 |
|
|
|
|
Celebrating the pipe organ, the King of Instruments |
Mailbag: Big, Bigger, Biggest
January 4, 2006
Dear Michael:
First of all I enjoy your program. I helped a retired minster put a pipe organ together & helped him tune it. My queston is “What’s the biggest pipe organ you have ever seen & played?” Would you do me a favor on the programs, could you tell me how many keyboards & ranks of pipes the instrument has? Keep up the good work! I try to listen to each show.
Tracy Griffith
Arlington, TX
Dear Tracy:
We did the “world’s largest organs” program (2041, Big, Bigger, Biggest) as part of our Millennial Year Programming in October 2000. You can access it online (though the sound quality was, back then, not up to our present standard)
There’s an online website which accounts for most of the world’s big pipe organs:
…and some of those instruments have their own websites, such as the Atlantic City Convention Hall Preservation Society:
…or Friends of the Wanamaker Organ:
There’s nothing more to hear from Atlantic City until the $millions$ are raised to do the necessary restoration. I hope you’ll contribute to that effort.
The Wanamaker organ has appeared in various other broadcasts here (and has its own regular radio program on a station in Philadelphia…more information about that on the Wanamaker Friends site above).
I’ve also included the two largest church organs (Passau Cathedral and First Congregational Church, Los Angeles) in recent programming.
So, these instruments are all pretty well represented. As for doing another similar show, who can say. Watch the listings.
JMB
