gazman
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Posts posted by gazman
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I really don't mind Hauptwerk consoles looking like "glorified midi consoles". At least they're being honest about what they are and their intentions. They're really products of modern technology so I feel the aesthetic of them being unashamedly modern is something to be embraced - I think the idea of touch screen stop jambs, etc, is the right approach, with form following function perfectly. I think a blank, netural canvas would be best for Hauptwerk to do its thing.
Sorry, but I don't agree.
Such electronic organs are, by their very nature, imitations of pipe organs. I find it quite frustrating on such instruments to find lots of MIDI switches, pistons and the like being installed in place of other more traditional registrational aids. On an electronic Nave Organ in a certain Cathedral I played on for a Sunday morning a couple of weeks ago, I found that - where a Swell to Great thumb piston would normally be expected - there was some sort of MIDI piston instead, and the Swell to Great piston had been placed in a rather unrealistic position towards the treble end of the Great manual. I wonder what use these MIDI devices are in the actual playing of the instrument. And why, too, include such devices as "Harp" and "Chimes" in an electronic which tries to imitate a pipe instrument?
I'm not a stick-in-the-mud (I hope!
) but I wonder why it is generally quite easy to spot an electronic imitation of a pipe organ from its console even before "switching on the wind".... -
Agree, wholeheartedly. Have this on vinyl . definitely not one for " the Baroque Boys " !
Glad there are no other attempts to recreate this, to best of my knowledge anyway, in recitals or on cd. Even his protege CC hasn`t attempted.
Thank you. I'm glad you agree. The recording 'sends' me.
There was one attempt last year at an organ recital in Liverpool Cathedral (which required as much registering as the whole of the rest of the programme put together), which elicited a certain amount of praise from the Cathedral's titulaire organist and members of the audience (who were probably being far too generous!)...
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Google reveals a slightly naff arrangement here, but it could easily be improved.
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Wasn''t he the one responsible for drastically reducing the tonal resources of the organ at Canterbury Cathedral?
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Or, better, a straight four-note common chord of C maj with an added A. Oh dear, I must stop this game.
Nah! I'd go for an F major 6th chord instead!
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Ah, now that would make sense.
Albeit with a slightly altered - and more logical - ending!
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According to John Henderson's directory, Pasini was born in Rome on 8 Aug 1933, studied at the S Cecilia Academy in Rome with Alfredo de Ninno and Fernando Germani. He is/was organist of S. Salvatore del Horta and professor at the conservatory in Cagliari. Henderson also states that some sources give 1936 as his year of birth.
Thank you, Vox. That's just the sort of thing I was looking for.
I notice a few differences in the registration instructions too - particularly the omission of some of the left-hand solo bits. I agree that overall no. 30 is an improvement - did the composer feel the need to alter it or write an amended version because he wasn't happy with the first one?Neither ending seems to particularly fit in with the mood of what precedes it - I'd be tempted to end it on a complete F major chord somewhere (as the player did in the YouTube link in the OP).
I noticed 'left-hand solo bits' in another recording on YouTube
. I presume that this is 'Cantabile no. 2' and that the one the OP gave us is actually number 30, despite what it says. -
I do see what you mean but maybe bone-headed insensitivity is a valuable attribute in a desperate case like this. Apart from anything else, if the organ playing resembles the example provided (owing to frailty), you can imagine how perilous is the car journey to church.
I think that, sometimes, you just have to bite the bullet and be blunt. It's probably better for the person to have to suffer hurt in the short term, rather than having them continue to inflict their offerings on an unfortunate congregation.
An organist friend of mine managed to get his fairly incompetent predecessor out of his post by saying each Sunday how sorry he was to hear that the poor fellow's arthritis was obviously playing him up.
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Judging from what he says on his website....
I was disappointed not to find any biographical details about the composer there, although perhaps I overlooked them. Google doesn't seem helpful either. Does anybody know anything about him?
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Nah, don't believe you. Go on, admit it - you played it because you liked it!
Ok, then! I do!
And the old girl made a really credible impression of a theatre organ too. I agree about the last chord, and am rather tempted to change it.
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Think yourself fortunate indeed, Vox....
Well, I played it to my lot as the opening voluntary this morning to put them in a good mood, as I wanted to ask them to contribute to my sponsored slim for Lent in aid of the organ fund. Several people afterwards commented favourably, and asked what the piece was.
