It’s sometimes jokingly said that organ builders can do everything—but nothing particularly well. That’s because our craft is so wide-ranging. Every organ is a work of art in its own right: Architecture and mechanics, structural engineering and acoustics—for an organ to sound good in the end, everything has to come together. For me, it’s this diversity that makes my craft so fascinating. And yet there is one material that ultimately matters most: tin. Without this element, an organ would be nothing more than a beautiful machine that produces wind.
An alloy of tin and lead gives the organ pipe its vibrancy and lends it a soft, full-bodied tone. We mix the alloy in a crucible and first cast it into slabs. This results in a crystalline structure. For pipes that will be visible, I add more tin to the mixture so they have a nice shine. But beauty isn’t everything—too much lead will cause pipes to lose their shape over the years; too much tin will falsify the tone. The right blend is crucial, and from about a hundred alloys, I choose the one that best shapes the tone of each pipe. It all comes down to subtle differences, which is why experience, consistent quality, and precision are essential from the very beginning.
151 steps for each pipe
But the secret of success when you’re working with tin lies not only in meticulous craftsmanship—it comes down to frequent repetition and patience. An average church organ contains about 2,500 pipes, every one of them custom-made. I solder them and round them off with a wooden mallet. I cut the tuning slot by hand in exactly the right spot, which gives it its voice. It takes 151 steps to make each pipe. That can feel repetitive and monotonous. And that’s why some people prefer to stick with wood or use computer-aided design.
The first time I hear an organ I helped build is a very special moment for me. Its sound bears witness to all the experience and dedication that went into its making. It bears the properties of the metal I cast and the meticulous care that went into every step of the process. The pipes are the heart of every organ—and that’s why tin is my element.
