sprondel

Yes, the parts are kera (horn) + aulos (flute or shawm) + phonein (to sound). Horn flute or something like that. Panta ta agatha (no, she's no aunt of mine), Friedrich

Well then, I guess the matter is being handled as it was up in the North-East, and the pipes came fully voiced. I just do not know if any on-site finishing is planned. About the oxymoron -- yes it is, as is magnets inside a Metzler windchest. Best, Friedrich

Oh yes -- concerning Freiburg: I forgot about the new Tuba. It came from the shop of, and afaik will be voiced by, our kind host. I'm quite keen to hear it. Best, Friedrich

That's a tricky one. It has gone, and yet hasn't. Joseph von Glatter-Götz of Rieger had put it on the north loft in the westernmost bay of the chancel. From there, it spoke freely, an was visible to the congregation in all its elegance and obvious relationship to the case of the main organ in the crossing. This ensemble was a strike of genius on Jakob Schmidt's part, then architect and technical designer at Rieger, later head of Goll of Lucerne, along with Beat Grenacher, who is a brilliant voicer. The original position of the chancel organ was deemed impossible by the Denkmalschutz, as two pinnacles in the gothic railing had been moved to either side to allow for the case. This had to be corrected. So, the organ was moved into a new, set back, free-standing case in the opposite arch. The pipework was retained, except for the new front pipes; one rank was renamed or exchanged for another: instead of the former Choir Gemshorn 8', standing in front of the shutters, there is now a Salicional inside the new box. The architecture, unfortunately, is underwhelming, and has nothing to do with the spectacular Rieger case. I'm a regular for the summer concert series there, and can say that the main organ, after a general overhaul by Caspar Glatter-Götz and tonal work by Grenacher, is a joy to listen to. The Marcussen, however, is still the most beautiful part. The organ in the tower has been replaced, just last week, by a new Metzler -- with electric action, which is, I believe, a first for them. The 1960 Späth has been sold to someplace in eastern Europe. Due to the architecture and acoustics of the building, having at least one complete organ in the nave is essential. That's the Marcussen, hanging flat on the northern wall with its 21 stops, but providing the bulk of the sound for the congregation. Its 16' pedal open (extending, for lack of space, into the 8') is generously scaled, and for decades filled the role of a secret 32-foot flue quite convincingly. In the 2000 overhaul, a real 32' Bourdon was added. At first lying on the floor of the tower loft, it now stands upright behind the new Metzler. A full description, in German, can be found here. Best, Friedrich

I like that sort of design -- looks like a bunch of monks on a choir screen trying desperately to catch a view of the ladies present in the nave. Best, Friedrich

Not to be prissy, but actually Michael Engler was a German builder, and Silesia was dominated by German language and culture since heavy immigration in the 13th century. So, the interesting case and layout of the instrument is typically Silesian, being the result of middle and southern German influences. Only after WW II most of Silesia came under Polish government, and most Germans were expelled. They, and their descendants, still form a vivid part of the expatriate scene in today's Germany. Mind you, they're not an easy-going bunch when it comes to pre-1945 Silesian culture. When it comes to Christmas habits, they're outright fanatic. Not to diminish the achievements of Polish organbuilding, but the Krzeszow Engler isn't part of it. Best, Friedrich (no Silesian roots, btw)

