The Wanamaker Organ | Localish

The Wanamaker Grand Organ at Macy's has been thrilling Philadelphia shoppers and visitors every business day since 1911. The organ is a National Historic Landmark and valued in excess of $71 million dollars.

[@tomcryer9926]

My mother played this organ. It was the Christmas season in the mid/early 1950s. I was around 5 years old when she took me. I remember taking the train to center Philly, then a cab. When we arrived all the ladies had their coats with the fur collars and sleeves. They were wearing nylon stockings with the seam down the back. There was snow on the ground as we arrived at the front door and the overwhelming fragrance of perfume was a part of all the lights glitter and gaiety of the season. I remember walking into the doors and seeing the white walls with the balconies and loud giggle bells and Christmas music. We went up the elevator and then up some stairs. The room looked way different then. After my mom’s playing, and because I was behaved, she gave me a ride on the second/third story train that ran around the perimeter of the store. In order to be able to play this organ you had to be approved and sign in. I wonder if any of those records are available to check. Anyway glad to see something’s are still important. Will they be silenced for 2020?

[@coladamson71]

Thanks for this - and remembering with great fondness our visit from Sydney in 2012. Over many years, I've been building my own "Wanamaker Wannabe" 6 manual organ in my home. Love the organ...and the very able organists who play it.

[@amspcut]

It is Magnificent, that an instrument of this caliber and size has been kept and maintained in its current excellent condition .

[@MrClaudeholmes]

So good to see this truly ( One O f A Kind ) musical instrument restored to it's grand glory. Whenever I have the opportunity to shop in MACY's make plans to attend various concerts throughout each season , to enjoy this One of a kind * priceless - musical treasure Philadelphians are fortunate * to have. No other Department Store on this planet has a pipe organ installed in their store.*****

[@albertpeckham8708]

I first heard this organ in the 1950's and it was played by Mary Voght. (sp). I later heard a dear late friend Keith Chapman also play it. I relish those great moments.

[@ted1091]

Thank you for posting this. Incredible

[@nettiemarie2556]

Ive GOT to go see this!! Amazzzing! 🎼🎵🎼🎶🎼🎶🎼

[@shawnsanders4056]

I would LIVE to hear some great Southern Gospel music on this instrument. (Victory In Jesus) 💗💗 I live in Philly. Love hearing it played!

[@organist1982]

The guy on the left at 5:47 looked SO enthusiastic, didn't he?!

[@huqiao]

Pipe organ in a department store, how American it is! ;)

[@DannyEastVillage]

I know! it's a circus all by itself! I LOVE it!

[@jamesdean780]

Actually, the second largest. Granted the largest fully functional instrument. Largest is in Atlantic City Convention center. It is currently being restored. 10 years away. Both magnificent but in different halls. The tonal quality of this instrument is absolutely magnificent.

[@jakedarmstadter6943]

Agreed but this instrument weighs 100 tons more and has more ranks

[@CECS1]

@@jakedarmstadter6943 maybe more ranks, but the ranks themselves are smaller. The ACCO is on average 1.5 octaves larger per rank

[@jakedarmstadter6943]

@@CECS1 yes You are completely right.

[@danielmario9507]

Instablaster.

[@KingdaToro]

@@jakedarmstadter6943 The total weight of the Boardwalk Hall organ isn't known, so any claims of the Wanamaker being heavier are hearsay. The Boardwalk Hall organ does have more pipes, and has the single heaviest pipe, low C of the 32' Open Diapason. It may indeed be heavier.

[@jodysheridan604]

The room is shaped like a basilica, now I've got a reason to stop by while I'm in the city

[@jackelineweststrate8971]

What a big organ, very nice

[@phillyedhrj]

I miss this.

[@Engineer9736]

They bring it as if the organ is there to entertain the shoppers, while in reality the shops should be glad they are allowed to stay in the building instead of having the entire building devoted to the organ 😜

[@stephenhetzel8437]

The emperor's fanfare!!

[@DandyDon1]

No longer are the bells from the mechanical National Cash Registers heard in the background though... Captured forever on Keith Chapman's Wanamaker Organ 2 CD set.

[@dylandavidshaw]

Actually the sounds of cash register bells and background noise were added in the double cd rerelease in 1993. When Keith originally recorded and released the three albums there was no store noise. Just the organ.

[@DandyDon1]

@@dylandavidshaw That's kind of disheartening.... All this time I thought there people "milling about" during recording.

[@SoggySandwich80]

I wanna hear it on full organ

[@Juraberg]

😎👍🏼

[@Michael_VG]

Is the Boardwalk Hall organ not larger?

[@rotunda57]

It's larger but currently (guessing) 65% playable

[@vewilli]

👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻🙏🏻

[@Richard-vq7ud]

Wow, i wish i could hear it with all those stops pulled

[@Durufle68]

That would not be appropriate

[@johanbrand8601]

Indeed. That's pretty much impossible.

[@grahamnancledra7036]

Having the largest organ means nothing - it's how you use it that counts.

[@spuds4t]

C'est la vie Graham!

[@DannyEastVillage]

available for a demo?

[@stevenbrennfleck461]

What is the piece at 5:53

[@cyzcyt]

Daddy Wana-make-an organ?

[@richardharrold9736]

Why so much unrelated non organ music? Ruins what is otherwise a rather good film.

[@volespam]

A real concert of organ music would have been spoiled by people talking over it. And while the instrument has the resources to play the organ classics, it has an orchestral orientation. So it is appropriate to showcase orchestral transcriptions when giving a sampling of its capabilities. One can find plenty of real organ works played on this instrument on KZbin, and there are years and years of CDs available. Don't expect a short video introducing the organ and its place in Philadelphia to substitute for them.

[@richardharrold9736]

@@volespam my complaint is that the majority of music in this video is not of the Wanamaker organ, nor indeed of any other organ, not of the Grand Court Organist's choice of repertoire.

[@Engineer9736]

The music played was not really inspiring indeed. Organ music can be so much more beautiful than those meaningless tunes they played here only on mixture stops. Imagine Elgar’s Nimrod on this organ with the string stops and that bass that it can produce. Or the Come Sweet Death recording by Virgil Fox. This video didn’t come close to proving what this organ can do. But it was interesting nonetheless.