News:

If you have difficulty registering for an account on the forum please email antespam@gmail.com. In the question regarding the composer use just the surname, not including forenames Charles-Marie.

Main Menu
Menu

Show posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

Show posts Menu

Messages - degrigny

#1
Organ registration / French Organ 3
February 23, 2011, 10:41:41 PM
UNDERSTANDING THE FRENCH ORGAN - 3

THE CORNET AND MUTATIONS

   When I was young in the early 1960s I was given a prized possession – a copy of Hopkins and Rimbault's "The Organ, its history and construction". I was fascinated by the list of organ specifications and not least by the constant remarks that, in order to "improve" the organs in Britain in the 19th century, Cornet stops were being replaced by 8 foot Clarabellas. So, until I went to Germany several years later, I had no idea what a Cornet stop sounded like. I have no doubt that a number of examples still exist(ed) in Britain but in those days registration and repertoire favoured the romantic rather than the classical and the chances of hearing a Cornet even in the context of a Bach Chorale Prelude were pretty slim.

   What is a Cornet? Simply put it is a compound stop consisting of a unison rank and its simple harmonics including a tierce. In France this would mean five ranks consisting of a Bourdon 8', Prestant 4', Nasard 2 2/3', Doublette 2', and Tierce 1 3/5'. Often in larger organs the builder would provide a fluty sounding 2' Quarte to replace the sharper sounding Doublette, in order to avoid a plethora of higher harmonics which would make the cornet sound more like a North European Sesquialtera. The Nasard was wide scaled and fluty as was the Tierce, and it is interesting to note that the occurrence of a 4' Flute was very rare in France, hence the presence of the 4' Prestant. Because of this the combination usually employed on the Positif organ called the "Jeu de Tierce" deliberately left out the 2' Doublette since enough 2' harmonic was already generated by the Prestant (its octave, or first harmonic).

The characteristics of the Cornet are that the stop increases in strength and intensity as it rises. The individual harmonics tend to become noticeable the lower down the keyboard it is played although traditionally the French 5-rank Cornet does not descend below middle c although in Germany and elsewhere it may continue as low as Tenor C. It sounds like a loud reed stop in the treble and it is traditionally used to reinforce the Trompette stop as it rises and becomes weaker. In a good French organ you can hardly notice the difference.

   The Cornet may exist as one stop such as a Cornet de Récit (on the Récit manual) or as five separate stops. The Cornet on the Récit is not enclosed, but set on its own soundboard mounted just behind the face pipes and above the pipes of the Grand Orgue. Similarly the Cornet of the Grand Orgue is placed on its own soundboard but fed by conveyancing from the main soundboard. An example of this is shown in the photograph below where in the centre is the soundboard of the Récit complete with Cornet and Hautbois, while on the left is the Cornet of the Raissonance Organ and on the right is the Cornet of the Grand Orgue. The Raissonance is not typical since it is a feature of the organ in the basilica of St Maximin la Sainte Baume where I took the photograph, but it might be substituted for the Bombarde Organ found in other large instruments elsewhere.

   Above the main soundboard of the organ of St Maximin la Sainte Baume there are three separate cornets: one each for the Raisonnance, Récit and Grand Orgue. They are all different and there is another cornet lower down in the Positif organ surmounting the gallery. These four cornets are all based on 8 foot pitch. In addition it is possible to compose Cornet combinations from individual stops on the Positif at 8 foot pitch and the Grand Orgue at 16 foot and 8 foot pitch. This shows us that the Cornet was a vital component in the tone palette of the French Classical Organ.

   I have already described the composition of the 8 foot Cornet. The 16 foot Cornet is just the same only an octave lower and its main ingredient is the Grosse Tierce of 3 1/5' pitch. Even on moderate size 8 foot organs (see my first article for organ pitches) there was a 16' manual Bourdon and in combination with the Montre 8', Grosse Tierce 3 1/5', Prestant 4'and the normal Nazard 2 2/3' it provided a solid bass for duos and trios. Furthermore in most organs it was the only way of providing a pungent 16' bass line in the pedals since the Grand Orgue was often the only manual that could be coupled to the pedals. Remember that the pedal organ had only 8 foot and 4 foot pitched stops designed to play the tenor line or a "third hand" bass part at 8 foot pitch.

