House on the Rock - Organ Consoles


The House on the Rock is a museum with mostly custom-built items in Spring Green, Wisconsin. It mainly features music machines that sometimes work, others are more conceptual.

These photos were taken in the Organ Room exibit in 2014 and 2015.

When I was a kid, I visited the House on the Rock around 1990, and the music machines were fascinating to me and also scary in a good way.
I remember seeing the organ consoles, I'm not sure if I saw them in person or in the HOTR book we bought, but I remember wondering what the large console's stop tabs said on them. In 2014 I decided to find out. Since I regularly take photos primarily of stop jambs of instruments, I tried to do the same with these.
When I came back with my family in 2008, most of the machines still appeared to be working. When I visited again in 2014 and 2015, it seemed as if things were in disrepair.

The main console is 15 manuals (3x5), it's not known if it does anything, but a couple of partial rear photos apparently show relay wiring attempts.
The 8 manual is a composite from multiple church organs, I find it uninteresting.
The console with the TV screens is fake with a lot of funny stop names.
This also has chamber photos, the chambers were strangely winded at the time, they have real pipework, but it's unknown if any of it is playable.
Two photos (2049 and 2056) are my desparate attempts at taking photos of behind the large console. They show some wiring.
Note that the rank list below shows a "Vox Jordanis", named after the House on the Rock creator Alex Jordan. The Alexaphone also follows this.

Photos, followed by rank list:

IMG_0617.JPG
Full size
IMG_0618.JPG
Full size
IMG_0619.JPG
Full size
IMG_0620.JPG
Full size
IMG_0621.JPG
Full size
IMG_0622.JPG
Full size
IMG_0623.JPG
Full size
IMG_0624.JPG
Full size
IMG_0625.JPG
Full size
IMG_0626.JPG
Full size
IMG_0627.JPG
Full size
IMG_0628.JPG
Full size
IMG_0629.JPG
Full size
IMG_0630.JPG
Full size
IMG_0631.JPG
Full size
IMG_0632.JPG
Full size
IMG_0633.JPG
Full size
IMG_0634.JPG
Full size
IMG_0635.JPG
Full size
IMG_0637.JPG
Full size
IMG_0638.JPG
Full size
IMG_0639.JPG
Full size
IMG_0640.JPG
Full size
IMG_0641.JPG
Full size
IMG_0642.JPG
Full size
IMG_0643.JPG
Full size
IMG_0644.JPG
Full size
IMG_0645.JPG
Full size
IMG_0646.JPG
Full size
IMG_0654.JPG
Full size
IMG_0655.JPG
Full size
IMG_0660.JPG
Full size
IMG_0661.JPG
Full size
IMG_2032.JPG
Full size
IMG_2035.JPG
Full size
IMG_2040.JPG
Full size
IMG_2041.JPG
Full size
IMG_2042.JPG
Full size
IMG_2049.JPG
Full size
IMG_2056.JPG
Full size
IMG_2057.JPG
Full size
IMG_2059.JPG
Full size

Rank List:

Accordian 16
Accordian d'Italy 2
Accordian d'Paris 2
Accordian Mortiere 16, 8, 2
Airplane Motors
Alexaphone (something)? 32
Artoo-Detoo
Ass Jaw Bone
Bass Drum
Bassoon 16, 8
BellTree I, II
Bombarde 16
Bonnish? Post Horn 8
Bordello Bongos
Bourdon 16
Brass Saxophone 8
Brass Trumpet 8
Cable Car Bell
Carillon Chimes
Castanets
Castanets Reit
Castanets S. S
Cathedral Chimes
Celesta 4
Celesta I
Chime
Chrysoglott 4
Clarinet 8
Clarion Mirabilis 8
Claves
Concert Flute 8, 2-2/3, 2
Contra Gamba 16
Cornopean 16, 8
Cowbell I, II, III, IV
Cymbal Brush
Cymbal Sizzle
Cymbal Tap
Denzel Hoofs
Diaphone 32, 16
Diaphonic Diapason 64, 32, 16, 8
Diaphonic Diapason Chorus 16, 8, 4
Ditzler (Citzler?) Diapason 16
Doppel Flute 16, 8, 4
Double Trumpet 16, 8
Egyptian Beads
English Diapason 8
English Post Horn 16, 8, 4
Fagotto 16
Fanfare En Chemade 16, 8
Fife 1'
Flute 8, 4
Flute Celeste 8
Flute Celeste (Melodia) 8
Flute Chorus 8
Freight Train
French Horn 8
Gamba 8, 4
Glockenspiel 2
Harem Cymbals
Harp 2
Harp (wood) 8
Holhflotes 8
Honky Tonk Piano 16, 8
Indian (something)?
Jet Roar
Jungle Birds I, II, III, IV
Kalliope 8
Kettle Drums
Kettle Drum Low
Kettle Drum High
Kinura Mystique 8
Mandolin on Piano
Marimba 4
Mikado Temple Blocks
Neilhorn Profunda 32, 16
Nineteenth 1-1/3
Oboe Horn 16, 8
Oboe Mikado 16, 8
Oboe Mysterios 8
Octave 2
Open Diapason 16, 8
Orch Oboe 8
Orchestra Bells 2
Orchestrion Bruder?
Orchestrion Caroubel?
Orchestrion Mortier?
Persian Bangles
Persian Gong
Persian Gong Roll
Piano I, II, III - 16, 8
Piano Vienna 16, 8
Pianos 16, 8, 4
Piano Parisien
Piccolo 2
Quintadena 8
Rain
Reed Flute Orientale 8
Reed Organ 8
Saxophone 16
Shaker Chimes
Schume Rich Carillon
Serpent 4
Siren
Sleigh Bells 2
Slicional 8, 4
Snare Drum
Snare Drum Roll
Solo String 8, 4, 2
Song Birds
Steam Boat Whistle
String Bass 16, 8
String Celeste 16
Strings 8, 4, 2
String Chorus 16, 8, 4
Surf
Swiss Bells 4, 2
Tambourine
Tambourine S S
Tambourine Reit
Terciana? 8
The Force? 32
Thunder
Tibia Clausa 16, 8, 5-1/3, 3-1/5, 2-2/3, 2, 1
Tibia Chorus 16, 8, 4
Tibia Minor 8, 4, 2-2/3, 2, 1
Tom Tom
Tower Chimes
Train Whistle
Triangle
Trumpet 16, 8
Tuba 16, 8
Vibraharp
Viole d'Orch 8, 4, 2
Viole Mystique
Viole d'Amour 8
Violin d'Orch 8, 4
Violin Celeste
Violone? 16
Vox 4
Vox Angelica 8
Vox Basso 16
Vox Humana 8, 4
Vox Jordanis 4
Windreed Arabesque 8
Wolf Whistle
Wood Block
Xylo Reit
Xylophone
Xylophone II

Polish Post Horn?


-------
Other (smaller, the TV screen one) console oddities:
Harem Cymbals
Wild West Shoot Out
Fire Gong
Slave Girl Ankle Bells
African Drum-In
Fog Horn
Siren
Rain
Elephant Stampede
Old Air Plane
Panic Button


Back to main organ page