I worked on this organ when I was with Buzard, it was my first project (it was already in the works when I got there). I still am in love with organs, this one left a great impression.
Most of St. Josaphat's structure consists of a salvaged Post Office from Chicago that was torn down. Very few stones or other elements were modified or wasted, and you can still see symbols e.g. in the doorknobs, etc.that are secular in nature as a result. It also used a common-to-Milwaukee (at the time) technique of importing cement for the foundation and reinforcing it with railroad ties.
I've just finished work for Christmas, opened a beer, relaxed looking on youtube and Brent is on the keys. What a treat. Your knowledge of these instruments is amazing, so nice that you show us around at the end. Merry Christmas to you all 🥰
Quite Impressive Brent- that Violina 4' with the Diapason 8' makes it sound as though there's an Oboe on the Swell. I had to rewind the video in case I'd missed something. Very versatile!
kimbal was one of the best ever and this organ shows exactly what i mean. the scales of the pipes are very thin but still they are sounding warm which i dont hear very often
What a lovely little instrument. That 8ft diapason looks a huge scale! But some nice sounds. Great to hear you playing a bit of Karg-Elert at the end - a much underrated composer. His Chorale Improvisation on "In Dulci Jubilo" is a challenge to play but works nicely on a big organ. Love seeing all these little gems I'll never get to see in person. Thanks as always for posting.
I've wanted to hear a Kimball boxcar organ for years! I played a similar "seven rank special" organ at St. Joseph's in Spokane. These little seven rank jobs may not be "exciting" organs, but they get the job done quite well.
This is a really nice little organ...classic small American instrument from the late 19th/early 20th century. I really don't understand why a lot of people hate on American organs for being "tubby". Yes there are some that deserve the hate, but there are some truly wonderful instruments. Yea, they're not as bright as a French/German baroque organ, but that's not what they are built for...
You can absolutely play Bach on it, it just won't sound anything like how you expect Bach to sound. That being said, how often do we use Bach in a service?
@@Velostigmat Not much more than the occasional prelude or postlude...but it's a sort of knee jerk phrase with those who don't like ild instruments. It's why so many were trashed for the Neo Baroque organs
The Kimball was originally installed in the Small Preceptory of the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Chicago, Illinois. It was rescued just ahead of the wrecker's ball and placed in storage. It was restored by the Buzard company of Champaign, IL. It was installed here at the church in 2016.
We have a similar organ guy over here in the UK and his youtube handle is "organ visitations". In the UK we have hundreds of ancient organs and there is one next to my house which is directly connected to the believed 12th century church. The organ sounds like the wailing of some lost soul from the depth of hell !! Unfortunately, congregations of 10 or less don't make organ restoration a priority, so the decay is really very sad.
7 ranks across two manuals. I don't see anything across the manuals unless you count the swell key slip, case or impost. # of manuals, Pedal, # of stops, # of ranks, # of registers and # of pipes is the correct way to let people know the REAL capabilities of an organ. Of course the modern practice is to count ranks. That gives an honest view of the capacity for tonal change. So we have a great with 8, 4, 2 and a 4 rank mixture. 7 ranks - very impressive. But only 4 tonal representatives, baroken at that.
There is no mixture. Look at the stoplist in the OHS database link. It lists pipe totals for each of the ranks as well. Here's the simplified stoplist without pipe totals *Great:* 8' Open Diapason 8' Dulciana 4' Violina *Swell:* 8' Stopped Diapason 8' Gamba 4' Flute d'Amour *Pedal:* 16' Bourdon *Couplers:* Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal Swell to Great Super Octave
@@karlrovey I suppose I gave the wrong impression of what I was trying to say. Personally, I don't give a damn about this organ. Buzard is out of business and as a reccommendation that should be enough to explain his quality. Nowhere did I say, mention, insinuate that I was giving the stop-list for this organ. I should have said - "AS AN EXAMPLE....... Since I have to provide an explicit explanation. One does not say - "Seven ranks across two manuals. There are no pipes across either the manuals or the pedals. You can easily prove that by looking at the pictures presented. I provided an example of seven ranks. - 8', 4' 2' and a mixture IV. So what is left for the swell. Does anyone today know the difference between a stop, register and rank? I doubt it because those three elements plus the total pipe count, are required to give an accurate description of the tonal architecture of the organ, or at least as accurate as you can have without the complete stop list.
@organbuilder272 Buzard is not out of business. In fact, Buzard is one of the top organbuilders currently active. Buzzard didn't design or build this organ. Rather, Buzard restored it according to its original design.
@organbuilder272 Furthermore, the tonal philosophy just over a century ago is vastly different than what is desired in today's organs. Rather, boxcar organs were standardized, budget friendly designs that were a step up from a reed organ. They fit the expectation of their time, mostly foundation stops with one or two 4' stops and reached the 2' pitch via super couplers. You could get them from a couple of different companies such as Hinners, Kilgen, or Kimball. These companies are among several that went out of business during the depression era and WWII war rationing. Aside from Hinners, they built some well-known concert hall organs and theatre organs in addition to the boxcar organs.