I don't know if Brahms praised it, but he certainly knew and reportedly played one organ: the one built in 1872 by Friedrich Ladegast for the Musikvereinssaal in Wien. Brahms was artistic director of the Musikverein between 1872 and 1875, and among the pieces he performed on the instrument were the Toccata BWV 565 and P+F in E-flat Major BWV 552 -- the latter fact shedding a surprising light on his skills as an organist. The organ, alas, does not survive, but was among Ladegast's more important instruments. It was soon "bettered" and rebuilt; its grand neoclassical facade now covers a little-used '60-something Walcker of about twice as many stops. The Ladegast stoplist was: I. Manual, 1. division Principal 16' Octave 8' Octave 4' Gemshorn 4' Flauto minor 4' Doublette II 2 2/3' + 2' Mixtur III–IV Trompete 8' I. Manual, 2. division Bordun 16' Gamba 8' Rohrflöte 8' Flauto amabile 8' (1–12 from Rohrflöte) Piffero 8' Nasat 5 1/3' Doublette I–II (4', from TC 4' + 2') II. Manual, 1. division Fugara 4' Doppelflöte 4' Octavflöte 4' Nasat 2 2/3' Waldflöte 2' Progressio harmonica II–IV Clarinett 8' (free reed) II. Manual, 2. division Geigenprincipal 8' Quintatön 16' Salicional 8' Flauto harmonique 8' Doppelflöte 8' Gedackt 8' III. Manual Liebl. Gedackt 16' Viola d'amour 8' Liebl. Gedackt 8' Unda maris 8' Flauto dolce 8' Piffero 4' Zartflöte 4' Violine 2' Harmonia aetherea II–IV Oboe 8' (free reed) Pedal, 1. division Principalbass 32' Principalbass 16' Bassquinte 10 2/3' Octavbass 8' Quinte 5 1/3' Octavbass 4' Posaune 16' (beating) Trompete 8' Clarinet 4' Pedal, 2. division Violon 16' Subbass 16' Cello 8' Bassflöte 8' Ventils for manual and pedal subdivisions Combination à la Saint-Suplpice to all manuals and pedal (engages/disengages slider pneumatics) "Prolongement" III. Manual (holds and releases keys that are played when Pr. is activated) Couplers I/P, II/I, III/I Manuals 54 notes C to F, pedal 30 notes C to F What about "Es ist das Heil" op. 29/1? The opening Chorale is nigh perfect in its Bach imitation, as is the following chorale fugue in its stile antico approach. You wouldn't hear the Brahms in it, the study character is so prevalent. Interesting that, of all his studies and experiments, he'd had this one published. Best, Friedrich

The plans for Speyer cathedral were discussed at length, and sometimes heatedly, on the German Orgelforum. In short, the case design, offered by a well-known German architect, did not earn the most splendid of grades by most contributors. The stoplist was discussed mostly as the multiplication of principal ranks is concerned. If you look at what Barry got earlier this summer at Magdeburg, you will see that Speyer is not far from the approach chosen there, if the stoplist hints at a more French accent. But if I'm not mistaken there is goint to be another Tuba from London at Speyer. Yes, there definitely is such a thing as a German Tubamania. I, for one, don't get the point, but some others cheer their heads off. I like that. Best, Friedrich

For me, it was a Mendelssohn Complete double LP from Linz Cathedral, Kurt Rapf playing the grand Marcussen there. The sound is incredibly shabby, as if taken on one of those seventies cassette recorders you took to the pool to impress the girls with the latest Boney M. songs (or others with the Village People). No judgement about the playing was possible. Could have been so nice, considering the organ ... Best, Friedrich

I have that CD too, and I like it very much. Only in the G-Minor Fantasia, it's slightly odd that Kynaston uses the BW Regal to underpin the tutti -- the only 16-foot available on the manuals. But that's Joseph von Glatter-Götz. And the playing is splendid throughout. Oh, and Kynaston's first movement from Widor's Sixth at the Royal Albert Hall on the same set. Organ music, as good as it gets. Best, Friedrich

Toru Ohbayashi, an ardent Japanese Elgarist, has built a web page which lists many recordings; he is aiming at a complete list. Thomas Trotter's recent one, recorded at Salisbury and fine as ever, isn't there yet. Also not included: Stephen Cleobury's 1984 recording from King's that was reissued by Priory last year. A review copy of that one came in last Saturday, and I must say that I am impressed. Very distinguished playing, and an exciting sound from the H&H as it was back then. Mr. Cleobury treats the piece, and the organ, with a sense of weight and orchestral sound masses that offers a nice change from many overly-slim and effortless recordings of more recent origin. My favourite Reubke, after having heard many a recording indeed, is Christopher Herrick's at Reykjavik. Very sensitive playing, a thoroughly sensible mind map, restraint and fire, respectively, in just the right places. Christopher Herrick does have a Midas touch when it comes to the Big Ones -- his "Commotio" recording from Turku is the best I have heard as yet. Restraint, again, is the key. His Elgar, from Wellington (NZ), of course, is very fine as well. Best, Friedrich

