Our Thoughts on Three Manual Design
For several years we have had an ideal three-manual organ design in our minds. Our very well received instrument at Cumming First United Methodist Church, was the early prototype for the design, but it did not quite go the full distance, due to budget restraints.
As one reads the trade journals of late, it seems that the stoplists of many medium-sized three-manual organs are similar, yet we think there is more to a successful solution: correct selection and placement of the exact elements is critical.
The several instruments that follow all corrrectly incorporate the things we think should be in a complete, but moderately-sized three-manual organ in the 21st century.
These include:
-Two expressive divisions
-16' Open plenum on the Great with English Trumpet
-16' Closed Flute/8' Principal plenum on the Swell with Cornet, broadly scaled strings with extended-range Celeste, and French reeds
-8' Open plenum on the Choir with bright, but relatively low-pitched mixture and broad, blending color reed.
-8' Harmonic Flute as one of four 8' flue stops on the Great
-8' Solo Trumpet
-32' pitch line in the Pedal
The Greats contain stops that are homed inside the Choir expression box, as noted by the (Ch.) superscript on the drawknob heads. That superscript, however, is more informational than anything, to let the organist know that the stops in question are under expression. In practice, we regard the Violone, Flute Harmonique and Trumpet ranks as being part of the Great ensemble, and they are so scaled. But putting these pipes in the Choir allows the Violone to be the tertiary 8' Principal, the Flute Harmonique to have expression and tremulant, and the Trumpet to crescendo as the Great plenum is played. The plethora of 8' tone under expression makes choral accompaniment a sheer joy.
The Cornet requires special attention. We have always believed it needs to be in the Swell, which then allows the Choir to be a real division too. But just as important, it must also include the correct elements if it is to be a good Cornet wherein the pitches lock together to produce a solid sound. These include a fully capped 8' Flute, a tapered 4' Flute of medium scale, and additional pitches above that comprised of ranks that get more and more cylindrical with progressively narrower mouths.
As our ears have matured, the tone of our organs has taken a noticeable Anglican bent. By that, we mean they sound broader and fuller; some might say darker--we prefer to say richer. And while we find screeching Mixtures a particular annoyance, our organs are still clear in tone. Each of the Mixtures throughout our organs, are set at a different pitch, none as high as they would have been 20 years ago. Brightness is achieved through voicing which blends, not through shrill pitches that test the upward limits of human hearing. And super-coupling of Mixtures is definitely not required.
Like many of your parishioners, we have come to dislike organs that anihilate the listener with sheer volume. We know that the broader the sound of the organ, the more likely the congregation will accept a grander overall volume level without complaint. Our client congregations have approved our approach by singing heartily with our instruments, the ultimate test of success.
We strongly believe that organ specifications are not something that should be blythely drawn up for the fun of it, or just to be different. We now have several instruments to the same basic stop list. They are in a variety of room sizes and seating capacities, and for clients with differing musical programs. Scaling and voicing treatments are definitely adjusted to the clients' needs.
But the literature of the instrument, as well as the requirements for accompanying, demand that certain stops be in certain positions on an organ of any given size. If you have more money in the budget, there are certain stops that are correct to add next. Failure to include the right stops on any instrument, severely limits that organ's ability to do its job.
When you have a winning combination of the right stops in the right place, that work together to do their job of accompanying congregation and choir, and playing the literature of the instrument, we think that is pretty special. You should hear what we mean!
________________________________________________________________________
As one reads the trade journals of late, it seems that the stoplists of many medium-sized three-manual organs are similar, yet we think there is more to a successful solution: correct selection and placement of the exact elements is critical.
The several instruments that follow all corrrectly incorporate the things we think should be in a complete, but moderately-sized three-manual organ in the 21st century.
These include:
-Two expressive divisions
-16' Open plenum on the Great with English Trumpet
-16' Closed Flute/8' Principal plenum on the Swell with Cornet, broadly scaled strings with extended-range Celeste, and French reeds
-8' Open plenum on the Choir with bright, but relatively low-pitched mixture and broad, blending color reed.
-8' Harmonic Flute as one of four 8' flue stops on the Great
-8' Solo Trumpet
-32' pitch line in the Pedal
The Greats contain stops that are homed inside the Choir expression box, as noted by the (Ch.) superscript on the drawknob heads. That superscript, however, is more informational than anything, to let the organist know that the stops in question are under expression. In practice, we regard the Violone, Flute Harmonique and Trumpet ranks as being part of the Great ensemble, and they are so scaled. But putting these pipes in the Choir allows the Violone to be the tertiary 8' Principal, the Flute Harmonique to have expression and tremulant, and the Trumpet to crescendo as the Great plenum is played. The plethora of 8' tone under expression makes choral accompaniment a sheer joy.
The Cornet requires special attention. We have always believed it needs to be in the Swell, which then allows the Choir to be a real division too. But just as important, it must also include the correct elements if it is to be a good Cornet wherein the pitches lock together to produce a solid sound. These include a fully capped 8' Flute, a tapered 4' Flute of medium scale, and additional pitches above that comprised of ranks that get more and more cylindrical with progressively narrower mouths.
As our ears have matured, the tone of our organs has taken a noticeable Anglican bent. By that, we mean they sound broader and fuller; some might say darker--we prefer to say richer. And while we find screeching Mixtures a particular annoyance, our organs are still clear in tone. Each of the Mixtures throughout our organs, are set at a different pitch, none as high as they would have been 20 years ago. Brightness is achieved through voicing which blends, not through shrill pitches that test the upward limits of human hearing. And super-coupling of Mixtures is definitely not required.
Like many of your parishioners, we have come to dislike organs that anihilate the listener with sheer volume. We know that the broader the sound of the organ, the more likely the congregation will accept a grander overall volume level without complaint. Our client congregations have approved our approach by singing heartily with our instruments, the ultimate test of success.
We strongly believe that organ specifications are not something that should be blythely drawn up for the fun of it, or just to be different. We now have several instruments to the same basic stop list. They are in a variety of room sizes and seating capacities, and for clients with differing musical programs. Scaling and voicing treatments are definitely adjusted to the clients' needs.
But the literature of the instrument, as well as the requirements for accompanying, demand that certain stops be in certain positions on an organ of any given size. If you have more money in the budget, there are certain stops that are correct to add next. Failure to include the right stops on any instrument, severely limits that organ's ability to do its job.
When you have a winning combination of the right stops in the right place, that work together to do their job of accompanying congregation and choir, and playing the literature of the instrument, we think that is pretty special. You should hear what we mean!
________________________________________________________________________