   The following link takes you to an example of a trio played with the soprano and alto lines played on the Jeu de Tierce of the Positif (Bourdon 8', Prestant 4', Nasard 2 2/3' and Tierce 1 3/5') and the bass line played on the Bourdon 16', Montre 8',  Prestant 4', Grosse Tierce 3 1/5', Grand Nasard 5 1/3' of the Grand Orgue coupled to the Positif.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMjRKudzfVY

THE MUTATIONS ON THE FRENCH CLASSICAL ORGAN

   The early French composers for the organ at the time of Titelouze left us few indications of the stops to use in their works. Often it is either the texture of the writing or its place in the context of the liturgy that gives us only a hint of what to use. By the seventeenth century things became much clearer and composers published their recipes of registrations at the beginning of their published works. An excellent compendium of these recipes is available by downloading the following work which, although it is in French, is a clear guide.  http://icking-music-archive.org/lists/Tables-de-registrations.pdf

THE NASARD

The Nasard stop sounds at the interval of the twelfth above the fundamental. This gives the predominant harmonic of a cylindrical reed such as a crumhorn or cromorne or clarinet. On the French classical organ it is a wide-scale fluty stop, stopped in the bass and open in the treble. It is NOT the equivalent to the stop called "Twelfth" or even the stop called "Quint" since both of these are principal-sounding and are bright with harmonics. The Nasard is usually used with a Bourdon 8' and a Prestant 4' (or Flute 4' if there is one). Occasionally the 4' stop can be omitted depending on the voicing of the Nasard but it is strictly not authentic. Do look carefully at the directions in the titles of each of the movements in Couperin's Messe des Paroisses and Messe pour les Couvents because they give an insight into the way he looked for contrasting sounds and textures. Here is an example (without 4'!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmkpWpwQPuI

THE TIERCE

   The Tierce is never used on its own or without the Nasard in French Classical Music. Its role is in the context of the "Jeu de Tierce" i.e. the Cornet minus the 2 foot, or indeed the Cornet itself. As already mentioned it can reinforce 16' pitch in which case it is at 3 1/5' pitch or 8' pitch in which case it measures 1 3/5'.

THE LARIGOT

   The Larigot 1 1/3' is an octave higher than the Nasard. Its role is to reinforce the Prestant 4' although it was often used with the 8' Bourdon alone as an accompaniment to a Basse de Trompette. Listen to the track at 2m 40s on the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AndreIsoirFansClub#p/u/3/BfR26ZLO5Pk

The other main use of the Larigot is in the Tierce en Taille. Here there are no hard and fast rules, although the majority of recipes for the Tierce en Taille include it. Much depends on the accompaniment and the strength of the stops of the "fond d'orgue", usually at 8 foot pitch but often including stops of 16 feet or 4 feet. Note that the voicing of the French Montre of the Classical era is much more fluty than the Cavaillé-Coll equivalent so it is much easier to accompany the Tierce en Taille in the tenor or left hand. Michel Chapuis does this to perfection in the following link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGnV7vkLFoo

THE SIFFLET

   I include this stop for reasons of completeness. The 1 foot stop disappeared from the French Organ in the 17th century and so does not really feature in French Classical music. It is fine for Titelouze but has no place in the Masses of Couperin!

CONCLUSION

   There is no doubt that it is a real challenge in Britian finding an instrument that has the right ingredients in the right place to do justice to the sublime music of France in its golden age of organ music. How many of our organ builders (and diocesan advisers) still blindly put the ingredients of the Cornet on the puny little Choir Organ and at the same try to kid themselves that the wheezing Choir Clarinet will double as a Cromorne. Even more frustrating that they are on the same manual and cannot be played against each other in duos and trios. I hope I have given a little insight into the ways things were (are) in France. Over to you to experiment...and to tell your organ builders and diocesan advisers what you think!












#2
Organ registration / Understanding the French Organ - 2
December 31, 2010, 10:27:25 PM
UNDERSTANDING THE FRENCH ORGAN

THE GRAND JEU

In the previous article we examined the Plein Jeu – the sparkling sound of the principal sounding pipes of all pitches bound together by their mixtures and cymbals. In this article we are looking at the Grand Jeu which, as its name translates, is the biggest sound that the organ is capable of making.

