Organist & bipolar ss

[leok]

Unrelated, but interesting:

I heard Mary Catherine Race play the Wacker/Aeolean-Skinner organ in Methuen. I was very impressed. She performed the Bach "Toccata & Fugue in D minor" and, one of my favorites: "Litanies" by Jehan Elain. Both were very well registrated (not all that easy on the huge Methuen instrument). She brought out the best in the instrument and the pieces. She seems to be currently located in Southern CA. If interested and her name appears for a recital, I recommend a listen.

Best setup for listening to organ at home seems to be the pp amps driving the RF-7s. The RF-7s have the deep bass, mixtures stay under control through the single hf driver, and the pp amp has a few more watts that the modified Moondogs.

The other subject is the NHB-108 by darTZeel www.dartzeel.com. here is a schematic and plenty of text at the site. What is interesting about the amps is they are designed to null-out the exponential behavior of bipolar transistors. Notice the distortion/power curve: flat .. doesn't take off at low power. I suspect that the reason is the transistors are paired: one is turning on while the next one is turning off. If done well enough, this can cancel the exponential Vb/Ic characteristic. There are 3 pairs of transistors for each "direction in the pp configuration.

The amp may not be a perfect Klipsch device .. maybe a lower power version could achieve lower overall distortion. But it's a very interesting approach, and just fun to analyze.

It seems there is a fair amount of component matching involved, and the result is a mere $10K if you act now.

Fun Labor Day reading.

leok

[jt1stcav]

I've recently heard of Ms. Race, but never heard her performances. Has she ever made any recordings?

Also unrelated...I was stationed for almost 3 years in Ludwigsburg, Germany (near Stuttgart), home of E.F. Walcker & Co., who built what's considered the very first concert hall organ for the US. This massive organ was originally built for the Boston Music Hall (completed in 1863). It served the Boston community until 1884, and was then dismantled to make way for new stage space for the newly formed Boston Symphony Orchestra. After years in storage, it was later relocated and rebuilt in 1909 for the new Methuen Hall. In 1946, Aeolian-Skinner was commissioned to rebuild and enlarge the organ to its present state. Recent years has seen more improvements made to the instrument...I'd love to hear it one time if I ever make it up to New England again.

[leok]

jt1stcav

I don't know of any recordings by Ms Race.

There is a seres of recitals that last about 15 weeks, from mid May to 1st wk in Sep., 8 PM. This year, the final recital is next week, 03-Sep.

Thanks for using the correct spelling on Walcker and Aoelian - Skinner. I shouldn't be so sloppy.

If you're in the area the organ is worth a listen. The principals are the biggest surprise to me .. such a rich sound, with a very strong fundamental. Then there is a variety of classical and romantic capabilities. There is a lot of voicing by Donald Harrison .. but not all. Some is more classic Walcker. I think the hybrid nature of the instrument is where some performers get in trouble .. full organ can sound muddy. Performers who are careful with their registration can get a good classic or good romantic sound. The crescendo pedal is usually a disaster .. most organists don't use it.

Ms Race made extensive use of the different manuals and combination stops for expression. she generally left the swell shades open and never used the crescendo. She used both romantic and classic voicing combinations.

leok

[jt1stcav]

My dad works for Foley-Baker, Inc. of Bolton, CT and they were commissioned to enlarge and restore the '49 Aeolian-Skinner at Symphony Hall in Boston (it's in its final reinstallation stage right now). My dad's heard several recitals at Methuen, but if I remember correctly his employer doesn't have the service contract on that instrument (it's either by the Andover Organ Co. or an in-house servicing firm). I would have many opportunities to see and hear the Methuen Walcker/Aeolian-Skinner if I wasn't so broke and living down south...ugh!

You're so right about good organ sound...The fact that the Methuen organ is a hybrid, designed and voiced by two seperate organ firms during the first half of the 20th Century leads to the Classic American style, which also was responsible for the muddy, tubby, thick sound of the principal and flute registers which was popular during that time. Much of the pipework was made of a lead/zinc alloy and of large scale, requiring higher wind pressure to make these beefier pipes speak properly, especially in a large reverberant hall.

