Custom Virtual Pipe Organs
he astonishing ability of the
Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ to present realistic representations of
the many great organs of the world that have been sampled for the
system presents a unique opportunity to offer custom instruments based
on those samples. Many of the sample sets available allow reconfiguring
of the organ (the organ definition file
or ODF in Hauptwerk terms).
This enables the organ to be tailored more appropriately to
a given situation. One example of such customization might be
the scaling back of the overall number of stops to achieve a
specification
that might more plausibly be represented by pipe resources in the
particular venue.
Somewhat different considerations obtain when considering a studio
instrument on one hand, or an organ conceived for use in live
performance in a particular acoustical environment on the other. The
object of the studio organ is to give a taste of the various organ
styles in their typical environments. In the latter case it's necessary
to work for the most part within the realities of the room in question.
A large Cavaillé-Coll sampled from an acoustical setting with
five seconds or so of reverberation would not be an appropriate choice
for a well padded room seating 150 or so. The result would be
dismissed by the most non-discerning ear as no more than sham. Slightly
more than the actual ambiance of the room might be considered, but must
not be significantly more than that coloring the performance of live
voices, for example. Again, the listener's ear will dismiss the result
as being implausible. Such are some of the considerations that will go
into a successful installation.
The Westminster Organ Works team will be pleased to work with you in
developing a solution appropriate to your particular needs and
circumstances. Besides the different acoustical environments
encountered, different worship styles and traditions may favor
one approach over another. We are pleased to suggest for
your
consideration several currently available sample sets in various
styles. These
will demonstrate some of the many options open to you.
The English Parish Church Organ
Much of the church music of our
American churches has evolved and been adapted from that of the English
cathedrals and parishes. The multicultural influences that have shaped
this tradition have resulted in a school of organbuilding that, while
sometimes
considered to be rather
diffuse, tends to lend itself quite well to the realization of the
repertoire of a wide variety of cultures. In the opinion of many, no
other school of organbuilding is as adept at meeting the needs of a
practical service playing instrument.
An excellent example is the organ by James Jepson Binns in the Old
Independent Church, Haverhill, Suffolk. The light, fairly dry
acoustical ambiance of the church makes this sample set particularly
adaptable to a wide variety of situations. In addition to the original
voices of the organ a fine Trumpet en chamade by Hill, Norman and Beard
was added to the organ in a 1992 rebuild by them. The excellent sample
set by Lavender Audio has been expanded by them to include a number of
voices designed to enhance the versatility of the instrument. Among
these is a Tuba stop which can only be characterized as absolutely
spectacular!
Information on The Old Independent Church
and the Binns organ
The extended sample
set by Lavender Audio
Lavender
Audio demos of the Haverhill sample sets
YouTube
improvisation (full set)
The French Romantic Organ
It's safe to say that no other
organbuilder in history has played such a prominent role in the
development of a distinctive repertoire as Aristide Cavaillé-Coll.
César Franck, Charles Marie Widor, Louis Vierne, Marcel Dupré, Maurice
Duruflé and Olivier Messiaen represent but the tip of the iceberg of
the list of composers to have written for the fruits
of M.
Cavaillé-Coll's labors. Many other composers of this school are finding
a renewed
appreciation in modern times, and today our French colleagues continue
to compose for
these very special tone colors.
In considering the work of Cavaillé-Coll as the basis for an
installation it's imperative to keep in mind the special role that the
acoustical environment plays in the presentation of this builder's
work. It's often been said that the most important stop of an organ is
the acoustics of the room. Far be it from us to disagree. In the case
of the French romantic (and post-romantic) repertoire one must keep
firmly in mind that not only the music, but the instrument itself, has
been conceived under the influence of the very weighty acoustics of the
typical French church.
Should this approach be found to be appropriate, it's hard to imagine a
finer model than Milan Digital Audio's superb sampling of the
Cavaillé-Coll/Mutin organ in Notre Dame de Metz. This organ was
inaugurated by Widor and has been a favorite of French organists since.
The Metz organ sample set is available in an extended version offering
the more extensive registrational resources of its larger brethren.
The Milan Digital
Audio Sample Set of the Notre
Dame de Metz organ
Original and
extended specifications of the Milan Digital Audio Sample Sets
Milan Digital Audio
demos of the Metz Cavaillé-Coll sample sets
The German Baroque Organ
In much the same way that we tend
to equate organ music of the romantic era with the instruments of
Cavaillé-Coll, so, too, does mention of the baroque era evoke auditory
images of central Europe. Hardly surprising given the considerable
stature of the enormous body of repertoire gifted to us by Johann
Sebastian Bach.
A good bit of local
variation is present in these instruments as they encompass a
geographical area ranging from the edges of eastern Europe to the
French border, then northerly to Holland, North Germany and Scandinavia.
Perhaps this genre of the art of organbuilding is best epitomized by
the work of the godfather of J. S. Bach's son Carl Philip Emmanuel,
Gottfried Silbermann. A splendid example is his instrument at the
Petrikirche, Freiberg. Sample sets of this organ have been produced by
Sonus Paradisi, a Czechoslovak firm.
Some of the cautionary language vis-ŕ-vis acoustical propriety of the
previous section on the French organ needs to be applied equally to
many of the sample sets of German baroque instruments as well. Many of
these sets are well suited to home and studio use but would be
difficult to adapt to other spaces.
Additionally, it must be noted that many of these sample sets carry
extremely restrictive license terms. Private and teaching use is
generally permitted, recording frequently not. In many cases,
particularly that of Organ Art Media, installation in churches is
strictly prohibited. This policy has often been a requirement
by the various churches involved in granting permission for the
sampling of their instruments.
There follow links to a number of different sample sets, many subject
to the restrictions just cited. For brevity and clarity only the main
page is linked for this group.
Sonus Paradisi
sample set, Petrikirche, Freiberg, G. Silbermann organ
Sonus Paradisi
sample set, Prague baroque organ
Milan Digital Audio
sample set, Bovenkerk, Kampen, Hinsz organ
Milan Digital Audio
sample set, St. Georgenkirche, Rötha, G. Silbermann organ
Organ Art Media
sample set, Stadtkirche, Waltershausen, Trost organ
Other Organ Art
Media - several very interesting projects in process!
Sonus Paradisi
sample set, Grote Kerk (St. Michael), Zwolle, A. & F. C. Schnitger
organ
