Aeolian player pipe organ "Triumphal March"

[TheWhitecloak]

Could do with a good tuning! Would sound MAGNIFICENT if it was. I agree with MIDI if it is used to preserve the original rolls as they can easily be destroyed by playing them.

[whoisthisguy724]

I see a small Wurlitzer band organ in the bottom right corner. Is that a 103, 104, or 105?

[ceredigio]

@whoisthisguy724 That doesn't much look like a Wurlitzer band organ to me, more like a Raffin 20 key hand turned organ!

[jimamia77]

many NYC high schools housed giant pipe organs. My school, New Utrecht High, and all it's clone buildings installed instruments in their auditoriums! I believe that Washington Irving High in Gramercy Park has the only existing working organ in the system. I have a diapason pipe from the chapel of Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn.

[kyokutyou2007]

@jimamia77

oh, I wanto to be born in the US!!!!

[BruderStarkton]

Why oh why do all these idiots want to ruin and alter original antique mechanical musical instruments by putting MIDI controls on them. Please leave them as they were built. If you want to add MIDI then DONT build a new instrument

[ceredigio]

@BruderStarkton I know of at least three organs in the UK which HAVE had a midi system put on, but they have retained their original book playing keyframes and can still play from them and can switch to play from midi if desired. But you are right, removing the keyframes entirely from old instruments and putting midi in their place is simply not on. Thankfully I for one know of no cases where this has occurred.

[ericalbany]

All things considered it's a creditable performance- played a bit too fast though

[wurlitzer165]

I heard some ciphering note in the beginning...

[jojo280278010]

hmm was trying to find bagpipes .......... but anyway well played xx

[arburo1]

The lady is operating the manual tracker control. The machine has no automatic tracker system and with the 116 note rolls you must continuously check for accurate tracking and adjust if necessary. It is unfortunate that she is wearing gloves. It is acknowledged that one is more likely to damage the roll when using gloves, due to poor 'feel', than any likely damage to the paper from sweat.

[DonaldFranklin67]

@arburo1 I think it would help, if you could have a MIDI controller, and make MIDI files,with which you would use a computer to control the organ. This would involve connecting all the pneumatics,so the computer would be "running the show" I saw videos by another You Tube user, "ampicoab", who did this, with a 1914 vintage Aeolian player pipe organ, he rebuilt. I saw videos he did of the organ playing "Waltz of the Flowers" from the Nutcracker Suite and Ketelby's "In a Persian Market"

[lostnyc2]

Curious now what the lady keep adjusting, the tracking of the roll paper perhaps? or something else?

This is great, always one of my favorite pieces, from the Verdi Opera "Aida," a different perspective hearing it on the organ.

[OrgelUndMich]

That's such a damned shame.

[Dloreg51]

Wo ist das Video, eine halbe Stunde habe ich gewartet

[edonmusic]

It will be many more year of constant work before ours sounds even close to this.

The task is unsurmountable. It has been unkept since the 30's. The organ builder is experiencing a "labor of love" only. One of the very few in it's original installation in 1905. It's one component failure after another and many wise craftsman had turned down offers to restore it.

[edonmusic]

The work to restore a badly kept instrument like this is horrendous. Thank god someone has the money, space, and respect for this history to restore one.

To bad a "windbag" shows up now and then to attempt to dirty up the progress .

[sofoclito]

Hell on earth

[sofoclito]

I have gotten several comments about my opinion of the aeolian performance. I have listen to it several times since then. What I can say, from my professional point of view (30 years of performing with the aeolian pipe ) is that in medieval times our friend would have certainly been executed

[SeattleOrganMan]

1) It's an antique likely in need of thorough resoration. 2) Aeolian residence organs rarely had much upperwork or even a fully independent principal chorus. They're meant to play orchestral transcriptions, and as such have an abundance of varied 8' tone. 3) Restoring that organ would cost a pretty penny. I know...I'm an organ builder. Why not just button your lip and enjoy hearing the sound of yesteryear without concommitant judgements!

[cromorne]

Agreed! At Monmouth University, where I'm currently a freshman, Wilson Hall (once the Parsons residence) contains a 4 manual Aeolian organ installed in 1925, complete with roll player, untouched since the '30's I believe, unplayable and unrestored. It's a goal of mine to get the instrument restored.

[Karlfalcon]

Is this that same Japanese museum where they seem to keep everything in as-is condition? It's terribly frustrating to a conservationist. Would you rather display a rusted-out old car or a fully restored one? The same logic applies. You can't just patch something up and expect it to stay in any kind of playable condition for very long.

[GAVIOLITOM]

Well, i am glad i had the chance to hear it anyway ;)

[lostnyc2]

I don't know, those complaining about it being out of tune or needing work- y'all cant just enjoy the video for what it is without demanding musical perfection?? It's a 100 year old antique for crying out loud, if you want perfection buy a CD player or something.

