Organ matters - Organs matter!

I've wondered if the organs built in the 1800s by New England builders Hook and Hastings, Johnson, etc were influenced mainly by English organs. Our organ has most of the pipework of the previous 1871 Wm. Johnson organ. Would it be similar to something that might be found in England?
It's stoplist and description can be seen here:
http://www.pennyanfbc.com/organ.html

Here's a truly depressing video for organ lovers. This Cavaillé Coll is in the Buenos Aires area of Argentina. (Haven't I heard about someone from there lately?) I did some searching - This unaltered CC organ has been allowed to fall into total dis-use and dis-repair. An offer of a wealthy woman to finance it's restoration was rejected by the RC Church. Extensive restoration of the basilica was carried out with no effort to rescue or even protect the organ. Latest word I found is that it still could be restored, but likely will not be.  (The link found in the description does not work)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUnHNpSjDPU

Another video that has the struggling CC organ being played: (Has English sub-titles)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpOMEvvqKPs

Young Gert van Hoef is quite a musician - he is totally involved in his playing!

When the van Hoef family got a home organ at Christmastime 2007, 13 year old Gert began picking out tunes by ear. Doing quite well, he decided to tackle something challenging - Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, which he learned by watching YouTube videos. In July 2008, he posted his own video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKmpm8S3lVg

While working on the Bach, Gert decided he should learn to read music, so he started taking lessons. Here's how he is dong four years and 122 videos later. In this video he had just turned 18: www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1iNqv7edW0

Gert is very much at home with improvision: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VcruF4_pFQ&feature=relmfu

I have greatly enjoyed watching Gert's progress!

Hi - This was inspiring to me!

A 23 rank, 3 manual Hilborne H. Roosevelt organ has spent 124 years at camp - a summer camp for boys! It is in the chapel of a High Episcopal camp in the Catskill Mountains, about 175 km. from New York City. The organ is used daily for morning services, and requires no electric power at all - the bellows are pumped by campers who vie for the privilege. Several well known organists have been camp organists there.

David Sinden, an organist from Indianapolis, describes his daily responsibilities during his several years as camp organist:

> 7:20 a.m. - The chapel bell rings. Most of the camp is already inside. Hopefully, I have already managed a quick prelude. Then I start the opening hymn: probably Holy, Holy, Holy or something like it from the 1940 Hymnal. Then a sung, high Anglican Mass (with incense) follows. My musical responsibilities in this service include Kyrie, Gloria, Gradual hymn, Creed (in a semi-operatic setting by Caeleb Semper), offertory hymn (incense), Sanctus, Agnus Dei, communion hymn, post-communion hymn and a brief postlude. Other things that fascinate me about the liturgy:
> * the epistle is chanted by a camper
> * the very brief (but spectacular) sermon by Father Ray Donahue (affectionately known as "Father D")
> * a quasi-medieval prayer asking that the deceased founders of the camp be rewarded with eternal life
> * the "Last Gospel" (prologue hymn of the Gospel of John) recited in unison before the closing hymn

More info, pictures and a stoplist can be seen at these sites:
http://pipedreams.publicradio.org/gallery/us_northeast/new_york/delhi_boys-camp_roosevelt.shtml
http://sinden.org/blog/2005/07/1886-hilborne-h-roosevelt-_112129215992304171.html
http://sinden.org/2004/08/camp-lake-delaware-boys.html
http://sinden.org/blog/2005/08/187786-roosevelt-st.html

Audio clips can be heard here:
http://www.lakedelawareboyscamp.org/LDBC/SITE/Audio.html

I bet this old organ has had an influence on thousands of boys - especially the ones who supplied the wind!