Pipe organs vary enormously between different cultures. As well as huge differences in the sound made by the pipes, some instruments have tens of thousands of pipes and a massive echo, others have just a few hundred pipes and no echo. One of the many joys of being an organist is the ability to create very different sounds in different places.
The Father Willis organ which I normally play represents the English Romantic school of organ building. Alongside traditional sounds, it includes particularly varied tone colours drawing, in part, on orchestral sounds such as the Clarinet and Viola plus relatively modern "pure" organ sounds such as the Clarabella Flute. All this alongside beautiful, traditional organ sounds. Higher wind pressures provide a smoothness and power of sound. This type of instrument has shaped much of what I choose to play, and how I play it, over several decades.
However, in this video I'm playing a Škrabl organ with a very different sound. It's rooted in the Continental neo-classical school of organ-building. This uses lower wind pressures to create a more traditional organ tone and to make the physical touch of the keyboards more responsive to the player's touch. There's greater discipline in how the different stops and keyboards relate to each other and this is reflected in the very appearance of the organ case. Just by looking at the Škrabl organ case you know this instrument means business!
It's therefore interesting to compare the different sounds of the Škrabl and Father Willis organs. My two videos of this Carl Davis piece, played on each of these instruments, use exactly the same notes but the results are a rather different sound, particularly as the music builds up to Full Organ towards the end. These instruments are thrilling in different ways and it's wonderful to be able to experience such a contrast.
Played by Paul Broadhurst on the organ of St Michael the Archangel, Lyme Regis, UK.
Thumbnail: The magnificent console of the Lyme Regis Škrabl organ
Негізгі бет Champions film theme ("Sometimes") by Carl Davis, pipe organ cover, played on Škrabl organ
Пікірлер: 4