Festal March in C - John Baptiste Calkin - W. Bell Reed Organ

Festal March in C was composed by John Baptiste Calkin, who was born in London on 16 March 1827. When nineteen, Calkin was appointed organist, precentor, and choirmaster of St Columba's College, Dublin, in succession to Edwin George Monk. St. Columba's College was a school mainly for the boys of the upper classes and for candidates for the ministry of the Church of Ireland; music and the Irish language were prominent features in the curriculum.
Calkin died at Hornsey Rise Gardens on 15 April 1905, and was buried in a family grave (plot no.17965) on the western side of Highgate Cemetery.
His best known work is the setting from 1872 of a popular Christmas poem I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
This Festal March in C is played on a foot pumped reed organ, made in 1892 by the W. Bell organ company in Guelph, Ontario Canada. This instrument has recently had a full restoration and rebuild completed, and with a very large vertical action the touch is still quick and responsive as demonstrated in this video.

[@Theroyleson]

Amazing! The power behind that organ!

[@christianguertin5317]

a wonderful piece beautifully played.

[@isaacposselt7089]

It's really cool that you can play so reactively, and play things that most people dream of playing on an organ. For it the reeds to react, everything has to be sealed up well, you need the skill to make it sound good when you're playing fast, and that you have! Sounds choppy on some organs if I play too fast.

[@clydesight]

I am sure that the Bell is a magnificent instrument in it's own right and has all the stops for a potentially great sound. YOU bring that potential out! Not only by your magnificent restoration (totally beautiful) but also your magnificent mastery of the instrument! Your performance was thrilling to hear and your technique is so good! You make this instrument sound so very beautiful, the way it was meant to sound. BRAVO! and THANKS for a wonderful musical experience.

[@Christian762]

Wonderful

[@matthewottaway8521]

Very well played, Rodney! The piece really shows off the organ and its expressive potential. It's nice to see the expression louvres opening and closing behind the music rack to add dynamic shading to the upper partials.

[@harryallenRHA110]

Brilliant Rodney, very enjoyable and thank you for the background notes relating to this composer. The March in C was previously unknown to me and I find your performance wonderful and the response from your organ superb. What a magnificent instrument in your hands. Kindest regards.

[@tgb9531]

A beautiful organ redeemed. Nice work. The piece has, shall we say, some things in common with Hawkin's Cheezies? 😁 tgb

[@james.flores]

Fantastic sound and played very well! Thanks, Rodney!

[@jonofarc443]

Nice organ! Thanks for the song Rodney!

[@theov5590]

Very interesting piece of music. Beautifully played.

[@tracybastian3091]

What an incredible organ and superb playing. I love reed organs and have a very nice one of my own but always dreaming of more.

[@vincenta_2]

Bravo! I would suggest the Irish National Anthem "Amhrán na bhFiann", I think it would sound very beautiful on a Reed Organ.

[@wolfgangberndt3481]

Very well done! 👍

[@Mr-Prasguerman]

Poderia tocar algumas das peças de : James Scott ,calvin lee woolsey, Joseph lamb , william crell ,Scott Joplin , henry lodge , Charles l Johnson e percy wenrich ? Não precisa ser de todo mundo

[@kaneaccordionist4047]

Awesome performance! You are my greatest inspiration to play music, I’m trying to learn this song on my Lowrey organ I still want to get a pump organ.

[@pouglwaw5932]

Yes, good pump organs are out there waiting to be played. I found my 1898 chapel organ neglected and about to be broken up and destroyed. They had no idea what a sad crime that would have been. I'm restoring it bit by bit and the sound is beyond impressive.

[@kaneaccordionist4047]

@@pouglwaw5932 nice save, I have my eyes on a Jewett and Goodman pump organ, its been in an antique shop for 11 years.

[@BleedingEdgeOfProgress]

Sounds more accordion-like in the overtone than i expected, there seems to be a lot of difference between reed organs in that aspect, i guess it doesn't have the type of resonance cavities that some do.

[@isaacposselt7089]

No organ sounds the same, even if it put the reeds from a different organ and put it in the other, it's still going to sound like it does, just the sheer density of the wood is what glorifies it unique sound! It's quite something, these organs are 120-150 year old wood which took probably 100+ years to grow, it's amazing how dense the wood is compared to modern wood that's been modified to grow faster. Or at least pine wood has been modified that I know.

[@BleedingEdgeOfProgress]

The wood makes practically no difference to the sound at all, it's all about the reeds (which may not even be original) and to some extent the shape / construction of the chambers.

[@isaacposselt7089]

@@BleedingEdgeOfProgress Yeah reeds sometimes sound different, but mostly they're not voiced different from each other unless there's several different stops. Most of the time they aren't too different from each other tongue of the reed will be bent at the tip or middle to change with way it speaks, or nothing at all. The tongues have to be brittle metal though, if it isn't its just dull sounding, or muted. I really like reed organs, but I don't know why they made some with such, dull metal, I have a few that weren't as well made as some of the more common better brands like kimball, and farrand.