Hook & Hastings Pipe Organ: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This pipe organ was made by E. and G.G. Hook & Hastings, in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1872. It is a No. 4 model, opus #676 with a single keyboard, with a compass of C - a3 and pedals, with a compass of C – d. The organ’s disposition is as follows:

8' Open Diapason Bass (C – b, lower pipes stopped wood) 8’ Open Diapason ( c1 – a3) 8' Unison Bass ( C – b, wood) 8' Stopped Diapason (c1 – a3, wood and metal) 8' Dulciana (c – a3, metal) 4' Octave (C – a3, metal) Violina Bass (c – b, metal) 4' Flute (c1 – a3, metal) 16' Sub Bass Pedale coupler

The company was started in 1827 by brothers Elias and George Greenleaf Hook. In 1871, Frank Hastings joined the firm, and the name was changed to E. and G.G. Hook & Hastings. This pipe organ was one of the stock organs made in several sizes by the Hook and. Hastings firm during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The organ cost $ 1,000, with 10 stops and 305 pipes, according to a brochure printed in 1871.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1872
• Object Name: pipes, organ
• Physical Description: wood (overall material)
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Physical Description: ivory (overall material)
• Measurements: overall, cr4846: 108 in x 57 in x 27 in; 274.32 cm x 144.78 cm x 68.58 cm
• place made: United States: Massachusetts, Boston
• ID Number: MI.76.17.06
• accession number: 322668
• catalog number: 76.17.06
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.