MusingMuso
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Posts posted by MusingMuso
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I thought it would be too much but it isn't - it's wonderful!
I have to admit that whilst I know the keyboard music pretty well, I didn't know the cantatas at all - nor the oratorios and masses. I predict my CD collection will be expanding soon!
Is everyone else listening avidly?
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It's easy to talk in superlatives, but what strikes me about the BBC marathon, is the fact that they have not chosen the strictly "purist school" of contemporary Bach scholarship, but have included Keyboard Suites played on piano, Busoni arrangements of organ-works, the annoying recordings of Glenn Gould which pick out the small bits and miss the big picture, and so on.
In a way, it has been a Cook's Tour of Bach interpretation and some wonderful spoken dialogue in the form of Bach scholarship; especially that from Ton Koopman, who really has made Bach a very special study indeed.
Of course, the finest of all Bach writing is to be found and heard in the Cantatas, Oratorios and the B-Minor Mass. I feel sure that Nick Benett will be walking on air long after the last notes have faded away!
I am fortunate in that I work through the nights, and have thus been able to enjoy the nightly broadcasts almost uninterrupted.
However, one thing has struck me very forcibly, and this is the changing nature of "interpretation."
Equally, it has struck me that certain interpretations are just so good as to seem as fresh to-day as they did 30 or 40 years ago.
Of particular merit must be the superlative harpsichord recordings of Bach made by Kenneth Gilbert, which I believe came out in the late 70's or early 80's....what a joy they are.
Out of the woodwork came the David Oistrach (Sp?) version of the Double Violin Concerto.......refined, aristocratic and un-rushed; perhaps demonstrating an approach to Bach which many fail to understand or fully appreciate.
Hans Fagius impressed me at the organ, as did Ton Koopman's refreshing ornamentation, which I feel sure is thoroughly well researched and entirely within the spirit of the music and the age.
Jaques Loosier has come as a refreshing blast from the past, but what a pity that Florence Foster Jenkins never recorded Bach!! All that counterpoint and religion, a good belly-laugh would have been nice.
Perhaps the most disappointing recording, was that from an Italian orchestra, who seemed to delight in racing through a Brandenburg Concerto with a conductor trained in the Lully school of stick-thumping pomposity. This was supposed to be a "fresh approach," but there wasn't a hint of aristrocratic elegance or restraint; every player merely concerned with the next bar, which they thumped out joyfully as if it were a pop-song.
A mixed-bag certainly, and ample food for thought. This is Radio 3 at its' very best!
Oh yes! What a joy to hear, for the very first time, a gut strung harpsichord; none of which survive from Bach's day, but which have been re-created as best the makers know how from the descriptions left. What a lovely sound!
This has definitely been worth the licence fee.
MM
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I accept that their actions were not particularly robust, but there's little wrong with their pipes - apart from (maybe) the difficulty of adjusting the free reeds.
We could still put the longevity of this original action up against, for instance the Schulze at Doncaster, any of the Hope Jones jobs and a large number of 70/80s UK tracker jobs etc. etc. I seem to hear each week of yet another organ that's had to have a new tracker action - this is a bit ironic since the sales line was always that tracker jobs go on for ever!
If one forgets the underactions for a moment, the Aneessens soundboards themselves lasted through all the rebuilds right up until last year, you know! There had been a certain amount of warping - but then they were enormously long (The Choir and Great shared a soundboard and it was over 15 feet long - very unusual in this country).
Like MM, I would love to have heard one Aneessens organ unaltered, but that doesn't undermine the case for keeping and continuing to use what remains.
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I hate to disagree with Paul, but there certanly WAS a lot wrong with Anneessens pipework.
Again, one has to go back to the original instruments, because what Paul is perhaps seeing is the remedial workmanship of John Compton at Bridlington; even though I have no direct forensic evidence to back this up.
