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#101
Organ building and maintenance / Les Anches . . .
March 26, 2010, 06:01:41 PM
From a wonderful voicer friend -

Le travail de Moucherel était sans doute remarquable mais c'est   Isnard qui vraiment porté le choeur des anches à la qualité qu'on a   retrouvé aujourd'hui. C'est lui qui a ajouté le clavier de Bombarde  et   retravaillé les trompette du GO.

Je peux vous donner des renseignements   précis sur la manière de travailler ce genre d'anches.

Il faut suivre   rigoureusement  Don Bedos. Les facteurs contemporains (surtout les   anglo-saxons) n' arrivent pas à désapprendre et à oublier les techniques   romantiques de l'intonation des anches. A la condition d'être soigneux   dans le travail, et de respecter certaines observations, c'est   relativement facile de reproduire ailleurs une telle palette   sonore. C'est aussi plus efficace et moins coûteux que d'essayer d'imiter   par des procédés électroniques. La distortion est infiniment trop   grande. Avec les harmoniques impaires, il y a une telle énergie libérée   que le corps tout entier entre en vibration, pas seulement les oreilles.   

Les anches française du XVIIIè n'ont rien à voir avec Cavaillé-Coll.A   Albi, on se sert de la superposition des harmoniques impaires pour   développer des résultantes graves. Cavaillé-Coll fait le contraire, avec   une pression double!!!

Il ne faut pas non plus oublier les cornets qui sont prévus pour   renforcer le dessus des trompettes.

Ensuite, le tempérament joue aussi   son rôle. Formentelli a toujours regretté de ne pas avoir pu accorder   cet instrument avec les 8 tièrces justes du mésotonique.

Les harmoniques de 7 et 9 :elles sont très importantes   pour l'idéal sonore du baroque français. La difficulté est de maintenir   en même temps les pavillons dans la plus grande longueur possible,avec   une courbe de languette la plus forte, sur toute la longueur du canal   :ne surtout pas courber sur le bout ou en  " S" comme le recommande   Cavaillé-Coll   

Seulement un 16' ordinaire  Je crois qu'un 32' à la manière de   Moucherel serait insupportable, Il faut savoir que quand on travaiile   une telle batterie d'anches, pendant toute une journée, on éprouve une   fatigue au niveau de la cage thoracique :Si on arrive à bien courber les   languettes, l'énergie est énorme.   On l'entend pendant toute la nuit   qui suit... D'ailleurs,Dom Bedos conseille d'y travailler seulement   quelques heures 

           Tout cela concerne la production du son,mais il faut encore voir   l'influence de la résonance et des réflexions, surtout en ce qui   concerne les harmoniques impaires. Je crois qu'on n'a pas assez d'une   vie pour comprendre  l'univers baroque : Il symbolyse le pouvoir absolu, tyrannique du Roy et de l'Eglise.

Ce n'était pas pensable de conserver un tel souvenir après 1789.   Il fallait absolument supprimer les harmoniques impaires pour obtenir   des sons plus ronds, plus moelleux.

Le tempérament des 8 tons de   l'Eglise Catholique  Romaine à été abandonné dans le même contexte;    Empêcher que la musique ne puisse plus exprimer une méditation   métaphysique dans laquelle le peuple est l'esclave du pouvoir: c'était   vraiment une révolution. 

Food for thought and discussion?

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#102
Hi!

Why devote a corner of an organ forum to Dom Bedos? The reality is that this 18th century monk set the foundations of organ building, from which modern instruments have departed significantly. With declining exposure to organs, these instruments have not grabbed the attention of the population that they once did. Possibly the answer is to find something new and going back to the source of our art, back to fundamentals brings startling new sounds to our ears.

We have all heard the Bach D minor countless times, but when I heard it played by Pierre Bardon at St Maximin, both performer and instrument brought it new vigour
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSf7-4t_SWc
and luckily I had recorder and camera to capture the moment.

These organs surviving and restored in the spirit of Dom Bedos are truly the Kings of instruments and their study can lead, perhaps, to that excitement that the organ once more generally inspired.


There's a new organ which has been built to the Dom Bedos idiom:
http://www.organosandomenicorieti.it/dombedos2.htm
and its inauguration is 16th -20th April at Reiti, 80km north of Rome.

