1978 Schudi Organ - St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Dallas, Texas 

"The most important organ stop is the room" Very true.

Michael Conrady is a brilliantly talented & marvelous organist....wonderful demo with him & Brent J.!!

Upon listening once more (unusual for me) I am moved to say that this is the perfect "marriage" between "Man & Machine" ! Sir, I feel your "at oneness" with the tonal colours at your fingertips on this fine organ and sense your emotional involvement whilst playing. Thank you for taking the time to share your 'treasure" with the Organists of the World. B. Hardy (Aust).

I must bow and reconsider my opinions of "jean clad organists". This man is at "one" with his instrument. Such feeling, such commitment, such passion. From an unshaven checked shirted man ? I am an old European Organist , steeped in tradition, nurtured by Schweitzer, yet I hear brilliance in this man ! Chric Australia.

Gotta love an organist who looks like a lumber jack LOL Very accomplished.

This is a lovely instrument. Each voice is unique and beautiful; every stop is important. Love the reeds!

Absolutely tremendous Instrument. I remember back when I was younger I would always check out the recording of Todd Wilson playing the organ works of Maurice Duruflé from my local public library and absolutely falling in love with it. It was an absolute thrill and a dream come true to hear that instrument live during the 2019 Organ Historical Society Convention, having Alcée Chriss III play the Duruflé Toccata and following it with an encore of a transcription of Tea for Two by Art Tatum on that pipe organ was nothing short of a tremendous recital.

Texas sure is a great state for organs. Where I live there are mostly atheists who could never even remotely appreciate such things as pipe organs. To further my own education I built a pipe organ myself. That was quite an experience to say the least. Thanks for this great series.

Sweet lord I’m old. This was one of my first practice instruments that I would compose from. If it was not for Marvin and Bradley, I would not be the organist I am today. I still owe them many more thanks and the parish of St Thomas.

WOW! This is Lovely, Inspiring, authentic sound.

Dear Sir. This is the ideal organ in the proper musical sense. Having played the great organs of France, rest assured this Schudi organ competes equally with the best. Your acoustic is totally complementary and permits the Organ "full bloom" in the building. Oh that Church Authorities all over the world could listen to this masterpiece with an open mind.. We all have our favourite instrument, but it all comes back to the fact......you play the "room".....not the Organ. Thank you for this musical privilidge. Bryan Hardy. Australia.

I grew up with this organ it was installed while I was in 4th grade. I would go over at recess and watch the builders put it together. I remember the Sunday that the 16' Montre facade pipes were laying in the back pews and were something to see. The previous organ was a Hammond referred to as the clock radio so from that to the Schudi. People have talked about making changes to it but it remains as it was and never fails to impress after 41 years. Thanks for the amazing videos.

I was a church organist myself in Dallas for many years. When I was not scheduled in my own parish, I often attended High Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas because of the excellent music there. At one point the keyboardist of the Dallas Symphony was organist there, and he often brought orchestra members with him on Sundays. Once there were two harpists. At least twice they performed the Vivaldi concerto for two trumpets at the Offertory. This selection was stunning in the reverberant church environment. They also had a wonderful choir at St. Thomas.

When I first heard Wilson play Durufle back in 1987 I was absolutely floored by this instrument. Glad to see it is still making beautiful music under Dr. Conrady's able hands!

What an absolutely fascinating video of a very intriguing instrument. Brent, these videos keep getting better and better. Congratulations to you and OrganMedia, and thank you for producing and sharing them.

Not wild about a lot of organ builders as of late, but this is a stunning instrument. I liked the fact that you demonstrated it using bits and pieces of actual literature, and not just scale passages! Thank you!!!

That's my Church 😙😊❤

Michael Conrady, you’re an excellent organist. Kudos to you on that final piece. Very challenging, but played with ease and superbly. Thanks Brent Johnson, for showing us this organ. Wonderful sound, and such a nice reverb in the room.

