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WEEKEND, DECEMBER 24-25, 2010
AP PHOTOS/MATT ROURKE
Pipe dreams in Philly
Hearing world’s largest organ in Macy’s a Christmas tradition Organ was built for 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair and purchased by retail magnate John Wanamaker in 1909 Now maintained by a large on-site workshop and two full-time paid curators Music lovers from around the world have always made pilgrimages to hear the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ, which resides not in a church, but in a Philadelphia department store. It's the largest operational pipe organ in the world — some say the world's largest playable instrument. And on the eve of its 100th year of serenading shoppers, it's never sounded better. But at Christmastime, the organ, a National Historic Landmark, belongs not to tourists so much as to Philadelphians. Its holiday organ concert and sweetly old-fashioned light show has for generations been as much of a local tradition as trimming the tree or sitting on Santa's lap. Located in a Macy's that was originally the John Wanamaker chain's flagship store, the organ's polished mahogany console is tucked behind racks of sweaters and skirts. This time of year, crowds laden with bags and bundles overflow the soaring atrium, squeezing amid the
This Dec. 9 photo shows the Macy’s holiday light show with the finale accompanied by the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ in Philadelphia.
women's shoes and pressing against glass jewelry cases for the hourly show. With narration by Julie Andrews, animated bears, snowflakes, nutcrackers and reindeer take visitors through a series of prerecorded Christmas songs with a live organ concert as the finale. “It's magical,” said Margie Fitzpatrick, a native Philadelphian who fondly recalled organ concerts with her parents, then her children, and was at a recent show with her two-year-old granddaughter. “Hearing it just makes you feel blessed.” Superlatives are unavoidable when describing the symphonic, 287-ton organ. With 28,543 pipes, it embodies the sounds of not one orchestra, but three. In contrast, the organ at Notre Dame in Paris has about 8,000 pipes. St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City tallies about 9,000. The Wanamaker pipes range from five millimetres to about 10 metres in length, are made of wood or metal, and span five
“If the Liberty Bell is Philadelphia’s heart, the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ is its soul.” ORGANIST PETER RICHARD CONTE
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If you go WANAMAKER GRAND COURT ORGAN: At Macy's, 1300 Market St., Philadelphia; wanamaker organ.com. Free daily 45-minute recitals, Monday-Saturday at noon; Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 5:30 p.m.; and Wednesdays and Fridays, 7 p.m. Visitors may tour the console area on the second floor and meet the staff following daily concerts. Through New Year's Eve, the noon organ concerts begin right after the 10minute light show.
storeys. The console boasts six ivory keyboards and 729 colour-coded stops representing the sounds of every string, woodwind, brass and percussion instrument imaginable. But numbers can't explain the lusciousness of the music, which can simultaneously feel warm as a blanket and light as air. Extensive repairs over the past few years and vigilant upkeep now have the instrument — valued in excess of $57 million — performing at its peak. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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