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Reuter, opus 227 American Orchestral Organ

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zurek

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Reuter, opus 227 American Orchestral Organ

PostMon Jul 10, 2017 1:36 am

Another American virtual organ is available from Sonus Paradisi. I have the pleasure to introduce the Reuter Surround Sample Set. It features the opus 227 by Reuter Organ Company, built in 1928 and installed in Temple Beth in Portland, Oregon (USA).

The organ is a typical American Orchestral Organ, perfectly suitable for orchestral transcription (listen to the Grieg or Tschaikovsky demos), for Romantic organ music and also for popular music of that era.

The original instrument consists of 4 manuals and a pedal, alltogether 80 sounding stops. Plenty of flue and reed foundation stops of all the possible tonal colors are included. Four different beating/celeste stops are also available. A special feature of the organ is its extensive use of string stops. Two typical percussion stops, Harp (metal plates) and Chimes (tubular bells), are also included.

The sample set can be used in Hauptwerk version 4 and higher, the Advanced version is necessary due to the size of the virtual instrument. It is available in a surround (6-channels) format. The listening position of the surround variant can be varied via a built-in mixer. The result is achieved by blending the direct and diffuse virtual pipes in any desired ratio. The two front direct channels alone can be used to form a semi-dry variant of the sample set.

More details, including the specification and audio demo samples of the instrument may be found on the Sonus Paradisi web pages:

A rich (13 full-compas stops!) demo sample set can be downloaded for free from the Sonus Paradisi web pages.

See also the presentation of other American virtual organs by Sonus Paradisi (Aeolian-Skinner, Manuel Rosales)
Jiri Zurek,
Prague
http://www.sonusparadisi.cz
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Re: Reuter, opus 227 American Orchestral Organ

PostMon Jul 10, 2017 9:31 am

Jiri,

I look forward to experimenting with the demo of this organ. It is, I believe, the first HW sampled synagogue organ. Is there any reason you left out the word "Israel" in the name of the synagogue. In Hebrew, "beth" (or, more currently, "beit") simply means "house of" and requires an object, which in this case is "Israel."

Les
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Re: Reuter, opus 227 American Orchestral Organ

PostMon Jul 10, 2017 12:12 pm

This looks as if it may be an interesting instrument. I'm looking forward to playing the demo.

I was a little concerned about the handling the instrument with only two expression pedals on the console. It seems this has been anticipated and the available pedals can be mapped to the divisions through a mapping matrix. See http://www.sonusparadisi.cz/en/blog/dynamic-routing-of-balanced-swell-crescendo-pedals/. Well done Jiri.

Iain
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Re: Reuter, opus 227 American Orchestral Organ

PostMon Jul 10, 2017 11:03 pm

BTW, one of the interesting stops is a Shofar - A shofar is an ancient musical horn made of ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure. Further, Embouchure or lipping is the use of the lips, facial muscles, tongue, and teeth in playing a wind instrument. This includes shaping the lips to the mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument or the mouthpiece of a brass instrument. The word is of French origin and is related to the root bouche, 'mouth'.

I'd be interested to know how a keyboard instrument can replicate that sound. This stop is listed as having one octave.

https://www.google.com/search?q=shofar+sound&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS738US738&oq=shofar+sound&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.3679j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Does my memory serve me in thinking that this instrument helped bring down the walls of ancient Jericho? A Shofar and my Housewrecker might not be the best combination used together. Probably should check my Home Owners policy.

Actually, when I lived in Chicago, I was the sound engineer at a synagogue for the High Holidays and recall that sound quite well. I call see why it is included in this sample set. Likewise, I congratulate Jiri on sampling this fine organ. There are many fine pipe organs in Jewish synagogues that need to be recognized in this way. :) Thanks,Jiri. Really like the demo sounds, too. 8)

Rgds,
Ed
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Re: Reuter, opus 227 American Orchestral Organ

PostTue Jul 11, 2017 11:40 am

I play many instruments in addition to the organ. The shofar is among them. I own two shofrot (which is the plural form.) I have played them professionally in synagogues in addition to playing organ and directing choirs over the years.

A shofar is fashioned from the horn an animal. Though it is often translated as "ram's horn" it can actually come from many different animals. The method for making one is described in the Talmud.

It is played like a natural trumpet (or valveless bugle.) Basically, it has a fundamental pitch a series of harmonics of that pitch. Depending on the quality of the shofar and the skill of the player, you can get as many as five harmonically-related pitches on the instrument. The traditional "calls" proscribed in the Talmud for use in worship require only two of these.

This organ is not the only one to have a shofar stop. It is reasonably common on synagogue instruments. However, the very common "gemshorn" stop, though referring to a similar horned instrument, is not related to the shofar. It is, instead, imitative of a different way of making a animal horn into a musical instrument. The gemshorn is actually a recorder-like instrument, so it belongs in the flute family.

Les
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Re: Reuter, opus 227 American Orchestral Organ

PostTue Jul 11, 2017 2:03 pm

Very interesting explanation, Les. Thanks for taking the time. Many of these extra side notes are very cool. 8)

Rgds,
Ed
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Re: Reuter, opus 227 American Orchestral Organ

PostTue Jul 11, 2017 4:15 pm

So, on another note, how does everyone like the instrument so far? :wink:

Marc
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Re: Reuter, opus 227 American Orchestral Organ

PostTue Jul 11, 2017 7:04 pm

I do like the 13 stop, small demo.

Rgds,
Ed
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Re: Reuter, opus 227 American Orchestral Organ

PostWed Jul 12, 2017 12:51 pm

This is wonderful, a second
organ from Portland, in my back yard. I do hope that this trend continues.
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Re: Reuter, opus 227 American Orchestral Organ

PostWed Jul 12, 2017 1:46 pm

I've walked passed and admired Temple Beth Israel many times, usually on my way to the Episcopal Cathedral which houses the Rosales recently released. I had no idea they had such an interesting organ there. Makes me wonder what's coming next!

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