1902 Lyon and Healy Organ - Basilica of Our Lady of the Sorrows - Chicago, Illinois

Now that is a classic 1902 sound

Bradford organ company. Specialists in repairs to Skinner organs RIP Walter Bradford, John Peters. 2 great Chicago area organ repair guys back in the day...great video and to city organ works ,David ..as well.

The Basilica was my mother's family's parish. My grandmother was married there in the early 20th century. I remember hearing that organ at family weddings and at funerals; beautiful and marvelous acoustics. Before and during World War II, Mom told me there were several thousand parishioners.

Neat to see Chicago once again on this channel. I've been intending to check this instrument out for a long time, but never got to arranging it (same with the Saint John Cantius organ). This instrument actually also has a little-big brother in town as well - Lyon and Healy Opus 80 still sings at Saint Vincent's Church (located next to the campus of DePaul University in Lincoln Park - who also own the former Lyon and Healy office buildings in the loop for use as part of their downtown campus).

This church is massive, behind the area where entrance to organ loft is also a chapel. There are very few members of the parish, but as one of Chicago’s three basilicas, it (thankfully) isn’t under control or part of mergers and closings by local Cardinal. It is in a rough area of city, but worth a visit if in Chicago. Typically it is one of the many buildings open each fall for Open House Chicago and occasionally organ recitals too. If it looks familiar to movie buffs, it is where scenes with Sean Connery filmed for Untouchables.

Built in the heyday of symphonic/orchestral organbuilding it still retains its silvery/woollen tone, and yet there is power behind that fundamental-heavy tone. It's a shame that organbuilding like this went out of style in the organ reformation times and never really recovered. Hopefully the basilica continues to cherish and maintain this piece of musical history long into the future.

I love hearing other keys than C major!

it never ceases to amaze me at the quality of these videos. thank you for sharing!

Nice presentation of a beautiful organ and venue. Thanks, Corrado and Brent.

Than u fr showing the organ and playing it I enjoy when you go into chamber and showing

....ok...I looked up further information. The Chambersburg Lyon and Healy organ was originally at St. Paul's K Street in Washington DC, and was installed by Irv Lawless of Lawless and Associates.

I believe early Hook & Hastings electropneumatic action magnets had a similar plunger design. I'm really glad this grand dame is playing and playing so well.

Another great video! Nice organ!

The organ database does not list it, but there is a Lyon and Healy organ in St. Paul's United Methodist in Chambersburg, PA. This organ was bought from somewhere else, and brought there, by who, I am not sure. The original St. Paul's in downtown Chambersburg burned down, with a Moller inside. The church is on the outskirts of town, on a different property from the original property, and was built new awhile back, 20-30 years ago, maybe?

Interesting that they decided to have the console positioned on one side of the altar while the pipes or on the other side. Why was it put there instead of the rear balcony?

The basilica resemblance with Saint Peter in Rome.

Despite their name being on the instrument, it’s probable they did not actually built it. I have seen Lyon and Healy fairground organs wich are actually rebranded instruments from the North Tonowanda barrel organ company (later absorbed into Wurlitzer). That being said, almost everything was probably sub-contracted out to other organ builders and sold under the Lyon and Healy name with them taking a cut of the money. Not to dissimilar to modern “builders” who simply order everything from OSI or a similar supply factory, come to think of it.

Would have been nice to see the older consoles. Austin consoles are ugly IMHO.

Needs those pathetic little sprung regulators ripped out and replaced with the correct original size reservoirs. Why America ever abandoned the good old weighted double-rise reservoir, this Brit cannot understand.