Monday, May 3, 2010
Breaking News Schermerhorn's $2.5 Million Pipe Organ Severely Damaged by Flooding
Posted by Jim Ridley on Mon, May 3, 2010 at 7:06 PM
The devastating flooding that threatens Lower Broadway's honky-tonks and swirled earlier today inside both the Grand Ole Opry House and the Country Music Hall of Fame has damaged the enormous pipe organ's operating mechanism and console. Both were housed in the Schermerhorn's basement level, which is currently under anywhere from 12 to 14 feet of flood water.
"Everything that drives the pipes and manipulates the sound was submerged," says Alan Bostick, the Schermerhorn's senior director of communications. "The brain of the organ has essentially been disabled."
The full extent of damage to the organ, a gift from the Charles Martin Foundation, won't be known until the waters recede. Bostick says no one will be able to tell whether the damaged components can be repaired or replaced until they can be inspected. But every piece of the organ was meticulously tailored to the Schermerhorn's dimensions — making the damage of any one piece a potential disaster.
As the City Paper noted in 2007, just before the organ's public unveiling:
The organ has 3,568 individual pipes grouped in 64 ranks or sets and creates 47 different tones. The largest pipe is 32 feet long and produces a tone twice as low as the lowest instrument of the orchestra while the shortest pipe, only three fourths of an inch long, produces a tone twice as high as the highest instrument of the orchestra.The various pipes are made from a variety of materials including polished tin, tin-lead alloy, zinc, sugar pine and poplar. And woods used in the construction of the organ were poplar, oak, maple, makore, ebony and Carpathian elm burl.
The organ was not the only precious instrument damaged in the flooding. Two Steinway concert grand pianos — one personally selected for the Schermerhorn by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet — were also destroyed, and the hall's state-of-the-art basement kitchen is likely ruined.
But the Schermerhorn has even greater worries than these. Flood waters continued to rise downtown as evening approached. Like other NSO employees, Bostick has been unable to work in the flooded building, facing his own hazards at home from dangerously swollen Richland Creek. The last time he received an update, though, at about 4 p.m., the water was a scant 3 1/2 feet from reaching the Schermerhorn's main hall — at which point crisis would become catastrophe.
If there's any good news in this, Bostick says, it's that the Schermerhorn's seats, typically stored in the basement under a unique floor that converts from flat to slanted, were not in storage. Still to be answered, however, are questions about insurance, not to mention the fate of the Schermerhorn's scheduled programming. If this weekend's NSO pop dates with Christopher Cross cannot be relocated — Belmont's Curb Center was one candidate for a replacement venue — they will be canceled. The Schermerhorn itself will be out of commission for at least a month, Bostick says.
Asked if there is any way NSO patrons can come to the Schermerhorn's aid at the moment, Bostick says the "frankly stunning" downtown devastation is the only thing on the organization's mind at the moment.
"Keep happy thoughts," he says grimly. "That water needs to stop rising."
Comments (12)
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Were actual pipe organ experts consulted in the writing of this story? Damaging "any one piece" is not "a potential disaster". Just as in any other case of water damage, it depends on the component. Blowers that provide the wind to the instrument may be a bit pricey but they can be replaced, as can the wind-supplying ductwork and electronic components. Even the console, the part of the organ that has the keyboards and other controls, is replaceable. As long as the water level remains below the pipes and windchests on which they rest (and from the looks of the hall, this means the water would have to rise at least another twenty– to twenty-five feet), true catastrophe will be averted. Is there a possibility for the water to rise another two dozen feet? If not, ignore the breathless hyperbole, and do something helpful for survivors of the flooding.
I would assume that the pipes aren't affected, as they are high up above the main floor. The pipe organ will probably remain out of commission for longer that a month.
Give Jim Ridley a break! I'm a Nashvillian now living in California and hadn't heard or read much about the Schermerhorn at all, let alone details like these. As a reporter covering a disaster, I think I'd be inclined to trust the venue's spokesman to furnish adequate information at a time like this. Alan Bostick was a fine reporter himself in his day. As to Ridley's priorities, I notice that he was posting community flood information throughout the night. (Disclosure: I was one of the original Scene freelancers, so I know Jim. He's a peach of a guy, and I'm sure he's working his tail off to help every way he can.)
Have a close friend who is a professional symphony Bass Player. Had his bass attended by a well regarded symphony stringed instrument repairman who also had two-hundred-fifty year old basses from flooded below ground Houston symphony's storage to repair. (There were also destroyed Steinway instruments there as well). The Basses had been deilivered to him in boxes, piecemeal. Cliff chuckled. "They'll be back together again" was his comment.
Not to worry, Pink. They'll fix everything, just like nothing ever happened,
When the water started rising, why didn't they move at least the two pianos up to the main concert hall via? I don't think it filled with water that fast, that no one could do at least this much to mitigate damage. Whose head will roll over this?
I am heartbroken over this devastating news. But if any orchestra can make a comeback from catastrophe, it's the Nashville Symphony.
-John Pitcher
Sockpuppet-by the time the flood waters started to rise the electricity was out preventing placing the pianos on the elevator that would have saved them.
I agree, if electricity is out...and if it was not possible to get to the building during the rain...nothing could have been done. The first thing that crossed my mind was also, hey, why did they not raise the pianos and concole to the stage? I have to admit that I would not have wanted to drive out in the rainstorm to get to the Hall. Historically floods can happen quickly. Organs are expensive... to replace what was destroyed could amount to quite a few thousand dollars not counting the steinways, etc. I was pleased, by an email I received, the fact that NSO announced that the Chris Cross concert would be performed free of charge. I applaud the Symphony for this act of kindness to the Nashville community in light of everything that is going on.
Did you know most home and business insurance policies don't cover flood losses? If your community is a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), you're eligible for federally sponsored Flood Insurance coverage for your home or business.
Dan with http://www.waterdamageout.com
