Important work is taking place to safeguard the internal workings of the Caird Hall organ, one of Dundee’s most prized cultural assets and acclaimed by experts as the finest concert organ in Scotland.
The humidifier is being replaced at a cost of £10,000 in the first major project undertaken by the Friends of the Caird Hall Organ.
The air temperature and humidity within the organ chamber is of vital importance to the instrument’s condition and performance.
Dr Jim McKellican, chairman of the Friends, said the organ contains wood and leather, and it is important they do not dry out.
”The humidifier makes sure the air put through the pipes within the organ is at a certain percentage of humidity or you can damage the wood and dry it out,” he said. ”Some of the organ pipes are made of wood as well as of metal, and there is also leather which needs a certain air humidity, so that is why the humidifier is so important to the organ.
”We were having problems with the old humidifiers which had been in place for a considerable time, and their suppliers, Watkins and Watson from Poole in Dorset, advised that we should replace two of them with a larger one. This is happening and it is important work to safeguard the internal operation of the organ and to keep the instrument in the best condition.”
The organ, containing 50 speaking stops, was designed by the famous blind organist Alfred Hollins of Edinburgh and was built by Harrison and Harrison of Durham in 1922, with the installation the next year. It was the Harrisons’ first concert organ and was constructed to match the grand scale of the venue.
The exhaust pneumatic action has been restored and the original adjustable pistons now have an electronic memory.
The long-term care of the organ is one of the main objectives of the Friends of the Caird Hall Organ and Dr McKellican is pleased that they are able to assist the city council and operating body Leisure and Culture Dundee at such an early stage in the set-up of the charity.
The Caird Hall organ has attracted some of the world’s best players to Dundee to savour its character and unique sound. Recently there was a recital by American concert organist Carlo Curley and a silent movie night during which Nigel Ogden of BBC Radio 2 played an accompaniment to the 1925 film Phantom of the Opera.
The support from the Friends and the public to events staged by the Friends has made the humidifier replacement possible.