1931 Kimball Pipe Organ - First Congregational Church - Columbus, Ohio

[@kevinchunko7897]

This instrument is more than worthy of being built somewhere else as an exact historic copy. The world deserves 2 or more of these!

[@bonnybarfriendly8926]

This one of the best videos Foundation has done, if not THE best!! The organ, of course is fantastic, but the organist(!!) Kevin made the day!! Bravissimo!!

[@OrganMediaFoundation]

Thanks so much!

[@bonnybarfriendly8926]

@@OrganMediaFoundation Hi Brett!! What's the best way to contribute to OMF??

[@OrganMediaFoundation]

@@bonnybarfriendly8926 You can find information at organ.media/support

[@kevinjones3838]

Thank you BonnyBar Friendly! Come visit us in person someday.

[@fluteceleste]

yes, the demonstration is superb. Perfect instrument (and acoustics)!

[@nfexec1312]

Very nicely done. You mention Walker Technical when implying that missing 32' reed. Just because there is no space in the chambers for the speakers doesn't mean they cannot very strategically be placed down below. Walker has an incredible ability to control and project their voices (and especially 32' notes) so that the listener would not know the sound isn't accompanying the other pedal voices upstairs. Perhaps a call to Walker Technical is worth a shot?

[@rbaltimo]

AGREED

[@bowlerrollercoaster]

It had a surprisingly effective 32' Grand Harmonics

[@daminspritzer]

This is a glorious video, thank you, Brent and Kevin! Magnificent!! What a spectacular Kimball organ, my favorite!

[@2008truckman]

This has to be one of the best videos yet. Kevin did an amazing job at showing off the flavors that this Kimball has to off. It would have been nice to have heard all the celestes together. The more Kimbles I hear, the more I want one of my own.

[@fluteceleste]

Absolutely. I'm paying tribute to all those liliputian doors out in the world that have salvaged organ gems like this one from being tossed out!

[@peterstorandt5664]

*Kimball* 🙂

[@caribrackett9381]

Absolutely MAGNIFICENT showcasing of this remarkable instrument! Thank you, Kevin!

[@matthieubazile3350]

What an amazing Kimball organ! I'm amazed by the abundance of 8-foot stops, yet still a good amount of well voiced upper-work, which you don't typically hear on Kimball Organs.

[@fluteceleste]

Indeed it is an English cathedral organ

[@seanlofty5443]

Peebles-Herzog rebuilt our 1906 Austin Organ in the 80’s and performs regular service on the instrument (First Congregational Church, Marietta OH). They are a great company.

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

I know this church/organ well ! Used to sing solos there back in the '80s!

[@32contrawaldhorn]

The Kimball we have here at St. John's Cathedral in Denver is indeed from 1938. 96 ranks. It has two 32' ranks. One being a Contra Waldhorn - a very nice reed, the other being a very robust open Diapason. Kimball incorperated a lot of the same things into our instrument that appear in this one as well. Tonally, some things are the same and others are quite different but that comes as no suprise as they are from different times. About a decade ago, we here in Denver added an antiphonal division of 17 ranks. Some of the pipes are from an older era of Kimball. Others are from organs that were being discarded and also some new ones from A.R. Schopps. Now at 113 ranks, that gives us the the largest organ in Colorado (at least in largest number of pipes anyway). I think this one there in Chicago is very nice in it's own right and I would love to come see and play it sometime. Forgot to mention that our antiphonal division houses 2 very important things that were missing from the origonal chancel organ and those are a 32' Bourdon and a nice, loud hearolding 8' Tuba!

[@danielmkubacki]

Nice pipe organ!

[@williamfalconer9247]

Those full-compass celestes are marvellous - perhaps not so unusual for you in the US, but they’re a rarity here in Britain. I think the pedal 32’ tone here is good, too - perhaps not quite the excitement you’d get from a real reed, but there seems to be plenty of power, and it speaks really incisively.

[@BruceLudwick]

Such an amazing instrument! It's really neat to hear how much more cohesive the ensembles are in this vis-a-vis Girard College. It makes one wonder why one would have wanted another instrument...although I suppose we shouldn't complain! Great presentation, Kevin and Brent!

[@paulh5293]

Wow. An incredible sounding instrument, in *the* most compact chamber I think I've seen! Yet somehow it doesn't look cramped - a testament to a superb organ builder. A wonderfully engaging discussion between Brent and Kevin too. Have to agree with other comments, this must be the best video yet on the channel - and that's saying something. Thank you for posting.

[@accousticdecay]

Superb organ! Don't feel too badly about the missing stop. I learned on a 1967 Casavant IV/75 that had no 32' reed, but the 16' posaune is so powerful that it almost makes up for it. It's those little 15-30 rank organs with no 16' pedal reed that annoy me.

[@jennfierkrueger8302]

agreed

[@grantfarragher]

I live an hour north from this organ. Maybe one day I will be able to play it.

[@barnarus]

Beautiful and rare masterpiece.... beautiful rendering of Widor's 'Romane' one of my favorites....

[@jtcowboy2]

Just terrific, thank you for the great look at a lovely organ.

