Casavant organs

[rojo]

Hey, thanks gio

Next time I get to the library (whenever that is! ) I`ll have a looksee. In the meantime, I`ll continue reading the posts here, and then possibly hunt around on the net....

[David Cameron]

Tastes change--I welcomed the sound of my Phelps Casavant in 1966, but have broadened its resources substantially in two subsequent rebuilds. The Orgelbewegung was like bra-burning--it went to extremes, but it did get the public's attention! And no one would go back to the organ-building of the 1930's, I think.

David

[pb05]

Ok, I`m venturing into an area I know very little about, but I was just wondering if anyone has played a Casavant organ? Or listened to one?

I have seen Casavant organs only in photos, but for everyone who wants to listen, there is a podcast link here.
You need of course iTunes but there are complete works available that you can download.

[Krummhorn]

Back a bunch of years, I had the opportunity to play the Casavant at Loma Linda University, California (Seventh Day Adventist). The organ as installed in 1977, was a 127 rk, 4 manual instrument. I believe it was tonally finished/voice by Larry Phelps, who then worked for Casavant.
It was interesting that the chest arrangement of the pipes from front to back were tallest pipes to the shortest - the theory being that the smaller pipes speak faster than the larger ones, and to the listener, the total sound would reach their ears at the same time. According to their church website, they underwent a major building renovation from 2003 to 2005, and hopefully retained this fine organ.

Lars

[chicagoan]

How interesting to come across this thread about Casavant pipe organs. Back in the 1970s in central Indiana, I was lucky enough to learn on a 4-manual 53-rank Casavant that had been built in 1960. The planners did their research very well. Its range of tones was impressive and the sound was well-balanced for the building. Some stops were so quiet and sweet that they were barely audible. Others were crisp and bright. In contrast to some other organs I played in later years (Casavant or not), none of this organ's pipes sounded unnaturally muffled. And there was a hauntingly beautiful cor anglais that I can still hear today. Its principals, mixtures, reeds, and octave couplers could deliver enough power to wake the dead. It was a fantastic instrument, though I haven't heard it since its 1993 renovation.

[Kewl]

In any case, there is a discography link on this site that I`m going to check out shortly, for fun. Hooray internet. http://www.uquebec.ca/musique/orgues...baptistem.html

Some of these labels are hard to find... May I suggest an organ CD recorded at Saint Jean Baptiste that is readily available: http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item...._code=8.557375

I must admit here that I'm not disinterested: I produced the CD. And I'm not saying it's better that the other ones in the list, but it's certainly more available!

By the way, there's also a more up to date discography on Casavant website: http://www.casavant.ca/new_temp/angl...scography.html

[acc]

I agree with Giovanni that the earlier Casavants tended to be very nice. There is a fabulous one in Montreal at the church of St. John the Baptist. I was always a great admirer of Bernard Lagace, an organist from Montreal, and I had a few lessons with him years ago (in Montreal.) His wife recorded at St. John the Baptist years ago and the record was gorgeous! I heard the organ in person, but not demonstrated well.

I also agree that many Casavants in the "NEO" Baroque style were not too attractive.

I only know St. John the Baptist from this recording, but I agree it's a very nice instrument!

I have heard any of the "neo" Casavants, but from what I read in this discussion, I figure that they must be (part of) the reason behind the "mutiny" of a number of (then) young organists (including Bernard Lagacé), arranging for the three Beckerath organs to be built in Montreal.

[acc]

And no one would go back to the organ-building of the 1930's, I think.

Yes and no.

Let me explain. At some point, some neo-baroque crowds tended to consider the romantic style as intrinsically "bad" and the baroque style (or rather the way they thought about it) as intrinsically "good", and they started building baroque-like organs for that reason. Today, on the other hand, new organs in baroque style are still built (e.g. Ahrend in Germany, Aubertin in France), but the point of view is no longer one of opposition to the 19th century. Besides, one does not only see, say, new Silbermann-like organs, but also new Cavaillé-Coll-like organs, etc., because people (well, most people anyway) have now accepted that different styles can be equally valid. So from this point of view, it may well happen one day that somebody decides to build a 1930-like organ - why not!

[giovannimusica]

Hey folks,

Its official - the firms of Casavant and Dobson have been chosen to install a new organ in the west gallery of Washington National Cathedral. The Cathedral already has a beautiful organ but the sound it produces really never gets to blossom and bloom throughout the nave because of its placement. A less expensive project would have been to move the existing instrument to the west gallery and encased so that it could freely speak throughout the whole nave. This, however, is a humble suggestion. When it comes to spending endowments, thats when there is no restraint.

[Thomas Dressler]

Acc, LOL I HOPE NOT!!!! Well, perhaps someday I'll warm up to them, but I spent too much time as a teenager practicing on organs from that time that used the newfangled actions to take lots of shortcuts that were dubious, at least IMHO.

Giovanni, that's interesting news. Yes, it's amazing how some people get to spend gobs of money on instruments, isn't it? Are Dobson and Casavant working together on this? If so, I wonder how they'll divide the project.

[giovannimusica]

Hi Tom,

Yes, I wonder how they'll divide the project? Hopefully one will find out as the work progresses - Ah well...

Cheers!

Giovanni

[Krummhorn]

Tom and Giovanni ...

This site, WNC Organ Project has info on how this is being split between the two builders.


Lars

[acc]

Acc, LOL I HOPE NOT!!!! Well, perhaps someday I'll warm up to them, but I spent too much time as a teenager practicing on organs from that time that used the newfangled actions to take lots of shortcuts that were dubious, at least IMHO.

Well, that reminds me of my own situation 20 years ago, when I had to practise on a shreaky neo-baroque chiwawa of the 1970s that comes nowhere near the beautiful Schnitgers and Silbermanns that I learned to know and appreciate later on. That's obviously not the same kind of organs as the 1930 beasts you're talking about, but I still think I can understand how you must have felt!

Actually, I'm not exactly sure how far the 1930 organs on your side of the Atlantic can be compared to those on my side. Could you maybe describe their concept in more detail? How do they differ from, say, late 19th century instruments?

[giovannimusica]

Hi Lars,

Thank you for providing that link to the organ project at WNC.

Cheers!

Giovanni

[Thomas Dressler]

Yes, Lars, thanks for the info!

Acc, well, I can only describe the instruments I had experience with. One in particular had tubular pneumatic action (which is neither here nor there--I've played tubulars that not only were very responsive, but had beautiful pipe speech characteristics) that didn't work very well. It was unified all over the place. Also, by the early 20th century, many, if not most, instruments here had just about completely abandoned the idea of upperwork and mixtures. Typical stoplists contained LOTS of 8's, a few 4's, and maybe if you were lucky (but many times not) a 2'--ONE or maybe TWO. Choruses as we know them in Silbermanns, Tannenbergs, and Cavaille-Colls, Hook & Hastings. . .right up to the end of the 19th century, were completely gone. Many of them had HUGE, LOUD, HOOTING 8' Diapasons that would completely cover up the softer flutes and strings. Pedal divisions were often lacking in definition. Because the emphasis was not on ensemble registrations, unification tended to work more. But to play one of these and try to get any kind of traditional Baroque or Romantic ensemble was just about impossible. Very frustrating.

You didn't have instruments like this in Europe?