Hello MMders,  I'm trying to find out the true title and artist of a piece of music.  The title that I've been given with the music is "Ungarische Rhapsodie" (Hungarian Rhapsody).  I dug through the Internet, including all 19 of Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies, trying to match anything with the title to the music but with no luck.

I am sending MP3 files of the music, played on a 38er Voigt concert band organ, for the MMD Sounds web site.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bill Griswold Jr.
1 Oct 2003 00:02:27 EDT

I think musically it would be an Overture.  I'll place the music files at the MMD Sounds site.  -- Robbie

MP3 audio files:
griswold_38voigt0.mp3  (8,349 kb) plays 8:54 complete song
griswold_38voigt1.mp3     (834 kb) plays 2:22 moderato theme mf & ff, finale galop
griswold_38voigt2.mp3     (150 kb) plays 0:25 moderato theme mf
griswold_38voigt3.mp3     (  70 kb) plays 0:11 galop extract

Subject: Fair Organ Recordings by CJ Mears Organisation

I read with interest that a fair organ is heard in the Hasbro game "Roller Coaster Tycoon".  I am unable to give an opinion of the organ as I have not experienced the game.  However, it has been suggested that the recording was originally produced by CJMO [CJ Mears Organisation].

It may interest readers to know that CJMO produced commercially a number of fair organ recordings in the 1970s.  Amongst these were several records that included a 69-keyless Voigt organ which played at the Bressingham steam museum in England.  Most (possibly all) of the repertoire at the time had been made by Voigt.  I understand that these are mainly Ruth arrangements.  Incidentally, the first organ record I obtained was of this Voigt.

Not having heard the sound track to the game I can not confirm if it is the organ, but I put it forward for consideration.

Regards to all,

Douglas Bush, UK
25 Apr 2001 14:22:52 -0400

Hi Bill and other MMD'ers!

The tune played by the 38er Voigt that you could not identify is the Ungarische Lustspiel Ouvertüre [Hungarian Comedy Overture, ca. 1899], composed by Béla Kéler, a Hungarian.

This piece was/is quite popular on German fair organs in the arrangement of Marcel van Boxtel, if I'm not mistaken.  It was also released on, among others, an LP record of the 52-key Gebr. Bruder organ of Jan L. M. van Dinteren (now in the national museum at Utrecht).  Keler also wrote a Französische and Spanische Lustspiel Ouvertüre, as well as other nice pieces like the idyll, Der Sohn der Heide.

Just an addendum: I don't think the recording is of the 69-keyless Voigt, formerly at the Bressingham Steam Museum, now in the Netherlands.  The organ playing the Ungarische Lustspiel Ouvertuere in the MP3 sound files on the MMD web site sounds differently to me and much larger.

According to the information of the current owner of the Voigt organ formerly at the museum, the organ recorded by CJMO and playing in the computer game "Rollercoaster Tycoon" is a 67-key Voigt, Modell 35.

By the way, which 38er Voigt is actually playing on the MP3 sound files?

Best wishes,

Björn Isebaert
Zottegem, Belgium
6 Oct 2003 10:54:51 +0200