Daddy Dee Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 A few weeks ago had the chance to listen to another member's Khorns playing a couple of nice pipe organ CD's. I wrote down the titles, but think I left the note in my pocket and it went through the washing machine. We were listening to some recordings of organs with some really big rascal pipes making really low notes. As I remember, some of the frequencies were supposed be below Khorn range, but the walls were shaking anyway. Pretty Awesome. Any recommendations are appreciated. I'm taking the day off in honor of my first anniversary on the forum. (Well, ahem, I was actually taking the day off anyway... but am going to work on a LaScala refurb project.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Speaker Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 Dee, Happy 1 year anniversary! I just finished reading an article in "Invention & Technology" magazine about what it's like maintaninig the Skinner pipe organ at Yale University's Woolsey Hall. Some of the big tin-and-lead-alloy pipes can produce low notes of 16 Hz. They have to wear ear protection when tuning them! Good little quarterly magazine by BTW, highly recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodog Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 ---------------- On 3/22/2004 12:30:51 PM DaddyDee wrote: A few weeks ago had the chance to listen to another member's Khorns playing a couple of nice pipe organ CD's. I wrote down the titles, but think I left the note in my pocket and it went through the washing machine. Any recommendations are appreciated. I'm taking the day off in honor of my first anniversary on the forum. (Well, ahem, I was actually taking the day off anyway... but am going to work on a LaScala refurb project.) ---------------- A couple of my favorites are: Virgil Fox: The Digital Fox, Vol 1. & 2. Bainbridge entertainment Co. notable for Bach: Tocatta and Fugue in D minor and the toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major. 32' reed pipes should give any system a severe workout (~16 Hz!), and wonderfully played. Bad news... Don't know if this is still in print, though).. Romantic organ Music: Peter Hurford; Argo label, Decca Records This recording has the famous Widor: Toccata from Symphony No. 5 (so does the Fox disc, but this one is, to my taste, more skillfully done). Lot's of tone color, depth, etc. and a third (thanks Jt1scav) from dorian recordings http://www.dorian.com follow the links to Organ Works of J.S.Bach, Vol. 1., Jean Guillou, organist. very well done. Forrest I'll be George F. Handel will be giving recs too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 Horn ed recommended Pomp and pipes quite a while ago, you might want to check this one out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRBILL Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 MICHAEL MURRY BACH THE GREAT ORGAN AT METHUEN TELARC CD-80049 KEN COWAN THE ART OF THE SYMPHONIC ORGANIST ST LUKE'S EC - EVANSTON IL JAV RECORDINGS INC - JAV-141 CHARLES KRIGBAUM AN EVENING AT WOOLSEY HALL ORGAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY OHS-100 (2 CD'S) This last one was the organ mentioned in TECHNOLOGY msgazine. Notable in the Methuen recording is the Passacaglia & Fugue in C minor. The low CCCC at ±16 hz is stunning. It leaves no doubt that K-horns will reporduce that pitch and do not cut off sharply an octave higher as is so often reported. The JAV recording is, perhaps, the best of the three from a technical viewpoint, although not as interesting. Another post mentioned V. Fox. That recording has spectacular 32' reeds. I have the original in vinyl. But keep in mind that they sound sort of like a stick on a picket fence or a jackhammer! There is almost no fundamental under a blaze of harmonics! Jay, you deed to hold on to your notes! DR BILL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted March 22, 2004 Author Share Posted March 22, 2004 Thanks for the recommendations. Father Bill, these sound familiar... Hold onto your notes indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschfoot Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 ---------------- MICHAEL MURRY BACH THE GREAT ORGAN AT METHUEN TELARC CD-80049 ---------------- Second that. I also have, among others, Organ Spectacular. Peter Hurford London D 125293. Go here for more Bach rec's. "Aaaaaaah...Baaaaahhhhch." (from an episode of My Favorite Martian.