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Embarrassing Question

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

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Embarrassing Question

PostTue Aug 27, 2013 3:47 pm

Ok, time to come clean and get the confession over :

I've been the organist at our little country church for the last thirty years or so - ever since I was about twelve years of age. As is the case at most country presbyterian churches here in Ireland, standard repertoire is a small selection of psalms, traditional hymns and a few "country 'n' western" gospel type songs.
I don't think I'm flattering myself too much to say that my musicality and feel for the music has always attracted plenty of positive comments, but that doesn't alter the fact that I've been a fraud for all these years - the sum total of my musical qualifications is a preparatory exam in piano (the one before grade 1) Grade 5 in Tuba, of all things and Grade 5 in Theory.
I've never, ever learnt to play any proper organ music.
Around a year ago though, I discovered hauptwerk. I'm currently building a DIY console and I've been immensely inspired by the sounds of the great organs available. I've dabbled a little with the theatre organ samples and in fact our Sunday services are now regularly enhanced by the dulcet tibias of the Paramount 320. (Stifle those cries of horror at the back......)
But now I'd like to learn some proper music (I'm especially attracted to some French romantic and orchestral transcriptions) - and this will lead to many, many questions over the coming months and years.
Here's a straight forward one for starters -
I've downloaded Vierne's 24 pieces and I'm enjoying playing the preamble (the only one I have any hope of mastering yet) but what are the circled numbers above and below the staves at the start, and the circled letter 'E' between the staves ? I notice that the circled number '4' appears again but crossed out at the point where I would expect there to be a registration change, but I still can't understand the logic.
(this is on the Durand transcription by the way, the 'edition Outremontaise' version doesn't seem to have these markings)

Any help will be gratefully accepted.

Glenn.
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telemanr

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Re: Embarrassing Question

PostTue Aug 27, 2013 4:08 pm

The circled numbers are a standard way of referring to the registration of stops when playing the Harmonium which was quite popular in France and so many composers added these indications.
Their use is down this page a bit.

http://books.google.ca/books?id=lKtDXBj ... on&f=false
Rob Enns
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Glenn English

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Re: Embarrassing Question

PostWed Aug 28, 2013 2:56 pm

Thanks Rob,

A simple explanation after all - thats one less thing to concern myself with !

Thanks again,

Glenn.
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MikeDC

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Re: Embarrassing Question

PostWed Aug 28, 2013 8:57 pm

Glenn, thanks for asking the question. I've played several of those Vierne pieces and never even noticed the numbers and certainly would not have known what they meant until Rob answered your question.

MikeDC

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