Victorian Palace

Jasper Sanfilippo's remarkable "Victorian Palace" in Barrington HIlls, IL, with the world's largest collection of orchestrions, band organs, and other mechanical music machines, as well as the largest pipe organ in existence.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• orchestrion
• band organ
• phonograph
• victorian

[angelinbabel]

The organ at the Victorian Palace is 5 manuals and 80 ranks, which is large especially for a theatre organ. It is not the largest in the world by long margins. that title goes to The Atlantic City Convention Hall organ which is just shy of 6 times that size (by rank count) though much of that instrument is in sad shape. the largest instrument in playing condition today is the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ (apx 460 ranks.) Interestingly, its curator is a former curator of the Sanfilippo collection.

[ReneRondeau]

Thanks for the correction. As Humphrey Bogart says in Casablanca, 'I was misinformed.' It's still an amazing organ, with some 8,000 pipes, not to mention percussion and bells. The video equalizes the volume and seriously diminishes the powerful impact of the organ in reality. It's a truly visceral experience.

[VTMCompany]

love the2:22 IF I HAD A TALKING PICTURE OF YOU!

[StuartMulcrow]

Thank you very much for posting this, I would love to visit this amazing collection one day.

[gogotomo123456]

fab film thanks

[loracio]

REALMENTE FANTASTICO!!!! felicitaciones por semejante preservación de instrumentos y maquinarias de una época ya exinguida! Cordiales saludos desde la Patagonia Argentina

[AAErikCO]

What a vast collection, would love to go there. Seems one could get lost for days trying to listen to every machine there. Hope they've got a few Cremonas playing Capitol blues :)

[daddyskates]

The organ is amazing but the rest of the house and his collection is sureal. No video could ever do proper justice.

I worked for this family and became very close with them. Nice people to open thier doors to so many people.

Chris

[trainguy111]

Can you get a video of the Wurlitzer 180, please?

[CURIOSITYPHONO]

superbe , énorme , n'existe pas en Europe

[KawhackitaRag]

This is a special Encore banjo made by the D.C. Ramey piano company in recent years. They make replicas of the regular single-banjo Encore, as well as an adaptation of the Connorized Banjorchestra that they call the "Ramey Banjo-Orchestra" (one of these is visible at about 4:03 in the video).

The double-banjo model was a limited-production item; I believe both banjos play the same notes at the same time from the regular Encore roll, but I'm not sure.

Google "D C Ramey"