Holmberg Musical Clocks are contemporary versions of historical mechanical organ clocks. Holmberg instruments are automatic pipe organs with 100% solid 5/4 hardwood construction, world class low pressure electro-pneumatic chestwork with expansion channeling and incorporating the finest German leathers, 100% wool moth-proofed felts, and all of those important quality goods and components that make the organ an exceptional value for long-term performance and investment. All Holmberg Musical Clocks include full Westminster Chimes and hour strike, and all are guaranteed for five years from the date of delivery.

The TIMELESS paradigm of these beautiful instruments is the extraordinary and unique clock music created by the GREAT MASTERS. The music composed for the ORGAN CLOCKS by Haydn, Handel, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and others will be with us forever. The mechanism for the clocks will change with technological advances.

The mechanism that plays the HOLMBERG MUSICAL CLOCKS is fully representative of the evolution in organ building. From before the time of the original Haydn/Niemecz clocks, the mechanism common to organ building was a mechanical system of levers and trace beginning at the keyboards and finally opening a valve under moderate pressure allowing air to flow to the pipes. This “tracker” action was quite acceptable for centuries, and many notable historical examples still exist. Before the turn of this century many very talented and important organ builders invented and perfected both pneumatic and pitman mechanisms which allowed flexibility and performance for their instruments beyond anything previously possible. Nearly all important organ installations use these electro-pneumatic actions.

Holmberg Clockworks proudly contributes its organ building heritage to this proven evolutionary technology with our low pressure, electro-pneumatic chestwork. Action that is very fast, very quiet, and utilizing our original expansion channeling designed in 1952 for our pitman controlled electro-pneumatic chestwork. Expansion channeling is an important component in providing the beautiful pipe speech previously unique to the tracker barred chest.

Throughout the history of Musical Clocks, the dedicated builders were for the most part “clock makers,” designing and producing the intricate mechanisms to operate organ pipes. Holmberg Musical Clocks are built by a family of organ builders, who use the modern technology of the microprocessor to perform the “clockwork,” and our traditional organ building skills to produce the music, tonal structure, and performance demanded of this rich musical heritage.

Our Gedeckt organ pipes are properly scaled for the flute music composed for Musical Clocks, and each instrument is custom voiced and tone regulated for its final home. Our organ blower/power supply specifications allow these instruments to be used with all domestic and international voltage and current supplies. The organs and Westminster Chimes are controlled by our custom designed microprocessors with an abundance of Owner controlled settings and performance options.

The music furnished with the D Series and the new E-27 is a Library Disk with the following: 32 compositions by Haydn which is the complete set that he wrote circa 1790 for the three clocks that he and Father Niemecz built, and 11 compositions by Handel that he wrote for the two organ clocks built by Clay in England, plus any additional Volumes furnished with the instrument. These compositions are delightful, many are about a minute in length which was the time needed for the revolution of the mechanical barrel in the original clocks. You can program the organ to play a music selection following each portion of the Westminster Chimes every quarter hour; or to play one every half hour; or to play one every hour, or even every three hours, at 3, 6, 9, and12. The instrument can be set to play these in the order that they are on the disk, or your can have them play in random order. Another feature is the DEMO SWITCH, which will set it to playing, and it will continue until it is set off, and these may be in the disk order, or random order. Another feature is the RECITAL MODE. With this, you can select several (any) compositions from your disk in the morning or at any time, then when guests arrive in the evening you can activate the RECITAL MODE, and these preselected compositions will play in the order that you selected them. This is just a sample of the options that are an integral part of the Holmberg Musical Clock.