Digital Organ Choice

[FelixLowe]

Frank Mills - Music box dancer (1979 Original)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N_tmH6y7ng

The song had to do with the above sweets in a TV ad in Hong Kong in 1980.

Do you know their names and flavours?

From the top row:

Toffee Deluxe, Milk Choc Block, The Purple One, Vanilla Fudge

Toffee Finger, Orange Creme, Coconut Eclair, Toffee Penny

Orange Chocolate Crunch, Green Triangle, Caramel Swirl, Strawberry Dream

There was even a song by one of the most popular pop singers in Hong Kong called Paula Tsui, who made use of Frank Mills' music in her song called The Music Box. It was released in 1980. The lyrics are about the music box: http://www.1ting.com/player/d6/player_40750.html.

 

[LastCorpseStanding]

Strange as it may sound, I've always enjoyed playing trios on various combinations of flutes, perhaps 8', 4' for the left had, and maybe 8', 2 2/3' and 2' in the right, with just a nice 8' pedal. I also use them heavily in lighter anthem accompaniments. There are three small kyries by Bach. I can't remember the numbers right now, but in my book, they follow the E flat prelude (the one with the St. Anne fugue). Those are perfect little pieces for flutes. I've also done Wachet Auf quite successfully this way, using a smaller solo reed. I need a change from the louder version everyone plays. There are a couple movements from "The Art of the Fugue" that are perfectly suited to just flutes.

An example of where I might combine flutes and principals would be Vierne's Lied, or Dale Wood "Happy Land". Also, RVW's gorgeous Rhosymedre. These all have solo aspects to them, and I only use 8' principal (usually on the Great) with the swell 8' 4'. My point was, I just don't combine the two types for hymn playing, or any time I'm using a principal chorus.

Honestly, in the Ahlborn demo, I didn't hear a great deal of difference between the first and third principals. I would suggest that both are probably American, one just a slightly more narrow scale, pusing slightly French.

If you listen to the posting I've put on YouTube (just do a search for lastcorpsestanding) you'll get a good idea about the choruses on St. George's organ. There's also a couple demos of the flutes. I'm sure, after you listen to "I Saw Three Ships", the third flute being the Great Rohrflute, you'll understand why I can't put that stop in with the principal chorus. The Great 4' is an Harmonic Flute, equally ill-suited to the task.

That "Praise my Soul" was painful. Poor legato. He obviously started too quickly and the congregation couldn't keep up. Anyway, I take a much different approach to registration for this. The first verse is Great to Mixture, coupled with full swell. Second verse swell reduced to mixture. Third verse (my book has five) take off all mixtures. Fourth verse, full swell, but box starts closed, starting with no pedals until "but while mortals..." slowly opening the box until full open for the 'Praise him" section. Last verse - load it up, and reharmonize, saving the great clarion 4' and the pedal 32' Bombarde for the last phrase. Actually, my hymn book has different harmonizations for each verse already, I just redo the last verse to something I like a bit better.

I tend to make alot of registration changes during hymns based on the text.

 

[FelixLowe]

That "Praise my Soul" was painful. Poor legato. He obviously started too quickly and the congregation couldn't keep up.

Was it poor legato, or did he do that deliberately? Was he trying to enthuse the congregation by giving them a bit of a tonal push? There was an organ instruction book (I can't remember which now), that says that when the congregation is felt to be bored and lacks enthusiasm in singing, playing non-legato is a signal to give impetus.

I think he only started it that way in the first verse and relented a little afterwards.

At the place where the Kleuker was in Causeway Bay, it happened only once when the Yale-trained organist was doing it that way on full organ (with Mixture and Cymbel!) for the First Verse of This is My Father's World. She obviously did that deliberately.

Hear this arrangement of the hymn by Diane Bish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PFEj37VHKU.

However, too much non-legato during congregational singing is considered bad manners of playing, according to that book.

 

[FelixLowe]

Strange as it may sound, I've always enjoyed playing trios on various combinations of flutes, perhaps 8', 4' for the left had, and maybe 8', 2 2/3' and 2' in the right, with just a nice 8' pedal. I also use them heavily in lighter anthem accompaniments.

