General Crescendo Pedal

[Guest Echo Gamba]

I would be interested to know how people do / would set the steps on one of these. I have never come into regular contact with them, but now have one (with 8 adjustable steps) at my church.

[Guest Cynic]

I would be interested to know how people do / would set the steps on one of these. I have never come into regular contact with them, but now have one (with 8 adjustable steps) at my church.

 

 

8 steps isn't many but then it may not be a large number of stops. If you posted the specification, I'd be happy to suggest a build up. I'm sure others might enjoy this challenge too.

[bombarde32]

I would agree with Cynic that they are best used as a build-up device. You can't play Reger without one!!

[Guest Echo Gamba]

8 steps isn't many but then it may not be a large number of stops. If you posted the specification, I'd be happy to suggest a build up. I'm sure others might enjoy this challenge too.

 

Great

 

Bourdon 16

Open Diapason 8

Stopt Diap 8

Principal 4

Harmonic Flute 4

Fifteenth 2

Sesquialtera II

Mixture IV

Clarinet 8

Trumpet 8

 

Swell

 

Open Diapason 8

Echo Gamba 8

Voix Celeste 8

Chimney Flute 8

Principal 4

Wald Flute 4

Flageolet 2

Mixture IV

Contra Fagotto 16

Cornopean 8

Oboe 8

 

Pedal

 

Sub Bass 32

Open Wood 16

Open Metal 16

Bourdon 16

Principal 8

Bass Flute 8

Choral Bass 4

Mixture IV

Trombone 16

Trumpet 8

 

3 usual Unison couplers

 

6 pistons each Gt/pd, Sw, General

[Guest Cynic]

Thanks for posting the spec.

 

I would try something like this - not the smoothest setting (you'd need more stages, or maybe a choice of settings - with or without chorus mixtures!) but I think this would be useful for hymns, anthems and much else. By drawing the Oboe or Swell 8' reed by hand after stage 4, this build up might serve pretty well in French romantic repertoire too.

 

You could draw the first stage by hand and gain another stage - but I've registered this so you could do a service and several whole pieces - even something as complicated as Reger's Introduction and Passacaglia in D minor without touching a stop - how it was written in fact. Sometimes being able to take something back down smoothly is even more useful than building it up - think of the last few bars of Nimrod or Dear Lord and Father of Mankind.

 

 

Stage

1 Swell strings, Great Flute 8', Pedal Bourdon coupled to Swell

2 Swell to Great added

3 Celeste off, Swell flutes 8 and 4' added, add Pedal Bass Flute

4 Adds Swell Diapason and Principal, Great Harmonic Flute 4' and Great to Pedal

5 Adds Swell Fifteenth, Great flutes off, Diapason and Principal on, add Pedal Principal 8'

6 Adds Swell Mixture, Great Fifteenth and Pedal Open Metal 16' and 4'

7 Adds Swell reeds and Pedal Open Wood

8 Adds Great Mixture (maybe also Sesquialtera?) and Pedal Trombone - is the Subbass 32' good? If so that could come out here.

 

this leaves you or your page turner to make a grab for the Great Trumpet for a final chord or two.

Worth a try?

[davidh]

I would agree with Cynic that they are best used as a build-up device. You can't play Reger without one!!

May I refer forum members to two CD / DVD sets available from http://shop.jqz.nl/

They are both performed by Jos van der Kooy, one on the Grote of St Bavokerk Haarlem and the other on the Westerkerk Amsterdam. On one he plays the chorale preludes, "Ach Gott, verlass mich nicht", "Morgenglanz der erwigkeit", "Seelenbrautigam", "Wer weiss, wie nahe mir mein ende", "Jesus, meine zuversicht" and the "Tokkata und fuge D moll op 59). On the other he plays the "Fantasie und fuge D-moll op 135B"

 

Neither of these instruments has any enclosed division, nor any mechanical registration aids.

