Then we play “Here Comes the Bride” on harmonica…
LONDON (Reuters) – British brides and grooms can breathe easy — they can still walk down the aisle to the strain’s of Handel’s “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba.”
The European Commission said Tuesday it had decided church organs are not covered by a directive that bans the use of hazardous substances, such as lead, which is used to make pipes for organs.
Britain’s organ industry had feared the worst, arguing that there was no satisfactory substitute for lead which would give the same quality of sound.
Several leading organ scholars warned in a letter to the Times newspaper earlier this year that the directive, aimed at new organs, would “threaten the survival of an industry and a tradition which has been at the heart of Europe’s musical culture and liturgical practice for centuries.”
The head of the European Commission in London, Reijo Kemppinen, said: “British organ builders need not fear for the future of their art and craft. The European Union has no wish to jeopardize this ancient tradition.”
As one who had worked in the Pipe Tunner/Repair/Rebuilding Industry for 12 years, I have to say that this really is very good news. Some of the best pipes are made in English and German Factories. And the great US factories have been having issues from US Government restrictions and so the availablity and prices on Organ parts have suffered. Imagine paying $120 for a metal bar… used in tuning. Technically for some pipes you can get away with a $10 strip of Aluminum… but for a number of cases it’s the expensive bar. And that price was over 10 years ago. Now add to the fact that besides the cost of tools, they have to account for parts… and most places with Pipe organs are churches… who usually don’t have huge budgets. Then you start seeing a worry from my angle.
As the prices of Organs went up, the demand went down… which is simple economics. But if they had stopped the major suppliers of Organ parts (lead is also used in numerous valves and other situations as mundane as weight for reservoirs) then you’d find the few still around overwhelmed and the quality hurting. Plus the fact that I can think of only a couple of organ makers NOT in europe… Innovation in organ design would also falter.
I have to applaud the fact the bill died a quick death, and I hope that it doesn’t appear again. I’d rather not go to a wedding where the processional is played on a harmonmica…