Kind of High Renaissance and Reformation trio style, like the Chorale Prelude on Von Himmel hoch...: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMSE02uNM2A&feature=related by Pachelbel. So you were using the 8', 2 2/3' and 2' as if it were a reed or something. And the pedal would be for the Cantus Firmus.

 

[FelixLowe]

Honestly, in the Ahlborn demo, I didn't hear a great deal of difference between the first and third principals. I would suggest that both are probably American, one just a slightly more narrow scale, pusing slightly French.

That's exactly what I was wondering. It's because some Salicionals or Viola di Gambas are voiced like that, too, only that these string stops are softer in volume. That sounds like a string stop that they normally use for Passion. I even thought before that kind of tone was a string. It is popularly heard on Passion at the Anglican Cathedrals, where they often use it for the first verse of When I Survey The Wondrous Cross.

It seems quite incisive and may be a choice for practice organs at home because it doesn't have too much lower harmonics to sound too fat. Also, a narrow-scale stop also saves some space.

 

[FelixLowe]

Divinium Mysterium

Joshua Lindgren, Organ. Improvisation on Divinium Mysterium (Of the Father's Love Begotten) Recorded on the Thompson-Mingenback (1976 Reuter) organ, Bethany College, Presser Hall, Lindsborg, Kansas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAGZNMNrwiw&feature=fvsr

Of the Father's love begotten

Of the Father's love begotten,
ere the worlds began to be,
he is Alpha and Omega,
he the source, the ending he,
of the things that are, that have been,
and that future years shall see,
evermore and evermore!

At his word the words were framèd;
he commanded; it was done:
heaven and earth and depths of ocean
in their threefold order one;
all that grows beneath the shining
of the moon and burning sun,
evermore and evermore!

O that birth for ever blessèd,
Of the Virgin, full of grace,
whom the voices of the prophets
promised in their faithful word;
now he shines, the long expected,
first revealed his sacred face,
evermore and evermore!

O ye heights of heaven, adore him;
angel-hosts, his praises sing;
powers, dominions, bow before him,
and extol our God and King;
let no tongue on earth be silent,
every voice in concert ring,
evermore and evermore!

Thee let old men, thee let young men,
thee let boys in chorus sing;
matrons, virgins, little maidens,
with glad voices answering:
let their guileless songs re-echo,
and the heart its music bring,
evermore and evermore!

Christ, to thee with God the Father,
and, O Holy Ghost, to thee,
hymn and chant and high thanksgiving,
and unwearied praises be;
honor, glory and dominion,
and eternal victory,
evermore and evermore!

Words: Marcus Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (348-413);
trans. John Mason Neale (1818-1866), 1854;
and Henry Williams Baker (1821-1877), 1861

Music: Divinum mysterium (Corde natus) Meter: 87 87 87 7

 

[FelixLowe]

How about this registration for O Come, All Ye Faithful?

Verse 1: O come,....
Manual: Gedackt 8', Rohrflote 8', Oboe 8', Octave 4', Nasard 2 2/3', Spitzflote 2'
Pedal: Subbasse 16', Gedackt 8', Choralbass, 4'

Verse 2: True God of....
Manual: above stops + Gamba 8' and Cymbel III
Pedal: above stops + Trumpet 8'

Verse 3: Sing, Choirs of angels,....
Manual: above stops - Cymbel III, + Trumpet 8', Gamba 8' and Quint 1 1/3'
Pedal: above stops + Trumpet 8' and Fagotto 16'

Verse 4: Yea Lord,....
Manual: above stops + Gamba 8', Trumpet 8', Mixture IV and 1 1/3 Quint; + Fagotto 16' at Word of the Father,....
Pedal: same as Verse 3.

But check out this version of organ and orchestral accompaniment of the hymn in this Australian Anglican Cathedral: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuNvpZEM_O0&feature=related.