J'espere peut etre que Christian Colard dirait en plus . . . .

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#103
<blockquote> 
   
A friend kindly sent me some tips about management . . . :


A priest offered a Nun a lift.   

   
She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg.   

   
The priest nearly had an accident.   

   
After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.   

   
The nun said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?'   

   
The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.   
The nun once again said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?'   

   
The priest apologized 'Sorry sister but the flesh is weak..'   

   
Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.   

   
On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, 'Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.'  ;)   

   
Moral of the story:   
If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity. 
;D
Best wishes
Forum Admin (Wishing that other people might start posting things ! Please)
</blockquote>
#104
Organ courses / August 2010 St Maximin
March 25, 2010, 02:03:10 AM
Hi!

http://www.orgue-saintmaximin.com/

Handling a great 18th century historical instrument.
Study of the   proposed works, in the evolution of the repertoire, detailed theoretical   and practical approach.

The Noels of Dandrieu, Daquin, Corrette, Balbastre, Le Clerc,   Beauvarlet-Charpentier... and the Symphonies by Lebègue and Piroye,   Offertes or Grands Dialogues of Raison, Marchand...

20th - 29th August

The course is directed by Phillippe Bardon Titular organist of the cathedral of Pontoise and co-titular organist of   the organ of St-Maximin. Through his long practise of the Isnard organ and his musicological   knowledge, he puts his teaching in the service of an authentic and   sensitive musical interpretation.

This course opens up the whole French idiom and playing the Isnard organ takes one back to the origins of organ building and playing, often leading one to approach registration of later organs in a new and exciting way.

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#105
Hi!

St Peter and St Paul at Nutfield near Redhill in Surrey is a real gem. Very much a traditional English organ by Rest Cartwright jsut before the first world war and enlarged and maintained by Willis, small in size but effective and well developed upperwork:
http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N13834

Two manuals but hardly unlimiting - it looks a joy to play and sounds good, well worthy as a recital organ.

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#106
Hi!

Last night I went to the Lancelot recital at Ardingly College - an interesting instrument presumably a precursor to the famous Grant Degens and Bradbeer instrument 4 years later at New College, especially as rebuilt by Wood Brown without the Violin Diapason foundation on the swell.

Very splendid trumpets giving an awesome Tutti but full organ less reeds is perhaps more reminiscent of a grand chamber organ on a large scale and like New College it has produced some very fine organists. Significantly different idiom from that often found in Public School chapels.

The instrument has been awarded Historic Instrument status for obvious reasons.

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#107
Hi!


A friend asked me to keep my eyes peeled for an instrument on which to practice at home and there are some useful instruments appearing -


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290416065911
This is, or is similar to, one that was for sale on ebay a few months ago. It's based on the Content 220 Midi expander, a useful an competant device which features facilities to change into at least half a dozen temperaments - Equal, Pythagorean, Meantone, Werckmeister, Kellner and from memory I think Vallotti. How and how well this has been incorporated into the console will need examining, but it could be interesting. Good features - the pedal Bourdon and Bombarde, the Swell Voix Celeste which is excellent, the Swell Sesquialtra and Vox Humana / Krumhorn. Perhaps the Great Principal is not as full as some people would want a Great Diapason to be and, throughout the instrument, the chiff is of a semitone variety, of which I tire. Whilst some real pipes chiff with a semitone, others chiff with a quint and a puff of air and it's that variety that makes a pipe instrument more interesting than an electronic. Nevertheless, a servicable home instrument which, with a midi output one could drive Hauptwerk or other midi expander boxes to good effect.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280482145967
I know nothing about this one, but at least it looks like a cheap console to convert to Hauptwerk if the electronics aren't outstanding.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280483070689 A Viscount Vivace . . . and the price indicates that it must be thought of as being good . . .


Finally if you're looking for a Pedal board to midify for Hauptwerk or to upgrade a standard instrument http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170461450967 looks good.


Best wishes


Forum Admin
#108
Hi!


There is a complete set of pipes from a nice swell department on ebay -
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=180484223251


Ideal for anyone enlarging a pipe instrument or making a house organ


Best wishes


Forum Admin