When preparing his sonatas for print, Mendelssohn tried them out on the Stumm organ of the Katharinenkirche, Frankfurt am Main. The organ was built by a member of the Stumm familiy in 1780, and had most probably some kind of a non-equal temperament. The construction date, however, allows to say almost certainly that the original tuning wasn't meantone. I have no information regarding any change to the organ between 1780 and Mendelssohn's visit there. At least we can say Mendelssohn might have known what his sonatas sounded in non-equal temperament, and he knew that there were many organs around that were tuned non-equal. Does anyone here have informations as to what Abbé Voger liked his "simplified" organs tuned to? Because when young Felix had lessons with August Wilhelm Bach (no relation to the Thurigian Bachs), his teacher was organist on the simplified Wagner of the Marienkirche, Berlin. Having been built in 1724, and Wagner having been a Silbermann apprentice, the organ originally was most probably tuned to some modified meantone system. Is it too bold a suggestion that a modernist such as Vogler would have felt a desire to change that? Unfortunately, the sources I have at hand now don't lose a single word regarding the tuning system. And then, Mendelssohn was mainly a pianist. I expect piano tuning had arrived at (approximately) equal as a standard by the 1840ies, but would be happy to learn more and otherwise. Best, Friedrich

Dear forum members, having been exposed to some truly sour chords when listening to Mendelssohn's A-Major sonata, played by Joseph Nolan on the organ of the Buckingham Palace Ballroom (new Signum CD), I wonder if the organ is tuned to something else than equal temperament. The liner notes say that it was built by Lincoln in 1818, rebuilt by Gray & Davidson in 1855, and restored in 2002 by William Drake. I wouldn't be surprised if the organ was tuned unequal, because it has some other antique features as well -- GG-compass on the Great and on the Choir, and a divided Great Sesquialtra mixture that would no doubt benefit from some pure thirds. The III/27 organ sounds very good, and Joseph Nolan's clean and fluent playing copes admirably with the dead acoustics. BTW, he starts with an all-chorus Bach Passacaglia. (Not that he had much of a choice, considering the stoplist.) In the know, anyone? Thanks, Friedrich

One Johann Friedrich Agricola, a student of Bach and one of the authors of his master's Necrologue, in 1757 reports the following from a visit at the Trost organ, Altenburg: "In a certain organ, I heard the lieblich Gedackt, the Vugara, the Quintadena and the Hohlflöte, all of 8 feet, together without any other voice, which was of a beautiful and strange effect." Agricola here lists the entire Oberwerk 8-foot foundations of the Trost organ, except the Geigenprinzipal. Of course, this doesn't prove anything. Except that colouristic listening and colourful registration wasn't unheard of back around 1750. Best, Friedrich

The stoplist reads as if the organ needed constant change of colour in order not to sound boring. Calls for an unorthodox approach. Here's the layman's guess. First part: Choir and Swell 4'-stops alternating, the Swell Principal doing the echoes, box closed -- if the Choir flute isn't too timid. If it is, open the shutters and reverse the order. 8-foot Gamba and then Violin Diapason of the Swell can be added in the paenultimative downward arpeggios, the box opens over the ascending scales. Second part: Foundations 16+8 on Pedal, Great and Swell, plus Principal and Oboe, Gt/P and Sw/P. Try to manage a conctant up and down of the dynamics in generous cycles, along with the texture and as far as the pedal part allows. Tempo mustn't be too slow and with a bit of flexibility. When approaching the end of the section, add Swell sub coupler, then Swell super coupler, then Great Octave. Third part: Add Swell Horn and Great Mixture, take aim, and hit. Would be profoundly non-classical, but maybe fun . Best, Friedrich