 

[FelixLowe]

Hear this Dutch hymn playing:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WBCityYODs&feature=related, where the organist imitates the Bagpipe at the beginning of the prelude for Gezang 448. I think he held a certain note(s) with the Vox Humana on the positive, and used the Great trumpet to play the melody. The result is like a Bagpipe playing. Also the beginning section is quite funky, resembling Middle Eastern/Arab music with the Shawm and the like. These people can be quite creative as they were under Spanish rule before and with that brought in the Moorish culture. That would have been from the Flanders' (Catholic Netherland) influence on organ music.

Also, seldom do we have the chance in the Anglo-American world to hear how the Sifflote 1' screams in ensemble playing because most of the organs there don't have that stop. But in this clip during the last verse, the organist must have drawn Sifflote 1' on the Great, resulting in exciting screaming.

 

[FelixLowe]

Does any one know that if the French Fourniture stops are made of flutes? Some sources say they are principals but have different arrangement of pitches at different ranks from the German arrangements. But sources say conical pipes are sometimes used for Mixture stops. The Jeux Soundfont, which I have used before, features the guy making a very flutey Fourniture III.

 

[FelixLowe]

While Willcocks' arrangement of O Come All Ye Faithful is very fine music, I have been wondering why organists have traditionally introduced the rumbling when it gets to the last verse on the part saying "O come let us adore him...." The rumbling seems now to be so naturally expected by the congregation as it has a Posaune 16' is added tritely to the pedal year in and year out every Christmas Eve. It sounds like a designated action, as you would hear it in Hong Kong, as you would from the Nine Lessons and Carols in the UK on Youtube. I wonder if it is a designated stop by Willcocks or a general Anglican practice. Why is it necessary to introduce that fiery character at that point towards the end?

Could it be due to the imagery imparted by Exodus, for example, when God appeared, he either appeared in the midst of what appeard to be burning flames or blasting like a loud trump?

 

[FelixLowe]

Hear this Dutch guy rendering Gezang 138, O Come, All Ye Faithful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypZE6nQBE1s&feature=related. Exceptional screeching right from Verse 1. Also, his organ loft has a Christmas tree, too.

 

[FelixLowe]

Frank Mills - Music box dancer (1979 Original)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N_tmH6y7ng

The song had to do with the above sweets in a TV ad in Hong Kong in 1980.

Do you know their names and flavours?

From the top row:

Toffee Deluxe, Milk Choc Block, The Purple One, Vanilla Fudge

Toffee Finger, Orange Creme, Coconut Eclair, Toffee Penny

Orange Chocolate Crunch, Green Triangle, Caramel Swirl, Strawberry Dream

There was even a song by one of the most popular pop singers in Hong Kong called Paula Tsui, who made use of Frank Mills' music in her song called The Music Box. It was released in 1980. The lyrics are about the music box: http://www.1ting.com/player/d6/player_40750.html.

I should supplement and correct the above info that those boxes were not what they were in 1980. The 1980 tin and wrappings of the sweets look like the following, and there is no guarantee that those sweets were called by the names listed above. Obviously the most recognisable Purple One, Green Triangle and Toffee Fingers are the memorable shapes, but there are shapes that that do not exist in today's mix, such as the trapezium. The most elegant cameo wraps are all gone. Obviously, the Britishness has been toned down quite a lot as the two figures, though still found on the packaging, does require looking around the box to search them out. They appear in much smaller print than the 1980 design.

 

[FelixLowe]

David German's Festive Trumpet Tune performed on Hauptwerk with samples from the organ of the Palace of Arts in Budapest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni8Pq22lauo.

 

[FelixLowe]

Sent Forth By God's Blessing - Tune: The Ash Grove​

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBkP36dBhts&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc8eiDHBcoQ&feature=related

1.
Sent forth by God's blessing,
our true faith confessing,
the people of God from this dwelling take leave.
The supper is ended.
Oh, now be extended
the fruits of this service in all who believe.
The fruit of Christ's teaching,
receptive souls reaching,
shall blossom in action for God and for all.
His grace did invite us,
his love shall unite us
to work for God's kingdom and answer his call.​

2.
With praise and thanksgiving
to God ever-living
the tasks of our everyday life we will face.
Our faith ever sharing,
in love ever caring,
embracing the children of each tribe and race.
With your feast you feed us,
with your light now lead us,
unite us as one in this life that we share.
Then may all the living
with praise and thanksgiving
give honor to Christ and his name that we bear.​

 

[FelixLowe]

Check out this rendition of organ support of congregational singing of Ash Grove married to the hymn Let All Things Now Living: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt59kxm2NTo.

