I really hope a lot of people hear this, so unbelievably cool and beautiful. First pump organ i have ever seen with those knee levers!! Sounds so special!
Apparently my comment might've been deleted but: It is funny to see this instrument in this context as an aspiring Finnish folk musician. This instrument (we call it "harmooni" or "matkaharmooni" for the portable version) is very common in Finnish trad music. Even I own one, however I am a guitar and woodwinds player, but as I am a folk musician, i obviously must have one😂
@@hackmodular One good example of the 'harmooni' in modern folk music would be a song by Juurakko called "räntää hyhmää". It has some nice harmonium parts. I do love how it can sound both sharp and mellow. It is a surprise how much can be done with it when given to a talented folk musician!
Hi Mitch, fascinating & very touching video. Lovely to have a chat with you and Sam on Saturday at the Cambridge event, hopefully catch up again sometime - all the best!
This video is great for multiple reasons that go without mentioning… I have a few reed organs and my father who passed away this year collected pump organs, player pianos and he even had a player pipe organ so I truly appreciate this instrument on many levels. I do believe that objects can retain energy characteristics from their history/environment and musical instruments are special in this way because they retain this from who played it and who it was played to. Think about the emotions that were literally pushed and played through those reeds. I’m sure you can feel this energy because you were driven to make this video. I’m very glad that you have it. Cheers✌️
@@hackmodular thanks! I’m sure too. He was a union electrician and went on to own a phone/telecommunications business. I’ve had to help him move his pipe organ a few times. I get a kick out of Sam’s organ vids. He would have loved the museum. ✌️
Man, that was a S-C-O-R-E!!! I've had my eye out for one of them for years and never saw one in the dozens of shops, flea markets and reenactments I hit. I do have the Clerk/Captain's "box" with all the little drawers and the drop down writing table, though. But this organ is something else. Sometimes, in the actuall WW II footage when they're showing religious services being conducted for the G.I.'s, you'll see organs exactly like this! You've got the real deal. Congrats!!! Edit. I wrote the first part of this before watching the whole video and it's now very clear to me that this organ has found the right home. It's possible my father heard it play when he was fighting in Europe during WW II. Or maybe even one of his brothers, an uncle I never got to meet who was killed in one of the battles in Europe. Who knows. But this organ certainly was a witness to a lot of WW II history. If it has a Serial Number on it, it may be possible to trace some of it's travels with an Army Chaplin and a Chaplin's Assistant, as they moved through the battlefields with the soldiers who's souls they were ministering to. All of the reeds can be relatively easily retuned. An accordian repairman or even a good concertina repairman could clean and re-tune them. If you found the right Chaplin, he'd probably love to have it used in one of his services -- especially if it's on a day that had significance during WW II.
Very likely they did. I'm not sure how many Estey made for the Army but many for sure. The serial is 466189 0:19 Do you know how I would go about tracing it's journey?
This is incredibly powerful Mitch. I had to immediately restart it and watch it again and now I'm crying. A nasty business indeed but you can really see how important the chaplains and religious services were (still are?) You're right, it's a beautiful sound and I had no idea that harmoniums had these expressive controls. Fantastic work, well done.
I"m so glad reading your comment to know that I'm not the only one seeing a bad history trying to repeat itself. I never thought it would happen here, though. I started a song about it some time ago. It started with the words "I hear the echoes of a hob-nailed past returning. Jackboots marching down the avenue..." I guess I should get back to work on it.
More music played on this organ: th-cam.com/video/rmxx4pvSW8k/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared
Very moving Mitch, especially today as its 6th June and the 80th anniversary of the D Day landings.
A historical artifact.
Great post. Thank you. For me, these instruments always remind me of the most vulnerable songs of Tom Waits.
I watch this video once in a while, almost makes me cry
I really hope a lot of people hear this, so unbelievably cool and beautiful. First pump organ i have ever seen with those knee levers!! Sounds so special!
Thank you for a tasteful look on a historic musical instrument, hope your channel will grow into something wonderful for you
That's an awesome piece of history, and to be able to play it is a real privilege. Thanks for sharing 😊
That's beautiful. Thanks for making such a lovely video. Delicately explained. Nice one.