Of course nobody would say that the music has great substance, but if it gets people listening favourably to the organ and enjoying the music it makes, that's a good thing in my book!
And they're sponsoring generously too!
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I think the old dears would love it!
Pity that a lot of scores (including the one for the piece on YouTube) don't seem to be readable with Scorch on any browser I try. Am I doing something wrong, I wonder...
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Thanks. Your subsequent edits make a little more sense of it all, and help to clarify the meaning of the 'Congregation'.
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Poor old boy! I guess the arthritis was playing up by then.
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'Just had a look - 103 looks more like the catalogue number on the front of mine.
A
Ooops! I could have made a bit of a gaff, then, thinking that it looked like a correction on mine. The wisdom of hindsight, eh?!
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Can someone put some bones on this one please (no rags needed)..
At 1.47 you get a good view of the maker's name on what's obviously a tpn console, but I can't get the resolution on my screen to be sure of what it says. Am a bit concerned given the context, that this might be a redundant 4 manual organ of reasonable pedigree in need of a good home.
Thanks
AJS
You could always ask the person who posted the video, I guess.
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I have it from the man himself, 10 mibutes ago - 303
Peter
Thanks, Peter!I wonder why I've got 103 typed on mine, and why he said 103 in his email...
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That's odd because when I wrote to him about this (on Facebook) he didn't suggest chaging the title. So what is it I wonder, 103 or 303? Not a major problem though as it is great piece.
Peter
Interesting! His Facebook reply to me (above) also suggested it was psalm/hymn 103. On the front cover of mine, the number 103 has definitely been printed at a later stage next to the number 303 on the title page. Perhaps we should ask him again! You or I?
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The organ at the Anglican Cathedral is soon to undergo a full restoration - some info here
Another organ 'played on by Handel'. And on his way to the first performance of Messiah too!
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I already asked him. Psalm means hymn in the Swedish hymnal and the Tango is based on that hymn tune.
Peter
So I see!
To quote the good gentleman himself: 'This is a misunderstanding. The swedish word for Hymn is "Psalm". So what I refer to is the nr 103 in the Swedish Hymn book. Not the bible. The name of this hymn is "There is only one way to heaven, it´s the way through Jesus Christ"'
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Thanks HG, but that just raises another question, what is the reference to Psalm 103?
I dunno. I'll ask him!
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As already mentioned, I've also just taken possession of the Tango. However, can anyone explain the reference to Psalm 303 (yes, 303) in the title, or am I missing something blindingly obvious?
It's a typo. My copy was amended to read Psalm 103 when Fredrik sent it. I've enjoyed playing that piece for quite a while now, and have got quite a lot of his other scores. All very good stuff indeed.
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After all, there are supposed to be plenty of competent organists out there who are not engaged with any church.There are many experienced, well qualified and previously devoted, hard working organists providing parish church music to a professional standard who now, for various reasons, are no longer prepared to do this.
I think that this is probably true around certain cities or university towns, but I've certainly not found it to be the case out in my neck of the woods. Such organists are very few and far between, I find, alas.
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The trouble is, we all harbour that little worm called eclecticism in our bellies, and that means that we have no alternative but to bend most of the the music to suit most of the instruments.
Agreed, MM. But we always have to adapt the music for whatever organ we play. We have to adapt it rather more, I would argue, in terms of registration and playing to the acoustic than we do due to the action. Or, at least we should do, if a decent action (of whatever type) is installed.
I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that, whilst it can be very rewarding to play on a modern well-built and well-maintained tracker action (and I'm very grateful for having spent my teenage years learning and practising on one of Bill Drake's finest), for me the main concern about the action is that it shouldn't hinder the performance in any way. I have in mind heavy and/or uneven tracker actions and slow pneumatic/e.p. actions especially. If the action facilitates a good performance, the choice of action is very much of secondary importance to me behind the overall tonal resources of the instrument.
*ducks*
) but I wonder why it is generally quite easy to spot an electronic imitation of a pipe organ from its console even before "switching on the wind"....
" Mystery " Programmes comments
in General discussion
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I couldn't abide an organist talking for so long - it would drive me up the wall!
But I wonder why so many people seem to object to organists giving their audiences a little (interesting and informative!) detail about the pieces being played. Surely it's our job to educate, arouse interest and inform as well as to entertain, is it not?