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    Frederik Magle
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    Krummhorn
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Organ birthing process ...

Corno Dolce

Admiral Honkenwheezenpooferspieler
Hi Krummhorn,

Many organs in Germany have roller-bar crescendo appurtenances. I always find them somewhat odd - maybe because I'm not used to them.

Cheers,

Corno Dolce
 

Krummhorn

Administrator
Staff member
ADMINISTRATOR
You got to play at the Vatican?!?!?!?

How on earth did you manage to pull that one off?

and I've heard tell before that they have some very very strange instruments there.

Hi NEB

I was the organist/accompanist for a RC whose adult choir decided to tour parts of Europe in 1992. We were at the Vatican for Pentecost Sunday - the Pope was out of town, so the Mass was said at the Chair Alter, and I got to play 75% of the Mass Service - Jim Goettsche was (and still is) the basilica organist there and was a delight to work with. Our choir sang the Mozart Coronation Mass for the 'prelude'.

As I played the postlude about 200 people had gathered around the console as I played the Fantasia in F Major (Komm heiliger)of Bach. There were about 8,000 people attending that service I found out later on. That and having had the opportunity to play the Mormon Tabernacle Organ were the two greatest highlights in my organists career. Every year at Pentecost, I view again the video tape of that Pentecost Mass.

The Vatican organ built by Tamburini has 102 rks, and the main console has 4 manual. The organ itself is split into two somewhat equal parts on each side of the transcepts. There was no practice time allowed - it was "sit and play" with some help from an Italian speaking Msgr and what I had learned from Jim the day before.

Besides the permanent 4 manual console, they now have a portable 3 manual console that can be plugged in most anywhere on the basicila floor (even outside in St. Peter's Square) and has full control over the organs resources. There is even a tracker organ now in the Sistine Chapel.
 
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NEB

New member
Nice story Krummhorn.

Good to be able to look back and have memories like that...
 

Contratrombone64

Admiral of Fugues
Krummiest - that's a fantastic story. Was the organ nicely voiced? I never hear reports about Italian organs ... now I think about it. Kind of like naming romantic era italian composers of symphonies ...
 

Krummhorn

Administrator
Staff member
ADMINISTRATOR
Krummiest - that's a fantastic story. Was the organ nicely voiced? I never hear reports about Italian organs ... now I think about it. Kind of like naming romantic era italian composers of symphonies ...

Its tuning was absolutely perfect, and was (when I was there) properly voiced. This instrument seems to be well taken care of by its curator. Although hidden behind one of the facades, this organ even has a horizontal reed.
 
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