The Instrument

What’s in a Name?

The formal name of the Church’s pipe organ is

E.M. Skinner Opus 414.

E.M. Skinner was one of the most sought-after organ builders of the early 20th Century, and the instrument he created for the First United Methodist Church of Chicago was the 414th organ his company built.

The console (top) and section of spotted metal “principal” pipes (bottom) work together to produce a warm, mellow tone.

Anatomy of Opus 414

The Church’s pipe organ is composed of multiple components that work together to produce its unique sound:

The Wind System supplies and regulates the air that makes the pipes speak. Historically, this was supplied by hand- and foot-pumped bellows. Modern pipe organs use electric blowers to generate the air under pressure.

Windchests are the “lungs” beneath the pipes, controlling which and when pipes get air.

Pipes numbering in the the thousands speak from behind grillwork at the front and rear of the sanctuary. Each pipe produces a unique tone, many intended to mimic orchestral instruments (trumpet, oboe, clarinet, etc).

The Console gives the organist control of the entire apparatus. When the restored Opus 414 is installed late in the fall of 2026, it will include a new console. The former console consisted of:

  • Manuals (4 keyboards, each controlling pipes in a separate division)

  • Pedalboard (comprised of 32 keys played by the feet)

  • Stops (82 knobs that controlled 5,589 pipes)

  • Couplers (used to combine pipes in different divisions)

  • Pistons (buttons that allow the organist to preset combinations of stops)

Divisions are sections of the organ, each with its own set of pipes and wind system. Some divisions of the organ are under expression, meaning that all of the pipes in that division are enclosed in a large box with walls consisting of louvers to control the egress of sound.

Casework is the housing of the organ, including the grillwork which conceals Opus 414 above the altar, behind and around the chancel area of the first-floor sanctuary. This provides a structure for enhancing acoustic and acoustic projection from the pipes.