The original, and rather fine sounding Anneessens organs in Bradford, one of which used a very unreliable pneumatic action, and one which used the rare (in the UK) Schmoele & Mols patent eletcric action, had major pipework problems. It was this which possibly contributed to their demise more than anything else.
Charles Anneessens didn't perhaps appreciate the importance of antimony in plain-metal pipes, and consequently, the boots of flue-pipes would collapse under their own weight, reed basses resembled drunken-soldiers after a short time and the cost of remedial work easily exceeded the use of second-hand pipework from elsewhere. With cone tuning, the pipes would often split and tear quite badly over the years.
This is very much the case at St.Mary's, East Parade. Bradford, where a very interesting instrument (built by Booth of Otley) lives inside the original Anneessens 16ft front. There are still some Anneesens pipes, but the bulk of the organ is by Booth. This was installed by Wood, Wordsworth of Leeds, but nowadays, the organ has quite major problems and there is no money to do anything about it.
In many ways, the organ by Anneesens (now destroyed) in St. Joseph's (RC), Bradford, was the one I knew best. The overall sound was rather sombre, but the quieter flues, strings and the unusually fine free-reed Clarionet were a joy to hear.
The organ was replaced, due to the problems described above, by a second-hand Binns, which continues to function well, as they usually do.
It was indeed fortunate that John Compton got involved at Bridlington, for it possibly saved an Anneessens organ from the same fate as others, when there was enough money about to carry out such a big re-build.
MM
PS: Wasn't Doncaster turned into pneumatic-action to ease the weight of the key touch?
I don't recall that the original action failed, but then, I wasn't alive at the time; contrary to rumours.
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Sorry MM didn't like Bridlington as it was. He will probably like it more in its competely rebuilt and redeveloped state. I can't wait to hear it and I knew its earlier incarnation reasonably well.
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I didn't say I disliked the organ at Bridlingtom Priory: far from it. Actually, the organ had some of my work in it, so I may have been a little biased!
I merely implied that the new and old didn't go together terribly well, and in any event, the organ had been altered by John Compton from the original.
It is one of those remarkable instruments, and possibly the ONLY substantial Anneesens organ left in the UK, which should never have been tampered with tonally, even if it would have naturally disintegrated as all the organs did from this particular firm.
I look forward to the re-build, but I fear that a true restoration would now be almost impossible. Having known and played two now destroyed instruments by the Belgian company, I know that they had a fine sound with some interesting colours. Sadly, the quality of the workmanship was utterly dreadful, whatever the tonal merits.
MM
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Hopefully, gone are the days when the Council for the Care of Churches could take a PCC and their organist to Consistory Court to back up the Diocesan Organs Adviser who wanted the whole of a large (unique) romantic organ thrown out - this happened at Bridlington Priory 1966. Fortunately, the PCC won!
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I'm not sure that there were any winners!
I feel sure that the work Laycock & Bannister did at the time was well intentioned, and they didn't skimp on the quality of the mechanical work done, but tonally, the new material stood out like a sore ear (It couldn't be a thumb, could it?)
Frank Bannister didn't have much idea about anything tonally.
Due to the merciful release of toxic elements from the heating-system, Dennis Thurlow (who took over Laycock & Bannister) was able to improve things in the subsequent partial re-build, but back in 1966, the organ was a bit of a pig's ear tonally; though capable of many fine sounds if used with care.
I seem to recall that a certain Mr.Brown (as consultant or advisor) and a very wealthy widow were instrumental in having the work at Bridlington done back in the 1960's.
MM
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There is a recording by Nicholas Kynaston which features 2 pieces by Wiedermann. They do sound like fun . I think the organ was Chichester - but I cant find the CD to check right now.
I also heard him play some Wiedermann in Westminster cathedral.
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Czechoslovakia, now two separate countries of course, enjoyed something of a boom time economically prior to the great Wall Street crash, when it was the 4th wealthiest country in the world.
A number of very large organs were built; especially in Prague and Brno.
Wiedermann was active in Prague and popularised the organ with extensive recitals. Thus far, I know only a limited amount about his many compositions, but that is the fun of researching and just finding out about things.
