Wanamaker Organ

The Wanamaker Grand Court Organ, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the largest fully-functioning pipe organ in the world, based on the number of playing pipes, the number of ranks and its weight.[3][4] The Wanamaker Organ is located within a spacious 7-story Grand Court at Macy's Center City (formerly Wanamaker's department store) and is played twice a day Monday through Saturday. The organ is featured at several special concerts held throughout the year, including events featuring the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ Festival Chorus and Brass Ensemble.

The display pipes of the Wanamaker Organ. These pipes are decorative only. The pipes that sound are behind and above them. Store architect Daniel Hudson Burnham designed the organ casework.[1][2]

Notable characteristics

The Wanamaker Organ is a concert organ of the American Symphonic school of design, which combines traditional organ tone with the sonic colors of the symphony orchestra. In its present configuration, the instrument has 28,750 pipes in 464 ranks.[5]

The organ console consists of six manuals with an array of stops and controls that command the organ. The organ's String Division fills the largest single organ chamber in the world. The division features eighty-eight ranks of string pipes built to Wanamaker specifications by the W.W. Kimball Company of Chicago.[5]

The organ is famed for its orchestra-like sound, coming from pipes that are voiced softer than usual, allowing an unusually rich build-up because of the massing of pipe-tone families. The organ was also built and enlarged as an "art organ", using exceptional craftsmanship and lavish application of materials to create a luxury product.

There is a minimum of borrowing and unification in its disciplined design, except in the Pedal and Orchestral divisions, where it adds genuine value, and duplexing is reserved for when valuable solo voices can be separated from their divisions without tying up the remaining tonal resources of said division. Choruses (16', 8', 4') are true choruses of three ranks, each with their own personality, rather than a single rank electrically "tapped" at three pitches, with the resulting weakening of the octaves and sameness of tone between the voices as found in unification.[6]

The Wanamaker Store maintained its own organ factory to ensure an ultra-high-grade result. The artistic obligation entailed by the creation of this instrument has always been honored, with two curators employed in its constant and scrupulous care (what leads to the state of one of the best maintained organ in the world). This dedication was enhanced when corporate parentage shifted from the Wanamaker family to Carter Hawley Hale Stores followed by Woodward & Lothrop, The May Department Stores Company, and Lord & Taylor. When the space was occupied by Macy's and with the founding of the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ with its input of outside capital, an aggressive restoration schedule developed and is still maintained. Current restoration efforts are a combination of Macy's expenditures and significant contributions by Friends of the Wanamaker Organ, a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to the instrument.

History

The Wanamaker Organ centennial plaque

The Wanamaker Organ was originally built by the Los Angeles Art Organ Company, successors to the Murray M. Harris Organ Co., for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. It was designed to be the largest organ in the world, an imitation of a full-size orchestra with particularly complete resources of full organ tone including mixtures. In addition to its console, the organ was originally equipped with an automatic player that used punched rolls of paper, according to the Los Angeles Times of 1904.[7] It was built to a specification by renowned organ theorist and architect George Ashdown Audsley. Wild cost overruns plagued the project, with the result that Harris was ousted from his own company. With capital from stockholder Eben Smith, it was reorganized as the Los Angeles Art Organ Company, and finished at a cost of $105,000 (equal to $3,419,889 today), $40,000 over budget, equal to $1,302,815 today. The Fair began (in late April 1904) before the organ was fully installed in its temporary home, Festival Hall. Although the organ's debut was scheduled for May 1, official fair organist and St. Louis local Charles Henry Galloway did not give his opening recital until June 9. The organ was still not entirely finished in September of that year, when Alexandre Guilmant, one of the most famous organists of the day, presented 40 very well-attended recitals on the organ.

Following the Fair, the organ was intended for permanent installation by the Kansas City Convention Center. Indeed, the original console had a prominent "K C" on its music rack. This venture failed, bankrupting the L. A. Art Organ company after the Fair closed. There was a plan to exhibit the organ at Coney Island in New York City, but nothing came of this.