This is a peculiarly French concept born out of the reed stops which have generally wide tongues and wide scaled bodies particularly in the treble. This means that they sound much louder in the tenor and bass registers than in the treble. In order to overcome the relative weakness in the treble, the Grand Cornet of five ranks is added. This stop commences at middle c and rises to the top of the keyboard adding strength to the 8' (unison) harmonic and therefore complementing the 8' Trompette on the Grand Orgue. The standard palette of the French Classical organ always included a Trompette 8' and Clairon 4' on the Grand Orgue and a Cromorne 8' on the Positif.

It should be pointed out at this stage that, with the exception of very large instruments which contained a Bombarde or Raisonnance manual, the only full compass manuals in the French Classical organ are the Grand Orgue and the Positif. The Récit manual is a solo manual and has a range starting at middle c and finishing on d in alt. It usually contains a Trompette and a Cornet but these are loud solo and not chorus stops. The fourth manual is usually an Echo organ and has a compass from Tenor C to d in alt. As its name implies, its use is restricted to providing an echo effect and we will examine it further in a future article.

The principle is that the Grand Jeu should make as much sound as possible using the minimum of resources. This means the use of the loud reeds strengthened by the Cornet, so for most average-sized organs this is the recipe:

Grand Orgue:
Trompette 8'
Clairon 4'
Bourdon 8'
Prestant 4'
Grand Cornet V

Positif :
Cromorne 8'
(Prestant – only if the Cromorne is weak)

Récit:
Cornet V

Echo:
Cornet V

Pedal:
Trompette 8'
Clairon 4'

Notice the lack of any reeds at 16' pitch. Although Bombardes of 16' did exist, they were usually to be found not on the pedals but on the Bombarde manual which was situated immediately above the Grand Orgue.

The Positif was always coupled to the Grand Orgue for the Grand Jeu. This was done by pushing the keyboard forward by about a centimetre thus engaging "dogs" so that the upper manual keys (Grand Orgue) pushed the lower ones (Positif) down when depressed. If there was a Bombarde manual, that too could be pulled out about a centimetre to engage with the Grand Orgue. Thus it was possible to play three manuals at the same time and also to include the 16' Bombarde in the Grand Jeu.

Another characteristic of the French Clairon 4' is that it breaks back an octave on d in the treble. This means that in the highest octave of the 51 note keyboard there are two Trompettes of 8' sounding. This is because of the difficulty in keeping it in tune and the fact that it is the feeblest part of its range. British organ builders either make the trebles double length and overblow the first harmonic or replace the reeds with flue pipes but they keep the Clarion at an octave to the Trumpet throughout its range..

Why is the Cromorne used as well as the Trompettes? The answer is that the Cromorne is often the loudest sounding stop in the organ, partly because of its broad tongues but also because contained in the Positif Case it is closer to the listener than the main body of the organ. Nor is it an exclusively solo stop, and has very little to do with the Cremona stop we often find in Britain.

Having recently had the misfortune to have to play a wonderful French Classical Organ in a large abbey church when the temperature was minus six degrees Celsius outside I can fully understand the dilemma faced by organists of the 17th and 18th centuries when the reeds needed "coaxing" back into tune. Often this was done by using the "Tremblant à vent perdu" -  the strong Wurlitzer-type tremulant, or by adding the Bourdon, Prestant, Nazard and Tierce to persuade the Cromorne to return to its proper pitch! While the tremulant undoubtedly works, it is very much a last resort.

Let me recommend the following link to a performance by Michel Chapuis who demonstrates everything I have mentioned including the Tremblant à vent perdu! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkl_5qKsCx8

So the French Grand Jeu is really the closest the organ comes to sounding like a Mediterranean brass band; brash, uncompromising and very exciting, enhanced by the unequal tuning temperament of the instrument.

How do we approach the Grand Jeu on a British romantic organ? I would advocate a minimalist approach going back to the principle of the most sound out of the fewest resources. Mixures have no place at all in the Grand Jeu and should be excluded. The Grand Jeu must not sound like a "full Swell". But if you have a tierce in your mixture, give it a go. Always try to keep a different colour for the secondary manual so that the Positif can be identified clearly.

#3
Organ registration / Understanding the French Organ
December 03, 2010, 12:04:00 AM
UNDERSTANDING THE FRENCH ORGAN

INTRODUCTION

The French organ conjures up many sounds in our minds. Perhaps it is the sound of the Cavaillé-Coll organ that is the most common: splashy reeds, seductive flutes, spicy mutations, and sparkling mixtures...and that essential out-of –tuneness (or is it?)