Wiedermann was certainly responsible for totally transforming an old baroque organ, which if I recall correctly, was that in St.Jame's, Prague, which became a large, neo-romantic (Hey! That's a new title!) instrument of considerable size, on which many of his recitals were performed. Until that time, many organs still retained the short-compass pedals, which must have made Middelshulte something of a challenge!
His place in Czech music history is therefore important, for he established the modern recital instrument in a country which had stopped-still in organic terms for a very long-time.
Recent works which have come to light include a Toccata by Robert Mimra, who has written a superb triple concerto for piano, harpsichord and organ (varhany) as detailed previously.
Of great interest is a work called "The sphinx" by a composer called Pavel Kopecky. Modern it certainly is, but as with so much Czech music, the rhythms drive things along, and dissonance seems much less offensive as a result. I don't know whether this work is published.
Part of the problem in investigating the contemporary Czech organ-repertoire is the lack of recordings on the one hand, and a certain indifference when it comes to promotion of material. Buying all the music is not an option, largely due to the enormous amount of repertoire composed for the organ in the past 50 years and the cost of obtaining it all.
I suspect that our Czech friends have the same problem as we do, in that the organ, whilst a respected instrument, is too closely associated with church and is thus on the margins of mainstream musical repertoire; possibly because the Czech Republic has more atheists per hectacre than almost anywhere else in Europe. Compare this to the extraordinary fact that, just over the border in Poland, 85% of people are regular church-goers!
MM
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....In northern Germany.
Everywhere else where Quintatön or Quintaton is to be found, the actual stop
behind that name is rather a Lieblich Gedackt. This includes Cavaillé-Coll's
16' Quintaton on the swell. And of course southern germany.
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I think that the best and most useful Quintaton that I ever came across, was a re-voiced Libelich Gedackt by Brindley & Foster. The re-voicing by Hill, Norman & Beard was ingenious, and involved little more than tacking pieces of plywood onto the existing mouth with glue and panel-pins!
MM
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In a recent post, I mentioned some unknown music or little heard music, and supplied a URL for your listening pleasure.
What I have discovered, in my seemingly endless research into Czech music, has absolutely stunned me.
The composer Zelenka, although working in Dresden, was Czech by birth and therefore qualifies as a Czech composer. In fact, he returned to Prague in his later professional life.
Much of the music has lay dormant for centuries, and to this day, only a fraction of his works have been recorded. However, the choral music is regarded as equal to that of Bach and Handel, and certainly, the superlative Kyrie from the Thanksgiving Mass is nothing short of spectacular.
Here are a few URL's for your listening pleasure:-
http://misek.sbor.cz/detail_clanek.php?id=...2617e91595a2d51
http://www.jdzelenka.net/Suscepit_Israel.mp3
http://www.baroquecds.com/31Web.html
http://wpool.com/move/snd/dixit.mp3
http://wpool.com/move/snd/euge.mp3
http://www.concilium.at/emaincd.htm
Of great interest to me is the fact that among the known works are 3 organ concerti, of which I know absolutely nothing, but quite clearly, with a composer of such calibre, they may be as equally important as those of Handel.
Once more, I am fascinated by what I have stumbled across in my research of Czech music.
MM
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unbuilt unsubmitted but certain to please many a taste in organ as this is something for everybody/ check it out
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Who said that the Americans have no foreign-policy?
MM
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ouch
this may be about to go zooming off topic...
please, please, keep it on...
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This IS topical, and relates directly to organ-design.
Look at the REASON for the great changes in the design of organs geenrally throughout history, and they occured because there was a musical demand. That stated, Cavaille-Coll did things HIS way, and the composers caught up with him eventually.....a unique event in organ history, if ever there was one!
