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The Reed Organ as a Practice Organ
My good friend and organ enthusiast James Battersby has recently acquired a Rushworth & Dreaper Apollo
organ which he uses for studio practice. He kindly agreed to write an article on the reed organ
as a form of practice instrument, and has allowed me to publish his words hereafter.
In defence of the reed organ!
Pipe organ enthusiasts often scoff at reed organs, considering them to be a poor substitute for ‘the real thing’.
A reed organ is an instrument in its own right, and like any other class of instrument, reed organs can vary enormously in quality.
Franz Liszt was a great admirer of reed organs and owned quite a few in his life, so why is it that many organ enthusiasts feel
they are an inferior form of pipe organ? The answer is probably because of the enormous numbers of ‘parlour’ organs which were
produced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The majority of these instruments were made to a price, and differing
prices were usually based on the quality of the casework as opposed to the quality of the sound. One of the best American reed
organ manufactures, and one of Liszt’s favourites, was Mason & Hamlin who offered reed organs from £8 to £450! Incidentally,
Gounod and Saint-Saëns were two other famous composers who added their testimonials to Mason & Hamlin.
However, American and Canadian parlour Organs are still very undervalued, especially here in the UK. Reed organs require very
little care and maintenance, but if one buys a 100 year old instrument that has never been serviced, then obviously it is not
going to sound its best, and expert restoration is never cheap. Once restored however, and if well looked after, one can usually
expect up to two or three decades of use before major overhauling is again necessary – thus making a seemingly expensive restoration
excellent value for money. There are also excellent books and articles on DIY maintenance and restoring of reed organs, and a host
of enthusiats willing to give free advice.
Some reed organs were designed to be used as ‘Practice’ or ‘Studio’ instruments, designed for home or chapel, and as a practical
alternative to the pipe organ. There were a number of manufactures, but my favourite is the Rushworth & Dreaper ‘Apollo’ 2MP reed organ.
This intrument works on the same tracker action that Rushworths used in their pipe organs, follows RCO recommendations in the design of the console,
and is superbly made of solid oak. Although a large instrument, the case can be easily removed and the inner mechanism will then fit through modern
narrow doorways (I should know!).
As you can see from Jason’s excellent drawings and photographs, the build quality is second to none, and the instrument is designed for easy
dismantling for servicing. With eight full sets of reeds shared by the two manuals, and a further two sets for the pedalboard, the sound of these
instruments is suprisingly good, and a great pleasure to both play and listen to.
The downside is that comparatively small numbers of these instruments were made, in the case of the R&D Apollo only around 350 were ever made.
However 2 and 3MP reed organs do turn up, and even if they do require restoration, the costs compared to their reliabilty and increasing retail
value make them a good – and enjoyable investment.
James P Battersby
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