32' resultant

Hello!


This is my first post to this forum, and I am quite happy to have landed among such knowledgeable organists!


Can anyone tell me if there is an audible difference between the 32' resultant and a full 32'? I understand that the 32' resultant is the combination of 16' and the 10 2/3 thus producing the overtones of the 32'. Is there an audible difference then between the 'real' thing and a resultant?


Thanks so much!

Hi Piper Angel,

A well thought-through 32' Resultant can give a satisfactory effect - dependent upon the skill of the organ builder. I can attest to the efficacy of the 32' Resultant Foundation and 32' Bombarde Resultant at the Cathedral of Orleans, built by Cavaille-Coll. The 32' Principal at St. Sernin is also a Resultant. There are, disappointingly, many cases where the 32' Resultant is a complete disaster and is a real turn-off.

A Bourdon 32' does wonders for the bottom-end. A wonderful purring rumble that doesn't mask even very soft string or dulciana stop combinations on the manuals, even with the *boxes* closed. And then when you add it to a FFF upperwork, it gives a satisfying *cathedral organ* feel, especially if the church has a somewhat generous acoustic. Even in a somewhat *dead* room, it does wonders for the bottom-line. Lastly, the sought-after effect will often depend on the space that the organ is situated in and the skill of the organbuilder.

Hope this helps you to enjoy delving ever deeper into the art and science of the Czar of Instruments.

Cheers,

Giovanni :tiphat:

Thank you for the explanation Giovanni!

If I recall correctly the last large German pipe organ I played actually had a Sub Bourdon (Untersatz) and was just heavenly!!! Hmmm… the 32’ Bourdon would only have to be 16’ in actual pipe length, is this correct? Since Bourdon’s are usually only ½ length, right? So why do organ builders even bother with resultants? Another question on the Resultant, is this usually taken off one rank? Or does it require two?

Thank you so much for your help!
Piper Angel

Hello Piper Angel,

I have seen a few queer solutions for a 32' resultant during my sojourn on Earth. Very generally speaking, a 16' plus a 10-2/3 quint(I've seen them in metal and wood), Two 16' ranks where one of the ranks is *commanded* by a stoplever(Usually electronic) to speak the fifth above the note being played e.g. Bourdon 16' and Gedackt 16' or some other concatenation. There are situations where the quint is taken from the same rank. A bourdon 32' is half-length with a stopper placed inside. Of course, if you really want to get fancy get a 32' open wood - a wonderful burble emanates from it e.g St. Pauls in London and Liverpool Anglican Cathedral - in those massive spaces a 32' open wood really comes into its own - like a bloom of a mushroom cloud it billows all over the place - not the rumble of a 32' Bourdon. Sometimes the 32' open wood is built as a thundering colossus - massively built, scaled and voiced on high windpressure and maximum airflow - Watch out!!! It will then shake the rafters and rumble the floors - might even shake a human's internal organs.

It usually is cheaper to provide for a resultant - sometimes an organ builder can't fit in a real or half-length bourdon or untersatz inside the case or even outside the case. My best guesstimation is that it all comes down to how much the cost increase will be. I have played on large organs that didn't provide for a 32', real, 1/2 length or resultant. Yes, you can play *involved* repertoire without a 32'.

These days, a church or very interested individual can get a very satisfying(electric) 32' foundation or reed or even a 64' reed/diaphone from Walker Technical Company for about little over $2000.00 dollars. So, I personally don't understand the hue and cry about expensive additions to organs. I mean, a good Apple Desktop Computer with peripherals for home use will run you at least $2000.00 dollars, or for example, how much a good (used) car will cost when you factor in maintenance, fuel, insurance and repair costs. Sorry for being so long-winded in my answer. I hope my reply will help you.

Cheers,

Giovanni :tiphat:

Thank you Giovanni!!! I look forward to feeling the rumbling 32' in whatever shape and form again!

Do you happen to know, what percentage of mid-sized organs usually have a 32' - based on your experience? ...sorry for asking so many questions!

Toodles,
Piper Angel

Hi Piper Angel,

Please feel free to ask as many questions as you want - I will answer them to the best of my ability. Now, as to how many mid-sized organs, percentage wise, have a 32'??? I don't think I could honestly answer that since there are so many *variables* pertaining to instrument, acoustic space, location, builder, budget, dreams and aspirations. What is a mid-size organ? Personally, I consider a mid-size to be 50-79 stops. With that in mind, I'd venture to say that at least 75% have a 32' in the pedal.

Cheers,

Giovanni :tiphat:

Good evening Giovanni,

giovannimusica said:

Please feel free to ask as many questions as you want - I will answer them to the best of my ability.

Click to expand...

Thanks a bunch! I must say I rather like you're defnition of a mid-size organ. I'd like to have one in my own backyard!

Ok, thank you that has helped me quite a bit in my quest for 32' info!

Take care,
Piper Angel

Good evening Piper Angel,

I'm glad that I have been of help to you in your quest. You mentioned you'd like a mid-size instrument in your *backyard*? There have been some very wealthy individuals who have had mid-size pipe organs in their palatial estates. A pipe organ is the way to go but it will cost dearly, however you'll have purchased many an mid-sized electronic organ before the pipe organ will be at the end of its useful life, provided that the builder is reputable. There are a few *jokers* out there. Let me share this with you and all who read MIMF: If you are interested in studying organbuilding at a school, there is the Rieger-Kloss School of Organbuilding:

http://www.rieger-kloss.com/our_history/organ_school.html

Cheers,

Giovanni :tiphat:

Very interesting discussion here. I'll just say a few things here to point out that there are different schools of thought in organ design and organ playing. Giovanni's remarks reflect his admirable love of Cavaille-Coll instruments. I admire these kinds of instruments as well, but I also have great admiration for instruments in the German Baroque style, and also in 19th century American style, such as Hook and Hastings.

To me, a large-mid sized instrument is three manuals and has about 35-40 ranks. I consider 50 or more stops to be a large instrument, and I can be quite happy with a 2 manual instrument of about 25 ranks, if they are well chosen and nicely voiced. In my opinion, you are better served by learning to combine stops on a smaller pipe organ than using any kind of electronic organ because even in the best electronic instruments, the stops do not combine the same way as they do an a real pipe organ.

However, I do agree that there are times when an electronic 32' works ok. The lower the sound, the more successful an electronic substitute is, and if you're adding just one electronic stop, you don't have the blending problem of more electronic stops. However, that being said, I am on the conservative side with this. I think there are many organs with electronic 32's that seem ridiculous because of the size of the room they are in. A good 32' is a nice sound, but it is not in any way necessary for playing ANY repertoire I can think of. I have played lots and lots of very satisfying instruments with no 32' at all. They should be reserved for rooms large enough and instruments that would have a real one if it could be afforded.

Some resultants work very well, however I'd point out that when the quint is taken from the same rank, it is rarely successful. To make the perfect blend, the pipes must be tuned REALLY in tune, not tempered as in equal temperament. This can only be accomplished with a separate rank. To my ears, all borrowed mutation ranks sound awful. It is just not possible to make them work sucessfully because they cannot be tuned correctly.