The great German (and neighbouring countries) Baroque organ evolved from the concerted-style, the French Baroque from the florid stylists of that country, the refined 18th century English sound fulfilling the needs of accompaniment. Then came the congregational "war-horses" and the great transcription instruments, the fabulously exotic German romantic instruments which suited Wagner and Reger so perfectly, and then, out of the Dolmesch-school and the Organ Reform Movement, the desire to re-create the baroque.
Without NEW music, or at least a new musical historical quest, the organ will remain static, which makes MUSIC the most important factor in organ-design.
Back on topic?
MM
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I don't come across much organ music by living composers, even at the sort of events I go to. The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival seems to completely ignore the instrument. Pity, because the HCMF is probably the only event that would have the guts to put on programmes of contemporary organ music.
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I guess that's why Huddersfield gets what it thinks is good, and Manchester gets the best!
It's not long since Petr Eben graced Manchester....probably one of the most gifted and prolific composers of recent times.
MM
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I suspect the main reason for British organ design being generally unadventurous is that organists want the stops that will allow them to play as wide a spread of repertoire as possible. That's bound to favour tried and tested formulas over originality (to some extent at least).
Also organists have taken a step backwards (timewise, I hasten to add) in recent years. When I was young the neo-Baroque was all the rage. The organ, we were told, was a musical instrument in its own right, not a substitute orchestra and we were encouraged to prefer "proper" organ music. It was still OK to play the likes of Howells and Whitlock, but there was certainly a bit of a feeling in some quarters that they weren't "quaite naice". Orchestral transcriptions were most definitely frowned upon. The current trend has very much swung back to transcriptions and to thinking of the organ as an orchestra - which requires a "symphonic-friendly" specification.
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The history of the organ is essentialy connected with contrapuntal music, and it may be expedient to recall the diversity of style associated with that countrapuntal preference:-
Almost the entire pre-Baroque and Baroque of course, which needs no further eleboration.
But then look at some of the best after this period:-
Mozart Boely Mendelssohn Liszt Guilmant Dupre Widor Brahms Reger Hindemith
All these latter composers, and many others, were quite capable of writing real organ music in the contrapuntal style which suits the organ best.
If people want to play pretty tunes with accompaniment, then perhaps they should take up the theatre organ or synthesiser, which were designed as melodic/transcription instruments. It is perhaps a sign of the times and the desperation of organists, that they feel obliged to transcribe on the one hand, and live in the past on the other.
The trouble is, no-one is writing good music for the organ anymore. Isn't that the case?
No?
They are?
I wonder where?
MM
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It's the reverberation type, ie the upper frequencies are not reflected as much as the lower, so you are not looking at a "total" reflection, and the foundational tone is left more prominent. It's a bit like carpets dulling an organ, but in this case it's pourous sandstone. From upstairs you hear remarkably little reverb, it sounds a lot shorter. From the east transept you can get a clean 10 seconds, and the building will go on shaking for another two! Not something you can hear, but sense. The organ actually moves the building. Compared to St Pauls, the actual sound is thicker, and very cavernous. St Pauls has total reflection, and really the organ does not have so much foundational tone as Liverpool. I have to say that Liverpool sounds much duller in tghe building to what it does at close quarters. The organ is, I believe undergoing work, as is St Georges Hall. The latter has a perfect reverb, double cube and clean 8 seconds, barrel vault as well! Imagine Liverpool Cathedral's acoutic if it had stone rather than pourous sandstone walls!!.......
Another "thick" acoustic is Westminster Cathedral, and a thin one that refelcts more upper than lower is Ely. The lesson in all of this is to tailor registrations to the building, and listen to others playing. There's a lot to learn!
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My God! We're re-writing physics!
I don't think it's possible to compare Axminster Carpet with Porous Sandstone, and short of an H-bomb, I doubt that Liverpool Cathedral would move; being built directly on bed-rock.
Of course, the only way to improve the acoustic at Liverpool is to clad the whole thing with absorbent acoustic-board, which the contrapuntal enthusiasts would like, or pure marble, which would, I believe, increase the reverberation to around 3 weeks and 1 day!!
