jhnbrbr
New member
Hello. My name's John. I like lots of different music, but classical in particular, and I've also been a keen amateur organist since the age of 14 when I was persuaded to "have a go" at our local church when the proper organist failed to turn up. It was a Victorian 2-manual pipe organ with flat and parallel pedalboard. I was immediately hooked on organs, and I continued playing that instrument for many years afterwards.
In1985 I bought (for £450) a 2 manual and pedal reed organ as a home practice instrument. It must be at least 80 years old but it has performed with incredible reliability to the present day, and given me countless hours of pleasure. It has electric blowing (electric sucking to be precise!) and seven ranks of reeds 2 x 16', 3 x 8' and 2 x 4'. Quite a powerful sound, and great for annoying the neighbours! It has its limitations tonally though (the people who wrote the stop labels for harmoniums and American organs employed a great deal of poetic licence!).
In the past few weeks I've been introduced to the concept of the "virtual organ" . I'm really excited by this idea and intend to explore it farther, and hopefully learn from others on this forum. I like the idea that it might be possible to put together a really impressive organ for a few hundred pounds, rather than a few thousand, and I'm on the lookout for components and ideas to assemble a MIDI console, of which the pedal board will probably be the most challenging part.
I like listening to all sorts, not just organ, and (predictably) I regard J.S.Bach as the god of music, but I have a very special relationship with Cesar Franck, who might be called the Marmite of music since you either love him or hate him, and those of us who love him seem to be quite a small minority! There's so much more to him than "Panis Angelicus" - eg the symphonic poem for orchestra and chorus "Psyche" - pure gold! For additional (free) musical ecstacy I log onto Daily Motion to hear Helene Grimaud ("wolf girl" I call her) playing Busoni's transcription of Bach's famous chaconne, or the Belgian singer Maurane singing "Sur un Prelude de Bach" - a song constructed (like Gounod's Ave Maria) on the first Prelude from the Well Tempered Clavier.
Sorry! I've gone on a bit! Not a good start!
Best wishes,
John.
In1985 I bought (for £450) a 2 manual and pedal reed organ as a home practice instrument. It must be at least 80 years old but it has performed with incredible reliability to the present day, and given me countless hours of pleasure. It has electric blowing (electric sucking to be precise!) and seven ranks of reeds 2 x 16', 3 x 8' and 2 x 4'. Quite a powerful sound, and great for annoying the neighbours! It has its limitations tonally though (the people who wrote the stop labels for harmoniums and American organs employed a great deal of poetic licence!).
In the past few weeks I've been introduced to the concept of the "virtual organ" . I'm really excited by this idea and intend to explore it farther, and hopefully learn from others on this forum. I like the idea that it might be possible to put together a really impressive organ for a few hundred pounds, rather than a few thousand, and I'm on the lookout for components and ideas to assemble a MIDI console, of which the pedal board will probably be the most challenging part.
I like listening to all sorts, not just organ, and (predictably) I regard J.S.Bach as the god of music, but I have a very special relationship with Cesar Franck, who might be called the Marmite of music since you either love him or hate him, and those of us who love him seem to be quite a small minority! There's so much more to him than "Panis Angelicus" - eg the symphonic poem for orchestra and chorus "Psyche" - pure gold! For additional (free) musical ecstacy I log onto Daily Motion to hear Helene Grimaud ("wolf girl" I call her) playing Busoni's transcription of Bach's famous chaconne, or the Belgian singer Maurane singing "Sur un Prelude de Bach" - a song constructed (like Gounod's Ave Maria) on the first Prelude from the Well Tempered Clavier.
Sorry! I've gone on a bit! Not a good start!
Best wishes,
John.
