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Topics - KB7DQH

#542
Organs in danger / Organ needs a new home...
April 22, 2010, 01:52:04 AM
Organ to be removed to the Bond Organs shop facility so far as I know as of this writing.

Their websitehttp://www.bondorgans.com/news_skinner-FBC-Seattle.html
has more information.

The Aeolian-skinner is one of a very few instruments of that maker here in the Northwest US, and the fact that someone was able to give it a new home is good news!  However the Balcom and Vaughan
it is replacing would require the construction of new windchests to make it serviceable once again.

Stoplist of redundant organ can be found herehttp://www.bondorgans.com/PDF/SFB-stoplist-for-sale.pdf

Eric
KB7DQH
#544
Friday, 7:30 PM

All Bach concert   

Kimberly Marshall, organist

on this organhttp://www.saintmarks.org/Worship/Music/FlentropTechnical.php
which one could argue began the "tracker action revival" here in the USA...

Eric
KB7DQH
#545
Organs in danger / Truly a MUST READ
April 19, 2010, 10:42:41 PM
Follow the following link...http://www.organclearinghouse.net/newsletter/index.php

Read the essay, note links at the bottom of the page, and have a look around...

Eric
KB7DQH

{Looks like the site changed domains :o so I have edited the link to reflect the change 8)
Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused...}

#546
Elsewhere the subject of transportable organs has come up, and I thought a new topic was in order...

A few questions to warm the gray-matter among those of you lurking in the shadows who build pipe organs...

Could using exotic, "space-age" high-tech (I know, I know... high co$t!) materials and construction techniques be used to enhance the durability of key components employed in pipe organs which will be by their very nature "physically abused" in the course of everyday use?

How big is too big? Conversely, How small is too small?  Could the pipework be constructed in "block" formations and "folded" to reduce space without suffering in the Tonal Quality department?
Here I am thinking of getting at least one, maybe more, 32' pitch ranks as part of the specification through a stadium utility entrance, and still be transportable in ISO containers...

Like any project, it starts with an idea...

Eric
KB7DQH
#549


And hey, free admission! ;D


   

Organ Concert
     Sunday, April 25, 2010
3:00 pm
Francesco Cera, Organist, Rome, Italy Italian Baroque Music on the Meantone Organ **Master Class on Italian Organ Music – Saturday, April 24 – 8:30-11:30 a.m. Admission Free
#550
Miscellaneous & Suggestions / Stumbled onto...
April 16, 2010, 02:03:41 PM
This:
http://organforum.com/

Will have to trawl around and see if there is anything particularly useful there...

Eric
KB7DQH
#551
On Contrebombarde.com, user Faziolli has uploaded two performances of the same piece on the same (Isnard St. Maximin) organ,  the first in the organ's "as-built" temperamenthttp://www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/music/1907

the otherhttp://www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/music/1908 in equal temperament...

I encourage all who visit this post to download and play both, one after the other, and think carefully about what your ears are telling you...

   Just to make sure my mind wasn't playing games I messed about with the "key change" feature on my Realtek AC 97 soundcard...  Apparently the "equal" temperament shifts the key "flat"... but not a full note interval...  at least that is what I "think" is going on :-\  I don't have the tuning chart for that organ in front of me so I don't know if the "original" is tuned to A=440hz or not... or what is happening when Faziolli shifted his Hauptwerk organ into equal temperament... :-[

Either way the perceived emotional feel of the piece shifted remarkably with the temperament change, regardless of which key I played it back in 8) 8) 8)

Eric
KB7DQH
#552
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zMk0FydxT4

Inauguration and dedication 17 April 2010 ;D ;D ;D
#553
Finally heard the following instrument, on a radio broadcast.  Against the "largest preserved organ of Bach's time" (Toccata and Fugue in D minor) also heard in the same broadcast and thus over my "built out of "OK-quality second-hand-used- and in many cases rebuilt by myself equipment (to and including speaker repairs)" home audio system,  the

Paul Fritts Magnum Opus installed in Lagerquist Concert Hall, Mary Baker Russel Music Center,  Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA...

competently holds it own 8) 8)

