Stops preview: UMN Northrop Aeolian-Skinner

Hi friends,

We’re hard at work processing samples for the Northrop A-S, but I took the time to do a 5-min recording with various stop combinations on the GT:

http://www.evensongmusic.net/?page_id=8958

This is an amazing instrument - although it has an A-S nameplate, it. “feels” like an EMS …. I mentioned this before, and was severely chastised by some folks here “no, it was built after GDH took over…”

Yes, it was, but it was spec’d and designed as an EMS, and that took place BEFORE the A-S merger, so while there is maybe some small influence from GDH, it is not really a GDH A-S… the stoplist and console layout is EMS, as is the scaling and voicing. Trust me, I’ve played my share of EMS and edited several thousands of EMS samples - this organ fits securely into that mold.

The wonderful thing is, with 108 ranks it is more flexible/eclectic than a lot of EMS - and it has just about anything you want for orchestral playing, too.

Do note this recording is of only one perspective (the more diffuse of the two) and just the GT.

Finally,(because I know folks will ask - and I can already predict who they are) we don’t have a firm release date. We do hope to have it done in time for the holidays (meaning before 2024) but I can’t promise anything.

Finally,(because I know folks will ask - and I can already predict who they are) we don’t have a firm release date.

TAKE MY MONEY!!!!!!

Finally,(because I know folks will ask - and I can already predict who they are) we don’t have a firm release date.

TAKE MY MONEY!!!!!!

I can always count on you, Steve!

We had hoped to have this done sooner, but with 73-note chests and loads of tremulants it just takes time to get it all processed and checked. And, since this will serve as a stand-in for the real thing it has to be as close to perfect as we can get it. Yes, we always strive for that, but this time I'm being extra careful.... it's a big deal to be trusted to do this!

Hi friends,

This is an amazing instrument - although it has an A-S nameplate, it. “feels” like an EMS …. I mentioned this before, and was severely chastised by some folks here “no, it was built after GDH took over…”

Yes, it was, but it was spec’d and designed as an EMS, and that took place BEFORE the A-S merger, so while there is maybe some small influence from GDH, it is not really a GDH A-S… the stoplist and console layout is EMS, as is the scaling and voicing. Trust me, I’ve played my share of EMS and edited several thousands of EMS samples - this organ fits securely into that mold.

Jonathan, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but not your own facts. To whit:

“Harrison designed the tonal schemes of organs built for the new chapel at Harvard university; Northrop Memorial Auditoriium, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; and the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Episcopal, New York City, all of which were installed in 1932." The Life and Work of Ernest M. Skinner, Dorothy J. Holden.

Hi friends,

This is an amazing instrument - although it has an A-S nameplate, it. “feels” like an EMS …. I mentioned this before, and was severely chastised by some folks here “no, it was built after GDH took over…”

Yes, it was, but it was spec’d and designed as an EMS, and that took place BEFORE the A-S merger, so while there is maybe some small influence from GDH, it is not really a GDH A-S… the stoplist and console layout is EMS, as is the scaling and voicing. Trust me, I’ve played my share of EMS and edited several thousands of EMS samples - this organ fits securely into that mold.

Jonathan, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but not your own facts. To whit:

“Harrison designed the tonal schemes of organs built for the new chapel at Harvard university; Northrop Memorial Auditoriium, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; and the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Episcopal, New York City, all of which were installed in 1932." The Life and Work of Ernest M. Skinner, Dorothy J. Holden.

We shall have to agree to disagree.

Kind regards,

Those interested in the provenance of this organ might appreciate this from the July 1932 issue of The Diapason.

MINNESOTA “U” BUYS NOTABLE INSTRUMENT
ORDER TO AEOLIAN-SKINNER
Specification of Four-Manual for Cyrus Northrop Memorial Auditorium, which Is also home of the Minneapolis Orchestra.

The University of Minnesota, at Minneapolis, is one more large institution where organ music has been carefully cultivated, and, as a consequence, a large new instrument is to be installed to provide the most modern and satisfactory equipment for producing that music. The contract to build the organ, a four-manual, has been awarded to the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company and the tonal layout has been determined and is presented herewith.