The organ in its original home, the 1904 World's Fair. This facade was formerly installed at Macy's, it used to be behind the current facade.

The organ languished in storage at the Handlan warehouse in St. Louis until 1909, when it was bought by John Wanamaker for his new department store at 13th and Market Streets in Center City, Philadelphia. It took thirteen freight cars to move it to its new home, and two years for installation. It was first played on June 22, 1911, at the exact moment when British King George V was crowned. It was also featured later that year when U.S. President William Howard Taft dedicated the store.

Despite its then-unprecedented size (more than 10,000 pipes), it was judged inadequate to fill the seven-story Grand Court in which it was located, so Wanamaker's opened a private organ factory in the store attic, which was charged with enlarging the organ. The first project to enlarge the organ was the addition of 8,000 pipes between 1911 and 1917.

Wanamaker's sponsored many historic after-business-hours concerts on the Wanamaker Organ. The first, in 1919, featured Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra with organist Charles M. Courboin.[5] Every sales counter and fixture was removed for the free after-hours event, which attracted an audience of 15,000 from across the United States. Subsequently, more of these "Musicians' Assemblies" were held, as were private recitals. For these events Wanamaker's opened a Concert Bureau under Alexander Russell and brought to America master organists Marcel Dupré and Louis Vierne, Nadia Boulanger, Marco Enrico Bossi, Alfred Hollins, and several others. (This agency, which worked in partnership with Canadian Bernard R. LaBerge, evolved into the Karen McFarlane Concert Agency of the present day.) During his first recital on the organ, Dupré was so impressed with the instrument that he was inspired to improvise a musical depiction of the life of Jesus Christ. This was later published as his Symphonie-Passion.

From April 24, 1922, to 1928 the store had its own radio station, WOO, and music from the organ was a major feature of the broadcasts.[8]

In 1924, a new project to enlarge the organ began. Marcel Dupré and Charles M. Courboin were among those asked by Rodman Wanamaker, John Wanamaker's son, to "Work together to draw up a plan for the instrument. Use everything you have ever dreamed about." They were told there was no limit to the budget. This project resulted in, among other things, the celebrated String Division, which occupies the largest organ chamber ever constructed, 67 feet long, 26 feet deep, and 16 feet high (22 by 9 by 5 m). During this project, the organ's current console was constructed in Wanamaker's private in-house pipe-organ factory, with six manuals and several hundred controls. By 1930, when work on expanding the organ finally stopped, the organ had 28,482 pipes, and, if Rodman Wanamaker had not died in 1928, the organ would probably be even bigger.[9]

Plans were made for, among others, a Stentor division, a section of high-pressure diapasons and reeds. It was to be installed on the fifth floor, above the String Division, and would be playable from the sixth manual. However, it was never funded, and the sixth manual is now used to couple other divisions or play various solo voices from other divisions that are duplexed to this keyboard.[10]

The organ's six-manual console

Rodman Wanamaker was not interested in mere size, however, but in artistic organ-building with finely crafted pipes and chests using the best materials and careful artistic consideration. The Wanamaker Organ console, built in the store organ shop by William Boone Fleming, is a work of art in its own right with heavy, durable construction, an ingenious layout of its pneumatic stop action and many unique features and conveniences. Wanamaker also had a collection of 60 rare stringed instruments, the Wanamaker Cappella, that were used in conjunction with the store organs in Philadelphia and New York, and went on tour. They were dispersed after his death.

Following the sale of the store to The May Department Stores Company, in 1995, the Wanamaker's name was removed from the store (first as Wanamaker-Hecht's) in favor of Hecht's, but the organ and its concerts were retained. During the local renaming of the Hecht's stores to Strawbridge's, the historic Wanamaker Store briefly took the name of its longtime rival Strawbridge's. The May Company began a complete restoration of the organ in 1997, as part of the store's final May Co. conversion into a Lord & Taylor. At that time the store area was reduced to three floors and additional panes of glass were put around the Grand Court on floors four and five, greatly enhancing the reverberation of the room.

