A Great Big Hello!! From: Pittsburgh, Pa. Where My Husband & I Reside. He was Born in Massachusetts, & Raised in Florida He was an Army Brat, & I was a Navy Brat. You Both mentioned Wooster, which Is One if the towns where he was raised before moving to Florida. We met up here in Pa. I Love Organ Music!! Thank You So Much for this Video!! Carol & David Riley!! Have A Wonderful Summer!!
I wish everyone demonstrated their instruments like this organist did. Very comprehensive coverage of range across the manuals and stop selection and combination. Also a delight to hear individual ranks used as solo voices with complimentary accompaniment on contrasting manuals. Was nice to hear a real pedal demonstration too 👍👍👍
This was lovely to discover….and I felt like I was there. It’s nice to hear hymns for a change too. It’s a miracle this instrument is still with us. We all know how organs can be trashed really easily when they aren’t looked after by faithful Stewards. Storage Units are only safe when they are in an air conditioned building and where the contenders do not cook due to the beating sun on a metal box for 60 years.
A beautiful instrument in a wonderful room expertly and sensitively demonstrated make for one of the best OMF presentations yet. Thank you, Brett, William, and Lynn and crew!
Wonderful organ. I’m fortunate to live near Dobson’s opus 74. Fantastic demonstration by the organist. He demonstrated the beauty and capabilities of the organ in a way that left me wanting to hear more. Bravo.
What a glorious instrument! I was so sorry to miss hearing it when I visited Pakachoag Church years ago. I know nothing about organs, but this one compares favorably with others I've heard--so mellow and yet powerful.
Thanks for the demonstration of this fine Dobson organ. What a treat!! The last time I heard William Ness play was at First Presbyterian Church in Iowa City, Iowa, on the brand new Phelps organ. I think it was one of the dedication recitals. This was in the late 70s I believe. He played very well then, and still does.
very nice...... I knew LeRoy very well,,,, he'd let me play the organ at Wesley many times. He was also our relator . I lived on Dix Street, (glad we sold that house, lol)
Thanks for this! My first time hearing this instrument, even though I'd heard *about* it, as I had the privilege of working for over 10 years as senior minister at Storrs Congregational Church UCC with Patricia Snyder as Director of Music Ministries (near the beginning, Mr. Ness mentions Dr. Snyder alongside Mr. Dobson as behind the creation of the Pakachoag instrument).
Always let your conscious ear be your guide! This instrument stands out to me for not only its sound engineering but the performance within that space. The organist demonstrates how the voices blend seamlessly. Well done all!
So glad to see this presentation Brent, and our tuning work has held up well for it ! Shout out to William, (and Dennis curiously watching in the background 😉)
I started work there on the very next organ- opus 70 in Minneapolis, still there 25 years later :) @25:08 I recognize most of the naes on the plaque, many are still working with us, a couple passed away. William was fantastic and demo'd it well. You should try to get into the organ at St Thomas in NY City we did.
Hi, Brent, this is as usual yet another of your very fine, interesting and informative presentations of organs, this time focusing on the beautiful Dobson organ in Auburn, MA. I have one comment, however - your audio during your interview with William Ness as he demonstrated the stops on the organ, although crystal clear, is uncharacteristically in monaural sound. Was your interview with William Ness recorded monaurally, or is the mono sound possibly the result of your upload to RU-vid? The later selections William plays are, fortunately, in stereo. Thank you as always for the great job you're doing of showing us our country's amazingly wide variety of organs, and the fine organists and organ builders you allow us to get to meet during your travels.
Yes, each of us is wearing a single microphone. Those separate audio tracks are combined into one track and played through both left and right channels. That's combined with the stereo tracks recorded farther back in the room, although gated so that ideally you're only hearing us or the organ at one time.
The instrument looks glorious and sounds good as well. The casework looks like an adaption of the four tower designs of Father Smith in late 17thC England. These were found at Durham Cathedral and the University Church in Cambridge. Beautifully made and put together and as good a tribute to the skill of the builders as the sounds. The big puzzle is why did some one go to that degree of design and beauty in such a utilitarian setting??? The only thing that seems to match are the chandeliers and it looks out of place. The acoustic may be good for it but the view of body of the Kirk is not flattering, it might double as a school gymnasium or a village hall, with the heating ducts and other ugly intrusions in the ceiling. It would be good if future posts might comment on the setting and visual impact of an instrument. A modern case design might have been easier but this deserves a classical setting. Am I alone in this reaction?