Excellent, Excellent sound. Could hear this every sunday if I lived there. Amazing how the organist plays with no music on the rack at all. Very talented is putting it lightly. Saint Thomas Parish, hope you treat this guy exceptionally.

Michael: Impressive organist! God has blessed you. Extraordinary.

Glorious

For an American organ I'm very impressed. Probably a nice contender for St. Patrick's cathedral imo. Beautiful and i have no regrets over the 16'/32' reeds which is usually a large part of the problem with USA organs. Very impressed

That Todd Wilson Duruflé recording is my favorite organ recording of all time. Highly, highly recommended!

Amazing organ and organist.

Kudos to the organist that can quote so much literature from memory! So nice to get a walk through of the voices of this instrument I first heard with Todd Wilson's Durufle recording.

God, I love the sound of a French organ.

As an organist, all I can say is WOW! What an amazingly inspirational instrument. (What a room, too)

Thanks for letting us hear this splendid pipe organ in it's full grandeur. BEAUTIFUL and thrilling !

The world needs more talented, manly, scruffy organists!

What for an organ ! An incredible success.

A very beautiful thrilling powerful and grand pipe organ

was lucky to hear Marie-Claire Alain play at the 94 convention.

What a nice organist I love the big sound beautiful pipes excellent video👍😀😀

Wonderful Michael! Bravo. The organ sounds better than ever.

That Schudi is a Beauty!

Wheww the organist!!

great teaching of the king of instrument's!

I love the reeds and the powerful trumpets!

Lovely.

Very impressed.Thank you for the Tournemire! A terrific performance. Loved it.

Nice Tournemire playing, Michael.

One of your best vids. Thanks for posting. New I should have signed up for the Dallas OHS.

Saludos desde Chile, hermanos Catolicos 🙌❤ ¡¡¡hermoso organo el que tienen!!! Solo disfrutarlo en misa

What a discovery! I never would have thought that such truly magnificent instruments, as confirmed by the Great Lady herself upon being astonished by the, true, French, quality of the Salicional stop---- existed in Dallas, Texas!!!!+ Thank You, for a most enjoyable and informative video! We gladly expect more such productions and gladly patronize all advertizers!!!!+

Acciidenti maestro che bel organo bravo !

What a blessing they didn't get a 1970's Wicks. This is way better than it would've ever been.

there is a lovely old tracker Pipe Organ at St Paul's Episcopal in Sacramento Ca its the oldest Pipe organ on the west coast(1877) they brought it out from Philadelphia in 1918 , after the blower caught fire and ruined the old organ. really pretty church

Bravo Michael!!

Bravo !!...

I think... (someone correct me) THIS is the same organ Todd Wilson did his complete works of Durufle on... Makes TOTAL sense...

Very well done.

There is a recording of Tod Wilson performing complete organ works of Maurice Durufle on this instrument. It is an excellent recording.

Great informative video thanks Great performance

Fantastic organ and video. Remarkable that such a large organ has no 16' manual stops!

A very beautiful marriage of organ abd room!

It' s one good organ.

ACCIDENTI CHE BELLA SUONATA GRAZIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At 19:00 you can see the Haskell construction of what I assume to be the Viole de Gambe and Voix Céleste (the gold colored pipes with inverted tubes hung inside them), a technique that works best with string pipes. With the Cromorne a cylindrical reed and half-length this was no doubt essential to making the rest of the division fit in a space with room enough just for a 4' open. I can't see if the 8' Hautbois is half length in its bottom octave or mitred. I do like that one lone offset pipe on the side wall (the Flûte à Cheminée low C# ?). Not sure if that was planned from the beginning or improvised on site but it makes me smile to think of the myriad challenges organ builders must face all the time.

Awesome demonstration.

This is Dan Odhiambo from Nairobi Kenya.

The organist owns that instrument; a truly happy pairing. If you gentlemen can pronounce "Mon Dieu!". you can pronounce "Plein Jeu".