The Wanamaker Organ in the Grand Court

The Philadelphia Orchestra returned to the Grand Court on September 27, 2008, for the premiere performance of Joseph Jongen's Symphonie Concertante (1926) on the organ for which it was written. The ticketed event, featuring soloist Peter Richard Conte, also included the Bach/Stokowski arrangement of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Marcel Dupré's Cortege and Litany for Organ and Orchestra, and the world premiere of a Fanfare by Howard Shore, composer for The Lord of the Rings films. Shore visited the store in May 2008 to meet with Peter Richard Conte and hear the Wanamaker Organ. The Philadelphia Orchestra Concert was co-sponsored by the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ and was a benefit for that organization.[11]

In 2019 the Wanamaker Organ facade, designed by Daniel Hudson Burnham, was restored and re-gilded in 22-karat gold to a color scheme close in sympathy to its original appearance but which fits in with its new surroundings. Evergreene Architectural Arts did the work. Grant money from Macy's and several Philadelphia area charities funded this project, which was overseen by the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ.

Organists

Although numerous famous organists have played special concerts on the organ, it has had only four chief organists in its history:

  • Dr. Irvin J. Morgan (1911–1917)
  • Mary E. Vogt (1917–1966)[8]
  • Dr. Keith Chapman (1966–1989)
  • Peter Richard Conte (1989–present)

For about a decade beginning in 1919, Dr. Charles M. Courboin was the organist for a series of special evening concerts, including several collaborations with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Courboin also headed the Wanamaker Organ Shop in the late 1920s.

Noteworthy assistant organists

Present curator

  • Matthew Taft

Original compositions

Arrangements of existing music

Architectural layout

The pipes are laid out across the space occupied by five floors of the building, with the sections situated as follows:

  • 2nd floor south – Main Pedal 32 ft, Lower Swell, Great, Percussions
  • 3rd floor south – Main Pedal, Chorus, Upper Swell, Choir/Enclosed Great, Solo, Vox Humana Chorus
  • 4th floor south – String
  • 4th floor west – Orchestral (adjacent to String)
  • 7th floor south – Major Chimes, Ethereal, Chinese Gong
  • 7th floor north – Echo

The 32 ft Wood Open, 32 ft Diaphone, and 32 ft Metal Diapason pipes run the length of a little more than 2 stories, beginning on the second floor.[5]

