Sneak Peek #4




Look what was donated to Victory Home - a pump organ! I wonder if my organist dad can tell me anything about it...






We're wishing, wishing, wishing for snow this weekend. We're too close to the coast to get what the rest of the state gets, but Flutterbug and I always hold onto that tiny thread of hope. If it snows, you'll be the first to know!

4 comments:

Brenda Covert said...

My grandma had a pump organ, but Mom wouldn't let us kids play with it! How mean! LOL

I was hoping for snow too, but all I got was rainy sleet and wind. Brrrr cold dampness!

Lainie said...

Bet it will be snow by the time it gets here! Neat looking organ! Pumping is hard!

Dad said...

The Burdett reed organ is a beautiful looking piece of furniture! Nice wood color. Do the bellows hold air? The fact that the straps above the pedals show a little could indicate some refabrication of bellows and straps mnay be in order. A common occurrance in instruments that old. And speaking of age, if you open the back cover you'll probably find an attached card or paper showing the date of manufacture, the company address, etc.

I've seen comparable instruments in antique shops for anywhere from $600 to $1400.

This one is a bit unusual by having the stops on each side instead of in a row above the manual. A one manual instrument has its sets of reeds divided at middle C, with a separate stop for treble and bass. This allows the player to select a softer stop in the bass to accompany a louder stop (or combination of stops)in the treble for a solo effect (or visa versa).

Since this organ has only four stops each side I suspect it has only two or three sets of reeds at the most. Pretty limited. Other stops will be an octave coupler and a bass coupler, with the possibility of a tremelo stop which is run by a little shaft of air rotating a paddle fan over the reeds, warming up the sound. Send along a couple close-up pix of the stops, or write down what's written theron, and I can tell you what you've got. I notice one label is missing, but you might find out what it is by experimenting.

Timber said...

Great info, Dad! Mrs. Toni (the elderly volunteer) and I each put a foot on a pedal and were able to get some sound after a while - and it WAS hard work, Aunt Elaine, but we got a kick out of trying. I'll try to remember my camera when I return to the store this week. I love how it says, "Happy Home" on the cover, and the ornate carving is great. A real conversation piece!