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MMD > Archives > April 1995 > 1995.04.18 > 03Prev  Next


Automatic Music List
By Terry Smythe

To: automatic-music@foxtail.com

J >Jim Weisenborne. reproducing pipe organs.

J >rare opportunity to see the
J >two world-famous pipe organs: the Kimball Ballroom organ (with a Kimball
J >player) and the monster auditorium organ, the giant Midmer-Losh, 7
J >manual, 300+ rank instrument.

Wow! The largest pipe organ I've had the privilege of visting was the Wannamaker in Philadelphia. However, I understand that a large multinational conglomerate has acquired the Wannamaker department store, and in the sole interests of profits, maintenance of this organ has been struck from the budget. Anybody got any current news on the fate of this organ?

The strangest residential pipe organ I've seen was in Calgary where I found someone living in a conventional 3 bedroom bungalow with a 3 story basement housing a huge pipe organ under construction. The home was part of a subdivision constructed on the slope of a hill and his sewer line, being 3 story's deep, is connected to the sewer mains 2 blocks down the slope of the hill! The entire installation was an amazing engineering feat. I wonder if John Musselwhite in Calgary has any further knowledge of the state of this organ.......

At the 1979 AMICA Convention in Philadelphia, at the open houses following, I had the wonderful opportunity of visiting Jesse Macartney home in Narberth. He too has a big 3/35 Skinner crammed into his home, and the recollection that stands out in my memory was the amazing experience of standing inside the middle of the basement totally surrounded by pipes in performance. Enough to blow your hat off! The basement stairs were full of people just sitting there enjoying the thrill of being enveloped and surrounded by pipe organ music. Quite an experience.

When Bob Dumas in Long Lake, MN (Minneapolis) retired some years ago, he and Kathryn built "The Great Hall" onto their home in a beautiful apple orchard. Bob is an incredibly talented hi-energy person who always a number of major projects on the go every time we visit. But in "The Great Hall" addition, they have their fine collection of automatic musical instruments, along with a 3/12 theatre pipe organ. A neat touch in this wonderful display is a model railway completely surrounding all 4 walls about 7 feet high, and threading through the pipe chamber of the organ. Every visit there is memorable!

Any other nifty pipe organ experiences out there?

Regards,

Terry


Terry Smythe               Sounds of Yesteryear
55 Rowand Avenue  Restoration and enjoyment of vintage
Winnipeg, Manitoba  automatic musical instruments.
Canada R3J 2N6 
204) 832-3982  email: smythe@mbnet.mb.ca


___
* UniQWK #5002* Hello, everybody, I'm a human!

(Message sent Tue 18 Apr 1995, 14:43:22 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.)

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