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The Vocalion organ was first introduced in Worcester, MA 1885 by James-Baille Hamilton who had invented it in England but found no interest for it there. Production by the Hamilton Vocalion Organ Mfg. Co. began in 1886. By 1890 there were changes in business arrangements and the company was known as Mason and Risch company located both in Worcester and New York. These were sold by the New York Church Organ Company. By 1903 Aeolian acquired the company and production ceased somewhere around 1910 I have attempted to locate as many extant Vocalions as is possible and thus far have identified 100 of them. The earliest listed is #546 in CA and #6660 in Michigan. The former is 2/9 and the latter a one manual w/ 4 - 5 sets of reeds. I also located a three manual in Pisa, Italy. So they are out there! We have restored 8 or 9 of these instruments. I have a mint condition 2/10, soon to own a 2/17. Also on the way to our shop is a one manual and a 2/9 from Maine that will undergo complete restoration. There are several characteristics that set Vocalions apart from the typical reed organ with which we are all familiar. Vocalions operate on pressure rather than suction. The reeds are large-scaled and speak into chambers called qualifying tubes. Just as in the finishing process for pipe organs, the individual stops on a Vocalion can be regulated note by note. Slightly enlarging the tone opening sharpens the pitch thus the reed is flatted to correct pitch. The individual sounds between the ranks are astoundingly different from one another. The action for the Vocalion is on the tracker system as in mechanical action pipe organs. There are backfalls that spread the key scale to chest scale and trackers run from them to the pull wires coming out of the chest. The original wind systems were fitted out with two feeders, parallel for the earlier organs and diagonal by the time Aeolian was doing the building. The reservoir was double rise. A pump handle was furnished plus capped holes ready to accept a wind line from a blower. Last but not least is that in appearance and in playing, these instrument were legitimate organs both in the playing "feel" and physical appearance of a miniature pipe organ. |
