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The Beckerath organ at Trinity Lutheran on West 30th in Cleveland, Ohio is one of the great monuments of organ building. It was the first organ built in this country during the 20th century to be based on the tonal design and structure of the Baroque period using pure mechanical action. It is really 5 separate organs, or divisions, in one tall case with a total of 44 stops with 63 ranks. It was a watershed event influencing many builders and changing the direction of organ construction in this country.
This short recording of a "Whiter Shade of Pale" was taken from a rehearsal session, unfortunately the live performance was not properly recorded. This transcription, composed and performed by Shane Brandes, uses the Baroque technique of a ground, a repeating bass line, to unify the sections of the song while still preserving the essence of the song. Matthew Fisher, the original organist and co-composer of Procol Harem's hit was most gracious in permitting the performance to happen in Oct. 2008.
The organ is currently being restored, and can be more fully explored at the website for the restoration campaign. The Trinity Lutheran Beckerath organ.