[@free2bsicilian]

So glad you went there!! This is probably my favorite organ and Kevin is a fantastic person!!

[@fluteceleste]

You bet! In addition I think the Kimball at the Scottish Rite in Guthrie mentioned below and the two fantastic organs (Austin and Moeller) at Peter Conte's Church in Philly also deserve being highlighted!

[@davef.2811]

Richard Fortney? Must be related back somewhere along the line. Beautiful organ and church. Thanks, Brent and Kevin.

[@johanbrand8601]

Absolutely fantastic!

[@OrganNLou]

WOW surprisingly great sounding Kimball organ!

[@nadalinorganist]

I took lessons from Jamie Bobb at First Congregational while a student at Capital. Both instruments are absolutely amazing.

[@OrganMediaFoundation]

We met Jamie Bobb back in 2019. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYqTdJltZ5aGf7M

[@aaronknetsch8732]

Glad to see you made it to my city! You should check out St. Joseph downtown as well while you’re here and review “Big Red”

[@joespeciale5875]

What amazing sounds this classic 1930 ‘s-era Kimball’s produce. Brett Johnson, outstanding job. One suggestion: I would like to hear more short organ pieces played by an artist on these instruments, in addition to your going through the tonal register.

[@charlesschumacher334]

Thank's for your reply. I do use excellent Sennheiser headphones. But I must say that some of the stops were so soft as to make them not very useful. Since they are in swell boxes they might be voiced louder, using the swell shades to modulate the sound. In an article by Jack Bethards Pres. of Schoenstein in an article about the Conference Center Organ he stated that very soft stops were not very useful and were not included in that organ & many other organs by his firm.

[@gmc0422]

The 1926 Kimball IV/65 at the Guthrie (OK) Scottish Rite Temple is tonally unaltered. The electrics have been modernized (all new code-current wiring, Peterson Orga-Plex relay and MSP-1000 console). 11 of the 65 ranks are Kimball's legendary strings! A good number of nice colour reeds as well. All of the strings together are heavenly! Anyone who happens to be through Guthrie, OK, there are instructions for interested (and qualified) people to play it.

[@OrganMediaFoundation]

We've been there! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJ7Ffp6jbspgZ5I

[@fluteceleste]

@@OrganMediaFoundation Yes and I got immediately reminded of Andrew's comment about the Dolce Cornet as a stop to be combined with strings rather than flues. And I am glad you mentioned this since few people appear to know.

[@organist1982]

I've been there and played it a bit! Isn't the "32' Daugherty's Bombarde" a later addition of around 20 years ago?

[@bobh5087]

This Kimball is a wonderful organ - but it still needs a 32' Contre-Bombarde! Just put those extended 12 pipes right out in the open. In a church that big you could surely find the room if you looked hard enough. 💥 😄 Btw, Will you be featuring this church's von Beckerath instrument?

[@kodygoad9711]

What a privilege it must be for him to get to play this fantastic instrument every day. I agree though that they should add a Walker 32’. They could find somewhere for a speaker if they tried hard enough haha.

[@tracygriffith9041]

Very nice

[@Diapason16ft]

Denver was 1938. I hope you get to that little Ruffatti at St. Anthony of Padua.

[@christianfeldmann8287]

More of this Big organ videos

[@markaustin4370]

Amazing !!!! And perfect demo

[@CentralJerseyRailfan]

Is it just me or at around the 23--24:00 mark I hear some pop music very faintly in the background?

[@markcooke729]

Wonderful! I'd love to have heard the effect of the Grand Cornet though!

[@kevinjones3838]

I used it in all the tutti sections of the Widor. It really adds quite the "oomph"!

[@organist1982]

@@kevinjones3838 That derived Grand Cornet IV in the pedal really gives the impression of a 32' reed! Do you know what pitches and ranks it's derived from? Derived 6-2/5' and 4-4/7' don't usually work so well due to equal temperament, but this one really seems to do the job!

[@musicandefy]

Please do a video on the Hazel Wright Organ at Christ Cathedral 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@marktowne6633]

Were you not able to get into the Swell or Echo divisions?

[@OrganMediaFoundation]

Apparently not.

[@saxachewon8062]

Will there be a tour of the Beckerath organ as well?

[@OrganMediaFoundation]

Hold your breath.

[@johnanderson3700]

Can you add digital

[@charlesschumacher334]

I enjoy your videos, and look forward to the new ones each week. I have one criticism: Why can't all the stops be demonstrated with the swell shades wide open to know the relative audio level of them all?

[@OrganMediaFoundation]

The swell shades are open. If they're ever closed, it's done while playing to demonstrate the dynamic range of the expression.

[@califdad4]

First congregational lin LA has the 3rd largest organ in the world

[@henryharesdene4164]

I just can't get my head around why you guys got to analyse an organ stop by stop, manual by manual - but then NEVER get around to show how various registrations blend together and play a piece of music to demonstrate the blend. Is it that nobody 'over there' can do that or a copyright issue or no local interest?? Mebe that's what makes an American enthusiast versus an European one. Seems a shame... Do pretty please enlighten us / me Thanks...