Stoplist

Main Organ

I Choir(C-c4 - 61 pipes)
Double Dulciana16 ft
Dulciana8 ft
Open Diapason8 ft
Violin Diapason8 ft
Stopped Diapason8 ft
Concert Flute8 ft
Salicional8 ft
Quintadena8 ft
Vox Angelica8 ft
Vox Celeste8 ft
Keraulophon8 ft
Forest Flute4 ft
Salicet4 ft
Piccolo2 ft
Soft Cornet VI
Saxophone16 ft
Saxophone8 ft
English Horn8 ft
Clarinet8 ft
II Great(C-c4 - 61 pipes)
Unenclosed Great
Sub Principal32 ft
Contra Gamba16 ft
Double Diapason16 ft
Sub Quint10+23 ft
Diapason Phonon8 ft
Diapason Major8 ft
First Diapason8 ft
Second Diapason8 ft
Third Diapason8 ft
Fourth Diapason8 ft
Gamba (2 ranks)8 ft
Major Tibia8 ft
Mezzo Tibia8 ft
Minor Tibia8 ft
Double Flute8 ft
Nasard Flute (2 ranks)8 ft
Octave4 ft
Mixture VIII
Harmonic Trumpet8 ft
Enclosed Great
Covered Tibia8 ft
Harmonic Flute8 ft
Quint5+13 ft
Harmonic Flute4 ft
Principal4 ft
Tierce3+15 ft
Octave Quint2 ft
Super Octave2 ft
Mixture VII
Double Trumpet16 ft
Tuba8 ft
Trumpet8 ft
Harmonic Clarion4 ft
Great Chorus (73 pipes)
Diapason Magna8 ft
Stentorphone8 ft
First Diapason8 ft
Second Diapason8 ft
Third Diapason8 ft
Major Flute8 ft
Double Flute8 ft
Gamba8 ft
Flute4 ft
Octave4 ft
Nasard2+23 ft
III Swell(C-c4 - 61 pipes)
Double Diapason16 ft
Soft Bourdon16 ft
Stentorphone8 ft
Horn Diapason8 ft
Violin Diapason8 ft
Bell Flute8 ft
Orchestral Flute8 ft
Harmonic Flute8 ft
Grand Flute (2 ranks)8 ft
Double Flute8 ft
Tibia Dura8 ft
Clarabella8 ft
Melodia8 ft
Soft Dulciana8 ft
Gamba Celeste (2 ranks)8 ft
Gamba8 ft
Quint Bourdon5+13 ft
Harmonic Flute (2 ranks)4 ft
First Octave4 ft
Second Octave4 ft
Nazard (prepared for)2+23 ft
Harmonic Piccolo2 ft
Corroborating Mixture V
Mixture VI
Bass Tuba16 ft
Bass Trombone16 ft
Contra Fagotto16 ft
Double Oboe Horn16 ft
Trombone8 ft
Tuba8 ft
Fagotto8 ft
Oboe8 ft
Trumpet8 ft
Horn8 ft
Bassett Horn8 ft
Clarinet8 ft
Clarinet (2 ranks)8 ft
Vox Humana (2 ranks)8 ft
Harmonic Clarion4 ft
Musette4 ft
Original String Division
Contra Bass16 ft
Violoncello8 ft
Viol8 ft
Viol (sharp)8 ft
Viola8 ft
Quint Viol5+13 ft
Octave Viol4 ft
Violina4 ft
Tierce3+15 ft
String Mixture V
Viol Cornet IV
IV Solo(C-c4 - 61 pipes)
Double Open Diapason16 ft
Grand Viol16 ft
First Diapason8 ft
Second Diapason8 ft
Third Diapason8 ft
Violin Diapason8 ft
Viol8 ft
Viol8 ft
Harmonic Flute8 ft
Tierce Flute (2 ranks)8 ft
Chimney Flute8 ft
Clarabella8 ft
Gemshorn8 ft
Nasard Gamba (2 ranks)8 ft
Grand Gamba8 ft
Grand Gamba8 ft
Quintaphon8 ft
Quint Diapason5+13 ft
Octave4 ft
Harmonic Flute4 ft
Harmonic Tierce3+15 ft
Twelfth Harmonic2+23 ft
Piccolo Harmonic2 ft
Double Trumpet16 ft
Tuba16 ft
Trumpet8 ft
Soft Tuba8 ft
Cornopean8 ft
Ophicleide8 ft
Musette8 ft
Ophicleide4 ft
Soft Tuba4 ft
Grand Mixture VI
Mixture V
Mixture VI
Pedal(C-g1 - 32 pipes)
Gravissima64 ft
Contra Diaphone32 ft
First Contra Open Diapason32 ft
Second Contra Open Diapason32 ft
Contra Bourdon32 ft
Diaphone16 ft
First Open Diapason16 ft
Second Open Diapason16 ft
Third Open Diapason16 ft
Bourdon16 ft
Violone16 ft
Gamba16 ft
Open Flute16 ft
Soft Bourdon16 ft
Dulciana16 ft
Open Quint10+23 ft
Stopped Quint10+23 ft
Stentor8 ft
Open Diapason8 ft
Octave8 ft
First Tibia8 ft
Second Tibia8 ft
Octave Soft Bourdon8 ft
First Cello8 ft
Second Cello8 ft
Soft Flute8 ft
Soft Dulciana8 ft
Principal4 ft
Octave4 ft
First Tibia4 ft
Second Tibia4 ft
Flute4 ft
Mixture VI
Mixture VII
Mixture VIII
Grand Mutation ×
Contra Bombarde32 ft
Bombarde16 ft
Trombone16 ft
Tuba16 ft
Euphonium16 ft
Contra Fagotto16 ft
Bombarde8 ft
Octave Fagotto8 ft
Tromba8 ft
Clarion4 ft