But to understand the French organ we must go back to basics. The French organ is a reflection of France itself over the ages: a collection of separate dukedoms seemingly united under one king, only that each dukedom, as today each Département, jealously guarded its identity, its saints, its cheeses, its wines, its spécialités. The organ was no different.

In medieval times there were two main influences on organ building and design. They came from Italy in the south and from Burgundy and the Netherlands in the north. This latter influence was most influential as Paris became the official seat of government, but the Italian influence, not least because of the independence of the southern states and the seat of the "other" papacy at Avignon was considerable in the south.

What were the characteristics of the north Burgundian organ? The organ that moulded the style of Jehan Titelouze (1563-1633) was based on the Renaissance concept of a "blockwerk" comprising of a fulsome principal chorus complete with tierce and full scaled trompettes and cromhorne as described by Mersenne in book six of his Musicum Syntagma of 1619, published in Wolfenbuettel. Titelouze was in correspondence with Mersenne at the time of his appointment at Rouen, but sadly we have no details of the organ at the cathedral rebuilt by Carlier on which he played.

We know that at the time of Titelouze the organ was developing to the extent that different colours were available simultaneously by setting different registrations on each keyboard. This sounds pretty obvious to us today, but the concept of being able to bring out a solo voice played either on a different manual or the pedals was still in its infancy. Yes, it was possible on some of the instruments in the south with their split keyboards to do this, but in comparison these organs were little more than chamber organs in size.

Standard registrations fell into the following categories which can be followed through to the time of the romantic-symphonic organ:

a.   Plein Jeu
b.   Grand Jeu
c.   Fond d'orgue
d.   Récit (de Nasard, Cornet, Trompette, Cromorne)
e.   Basse de Trompette, Cromorne or Tierce
f.   (later) Tierce or Cromorne en Taille
g.   Voix Humaine


Unlike the North German organ which owed much of its success to its important accompanimental role in the Lutheran service and therefore in post-Reformation years, the French organ was considered as a voice in its own right "singing" verses in alternatim with the choir in the stalls. Originally the instrument was located in the choir stalls on the north side next to the "jubé" or rood screen, and would have been an instrument of relatively few stops but generously winded to make itself heard in a building full of ambient noise, fabric hangings and tapestries. In this context, short versets by early Renaissance composers suddenly make sense because they give the choir a chance to regain their breath between verses. They also require resources that enable the variety of colours to be used: short stanzas like the decorative line endings in medieval manuscripts.

THE PLEIN JEU

So what is the Plein Jeu and can I re-create it on my English Parish church organ? Let us examine the Plein Jeu first. Even in the Middle Ages (an age which I consider to be much fuller of enlightenment than the "high Renaissance") organ builders had a standard concept based on the "blockwerk" principle. All pipes in the plein jeu were of metal, open and were either made to stand on one slider or on several, depending on the scale of the instrument. They consisted of all the naturally occurring primary harmonics, principally octaves and fifths (quints) and even tierces. They were often similar to the English "Sesquialtera" of the 18th and 19th centuries, which would not be out of place in the music of Titelouze. By the end of the 16th century the blockwerk had evolved into a far more formal arrangement which separated the "fonds" the fundamental stops of 8 feet 4 feet and 2 feet from the full splash of higher harmonics contained in the Furniture (seldom less than 3 ranks) and the Cymbal with is many repeats. The standard components were:
   Montre (Principal) 16 and 8
   Prestant 4
   Doublette 2
Fourniture(s)
   Cymbale
Note the absence of any separate twelfth-sounding stop. Normally on the French organ this was a Nasard or a Larigot and was designed to be used with other flute-sounding stops.   Its fluty characteristics do not allow it to blend well with the principals.
It was common to couple the Plein Jeu of the Positif organ to the Grand Orgue. This was done by pushing the entire lower keyboard about an inch in towards the Grand Orgue thereby engaging the "dogs," small blocks of wood that pushed the lower keys down when the upper keys were played (as in many classical harpsichords).

It is likely from the texture of Titelouze's music that his plein jeu was based on an 8 foot Montre. After his time it was far more common to have at least a 16 foot Bourdon stop on the Grand orgue and this would be used as part of the plein jeu to give gravitas.

