Can you really hear those 64' tones?

[giovannimusica]

Hi Matt,

The Cavaille-Coll organ in Orleans Cathedral in France has a 32' resultant reed.

It is composed of a 16' Bombarde plus a 10-2/3 Bombarde Quinte. Quite an unusual installation but does give an approximation of a 32' Bombarde Reed. Of course, it doesn't hold a candle to the roar of the 32' full length reed at St. Ouen in Rouen or at St. Sernin in Toulouse or at Notre-Dame in Paris. These are full-length metal pipes, not the wooden *thwackers* we hear most of the time in the States. A metal Bombarde sounds so much better than a wooden one.

Hope this info helps.

Cheers!

Giovanni

 

[Krummhorn]

Giovanni -
Was this done by Cavaille-Coll for space/cost considerations at Orleans Cathedral?

 

[giovannimusica]

Aloha Br. Lars,

A good question you pose there, dear sir. Space is not a factor in the organ loft of Orleans Cathedral. You could just about squeeze in a full length 64' reed without mitering the longest pipes. There were maybe some cost considerations involved since Cavaille-Coll was certainly not the least expensive organ-builder in his day. He strove for utmost quality in the design, build, and voicing/finishing stages.

Now, after poring over relevant literature by French and American Organographers I can feel confident in sharing that since the Orleans Cathedral organ built by Cavaille-Coll was one of his *early works*, I think he had yet to perfect the casting, assembly, voicing, and finishing of a full-length metal 32' Bombarde. That, I perceive to be a reasonable explanation as to the use of a 32' resultant reed stop.

I gladly welcome anyone who wants to correct my aforementioned assumptions about the Orleans Cathedral instrument.

Regards!

Giovanni

 

[Soubasse]

The Cavaille-Coll organ in Orleans Cathedral in France has a 32' resultant reed.

Ye Gods - one really does learn something new everyday Thanks for that info Giovanni

A metal Bombarde sounds so much better than a wooden one.

Aye too true - I remember the first time I heard a wooden Bombarde; it sounded like someone machine-gunning a leather briefcase.

 

[giovannimusica]

Hi Matt,

I like your characterization of a wood Bombarde 32'. Yes, it *thwacks* but its a dull thwack. Ya know, there are so many factors that go into the building of a reed stop. Imagine if Cavaille-Coll lived today - yes, I'm dreaming.......

Regards!

Giovanni

 

[Soubasse]

What constantly amazes me about C-C is the fact that for someone who was "just an engineer" he produced what are undeniably the most superbly musical organs in the world.

 

[giovannimusica]

Hi Soubasse,

Yes, C-C produced real *miracles* but ya know, the dirty little secret is that his instruments *found* their way into some of the world's most gloriuos acoustics - great organ + great acoustics = A Dream Come True...

Regards!

Giovanni

 

[Contratrombone64]

this link is interesting if you want to "hear" another 64 footer:

http://www.leochristopherson.com/about_the_hauptwerk_5-manual_organ.htm

 

[Piggy]

A funny thing happened on the way to thje bathroom this morning

this link is interesting if you want to "hear" another 64 footer:

http://www.leochristopherson.com/about_the_hauptwerk_5-manual_organ.htm

Waking up in our hotel room in France this morning, I reached for my BlackBerry (sad, you may think, but its great for keeping in touch with home) and I noticed an email notification from Magle that there had been a new post.


With interest I clicked on the link you gave, Mr Contratrombone, and left it to load while walking to the bathroom.

'En route', I made a mental note to mention the poor sound proofing to the hotel, as the sound of a motor bike accelerating up a hill nearby pervaded the room.

It was only while in the bathroom that I realised that the 'motor bike' had followed me there - the page had loaded quickly, and the poor BlackBerry was valiantly playing the bottom octave with the 64' drawn!

My wife slept through it all, thankfully, or else she would have accused me of blowing raspberries, no doubt!

