Inside the incredible Spreckels Organ, with Raul Prieto Ramirez, and Jared Jacobsen at the keys.

Within San Diego’s king of instruments. This video opens with a performance by Raul Prieto Ramirez. Raul talks to us inside the organ, explaining how it works as Jared Jacobsen is at the console. Jared plays a variety of songs throughout the video as I am amongst the organ’s pipes.
May 11th 2019.

[@therealchayd]

I must say taking a guided tour of the inside of an instrument whilst it is being played has to be an amazing experience, especially the Austin windchest, I mean, that takes being inside an instrument to a whole 'nother level. That's one for my bucket list!

[@Mathyoou]

It makes me happy to see an Organ in excellent condition good job to the people that keep This amazing instrument in working order

[@rickpontificates3406]

I've seen the Spreckles Organ played many times by the great Robert Plimpton, but never saw the inside of that magnificent instrument. Thanks

[@garygreen7552]

Decades ago I was with a group of church musicians who attended a Sunday afternoon recital of the organ. Afterward we were given a tour of the instrument including going into the Austin Universal Chest. The organ was not being played while we were in the chest. The organ is a treasure in San Diego. I believe there is an Austin in the San Francisco Civic Auditorium and Westminster Presbyterian Church in Pasadena has a smaller Austin. Wonderful instruments.

[@KrisRowberry]

Correction: there WAS an Austin in the SF Civic, but it now sits 95% restored, in pieces underground in Brooks Hall.

[@russellwaite5874]

What an AWESOME video. One of the best I've seen in a while. I'd love to go inside it myself.

[@oludotunjohnshowemimo434]

Love those skinny vox Celeste pipes combined with the tremulant.

[@williammitchell1864]

I LOVE the 32' Contra Bombardes in the pedal

[@oludotunjohnshowemimo434]

Is the 32 foot contra bombarde basically the 32 foot trumpet or trombone reed?

[@shiningarmor2838]

@@oludotunjohnshowemimo434 The name "Bombarde" in American organs usually implies something bigger than a trumpet, but smaller than a trombone.

[@ElClásicodelos30s]

9:30 Wonderful performance!

[@johnnyzeee5215]

Very nice. Here on the East Coast, Atlantic City, NJ. Whelan Boardwalk Hall features a 1929 Midmer - Losh organ, with 7 manuals and over 33, 000 pipes

[@williammitchell1864]

Johnny Zeee, The Midmer-Losh organ is an Opus 5550, it has 7 blowers and wiring that will span this earth twice and the lowest pipe is 64' in length and produces a sound of five CCCCC octave and it's called: Dulzian. The Grande Ophecleide pipe is so powerful of a sound that it literally drowns out all other pipe sounds at a 100" of wind pressure. This organ has a total of 33,114 pipes!

[@johnnyzeee5215]

@@williammitchell1864 Yes. Have been to the Boardwalk Hall tour. Worked next door to the Hall for 13 years at the Plaza.

[@williammitchell1864]

This organist played Toccata and Fugue in D minor way too fast! Horrible🤢🤮

[@Engineer9736]

The Midmer Losh organ is quite a cliché to mention.. It’s the worlds largest organ, along with the Wanamaker organ.

[@johnnyzeee5215]

@@Engineer9736 Let's hope it will be fully functioning and playable in about another 5 years time. Sadly, so much damage from the '44 and ' 62 storms, and later neglect to be repaired.

[@marc49lewis]

Still hard to believe he ends BWV565 in a major chord. Fastastic old, super well maintained instrument. 107 years old now in 2022.

[@johnferguson4089]

Haha, I noticed that also. What an instrument.

[@johnnyjames7139]

It is amazing that this wonderful instrument has been kept in fine condition all of these years. There is a Wonder Morton in the Balboa Theatre nearby.

[@AFRCSD]

The song at the end is the Simpson's theme

[@Engineer9736]

Amazing video 😊

[@alexanderbaumgaertner]

Wow 🤩 very, very nice 👍👏👏👏

[@Sussybaka410me]

ya if u guys could answer what song is 6:41 in the video i was looking for it everywhere I don't know what it is.

[@Velostigmat]

"Fountain Reverie" by Percy Fletcher.

[@Sussybaka410me]

​@@Velostigmatthanks so much!!!

[@bobareebop]

A fan tremulant?? I'm a FAN!

[@russellwaite5874]

There's a smaller version of that fan tremulant in my old worcester reed organ. Simple but amazing.

[@freeman61]

That sounds like a very difficult instrument to play well !!!

[@Sussybaka410me]

the guy at 4:41 saying wwoooow woow wow so many times is funny lol but yeah its a rlly confusing mechanic actually the bar u see on the side on all of the keys probably gets controlled by stop for example when he pulls a stop the bar moves and makes it so it will open all keys from that rank

[@jrzzrj]

👍.....been there...done that.

[@karlrovey]

That's clearly an Austin windchest. Did Austin and Spreckels collaborate or did Spreckels rebuild the instrument or re-use Austin windchests?

[@AustinOrgans]

Austin built the organ from scratch and made many of the additions such as the 32’ Contra Bombarde on Austin chests, as well as the mixtures (some of the only bearded mixtures in the world) some of the additions such as the Tibias were added by Lyle. 98% of the organ is Austin and is reflected in our blue prints. We also made and supplied all of the play actions used to reaction the organ you see at work. None of which is to detract from Lyle’s works keeping the organ in top shape.

[@timothytikker3834]

It's called the Spreckels organ in honor of its donors, the Spreckels family (who made their fortune in the cane sugar business). BTW, they also donated the Skinner organ at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor art museum in Lincoln Park in San Francisco.

[@TheBroughamGamer]

What is the name of that music at the start of the video. It is amazing

[@richw456]

The Brougham Gamer it is the Toccata from Suite Gothique by Leon Boellmann

[@TheBroughamGamer]

@@richw456 just looked it up and I love it!!!! Thank you so much!

[@panha2694]

thank you so much from czech republic.to je kurva dobrý song

[@l000kin]

Great video and great organist (much better then woman on another videos...)! Thank you for this...

[@Mullikia]

He raises to an F# for a Picardy Third at the end of the video. Bach left it at D min but I liked this better, sorry Bach.🙃

[@jasmine7576]

パイプオルガンの作りが良くないか　演奏者が原因か　教会の音響環境が悪いのか 私にはあまり良い響きには聞こえません。

[@organbuilder272]

That spreckles organ is definitely NOT original. There are chests in there that are NOT Austin and the electronics switching looks like Peterson equipment (About the best you can get) Love the PVC sewer pipe used for wind lines. Austin would die if he could see that. They are doing a nice job of destroying the original organ. That Diaphone is... awful. Music played too fast.

[@AustinOrgans]

There have been chests added by others. But the Austin chest are intact and had replacement pneumatics supplied by Austin a few years ago.

[@rowanlidbury]

Sounds better inside that out! Truly awful sounding thing.

[@wisenodnarb]

You should visit. The old iPhone microphone does not do it justice.

[@AustinOrgans]

The organ is quite impressive. It speaks into the outdoors with no acoustical benefit to speak of. Other than than some buildings a quarter of a mile away that create some subtle reverberation as the sound is reflected back. This effect is not reproduced well on a phone.

[@elgar57]

Horrible row

[@wisenodnarb]

The Spreckels organ is supported by volunteers and donations. If you see something you do not like. Get involved and be a part of the historic instrument’s legacy. Disconnected Negativity is never constructive.

[@disdonc6012]

This sounds awful sorry.

[@pianoplayer56723]

It sounds amazing in person.