G. Donald Harrison was responsible for the revival back to somewhat brighter, smaller scale pipework that was in fashion during the 18th Century English organs (he was formerly of the Willis firm in London). He was always at odds with E.M. Skinner, who popularized the thick, heavy ensemble of his organs of the 20's and 30's. Harrison's American Classic voicing contained more warmth, with full-throated reeds, shimmering strings, and sparkling mixtures (not overly shrilly as are the Baroque organ's mixtures and mutations).

The Methuen organ is neither wholly romantic nor classical, and is quite capable of playing both styles of music by a capable organist who understands its registration. A good organist has no need for the crescendo pedal and "all" the combination pistons/toe studs at their disposal; their virtuosic techniques and their knowledge and understanding of proper registration for any given piece is what makes or breaks a performance, and their careers!

[leok]

jt1stcav

Sheesh, no wonder you spelled all those names correctly. Information from your father's work must be fascinating. Are you involved with performance or maintenance of pipe organs also?

Your notes above are very enlightening. I've copied them for reference next Wed. The principal reference is particularly interesting because, on the Methuen organ, they are so well done, but don't often play well with other stop combinations. I will try to find out if they are Aoelian - Skinner or Walcker .. maybe you are saying they ARE A-S.

Any tips for listening to these huge instruments on home audio systems? I find the Klipsch speakers do pretty well and just accept certain limitations (like low freq response, and tendency towards confusion when a large number of stops is involved.

Leok

[leok]

What we're talking about:

The attached picture is a small low res picture of the Walcker/Aoelian-Skinner organ at the Methuen Memorial Music Hall. The console (bottom center) is about 5 feet high. The longest displayed pipe is 32' long. The hall is 60' high.

for more info: http://www.mmmh.org

[jt1stcav]

I pretty much grew up around pipe organs and the music composed for them. My dad worked part time with F-B back in the early 70's, learning much about the instruments and their mechanics; they're almost a living, breathing being in the way they operate! In 1980 we moved to Florida so my dad could begin work for Klug & Schumaker, Inc., a little family run tracker action organ manufacturer (building Baroque-style instruments similar to what Bach would have played). Unfortunantly, they folded about 5 years later, but during this time my dad lived out a dream he always had, to build himself a residence pipe organ for our home! In 1983 he completed the instrument, composed of 2 manuals and 19 ranks (of mostly used and some new parts, even chestwork he built entirely from scratch), and installed within a single chamber inside the 2-car garage!

My dad now works for F-B full time as a CAD design/layout engineer in charge of mechanical layout of newly renovated chambers, divisional additions, and new consoles. Much of what I know I learned through him, although I am not in the least bit mechanically inclined as he is. I wish I did work with him...hell, I'd settle on sweeping the floor in the woodworking shop if only they were hiring (F-B keeps their 20 employees for life! My dad's position was created just for him, but that was an exception to the rule...either Foley's employees retire, or die, and my dad's the last person he's hired in over 12 years). I've drawn a few freelance case/facade designs for F-B to present to organ committees over the years, but now my dad's computer-aided drafting fullfills that need when it's called for.

From what I've read, much of the principal foundation for the Methuen organ has been revoiced/replaced by Harrison, but I could be wrong. I think there have been recent renovations to the organ to include more of the Walcker's principal chorus throughout the many divisions, whether it be revoicing existing ranks, or replacing Harrison's pipework with the Walcker originals, if they indeed have been saved.

I find my Cornwalls to be an acceptable means to listening to pipe organ music. Obviously, the Cornwall's bass response doesn't reach down to the lowest bottom octave (at 16Hz or lower), but they do a respectable job nonetheless (and I actually find the bass to be more natural and pleasing sounding without the one-note boom my DIY 15" subwoofer used to produce). I don't necessarily hear the confusion you mention with fuller registrations, but I appreciate how the horns respond to horizontal Trumpet en Chamades ranks on extremely high wind pressure! I personally feel that pipe organs sound more "live" through the Cornwalls; there's more of an air and presence that was absent from other loudspeakers I've owned. Just my opinion, natch.