Ethereal Organ

V Ethereal(73)
Bourdon16 ft
First Open Diapason8 ft
Second Open Diapason8 ft
Clear Flute8 ft
Harmonic Flute8 ft
Double Flute8 ft
Quint Flute8 ft
Grand Gamba8 ft
Grand Gamba8 ft
Octavo4 ft
Harmonic Flute4 ft
Twelfth Harmonic2+23 ft
Harmonic Piccolo2 ft
Mixture IV
Tuba Profunda16 ft
Tuba Mirabilis8 ft
French Trumpet8 ft
Grand Clarinet8 ft
Post Horn8 ft
Tuba Clarion4 ft
VI Stentor(73)
Cello 1 (String)8 ft
Cello 1 ♯ (String)8 ft
Cello 1 ♭ (String)8 ft
Cello 2 (String)8 ft
Cello 2 ♯ (String)8 ft
Cello 2 ♭ (String)8 ft
Nasard Gamba II (String)8 ft
Nasard Gamba II ♯ (String)8 ft
Clear Flute (Ethereal)8 ft
Clear Flute (Ethereal)4 ft
Ethereal Pedal(32)
Acoustic Bass32 ft
Diapason16 ft
Bombarde16 ft
Bombarde8 ft

Echo Organ

Echo(73) (floating)
Bourdon16 ft
Open Diapason8 ft
Violin Diapason8 ft
Stopped Diapason8 ft
Night Horn8 ft
Clarabella8 ft
Melodia8 ft
Orchestral Viol8 ft
Soft Viol8 ft
Soft Viol8 ft
Unda Maris (2 ranks)8 ft
Open Quint5+13 ft
Octave4 ft
Harmonic Flute4 ft
Mellow Flute4 ft
Cornet Mixture V
Mixture VI
Double Trumpet16 ft
Trumpet8 ft
Capped Oboe8 ft
Euphone8 ft
Vox Humana8 ft
Echo Pedal(32)
Open Diapason16 ft
Stopped Diapason16 ft

Orchestral Organ

Orchestral(73) (floating)
Contra Quintadena16 ft
Duophone8 ft
Tibia8 ft
Covered Tibia8 ft
Concert Flute8 ft
Harmonic Flute8 ft
Mellow Flute8 ft
String Flute8 ft
Double Flute8 ft
Hollow Flute8 ft
Harmonic Flute4 ft
Orchestral Flute4 ft
Covered Flute4 ft
Octave4 ft
Harmonic Piccolo2 ft
Super Octave2 ft
Orchestral Reeds(73) (floating)
English Horn16 ft
Bass Clarinet16 ft
Bass Saxophone16 ft
Bassoon16 ft
English Horn8 ft
Orchestral Clarinet8 ft
Saxophone8 ft
Orchestral Bassoon8 ft
Bassett Horn8 ft
Oboe8 ft
Orchestral Oboe8 ft
Orchestral Trumpet8 ft
Kinura8 ft
Muted Cornet8 ft
Orchestral French Horns(73) (floating)
First French Horn8 ft
Second French Horn8 ft
Third French Horn8 ft
Vox Humana Chorus(73) (floating)
Vox Humana16 ft
First Vox Humana8 ft
Second Vox Humana8 ft
Third Vox Humana8 ft
Fourth Vox Humana8 ft
Fifth Vox Humana8 ft
Sixth Vox Humana8 ft
Seventh Vox Humana8 ft
Vox Humana Chorus Pedal(32)
First Vox Humana16 ft
Second Vox Humana16 ft

