Bovenkerk - my swell pedals fell off!!

Hah ha... I've been having so much fun with this organ (perhaps NOT my neighbors... ahem...) it just occurred to me I don't have ANY expression pedals!! I thought maybe a corrupted download? Went and found the organ on the internet ---- sure enough; no expression pedals!! This is the first organ I've seen like this.

On the original organ, how does the organist make the organ louder or softer with no expression pedals?!?...

Thanks,
Mark - can't sleep

This is the first organ I've seen like this.

Then you haven't looked very far. Expression pedals are a relatively new invention, so no organ from the 18th century or older has them. If they have them, they are a later addition.

On the original organ, how does the organist make the organ louder or softer with no expression pedals?!?...

There are three ways:
1. Using different manuals.
2. Using different registrations.
3. Pressing more or less keys.

The answer is very simple. An expression pedal is completely pointless in baroque music. This accessory is required only in romantic music, and this organ suits for baroque music exclusively. Playing romantic music on this organ is equivalent to playing Chopin on a harpsichord!

...playing Chopin on a harpsichord!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDB6-oXT8es

Congratulations to sesquialtera for this very humoristic and eccentric example!

Thank you Ludu !

More seriously, there is a unofficial solution :

/ view / Large floating control panel / audio midi and performance ,
then, do a right-clic on the main control volume , and assign it to the swell pedal !

this organ suits for baroque music exclusively.

Great exaggeration here. In fact, the Bovenkerk has two organs. The Reil choir organ is relatively new (1999), but many organists think this organ is more suitable for baroque music than the Hinsz. In most concerts, both organs are used. The Reil for baroque, the Hinsz for anything later than baroque, including much romantic music. Personally I regret this. The Reil is a great organ too. But I have never heard something played on the Reil which in my opinion would not have sounded better on the Hinsz. I think the Reil is just redundant if you have the Hinsz. But who am I?

I have been fortunate to visit an organ concert of Sietze de Vries on Ascension day in the Bovenkerk. Both organs were played. A Bach praeludium and fuge on the Hinsz, as well as Anton ter Horsts' partita on Psalm 8. On the Reil, a Bach choral rendition, a triosonate, and finally Sietze had an impressive 7 or 8-part improvisation on Psalm 47.

Of course, the reason to have choir organs in general is that if you have only a few people visiting a service, the main organ may simply be too big and too distant.

The Reil organ sounds very different to the Hinz. Direct, quite raw, but certainly very beautiful. It has an unique 16/8' discant Klaroen on top of the case, providing a nice reed chorus. And a lovely Cymbelster. In no way I would consider the Reil redundant. It is just different.

Sietze preferred the Reil for the improvisation because at the organist position (between the Rugwerk and the main case) the Hinsz gives a quite distorted sound, with the Borstwerk and Pedal very close and overly loud. At the Reil, the organist is sitting at the organ case front, in very direct and representative contact with the organ sound.

I would have preferred to hear the triosonate on the Hinsz, but the other pieces sounded extremely convincing on the Reil.

Interestingly, after the concert with De Vries, there was a concert/psalm singing evening from Pieter Heykoop (I only heard a small piece of preparation). Even though both organists are extremely attached to the Genevan psalter, I think the overlap in style and public is almost zero. Heykoop is well-known for his Romantic, Jan Zwart/Klaas Jan Mulder-like style of improvisation, and draws full churches.

Indeed, the Hinsz in Kampen (and the Bolsward Hinsz) are among the very favorite organs of the lovers of the Dutch-Romantic psalm improvisation style.This Dutch-Romantic style does not rely on a swell pedal, but rather on flute/tremulant combinations (it is a shame that the sample set, expensive as it is, does not have more recorded tremulants) and gradually building up large registrations. It might not be what the organ builder intended, but it works extremely well on quite a number of Dutch organs.

Looking at the concert programmes later this year, quite a number of Romantic works are planned at the Hinsz, for example Jules Grisons' toccata. Also, in view of the Reger year, some of his works are programmed. Though not fully authentic, I have no doubt that the skilled organist will find appropriate and spectacular registrations and interpretations on the Hinsz.

Thanks all for clearing up the swell pedal issue for me - very interesting. Never had any Organ history training....the more I hear about this instrument the more I like it.

Sesquialtera - thanks for that tip on assigning the volume to the swell.... I normally have the smaller volume opened up all the time anyway. Didn't know I could assign THAT to something. Wow - Hauptwerk is really very nice!!

Cheers everybody - time to crank up the Bovenkerk and let my fingers do the walking,
Mark

You know Marc, when I first started learning on a real pipe organ as a wee lad, my teacher taught me to leave the swell box open all the time, and select soft stops for the soft passages and loud stops for the louder stuff. What I am saying, basically, is that I never really learned to use the 'accelerator pedal', and still don't to this day! And since I am fond of Romantic French masters, sometimes I have to stretch myself to learn to use it, the OPPOSITE of your situation!

~Scott

Scottherbert ~ I guess I'll be kicked out of this group or stoned to death, but <<whispering>>.. I've never been fortunate enough to even sit at a REAL pipe organ!! One of my home organ teachers in the 60's was the resident organist at The Fox Theater and I had an opportunity play "The Mighty Mo", but puberty kicked in and all you-know-what broke loose.

I've been on electronic organs since the 50's .

That's why I like Hauptwerk - it's a Virtual Pipe Organ and I can finally sit at some of the famous pipe organs around the world.

Cheers,
Mark

I think one of the great things about Hauptwerk is that it allows us to learn about organs that are quite different than what we in North America think of as an organ. Multiple manuals? Pedals? Swell pedals? Organs have been built for many centuries that include none of those things. It's often very revealing to listen to organ music played on an instrument similar to what might've been around when the piece was composed. I've taken quite a liking to the little one-manual renaissance organ in Smečno, for example, by Sonus Paradisi, and have enjoyed learning Pachelbel's f-minor ciacona on it. Enjoy your exploration!

Michael

Hi Mark,

if you never played a real organ, simply call one, or more, local organists. My experience is most will welcome any level amateur/pro to visit "their" instrument.
Some of course will not... and some would like a little donation, but it's for sure not impossible.
Just do... it's really great to feel and hear different instruments.

Sesquialtera - just a follow up... thanks for the tip on the swell pedal and the volume slider - works like a CHARM. Had some birds singing with the Bovenkerk today when I was playing (.."attempting" to play?....) some Church Hymns.

Gonna shut it down for a week or so - see the gang later,
Mark

PS - I'm sure I haven't even brushed the surface of what Hauptwerk will do -- thanks Milan!