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Winkers


John Sayer

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The latest edition of Choir & Organ contains an article on the new Hellmuth Wolff organ for Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria, BC.

 

The wind system is described as follows:

 

The organ's wind is raised by a single low-speed blower located in the tower room. It feeds a primer bellows behind the main organ and branches out to feed five parallel-fold bellows places in the underpart and to either side of the organ beneath the choir risers. The character of the wind may be modified through the use of winkers..."

 

Winkers? Could someone enlighten me please? It may be Canadian parlance for something we know by another name, but I'm intigued nonetheless.

 

JS

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Possibly some kind of flap/ventil that allows more or fewer reservoirs to be used or cuts of concussions?

 

 

The latest edition of Choir & Organ contains an article on the new Hellmuth Wolff organ for Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria, BC.

 

The wind system is described as follows:

 

The organ's wind is raised by a single low-speed blower located in the tower room.  It feeds a primer bellows behind the main organ and branches out to feed five parallel-fold bellows places in the underpart and to either side of the organ beneath the choir risers.  The character of the wind may be modified through the use of winkers..."

 

Winkers?  Could someone enlighten me please?  It may be Canadian parlance for something we know by another name, but I'm intigued nonetheless.

 

JS

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The latest edition of Choir & Organ contains an article on the new Hellmuth Wolff organ for Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria, BC.

 

The wind system is described as follows:

 

The organ's wind is raised by a single low-speed blower located in the tower room.  It feeds a primer bellows behind the main organ and branches out to feed five parallel-fold bellows places in the underpart and to either side of the organ beneath the choir risers.  The character of the wind may be modified through the use of winkers..."

 

Winkers?  Could someone enlighten me please?  It may be Canadian parlance for something we know by another name, but I'm intigued nonetheless.

 

JS

 

 

Since this organ is less than 250 yards from my home... I'll try to ask the organist about this the next time I see him.

 

-MAS

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  • 4 weeks later...
Since this organ is less than 250 yards from my home... I'll try to ask the organist about this the next time I see him.

 

-MAS

 

 

I just spoke to the organist this morning. He told me that "winkers" were small regulator flaps that smoothed out the air flow (when needed).

 

 

-MAS

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  • 1 month later...

The term "winker" is used by many American and Canadian firms and are concussion bellows... I'm not sure how the name came to be, perhaps since many are wedge-shaped, they do tend to "wink" when they're employed... most are also fitted with a pneumatic cut-out (basically a ventil that closes off the wind supply to the winker) so the winkers are disengaged when the Tremulant is in operation.

 

All my best,

Kirk

 

Kirk A. Wilson and Associates

Meticulous Care for Electropneumatic Pipe Organs

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