String Organ

String(73) (floating)
Violone16 ft
First Contra Gamba16 ft
Second Contra Gamba16 ft
First Contra Viol16 ft
Second Contra Viol16 ft
First Viol16 ft
Second Viol16 ft
Violin Diapason8 ft
Gamba8 ft
Nasard Gamba (2 ranks)8 ft
Nasard Gamba (2 ranks)8 ft
First 'Cello8 ft
First 'Cello ♯8 ft
First 'Cello ♭8 ft
Second 'Cello8 ft
Second 'Cello ♯8 ft
Second 'Cello ♭8 ft
First Orchestral Violin8 ft
First Orchestral Violin ♯8 ft
First Orchestral Violin ♭8 ft
Second Orchestral Violin8 ft
Second Orchestral Violin ♯8 ft
Second Orchestral Violin ♭8 ft
Third Orchestral Violin8 ft
Third Orchestral Violin ♯8 ft
Third Orchestral Violin ♭8 ft
Fourth Orchestral Violin8 ft
Fourth Orchestral Violin ♯8 ft
Fourth Orchestral Violin ♭8 ft
Fifth Orchestral Violin8 ft
Fifth Orchestral Violin ♯8 ft
Fifth Orchestral Violin ♭8 ft
Sixth Orchestral Violin8 ft
Sixth Orchestral Violin ♯8 ft
Sixth Orchestral Violin ♭8 ft
First Muted Violin8 ft
First Muted Violin ♯8 ft
First Muted Violin ♭8 ft
Second Muted Violin8 ft
Second Muted Violin ♯8 ft
Second Muted Violin ♭8 ft
String (continued)
Third Muted Violin8 ft
Third Muted Violin ♯8 ft
Third Muted Violin ♭8 ft
Fourth Muted Violin8 ft
Fourth Muted Violin ♯8 ft
Fourth Muted Violin ♭8 ft
Fifth Muted Violin8 ft
Fifth Muted Violin ♯8 ft
Fifth Muted Violin ♭8 ft
Sixth Muted Violin8 ft
Sixth Muted Violin ♯8 ft
Sixth Muted Violin ♭8 ft
Quint Viol5+13 ft
Quint Viol ♯5+13 ft
First Orchestral Violina4 ft
First Orchestral Violina ♯4 ft
Second Orchestral Violina4 ft
Second Orchestral Violina ♯4 ft
Tierce Viol3+15 ft
Tierce Viol ♯3+15 ft
Nasard Violina2+23 ft
Nasard Violina ♯2+23 ft
Super Violina2 ft
Super Violina ♯2 ft
First Dulciana8 ft
First Dulciana ♯8 ft
Second Dulciana8 ft
Second Dulciana ♯8 ft
Third Dulciana8 ft
Third Dulciana ♯8 ft
Fourth Dulciana8 ft
Fourth Dulciana ♯8 ft
Fifth Dulciana8 ft
Fifth Dulciana ♯8 ft
Sixth Dulciana8 ft
Sixth Dulciana ♯8 ft
First Octave Dulciana4 ft
First Octave Dulciana ♯4 ft
Second Octave Dulciana4 ft
Second Octave Dulciana ♯4 ft
Dulciana Mutation V
String Pedal(32)
Contra Diaphone32 ft
Contra Gamba32 ft
Diaphone (ext)16 ft
Gamba (ext)16 ft
First Violone16 ft
Second Violone16 ft
Viol16 ft
Viol ♯16 ft
Diaphone (ext)8 ft
Gamba (ext)8 ft
First Violone (ext)8 ft
Second Violone8 ft
Viol8 ft
Viol ♯8 ft
Violone4 ft
Mutation Diaphone16 ft
Mutation Viol16 ft
Mutation Viol10+23 ft
Mutation Viol8 ft
Mutation Viol5+13 ft
Mutation Viol4 ft
Mutation Viol2+23 ft
Mutation Viol2 ft
Mutation Viol1+35 ft
Mutation Viol1+13 ft
Mutation Viol45 ft
Grand String Pedal Mixture XII32 ft

Stentor Division

Tuba Magna (from 8 ft)16 ft
Tuba Magna8 ft

Percussion Division

Percussion
Major ChimesC–c1
Minor ChimesG–g
MetalophoneC–C2
Celesta (by Mustel of Paris)C–c2
Piano I(prepared for)
Piano IIstandard 88 notes
Harp Itenor C–c2
Harp II(prepared for)
Gongstenor C–C2 (now playable)
Crescendo Cymbal
Cymbalstar, a memorial to Virgil Fox
Chinese Gong (84" diameter)