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 Looks like most of the major organ recordings have been mentioned (and thank you, Forrest). I also have lots of European CDs and LPs that are no longer in production (as far as I know), but would be excellent demo recordings as well. I have a few DAT recordings of my dad's residence pipe organ in our house, but they're unedited masters, and because of my recent layoff and bankruptcy, I no longer have a way to play or record them. Forrest mentioned the Dorian label (Dorian.com); you will find lots of fantastic digitally recorded organs played by Jean Guillou. One of my personal favorites is: "Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition/Igor Stravinsky: Three Dances from Petrouchka", transcribed for organ by Jean Guillou (Dorian, DOR-90117). Many loudspeaker reviews in Stereophile magazine have used this particular pipe organ CD to test their bass frequency response...you Klipschorn owners who think you've heard your walls rattle before will have to have your homeowners insurance policy paid up...this recording makes plenty use of the organ's 32' bass pedal stops, and if played realistically, will bust out your windows and crack your walls! I love it! Also go see Telarc.com; there are plenty of excellent organ CDs there to choose from. The Pro Organo label (Zarex.com) is another fine specialty label solely devoted to pipe organ and choral works, and their CDs are second to none! And if you really have an organ high and need a quick fix, then I suggest going to the Organ Historical Society's website (www.ohscatalog.org) and looking through their thousands of organ recordings, videos, books, and even sheet music. Become a member and order using your discounted prices, or buy as a non-member and pay a few bucks more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRBILL Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 TO: FRANK SPEAKER Many years ago I was a voicer/finisher for Casavant Frères, Limiteé (Canadian), perhaps one of the foremost pipe organ builders in N. America if not the world, and had considerable experience tuning pipe organs. The open metal pipes of the low octave of a 32' rank were most often "cut to length" and had no means for tuning them because they never went out of tune. The reed ranks of a 32' pitch were quite another thing. They had to be tuned regularly "on the wire" as we said. Hearing protection helped, but every body cavity was assaulted by the sound pressure of such a grave pitch at such close proximity. This was especially true in the case of the high pressure, wooden resonator, E.Skinner pipes as described in the Invention & Technology magazine. Too long at it and you got a dizzy, light headed euphoria. Way too long and you would hurl! But fortunately, a sort of "cube root" principle prevailed. Out in the hall they sounded musical! These pitches are hard to record and even harder to reproduce. Klipschorns aren't shabby at this as I have proved to many visitors! DR BILL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rdmarsiii Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 Yep! I sure did like that 16 hz! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Warren Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 ---------------- On 3/22/2004 1:09:08 PM Woodog wrote: and a third (thanks Jt1scav) from dorian recordings http://www.dorian.com follow the links to Organ Works of J.S.Bach, Vol. 1., Jean Guillou, organist. ------------- and Dorian Recordings® The Organ Works of César Franck Cat. No.: DOR-90135 Artist(s): Jean Guillou, Organ Price:$25.98 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Speaker Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 DRBILL: Thanks for sharing that. That's so interesting. Talk about esoteric, I bet you have some interesting stories. I don't know a lot about pipe organs, but in the photos of that article it looks like the metal pipes are tuned by peeling down a section of metal at the top of the pipe. Frank P.S. I'm not sure what you mean by "Cube root" principle. The effect diminishes with time? Or distance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 Dr Bill: I am very much impressed. Voicing is the heart of an instrument. An organist friend of mine was very fond of a Casavant in NYC .. he always mentioned the power of the instrument. Some suggestions: Dupre . Frank . Widor Michael Murray Organ at St Sulpice, Paris Telarc SACD-60516 (hybrid .. cd compatible) Heidi Emmerf and the Walcker-Aeolian-Skinner organ at Methuen Music Hall. Works byMax Reger Motette CD 12031 Franz Liszt David Mulbury The "Great Organ" at Methuen AFKA Records (this is a cd) .. no number An American Masterpiece . C.B.Fisk organ, opus 82 Conch Classics .. no number The Emmerf playing of Reger and Mulbury's Liszt are pretty much beyond belief in scale and majesty, and recording quality (examples of well recorded and mastered CDs). The Murray at St Sulpice is beyond belief in the beauty of this ancient instrument. The Fisk is modern precision applied to an ancient art They're all probably a bit hard to