|
 The
Hook Organ at Mechanics Hall
The
Hook organ, built in 1864, dominates the Great Hall. Determined that American
artisans construct the organ, the Mechanics called upon the E. & G.G.
Hook brothers of Boston to install the organ in the place reserved for
it center stage. The 52-stop, 3,504-pipe instrument is often referred to
as the "Worcester Organ" because the people of the community donated most
of the funds required for building it. Today, the Hook organ is the oldest
unaltered four-keyboard organ in the Western Hemisphere.
Since
its restoration in 1982, the Hook Organ has become one of the most popular
and respected organs in the United States. It has been featured numerous
times on National Public Radio. It has been used in several recordings
and has been featured on television and in a major motion picture, as well
as in a music video starring Michael Crawford, the original "Phantom of
the Opera."
The
organ is regularly played during the Mechanics Hall Brown Bags for Kids
Concerts as well as at the Brown Bag Concert Series
performed for the general public. It has been part of the Fuller International
Organ Festival. An organ fund is in place to which individuals may contribute
for the continued preservation of this king of instruments.
Calendar
of Events | Contact us | Education
| Galas
History
| Hook Organ | Meetings & Seminars | Membership
Recording Studio | Weddings
Directions | The Shop |
Ticket Sales | Home
321 Main St., Worcester,
MA 01608
(508) 752-5608
info@mechanicshall.org
|
