We attended the Christmas Vespers service at Houghton Chapel, Wellesley College. I have not been to this Vespers in quite some time. The chapel was packed, the music was inspirational and complex, and the whole effect of sound and light was dramatic. Faculty, advisors, staff and chaplains read and spoke.
The Back Bay Ringers accompanied with hand bells, the student voices were stunning and my favorite is always a chance to hear the Charles B. Fisk organ. Besides the sound and the special historical features, I'm intrigued by the craftsmanship of the construction which reminds me of pieces that Paul and I saw in Germany. At the very top of the central set of pipes is a carved wooden star called a zimbelstern. Each performance includes a climactic point where the zimbelstern is activated, sounding like a percussive symbol.
This organ is made to play northern German music of the 17th century. Most of the time the sound is produced by a bellows that is filled using some sort of electrical pump, I guess. But this organ also includes an optional mechanical bellows system requiring an assistant dedicated to stepping up and down onto a platform that fills the bellows manually while the organist plays. I once attended a doctoral thesis concert using this system. Here is a video including the sound of the Fisk organ, but I can't seem to find one showing the organ being played
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