OLDEST PLAYABLE ORGAN IN THE WORLD Part 1 | Diane Bish at Valère Basilica in Sion, Switzerland

Diane Bish talks about and plays the oldest playable organ in the world.

Music Played: Michelangelo Rossi, Toccata XIV

A clip from "New York Times", Paul Hoffman:

"One of the more unusual attractions of the Swiss canton of Valais is a 600-year-old organ, believed to be the oldest functioning organ in the world. It is housed in an 800-year-old fortress-church on a hill in Sion, the capital of the Canton.

"The organ, built in 1390 and most recently restored in 1954, is mounted on a wooden pulpit jutting out like a ship's bow from the rear wall of the Romanesque-Gothic church, once the Cathedral of Sion and one of Switzerland's most haunting edifices."

Organ Specifications:

(10 Ranks, 8 registers)
Pedal
Bass II

Manual
Principal 8
Octaf 4
Copl 4
Quint major 2 2/3
Superoctaf 2
Quint minor 1 1/3
Mixtur II