It's Not A Harmonica!!!

[brorat]

Almost 30 years ago, my wife Janet and I traveled to Italy with the choir of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Columbia, SC.  Janet accompanied the choir on pipe organ at the New Years Day Mass at the Basilica of St. Peter at the Vatican.  (Not too shabby for a Methodist!)

A few days later, she accompanied the choir at a concert performance at St. Ignatius Cathedral in Rome.  At the end of that concert, Janet performed the "Toccata Gloria" by Widor.  I used a handheld VHS camera to film it ... therefore, the glitches in the video!
The old VHS tape is getting a bit of age on it, so I did some work to figure how to record from my VCR to my computer.  With the help of a few YouTube instructions and about $20 worth of devices from Amazon, I got it!

This is NOT harmonica!  But ... hey! ... a pipe organ uses air to make music, too!  Anyway, here's the Widor.  Hope you all enjoy it.

[Age]

Bravo, Bravo, Bellissimo!!

[Gene Oh]

Simply amazing! GO Janet! She is one of the best!
Now I understand why Doug is so good at harmonica.
Gene

[Gnarly He Man]

Memories are worth preserving—good job, all!

[wolfman]

  WOWZER

[Grizzly]

A well deserved S. O.!! Perfect!

Tom

[smojoe]

Ok, do we have even the slightest inkling of what a HUGE deal this is? Playing at the Vatican. Are you kidding me. This is way above plaing at Carnegie hall, great Alfred hall, even the Sorban, or Vienna opera. This girl has  D E F I N I T E L Y  arrived. God bless her.

Count Joseph

[brorat]

Thanks to ALL for your comments. Janet is upset with me that I posted this. She thinks it looks like she’s “bragging”.

Just to clarify:  Janet is NOT bragging.

Doug is😂😱😂

[Gnarly He Man]

It’s not bragging if you can back it up.
“Pix or it never happened!”

[Gene Oh]

Doug, you married up!
Gene

[servus]

Bragging? No, that was just a recording of some great performing, a moment worth recalling. Thank you!  Molte grazie!
     
            PJ

[smojoe]

Doug, you don't understand the law. If a person says something about someone ELSE and that statement didn't come FROM that someone else, the someone else isn't bragging. Like if I say A.J. is the best...A.J. is not the one bragging. In any case give her a big hug.

jose Canyusee

[brorat]

Doug, you don't understand the law. If a person says something about someone ELSE and that statement didn't come FROM that someone else, the someone else isn't bragging. Like if I say A.J. is the best...A.J. is not the one bragging. In any case give her a big hug.

jose Canyusee

By the dawn’s early light?
I understood that law as you do Jose. I may need you to explain it to her😱😂

[Lockjaw Larry]

Doug, would a SlideMeister survey help convince her?  She did a wonderful performance and should accept our gratitude and appreciation for a job well done.  Attagirl!

[Grizzly]

I've come to the realization that the only proper response to praise and compliments is "Thank you." It's not fair to critique one's own performance, and therefor disparage the listeners' heartfelt appreciation.

That said: Astounding performance! Take a bow! If it's bragging, then well deserved.

Tom

[Laina]

Thank you so much for sharing Janet's performance which was totally marvellous. What a wonderful experience and lovely memory. Widor's Toccata is one of my all time favourites too.

As we're on the subject of the big bro reed organs - aren't they just fascinating - amazing feats of engineering? Beautiful sounds, often works of art and I've much total respect to musicians who can navigate seamlessly through multiple layers of keys and pedals. I take the occasional snap of interesting ones  - this pic is at Rochester Cathedral about 30 miles from where we live.

[Age]

Yeah, you can put me down for one of those big hugs.

[brorat]

Thank you so much for sharing Janet's performance which was totally marvellous. What a wonderful experience and lovely memory. Widor's Toccata is one of my all time favourites too.

As we're on the subject of the big bro reed organs - aren't they just fascinating - amazing feats of engineering? Beautiful sounds, often works of art and I've much total respect to musicians who can navigate seamlessly through multiple layers of keys and pedals. I take the occasional snap of interesting ones  - this pic is at Rochester Cathedral about 30 miles from where we live.

I fully agree with your comments about pipe organs, Laina!  The engineering involved in building one is amazing, and to also have them generally so artistic is astounding!  I've traveled a good bit of Europe and the U.S. with Janet, and we've done "organ crawls" in quite a few churches!  The newer electronic organs and the "hybrid" ones are gaining in popularity because they are generally less expensive.  It's not at all unusual for a decent pipe organ to cost $6 to $10 million and more!  I just hope that the ones that already exist will be properly maintained and cared for.  They are exquisite instruments.

By the way, my 16 year old grandson was a few hundred miles away from you two weeks ago as he and his choir from Trinity Episcopal Cathedral here in Columbia SC spent the week singing the services at Hereford Cathedral.  He LOVED it!

[Grizzly]

Thank you so much for sharing Janet's performance which was totally marvellous. What a wonderful experience and lovely memory. Widor's Toccata is one of my all time favourites too.

