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- Location: Pringle Bay, Western Cape, South Africa
While one day it may be possible for me to play the Aeolian Skinner at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City (drool!), I'm having fun with learning and playing the Major I ACO (on the console PC) and the Minor I ACO (travels with me on the laptop). In doing so I'm educating myself on registrations. So I thought I'd start a thread on some of the basic registration families so that others are included in the learning adventure.
Plenum
Principals are typically used to construct a Plenum. Plenum is the Latin word for “Full.” A Plenum is a “Full Organ” registration. In a few of Bach’s organ works, he gives the registration “Organo Pleno” which means this full organ registration. While a Plenum has basic rules for its construction, there is still much variety available. A Plenum is built from the bottom up. Principals 8’ and 4’ make a simple plenum and would make fine medium-volume hymn accompaniment. On both the Major I and Minor I, the Principal 8’ and Octave 4’ is a favorite of mine. A Plenum can also have a Flute on the bottom, which can give a registration a clearer, lighter and cleaner sound. Try the Double Flute 8 with Octave 4’ on the Great. Or Harmonic Flute 8’ with Octave 4’ on the Swell. Now add the SuperOctave 2’. Substitute one of the 4' flutes for the Octave 4'. Now try all of those registrations above but remove the 4’ stop. Removing the 4’ stop decreases the “fullness.” Some people do not like “skipping pitches” in constructing a Plenum, but it can give a very clear and clean sound, especially if you substitute a flute for the 8’ pitch.
Plenums with mixtures
A mixture should never be used alone. It is considered to be a “tonal crown.” In many pieces, it may be very effective to save it, build up to it, and add it later in the piece or as an element for a triumphal conclusion. All of the Mixtures can serve the function of a tonal crown, so it is fun to experiment with using the Choir Mixture III on top of the Great Plenum and hearing the subtle brightening that it brings, and then swapping that for the Swell Mixture IV, and then finally bringing in the Great Mixture IV.
Although most organists on this forum probably know all of this, I've never formally studied the organ - so I guess I'm playing catch up! Many thanks to Paul C Stratman for his registration guide to his jOrgan ACO set, it is a great starting place for all of this. I'll add more to the thread next week once I've done some more playing
Have fun!
GrahamG
Plenum
Principals are typically used to construct a Plenum. Plenum is the Latin word for “Full.” A Plenum is a “Full Organ” registration. In a few of Bach’s organ works, he gives the registration “Organo Pleno” which means this full organ registration. While a Plenum has basic rules for its construction, there is still much variety available. A Plenum is built from the bottom up. Principals 8’ and 4’ make a simple plenum and would make fine medium-volume hymn accompaniment. On both the Major I and Minor I, the Principal 8’ and Octave 4’ is a favorite of mine. A Plenum can also have a Flute on the bottom, which can give a registration a clearer, lighter and cleaner sound. Try the Double Flute 8 with Octave 4’ on the Great. Or Harmonic Flute 8’ with Octave 4’ on the Swell. Now add the SuperOctave 2’. Substitute one of the 4' flutes for the Octave 4'. Now try all of those registrations above but remove the 4’ stop. Removing the 4’ stop decreases the “fullness.” Some people do not like “skipping pitches” in constructing a Plenum, but it can give a very clear and clean sound, especially if you substitute a flute for the 8’ pitch.
Plenums with mixtures
A mixture should never be used alone. It is considered to be a “tonal crown.” In many pieces, it may be very effective to save it, build up to it, and add it later in the piece or as an element for a triumphal conclusion. All of the Mixtures can serve the function of a tonal crown, so it is fun to experiment with using the Choir Mixture III on top of the Great Plenum and hearing the subtle brightening that it brings, and then swapping that for the Swell Mixture IV, and then finally bringing in the Great Mixture IV.
Although most organists on this forum probably know all of this, I've never formally studied the organ - so I guess I'm playing catch up! Many thanks to Paul C Stratman for his registration guide to his jOrgan ACO set, it is a great starting place for all of this. I'll add more to the thread next week once I've done some more playing
Have fun!
GrahamG