Pipe Organ Players

[amont1]

Hello. I play a small gulbransen organ. I would like to know how it feels to play a pipe organ, or listen to one.

If anyone knows, where would I find a pipe organ near Sacramento California.

Cheers,
Alan

[Muza]

I live somewhat in the area, and yet I dont really know. Have you tried googling it? That usually helps a lot

[musicalis]

Hi !
1) I am sorry, I do not know what is a small "gulbransen organ".

2) have you tried to play with a great virtual organ? It is very pleasant and it may help you until you find a real organ in your district.

Friendly

j-Paul

[Muza]

That sounds like a good suggestions!

[amont1]

A Gulbransen is a small transistor organ from 1958.

[jvhldb]

I have a small transistor organ, YUK! Once you've played a real organ you will never wan't to go back.

[Krummhorn]

Hi !
1) I am sorry, I do not know what is a small "gulbransen organ".

Jean-Paul,

These are small home instruments - usually had two 44 note keyboards and a 12 note broomstick pedalboard. Everything was contained (speakers, amplifiers and tone generation system) within the small console. Gulbransen, Lowry, Thomas, Wurlitzer, Baldwin and many others made these by the thousands. Most of those have either gone by the wayside or have now entered the digital tone reproduction era.

Here's a generalized picture representative of these home organs:

[musicalis]

Thanks Krummnorn and Amont1.

I understand very well. I owned a spinet organ (Hammond L122) like this too when I was 18 years old.

J-P

[amont1]

This is my organ. As you can see, it is not a spinet.

[NEB]

Suggestion - go look around churches in the area - usually find pipe organs there. They might let you play/practice????/ worth a try - jump in the car and go look - all I can suggest.

[Krummhorn]

Amonti,

Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church that has a rather large pipe organ that is, afaik, used regularly. If you want to hear one, this could be one of the finer ones in that regional area. If memory serves correctly, Fair Oaks is a suburb of Sacramento.

[NEB]

There must be rather more though. I would guess every cathedral would have a pipe organ of some merit surely? and every city would have a couple of cathedral-type churches?

[Krummhorn]

By "Cathedral" you are possibly meaning the Diocese Church of the area? Our Diocesan "Cathedral" is a rather large edifice and it does have a pipe organ, and that's about all that can be said about it. The last time I played it, the organ (25 odd ranks) was in need of lots of TLC as there were dead notes, non working stops, not to mention that the organ chamber (in the chancel area) was high up on the wall (no pipes showing whatsoever) trying to speak out of an enclosure opening about 6 feet square ... a typical "service instrument" installation with no thought to the organ ever being used for anything more than playing hymns and liturgies. The acoustics are what saves this organ - marble floors, no carpeting anywhere, high ceiling, very long nave ... about 3 to 4 seconds natural reverberation. Alas, the organ isn't used all that often - they primarily use Mariachi's and other ear piercing noise makers.

When I was vacationing in Sacramento a few months ago, I was looking specifically for a couple good pipe organs to see ... alas, found only the one (Presbyterian above) and a Lutheran church who's pipe organ was recently torn down and replaced with an electronic while being refurbished. The local "cathedral" there does have an organ, but it is not known whether it is pipe or electronic. Even at that, the Presbyterian church was doing contemporary rock (happy clappy) services the weekend that I so dearly wanted to hear the pipe organ played ... pitty ... real pitty that these great organs are being cast aside so that we can have the hairs on our heads parted in the middle and experience loss of hearing by age 40 with over amplified distorted noise.

[NEB]

You tell a very sad tale there my friend. The mad rush to 'modernism' tends to exile/destroy so much in a largely indiscriminate way.

No care or attention is spent on weighing up the individual merits prior to destruction, and that which is destroyed can rearely be recreated, an effect which sadly is only ever realised in hindsight.

[Serassi1836]

When you play a pipe organ, you are play the king of instruments. You know that you have in your hands (and in your feet) a very potent instrument. You can add the Mixture and you can shake the church. You think your power is enormous.