1883 Roosevelt Organ - First Congregational Church - Great Barrington, Massachusetts

[@pierrelauwers8719]

This is nothing less than the organ video of the 2023 year, to date. I hope this immensely precious organ has the close protection it deserves.

[@raywillard8859]

The demonstration was outstanding, providing individual stops in contrast to chorus development. The color stops are wonderful. Roosevelt knew how to design and build an instrument for organ literature across periods!

[@alexandraroosevelt3751]

What a thrill! I am a distant cousin of Hilbourne and Frank Roosevelt. An organist friend of mine, Eran Lupu, sent me this wonderful video. He's knowledgeable about Roosevelt organs and keeps me up to date.

[@Velostigmat]

Man, I've wanted to visit this organ my whole life. This video is the next best thing to being there and playing it.

[@roberthoffhines5419]

The finish on those facade pipes brings to mind the rusticated stone exteriors on so many buildings (churches) of the late 19th century.

[@markaustin4370]

Lovely! Very forward thinking for 1883 with a Celeste and an enclosed choir

[@jefferyrowley8873]

Brilliant presentation on a fantastic instrument! It is rare that such an instrument exists in nearly untouched status and the importance of building 'real' instruments that can handle anything you throw at it regardless of genre.

[@cromorno8749]

Untouched status but it lost its original action?

[@AlfredBrooks1831]

"nearly untouched" Tubular pneumatic is extinct for a reason.

[@thomaswalters4365]

Towards the end, you and Peter touched on out-of-the-way places having "forgotten" but priceless treasures (paraphrasing). There is definitely truth to this. Many years ago, I was visiting many churches in Brooklyn and that's where I learned that many old organs were untouched or had little change made to them compared to organs in Manhattan. That's where I got the idea of the OHS having an OHS Convention Brooklyn, instead of an OHS Convention NYC since many folks would think of Manhattan when hearing 'NYC'. There's a lot for organ enthusiasts, builders and organists to see in Brooklyn.

[@phyzygy]

I began my studies on the 1854 E&GG Hook (Opus 173) organ in Westbrook, ME, It was reworked by Andover in the early 1960s. It has found a new home in the cathedral in Boom, Belgium. Nice to see careful and caring builders and workers that want to construct and maintain these treasures. Many interesting unicorns and comments in this episode.

[@johnball3487]

So wonder! Peter is a wonderful Organist. Met him and heard him play at an OHS convention in the early 1980's! Wonderful!!

[@garygreen7552]

Great to see and hear this wonderful instrument. For those of us living in the Los Angeles area of SoCal Church of the Angels on Avenue 64 in Pasadena has a much smaller Roosevelt organ from about the same period in essentially original condition. It is a single manual and pedal, and I believe that it is regularly played for services.

[@Velostigmat]

Rosales did restorative work on it before the pandemic, and it's a lovely little organ. The church knows what they have and appreciate it.

[@garygreen7552]

@@Velostigmat Now that you mention it I remember that Manual Rosales did work on this organ. I have seen and heard it. I also knew a previous music director at the church. I hope that it speaks for many more years.

[@Velostigmat]

@@garygreen7552 hear hear!

[@ricktomlinson5481]

I put my Bose headphones on for this and wow this organ sounds great ! I think the sound of older organs is full rich, deep and very satisfying. I will take a diapason over a principal any day [my opinion yes]!

[@franklinshouse8719]

Great video. Very good job by both of you. Interestingly, the Franck E major Chorale that Peter started with was written after this organ was built.

[@matthieubazile3350]

What a great demonstration of this historic gem! Hopefully this organ can undergo a full restoration to ensure its longevity in the future.

[@AllenAP40]

What a gem of an organ.

[@scottrowley79]

Great video. Glad the old girl is still huffing along.

[@senkawascott]

That was fascinating! In the 1980’s I played at Christ Church, Rochester NY, where there was a Roosevelt division at the back of the church. The main organ was a mongrel that had died before I arrived. A 10-stop cabinet organ was procured to tide the church over until something bigger could be done. I had a manual wired up to the Roosevelt division above the cabinet organ and used it weekly for services in combination with the cabinet organ. I had a “two manual” organ that way, but the Roosevelt keyboard was at a 90 degree angle to the cabinet organ, so new playing skills were required to use them both at the same time. I will always remember the velvety 8’ diapasons (I think there were three ranks of them). Now that the Eastman School of Music has placed its Caspirini-influenced organ at the rear of the church I suppose the Roosevelt was removed. I always wonder where it went, and hope that somewhere those marvelous diapasons are still singing away.

[@brianshaw373]

Another excellent organ review. Peter is a really great organist and teacher. Kudos, gentlemen! Roosevelt displayed an electric echo division at 1876 Centennial. I had no idea that any have survived so it’s great to hear one, such as it is.

[@andrewstewart-cook2185]

Excellent demo Peter. Thank you for the comparison of stops on the various manuals at the same time. Gives a great perspective of the balance, rather than treating each manual separately. Bravo!

[@aspensmusicandrestoration]

That is a beautiful organ! Absolutely massive and such a rich and full sound.

[@Landon_Durrant]

A beautiful gem.

[@KnocheCollection]

Many beautiful stops!

