It is an irrefutable truth that Queen’s 1975 classic “Bohemian Rhapsody” is one of the greatest songs ever written and recorded. Forget all that “art is subjective” business! I mean…come on! With its abrupt changes in tone, tempo and style, Freddie Mercury and Queen put forth a ballad that shifts into a full-scale opera and later erupts into a guitar-shredding hard rocker.
How does that get any better? With a 1905 81-key Marenghi organ, that’s how.
Don’t just listen – watch the video fully to see the intricacies of the organ – all of its moving parts, bells and whistles, some literal and some figurative. It’s an amazing piece of history that has been preserved and beautifully married to one of the most complex pieces of modern Pop-Rock music.
The organ is part of Bill Nunn’s collection over at Skyrock Farm. According to the description on this particular instrument, it was built in 1905 in Paris. “It spent 60 years providing music in a restaurant-dancehall in Antwerp, Belgium. Now completely restored, this magnificent organ features over 350 pipes, recreating a large orchestra.”
Located in Medina, Minnesota, the Skyrock Farm and Carousel Grand Ballroom features three large antique and ornate working Dance Organs and a hand carved antique bar. It also houses hundreds of ornate carousel horses, fair organs and a full size working carousel.
Crazy.
Furthermore, it’s completely shocking that this video has only been viewed 8,417 times because it’s pretty damn amazing.
Absolutly beautiful! Can’t imagine the time and work involved in creating such a piece. Time and creation at it’s best. Best of luck to you!
Thank you for sharing you work,
Monica Kern
An extraordinary and wonderful video presentation. A superb musical instrument. Thank you for preserving the music gems.
this happens to be one of my favorite Queen song this was absolutely awesomeI would love to have a recording of this