@@organbuilder272 (1) Do YOU know the difference between registers and stops? Ranks is straight forward. But both stops and registers are ambiguous terms. And with 19th cent. builders like E & GG Hook, Geo. S. Hutchings, Geo. Stevens, Wm. B. D. Simmons and others, 'registers' could include the Tremolo and the couplers. Hence the ambiguity. But the Kimball is 7 independent voices, 7 speaking stops, 7 ranks, and 396 pipes. (2) If you don't give a damn about the organ, then why do you find it necessary to comment? (3) Where did you get your information about Buzzard? Because it is entirely errant. Buzard is very much alive and well and thriving. And they are well esteemed in the industry. I can say that from both personal experience with an instrument, and from having heard others. If you don't care for the sound of their instruments...that's fine. You are entitled to your tastes and opinions whatever their basis. But concomitant criticisms based in negative opinions benefit no one.
I'm grateful you guys regularly feature these small and historic instruments which seem to be overlooked elsewhere!
I worked on this organ when I was with Buzard, it was my first project (it was already in the works when I got there). I still am in love with organs, this one left a great impression.
Me too! I stripped all the old paint off of those Facade pipes outside with acetone in 90 degree heat before DB applied the new stenciling!
Lovely rebuilt instrument.
I love this organ! I would like a boxcar organ just like this for my home. .....Would need to buy a home first, I guess. Sigh.
I got to play it when it was still in the Chicago Consistory of Scottish Rite.
There are some nice instruments sleeping away in old fraternal society halls. Here in Albany NY we've got a Johnson and a Steere.
Most of St. Josaphat's structure consists of a salvaged Post Office from Chicago that was torn down. Very few stones or other elements were modified or wasted, and you can still see symbols e.g. in the doorknobs, etc.that are secular in nature as a result. It also used a common-to-Milwaukee (at the time) technique of importing cement for the foundation and reinforcing it with railroad ties.
So it's a Kimball-Buzard organ. Now I understand it. And it sure sounds magnificent for a small organ. Thank you very much
I've just finished work for Christmas, opened a beer, relaxed looking on youtube and Brent is on the keys. What a treat. Your knowledge of these instruments is amazing, so nice that you show us around at the end. Merry Christmas to you all 🥰
That was the most beautiful rendition of “I Need Thee Every Hour” I’ve ever heard. Thank you.
Quite Impressive Brent- that Violina 4' with the Diapason 8' makes it sound as though there's an Oboe on the Swell. I had to rewind the video in case I'd missed something. Very versatile!
Sweet powerful little organ wow!
It's a restored 1904 Kimball organ, I wouldn't add more names to it
Love to hear you play!
kimbal was one of the best ever and this organ shows exactly what i mean. the scales of the pipes are very thin but still they are sounding warm which i dont hear very often
great sound tonally and love the decoration on the Facade pipes
Thank you for your work on showing us these instruments!
Nice small organ love the sound and the pipes
Neat little instrument! I bet a small service in that chapel is something special.
What a lovely little instrument. That 8ft diapason looks a huge scale! But some nice sounds. Great to hear you playing a bit of Karg-Elert at the end - a much underrated composer. His Chorale Improvisation on "In Dulci Jubilo" is a challenge to play but works nicely on a big organ. Love seeing all these little gems I'll never get to see in person. Thanks as always for posting.
Cute organ!
I've wanted to hear a Kimball boxcar organ for years!
I played a similar "seven rank special" organ at St. Joseph's in Spokane. These little seven rank jobs may not be "exciting" organs, but they get the job done quite well.
This is a really nice little organ...classic small American instrument from the late 19th/early 20th century. I really don't understand why a lot of people hate on American organs for being "tubby". Yes there are some that deserve the hate, but there are some truly wonderful instruments. Yea, they're not as bright as a French/German baroque organ, but that's not what they are built for...
Lovely
The Karg-elert is perfect for this little organ!
Lovely small organ- the sort which is perfect for a service. People dismiss these unfairly -"you can't play Bach on it". Balderdash.
You can absolutely play Bach on it, it just won't sound anything like how you expect Bach to sound. That being said, how often do we use Bach in a service?
@@Velostigmat Not much more than the occasional prelude or postlude...but it's a sort of knee jerk phrase with those who don't like ild instruments. It's why so many were trashed for the Neo Baroque organs
@@ericalbany and now that Neo-Baroque organs are old instruments, we can ask, “How can you play Karg-Elert on this?”
The wood pipes are socketed directly into the chest. The racks may have been made by Buzard.
🎉 💗
Brent! You should demonstrate all the organs! Andrew is pretty good, but you have a special understanding of what I want to hear as a voicer. More!