The composition of the furnitures and cymbales is worth study. The fundamental pitch of the two main keyboards of the organ, the Grand Orgue and the Positif was an octave apart, so if the organ had only an 8 foot Montre the Positif mixures would be focused an octave higher at 4 feet. Such an organ would also be referred to as an "8 foot organ" (orgue de huit pieds) even if it had a Bourdon 16'.

The Fourniture.

The rule was that the fourniture would have two main breaks of an octave, the first at Tenor F and the second an octave higher at treble f.  This rule was not held as hard and fast, and there is evidence of more frequent breaks and breaks of a fifth (quinte et quarte) rather than an octave. A lot depended on the acoustic of the building and the preferences of the builder.
The Grand Orgue Fourniture was usually of 4 ranks and started (inversely) at ½ foot (6 inches). With only two breaks it would be as follows:


Pitch   CC to Ten E   Ten F to e   Treble f - top
1/2'   
x      
2/3'   x      
1'   x   x   
1 1/3'   x   x   
2'      x   
x
2 2/3'      x   x
4'         x
5 1/3'         x

Note that by the time the middle of the keyboard has been reached there is already harmonic support for a 16 foot stop (the 5 1/3' rank) and this continues to the top of the keyboard.
In larger organs the furniture may be extended downwards. Dom Bedos towards the end of the eighteenth century proposes the following:

For a 32' organ (i.e. manual Montre of 32' on the Grand Orgue):
   Grand Orgue
Grosse Fourniture III ranks from 4' (i.e. 4', 2 2/3', 2') – 2 breaks
   Fourniture IV ranks from 1 1/3' (1 1/3', 1', 2/3', ½') – 2 breaks
   Grosse Cymbale III from 4' (4', 2 2/3', 2') – 6 breaks
   Cymbale VI ranks from 1 1/3' (1 1/3', 1', 2/3', ½', 1/3', ¼') – 6 breaks

   Positif
   Fourniture V ranks from 2' (2', 1 1/3', 1', 2/3', ½') – 2 breaks
   Cymbale IV ranks from 2/3' (2/3', ½', 1/3', ¼') – 6 breaks

For a "grand 16' organ" (Montre of 16' on the Grand Orgue)
   Grand Orgue
Fourniture V ranks from 2' (2', 1 1/3', 1', 2/3', ½') - 2 breaks
   Cymbale V ranks from 1' (1', 2/3', ½', 1/3', ¼') – 6 breaks

   Positif
   Fourniture IV ranks from 1 1/3' (1 1/3', 1', 2/3', ½') – 2 breaks
   Cymbale III ranks from ½' (½', 1/3', ¼') – 6 breaks

Unfortunately Dom Bedos does not specify the composition of his mixtures for an 8' organ, merely citing the number of ranks:
   Grand Orgue
Fourniture IV ranks
Cymbale IV ranks

Positif
Fourniture III ranks
Cymbale III ranks.

Here is a good example of the composition of mixtures on an 8'organ (Scherrer 1748 – Aubertin 1992) at Saint Antoine l'Abbaye:
   Grand Orgue
   Fourniture IV from 2' (2',1 1/3', 1', 2/3') – 3 breaks (C, c, c1)
   Cymbale IV from 2/3' (2/3', ½', 1/3', ¼') – 6 breaks (C, F, c, f, c1, f1)

   Positif
   Fourniture III ranks from 1' (1', 2/3', ½')   - 2 breaks (F, f)
   Cymbale II ranks from 1/3' (1/3', ¼') – 6 breaks (C, F, c, f, c1, f1)

This may seem a lot of detail if you regularly play on an English Romantic organ with perhaps only one mixture, probably containing a tierce in part of its compass. The point is that in the lower part of the keyboard there is as much brilliance as there is in the upper part, which gives the effect of reinforcing the pitch at which lower voices (men) sing. Unlike the north European organ, the mixtures do not give predominance to the highest voice, and for that reason it is very difficult to execute the larger works of Bach on a French classical or neo-classical organ. In Britain we must aim to coax the ear of our audience into thinking that there is a lot more brightness than our registrations would suggest: use of octave couplers, if we have them, and 2' stops. The English Twelfth 2 2/3 is perfectly admissible because it is principal-toned. But to try and replicate the French Plein Jeu stop for stop on a British organ will seldom be convincing. It is perhaps better to play "à la manière anglaise" (in an English manner) than to try and coax garlic out of our English Diapasons.

My next article will deal with the French Grand Jeu.

Peter Sheehan 
December 2010