1967 C.B. Fisk organ, Opus 46, formerly at Memorial Chapel, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

It’s not your usual sort of seasonal surprise on this weeks Pipedreams program. To prove the universality of the Christmas theme, we’ve conducted a global search and it has uncovered some extraordinary jewels, including a French Noel, variations from The Netherlands and South Africa, and settings of familiar tunes from Sweden, Norway, Germany, Austria, Lebanon and the United States.

Whether they trained abroad, trained at home, or relocated to or from Europe, the composers of these diverse works ultimately share an American passport.

…a visit to Memorial Church to hear the new gallery organ by C. B. Fisk, the renewed 1930 Skinner organ in Appleton Chapel, and some historic resonances of instruments from the past.

…a selective quarterly sampling of recent organ recordings, with emphasis on the unusual and the unusually attractive. This potpourri covers a wide variety of musical types, performance styles, and organ-building attitudes, as displayed in discs of foreign and domestic vintage.

…on this first broadcast of a new Pipedreams series, host Michael Barone surveys the musical and historic variety of the pipe organ, while sampling recent recordings. The emphasis is on the unusual and the unusually attractive, with wide-ranging choices covering many musical styles, performers, and instruments.

…another selective sampling of unusual and appealing new organ recordings, with commentary by program host Michael Barone.

…Some college and university instruments display a diversity of Bach's works.

…An American Organist's Christmas...noted soloists from the United States share their holiday gifts.

From San Diego to Brooklyn, from churches and theaters, this collection offers warm and friendly greetings of glad tidings and good cheer.

A spicy collection of holiday music from chapels, cathedrals and a theatre.

Savoring seasonal organ repertoire from many lands.