Surely, ten seconds is enough?
We don't want EVERYTHING to sound like Herbert Howells do we?
MM
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But mind you, the 19th century (after about 1840) was a period with a higher level of globalization than today, and by far.
This is absolutely not the case today: the protectionnism reigns, the free trade is restricted to the very big players.
Out of 100 builders how many work actually abroad?
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I think the facts would reveal that this simply isn't true; certainly in the UK market, where an extraordinary number of "foreign" built instruments have filled some of the more prestige projects.
Klais have been especially fortunate, but over the years, there have been offerings from Marcussen, Frobenius, Radestky, Flentrop and a few individual instruments by other builders from across the North Sea.
In fact, when it comes to the big, prestige jobs, it is difficult to find a new UK-built instrument among the ranks (so to speak).
Of course, the name Laukhoff, (as a major supplier of parts), is also internationally very active, and I know that even organ-cases have been made in the former Eastern Bloc. The amalgamation of Rogers and Stinkens is also not without significance from the pipe-making point of view.
I think that both Harrison & Harrison and Mander Organs have also been quite active in the US market, as are Rieger-Kloss from the Czech Republic, but with the $ exchange-rate, that is now perhaps less lucrative and certainly a lot more competitive for foreign builders.
MM
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Further to my screed about the organ at Montjuich Palace, Barcelona, Spain, the following URL has the photographs:-
http://www.magicspain.com/michael/composer.htm#seccion=fotos
MM
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How many six-manual organs are there? So far I've found the following and would be most interested to learn of any further examples:
1) Wanamaker Grand Court Organ
2) Mainz Cathedral
3) Stiftsbasilika, Waldsassen
4) Duomo di Monreale, Palermo
5) Sejong Cultural Centre, Seoul
6) Forrest Burdette United Methodist Church, Hurricane, West Virginia (the largest draw-stop console ever built, but I believe the organ is mostly digital)
7) Residence of Phil Maloof, Las Vegas (theatre organ console, formerly in Chicago Stadium)
By the way, I know that, strictly speaking, not all of these are six-manual organs. Mainz and Waldsassen are really six-manual master consoles that control several organs.
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Now something of a mystery here, which I can neither confirm nor deny; having spent a silly amount of time trying to discover more facts some months ago.
However, the elaborate Montjuich Palace, Barcelona, Spain; origionally built for the Olympics, and something of a fascist extravenganza from the 1930's, is reputed to contain a 6-manual Walcker organ, which certainly appears in various Walcker listings. I even have photographs of the console, which looks quite normal, save for an extra manual. I even have photographs of the hall and the organ-facade, but what puzzles me is the total lack of response from Spain when I made enquiries.
If the organ really does exist as IU suspect it may, it is possibly in quite a bad state of repair, having being re-built it appears, by the Spanish OESA company, who "enjoyed" a terrible reputation.
I'm sure there MUST be someone who knows about this instrument, but as I don't like Spain much, I can't be bothered to travel by Easy Jet to find out for myslef.
MM
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The history of the organ is marked by specific requirements; the jolly piping of a portative street organ in Roman times, the delicate accompaniment of singers in the pre-reformation period, the discreet accompaniment of 18th century English Choral Music, the rendition of bold Toccatas and Fugues in Northern Europe, the spectacular tonal brush-strokes of French impressionism and Cavaille-Coll, the big sound required of massed choirs and congregations etc etc.
In other words, we are almost into a game of prediction as to the next fashion or musical "movement," to which organists, organ consultants and organ-builders will, without doubt, respond appropriately as time unfolds.
Considering the near death of religion and the financial constraints this imposes, perhaps I might cynically suggest that the future is cheap, small and even digital.
Perhaps organs will become hybrid instruments utilising digital voices which are not necessarily copies of pipe-organ sounds, but new and individual electronic tones which are compatible with pipes.