I have heard many performances of the Passacaglia & Fugue, some in kaleidoscope-mode, some of the Blockwerk type, on organs big and small. Some were convincing, good, even glorious, and in most cases it had little to do with the registrational approach the performer chose. I believe timing and rhythm and articulation are far more important in this case. It has been said: there is so much in the texture of the piece already that it, just by that, offers a certain dynamic curve no matter what sounds are used. This curve might be enhanced by stop or manual changes. It might just as well be let alone. It will work nevertheless, because Bach knew his instrument and its generic characteristics so well. (Btw, the ingenious texture of the passacaglia if considered an organ piece convinced me that there is nothing to the pedal harpsichord rumor that haunts the organists' world time and again.) Everyone can set his pistons (or just pull 8-4-3-2-Mx), but not everyone has the feeling for timing and breathing that, e. g., Karl Richter had. Musicality in organ playing is, I feel, all about rhythm. That said, the passacaglia can be most exciting if played on full 16-foot plenum, complete with reeds 16+8. It's like driving the Rallye Monte Carlo on a truck (which must be exciting, as you will readily admit). As to the fugue, it is pure articulation drama and works best if it has all the bite it can get. IMHO. Best, Friedrich

Sorry if I step in here -- the Ste. Clotilde Positiv was (ans still is) unenclosed. The pipework sits directly behind the middle portion of the facade. The towers on either side house the GO. As fas as I know, the ground plan goes like this: Front to back: Front -- GO C / Positif / GO C# Middle -- Barker GO Back -- Pedal C / Récit / Pedal C# The reason for the lack of a Tirasse Récit was the staggered floor of the loft, which prevented the Récit action from running through the GO machine. Best, Friedrich

When did Wilhelm Sauer specify his first "Großzymbel", which was 3 1/5' + 2 2/7' + 2' throughout? Maybe about the same time as Weigle did, but it might have been even a bit earlier. Best, Friedrich

I don't know about 'cellos, but violinist Salvatore Accardo did recordings of Paganini's music on the "Cannone" Guarneri, that had been played by Paganini and is now kept safe by the city of Genova. I think that counts. The recordings have sold well. Every ardent violin geek of course knows that Michel Schwalbé, late concertmaster of Berlin Philharmonic, played the "King Maximilian" Stradivarius in Karajan's famous 1959 recording of Strauss's "Heldenleben". No better recording of the violin solo has ever been made. With violins and 'cellos, the problem is that you have to trace them down. They are easily packed and carried away. One of the key differences if compared to organs, if you ask me. I stuck to gut, wood and horse hair. Best, Friedrich

Dear forum members, Pierre announced recently to open this thread as a spin-off from the "Greatest British Organ Work" thread. But then, he appears to have found an ad in the classified section offering Harrison Trombas at a bargain price, so he had to leave immediately. In the meantime, I take the freedom to open this topic for him. Yes, he designed the specification of the chancel organ, providing the scaling as well. He was well into Orgelbewegung thinking then already. "Heavy and clouded" is quite right in so far as Wilhelm Sauer's organs are concerned. Compared to the work of Walcker and Steinmeyer, they sounded heavier, with a tendency to woolliness. Mind you, they were wonderful and expressive instruments nevertheless, and apparently very comfortable to play. In his carreer, Straube played a succession of large Sauers: Berlin, Garnisonskirche (destroyed) and Wesel, cathedral (interior destroyed in ww II), and Thomaskirche, Leipzig, where the organ has been recently restored to its 1908 glory. There are people who say so, since Reger wrote his op. 127 for the monumental Sauer at Breslau, Jahrhunderthalle, the design of which shows the influence of the so-called Alsatian organ reform triggered by Rupp and Schweitzer. Straube played the first performance there, but Reger didn't come and never heard the organ. -- The registration indication for the opening arpeggios of op. 135b are sometimes taken as a hint that Reger developed an interest for brighter sounds; he demands a "gap" registration of 16 + 4 + 2 on III. But again, this was possible on many organs that were otherwise entirely romantic in concept. The work was first performed on a romatic Furtwängler (gone now) by Hermann Dettmer at Hannover Town Hall. The basic concept of Schulze was still classical, with a true diapason chorus on the Great and a secondary chorus on another manual, and without the foundations designed to form a seamless build-up. The divisions at Armley appear, to me, to be heavily funcionalized in the British way, and not as parts of a III-II-I Crescendo, as they would have in a late-romantic German organ. That's the fate of almost everybody today who wants to play Reger, and is not so lucky as to have a vintage Sauer or Steinmeyer at his hands. I wonder how Simon Preston managed at the RFH! Now that's an anti-Reger organ. Best, Friedrich

