The Oldest Playable Organ in the World Part 2

Organist Diane Bish and the television crew travel to the Fortress Cathedral in Sion, Switzerland to talk about and play the oldest playable organ in the world.

A clip from "New York Times", Paul Hoffman:

"One of the more unusual attractions of the Swiss canton of Valais is a 600-year-old organ, believed to be the oldest functioning organ in the world. It is housed in an 800-year-old fortress-church on a hill in Sion, the capital of the Canton.

"The organ, built in 1390 and most recently restored in 1954, is mounted on a wooden pulpit jutting out like a ship's bow from the rear wall of the Romanesque-Gothic church, once the Cathedral of Sion and one of Switzerland's most haunting edifices."

Organ Specifications:

(10 Ranks, 8 registers)
Pedal
Bass II

Manual
Principal 8
Octaf 4
Copl 4
Quint major 2 2/3
Superoctaf 2
Quint minor 1 1/3
Mixtur II

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Diane Bish Joy of Music Sion
• Switzerland organ

[Threetails]

The first video didn't explain the odd keyboard setup. This video gives a better idea of how difficult this instrument is to play, but she plays it with remarkable ease.

[StellaIrisandTess]

Why are there so many horrible comments on this video? The organ is a beautiful treasure and Diane Bish is an world-class organist. I wish I could play as delicately as her.

[topaakk]

sunshine34ification

SATAN IS EXITED TO SEE YOU VERY SOON!!!

COUNTDOWN STARTS NOW

[DonaldFranklin67]

@sunshine34ification Shame on you! That's not a nice thing to say about Diane Bish. I love organ music immensely. To me, Diane Bish is one of the finest organists there is, if not the finest! She's the "first lady" of the organ. I've seen her show, "The Joy of Music" numerous times, and enjoy it still.

[bayerasa]

Prelude sounds MUCH better on this baby...

[cazzie511]

brilliant cmw52

[cazzie511]

I BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE THIS IS THE OLDEST PLAYABLE ORGAN IN

THE WORLD AND THE PICTURES ARE SO BEAUTIFUL AND OF THAT ERA, WE ARE SO VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE THIS VIDEO. PLUS OF COURSE DIANE BISH IS A MOST EXCELLENT ORGANIST. HOW WONDERFUL!! CAZZIE511.13.13.11

[DuBistAhnungslos]

@whatifboy in the description stands: "The organ, built in 1390 ..."

[zubnik1]

What a pity,I stood in front of the Cathedral ,took photos but didn't come inside.

[whatifboy]

Didn't she say it was in the 1300s in the first part of the video? Now it's in the 1400s?