Recordings

  • The Grand Court Organ (1973) by Keith Chapman. It included a number of works demonstrating the full organ
  • Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. 1975, the recording is of Keith Chapman's own transcription of the piano suite
  • Airs & Arabesques (1976) explored the softer colors of the instrument to marvelous effect
  • Virgil Fox Plays the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ (1964, 2004).
  • Keith Chapman – The Lost Radio Broadcasts - Vantage V2CD-698-002[15]
  • Xaver Varnus' concert [14]
  • Magic! (2001) By Peter Richard Conte
  • Wanamaker Legacy (2004) by Peter Richard Conte
  • A Grand Celebration: Peter Richard Conte with The Philadelphia Orchestra, recorded 2008
  • Wanamaker Organ Centennial Concert: Peter Richard Conte with the Symphony in C, Rossen Milanov, conductor. Recorded 2011. Also available on DVD.
  • Midnight in the Grand Court (2004) by Peter Richard Conte
  • Christmas in the Grand Tradition by Peter Richard Conte with the Philadelphia Brass Ensemble
  • My Heart at Thy Sweet Voice by Peter Richard Conte with Andrew Ennis, Flugelhorn
  • Around the Wanamaker Organ in 80 Minutes, Wanamaker DVD[16] (A DVD tour of the organ)
  • A Wanamaker Organ Curators Tour through the entire instrument on DVD with curator Curt Mangel and MPR host Michael Barone (Pipedreams).
  • A Wanamaker Organ Sonic Odyssey tonal exploration of the entire instrument on DVD with Peter Richard Conte and Yale Organist Thomas Murray.

See also

Notes and references

  1. "The Wanamaker Organ - Inside the world's largest operating musical instrument". Archived from the original on 2021-12-13 via www.youtube.com.
  2. "The Wanamaker Organ". 11 August 2015.
  3. Theatreorgans.com, The World's Largest Pipe Organs, list of the world's 75 largest organs based on number of ranks
  4. "The Top 20 - The World's Largest Pipe Organs". Sacred Classics. Atlas Communications. Retrieved 8 April 2016. (The Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ has more pipes but fewer ranks).
  5. Biswanger, Ray (1999). Music in the Marketplace: The Story of Philadelphia's Historic Wanamaker Organ. The Friends of the Wanamaker Organ Press. ISBN 0-9665552-0-1.
  6. "About the Organ – Friends of the Wanamaker Organ, Inc". Archived from the original on 2019-11-12.
  7. "Detour to 1904". 9 June 2007.
  8. "The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia". www.broadcastpioneers.com. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  9. Whitney, Craig R. (2003). All the Stops: The Glorious Pipe Organ and Its American Masters. PublicAffairs New York. ISBN 1-58648-173-8.
  10. The Philadelphia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists lists all the stops on the organ and mentions the unrealized Stentor division.
  11. CRAIG R. WHITNEY (June 9, 2007). "Amid the Shirts and Socks, a Concert Can Break Out". The New York Times.
  12. Goodfellow, William S. (April 5, 1992). "Fate Brings Organist to Tabernacle Post". Deseret News. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  13. Whitney, Craig (April 1, 2003). All The Stops: The Glorious Pipe Organ And Its American Masters. PublicAffairs. pp. 126-127. ISBN 9781586482626. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  14. Xaver Varnus (9 July 2011). "XAVER VARNUS IMPROVISE ON WANAMAKER, THE WORLD'S LARGEST PIPE ORGAN IN PHILADELPHIA (1987)". Archived from the original on 2021-12-13 via YouTube.
  15. "The Wanamaker Organ on the Radio".
  16. "Around the Wanamaker Organ in 80 MinutesA DVD video tour of 28,482 pipes, their history and their sounds!".
  • Biswanger, Ray (1999). Music in the Marketplace: The Story of Philadelphia's Historic Wanamaker Organ. The Friends of the Wanamaker Organ Press. ISBN 0-9665552-0-1.

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