Uncle Al -- 2020, Electoral college & music for your ears!

[Faldaguy]

Uncle Al, I couldn't help but think of you when I came across this earlier in the day. It it hardly the beautiful chords and tunes of the Organ music you posted this week; but it might ring the strings of your heart on matters of the The New Green Deal, and it echo's your concluding line on another thread about the country changing. But all the elements were there -- they were calling your name, so enjoy the parody of the Bossa Nova and know we were thinking of you!

https://parodyproject.com/something-new ... ossa-nova/

[Kirbstone]

Well and professionally put together, obviously pre-Covid. Catchy repetitive little jingle and it's the words that count. Subtitles helped.

Thinking of Uncle Al, Wurlitzers offer mighty entertainment from a single gifted operator, but they always, no matter what stops are pulled out....sound like a Wurlitzer.

Tom

[crfriend]

Thinking of Uncle Al, Wurlitzers offer mighty entertainment from a single gifted operator, but they always, no matter what stops are pulled out....sound like a Wurlitzer.

That has more to do with the way the instruments are played instead of the character of the instrument. A Wurlitzer can be played as a traditional concert organ by turning the tremulants off and staying away from the "tricks and traps" section. I heard that done quite a while ago when my late ex- and I attended the commissioning ceremony of the Wurlitzer at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester. The organist started out -- to most everyone's surprise -- with a dazzling and straight rendition of Bach's awesome Toccata and Fugue, and the instrument seemed to love it. But then he stopped and mentioned to the audience that "That's not how these instruments are played.", and then the rest of the ceremony was straight theatre-organ style with the great beast sounding precisely like -- a Wurlitzer.

[Kirbstone]

Very interesting, Carl. Steep learning curve still at age 78. I didn't know that!

Tom

[Uncle Al]

A comment on 'Styles' of playing -

I helped to restore a 3 manual, 18 rank Wurlitzer.
Quite a bit of woodworking was involved, about 85% that is.
We've had several different artists play the instrument.
Each artist brought unique sounds from the same 18 ranks of pipes,
thus making it sound like a different instrument each time.
That's the versatility of the instrument and how the artist blends
each voice into his/her playing.

( Hey - It's fun to play, too )

Uncle Al

[crfriend]

We've had several different artists play the [restored] instrument. Each artist brought unique sounds from the same 18 ranks of pipes, thus making it sound like a different instrument each time.
That's the versatility of the instrument and how the artist blends each voice into his/her playing.

On average, a theatre-organist will play like a theatre-organist and a concert organist will play like a concert organist -- irrespective of instrument. A goodly amount of the visceral enjoyment we get from music isn't necessarily the instruments involved, it's the human factors. Technology helps, to be sure, but ultimately it's how the humans arrange things.

( Hey - It's fun to play, too )

My reaction: "Oooh! Look at all the moving parts!"

One of the things I like about pipe organs is the complexity involved that at the end of the day is coaxed into producing beautiful music -- an entirely worthy use of technology if you ask me.

[pelmut]

I was involved in helping a friend with some of the restoration an Aeolian pipe organ.