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Bach's use of 32' stops ...

Contratrombone64

Admiral of Fugues
Have just been reading Groves' entry on Bach (it's raining and can't go out and cycle or walk, most vexing). Anyhow, and I quote:

... but until Bach's appointment as Konzertmeister its direction was in other hands, while the position of Kapellmeister, which he coveted, was not offered him in 1716 when it was vacant. His most responsible duty at the outset was organist of the castle church, whose instrument, inconveniently placed and small, possessed a 32-foot pedal, whose absence Bach had regretted at Mühlhausen. On it were hear for the first time most of the masterpieces whose production makes the Weimar years an epoch in the history of organ music: the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, the Vivaldi concertos; most of the mature preludes and fugues, the toccatas; the Orgelbüchlein; and others.

If anyone knows which "castle church" is referred here ... I'd love to see a photo.

So there you go ... if you wanna use that wonderful 32' stop on your local organ playing Bach ... you are vindicated.
 

Contratrombone64

Admiral of Fugues
corno - thanks for your help. And, judging by the "inconveniently placed" comment, this picture on the link you provided seems to fit the bill.
 

PraeludiumUndFuge

New member
This does not directly answer your question but i believe Bach played mostly on the famous Silbermann organs which consequently lacked a 32ft stop (except for the one in the Freiberg Cathedral).
 

acc

Member
I wouldn't portray 32' stops in Bach's time as being as exceptional as that. There are two other Silbermanns with a 32': the Petrikirche in Freiberg and the Hofkirche in Dresden. And if I am not mistaken, the organ of the Frauenkirche in Dresden (which was destroyed in 1945) also had a 32' stop in its original specification.

Bach also knew and appreciated organs built by other people than Silbermann; in particular, he knew the Trost organs in Altenburg and Waltershausen, and the Hildebrandt organ in Naumburg, all of which have a 32' reed stop.
 

PraeludiumUndFuge

New member
You might be right on that. I've heard little on the matter. What my organ teacher told me was the 32ft stop is relatively rare in the North German organs. I've never had the chance to try a 32ft stop myself. Can't say i'm not eager to play on one.
 

acc

Member
Yes, but the North German tradition is quite a different one. In those times, Germany was hardly "one", be it politically or artistically, so I think it's more sensible to think in more regional terms: the North (Schnitger), the South (Gabler, Riepp), and the East (Silbermann, Hildebrandt, Trost). Bach spent his whole life in the East (except for his well known visit to Buxtehude in Lübeck), so I think it's reasonable to assume that the latter's organ tradition is more representative of his style.

Of course, that is not to say that a 32' stop is necessary to play Bach - but the original posting in this thread suggests that whenever Bach did have a 32' at his disposal, he would have used it.
 
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