In imitato

[MusingMuso]

How many organ-stops closely imitate the sound of other instruments, or those of the same name?

 

The reason I ask results from a recent visit to hear the re-built organ at Leeds RC cathedral, played by the excellent, (as always), Ben Saunders.

 

Now, you may recall that ghastly "Traverse Fluit" on that whacky baroque instrument in Germany, which was known by Bach. On that instrument is a Trevrse Fluit (I think it's called this), which overblows slightly, and which if it were regulated and voiced properly, would pass as an imitation of the orchestral instrument.

 

However, I wasn't aware of it, but at Leeds Cathedral, there is a very similar stop; rather better voiced and regulated, and I'm not aware of anything else like it anywhere.....meaning that 135 posts will now flood the board telling me I'm blinkered and ignorant.

 

It raised the further possibility that certain organs may have certain stops which sound like certain other instruments. There are Fr Willis Clarinets which come close, of course.

 

Perhaps the best imitations of instruments I've personally come across, are those beautiful, low-pressure baroque reeds found in some organs in the Netherlands, which come uncannily cloe to the real thing. Even Schnitger trumpets sound richly dark and brassy, not unlike a brass consort of the day.

 

The real puizzle is why the Vox Humana was ever labelled Vox Humana, because if anyone sang like that, they'd be sectioned.

 

 

 

MM

[DouglasCorr]

How many organ-stops closely imitate the sound of other instruments, or those of the same name?

......

 

The real puizzle is why the Vox Humana was ever lebelled Vox Humana, because if anyone sang like that, they'd be sectioned.

 

 

MM

 

Well I think a Vox Humana + tremulant does sound like a singing voice, John McCormack for example. So there.

[David Coram]

The transverse flute is alive and well in the hands of a Frenchman named Bernard, with a little input from an American who trained in Germany and works in Devon. Apply at the Porters' Lodge at St John's, Oxford for a disc demonstrating said very thing - and a quite remarkable exposition of the box organ (8,4,2,1 and Voix humaine - and you will have never, ever heard anything like it).

 

Rushworths did some terrific imitative stuff in the 1920s. The Solo organ they added to the 3m Willis at Westminster Chapel, Buckingham Gate contains some amazing voices, rather smoother in tone than M. Aubertin's creations.

[MusingMuso]

Well I think a Vox Humana + tremulant does sound like a singing voice, John McCormack for example. So there.

 

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Gerlad Moore was absolutely right. It sounds a lot more like this:-

 

 

 

 

MM (World authority and collector of "Shaun the sheep" DVD's)

[DouglasCorr]

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MM (World authority and collector of "Shaun the sheep" DVD's)

 

I think we could need an oscilloscope to settle this, but