[@allanweseman5433]

I grew up in Lockport New York,15 miles away from the Wurlitzer plant in North Tonawanda and have a great appreciation for organs. The Granada Theater in Buffalo has a splendid example of a Mighty Wurlitzer as well as a fully restored one in Mesa Arizona at a place called Organ Stop Pizza which has I believe 81 functional ranks. If you are ever visiting either place it is worth checking out. Your organ is truly fantastic; thanks for sharing.

[@zenasm.savage1999]

A Very pretty, very historic, very innovative organ, that is also very versatile, and very resourceful.

[@OrganNLou]

THIS WAS WONDERFUL!!!!

[@jrorganbuilding]

Wonderful instrument and demo

[@limitstoprogress]

Thank you so much for this demonstration! Greetings from Canada!

[@JohnMeeham]

Wonderful!!!

[@HobbyOrganist]

Excellent video and demo!

[@buttersrow426]

Say what you want about Laws, but he saved many historic instruments by electrifying them! Well done to Peter, Brent and crew!

[@christopherstephenjenksbsg4944]

I grew up in a church with an unaltered 1892 Roosevelt organ. It was much smaller than this organ, probably about one-third the size, but it had a very similar character -- very mellow and never strident. Unfortunately it is now unplayable due to a releathering project gone wrong in the 1970s. But I still remember that distinctive Roosevelt sound.

[@kupferdulzian16]

Absolutely beautiful! Wonderful demonstration of a unique instrument! (Incidentally, West Point has a 16' Dulciana in the facade 😉).

[@senaeco]

Thank you !!!

[@vanmusician]

The specification of this instrument was included in Audsley's 'The Art of Organ Building'. He was pleased that there were 2 Vox Humanas, which gives an idea of the taste of the period when organs were rated on how well one could imitate an orchestra!

[@ianwcraig9549]

A wonderful demonstration of a magnificent old masterpiece. Tonally superb! Would be great if somehow it could be rebuilt to eliminate some of the age bugs! Thank you.

[@philipstapert3517]

What he was saying about historic organs being well-preserved in churches of modest means is very true, from what I've been told, in the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan. That would be a great area to do a series of organ tours, and on the way up you could stop in Escanaba where we'd welcome you to visit First Presbyterian and St. Joseph's and St. Patrick's Parish.

[@DrpanProductions]

Haven't watched the entire thing yet but dang the ornamental facade pipes are gorgeous Also is this the same Peter Sykes who arranged the entirety of Gustav Holst's The Planets for organ?

[@rbaltimo]

The same Peter Sykes

[@romanlizak4644]

Roosevelt Opus 113 according to a recent OHS members publication of the 1892 Roosevelt opus list

[@SarumChoirmaster]

I LOVE THIS ORGAN AND ITS SOUND!!!! WISH IT WASIN BETTER REVERB!

[@wurlitzer3]

There is a very large 1888 Roosevelt at Trinity Methodist in Denver. 58 note manuals 30 note pedal. Rumor has it that there were originally some Cavaille-Coll reeds which were replaced by less assertive ranks and in more recent times new ranks patterned after the original ones were installed. The organ has a 32' wood open. I would call it substantially unaltered.

[@billraty14]

It's wonderful to see the innards of a Roosevelt. It would also be nice to see a Johnson too, roughly contemporaneous with Roosevelt!

[@jefferyrowley8873]

If one can find an original untouched Johnson & Son it would be a goldmine of brilliance. He build some of the best instruments of this time and didn't skimp on quality.

[@OrganMediaFoundation]

Stay tuned!

[@ericalbany]

​@@jefferyrowley8873there is a good Johnson in Albany NY, some alterations but none later than the 1890s. It's in the Masonic Temple, with an 1898 Steere

[@Velostigmat]

@@jefferyrowley8873 There is a relocated Johnson in Mankato MN, it was electrified by Laws, so the action is not original. However, it has the only surviving examples of the Johnson Patent Reeds--and they're bold. There's an unrestored 3mp Johnson tracker in Detroit, and it's still holding on.

[@jefferyrowley8873]

@@Velostigmat Yes ,I have been there in person at the Mother House of Our Lady of Good Councel. It is just like this instrument ~ you can play anything on it and the stops all blend well together in any combination even the raspy strings! and from a similar time period of 1877. I was there just after the installation. I hope that they have solved the huge issue of the extreme sound delay from the remote console.

[@AJ12-76]

I worked with Matthew Bellocchio at Roche Organ Co. in Taunton. He is quite familiar with it

[@arlomcgowan2727]

Great video! I have to ask: what is the piece that was played for the intro and at the end of the video? And was it recorded on this organ just for the video? I love the way that piece sounds on this particular instrument, and would love to listen to it in full if it’s available somewhere!

[@cromorno8749]

Electrified as always...

[@louislamonte334]

Actually Mark Hopkins was one of the "Big Four" of the Central Pacific Railroad, the western end of the first transcontinental railroad that was completed in 1869.

[@KravchenkoAudioPerth]

Pedal stops? My favorite part missing! Mark

[@ericalbany]

Mark Hopkins donated the money for the organ because he had ancestors born in Great Barrington

[@williammitchell1864]

Too bad the facade pipes aren't real😞

[@OrganMediaFoundation]

They are real and they speak.