I'm sure MONEY is a big issue on this as usual with repairs/maint, they may not have ANY money to do much more than tune once a year let alone spend $50G on repairs, at least it WORKS be happy about that!

[cromorne]

I agree. I'd like to see any person whose made any sort of comment on the condition of the organ contribute to the restoration of it!

[bartonbuster]

You may want to check the blower and see if the reservior(s) are properly weighted. This instrument is historic and maybe someone will come along and give it some TLC. Aeolian was known for it's mello tone !!

[pipeup1]

Ye, I agree, sounds like theres a leak in the bellows, air escaping, or the pressure is not filling the pipes. Some ranks sound off-pitch, probably in the reeds caused from being played with low pressure.

You need to get an organbuilder/tuner in to have a look.

[278371]

OOOOPPPPS... I'm bad...can't spell "organ"...

[278371]

I like listening to this video, even with the oragn being out of tune. I'm curious to know what the organist/operator does while the roll is playing..

[lostnyc2]

Probably adjusting a tracking mechanism for the roll paper

[Y2H]

I really hope they will play this at my wedding!!

And my funeral too!!!

[etbuk]

This organ is very beautiful, but is out tune!!!

[octavebasse8]

i tune my own piano, and i know its out of tune

[waddleduckie1]

NO. This organ is NOT out of tune. DiegoLiger and Rowland! You are probably tone deaf! The organ is IN tune! If you listen to it carefully, it is beautiful!!!!

[bendasbrot]

ANSWER OF MESSAGE YOU SENT TO ME:

okay i respect your opinion, but you know i´m organist by myself for now on 20 years. i still think that the instrument (dont know video you mean, suppose to be the aeolian organ video) is really bad out of tune, and i know that this is true !!! i also dont know what your problem is.. dont you have any musical skills to hear such a dissonance? if you dont have skills, why do you just say something without knowing something bout music, an just respect my opinion

[SuperElBorba]

Wow - You think that's in tune?

I've been touch-up tuning pipe organs since 1976 (yes I was trained for several years), and there's a lot more needing attention here than just tuning and regulation issues. I used to work on a privately owned 34rnk Aeolian, and if this is Aeolian 1057, then it sounds like someone who doesn't know Aeolian's has gotten into it . .

The wind system needs some looking into as well I suspect - There's obviously quite a bit of sag.

[bendasbrot]

wow finally someone who supports me ;)

[riqzster]

Listen especially from 1:00 to 1:18 -- something's off, and I have perfect pitch.

[DiegoLiger]

What a horrible noise! Utter noise! Miles out of tune and not speaking properly. Reeds honking away and by the sounds of it some stops not sounding properly (sticky slides??). The sound is very muddy anad dull - not much if anything over 4'? but then the tuning and recording might be to blame.

[albanybeardguy]

@DiegoLiger

Go easy- this is a demonstration video, yes the instrument needs tuning and rebuilding- don't you think they are aware of it?

[9703michel]

Bof bof bof, a réviser !!

[animesis]

theres no need to be rude, atleast its kept going, thats alot more than can be said for most of these instruments

[Rowland107]

What a shame that this is such a dreadful, unmusical performance from this wonderful instrument. The unsympathetic operator is clearly just "going through the motions", the organ is dreadfully out of tune, and the Grand March from Aida is perhaps not the best choice of music to display the mainly subtle orchestral colours of the Aeolian palette. In the hands of a more musically inclined demonstrator, this 12-rank organ could, and should, sound superb.

[bendasbrot]

yes youre right its really bad out of tune...

[Rowland107]

From its appearance, I believe that this is Aeolian Pipe Organ opus 1057, originally built for Warter Priory, Yorkshire, UK in 1908. The house was demolished in 1972 and this organ has been through various private collections in the UK. Just where it is now, and where this video was made, I have no idea but would like to know.

[ceredigio]

@Rowland107 This is in a mechanical musical museum in Otaru, Japan

[octave4]

This lovely piece of organ history needs a good tuning and it would sound really nice. Keep it playing, this is a rare organ, indeed. It is unreplaceable today. Many people would say it is tonally out of current Fad. I agee, Fads should never dictate organ design. Make sure it is cared for a tuned but not changed.

[elisan693]

This is wonderful! Thanks for posting it!

[maxazi]

povero verdi!

[joenwayne]

Where is this organ located? Is the player who made the organ roll credited? Thanks for posting this!

[ceredigio]

@joenwayne This organ is in a mechanical musical museum in Otaru, Japan. I do not believe Aeolian orchestrelle rolls were made by well known performers in the same way as pianola rolls, so I would guess the Aeolian company arranged the roll.