Famous Organists: Pierre Cochereau
Today’s Famous Organists blog will be focusing on the incredible Pierre Cochereau, an established concert organist and titulaire of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. An Unconventional Beginning Unlike most of the organists we’ve examined thus far in the Famous Organists blog series, Pierre Cochereau wasn’t immediately sent to a conservatory to hone his […]
Famous Organists: Rolande Falcinelli
Rolande Falcinelli is the next subject of our Famous Organists series. In this blog, we’ll take a look at the life of this fabulous female organist and discuss what she contributed to the culture of organ music. An Artistic Existence Heralding from Paris, France, Falcinelli was born on February 20, 1920. Although she was the […]
Famous Organists: César Franck
Our next blog on the famous organists of history is about César Franck, a Beligian born organist and composer with quite the interesting life story. Franck was an extremely talented organist who composed many pieces that are still staples in organist repertoires today. An Intensive Early Life Born in Liège, Belgium, on December 10, 1822 […]
Famous Organists: Albert Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer was a man of many titles. Although he’s recognized as a Nobel Laureate, theologian, philosopher, and a musician (just to name a few), here at Viscount Organs, we’re most excited about this polymath’s reputation as an organist, as well as his impact on organ culture. In this blog, we’ll be continuing our series […]
Famous Organists: Jimmy Smith
In the next installation of our Famous Organists blog series, we will be discussing the legendary Jimmy Smith, a jazz organist who is ubiquitously recognized as the musician who popularized and legitimized the tonewheel organ. A Musical Background James (Jimmy) Smith was born December 8, 1925 (or possibly 1928, reports vary) in Norristown, Pennsylvania, […]
Famous Organists: Marie-Claire Alain
In the next installment of our Famous Organists blog series, we will be taking a look at the incredible Marie-Claire Alain. A Family of Organists On August 10, 1926, Marie-Claire Alain was born near Paris, France, into a prodigious family of organists and musicians. Her father, Albert Alain, composed for the organ, built organs, and […]
The Legend Series: Paying Homage to Tonewheel Organs
The Hammond Organ was the world’s first introduction to tonewheel organs — and at that, electronic organs — in 1935. Quickly rising in popularity, Hammond Organs became the go-to organs for their portability, affordability, and amazing sound, becoming a legend in the history of organs. It’s because of its prolific effect on organs and electronic […]
A New Custom Hybrid Viscount Organ Installed in Pennsylvania
After much deliberation, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Altoona, PA determined that their new organ must match the same beauty, visually and sonically, already found in their gorgeous church. For this reason, they chose a custom Viscount Hybrid Organ with Physis® Technology. Considerable effort was made to bring their highly altered Estey […]
Pulling Out All Of The Stops
After a particularly impressive effort at work or on the playing field, or at the most climactic point in a film, you might have heard someone mention that “they pulled out all of the stops.” In common use, it’s considered high praise, but for church organ players, the phrase has a very different meaning. Viscount […]
The Church Organ In Film
While many organists likely think of the instrument in the context of great performance halls or church settings, for the average listener, the church organ is distinctly tied to the soundtracks of popular media. In particular, film has shaped many people’s understanding of the instrument and its use to convey drama, tension, and fear. While […]