• 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

Wonderful Organs I have heard or played

mistletoe

New member
My earliest memory of organ sound – probably in my home city – is of the English Cathedral organ. That grandeur of the pedal line grinding away and shaking the building has an irresistible thrill. The disco effect that ripples in your stomach.

That sort of effect turns up in those wonderful French reeds, which have such an extraordinary swagger and bite. My favourite is St.-Sulpice, where one has the wonderful realization that this is the same sound that Widor and Dupré heard as they composed. The Cavaillé-Coll flutes, of course are wonderful, and in music like the slow movement of the Symphonie Gothique the effect is stirring indeed.

Very often it is the flutes one admires so much in Arp Schnitger’s instruments. I had the good fortune to attend a course led by Harald Vogel (just a bit of name-dropping as we go) in 1991. The clarity and force of the Schnitger organs was impressive, but it was more recently that I found my favourite in the Martinikerk, Groningen. This instrument had become unplayable, and it is now marvellously restored, as is another one (out of the five that Groningen posseses) in the Aa-Kerk. This has a slightly romantic sound as a result of later rebuilds, and it would be sad not to be attracted to it. It is an example of restoring as much of the original as possible, while retaining the excellent work of later generations.

My absolute favourite organs are those by Gottfried Silbermann. Many of these have been retained almost unaltered. Like the Schnitger instruments, they combine forcefulness with singing. This is noticeable in the small organ in Nassau, the perfect village organ - to my mind. It has 21 stops on two manuals in a tiny church, and sounds very loud at the console! Of Silbermann’s large organs, I prefer the Hofkirche instrument.
 
Top