Alexey Rom programmed a century-old Marenghi Organ to play the disco hit "Raputin" by Boney-M. This 81-key organ was built in 1905. My piano is older than that, but mine will never be in tune again. (via Boing Boing)
I always did like that song – like Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park Suite", there was some good music hiding behind the disco beat. And it transferred well to the organ!
As for the organ itself – it is known as "Becky:, and in recent years it was part of the extensive Bill Nunn collection of other fairground organs, carousels, and similar memorabilia in Hamel MN, but with his passing the collection went to auction in 2025. The Mahrengi sold for €75.000 (around $89,000). I have been unable to determine who had the winning bid, but what I could find indicates that the organ will remain in America.
And here's another clip of it, this time playing Alexey Rom's arrangement of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" ... https://www.openculture.com/2016/11/1910-fairground-organ-plays-queens-bohemian-rhapsody.html
5 comments:
I always did like that song – like Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park Suite", there was some good music hiding behind the disco beat. And it transferred well to the organ!
As for the organ itself – it is known as "Becky:, and in recent years it was part of the extensive Bill Nunn collection of other fairground organs, carousels, and similar memorabilia in Hamel MN, but with his passing the collection went to auction in 2025. The Mahrengi sold for €75.000 (around $89,000). I have been unable to determine who had the winning bid, but what I could find indicates that the organ will remain in America.
And here's another clip of it, this time playing Alexey Rom's arrangement of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" ... https://www.openculture.com/2016/11/1910-fairground-organ-plays-queens-bohemian-rhapsody.html
-"BB"-
Sounds awesome!
That is great, the perfect medium for that song. And thanks Bicycle Bill for the link to Queen. (IMHO, Rasputin is a better fit for the organ)
I remember that one!
Additional thought — Rasputin was still alive and had become a person of influence in the Russian court at the time that organ was constructed....
-"BB"-
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