Reed organ
Maker
Mason & Risch
Date1893-1895 ca.
Place MadeWorcester, Massachusetts, United States, North America
ModelVocalion
Serial No.2496 (reed bank); 1274 (back of case)
SignedGold-colored lettering outlined in black above keyboard: Vocalion / Mason & Risch / NEW YORK. WORCESTERMarkingsIn pencil on side of the reed bank: G.H.K. 3/10/95 2496
DescriptionKnown as the "Vocalion model," this imposing pump organ features an ornamental facade of pipes made of solid wood! The bellows of vocalions utilize pressure, rather than suction, and the reeds of these instruments are typically wider than those in other reed organs, which is said to result in a smoother, more powerful sound.
For part of its life, this particular organ was used until the late 1940s in the Elk Point, South Dakota, Lutheran Church and was acquired in 1968 by the National Music Museum's founder, Arne B. Larson, from yet another owner.
Compass: CC to c3 (5 octaves)
Stop list (as it appears from left to right on draw-knobs): Bass coupler; Sub Bass 16'; Dolce 4'; Bourdon 16'; Trumpet 8'; Open Diapason 8'; Principal 4'; Stopped Diapason 8'; Melodia 8'; Harmonic Flute 4'; Open Diapason 8'; Cornopean 8'; Bourdon Treble 16'; Dolce Forte; Vox Humana; Treble Coupler.
DimensionsHeight: 2950 mm
Width: 1900 mm
Depth: 740 mm
ProvenanceArne B. Larson Collection, Vermillion, South Dakota, 1979.
Published References"Behind the Scenes," Shrine to Music Museum, Inc. Newsletter 9, No. 1 (October 1981), p. 4.
André P. Larson, The National Music Museum: A Pictorial Souvenir (Vermillion: National Music Museum, 1988), p. 56.
Keith B. Williams, "The Vocalion & its Manufacturers- Some history," Reed Organ Society Bulletin Vol. VIII, No. 4 (November 1989), pp. 25-28.
Keith B. Williams, "Morris S. Wright & His Contribution to the Vocalion," Reed Organ Society Bulletin Vol. VIII, No. 4 (November 1989), pp. 29-31.
James H. Richards, "The Vocalion," Reed Organ Society Bulletin Vol. X, No. 2 (May 1991).
Credit LineArne B. Larson Collection, 1979
Object number01202
On View
Not on view