Maybe I am expressing a certain ignorance of world-music, but it seems to me that for the forseeable future, we are stuck with music which is essentially harmonic rather than contrapuntal; organists being rather out-of-sync with this predelection, with their fugues and trio-sonatas. Perhaps this is the reason why organ-design appears relatively static at the present time, because nothing much seems to be going anywhere in the organ-world; save for some of the more robust music of Eastern Europe, which certainly captivates my own imagination.
However, I was slightly uplifted this very day, when I looked at some compositions by young, budding composers. Much of it was immature, but some of it was fascinatingly contrapuntal in style; perhaps re-commencing what Paul Hindemith first started...modern contrapuntal style.
There are so many "possibles" and so few "definites," I wouldn't dare to predict the outcome as the 21st century unfolds. However, of one thing I am certain, and that is, that the musical sensibilities and advances of the day will dictate the type of musical instruments which will find favour with composers and the general fashions enjoyed by future generations of music lovers.
Actually, what we have now is not to be sneezed at, because many organs are being re-built with respect to their history, such as the RAH organ. Others are built new, and fulfill a particular purpose, such as Chelmsford Cathedral, and still olthers are out-and-out concert instruments with a spectacular sound. Boring is certainly not a word I would apply to organ-building to-day, but I would concede that there is little desire or impetus towards creating something fresh and vital which fits a new musical world-order.
Let's perhaps encourage young composers to write music for the organ, and then, if organ-builders have to build harmoniums with built-in digital Japanese temple-drums, they'll at least stay in business!
MM
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Quite by accident, I came across two fascinating pieces of music; the first from the pen of Antonin Wiedermann, the Czech composer (which I was looking for), and another piece which totally took me by surprise.
The 'Impetuoso' by Wiedermann sounds highly viurtuosic; barely pausing for breath as befits the title.
The second is a Fuga Sopra on a certain well-known theme, by Guy Bovet.
It needs no introduction whatsoever!
You can listen to both at the following link:-
http://theatreorgans.com/giwro/ra/
Don't be put off by theatre organ title, because in addition to the Wiedermann and the Bovet, there are files of the rarely heard Schroder Sonata for organ.
MM
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(continued) I agree that there is a place for a more academic style, I'm not sure that OR is that place. It's a long time since I studied music as an academic subject, and these days my interest in the subject is mainly confined to playing the organ and learning about its history. The new editorial team seem to be sailing into much deeper waters, and I fear that I'll soon be out of my depth. Come on OR, give us something that will make us smile!
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I found myself wandering into the grounds of a hospital the other day; the circumstances of which I will avoid mentioning, due to the fact that I would probably be sectioned.
However, as I passed all the hospital windows, I saw many glum faces as people lay in bed ill; some in bandages, some in slings and others simply afflicted by the arrows of misfortune.
One set of windows revealed especially glum, hopeless stares, and I asked a passing nurse what ward it was.
"Oh!" She said, "I shouldn't really tell you this, but that is the ward where the O.D.patients are put."
I'd more or less guessed that they were organists before I asked.
MM
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Hi
There was an article the Sept/Oct Choir & Organ magazine about this very issue - the gist of it has been included on NPOR (see N04410).
A builder search on NPOR will reveal which organs we have recorded that Smith built or worked on - but it was so long ago,I doubt if there's anything much in original condition.
Every Blessing
Tony
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I may be mistaken, and I haven#t checked the details, but isn't the organ of the chapel of Staunton Harold, Leicestershire, by Schmidt?
I believe there is also an organ or two by Schmidt in Holland.....Edam rattles the furniture upstairs, or perhaps I am getting senile.
MM
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Why not ask the PCC Treasurer how much you are saving on heating by having it set to arctic conditions? You can then show him (manufacture if necessary ) the figures for the cost of the extra visits needed to sort out all these faults. There is likely to be little difference and so everyone will be happy! You never know a good number of your congregation might feel less inclined to stay in bed on a cold Sunday morning if the heating goes up and be there to swell the collection plate too!
