I was listening to a couple of the Longwood Gardens CDs this weekend,
and we got to hear Tom Murray play there at the ATOS convention this
past summer.  The chamber runs the entire length of the ballroom; most
of one of the room's side walls (its long dimension) appears solid but
is actually painted canvas over the swell shade openings (or so someone
said).  The 4m/145r 1929 Aeolian has had a few changes by Moller in about
1958; a few Choir reeds were replaced.  Otherwise, it is pretty much
intact: Great, Swell, Choir, Solo, String, Fanfare, Percussion, and Pedal.
There are 5 32' stops: Open Diapason, Violone, Bourdon, Bombarde, and
Fagot.  Great, Swell, Solo, and Pedal all have 5-rank mixtures.
The Fanfare has a brass Trumpet Militaire and a Post Horn and 2 more
trumpets, all on about 22" pressure.  The String organ has LOTs (about
20 ranks) of strings.  All in all, a lovely residence organ, perhaps
the world's largest.  All of the CDs I've seen have the specification,
but it is after the Moller changes and it has a error or two.  You
can get a copy of the original contract from the Organ Literature
Foundation; it includes a *lot* of interesting notes about scaling, wind
pressures, and the cost of each rank.  (72 h.p. total on the blowers!)
(They also sell a copy of the Atlantic City Convention Hall specification;
but that isn't a residence organ, and so I shouldn't mention it here.)
 
The Kevin Buttle recording is also quite nice (assuming you like
French Classical).  I've always wanted a residence organ with a
Rueckpositive and a 16' tin Montre.  (It also has string celeste.)
The CD booklet has a fine photo of the case, and the booklet is trimmed
out with a little gold stripe (is that a hint?!?).
 
Opps, I think I hear a reality check coming in now...
 
Larry Chace ([log in to unmask])