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Playing American Classic Organs - Registrations

Playing or learning the organ, hints, tips and tricks, registrations, techniques, fingerings, ...
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ggoode_sa

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Playing American Classic Organs - Registrations

PostFri Sep 14, 2012 3:58 am

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 :D

Have fun!
GrahamG
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jharmon

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Re: Playing American Classic Organs - Registrations

PostFri Sep 14, 2012 6:49 am

As one who has not had the opportunity for formal training I appreciate posts like these. I look forward to future posts, Graham, and wish someone would do the same for French organs.

John
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profeluisegarcia

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Re: Playing American Classic Organs - Registrations

PostFri Sep 14, 2012 9:37 am

jharmon wrote:As one who has not had the opportunity for formal training I appreciate posts like these. I look forward to future posts, Graham, and wish someone would do the same for French organs.

John

Hello Jhon. perhaps this wise conference will help:

http://www.peterking.org/playing_organs_21.html

Luis
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Re: Playing American Classic Organs - Registrations

PostFri Sep 14, 2012 9:43 am

Re French organ registration: I printed this out some time ago from some prior post. Also another from the Sonsu Paradisi site that I'm not able to find on their site today titled "The Registration of the French Romantic Music - Some Observations".

http://www.sonusparadisi.cz/media/demos/maximin/Registrations_classiques_2.pdf

I found both very helpful, even though "my" French organ is the Metz.

Barry
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evertjan

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Re: Playing American Classic Organs - Registrations

PostFri Sep 14, 2012 11:22 am

Hi John

on the formely (old) site of Sonus Paradisi the registration of romantic organs in France (for example Caen) was descripted. That is what Barry means.
This story is not online anymore; therefor I print it here below

