Sunday, August 13, 2006

ANYONE SEEN ONE OF THESE IN THE STATES?

A hand pump organ? This still-working single-manual model comes to us from Castromocho, Spain.



Closest I've seen, as I commented to Domini Sumus in her post, is in Cumberland, Rhode Island. Saint Joseph's Church, where I was assistant organist to the late Bob Dube, has a tracker that was built in 1889 by the Welcome K. Adams and Son firm, once based in Providence. This two-manual, 11-or-so-rank instrument, still has the lever (there is only one) attached to the organ case, though it no longer functions. The organ is now run by electric blower motor. The stop jamb labeled "Bellows Signal" still sits pretty on the attached console as well, though now in vain.

For its age, the organ at St. Joseph's still sounds quite good.

For another treat - from the same person that uploaded the above to YouTube, here's a reed action organ - another single manual - good sized case. Enjoy!



Peace,
BMP

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Check out the Tannenberg Organ of Winston-Salem, NC. I went there for an organ crawl (and Winston-Salem is populated with lots of nice organs), and this one was one of the featured organs on the tour. Some of us even got a chance to pump the bellows while others were playing it.

http://www.oldsalem.org/about/tannenberg_background.htm

PhiMuAlpha2681 said...

The Fisk in the chapel at Wellesley College has both a blower AND hand bellows, so it can be played using either. It's tuned in 1/4-comma meantone, and the reeds in the Brustwerk and Rueckpositiv are copied directly from the transept organ at the Jakobikirche in Luebeck.

~nb

PhiMuAlpha2681 said...

I forgot to mention that I might be able to get you a visit there sometime b/c of my connections with Fisk. Wellesley's not that far from you, is it?

~nb