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It hasn't a lot to do with heating, but the fact that the old girl hasn't had much done to her since Arthur Harrison re-built it; save for attention to the primaries using synthetic pneumatic material and that awful Great Mixture, added at the same time.
In fact, it is probably a miracle as close to the ressurection as it possible to get, that the old girl functions at all!
Worry not, when things slowly dry out, the slides will stop sticking (as they are prone to do in wet weather) and the flutes will become stable once more.
The organ at Halifax has needed a dceent re-build most of my life, and I'm sure Mr Mander would be happy to oblige!
MM
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Indeed it will. Nicholsons seemed to integrate the diaphones and shouty reeds at Christchurch Priory quite well into the scheme (snip)
I don't think Sackbut is a particularly daft name at all.
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Diaphones are almost impossible to regulate with any degree of accuracy from one note to the next, but each to his own I suppose.
We seem to be forgetting that the 32ft reed at York Minster is called Sackbut, and revived (in the 60's?) a much earlier use of the stop-name at the same place. It is not a NEW name by any means.
Anyway, it's a whole lot more gentile than the title Virgil Fox gave to the 32ft reed at Riverside Church, New York.
Due to the fact that the resonators were split, and joined by rubber sleeves to get around some awkward corner or other, he used to refer to them as the....wait for it....Contraceptive 32ft.
MM
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Just a brief footnote to the music of Josef Seger, Czechoslovakia.
He was born in 1716, which means that he was not playing Bach's music as a contemporary, but actually continuing the baroque tradition well into the next era; the baroque style a late finisher in Czech musical history.
MM
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I came across an interesting fact some time ago, and have wondered ever since if anyone is aware of Bach re-arrangements contemporary to Bach himself, by the Czech composer Seger.
Apparently, some of the big works were re-arranged to suit short-octave pedal boards and presumably, would require some re-working of the manual notes also.
As I understand it, some of the old Czech pedal-boards consisted of the following notes:-
C (pedal) F (in the place of D pedal) D (where F# would normally be)
G (in normal position) E (where G# would normally be) A (in normal position)
then A#, B, C, C#,D,D#,E, F, F#,G, G# and finally A.
Other pedal-boards of the period apparently had some sort of short-octave pedal, but were fitted with chromatic "buttons" rather than toe-pedals.
It's all a bit confusing, and my knowledge of old-pedal-boards and short-octaves is a bit....actually quite a lot....limited.
Two questions arise from this.
a) Has anyone ever dabbled with short-octave pedal-boards?
Has anyone ever come across the Seger re-arrangements, or know if they are published?I know it's a bit of a long-shot to expect anyone to know in detail, but I have really struggled to find what must be fascinating re-workings of Bach's organ-works. It's also interesting to think that Bach's music was played, in his own time, in Czechoslovakia.
MM
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It's not only organists who are in short supply - there aren't that many clergy around, either, these days. Why not replace both with technology? Project the service on to a screen, play the hymns either through speakers or, if you really insist, on an actual organ via a midi interface.
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The "Fall and Rise" of the cinema organ once more.
Splendid idea!
I could be encouraged back to church, dressed as "The abomimable Dr.Phibes."
MM
Has anyone ever come across the Seger re-arrangements, or know if they are published?
The Worst Organ In The World
in General discussion
Posted
Mmmmmm!!
I can think of any number of truly awful organs, but perhaps the one which most un-impressed me was that in the Methodist Church, Otley, Nr.Leeds; originally built, and not changed (so far as I am aware) by Laycock & Bannister (now defunct).
Sadly, the organ has quite a large specification....flues, reeds, a bit of upperwork....the usual sort of thing.
It has ONE nice rank, but I forget what it is. The rest is just a scratchy mess of a sound, with coarse reeds, indistinct diapasons, pointless flutes and upperwork which appears to not make the slightest difference when added.
It is an object-lesson in where romanticism eventually took us, but sadly, even transcriptions would be wasted on this utterly awful instrument.
MM