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Loudest Tubas


JWAnderson

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3 hours ago, headcase said:

...the Positive (beautifully voiced by Roland Rawdings) was on direct electric action, which was supremely quick and easily outpaced the sluggish Swell main action. (In later years, Deane organ builders identified that the action valves exhausting the Swell power-motors were too small, choking their response). 

Ah, that explains a lot. The discrepancy was very noticeable at the console. As you say, the Positive was beautifully voiced and the console was indeed extremely comfortable. Synchronisation problems apart, I thought the HNB organ was very fine. Dudley Holroyd thought it was superb.

3 hours ago, headcase said:

I should write a book....

Yes, please do!

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On 18/08/2020 at 12:05, headcase said:

In later years, Deane organ builders identified that the action valves exhausting the Swell power-motors were too small, choking their response

 

Another issue with the Swell being audibly slow at the console was because of where it was in the chamber. I was assistant to HNBs MD, Frank Fowler in the London office for 14 months and Dudley Holroyd (who was a great musician etc but could also be a tad awkward...) was convinced that this was due to badly adjusted actions. Frank thought otherwise and so we both went there and hung a microphone in the Swell connected to a small amplifier and headphones. When playing the organ normally, the swell was a fraction behind the great but when he put the headphones on, there was hardly any delay. Headcase will correct me but I think the swell box was behind the arch but the great under or in front. 

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The transept organ of Cologne Cathedral (Klais, 1948 & 1956, refurbed 2002) has a high-pressure division -  the "Hochdruckwerk" - which has no less than 5 tubas! Two of these - the "Tuba Episcopalis" (played when the archbishop enters) and a "Tuba Capitularis" (played at the entry of canons to mass) - are located at the west end of the cathedral and are, I understand, voiced on 39.3-inch (998.2mm) wind pressure. There is a YouTube clip - look for "Kölner Dom - Orgelmusik am Ostersonntag 2010" - where one of the Tubas, if not both, gets used at the end. Quite loud: worth hearing!

Dave

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7 hours ago, DaveHarries said:

The transept organ of Cologne Cathedral (Klais, 1948 & 1956, refurbed 2002) has a high-pressure division -  the "Hochdruckwerk" - which has no less than 5 tubas! Two of these - the "Tuba Episcopalis" (played when the archbishop enters) and a "Tuba Capitularis" (played at the entry of canons to mass) - are located at the west end of the cathedral and are, I understand, voiced on 39.3-inch (998.2mm) wind pressure. There is a YouTube clip - look for "Kölner Dom - Orgelmusik am Ostersonntag 2010" - where one of the Tubas, if not both, gets used at the end. Quite loud: worth hearing!

Dave

Wonderful - I didn't think that German organists played Bach like that!!!

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On 20/08/2020 at 02:01, DaveHarries said:

The transept organ of Cologne Cathedral (Klais, 1948 & 1956, refurbed 2002) has a high-pressure division -  the "Hochdruckwerk" - which has no less than 5 tubas! Two of these - the "Tuba Episcopalis" (played when the archbishop enters) and a "Tuba Capitularis" (played at the entry of canons to mass) - are located at the west end of the cathedral and are, I understand, voiced on 39.3-inch (998.2mm) wind pressure. There is a YouTube clip - look for "Kölner Dom - Orgelmusik am Ostersonntag 2010" - where one of the Tubas, if not both, gets used at the end. Quite loud: worth hearing!

Dave

the two tubas are voiced on 700mm (27,5 inch) wind pressure. Take a look with Cathedral Organist Winfried Bönig in Das Westwerk im Kölner Dom.

Cheers
tiratutti

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  • 3 months later...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNRrV9FTeSc&ab_channel=KölnerDomorgeln

I have to say in all honesty, that although impressively loud, to me those two west-end tubas do not sound greatly dissimilar.  Perhaps it's my old ears, but I'd have preferred one to be far more free-toned, possibly even like the west-end trumpets at St Paul's.

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9 hours ago, DaveHarries said:

Didn't see a mouse - unless you are imagining things. Saying that I wouldn't blame any mouse for doing that!

Dave

At 4:41 - on the video I watched a red arrow appeared to show the mouse!! poor thing must have thought its end had come!!!

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To me, the demonstration of these two stops didn't do them justice. I don't speak German but what on earth was going on in the first demo where the guy was next to the chamade pipes wearing headphones? It sounded as though a small child was having a first go on an over-sized kazoo. And much of the rest of it was just too frantic and 'clever' for its own good. 

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