Marek Michalak
New member
Smallest and Biggest you\'ve played?
Hi people,
I was just wondering, those of you who play the organ, what's the smallest and the biggest organ you have played on? And do you have any memorable experience or funny story or whatever to tell about it?
I myself am not a schooled musician if you will, but I have had a bit of piano classes myself when I was younger and while studying in Helsinki during the last academic year I've got the opportunity to reherse on a small organ once a week. Left to myself I decided I wanted to learn playing Bach's d-minor Toccata (I have always secretely practiced that one allready during my piano times, much to the dislike of my teacher).
I succeeded eventually and managed to play it both with hands and pedals and even quite well synchronized so
A "real" organist or teacher could probably spot a long list of mistakes from technique over fingering all the way up to articulation, but for me it's more than I could wish for at the moment. A year ago I would not have even thought about that I would be able to play that piece anywhere within the next 10 or 15 years, so I'm happy.
My practice instrument was a two-manual organ made 1967 by Richard Jacoby, a swedish organ builder if I remeber correctly and supposedly there are only two of his instruments in Finland.
The following is the stop list:
Man. I:
1. Principal 8
2. Spetsflöjt 8
3. Octava 4
4. Svegel 2
5. Mixtur IV
Man II (Swell box):
6. Koppelflöjt 8
7. Kwintadena 4
8. Principal 2
9. Seskvialtera II-III
10. Scharff II
Tremulant
Pedal:
11. Subbas 16
12. Flagflöjt 8
13. Koralbas II
Couplers:
I-P
II-P
II-I
It was nice instrument, had its certain charm and some lovely sounding voices.
The thing I'll always remeber most from this instrument however will be the hard action. I found it incredibly hard to press the keys down and the first two or three weeks my fingers ached after an hour of rehersing. I very rarely used the manual couplers as this logically made the first manual even harder.
But it was my first ever organ to play on and I am glad I had this opportunity.
Shortly before leaving Finland in the end of May I arranged a visit to the organ at Turku Cathedral, which I think is the biggest organ in Finland, four manuals and 80 or 81 stops.
I was givn a brief description and presentation of the organ and was allowed to play myself too.
I messed up my playing there a bit as my nerves "let me down". Playing around noon with tourists flogging in and out and such as huge instrument under my hands I just felt too nervous and made a couple of bigger mistakes. The pedalboard, the feel of the action, different divisions on the manuals I was used to play....it was all just so different than on what I have practiced up till then.
But it was a fantastic experience at the same time to play the organ and enjoy the long echoing in the cathedral, enjoy the full pleno sound and generally just enjoy the feeling that's its me who controls the sound of all these pipes for these few minutes......
Well, these are my two cents for the openeing. I'm looking foreward to reading other peopel's experiences.
Kind regards,
Marek
Hi people,
I was just wondering, those of you who play the organ, what's the smallest and the biggest organ you have played on? And do you have any memorable experience or funny story or whatever to tell about it?
I myself am not a schooled musician if you will, but I have had a bit of piano classes myself when I was younger and while studying in Helsinki during the last academic year I've got the opportunity to reherse on a small organ once a week. Left to myself I decided I wanted to learn playing Bach's d-minor Toccata (I have always secretely practiced that one allready during my piano times, much to the dislike of my teacher).
I succeeded eventually and managed to play it both with hands and pedals and even quite well synchronized so
A "real" organist or teacher could probably spot a long list of mistakes from technique over fingering all the way up to articulation, but for me it's more than I could wish for at the moment. A year ago I would not have even thought about that I would be able to play that piece anywhere within the next 10 or 15 years, so I'm happy.
My practice instrument was a two-manual organ made 1967 by Richard Jacoby, a swedish organ builder if I remeber correctly and supposedly there are only two of his instruments in Finland.
The following is the stop list:
Man. I:
1. Principal 8
2. Spetsflöjt 8
3. Octava 4
4. Svegel 2
5. Mixtur IV
Man II (Swell box):
6. Koppelflöjt 8
7. Kwintadena 4
8. Principal 2
9. Seskvialtera II-III
10. Scharff II
Tremulant
Pedal:
11. Subbas 16
12. Flagflöjt 8
13. Koralbas II
Couplers:
I-P
II-P
II-I
It was nice instrument, had its certain charm and some lovely sounding voices.
The thing I'll always remeber most from this instrument however will be the hard action. I found it incredibly hard to press the keys down and the first two or three weeks my fingers ached after an hour of rehersing. I very rarely used the manual couplers as this logically made the first manual even harder.
But it was my first ever organ to play on and I am glad I had this opportunity.
Shortly before leaving Finland in the end of May I arranged a visit to the organ at Turku Cathedral, which I think is the biggest organ in Finland, four manuals and 80 or 81 stops.
I was givn a brief description and presentation of the organ and was allowed to play myself too.
I messed up my playing there a bit as my nerves "let me down". Playing around noon with tourists flogging in and out and such as huge instrument under my hands I just felt too nervous and made a couple of bigger mistakes. The pedalboard, the feel of the action, different divisions on the manuals I was used to play....it was all just so different than on what I have practiced up till then.
But it was a fantastic experience at the same time to play the organ and enjoy the long echoing in the cathedral, enjoy the full pleno sound and generally just enjoy the feeling that's its me who controls the sound of all these pipes for these few minutes......
Well, these are my two cents for the openeing. I'm looking foreward to reading other peopel's experiences.
Kind regards,
Marek