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heva

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Posts posted by heva

  1. I always play the Garth Edmundson (sp.) Vom Himmel Hoch toccata.

     

    People seem to enjoy it and it does make an organ sound its best.

     

    I'm playing the Edmundson this year too (probably at 2:00 AM ;-)) - thanks to a fellow forummember.

  2. One of the main differences in southern (flemish) and northern use of the organ would be defined by religion; Catholic vs. Protestant. I'm not sure if the organ was meant to accompany the protestant hymns/psalms, but if it were, than as far as I know the flemish organs, that would propably not be a success.

  3. Wouldn't that be the Wender in Arnstadt, Pierre?

     

    @Nigel, I'm not really convinced that in passed times people were or could be as 'open' to a different 'implementation' as we can/care/should (and possibly willing to 'learn to eat it').

    Take for instance the organ in Gouda, by flemish builder Moreau; in fact hopeless for the 'dutch way' of the time and (as far as I know) also considered to be so (and subsequently altered-to-tasted).

  4. Yes, I know what you mean - a sort of audible picture of how far apart your thumbs are and which way the spiders are creeping. I put that down to a combination of ear and muscle.

     

    Don't forget 'analytic' memory: knowing in detail how the composition is constructed (take for instance the right hand figure of Vierne's final symf.V - not much to 'understand', yet a lot of notes) , and 'absolute' memory: knowing every little detail as an absolute fact (my teacher in Cologne used to try me on that: which note is written in the alto on the third quarter in measure x, mein Herr?).

     

    Also, learning a very (very) difficult piece by heart may be easier to play than playing it from score; once it's in memory, one can focus on the music (if you're relaxed enough that the piece is in your memory (which it is, just take care to 'get it back').

     

    But one can sometimes be jealous on those pianists who learn a Rach.3 in a week ...

  5. Searching in Spanish reveals a bit more, but not much. A blog from some politician was complaining about the costs (which will mainly come from the State) and he had heard, much to his annoyance, that there were plans to build a new organ rather than to restore the original. He was obviously not aware that almost nothing of the original exists and there are no written records of what that consisted of.

     

    There was an article in the local Catalan press in 2005 which spoke of the 1.2 million Euro project to 'restore' the organ. Jordi Vergés the organist explained that there had been many unfortunate changes to the organ since 1563 (not surprising really). The most 'unfortunate' was the complete replacement of what was left of the organ in 1929 (apart from the facade) by the company 'Edian'. There was then some attempt in 1973 to replace some of these ranks with those more in keeping with the style suggested by the casework. Looking on the bright side, Mr Vergés did remind us that around 1000 organs were completely destroyed during the Civil War, so to have any part of an organ from the 16th century in Spain was remarkable.

    One of the priests at the Cathedral was quoted as having said that their organ was like a beautiful cage, but the bird inside didn't sing.

     

    As Mr Vergés had lessons from many Dutch organists according to his CV, this may explain the choice of builder.

     

    I have asked the Dutch builders to send a copy of their specification, so we shall see. The organ is to be finished by 2010.

     

    Did you also ask for the cost and the calculation? 'Their' opus 1111 (a restoration of a 1863/4 Ibach,III/P/41) is said to cost about 1 million euros; and, as the fundraisers say, for that the parish gets an instrument that's almost perfect for the organworks of Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms :)

  6. Instead, it seems Britain will be full with "french" organs in a few years.... So how to market

    british food if the englishmen prefer french cuisine instead ?

     

    Pierre

     

     

    Bring in Gordon F***ING Ramsay in the organworlds kitchen ???

  7. 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

     

     

    Too bad 'our host' may only deliver tuba's to the continent however good they are; why not let him build an entire instrument?

  8. I quite agree.

     

    I question the necessity of having so many manuals (how many hands do most organists have anyway?), despite the number of divisions the organ may have. With the advantages of modern electric action, including transfers, general combinations, etc., I cannot see why even the largest instruments cannot be controlled from a four manual console, each manual accounting for two or more divisions, if necessary.

     

    Moreover, unless the organist has the arms of an orang utan, how can he/she possibly play the 6th (or even 5th) manual comfortably?

     

    That depends also on the rest of the console; there are organs in Holland which for me are hardly playable with only 3 manuals because of the pedal and bench 'construction' (or lack of it). On the other we have many organ-ists/-experts/-consultants who have mutliple smilitarities with orang-utans/baboons :rolleyes:

  9. Thank you. Most interesting reading.

     

    On the one hand, since Silbermann's three-manual had somewhat run to fat in its old age, notably gaining two extra manuals (one of them a swell), I find it hard to see Kern's four-manual "Silbermann +" as being as inappropriate as some would have it portrayed.

     

    On the other, since the building was reconstructed from the original plans, it does seem a shame that the opportunity was not taken to replicate the organ that Silbermann (or, rather, his firm) originally supplied. There are certainly firms that could have done it.

     

    Anyway, the deed is done.

     

    What would be the need for a Silbermann copy, when having a real one (is it?) available in the Domkirche not so far away?

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