Elsewhere on this forum is information on a couple concerts to be given in the coming months on this magnificent piece of modern organ construction patterned after German/Dutch instruments with enough French Baroque thrown in to make it really fun to listen to!

http://www.plu.edu/about/tours/art9.html
#554
 8) I once served as part of a small security detail on a motion picture film project 20 years ago...
One of the traditions in film making is the party thrown after the 100th roll of film is shot...
Sorry I will have to miss the "over 100 posts" party as the local radio program featuring Organ and Choral music (listed elsewhere on this forum ;D  begins in just a few minutes 8) 8) 8) 8)

Eric
KB7DQH
#555
Restoring pipe organs / Short answer: Yes
April 10, 2010, 02:36:34 PM
Now for a slightly longer answer ::)


Years ago a book was written:  "How to keep your Volkswagen Alive-- Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot"    In "plain english" explained just about everything one needed to know in order to keep their air-cooled Volkswagen vehicle properly maintained, to and including engine overhaul. 8)
Also explained which parts of the vehicle would need to be attended to by a properly equipped shop, as the tools and training needed to perform certain tasks was not economically available to a typical vehicle owner.   

SO... Does such information exist for the pipe organ?  I imagine it is "out there" but not conveniently
ordered ???   

Could reasonably  skilled tradesmen within a church congregation take care of the necessary preventive maintenance and extend the "mean time between failure" of their instrument or would this be too much to ask?  I am thinking about stuff like keeping the wind system in good order, lubricating blower motor bearings if so equipped, making sure the wildlife doesn't befoul or consume the mechanical and electrical devices,  cleaning, etc...

Just HAD to throw that bit of fat into the fire...

Now... My definition of a "Restoration" lies in the root "Restore"... That is, make the instrument function as it did when new.   If what I suggested above took place, shouldn't be too much of a job
for the local organ builder to remove pipes, open windchests, renew pallet leather and felts, etc...
clean internal components not otherwise accessible during preventive maintenance, reassemble and tune.  May require attention to wind delivery/regulation,  but that should largely be accomplished in the proactive/preventive maintenance program "within the organization" unless special, custom parts need to be procured.

Anything "beyond" that could be classified as alteration, expansion, modernization.

Modernization could include the upgrading of electrical components to devices more available/serviceable, adding of electronic combination action, but would NOT include conversion from mechanical key action to electrical, etc...  I would firmly classify that as an ALTERATION, as "tracker action"  allows for some measure of control of how the pipe speaks by the organist, whereas an "electrical" action sufficient to accomplish this would be an extremely expensive affair indeed ???  Look at the prices on servo controls for radio-controlled  stuff, you will plainly see what I mean! 

So there it is... A starting point from which I hope much discussion ensues.

Can of worms open, flame suit on ;) ;) ;) ;)

Eric
#556
http://www.cathedralartsproject.org/Events.asp

Includes other events including a masterclass!

Enjoy...

Eric
#557
Organ concerts / This one's FREE
April 10, 2010, 02:31:46 AM

8)http://events.plu.edu/show-event.php?event_id=1040164 8)


Mary Baker Russel Music Center, Lagerquist Concert Hall

Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma Washington, USA

Following is a link to more information about this organ, along with reviews of a record made of this instrument:

http://www.gothic-catalog.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=LRCD%2D1025&Show=TechSpecs

//

Eric
KB7DQH
#558
Google Strikes again!  If nobody on the forum has experienced this organ in person (yet) I have found at least one online source of a CD with music featuring this organ ;D

at hbdirect.com 

More to follow...

Eric
#559
Believe it or not,  that thing inspired me to completely rethink how I reproduce sound in my house!

I now have hacked four holes into an otherwise serviceable door, added plywood to reinforce, (hollow core construction :o   and four subwoofers I rebuilt by hand  which  anyone else would have pitched into the bin!   

Its a good thing the power amplifier that runs all that has overcurrent protection as it shuts down before the speakers bottom out if I run the gains up.  Likely this has saved the speakers from certain  destruction.   Moreover this functions as a hearing protection device as the one-meter SPL approaches the limits of my metering equipment 8) 

#560
6666 pipes!  Someone uploaded some music by J.L. Krebs played on that instrument...  Wow!