I wonder if that’s the same Todd Wilson a barbershop quartet fame he sang tenor with a quartet called acoustics

- at 17:45 - exactly !! - you don't have the screaming mixtures and thin, shrilly over-blown principals ! I'm loving the broader-scaled pipes, am wondering if the wind pressures are to the lower end? Lovely flutes - just get that lighter 16' reed back in the pedal and maybe a Gemshorn somewhere ... ? What a sweet instrument - would love to hear the Barber Adagio Strickland arrangement with the registration we hear at 18:30 ...

Les Cloches de Hinkley... Wonderful registration. Wish I could have heard the whole thing...

A really beautiful instrument. But... too bad there isn't also a less obtrusive 16' Pedal reed, however. That 16' Bombarde is TRÈS MONSTRUEUX ! 😳 Also: could you be sure that the *actual stop names* are given, and not just "Here's a flute..." etc. - which we heard several times from the organist (who rushed through the stop demonstration for some reason). You usually take your time in this regard (when *you're* in control of things, unlike in this video.... 🤔 ).

A Hobbs meter inside the instrument is definitely a weird feature.

I'd love to be an organ player

I am sorry to correct you but the concave and radiating pedalboard is NOT an American pedalboard, but an ENGLISH pedalboard. Designed in the 1850's by HENRY WILLIS 1 later known as Father Willis. One of the greatest organ builders of his age. The idea came from Willis and Samuel Sebastian Wesley inspecting the Shultz organ at the Great exhibition in 1851 which had a concave pedalboard. Wesley suggested that not only should Shultz have made this pedalboard concave, but should have made his pedals radiate from n imaginary spot behind the organist's back. Willis gave Wesley full credit for the idea. He then went on to set out the standard which we know today. He made both the concavity and the radius to the size of 8 feet 6 inches. On the radiating part the measurement was to the front of the sharps. I am not completely certain but from what I have read in W.L Sumner's book The Organ I believe the first 8'6" concave radiating pedalboard was installed in the Willis organ of St. George's Hall in Liverpool, England around 1853 or so.

Those chamades are right in the organists face. I am surprised they were not blown off the balcony.

The organist looks like he’s off a construction site or is a lumberjack lol! Goes to show you must never judge a book by its cover!

roughly, anyone have an idea of the current cost or value of an organ console and the organ here presented---by this builder? any idea of the size of the room? i love this french sound. i am thinking of a nave that holds about 400. it is english neo-gothico, open trussed ceiling, 21 ft. high from center, gallery holds organ and choir. 56 ranks probably too much for our nave, but we do a good deal of anglican chant, ionian, and gregorian. we need a good solid great, swell, and choir. good bit of solo voice in masses, cantor, and small ensemble. several concerts throughout church using strings, brass, and woodwinds. any ideas?

I SAW A KNOB THAT SAID RECIT FLUTE HARMONIQUE!!

How much did it cost to have the 32' Contre Bombarde installed?

my wife is asking if that organist is married?

What was the final piece played in the video during the miniconcert?

Granted I so need hearing aids, but is there something out of tune around 26:20's. No judgement...keeping a pipe organ in tune is almost impossible. Can anyone validate that my hearing hasn't lost its last vestige of acuity in being able to detect something off pitch. Just retired and hearing aids are on the deferred maintenance list. Enjoy your youth...and hearing!

What is the part played at 12:21?

Anybody know the excerpt @8:26?

It sounds nice and all, but I would make some changes in the layout of the instrument. I would re-use the top manual as a separate Recit-Espressif and move some of the stops out of the Positif to there, such as the strings and Hautbois, and place that division in one of the side chambers. That being said, I would fill in any missing voices in both the Positif and Recit, and make the Grand Cornet and Chamade floating stops on each manual, like a small Bombarde division. I just can't see why the two expressive divisions should be combined into one. It would make the organ easier to play, especially with the French Romantic repertoire for three separate manuals.

Anyone know what piece the segment at 3:54 is from?

:)

Sound of the organ is very distant

Sounds quite distant, a mining problem?

0:36 "Simultaneously almost at the same time" ROFL Were his interview clothes in the laundry?!

WOOF!!!