I've always been fascinated by the organ, starting with listening to the E. Power Biggs albums my parents got because they forgot to send back the postcards for the Columbia record club. About 20 years ago I picked up the Audsley 2 volume set and have been dreaming about building ever since.

About a year ago I got more serious. Initially, I thought to build a "simulation." I've been researching both the SCPOP (a program that manipulates a Roland SoundCanvas midi module to approximate an organ) and advanced sampling technology (Gigasampler). To this end I grabbed a 2M console from a junked Allen to midify.

About the mid-november I got a call from a church who wanted to know if I was still interested in the II/6 Moller they had available. By the next week I was up there with a 24 truck to retrieve the thing.

My organ was originally the residence organ of Arthur C. Cook, a DC lawyer. I have the origianl purchase constract for $3750 in 1931. Upon Mr. Cook's death, the organ went to the Good Shepherd Lutheran church for a while, until James Dale, organist for the Naval Academy picked it up in exchnage for playing the dedication concert on their new organ. Upon his death, the Naval Academy through their counterparts at West Point found a church who wanted it in NY. Unfortunately, the church wasn't really organ savvy, and didn't realize the organ didn't come with a case. Lacking the resorces to modify their building and put the thing back together, they spent a while trying to unload it (including putting it on EBay). I threw a lowball bid on e-bay (which lost), but four months later that deal fell through and I ended up with it.

Right now, most everything is sitting in the basement where the pipe chamber is to be located. The blower is in it's "final" resting place and the main chests are occupying most of my workshop (along with the junker Allen console). The Moller console is in the garage awaiting professional moves to wrangle it into the room it's going to live in.

Ron Natalie

Email Ron