Organs, past, present and future--Sweden leading the world???

[KB7DQH]

Earlier I listened to the fifth program of "The Organ Loft" dedicated to bringing the sounds of authentic reproductions of instruments built in the United States of America... A new instrument constructed for Cornell University featured in the latest... http://baroqueorgan.cornell.edu/index.cfm
But in the past few weeks the reproduction of the Casparini instrument at the Eastman School of Music... the "Craighead-Saunders" organ-- has also been featured... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIHDHlTtuWk  Both these instruments were products of the GOArt program http://www.goart.gu.se/...  Another "GOArt organ" has been installed in Seoul, South Korea :o  And the organ that began it all, the "North German Baroque" Organ in Gotheborg, tuned in... Meantone :o  An instrument organists from all over the world travel to in order to record their Buxtehude or Bach series upon...


Then in Pitea, Sweden one finds a university in the process of constructing what will likely be one of the largest concert hall organs in Europe-- mentioned elsewhere in this forum-- the 208 stop Acusticum organ... Tracker action with touchscreen stop control no less-- "the organ of the future"...
currently mechanically complete, and voicing is underway...

This year's Gotheborg Organ Academy is intriguing... The British Organ in the 19th Century... featuring
British-built organs in Gotheborg...

The Academy is unique in bringing together students, teachers, instrument builders, scholars, performers and friends of the organ art to offer them an international forum for dialog and discussion within an inspiring and exciting Scandinavian environment.

...Maybe its the "inspiring and exciting Scandinavian environment ??? ??? ???"


Eric
KB7DQH

[David Pinnegar]

Dear Eric

Thanks for posting this.

Mention of an instrument tuned in Meantone to which people travel for recording Bach is extraordinary. Meantone is interesting - but although it can be used in places for Bach - for instance the modal Dorian Toccata
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Uj9MORwoF0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbwXpBcGm6Y
for much other repertoire it's dangerous
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHOcCLvUeH4
and really Kirnberger III
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GyFn7Wmps8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V140SVz0_xg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgFQGHBpUqw
being a shade more audible than Kellner is demonstrable but still Bach-friendly and organists should be going to Cranleigh School (see Inspirational Instruments entry on this forum) to record Bach and more even into the 19th century.

I have yet to work extensively with an organist in exploration of unequal temperament but current experiments with a concert pianist suggest that even as late as Brahms compositions were still relying on unequal temperaments to convey emotion. The emotion is audible even to the uninitiated http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjSFS3yAgo0 and restores interest and meaning to classical music.

Best wishes

David P