This is true as far as it concerns the organ works following op. 16 up to op. 52. Of the latter, Reger sent handwritten copies to Straube, but rather in a complimentary way; he had sent the manuscripts to his publisher before that. Some earlier works, however, appear o have been heavily influenced by "lieber Carl" Straube, most prominently the "Morgenstern" Fantasia op. 40. -- One should keep in mind that there were many more organ works to follow after this period of close creative friendship between Reger and Straube, and more important ones, too: The "Inferno" fantasia op. 57, the Second Sonata op. 60, the Variations op. 73, not to mention the many collections of minor pieces. There has been a debate about Straube's influence on the op. 135b fantasia. And then, Reger literally grew up with the organ. When his father built a home organ, Max helped him; he played the organ daily over years, and was an accomplished pianist (as MM pointed out before). He was an organ expert and an organist, if not a virtuoso like Straube. They are valid in Germany, as far as Manuals I, II and III form a dynamic progression of f, mf and p; this was characteristic for German organbuilding in the late 19th century. On the other hand, Reger kept his registrational demands as general as possible (he had an English publisher for a short while btw, Auggener of London). Let me quote from a recent comment I wrote for Piporg-L, when the subject of Crescendo and the Rollschweller was discussed. When Reger composed most of his organ music in the 1890ies, there were still many organs around which had no registration aids whatsoever. Because he knew that, Reger kept his copious dynamic markings generally unspecific as to how the dynamic change might be obtained. One surprising exception is the chorale fantasy "Straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn" where, in a footnote, he suggests that the player might use accellerando and allargando *instead of* crescendo and diminuendo. He aimed at increase and decrease of musical tension and left it to the player how to achieve that kind of expressiveness. Very well put indeed. Best, Friedrich

Now doesn't this establish jumping to conclusions? I don't know, Pierre. Since there had been nothing around then to give Elgar a clue as to the means Hope-Jones would be able to provide, how should he ever guess what kind of music it would be possibe to play there? What about asking another question: Would the Sonata be more comfortable to play on a console that had all the luxury Hope-Jones had promised -- which would be considered spartan when compared to the commodity modern consoles have at the ready? Is the Sonata in any way less diffcult to play with a Forward-Backward button? I am not an organist, but have turned pages and pulled stops for a very able one performing (and later recording) the piece. The difficulty appeared to be rather in the voice leading, phrasing and articulation, and the organisation of musical levels between the hands, both having to play fistfuls of notes all the way through. In the registration, he mainly worked out ways to bring out the larger lines of the piece, which are quickly lost when there are too many changes in colour and dynamics. So it was a matter of simplification rather than of finding intricate and refined ways to follow the score to the very letter. Some bits, such as the aforementioned octaves, needed a trick or two to work, of course. Could we not call Sir Edward a visionary rather than a failure in this case? Think of "Ad nos", where you wouldn't get away without rearranging the score -- which doesn't diminish its merits a bit. The Sonata clearly points to a symphonic vision that's beyond any precise instrumental means, but still introduces a new style of orchestral grandeur to the instrument. As Beethoven put it when a violinist complained about some difficult passages in the violin concerto: "Was geht mich seine elende Geige an?!" ("What do I care about His pathetic violin?!") Best, Friedrich

Oh, and since there was some talk about soft spots ... Francis Jackson's Sonata op. 50 is one of mine. (Of course, I depend very much here on what Priory has to offer to us continentals, but still.) Best, Friedrich

For me, there are three outstanding British compositions to consider here. One is certainly third in rank -- that's the Whitlock sonata (no, really, I like it very much, and didn't know how much I missed it until I found out about it). But then, there are two more, and I can't quite decide which one to place first. The Elgar sonata, of course. And Kenneth Leighton's Prelude, Scherzo and Passacaglia, which by the way I consider a lot more interesting, original, and intense than anything Willan wrote. Fourth would be Frank Bridge's Adagio in E. Best, Friedrich