Seriously brilliant video, you hit all physical, mental, and metaphysical lenghts, immense video
Can’t ask higher praise than that! Thanks
Apparently my comment might've been deleted but:
It is funny to see this instrument in this context as an aspiring Finnish folk musician. This instrument (we call it "harmooni" or "matkaharmooni" for the portable version) is very common in Finnish trad music. Even I own one, however I am a guitar and woodwinds player, but as I am a folk musician, i obviously must have one😂
Ah I have come across a lot of great Finnish folk! Music and people. The song I play at the start is Òran an Ròin, a Gaelic folk song.
@@hackmodular One good example of the 'harmooni' in modern folk music would be a song by Juurakko called "räntää hyhmää". It has some nice harmonium parts.
I do love how it can sound both sharp and mellow. It is a surprise how much can be done with it when given to a talented folk musician!
Hi Mitch, fascinating & very touching video. Lovely to have a chat with you and Sam on Saturday at the Cambridge event, hopefully catch up again sometime - all the best!
A beautiful video. Very touching. Thank you for sharing that story
This video is great for multiple reasons that go without mentioning… I have a few reed organs and my father who passed away this year collected pump organs, player pianos and he even had a player pipe organ so I truly appreciate this instrument on many levels. I do believe that objects can retain energy characteristics from their history/environment and musical instruments are special in this way because they retain this from who played it and who it was played to. Think about the emotions that were literally pushed and played through those reeds. I’m sure you can feel this energy because you were driven to make this video. I’m very glad that you have it. Cheers✌️
It's a special instrument to play for sure. Sorry to hear about your Dad he sounds like an interesting fella, I'm sure we would've got on well!
@@hackmodular thanks! I’m sure too. He was a union electrician and went on to own a phone/telecommunications business. I’ve had to help him move his pipe organ a few times. I get a kick out of Sam’s organ vids. He would have loved the museum. ✌️
Man, that was a S-C-O-R-E!!! I've had my eye out for one of them for years and never saw one in the dozens of shops, flea markets and reenactments I hit. I do have the Clerk/Captain's "box" with all the little drawers and the drop down writing table, though. But this organ is something else. Sometimes, in the actuall WW II footage when they're showing religious services being conducted for the G.I.'s, you'll see organs exactly like this! You've got the real deal. Congrats!!! Edit. I wrote the first part of this before watching the whole video and it's now very clear to me that this organ has found the right home. It's possible my father heard it play when he was fighting in Europe during WW II. Or maybe even one of his brothers, an uncle I never got to meet who was killed in one of the battles in Europe. Who knows. But this organ certainly was a witness to a lot of WW II history. If it has a Serial Number on it, it may be possible to trace some of it's travels with an Army Chaplin and a Chaplin's Assistant, as they moved through the battlefields with the soldiers who's souls they were ministering to. All of the reeds can be relatively easily retuned. An accordian repairman or even a good concertina repairman could clean and re-tune them. If you found the right Chaplin, he'd probably love to have it used in one of his services -- especially if it's on a day that had significance during WW II.
Very likely they did. I'm not sure how many Estey made for the Army but many for sure. The serial is 466189 0:19 Do you know how I would go about tracing it's journey?
Probably built in 1930.
This is incredibly powerful Mitch. I had to immediately restart it and watch it again and now I'm crying. A nasty business indeed but you can really see how important the chaplains and religious services were (still are?) You're right, it's a beautiful sound and I had no idea that harmoniums had these expressive controls. Fantastic work, well done.
Thanks Shiela, great to see you at the weekend
@@hackmodular you too!
thanks for the great vid.
Wow. Amazing! What is that piece you played at the end?
Made it up
Great sounds, and greater reminder of what the fighting was all about, all those years ago, as the stench of fascism rises again.
I"m so glad reading your comment to know that I'm not the only one seeing a bad history trying to repeat itself. I never thought it would happen here, though. I started a song about it some time ago. It started with the words "I hear the echoes of a hob-nailed past returning. Jackboots marching down the avenue..." I guess I should get back to work on it.
I'm shocked at how low of views this has. 900. Let this blow up
Just about any unit would have at least one man who had at least a couple of years of piano lessons who could play.
Estey Organ Co.