• Welcome to the Pipe Organ Forum! This is a part of the open community Magle International Music Forums focused on pipe organs (also known as "church organs"), organists, organ music and related topics.

    This forum is intended to be a friendly place where technically advanced organists and beginners (or even non-organists) can feel comfortable having discussions and asking questions. We learn by reading and asking questions, and it is hoped that the beginners (or non-organists) will feel free to ask even the simplest questions, and that the more advanced organists will patiently answer these questions. On the other hand, we encourage complex, technical discussions of technique, music, organ-building, etc. The opinions and observations of a diverse group of people from around the world should prove to be interesting and stimulating to all of us.

    As pipe organ discussions can sometimes become lively, it should be pointed out that this is an open forum. Statements made here are the opinion of the poster, and not necessarily that of the forum itself, its administrator, or its moderators.

    In order to post a new topic - or reply to existing ones - you may join and become a member by clicking on Register New User. It's completely free and only requires a working email address (in order to confirm your registration - it will never be given away!). We strive to make this a friendly and informative forum for anyone interested in pipe organs and organ music.

    (Note: If you wish to link to and promote your own website please read this thread first.)

    Many kind regards
    smile.gif

    Frederik Magle
    Administrator

    Krummhorn
    Co-Administrator

Improvs at St. Sulpice.............

Corno Dolce

Admiral Honkenwheezenpooferspieler
As you noticed, David Briggs does nicely on a five manual instrument. In regards to five manuals, especially at St. Sulpice, each manual controls a division of pipes of varying lengths and timbres. The pedal is its own division. You get dynamic differences, timbre differences and so on...
 

Corno Dolce

Admiral Honkenwheezenpooferspieler
GB,

You bet! Olivier Latry, Daniel Roth, and David Briggs certainly can "musicize"........
 

dll927

New member
Teddy -- you don't "cope with five keyboards at once". Most of us have only two hands. Pipe organs have pipes in different "divisions" each of which is controlled by one of the manuals.

In the case of St. Sulpice, since it is a mechanical organ, the couplers cause the keys on any coupled manuals to also depress, making it look like some type of magic. (Electrical-action organs don't do that.) Also in the case of that organ, the first (lowest) manual is the "couple to" manual, except I think at some point there was a coupler added for Recit to Positif. That organ celebrates 150 years this year -- 1862. Some testimony to craftsmanship and regular maintenance. It still raises the roof, at least figuratively. And it has known some stellar players.
 

teddy

Duckmeister
Thaqnks for the explanation, but it still looks like magic to me. Now I must go and check the mirror. There is some bloke looking back at me

teddy
 

Krummhorn

Administrator
Staff member
ADMINISTRATOR
Thaqnks for the explanation, but it still looks like magic to me. Now I must go and check the mirror. There is some bloke looking back at me ... teddy

BOO!! :lol:

Mastering multiple keyboards takes some getting used to, but it permits the organist to have different settings on each manual, so as to give more contrast to a piece of music instead of playing the same stops (sounds) all the time. And, as mentioned, in those large organs, the manuals do couple to each other either mechanically or electrically, so in in effect, one could play all 5 manuals at once, but both their hands would be on one manual.
 

teddy

Duckmeister
As far as I am concerned Lars it is in the same league as the 42 string guitar. Way out of mine. Thanks for the explanation.

teddy
 
Top