(Just in case anyone doesn't know, u can see a BlackBerry at www.blackberry.com)

 

[Piggy]

A funny thing happened on the way to thje bathroom this morning

this link is interesting if you want to "hear" another 64 footer:

http://www.leochristopherson.com/about_the_hauptwerk_5-manual_organ.htm

Waking up in our hotel room in France this morning, I reached for my BlackBerry (sad, you may think, but its great for keeping in touch with home) and I noticed an email notification from Magle that there had been a new post.


With interest I clicked on the link you gave, Mr Contratrombone, and left it to load while walking to the bathroom.

'En route', I made a mental note to mention the poor sound proofing to the hotel, as the sound of a motor bike accelerating up a hill nearby pervaded the room.

It was only while in the bathroom that I realised that the 'motor bike' had followed me there - the page had loaded quickly, and the poor BlackBerry was valiantly playing the bottom octave with the 64' drawn!

My wife slept through it all, thankfully, or else she would have accused me of blowing raspberries, no doubt!

(Just in case anyone doesn't know, u can see a BlackBerry at www.blackberry.com)

 

[Contratrombone64]

Oh that made me laugh ... how amusing. I bought a delicious organ CD today "Jean Guillou" transcriptions with Pictures at an Exhibition (great for showing of St. Eustache's wonderful reeds and mixture) and a two console version of Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances (four hands, two feet, playing on the one organ at two consoles ...)

 

[Soubasse]

If I was in a hotel room in France with my wife, the last thing I'd be thinking about is a computer or an organ (unless I developed some unusual fetishes ... )

CT64, if you wave some money in my direction, I'll come up to Sydney and we can play the Rach at St Mary's

I remember doing the opposite, playing two organs from one console at a lovely instrument in Warwick, UK (also St Mary's). No 64' but it did have one Cavaille-Coll rank, a Voix Humaine (there were plenty of other pipes as well but they made a point of telling me about that one)

 

[Contratrombone64]

that should have read four hands and FOUR feet ... silly me

 

[Argoth]

I found this link http://www.ondamar.demon.co.uk/lists/64.htm

" As far as I am aware, the following is a complete list of all organs in the world with a 64ft. register on the pedals - almost all being acoustic/resultant stops. (Electronic registers and 'harmonics of 64ft.' mixtures are not included.)"

I was under the impression that there were only 2 such organs in the world, or is this referring to something different?

 

[Contratrombone64]

No ... two is correct ... two that have full length 64' stops (that are not resultants or acoustics).

To be honest - I'm not even happy with the sound of most resultant 32' stops I've heard ... something just not quite right. I like a fairdinkdum stop, not a fake.

 

[Piggy]

Just to save me scrolling back........

The two are, of course, Sydney Town Hall and ....er....um..........

 

[Piggy]

I like a fairdinkdum stop

Ignorant and unlearned fellow that I am, I had to search the web for an explanation of the above, not being able to recall this stop on any organ, in my limited experience, that I have ever played.

Readers outside Australasia might find the following enlightening:-


http://www.stonedcrow.com/stonedzone/ZONE3level/FAIR DINKUM.htm

 

[Krummhorn]

Thanks, Piggy, for digging up this explaination on a "Fair Dinkum". I laughed outloud reading the article.
Another article (again for those who are not of Australian descent) can be found here: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-fai3.htm :cheers:

 

[Contratrombone64]

Hope you "Septic Tanks" (and if you're not American then you're not Septic Tanks) are not messing with my slightly dodgy Australian ethnicity, eh?

 

[Contratrombone64]

And for those not used to Australian English (classy, to be honest). Fair Dinkum does not just mean true. It has a much stronger implication than just "true".

Any other Aussies here like to back me up?

For example ... if someone backs their car out of their garage and they accidently run your pet cat over and kill it. An Aussie might very well say "fair dinkum, did you get your driver's license in box of Fruit Loops!? you knuckle head"