Was this the original pipe organ that was in the back of the basement before they remodeled the basement many years ago?
The Kimball was originally installed in the Small Preceptory of the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Chicago, Illinois. It was rescued just ahead of the wrecker's ball and placed in storage. It was restored by the Buzard company of Champaign, IL. It was installed here at the church in 2016.
@@SeattleOrganMan ---TY...I Guess the old basement pipe organ was disposed of. I remember it as a kid ....MANY years ago.
Brent I wish we could get together there is supposed to be a Kimball pipe organ at a camp ground in Pa so as to get to the root of what I have
It sounds like an idling truck!
We have a similar organ guy over here in the UK and his youtube handle is "organ visitations". In the UK we have hundreds of ancient organs and there is one next to my house which is directly connected to the believed 12th century church. The organ sounds like the wailing of some lost soul from the depth of hell !! Unfortunately, congregations of 10 or less don't make organ restoration a priority, so the decay is really very sad.
toss the electronic organs in the trash, build these for the low budget jobs.
7 ranks across two manuals. I don't see anything across the manuals unless you count the swell key slip, case or impost. # of manuals, Pedal, # of stops, # of ranks, # of registers and # of pipes is the correct way to let people know the REAL capabilities of an organ. Of course the modern practice is to count ranks. That gives an honest view of the capacity for tonal change. So we have a great with 8, 4, 2 and a 4 rank mixture. 7 ranks - very impressive. But only 4 tonal representatives, baroken at that.
There is no mixture. Look at the stoplist in the OHS database link. It lists pipe totals for each of the ranks as well. Here's the simplified stoplist without pipe totals
*Great:*
8' Open Diapason
8' Dulciana
4' Violina
*Swell:*
8' Stopped Diapason
8' Gamba
4' Flute d'Amour
*Pedal:*
16' Bourdon
*Couplers:*
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Swell to Great
Super Octave
@@karlrovey I suppose I gave the wrong impression of what I was trying to say. Personally, I don't give a damn about this organ. Buzard is out of business and as a reccommendation that should be enough to explain his quality. Nowhere did I say, mention, insinuate that I was giving the stop-list for this organ. I should have said - "AS AN EXAMPLE....... Since I have to provide an explicit explanation. One does not say - "Seven ranks across two manuals. There are no pipes across either the manuals or the pedals. You can easily prove that by looking at the pictures presented. I provided an example of seven ranks. - 8', 4' 2' and a mixture IV. So what is left for the swell. Does anyone today know the difference between a stop, register and rank? I doubt it because those three elements plus the total pipe count, are required to give an accurate description of the tonal architecture of the organ, or at least as accurate as you can have without the complete stop list.
@organbuilder272 Buzard is not out of business. In fact, Buzard is one of the top organbuilders currently active. Buzzard didn't design or build this organ. Rather, Buzard restored it according to its original design.
@organbuilder272 Furthermore, the tonal philosophy just over a century ago is vastly different than what is desired in today's organs. Rather, boxcar organs were standardized, budget friendly designs that were a step up from a reed organ. They fit the expectation of their time, mostly foundation stops with one or two 4' stops and reached the 2' pitch via super couplers. You could get them from a couple of different companies such as Hinners, Kilgen, or Kimball. These companies are among several that went out of business during the depression era and WWII war rationing. Aside from Hinners, they built some well-known concert hall organs and theatre organs in addition to the boxcar organs.
@@organbuilder272 (1) Do YOU know the difference between registers and stops? Ranks is straight forward. But both stops and registers are ambiguous terms. And with 19th cent. builders like E & GG Hook, Geo. S. Hutchings, Geo. Stevens, Wm. B. D. Simmons and others, 'registers' could include the Tremolo and the couplers. Hence the ambiguity. But the Kimball is 7 independent voices, 7 speaking stops, 7 ranks, and 396 pipes. (2) If you don't give a damn about the organ, then why do you find it necessary to comment? (3) Where did you get your information about Buzzard? Because it is entirely errant. Buzard is very much alive and well and thriving. And they are well esteemed in the industry. I can say that from both personal experience with an instrument, and from having heard others. If you don't care for the sound of their instruments...that's fine. You are entitled to your tastes and opinions whatever their basis. But concomitant criticisms based in negative opinions benefit no one.
Big organs not the small organs pleas!
Learn a little about organs. You don't need 7 manuals and 331 ranks to play a tune. Philistine.
@The_DuMont_Network i am not a philistine
. Yoiu are stupid grrrr
@The_DuMont_Network self philistine
Booooooooorrrrrrrriiiiiiiinnnnnnggggg
Big organs whith 4or5 , manuals thats perfekt
Not whith 1 thats boring
Then go elsewhere,
@@Feldi09867 Size Queen? *lol*
@@The_DuMont_Network This is not the "Organ Orgy" channel.