Groundspeak Portal

On a recent waymark I found a very historic pipe organ, and that got me to think about having a category for them. 

This would be a little different as nearly all of these are located inside buildings - mainly churches, but also theaters and other venues.  This means that access would be an issue, as many of these buildings would not be open for tours or for the casual visitor.  So, one would have to be more intentional about getting inside to visit one of these historic instruments. Even then, photography would be a challenge -  at least it would for me.  And, this would be a research intensive category because part of its purpose would be to describe the history and unique features of these vintage organs.

So, I just throw this out as a brainstorming idea. . . .

Personally it isn't my cup of tea but it is still a workable category and better than many we see.

Here is an interesting resource for the Pacific Northwest that shows how prolific these things were and even gives the locations of many in Western states and Canadian provinces.

Many  (some? one?) churches are very proud of their Pipe Organs.

Here's the info page on the Organ at the church where I got married:
http://www.ststephen-pcusa.com/public/organ.htm

Back when we attended that church we got to take a tour of the organ, back behind/into the pipe area. It's now partially computer controlled--but the computer is literally a series of discrete transistors on a huge folded up circuit board.

Also many of the stops were added well after the initial installation. One that was mentioned, and I don't know which stop or the particular sound--I forgot--came from another church that had burned....apparently the organ was okay, and they sold it piecemeal at auction.

Interesting stuff.

I have waymarked many churches which were quite proud of their organs and the restoration of them however as has mentioned  access to them can be a problem.  Waymarking the building again would work but then what is gained by that. 

When I was visiting England and Ireland last year, many of the churches we toured were very proud of their organs (as mentioned above) and provided a long list of organists throughout its history.  Unfortunately, many of these churches do not permit photography in the sanctuary, either

This category idea will be hard to balence.  Good luck if you can pull it off.

i do enjoy hearing them...

BruceS:

I have waymarked many churches which were quite proud of their organs and the restoration of them however as has mentioned  access to them can be a problem.  Waymarking the building again would work but then what is gained by that. 

Quite right.  It would not be another waymark of the building, but of the organ.  And, access is the biggest hurdle.  One would have to be very intentional about this.  Probably it wouldn't be a casual, drop-by waymark.  I suspect that some just aren't visitable.  And, as has been mentioned, some may not allow photography.  I don't know if there is a way around that.  Sometimes one can get a postcard, if it is a real tourist destination, which generally wouldn't be allowed in a waymark, but might in this case.

What got me thinking about this is my recent tour of the Avalon Theater on Catalina Island which has the largest pipe organ ever built by the Page Company of Lima, Ohio, and one of the few surviving ones.  I mention this in the description, but it would be great to have a waymark that focused on the organ itself.  I took lots of photos, but didn't take any of the organ.  I'm not sure it was visible.  So, I wouldn't waymark that one from that visit.

I had a friend, years ago in Los Angeles, who was our church organist.  He put out a cassette (remember those?) consisting of his playing on a half dozen so of the great pipe organs in the southwest U.S.  Then I remembered seeing the magnificent Mormon organ in Salt Lake City when I was on a high school trip to Mexico.

Like I said, I'm not sure at all that this category would work - just tossing it around for ideas.  Might be of interest to some of our European waymarkers, too.

how about this article in yesterday's paper? looks like you could crosspost this with some research....

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/free-pipe-organ-concert-joins-a-week-of-events/1027703

I love this category idea. I've always had a bit of a thing for pipe organs, probably because I'm a musician (although I don't play the organ, unfortunately). But whenever we visit churches and other places that have organs, I try to take pictures of them.

So far, the one pipe organ that I have waymarked was put under the category, "Musical Instruments". It looks like there are only three pipe organs submitted to that group in four years, however. I'm not sure if that means that pipe organs wouldn't be a popular category, or if people just haven't dug deep enough into the misc. categories to discover that they could post pipe organs to the Musical Instruments category.

cldisme:

When I was visiting England and Ireland last year, many of the churches we toured were very proud of their organs (as mentioned above) and provided a long list of organists throughout its history.  Unfortunately, many of these churches do not permit photography in the sanctuary, either

This category idea will be hard to balence.  Good luck if you can pull it off.

I'm curious about these churches. Did they give a reason for not allowing photography? Is it all photography, or just flash photography? A lot of times, places that I think do not allow photography at first, are really just forbidding flash photography. Otherwise, that's a bummer. I can see that photagraphy could possibly disturb worshipers, depending on how unobtrusive you are while taking photos. But it would be too bad not to be able to take photos of those beautiful historic places, while visiting. Just taking pictures this summer, in the National Cathedral in D.C. for instance, was such an incredible experience.

Ah, I didn't think they would be included in the Musical Instruments category either!  Someone mentioned that they accept carillons, too.  I guess I need to look it over since I've never posted anything in that category.

If that is the case, then, I certainly wouldn't create another category that is such a small subset of this category.  The only reason I could see for doing so, would be to bring more attention and a clearer focus to the uniqueness of this vintage instruments.  Just don't know if it could support a stand-alone category.

Well, I wouldn't mind it if we had a separate category for Pipe Organs. Carillons used to be put in the Musical Intruments Category, but now that it is it's own Category, it's been filling up nicely. Of course, Pipe Organs don't seem as popular. But it would be hard to know, unless the Category is created.

silverquill:

Ah, I didn't think they would be included in the Musical Instruments category either!

At least one has been included in the Musical Instruments category.  It is one of the 25 largest in the United States, free access almost all of the summer and I think on Sundays year round.

I think that there are enough pipe organs out there in the world that are accessible that this category would flourish nicely. 

Unlike pianos and other instruments that I can think of, pipe organs were often made custom to the location, and certainly fitted custom to a location.  These organs, especially the older ones, will have unique features, whether there are special sounds to them or how the pipes are presented.  There were several great organ manufactures each having their own innovations and characteristic features.

Some are only open or available on certain occasions, such as holidays or concerts.  To me, that would be part of the game - finding a time when it was available and go then and post it or visit it.  If permission is required or an inquiry about access, then it should be obtained and reported in the post.  Some of them are on private property and that should be respected.  If a donation is required, that should be put in.  Like categories about military posts, a warning shold be put in to respect the wishes of the owner and don't post anything that will get a waymarker in trouble.

In the Boston area alone, there are probably more pipe organs than McDonalds.  There are opportunities, like Boston's First Night, where the public goes into churches to hear programs.  I also don't feel that there is a need for waymarks to be available 24/7.

So, you got my vote!

might i point out that many existing categories are not 24/7:

-that McDs you speak of
-Parks--National, State, Local, Beaches nude or not?)
-even the kissmobile was accessable only short times during 'shows'