[jt1stcav]

On an unrelated topic, I brought up the organ my dad built for our home, and posted some pictures as well. If you haven't read this thread, then maybe you'll find this somewhat interesting. Dave Mallet knew of this organ before in an earlier thread, and would like to record it someday...so would I!

http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=37302&forumID=68&catID=19&search=1&searchstring=&sessionID={33CC5E24-D2F9-48AE-9179-37C81932D806}

[leok]

Jim,

Fascinating. It's good to hear that this kind of work continues to be done. These instruments ar hard to keep up, but they are such wonderful instruments if maintained.

Your Dad's home organ is huge. Where is the opening to the garage relative to the console?. I've saved all your pictures .. they capture the combination of mathematics, and wood/metal work that ranks of pipes ilustrate. Also, the pipe room is better maintained than some of the dustier ones I've seen.

leok

[jt1stcav]

They are wonderful instruments. Each one is totally different (no two organs are ever alike, as are the rooms in which they're installed are ever alike). I wish I had the technical/electrical expertise to maintain the MIDI controllers for our organ's relay system, or I'd have it up and running myself. Hopefully my folks will be down again during Christmas, in which my dad will have more time to check out and repair/replace any fried components.

The 1983 "G. Tidwell & Sons" Opus No. 1 consists of 19 ranks in 3 divisions. Normally, a comparably sized instrument would be installed in two seperate chambers; the enclosed Swell division in one room, and both the Great and Pedal divisions in another unenclosed room. Unfortunantly, because our house is a modest middle-class 3 bedroom ranch, the only way to stuff that much pipework into any one room would be to install the complete organ in one enclosed chamber inside of the 2-car garage. It's not optimal for variations of expression between divisions with this setup; if you want to lessen the volume of a portion of a piece of music, the entire organ gets quieter while depressing the Swell shoe. The only way to achieve a change in volume for lets say a solo stop in the Swell, while the rest of the organ is still playing, is to maybe add additional stops in the Great to compensate for the volume change that's supposed to occure in the Swell. A skillful organist can perform this technique quite well within these limitations.

My dad would be pleased that another organ enthusiast is impressed with the chamber layout, as cramped as it is. He tried to maintain divisional seperation as much as possible, keeping all Great ranks together, keeping all Swell ranks in one location, etc. There are a few stray offset chests from their divisions though, in order to make efficient use of limited space, but it doesn't seem to interfere with the sound of any one division. The entire organ speaks from a Swell box opening via 8 venitian blind-like shutters that open and close to change overall volume, into the foyer which is to the left of the oak and mahagony console; in essence the organ is behind and to the left of the console, speaking straight into the formal livingroom.

It's hard to see from any of the photos that there are clear pathways to get around throughout all 19 ranks for easy tuning and maintenance. We usually dust the chamber once a year, and there's an air conditioning duct in the center of the chamber's ceiling, with a slotted plate extruding below it to diffuse the cool air in equal direction through the side openings, so to keep all the ranks in equal tune evenly. There's even a small paper AC filter on the back chamber wall above a doorway to keep stray dirt and sawdust from the woodworking tools in the remaining part of the garage from entering the chamber. There isn't a single thing my dad left out in the overall design layout of this tiny organ chamber...it's really quite unique to say the least!

[AndyKubicki]

I heard Mary Catherine Race play the Wacker/Aeolean-Skinner organ in Methuen. I was very impressed. She performed the Bach "Toccata & Fugue in D minor"

I've been married twice, and each time I wanted this played at my wedding. Neither wife agreed...wonder why?

(Yes, I'm serious! The power of the music really fits the occasion, I can't help it if people associate something else with it!)

