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Help finding an appropriate piece

Heckelisoverrated

New member
I'm an avid writer as well as an avid bassoonist but my favorite instrument will always be the Pipe Organ followed very closely by the Cello and then The bassoon and the contra.

At any rate, I'm writing a short story in which the main antagonist is an amazing Organ player. By the way, this was inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean 2 when Davy Jones is seen playing his massive pipe organ. The main antagonist is an admiral of a massive battleship and the flagship of the fleet was built with a ludicrously monstrous pipe organ (7 manuals?) with the of a really great theatre like a sydney opera house sort of thing.

In times like this I wished that composers like Berio had noteworthy Pipe Organ pieces because you know guys like them would write pipe organ pieces that would make you weep they were so dissonant. So that's what I'm looking for. A morbid, dissonant as the bottom of Inferno, depressing Pipe Organ piece. Worse comes to worse I may write up a piece and make it sound like hell without trying.

My sincerest thanks.
 
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Krummhorn

Administrator
Staff member
ADMINISTRATOR
Greetings, Heckelisoverrated :wave:

Welcome to Magle Int'l Music Forums.

Dissonant pipe organ music ... well, there's always Messiaen :grin:. Not at all depressing, imho, but certainly dissonant and in some ways morbid. I always find the music of Messiaen inspiring - and usually listen to those pieces in a totally darkened room.

Anyway, glad to have you aboard here ... hope you will become a regular participant in the many discussions here ... so, have fun and enjoy :cheers: !!
 

Contratrombone64

Admiral of Fugues
Heckel ... no doubt that you play bassoon judging by your nom d'net. I've only heard good reports of them, interested in why you think they're over-rated?

As to Messiaen ... dissonant, yes at times, morbid, possibly. Better idea, grab your pet cat, and make him/her wander up and down the keyboard ...
 

Soubasse

New member
Interesting post, Heckel. If you want the really in-your-face stuff, you could always look to Ligeti's Volumina. Once played at a Proms concert in Sydney, a concerned member of the audience, upon seeing the organist draped over the manuals (as one needs to do for the opening blast), leaped out of his seat shouting "My God, he's had a heart attack!!" The first time I ever tried it, it was too much for the wind supply and the pitch dropped rather dramatically (I think Ligeti would have liked it though).

My favourite Messiaen piece for this kind of thing is the Hands Of The Abyss from Livre d'Orgue - great fun (especially late at night in a reverberant, darkened cathedral). Two noteworthy students of Messiaen who have written some works which may fit the bill - Naji Hakim of course and I have also come across some intriguing stuff by Jacques Charpentier.

I've written a few doom-laden pieces for organ as well, but nothing's published ... one day :rolleyes:
 

Heckelisoverrated

New member
Heckel ... no doubt that you play bassoon judging by your nom d'net. I've only heard good reports of them, interested in why you think they're over-rated?
Heckel? Bad experiences. Played 3 piece of junk ones and never liked em since. I'm more a fan of Fox and Moosmann and Leitzinger is one I'm desperate to try. But I REALLY want to try a contraforte. Contrabassooooooooooon
Thanks mates. I'll check em out.
 

Heckelisoverrated

New member
I wonder if there is a recording of an arrangement of Barber's Adagio for Strings for das pipe organ. Any links or something along those lines? any help is appreciated.
 
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