Thu May 26, 2011 11:49 am
Hey Pierre,
Thanks for having contributed to Contrebombarde. I'm sorry you feel you need to withdraw your material.
I think you'll find that there are ways that CB and your personal site can work together. I know of no organ website that gets as much traffic as Contrebombarde. Use it to link to your personal site from the player page. It would be tough to get that kind of exposure on your own page.
As long as you are using both Hauptwerk and other samples in the same piece, they're totally welcome on Contrebombarde. I have been advocating for this for a long time. People need to know how versatile the organ is as an instrument and that it can now be used in contexts that it could never have been used in in the past.
Regardless, of what you think of the quality of the other content on Contrebombarde, I would argue this a couple of ways:
1) The reason the industry is in decline is because people don't share access the best performances, instruments, or people. The organ, and classical music end of things in general, have been so exclusive, so, that they have almost made themselves extinct.
Here's the historical progression: many churches have restricted people from access great instruments which led to less people discovering and playing. This, in turn, led to less people taking up the instrument and less people who become great players. Less great players means less great music that inspires the people who pay for these great instruments. Less great instruments means more crappy instruments which don't inspire anyone. Who is then going to pay several million dollars for an instrument that they think sounds like crap? Then the cycle starts all over again.
So, get the best you have out there for all to see, hear, and be inspired by.
2) Hauptwerk has proven the merits of getting everyone involved in playing; the good and the bad. Anything worth doing is worth doing badly for a while until you get good at it.
I appreciate all the people who have the courage to upload their work. They're putting themselves out for everyone to see. Thank you to all of you who contribute and, in doing so, give others permission and courage to pick up the instrument again.
Some of the great players take the time to help those people improve. Some say nothing about the content and politely go on their way and produce great stuff that they upload.
Bottom line is that Hauptwerk has allowed everyone to get on board. I liken it to the printing press of the organ world. Now everyone has access. Look at the explosion of knowledge that happened after the press was invented.
It's going to enliven the entire industry and allow the magic of the pipe organ to crawl out of obscurity. It's going to grow the number of overall players, and, by extension, the number of truly great players. It's also going to grow the number of enthusiasts that pay for the privilege of playing on truly great instruments.
Right now, Contrebombarde is a hub for getting the word out about Hauptwerk and getting people inspired to play again.
I would like to see you be part of that renaissance Pierre. I wish you the best whatever you decide.