The rendition is exceptionally praiseworthy for demonstrating all skills. First it was the prelude, which is terse and elegant. Secondly, the addition of stops to beautify the lines within the verse were audible, not making the effort merely "looking for stops to draw". He first had some kind of flutes, and added the Tuba and finally the Mixture. Thirdly, there is even an interlude included. The reharmonisation throughout gives a grand impression and the choruses are built firmly.

One issue arises with regards to the preparatory note at the end of the interlude, which is not sufficiently lengthened to give a preparatory signal (I don't think he gave any signal at all before rushing into Verse 2) for starting to sing Verse 2. The signal would normally be a prolonged seventh and a minim rest, if the starting note of the song is a fifth. As a matter of fact, the preparatory note should also have been applied to the prelude into the first verse.

Also, I think I would have preferred no chordal change on the word "raise" in Verse 2 because I don't quite know what the organist wanted to insinuate. There was a hint of doubt or perplexion over the nuance that overlays the word in the changed chord. I have no idea what the organist had in mind. He could have just played the original chord for better effects there. I must say he was rather uncreative on that particular occasion.

Anyway, the overall presentation is sufficiently engaging and it sounds like something either at the beginning or end of service because it starts with quite grand and flowery rendition. I think it might have been the beginning of the service.

As you can tell in the video, the organist was playing non-legato at times for obvious reasons -- as you can see why.

You can better analyse the organist's registrational word painting by following hymn text:

Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving
To God the Creator triumphantly raise,
Who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us,
Who guideth us on to the end of our days.
His banners are o’er us,
His light goes before us,
A pillar of fire shining forth in the night,
‘Til shadows have vanished and darkness is banished,
as forward we travel from light into light.

His law He enforces: the stars in their courses,
The sun in his orbit, obediently shine;
The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains,
The depths of the ocean proclaim Him divine,
We too should be voicing
our love and rejoicing,
With glad adoration a song let us raise,
‘Til all things now living unite in thanksgiving
To God in the highest, hosanna and praise.

—Katherine K. Evans

 

[FelixLowe]

Since most songs start with the tonic, the dominant or the mediant or the submediant, what are the possible preparatory notes preceding the minim rest in the case that a prelude or interlude needs to be played?

Is it true that for the songs starting with the tonic and dominant, the leading tone (the seventh) can be adopted?

And how about for songs starting with a mediant, can we say a prolonged supertonic can be used?

And for a song starting with a submediant, can we say a prolonged leading tone can be adopted as the preparatory note?

In all the above cases, can we say that by and large a Five-Seven chord can be juxtaposed with either the second or seventh on the top to create that prolonged note?

 

[LastCorpseStanding]

You are right about the 5-7 chord being held. That's certainly a good way to cue the congregation. However, have you also consider a moving cue? For instance, if you are in C+, and your song starts on E, at the end of your interlude, your prep could go G (downbeat), G octave down, C, D, E(Start song). Climb the bass up a third below (G,G,A,B,C). You slightly slow down and pause at the dominant first inversion to cue. For anything starting on the submediant, don't be afraid of the flat seven to cue. It's a natural progression that most people, while not understanding the technical aspect, just know how it works. Our brains have been trained, essentially, to expect an A after hearing a B-flat as a flat seventh. Yes, you can also use this approach to a median entry. For example, in F major, the B-flat leads to the A. In C major, the B-flat (in a tonic plus flat seven chord) still suggests the A.

You should play around with some moving cues to see if you can come up with something you like. Even try an experiment with a choir, or someone who is somewhat musical, to see if they can guess which note is to be sung after your cue. I think you'll see that they get it right most of the time. I noticed, as I improvised softly before choir rehearsals, sometimes the choir members would be able to hum the next note I was going to play before I played it, just because of the suggestive nature of the passage.

