Colossal Musical Instrument

No words can possibly convey the emotion one feels as the famous pipe organ commences its mesmerizing melody inside Scotty’s Castle. The concert room is impressive in its own right, and then once the stirring notes coat the air, one becomes lost in the passionate tone. The Welte-Mignon theater organ has over 1,000 pipes, and is but one of the many treasures to be found within these amazing walls. The Welte-Mignon company produced high quality musical devices originally in Germany during the 1800s, starting in the fabled Black Forest town of Vöhrenbach, and eventually brought a portion of its operations to the United States in New York. In 1932 it faced bankruptcy, and then in 1944, its German plant at Freiburg was destroyed by military bombing.

These old organs can be found in museums, or by visiting Death Valley. The National Park Service now provides yearly concerts starring the organ and a talented organist in order to raise money to pay for its upkeep and also to maintain the Deagan chimes in the chime tower of the castle. Forty people may attend the summer concerts each evening, which last fifty minutes and cost thirty dollars. Reservations are made through the Death Valley Natural History Association. Regular daily tours of Scotty’s Castle also include a brief interlude in the room housing the pipe organ, and visitors delight to hear songs from it, usually controlled electronically rather than by a live person. This impressive instrument reportedly cost around $50,000 in the early 1930s. There were over 7,000 pipe organs placed in American theaters from 1915 to 1933, yet today fewer than 40 remain in their original theaters. Scotty’s Castle offers a very unique treat for our ears!