MEYER: Open Diapason March, on Wilcox & White parlor organ

Louis Meyer (d. 1897) was a composer, arranger and conductor who worked in Philadephia, New Orleans and St. Louis. He may have been born in Europe since we know he performed in Richard Wagner's orchestra in Zurich, Switzerland. The Open Diapason March was published in 1879 by the F. A. North & Co. firm of Philadelphia. The North firm were agents for the Wilcox & White Organ Company of Meriden, Connecticut, so a Wilcox & White parlor organ was illustrated on the inside cover. In 1996, I restored this Wilcox & White parlor organ (# 30760), which was built in 1887. It is in use for services and weddings at Thornley Chapel in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. "Open Diapason," by the way, is the name frequently given to an 8' foundation rank of metal flue pipes in a pipe organ; "Diapason" is often found as an 8' foundation stop on many American reed organs, including the one heard here. Many thanks to Michael Johnston, proprietor of Michael's Music Service in Charlotte, North Carolina, for telling me about this piece, which he has re-published in both its original versions (reed organ solo and organ-four-hands). Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded 12 July 2011.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Louis
• Meyer
• Open
• Diapason
• reed
• organ
• parlor
• Wilcox
• White
• Thornley
• Chapel
• Ocean
• Grove
• Michael
• Hendron

[Offshoreorganbuilder]

p.s. The organ sounds in fine shape, so congratulations on the renovation.

[Offshoreorganbuilder]

Thanks for this very musical rendition of the kind of music which so suits the instrument.