 

Op 135B in particular is full of crescs and dims. JvdK plays it with the assistance of two registrants who, as he explains, are both "fully qualified organists". Who needs a general crescendo pedal when there are two such talented young ladies to help?

[Pierre Lauwers]

This is pure game as we do not know how the stops are voiced.

And 8 stations, this is not many. Here is an idea (with the Manuals supposedly coupled)

 

1)- Great: Stop'd 8', Swell: Echo Gamba, Pedal: Bourdon 16'

 

2)- (to add to previous one): Great: Open Diapason, Sw: Chimney Flute, Ped: Bass Flute 8'

 

3)- Swell: Open Diapason+ Wald Flute 4', Pedal: Open Metal 16'

 

4)- Great: Bourdon 16', Harmonic Flute 4', Swell: Principal 4', Ped: Open wood 16'+ Choral Bass 4'

 

5)- Great: Principal 4', Swell Flageolet 2'+ Oboe

 

6)- Great: Fifteenth + Clarinet 8', Swell: Cornopean (if not too loud!), Ped: Sub Bass 32'+ Trombone 16' (ditto)

 

7)- Great: Trumpet+ Sesquialtera, Swell: Contra Fagotto+ Mixture, Ped: Trumpet 8' (and Trombone if loud)

 

8)- Great: Mixture, Ped: Mixture

[Guest Echo Gamba]

Thanks for posting the spec.

 

I would try something like this - not the smoothest setting (you'd need more stages, or maybe a choice of settings - with or without chorus mixtures!) but I think this would be useful for hymns, anthems and much else. By drawing the Oboe or Swell 8' reed by hand after stage 4, this build up might serve pretty well in French romantic repertoire too.

 

You could draw the first stage by hand and gain another stage - but I've registered this so you could do a service and several whole pieces - even something as complicated as Reger's Introduction and Passacaglia in D minor without touching a stop - how it was written in fact. Sometimes being able to take something back down smoothly is even more useful than building it up - think of the last few bars of Nimrod or Dear Lord and Father of Mankind.

 

 

Stage

1 Swell strings, Great Flute 8', Pedal Bourdon coupled to Swell

2 Swell to Great added

3 Celeste off, Swell flutes 8 and 4' added, add Pedal Bass Flute

4 Adds Swell Diapason and Principal, Great Harmonic Flute 4' and Great to Pedal

5 Adds Swell Fifteenth, Great flutes off, Diapason and Principal on, add Pedal Principal 8'

6 Adds Swell Mixture, Great Fifteenth and Pedal Open Metal 16' and 4'

7 Adds Swell reeds and Pedal Open Wood

8 Adds Great Mixture (maybe also Sesquialtera?) and Pedal Trombone - is the Subbass 32' good? If so that could come out here.

 

this leaves you or your page turner to make a grab for the Great Trumpet for a final chord or two.

Worth a try?

 

Thank you! I'll try this. The Sub Bass does everything you could wish for, from purring away under the celestes, to being "felt" under the Trombone.

[Guest Nigel ALLCOAT]

A strange device but one of course for which some composers have especially composed. I call it a rolling pin on good old German-style instruments and which are connected to a 'fuel gauge' style dial showing you how far or less it is working. But I always take issue with those devices that go down to undulants of differing nomenclature. For me, and perhaps for others, the using of this most special sound should be used with the utmost discretion. I do suggest that it is an over-used sound, the effect of which diminishes rapidly by over or constant use.

Players must remember that this device can so easily be called a Diminuendo pedal. The naming of it as a General Cresendo is giving out the wrong message. Looking at the German name, it suggests a usage that goes both ways. In the English/American way, one is suggesting a gradual loudness.

Just a thought and observation.

 

Best wishes,

Nigel

[John Robinson]

Yes, the 'rollschweller' can be used both ways.

 

The ones I have seen appear to crescendo when turned towards the player, and diminuendo when turned away from the player.