyboard is called the Choir, and the Pedals'r the sticks on the floor, right?”
“Right-O!”
Harry said: “And `Swell' means gettin' louder by pushin' the big wide pedal. OK!”
“I think you lads understand!” said Mr. Edwin, “I really do have to practice now. Would you like to watch and listen?”
Jimmy and Harry looked at each other with wide eyes, together they answered: “Yes, sir!”
And so ended their first informal lesson and thus began a daily summer ritual.
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