BRATTLEBORO-How does a reed organ make music? The most recent addition to the Estey Organ Museum is a circa 1871 J. Estey & Company Cottage Organ cut in half to reveal the inner working of a reed organ. The cross-section allows a viewer to witness what happens when a key is pressed. When pressed, piano key creates sound by striking a string with a felt hammer. Pressing a key on a reed organ produces sound by directing the movement of air through metal reeds, similar to a harmonica. The air is sucked from above through the reeds by a bellows system below.
"Showing what was under the hood was exactly what I wanted," exhibit creator Craig Cowing said in a news release. "The cross section shows the relationships among bellows, reservoir, case parts, treadles, and action. All this occurs out of sight, within the organ's decorative wooden case. With this cutaway, we have exposed the treble half of this Estey cottage organ so that you can see a reed organ in action. This allows the viewer to imagine what might be 'under the hood' of all the other reed organ cases in the museum."
Cowing is a board member of the Estey Organ Museum and part of a team working to create an exhibit of Estey reed organs for the biennial gathering of the International Reed Organ Society. Members will convene in Brattleboro Sept. 26–30 for EsteyFest '24; five-days of everything reed organ, including talks, workshops, and concerts.
A special EsteyFest workshop has been created to attract the participation of the wider Brattleboro community interested in the heritage of the Estey company and the still-vital musical potential of reed organs. Estey Organ Museum board member Allen Myers will conduct a workshop called "Take Apart a Reed Organ."
Locals are encouraged to sign up as teams of one or two people each (6 teams max). Each team will be given an Estey organ to restore and take home. Or, participants can bring their own reed organs. The workshop will get them started and experts will be available to guide them through the whole process, continuing after EsteyFest ends. For further information, contact Myers at [email protected] or 207-776-2656.
During EsteyFest, there will be three concerts. On Saturday night, Sept. 28, the festival will partner with Epsilon Spires for the showing of the silent film Nosferatu. Special musical accompaniment will be provided by a chamber orchestra led by a reed organ, using the original score for the film.
Sunday afternoon, Sept. 29, at Epsilon, keyboard specialist Artis Wodehouse, who has devoted her career to reclaiming music and instruments, will perform "unusual music" from the past.
This will be followed by the Festival Concert at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon. The program includes professional performers playing a variety of music on several types of reed organs. The performance is intended to showcase the musical potential of reed organs, and will include classical and contemporary music, as well as some improvisation. Both performances will be live-streamed by BCTV.
Everyone is invited to the Estey Organ Museum on Monday morning, Sept. 30, for a celebration of founder Jacob Estey's 210th birthday. The museum will be filled with a variety of reed organs and the permanent installation of the one-of-a-kind pipe organ adapted to allow museum visitors to "walk through its otherwise hidden mechanisms" and see how a pipe organ works.
The Estey Organ Museum and the Brattleboro Historical Society will host the Reed Organ Society as a return visit to the hometown of the Estey Organ Company. The organization's first international meeting was held in Brattleboro in 2005. Plans are underway for an estimated 100 organ enthusiasts from the U.S., Australia, and Europe. "There will be lots of reed organs to play," say organizers, "and time to renew old acquaintances and make new friends."
For further information, go to esteyorganmuseum.org and click on EsteyFest '24.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.