[jt1stcav]

I wonder how that got started? Why is Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D Minor (BWV 565) associated with early horror flicks and Halloween? It's a serious piece that Bach composed while in his early 20's, so it's youthful and daring, but not juvenile. It's form follows function, and represents the best structure of both the toccata and the fugue styles.

What started the scare-factor notion for this piece? Was it from early silent films that this great composition be regulated to horror films? So sad...

[leok]

Andy,

The intro is pretty intimidating. Many people probably don't get much further, and have decided the piece is pretty grim.

Once the Toccata gets going, and for the remainder of the piece the youthful character takes over. It's really an enjoyable piece that is fitting for a wedding.

leok

[jt1stcav]

Maybe because it was written in D minor instead of D major...a minor key can sound grim like leok said, and not as joyous for an event such as a wedding, IMO. But I do want the piece played at my funeral...here comes the scare-notion theory into play. It's the ultimate dirge music, dammit!

[AndyKubicki]

I went so far as t ask the organist if she would play it at my wedding (1997) and she said no, but I don't know if it's that she's not too familiar with playing it or if it was inappropriate to her, nonetheless, the wifey said no too, so it stopped there. Now I NEVER though about what I want played at my funeral-LOL! But since I didn't get my wish for my wedding, if I ask for it to be played at my funeral, they would have to honor a dying man's wish!

I tend to like pieces written in a minor key as opposed to a major key, but I never thought of them as grim...to me they seemed maybe just a bit more serious, but I can understand the notion of a grim interpretation.

I haven't listened to it recently, but I remember feeling like I'm involved with something very powerful when listening to this piece. It also mellows out at times and even gets a little dancey...almost begging for a Disney cartoon to go along with it.

It's amazing what music can make one feel!

[jt1stcav]

My thoughts exactly! And the piece was in Fantasia, transcribed for orchestra.

I also like listening to that piece performed on various instruments other than the organ...I've got recordings of it played through synthesizers and guitars (both electric and acoustic).

[Mallette]

I haven't been through the whole thread, so pardon me if someone mentioned Telarc 5036 DD-2. It's a direct to master disc recording of the Methuen instrument by Michael Murray made in 1977. The Widor Toccata (surprise) but also a very nice program of other tasty dishes.

A system pusher, for sure!

Dave

[AndyKubicki]

My thoughts exactly! And the piece was in Fantasia, transcribed for orchestra.

Well that's funny! I have not seen Fantasia in many, many years, so there is no way I can remember that it was done! I just thought it was a perfect visual to go with that music.

BTW, Leo, Organist & Bipolar ss can conjur up some strange images too!

[Chris Robinson]

Wonderful thread that I just got around to reading. Jim, Dave, Leo, great stuff!

My ex-brother-in-law (RIP) was a pretty accomplished organist and played many organs in the NJ/NYC area over the years. I loved to watch and listen to him play, and growing up in the choir lofts, I've seen a few good organists and many lesser organists. My high school (Pingry) in NJ had a wonderful hand-built organ (as they all are) that was donated by the physics teacher (who drew a $1 salary every year). Great stuff of great dreams.

Who can recommend some really great and special recordings, on CD or LP? I'd love to try a real live recording to test these little SET amps, and spin my beenie in the process.

[jt1stcav]

Chris, may I ask who your late ex-brother-in-law was? My dad and his employer Mike Foley may know of him. Foley-Baker, Inc. also has a small regional office on Long Island, and service many pipe organs in the area; they may even have a service contract at your old high school. By the way, there are quite a few high/vo tech schools up in the northeast with little organs installed in their auditoriums, even old WurliTzer and Kimball theatre pipe organs can be found up there...Wish I had the opportunity to attend a school with a pipe organ installed in it. You don't find that sort of thing down here in FL.

Dave suggested a wonderful Telarc recording to audition your amps with. Any Telarc organ disc or LP would be a fine example, along with other organ recordings from such labels as Dorian, Pro Organo, and from the Organ Historical Society (the latter has literally thousands of "live" organ recordings to choose from).