Hope this helps

 

[LastCorpseStanding]

.

Also, I think I would have preferred no chordal change on the word "raise" in Verse 2 because I don't quite know what the organist wanted to insinuate. There was a hint of doubt or perplexion over the nuance that overlays the word in the changed chord. I have no idea what the organist had in mind. He could have just played the original chord for better effects there. I must say he was rather uncreative on that particular occasion.

I agree. The chord change made no sense in the manner it was done. Had he continued with the reharmonization, following a chord structure that complimented the change, I wouldn't mind, but as it was, he just went back to the standard, and the trip back sounded awkward. It's almost as if he changed the chord, realized that there was no way to salvage it and get back in key, and just reverted regardless of the mismatch.

And yes, his cues, or lack thereof, were awful. Clearly the congregation was caught off guard at the start of Verse 2.

 

[FelixLowe]

I agree. The chord change made no sense in the manner it was done. Had he continued with the reharmonization, following a chord structure that complimented the change, I wouldn't mind, but as it was, he just went back to the standard, and the trip back sounded awkward. It's almost as if he changed the chord, realized that there was no way to salvage it and get back in key, and just reverted regardless of the mismatch.

And yes, his cues, or lack thereof, were awful. Clearly the congregation was caught off guard at the start of Verse 2.

He sort of didn't blend that chord in the rest of he had been playing, and he basically worked against the semiotics of the word "raise". That's all. That's why I said he would have sounded better if he just played the original. As you said, he could have played a progression. But all he did sounds like a sudden change in just one chord.

About the absence of any preparatory cue, I guess the task was lef to the choir at the back and the clergy to lead the singing. Obviously I don't think every one from around the world would have heard that song before. So the absence of cues didn't help at all.

I last used this song in 1983-4, and never got to sing it again thereafter. It was not in our standard hymn book, but was in the Primary 5 Music textbookm, not as a hymn, but as a very rough translation of the Welsh song. But the last time I really heard it was about 10 years ago, where Ahlborn Galanti used it for demonstrating its Holzgedackt on its old website. It played as a duo with many ascending and descending scales on the left hand. I guess Ahlborn wanted the song to demonstrate the chiff in that stop. It is mellifluous one, and it did sound quite grand on the organ when played in chords.

 

[FelixLowe]

You are right about the 5-7 chord being held. That's certainly a good way to cue the congregation. However, have you also consider a moving cue? For instance, if you are in C+, and your song starts on E, at the end of your interlude, your prep could go G (downbeat), G octave down, C, D, E(Start song). Climb the bass up a third below (G,G,A,B,C). You slightly slow down and pause at the dominant first inversion to cue. For anything starting on the submediant, don't be afraid of the flat seven to cue. It's a natural progression that most people, while not understanding the technical aspect, just know how it works. Our brains have been trained, essentially, to expect an A after hearing a B-flat as a flat seventh. Yes, you can also use this approach to a median entry. For example, in F major, the B-flat leads to the A. In C major, the B-flat (in a tonic plus flat seven chord) still suggests the A.

You should play around with some moving cues to see if you can come up with something you like. Even try an experiment with a choir, or someone who is somewhat musical, to see if they can guess which note is to be sung after your cue. I think you'll see that they get it right most of the time. I noticed, as I improvised softly before choir rehearsals, sometimes the choir members would be able to hum the next note I was going to play before I played it, just because of the suggestive nature of the passage.

Hope this helps

That was what I mean. The organist in that video playing a prelude could play freely until the last few chords which would be I guess what you termed as a moving cue. A series of chords pregressing towards the end of the prelude, each chord having a crotchet's value, would move to the prolonged one (At the place where the Kleuker, the Yale-trained organist and the other woman, a music teacher were very good at that). But the last chord has to be sufficiently lengthened to signal the imminent start after a minim rest, and then the song would start.

Also, you were saying is that if a song starts with a mediant, the last chord cueing it can feature something that has a subdominant in the soprano?