Pipe Organs of the Rich and Famous (2014)

Description

Largest and most complex of musical instruments, the organ has traditionally been found in churches—from country parishes to great cathedrals—and, for centuries, small “chamber organs” were found in the homes of the elite, most often, royalty. Then, in the mid-19th century, with the application of mechanical blowing devices, organs entered the private homes of the well-to-do and professional musicians. Automatic player devices provided those who could afford them with a self-playing organ and the opulent mansions of the new American aristocracy offered unlimited space for extremely large instruments. Rollin Smith’s Pipe Organs of the Rich and Famous is the story of organs in more than 50 private homes—a few residents being more famous than rich.