As we're on the subject of the big bro reed organs - aren't they just fascinating - amazing feats of engineering? Beautiful sounds, often works of art and I've much total respect to musicians who can navigate seamlessly through multiple layers of keys and pedals. I take the occasional snap of interesting ones  - this pic is at Rochester Cathedral about 30 miles from where we live.

I don't know whether this is the case on the organ in your picture, but my limited experience is that what we see from the pews are decorative (perhaps re-purposed) pipes that are not connected to the bellows of the organ. They're strictly for looks, the "real" pipes being arrayed behind them. The ones I've seen are plain; the ones on the Rochester organ are gorgeous.

BTW, that's not a reed organ. It's a pipe organ.

Tom

[Laina]

Thank you so much for sharing Janet's performance which was totally marvellous. What a wonderful experience and lovely memory. Widor's Toccata is one of my all time favourites too.

As we're on the subject of the big bro reed organs - aren't they just fascinating - amazing feats of engineering? Beautiful sounds, often works of art and I've much total respect to musicians who can navigate seamlessly through multiple layers of keys and pedals. I take the occasional snap of interesting ones  - this pic is at Rochester Cathedral about 30 miles from where we live.

I don't know whether this is the case on the organ in your picture, but my limited experience is that what we see from the pews are decorative (perhaps re-purposed) pipes that are not connected to the bellows of the organ. They're strictly for looks, the "real" pipes being arrayed behind them. The ones I've seen are plain; the ones on the Rochester organ are gorgeous.

BTW, that's not a reed organ. It's a pipe organ.

Tom

Yes, my grammar glitch I was still thinking of harmonica reeds, LOL. There's an interesting history about the organ's pipes' restoration. Some recitals are available on YouTube.
https://www.rochestercathedral.org/organ-

[brorat]

[/quote]
Yes, my grammar glitch I was still thinking of harmonica reeds, LOL. There's an interesting history about the organ's pipes' restoration. Some recitals are available on YouTube.
https://www.rochestercathedral.org/organ-
[/quote]

Not only are pipe organs very expensive to build initially, they seem to require lots of expensive maintenance over the years.  Many churches (and other places that have pipe organs) subscribe to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy of maintenance.  In most cases, that philosophy is very short-sighted, and in the end costs much more than if you do preventive and predictive maintenance along the way. 
My fear is that because of the expense, pipe organs will become "extinct" over time.  I'm fine with change, but totally electronic versions of the "pipe organ" just don't produce the same sound.  Technology is getting better, and the sounds are getting closer, but ... not quite the same.  I hope that there are those who will continue to maintain their beautiful pipe organs in perpetuity so that the beauty of their looks and sounds can be enjoyed by future generations.

[SlideMeister]

Doug sed:
"I hope that there are those who will continue to maintain their beautiful pipe organs in perpetuity so that the beauty of their looks and sounds can be enjoyed by future generations."

You talk like a SlideMeister!

[Grizzly]

Yes, my grammar glitch I was still thinking of harmonica reeds, LOL. There's an interesting history about the organ's pipes' restoration. Some recitals are available on YouTube.
https://www.rochestercathedral.org/organ-
[/quote]

Not only are pipe organs very expensive to build initially, they seem to require lots of expensive maintenance over the years.  Many churches (and other places that have pipe organs) subscribe to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy of maintenance.  In most cases, that philosophy is very short-sighted, and in the end costs much more than if you do preventive and predictive maintenance along the way. 
My fear is that because of the expense, pipe organs will become "extinct" over time.  I'm fine with change, but totally electronic versions of the "pipe organ" just don't produce the same sound.  Technology is getting better, and the sounds are getting closer, but ... not quite the same.  I hope that there are those who will continue to maintain their beautiful pipe organs in perpetuity so that the beauty of their looks and sounds can be enjoyed by future generations.
[/quote]
A 14K gold flute can cost north of $50,000US. But then, it has only one pipe.

Tom

[smojoe]

I'm sure that if there's a group in London who keeps the 150 year old steam/electric power plant in good shape, someone will take care of the organs.

Dawn Zerlilyte

[Gnarly He Man]

Dawn Zerlilyte

Signed, Shirley, the Cross Eyed Bear

[brorat]

Dawn Zerlilyte

Signed, Shirley, the Cross Eyed Bear

Nero, My Dog has Fleas.
And ... don't call me Shirley!

[Grizzly]

Dawn Zerlilyte

Signed, Shirley, the Cross Eyed Bear

Nero, My Dog has Fleas.
And ... don't call me Shirley!

Pretty sure the bear's name is Gladly. He's been around a long time, at least since my birth year: https://dehistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/19430313_transcription-1.pdf

T

[Gnarly He Man]

I stand corrected.
Trust the bear.

[smojoe]

Hello Vito, hello Tony
Here I am at, camp Leone
Camp is very entertaining
And theysay we'll have some fun
If it stops raining

We built this city...on Capicolo

[Laina]

I've been visiting relatives in the Loire who currently live in Massay a village with just 1,300 inhabitants. It's suprisingly well served with a small supermarket, wonderful bakery,  school, Doctor's and dentists and has a beautiful church dating from 13C. Earlier this year a new pipe organ was installed, all the chairs are hand made. I didn't get to find out more about the organ but here are some pics.