get. Leo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arj Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 Another Organ by Jean Guillou in Dorian Recordings Pictures at an Exhibition & Petroushka . has a Lot of 16hz stuff..on top of being a first rate recording ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 Dr. Bill, how so right you are! My dad worked for the little tracker manufacturer Klug & Schumaker, Inc. here in Lakeland (now defunkt) back in the early '80s. Even though their organs were quite small, they did maintain many large pipe organs throughtout Florida from such distinguished firms as M.P. Moller, Aeolian-Skinner, Casavant Freres, Ruffatti, Austin, Wicks, Schantz, Midmer-Losh, WurliTzer, etc. Your experience reminds me of a lil' story... I recall in '82 while being on leave during my tour in the Army, spending some time with my dad helping him tune several organs in the area. I would sit at the console holding down keys while my dad was up in the chambers setting the temperment and tuning the individual pipes. He was in the process of tuning the pedal division, and afterwards we quickly went over the entire division to hear if any rank had drifted wildly out of tune (as the reed pipes often would). I pulled out all the stops in the pedal, including the 32' Open Diapason, which my dad just so happen to be standing next to (the bottom octave of that rank was lying horizontally on the chamber floor; the lowest CCCC pipe was nearly big enough for a grown man to crawl through). As I played down the scale, the air pressure in the chamber was moving fiercely; when the lowest C played, the hair on his head was stirring as much as his insides, and he said he felt a little queesey! The seat of my pants was vibrating while seated at the organ bench, but I think the real reason my dad felt a little nauseous was due to the fish he had for lunch prior to the tuning...he had a case of the "G.I.s" soon afterwards that sent him running to the chapel's restroom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRBILL Posted March 23, 2004 Share Posted March 23, 2004 Gentlemen-- Try to imagine this! DR BILL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted March 23, 2004 Share Posted March 23, 2004 I bought this on a whim the other day. Haven't spun it yet. I've never heard of the composer, and have no idea what to expect. The Van Gelder mastering piqued my curiousity. That, and all you freaks going on about organ music... BUXTEHUDE ORGAN MUSIC Eight Chorale Preludes Three Preludes and Fugues Fugue in C Vox PL 16.350 Collection Des Cinq Siecles Blue and silver label Mastering: Rudy Van Gelder Walter Kraft, organ Vinyl: MINT. Cover: MINT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted March 23, 2004 Share Posted March 23, 2004 As a teen in the early 1700s, J.S. Bach walked some 200 miles to hear the elderly organist Dietrich Buxtehude perform in Hamburg. Bach was only supposed to be away for a week or so; he ended up studying with Buxtehude for several months! Upon Bach's return to his church organist post, he was severely reprimanded (Johnnie-boy was always getting in trouble, even as an adult)! Those 32' Open Diapasons are from the large Midmer-Losh concert organ in Atlantic City, NJ ca. 1930s (I think). The man on the left is holding one of the smallest pipes from the same rank; it's a bit bigger than a pencil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Speaker Posted March 23, 2004 Share Posted March 23, 2004 HOLY S#IT That article mentioned organ pipes as big as sewer pipes but I thought they meant like the kind for a house. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted March 24, 2004 Share Posted March 24, 2004 Yeah, they're pretty big, aren't they? The largest church organ in Great Britian is the Henry Willis organ in the Liverpool Cathedral, which has a 64' Resultant Bass in the pedal division. This stopped wooden rank is massive...the lowest CCCC pipe is 32' in length, 3" thick, and weighs 2,200 lbs. This rank is refered to as "stopped" due to the plunger-like device inside the top of the pipe that makes it speak at a 64' pitch, even though it's physically a 32' length (this analogy is similar to the Klipschorn's folded horn design...you can't have a full size horn in your room due to its monsterous size, thus the folded horn speaks at the same volume but at half the size). If it was an "open" rank, the lowest pipe would physically be 64' long, and as far as I know, there is no such thing as a 64' long organ pipe anywhere in the world. Imagine standing near the CCCC pipe as it's being played; at about 8 cycles per second, I'd imagine the immense air pressure around you would make your ears pop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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