Evert-Jan
=========================

The Registration of the French Romantic Music - Some Observations
The organs built by Cavaillé-Coll had a divided windchest for the foundation and combination voices. We have the advantage in knowing that César Franck was thorough in writing the registration cues, however one can be fooled without the understanding of the actual instrument. When Franck writes Anches, he requires not only reeds but the combination registers standing on a separate windchest including mutations and sometimes mixtures. On the other hand, we find not only foundation voices on the Récit. Usually Basson-Hautbois, by construction a reed voice, was put on the main windchest together with foundation voices. In a similar manner, Voix céleste (undulating stop frequently used with Gamba) was on the main windchest for practical reasons. Cavaillé-Coll’s acoustic conception goal was a wide specter, layered homogeneous sound. The foundational 8’ voices were Principals, Flutes, and Strings. The 16’ voices formed a wide and mellow bass.
The mutations were meant to only support and intensify the main sound. Mixtures were meant to only enrich the plenum of the labial and reed voices and not to overtake them. The swell boxes were exceptionally effective and enclosed the Récit with a rich disposition, including 16’ voices and several reeds. The main steps in the layered dynamics, when performing the organ literature specific for this period, are reeds, couplers and swell boxes. The organist, even without changing one register, could begin his performance on Recit with a closed swell box, sooner or later switching to Positif and G.O. and step by step using couplers to add upper manuals. The next step would be adding Jeux de Combinaison from Récit to G.O., and in the end opening the swell shutters, in some cases adding 16’ voices. This way, very gradual changes of the dynamics can be achieved. At that time, the crescendo roller was not used and Cavaillé-Coll didn’t build it, just like fixed or free combinations (generals) on his organs. In relation to the effective swell box, it is interesting that Franck denotes full Récit as “pp” while the shutters are shut.
This may be the typical layered crescendo on a symphonic instrument:
1. Pull all 16, 8 and 4 flue stops in all manuals except undulating stops. (The undulating stops in the Caen are the Voix céleste 8' and the Unda Maris. Undulating stops are considered effect stops and are never part of the tutti, since they weaken the sound volume). Couple all manuals. The French symphonic term for this is "Grands Fonds" - "all foundation stops". A crescendo can be accomplished by playing first on the Réc, then on the Pos, and finally on the G.O. Couple the pedal at first just to Réc, then to Pos (when you move to play on Pos), and finally also to G.O. (again when the hands start playing there). Obviously, another start of the crescendo may be required in some circumstances, for example the 8' stops only without any 4' and 16', which may be added at later stage.
2. Now, if you draw the Anches 16, 8 and 4 on the Récit (you might also add the Cornet on the Réc) and close the swell box, you now have something which in French is called "Demi Grand Choeur" or "half tutti". Start by playing only on the closed Réc (coupling the Pedal only to the Rec.)
3. In the same manner as before, start playing on the Positif. Couple the Pedal also to Pos.
4. Next, start playing on the G.O. Couple the Pedal also to the G.O.
5. Slowly open the swell box.
6. Add the reeds to the Positif. (Possibly including any Cornet)
7. Add the reeds on the G.O. (Possibly including any Cornet)
8. Optionally, add mutations (= Alikvoten) and mixtures.
9. Optionally, add Octaves Graves.
10. You now have a tutti, or as the French term has it, a "Grand Choeur".
In fact, all this can be achieved by playing on the G.O. all the time, using the foot levers (couplers) to add different divisions at appropriate time. Since there is the G.O. unison coupler (enabling and disabling the Barker machine of the G.O.) you can sucessfully disable the G.O. stops if you need to do so.
Another note is necessary regarding the Prestant. Franck occasionally omits Prestant 4’ on G.O. and Positif (this omition is specifically required in the beginning of Finale) for the practical reasons: the swell box would not be effective enough for the powerful Prestant.
Finally, the beginning of the Chorale in A Minor is often mistakenly performed as an impressive toccata with plenum of powerful reeds and mixtures. However, Franck requires: "Jeux de Fonds et Jeux d´Anches de 8p. Claviers accouplées. Tirasse GO." That means only foundation 8’ and reeds 8' voices without any 16’, 4’ voices, mutations or mixtures. In this way, the chorale beginning gets more improvised, soft character. The final answer is given towards the end of the opus.
Tournemire, Widor or Guilmant were fully following this acoustic ideal. For Marcel Dupre, his ideal organ is the one from St. Sulpice, even though we can find a mixture plenum and solo mutations in his compositions. The term Anches now belongs only to the reeds. The diversion from Romantic sound is apparent on some organs built later in Cavaille-Coll’s career (St. Eustache) or reconstructions of his works (Ste. Trinite, St. Clotilde). There are more high-sounding mixtures, rich, colorful mutations and pungent reeds. The conceptual separation of mixtures and reeds is progressing. The culmination of the trend can be found in the original colorful registration by Olivier Messiaen. But even he follows the tradition of the Romantic sound using Recit with rich disposition or by plentiful use of reeds and swells.
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steve till

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Re: Playing American Classic Organs - Registrations

PostFri Sep 14, 2012 3:03 pm

I have found that watching Daniel Roth at St Sulpice very rewarding.
The best video ever was the Widor Allegro from the 6th Symphony,
but regrettably this video was removed for some copyright reason.
Especially in that video you could watch and hear as Mr Roth would
take the big organ from pp to fff using only the toe levers and
swell shades (only one enclosed division on the landmark organ).

But in other videos on YouTube you can see much of that manipulation
of those grand Cavaillé-Coll consoles. Sadly so many C-C organs have
been 'modernized' with new consoles.

By the way, you know that St Sulpice was C-C's magnum opus, but it
was not a new organ, but a rebuild of the old Thierry - Cliquot organ
which was already hundreds of years old. And yes, C-C added many
of his special stops like the Flûtes Harmonique and strings, but most
of the plenum, the foundations and mixtures, and even most of the
wonderful reeds (including Voix Humaine) were retained from Clicquot.

The console of course is C-C, and even includes a few combination
pistons, one per manual, which I think is unique to this organ.
I always loved this organ, and of course the acoustics of the church
it is in.

I am anxiously awaiting the release of the Book and Dvds about C-C
organs which is supposed to be coming this Christmas from the
Organ Historical Society. I already ordered mine...
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B. Milan

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Re: Playing American Classic Organs - Registrations

PostFri Sep 14, 2012 4:20 pm

[Topic moved]
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jharmon

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Re: Playing American Classic Organs - Registrations

PostWed Sep 19, 2012 12:50 pm

Thanks to all who are contributing.

John

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