Central United Methodist Knoxville, Tennessee
Organ
The Central UMC building was designed to accommodate a large pipe organ. Once the building
was finished, the church began to look for an organ. A grand piano was used in the meantime.
Due the financial difficulties of the young church, the first organ was not obtained until 1935.
When the Riviera Theater removed its Wurlitzer pipe organ, a church member had it repaired and
installed in the sanctuary.
The current pipe organ at Central UMC was installed in 1958 by the M.P. Möller Company, their Opus 9089. The instrument reflects organ building practices of this era, particularly the practices of M.P. Möller. The Möller installation was completed very professionally, thus providing the congregation almost 50 years of dependable service.
The organ consists of three manuals, 35 stops and 42 ranks spread over five
divisions: Great, Swell, Choir, Pedal, and Antiphonal. The organ is ideally placed for speaking
into the large sanctuary, with the main organ speaking directly into the nave. The antiphonal
organ speaks to the rear window and could be considered more of an echo organ. The swell,
choir and antiphonal divisions are enclosed meaning the volume of these divisions is controlled
by shutters opening and closing.
Click here to look inside the organ.