Week 9-12

Week 12:

 A very big hello to my Piano Classes and all SRC participants!  Hope this finds all doing well!This week we will continue our “Compare and Contrast” focus by choosing yet another instrument to learn about that is also in the overarching category of Keyboard Instruments.  After spending the past three weeks learning all about the Pipe Organ, this week we move on and turn our attention to the fascinating world of the Carillon!  Brace yourself for an amazing journey!    According to Wikipedia the Carillon is “a musical instrument typically housed in the bell tower of a church or municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to produce a melody, or together to play a chord. A traditional manual carillon is played by striking a keyboard—the stick-like keys of which are called batons—with the fists, and by pressing the keys of a pedal keyboard with the feet. The keys mechanically activate levers and wires connected to metal clappers which strike the bells.”  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carillon)     This week we are going to specifically take an exploration in learning about the Carillon located atop the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel at the University of Chicago–which consists of a whopping 72 bells!!  To learn more about this instrument, feel free to check out this website:  https://rockefeller.uchicago.edu/the-carillonThis week’s video takes you on a COMPLETE exploration and is so very interesting I watched it twice!  It is approx a half hour long though, so make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and settle in to watch a truly fascinating video on the Carillon:  Carillon Video:  https://youtu.be/VkRIMgTU7cA

Bonus Video:  And now for your weekly Hank Shapiro virtual gig!  This week we pick up with his live-streaming performance from May 16.  Enjoy:  https://youtu.be/FE8-7G9QYUk

Week 11:

 A very big hello to all and all my best to you and your families during this time!This week, let’s cap off our focus on the Pipe Organ.  I hope you’ve been finding this peek into other instruments in the Keyboard Family both enlightening and educational as you compare and contrast these instruments with the keyboards/pianos you’ve become familiar with.  (Next week we are on to yet another Keyboard Instrument—very excited to share this next!)  In concluding with Pipe Organs, I thought it would be fun to finish off with what I’d like to call the “Hall of Fame” for Pipe Organs.  Let’s look at some historic & renowned Pipe Organs based on categories:     Oldest:  It is generally agreed upon that the world’s oldest playable pipe organ is located in the Basilica of Valère in Sion, Switzerland. Built around 1435, most of the case is original, but only 12 pipes are original, as the rest have been replaced during restorations.         **Video for Oldest Pipe Organ:  https://youtu.be/jxwZTfILJDALargest (based on # of Pipes):  The largest pipe organ ever built, based on number of pipes, is the Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ in Atlantic City, New Jersey, built by the Midmer-Losh Organ Company between 1929 and 1932. The organ contains seven manuals, 449 ranks, 337 registers, and 33,114 pipes. It weighs approximately 150 tons.     

**Videos for Atlantic City Organ:  https://youtu.be/WgKRBgjaDtA  & https://youtu.be/CQ8qIslr8W4Largest (based on physical mass):  The largest pipe organ in the world, based on number of ranks and physical mass weight, is the Wanamaker Grand Court Organat Philadelphia‘s John Wanamaker department store (now operated by Macy’s). It ranks second in the world based on number of pipes. It is the largest fully operational musical instrument in the world, with six manuals, 464 ranks, 401 registers, and 28,750 pipes; it weighs 287 tons.   

**Video for Philadelphia Organ:  https://youtu.be/98KYMpBx9ogAND just for fun and giggles, here is a very old video clip I found. (Haha, validity of claim unverified)Smallest Organ:https://youtu.be/fANWsqxY67c

****BONUS VIDEO:  And now, here is your weekly dose of Henry ‘Hank’ Shapiro virtual gigs.                May 9th:  https://youtu.be/ZM7xSO_SZTM

Week 10:

 Greeting SRC friends!  Hope this finds you doing well- staying happy and healthy and hope-filled.In continuing with our broad topic of exploring other instruments in Keyboard Family, we are spending some time right now exploring the pipe organ.  Last week we had an introduction video that taught an explained the basics of the pipe organ.  This  week, I’d like to focus in on one historic organ that I have had the pleasure to see (and hear!) a handful of times when I visit my favorite art museum in Rochester, NY.  The Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, NY houses a beautiful Italian Baroque organ with a very interesting back story.  And since it is an organ that I am particularly familiar with and fond of, I thought I would share its history with you all in our focus on the organ!Here is an excellent video explaining its details/make up and history:  https://youtu.be/5pYFg51rJ54

For more information, feel free to see the Museum’s website here:  https://mag.rochester.edu/collections/organ/And because I promised, here is a video I took at EXACTLY this time last year when I was up in the Rochester area for vacation and managed to schedule my art museum visit for the same day of the week that they schedule special demonstrations/lectures on this organ.  Here is my own personal video, that I just uploaded to youtube last night, of a demonstration on this organ.https://youtu.be/3VnipXMsbIc

Next week, I would like to ‘cap off’ our focus on the organ by sharing with you a handful of video clips of other famous historic organs.  The week after, buckle your seatbelts, because we will continue to explore a couple other instruments also in the Keyboard family.
BONUS VIDEO:  Here is your weekly dose of Henry ‘Hank’ Shapiro virtual gigs that he has been publishing both on Facebook live and Youtube.  Since we are still playing “catch up” in posting them all, here is his live gig from May 2:https://youtu.be/CbTR-W4uEdY

Week 9:

Hello to all- hope this finds you well!  In continuing with our exploration of learning about of a few other instruments also in the broad category of Keyboard Instruments.It’s my hope that learning about other keyboard instruments and how they compare to the modern piano helps to broaden your understanding and appreciation for the instrument that you are learning!  Last week, we learned all about the fascinating little celesta (which is highlighted in Nutcracker and Harry Potter movie theme).This week, I’d like to begin a 2 week highlight on the pipe organ.I found this excellent video on “The King of Instruments:  The History, Science and Music of the Pipe Organ”     https://youtu.be/GzpZRV9Cmac25 minutes long, but very well done and a great introductory crash course in the organ.Seriously worth your time- I found several new trivia points about the organ that I had never heard before!!While you are watching, be thinking of what aspects of the organ are similar to the piano and then what aspects are VASTLY different to piano.  Next week to wrap up our highlight on the pipe organ, I will upload some personal videos (surprise!) to my youtube account in order to share with you highlights of one organ in particular.  I would also like to highlight a couple other instruments in the keyboard family for us to learn about – so buckle your seatbelts and get ready for a very interesting “compare and contrast” ride to supplement our piano studies.  

BONUS VIDEO:  And now for your weekly dose of Henry (Hank) Shapiro’s “Live at 5” Saturday Facebook Live gig.Again, while some of you may be tuning in live through your own Facebook accounts by this point, I will continue posting his gig videos here for easy access and for those who may not have Facebook.Since I’m “catching up” on posting old gigs, here is his half hour program from Saturday, April 25th.Enjoy:  https://youtu.be/ArJhexyaaCQ