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Show Ghe Salt LakeTribune RELIGION COMICS, C-4 MITELEVISION,C-5 ANN LANDERS, C-6 & HAPPENING, C-7 Th Kelly SATERBAY B REVIEWS, C-8 NOVEMBER20, 1999 The LDS Church's Artist drawing of new LDS meeting house organ. Neworgan will grace Older Tabernacle organ wasthe instrument of conductor’s musical passion larger Conference Center BY BOB MIMS THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE It seems that in both life and pipe organs, les BY BOB MIMS more. At the heart of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ massive 21,000-seat Conference Centerrising one block north of Temple Square will THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE To feel the musical passion of organist John be a new organ, an instrument designers promise Longhurst, open your ears some mild autumn morning to drift with the thunderous notes of an impromptu concertifilling the emptiness of the Tabernacle on Salt Lake City’s Temple Square. will awelisteners with its modern innovations and majesty. ‘Built by Schoenstein & Co. of San Francisco, the quotation just inside the threshold of Longhurst’s 42-foot high, 75-foot wide organ will gleamwith 130 ranksfilled with 7,667 pipes. Even though the 410: But to begin to understand it, read the framed foot-by-65-foot old Tabernacle organ has morepipes (206 ranksof 11,623), the newcreation is expectedto tiny office deep within the bowels of the LDS Church’s historic old meetingplace. “The organ is in truth the grandest, the most daring, the most magnificent ofall instruments invented by human genius,” wrote Honorede Balzac. “It is a whole orchestra by itself. It can express anythingin response io the skilled touch.” Still, the 19th century Frenchliterarygiant's eloquence cannot match the ghost of a smile that crosses Longhurst’s face as he conveysrich memories from nearly 23 years behind the banks of keys, nobs andpedals that direct wind through the Tabernacle’s venerable old organ. “It's always a tremendousthrill. | wouldn’t be honestif I didn't say I still get chills up my spine when I play here,” the 59-year-old musician sighed, surveying the towering instrument at his command: 11,623 pipes, includingtwo 32-foot diapasons carved by Joseph Ridgesin 1866 from nativepine for the Tabernacle’s original organ. Over the past 132 years, the organ has passed through numerous repairs, renovations and improvements. Still, it exudes the specter of Ridges, an English convert thought to have learned the rudiments of his trade as ayoung man living along London’s organ-factoryric! In all, the original “ pipes were madeof wood. The usual materials, zinc or tin, were too expensive for the cash-strapped Latter-day Saints of the 1860s. Further, safely transporting the fragile metal tubes overland to Utah in pre-railroad days was considered impossible. It took 12 years to complete the instrument. In 1883, a two-year enlargement project was launched toadd some1,300 pipes, bringingthetotal numberto 2,648. Justfive years later, in 1890, yet another renovation internal mechanical improvements and repairs. Inaugurated at a May 4, 1901 concert, the new “Kimball” organ — named for Maine contractor William Wallace Kimball — served the church well for more than a decade. By 1915, however, the instrumenthad deteriorated to the point of being virtually unplayable. niore than quality and makeup the gapby its versatility, tonal octavairange. “It will have some wonderfuleffects that I don’t have on the old organ to even compareto,” con- fessed John Longhurst, a veteran LDS Church or- ganist. “We'll even be able to regulate the speed of tremulants by foot pedals. It’s all pretty darned subtle.” In addition te the range of sounds Tabernacle listeners have come to expect from their old Aeolian-Skinnerorgan, the Schoenstein modelwill offer several non-pipe sounds like chimes, bells, harp and celesta. The new organwill also extend the available bass rangefour notes lower. Perhaps the most impressive of the Schoenstein’s features will beits ability to digitally encode a per. formance. Thatwill allow an organistto to leave the bankoffive keyboards to listen to the replay from the audiencearea. Neither the church nor Schoenstein officials would release the price tag for the project. Nonetheless, it is clearly enough to keep more than 100 artisans at Schoenstein’sfactory in San Francisco's Photos by Ai Hartman/The Salt Lake Tribune John Longhurst, longtime organist at the LDS Tabernacle,practices for upcoming service. See TABERNACLE,Page C-2 dedicated to this job,” said Jack Bethards, the com- pany’s president andtonal director. The project also will be a major addition to his company’s organ-making legacy begun in 1877. “In many waysit’s the toughest job we've ever had. Rightoff, there's just the size of the building, and its acoustical properties, many of which we Latter-day Saints turned to Hartford, Conn., and the Austin Organi Co. The builders of the new organ salvaged muchof the old, retaining 25 percent of the original piping. When unveiled at the April 1916 general churchconference, the “Austin” organ was hailed bycritics forits “operatic” qualities. Austin made alterations to improve tonal qualities in 1940, but by the end of World War I, church organists were clamoringfor a new, modern instrument. By 1948, most of the Austin organ had moved south to Provo and Brigham Young University’s Joseph Smith Building. In its place rose the new Aelolian-Skinner organ (named after the Bostonfirm that built it), dedicated in 1949. Though frequently tinkered with over the This time, The Church of Jesus Christ of old MissionDistrict busy. “Thefull capacity the Schoenstein plantis now won't be able to determine until the building is done,” Bethards said. “There's no doubt, this is a once-in-a-lifetime project for any organ builder. Thisis notthefirst time Schoenstein and the LDS Church have done business. In the late 1940s, the company helped remove a predecessor instrument and install the then-new Aeolian-Skinner organ that still graces the Tabernacle. The companyalso did majorrestorative work on that organ in the 1980s. The new organ presents unique challenges due to Sec NEW ORGAN,Page C-2 Closeup view of stop buttons on Tabemacle organ. U.S. Catholics’ Respect for Papal Authority Eroding BY BOR MIMS THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE American Roman Catholics’ respect for papal and priestly authority is eroding, even as they maintain a resolutely liberal bent on such water- shed church issues as abortion, contraception and gay rights, a new poll shows. Compared to similar surveys done in 1987 and 1993, the Galiup survey, sponsored by the National Catholic Reporter, reveals an apparent growing rift between the United States’ 62 million Catholics and their clergy on matters of discipline, morality and spiritual sovereignty. Fifty-three percentof the 875 respondents ii the latest poll - up from 39 percentin 1987 and on par with 56 percent in 1993 - believed one could be “a good Catholic” without obeying the Vatican's anti-abortion stance. Similarly, 72 percent felt comfortable with making birth contro! decisions contrary to Rome's teachings (compared to 66 and 73 percentin 1987 and 1993, respectively). Asked whohadthe “final say about whatis right and wrong” concerning homosexual behavior, 48 percent up from 39 percent in both previous polls - said it was an individual's purview, while only 20 percent (down from 26 percent in 1993 and 82 per- cent in 1967) put that decision in the hands of Catholic clergy. On the matter of opening the faith’s all-male priesthood to women, 63 percent (compared to 62 percent in 1993 and 48 percent in 1987) supported the rights oflaity to participate in such a decision. However, Bishop George Niederauer, leader of Utah's 100,000 Catholics, saw no cause for alarm. “It is a measure of opinion, not a measureof fact. It does not establish the moral orethical orreligious truths,” hesaid. “There is a fundamental problem withpolls in that really whattheydo is take a readingofpeople's opinions at the momentrather than establish the beliefs they deeply embrace,” Niederauer said. “A lot depends on howyou state the question, espe cially something as personal asreligious truth.” Rather than focusing on the apparent signs of strain betweenlaity and clergy, the bishop said he takes comfort in Catholics’ responses on matters fundamentalto their faith For example, the Gallup poll, published by NCR on Oct. 29, also showed that 80 percent of there- spondents identified sacraments such as Eucharist and marriage as “very important to me.” Under the samecategory, 76 percent of Catholics rated spiri tual growth as a priority Witsd bev to Ghsch Nersnoystschingkoh on Sincowres Without obeying the church hiorarchy’s teaching on stonena fegurngclerton on Nerchy wecning Wahout betevng natin te ats the tread and wine actually ‘become ‘the body and blood of Jeaue Without thew marriage being approved by the Catholic (Church Without donating time and moneyto help the poor Without donating tie or money to help the pariah Wind beeing tt Joeachay roe ron Be oan Noyce |The Sali LakeTribune If God Knew LarryLike I Do, He Would Reconsider Making Him a High Priest My Mormonfaith was shattered two weeksago. It wasn't polygamy, Mountain Meadows,or secret church deals with the CIA thatdid it. It was much worse, Someone made Larry Erdmann a high priest. For those unfamiliar with the structure of LDS priesthood, being made a high Larry, Killer, Bammer, me and possibly even you. claiming to be inspired by the Lord, for no reasonat ail. The fact that someone proof I need to apostatize. It brings up a serious point of doctrine. Howcould anyone in their right mind claim that the Spirit told them to make Larry a high priest? Either they don't know Larry like I know Larry, or they somewhatrighteous in order to reach this level, most Mormons understand the exi gent circumstances. In the LDS world, these circumstances lied aboutthe Spirit. usually arise about the time a guy hits his 19th birthday. A lot of idiots are ordained phemy. The fact that Larry ts still alive Say they fudged. It happens. You would still think that God would fry Larry with lightning in order to prevent such a blas- has serious theological implications. If God doesn't care that Larryis a high priest, maybe it’s because it isn't that big Maybe it’s because I know a lot of flawed people who have moved up the church ladder. Noneof themhas been as evil as Larry, so maybe they were just For example, Bammer has been a bishop twice. I know stuff about Bam mer’s past that he would pay mea lot of money to keep quiet about. I did keep quiet when Killer got called thought this was about Larry is all the priest isn't as much fun as it sounds. You haven't preparing the wayfor Larry. thinks it's time for you to get promoted don’t get to throw virgins into a volcano or cut out anyone’s heart. Mainly, you just getto sleep in church. I was OK before with Larry being an elder, Even though you are supposed to be elders so we can get rid of them for two years on church missions, including ROBERT KIRBY Being madea high priestis different. It means that someone, typically someone © 1999, The Salt Lake Tribune on # mission, and later when hemarried a nice woman in the temple. If God would of a deal to him. The only way this could be true is if the church isn’t true. Consid. ering how much I spent on BYU season fry Gomorrah, why would he let that happen? Tcomplained when the stake president called Gidget to be an Elder's quorum form of peyote worship or televangelism. I der’s quorumpresident. Later, when I got to be an Elder's Quorum president my self, I realized that God was just punish ing Gidget. tickets, that would be a real bummer. I wish I couldtell you that this helped mecast off the bonds of Mormonism, and that I have since found total truth in the pet hd ded) 2 president. Mainly because he was MY el Likewise, I never said anything when Don Bone was made my bishop. Thefact that Donis still my bishop means that a lot of other people have kept their mouths shut, too. On the other hand, Don must have kept his mouth shut about me when I was called to be his executive secretary. Two idiots in one bishopric indicates a serious cover-up that must run all the way to the top. God has a history of getting stuff done through a collection of feebs, dolts and yoo-hoos. Maybe I'll stick around andsee what he plans for Larry. Salt Lake Tribune columnist Robert Kirby lives in Springville. The self described “Oxy-Mormon™ welcomes mail at P.O. Box 684, Springville, UT 84663 or e mail at dark@slckrck.com |
