Trumpet En Chamade 8' - Guidance On Use

[martin_greenwood]

I'd appreciate some advice on when it is appropriate to use this particular stop e.g.

• Is it primarily for solo fanfare work?
  
• Is it used as part of a chorus?
  
• What sort of melodic use might be made of it?
  

It would be interesting to hear people's suggestions, with perhaps reference to use in specific pieces of music.

 

Thanks

[Tony Newnham]

I'd appreciate some advice on when it is appropriate to use this particular stop e.g.

• Is it primarily for solo fanfare work?
  
• Is it used as part of a chorus?
  
• What sort of melodic use might be made of it?
  

It would be interesting to hear people's suggestions, with perhaps reference to use in specific pieces of music.

 

Thanks

 

Hi

 

First - find out what the stop sounds like in the building! Then and only then can you decide what usage is appropriate. To quote an example - St. Mary, Saffron Walden - the chamade there is very loud - but since it fires down the South Aisle and the console is on the screen, the organist only hears it reflecting from the West End - and that's a heck of a long way away. I've heard some famous organists use it in chords in recitals, and it's downright painful - espevcially if you sit on the South side of the Nave! Usage there is probably limited to the odd fanfare, trumpet tune and etc.

 

The chamade at Bradford Cathderal can be used choradally (although I in practice limited it to soloing the introduction and part of v3 of "Thine be the Glory" - but then I was playing for a funeral). Bradford emphasises the need to hear what the stop sounds like rather than assuming - the chamade is actually quieter than the solo trumpet.

 

Chamades can be purely solo stops - or they can be part of a chorus - which probably isn't the answer you wanted - it depends on the organ!

 

Every Blessing

 

Tony

[Guest Psalm 78 v.67]

Definitely a question for The King Of The Chamades - pcnd!

[MAB]

I have no wish to sound facetious, but I think the simple answer to this question is that a chamade must be used musically.

 

It all depends on the quality of the reed at your disposal.

 

If I am playing an organ with a really good chamade reed (eg. Blackburn Cathedral) then I have selected music that will particularly exploit this feature, such as Mathias Invocations.

 

I am playing next week at Coventry, and that has very fiery Orchestral Trumpets (not strictly en chamade, and I understand from this forum that they have been toned down in recent years).

 

These could be used as fanfare reeds or one could consider using them for a particularly fiery tutti on the last chord (spoiler - that is what I plan to do).

 

My benchmark is whether the reed fits in with the rest of the chorus without overwhelming it, or making the music out of proportion. If the chamade can add fire to the tutti without blotting it out, then it can be a very exciting addition. If it overwhelms everything else, then I think the result is simply inartistic and can actually take away from a good performance.

 

Then again, there are special cases like the West Trumpets at St Paul's which are simply sui generis. They can sound fantastic, or just out of place. Whenever I went to recitals there, I always felt that the recitalist was looking for an excuse to use them. In one such programme there was no obvious fanfare or dramatic moment when they could be used, with the result that they completely obliterated the tutti at the end of Vierne IV.

 

I find - perhaps as a result of long - delayed maturity - that if I am playing on an organ with such a stop, I increasingly avoid it unless it can really be justified on these musical grounds (on one occasion, I remember, to the bitter disappointment of my page turner).

 

Hope this helps

M

[Pierre Lauwers]

"a chamade must be used musically."

(Quote)

 

This is the key issue!

(I would say the best position for the stop key, tablet or handle

is the "OFF" one)

 

Pierre