The organ for the University of Minnesota will be placed in Cyrus Northrop Memorial Auditorium, which is also the permanent home of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. The manager of the orchestra is Mrs. Carlyle Scott and the conductor is Eugene Ormandy. G. Donald Harrison of the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company prepared the specifications, subject to the approval of Carlyle Scott, director of music; George H. Fairclough, professor of organ at the university, and William H. Barnes, who acted as advisor for the university. The major part of the organ will be installed this autumn and the remainder will probably be completed during the following year. The specification follows traditional classic lines and is notable for freedom from unification.

I found this article about the organ, https://www.agohq.org/september-2018-tao-cover-feature/. (This is probably familiar to North American forum members.).

It gives a review of major work on the organ when the hall was ‘restored’ (the interior of the building was essentially rebuilt) starting around 2011. The builder describes how they approached the restoration and reinstallation of the organ. There was discussion about the location of the organ in the restored hall, and although it was again installed in chambers above the proscenium arch, the egress of sound into the auditorium was greatly improved, allowing all the sound of the instrument to finally get out.

One paragraph of the article caught my attention.

“….Although we’ve found this on a number of other organs, there were over a hundred pipes that had never been made to speak! It seems that overall pipe speech was, in places, hit or miss. This was a time when G. Donald Harrison and Ernest Skinner were speaking only when necessary and we wonder if either ever invested all the time necessary on tonal finishing; after all, whose job was it? …“

No doubt changes to the auditorium, the way the sound travels from the pipe chambers into the auditorium and the work on the organ will have contribute to some changes to the sound of the organ since the mid 1930s.

It will be interesting to hear this sample set when Evensong complete their work.

Iain

To me at least this organ has strong similarities to the E.M. Skinner opus 634 organ in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel at the University of Chicago. One example would be the great manual with First Open Diapason, Second Open Diapason, Third Open Diapason. I don't have tons of knowledge about Aeolian-Skinner organs and am very limited in what I have seen or read about Aeolian-Skinner organs. It very possible there are some but I have yet to find an Aeolian-Skinner organ with First, Second and Third Diapasons on one manual.
The Northrop organ has tons of tonal shades which is very appealing to me.
Glen

Just an update for you all:

We’ve been hard at work on the University of Minnesota Aeolian-Skinner project, and we’re excited to be able to bring this organ to the Hauptwerk community as well as it being used for a means of allowing the students to practice with a virtual copy of the instrument when the Northrop Auditorium is not available.

We had hoped to be able to release the sample set on Black Friday this year, but we had some scheduling issues getting in for our last recording session, so we won’t make that deadline. We are working hard to get it out the door and for sale before the end of the holiday season, however, at which time the set will be on introductory sale for $499 for 4 weeks. Regular price will be $549 thereafter.

I thought those of you who are waiting for this set to release might enjoy a little fun experiment I just completed. The organ is now successfully loading, so we've been testing the programming, tweaking things and finishing the GUI, but I'd say the samples are in great shape.

On my final recording session, I used the laptop to "perform" a MIDI file at Northrop....
Now that the entire organ is loading, I've used the same registration and exact same file in the Hauptwerk version - can you tell which is which?

https://www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/music/57796

Just an update for you all:
We are working hard to get it out the door and for sale before the end of the holiday season

Would that be the commercial season or the liturgical season?
Steve

Just an update for you all:
We are working hard to get it out the door and for sale before the end of the holiday season

Would that be the commercial season or the liturgical season?
Steve

Well, in my mind I was saying the holidays go thru New Year's Day.....

So, release hopefully before then. We're out of Alpha and now into Beta 1.0 and possible release candidate - it all needs to still be tested a bit more, as I despise having users be de-facto beta testers. Plus, since it is supposed to be as exact of a duplicate as possible for the UMN organ students, we're taking extra care (and, probably leaving an occasional wart or two)

I am not concerned if it will be ready this month or sometime next year. I would rather have the sample set go through extensive beta testing and not be rushed, because it is a large organ.
I like the acoustics based on the recordings in the links.
Glen

Yay!