I am on vacation in California, unfortunately recovering from food poisoning (not from Carl’s cooking!) and I got an email message from John Renke:

Hi Kathy,

What are those two little levers in the picture?

John

Ah, this is a gadget on the Beckerath organ that even long-time organists don’t know about! These are adjustable tremulants, the organ’s equivalent to a singers’ vibrato. The organist can adjust the speed of tremolo on either the Great or Swell division, or manual, from slow to fast, by simply turning the lever from left to right.

John Renke will be playing the organ for LCH’s German Vespers service on New Year’s Day, 4 pm. John is the organist at St. Andrew’s Cathedral and has played the harpsichord for numerous LCH services.

Too bad adjusting a person’s wobble is not so easy as turning a lever!