PATTISON: Menuetto & March, on Baker & Randall melodeon

Thomas Mee Pattison (1845-1936) was an English composer, teacher and organist at St. Paul's, Warrington, and St. Mary's, Ealing, in London. His "Windsor Voluntaries—Twelve Original Compositions for the American Organ or Harmonium" probably date to the 1890s, and include this Menuetto and March in C. The Windsor Voluntaries have been re-published by B-Note Musikverlag Freier Werke in Germany. The instrument is a melodeon built by Baker & Randall in Providence, Rhode Island in 1863, recently restored by my friend Milt Bacheller. Recorded in concert during the Moline Organ Fest, a gathering of the Reed Organ Society, 16 October 2011. I had originally planned to play the March on a larger instrument, such as the Loring & Blake parlor organ visible at the lower left, but this melodeon served both pieces very well. Performed by Michael Hendron, and thanks to fellow reed organist Rodney Jantzi for turning a page during the March!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Thomas
• Mee
• Pattison
• Baker
• Randall
• melodeon
• reed
• organ
• Society
• Moline
• Michael
• Hendron
• Rodney
• Jantzi

[pastorjackw]

Your playing is simply outstanding. I have enjoyed your posts so much. It so wonderful to hear this music played on the instruments for which they were written. You also show that these are serious musical instruments capable of making beautiful, expressive, sensitive music. I am an organist/pianist/harpsichordis­t myself, and I love free reed instruments. This is one of the prettiest melodeons I have ever heard. The voicing is very fine.

[ChucklesKeys]

Very beautiful! Great job of playing.

[grandunion]

The color of this melodeon is simply wonderful. It sounds like an ensemble of clarinets.

[Musique3579]

One of the nicest sounding Melodeons I have ever heard and the piece works A+ on it despite the size. Amazing! Thanks for sharing this video with all of us.