Today I was able to record the famous Veni Creator by Nicolas de Grigny using Hauptwerk Nancy sample set by Piotr Grabowski.
This suite has 5 movements: 00:00 1. Veni Creator en taille à 5 (Plein jeu) 02:34 2. Fugue à 5 05:42 3. Duo 08:58 4. Récit de Cromorne 12:41 5. Dialogue sur les grands Jeux By the way, I had to do it twice because Vidas forgot to turn off the microphone from one of the cameras and you could hear external noise. It was so frustrating that I didn't check the mic myself too. But in a way the first video served as a dress rehearsal for this one. Hope you will enjoy it! Score: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/... Thank you for your support! You get early access and I get to keep going. Buy me some coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/organduo
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In this video I'm going to show you how to master Sarabande by Louis Couperin in 8 Steps. I'm playing Velesovo organ sample set Sonus Paradisi of Hauptwerk VPO. Hope you will enjoy it!
Score: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/adagios-for-organ-sheet-music/16572019?aff_id=454957 Today I was looking for some March to start my next online recital and remembered this wonderful March pour la Ceremonie des Turcs by Jean Baptiste Lully. I love it so much not only because it is delightful and masterful music but also because it is written in minor key. You don't see minor keys in marches every day so it's twice as fun. This piece is is very famous - you can hear it performed with period instruments in a French movie Tout le matin du monde (All the Mornings in the World) with Gerard Depardieu. I used to play this march from an open score with 5 staves and French clefs but today I arranged it for the organ notation so that other organists could also play it. Hope you will enjoy it! PDF score. Basic level. 2 pages. This piece is free for Total Organist students. This Trompette stop sounds quite powerful and works perfectly for this little fugue from the Mass for the Convents by Francois Couperin. Score: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/pieces-d-orgue-sheet-music/21679600?aff_id=454957 I have played this piece using St Pons sample set by Sonus Paradisi of Hauptwerk VPO. If you like my music making, you can support me on Patreon and get free organ CD's at https://patreon.com/secretsoforganplaying Today Vidas installed Hauptwerk on his new Dell tower computer with 72 GB RAM so we've been able to test it. Without the external sound card the sound lags and I was only been able to record this short video of Couperin's Premier Kyrie. Hopefully he can install an external sound card tomorrow and we can go back to playing some of the more complicated music. Score: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/pieces-d-orgue-sheet-music/21679600?aff_id=454957 I have played this piece using St Pons sample set by Sonus Paradisi of Hauptwerk VPO. If you like my music making, you can support me on Patreon and get free organ CD's at https://patreon.com/secretsoforganplaying
This is the continuation of SOPP446.
Vidas: So anyway, let’s take a look at the remaining of the question—when to play pedals—right? Ausra: Is it necessary to add pedals? V: No. A: What do you think about it? V: No. Especially on English organs—they don’t have much pedal stops I think. A: Because I don’t think that Noel’s were intended for to be played with pedals too. V: Well maybe… A: Maybe sometimes at the end of cadences. V: When you play the Grand Jeux right? It’s actually in parenthesis. The Guilmant edition has in parenthesis, pedal sign. So whenever you have large chords, you could add, but it’s… A: It’s optional. V: It’s optional, completely optional, because sometimes the chords are not in four voices but in three voices. And if you play the pedals instead of the left hand, then what do you do with the left hand? A: Well, would you double it? V: Yeah probably double. And sometimes even one octave lower, I would think, if you need more gravity. That’s how I would do it. Fast arpeggios is a problem in this Noel, right Ausra? A: Well… V: It doesn’t start fast, because it starts with chords, but it gradually speeds up. At first in quarter notes, then in eighth notes, then in triplets, and then in sixteenth notes. A: That’s what happens in most of the these variations, especially in the baroque variations, that you start with slower note values then everything becomes quite fast. V: Mmm-hmm. A: Because of smaller note values. We can see this since the time of Sweelinck. V: Mmm-hmm. A: So basically what you actually have to do with playing piece like this [is] you have to choose your tempo wisely. So you need basically to see what can you, how fast can you play in the hardest spot of the piece and accordingly that spot you need to pick up the opening tempo. V: Mmm-hmm. I think the left hand makes big trouble with those arpeggios, and, well, you have to improve you left hand technique then. A: True. V: Maybe try our left hand training course. A: And it’s very useful to play piece like Noel on the piano. I think it might help a lot. Because obviously, it’s well suited for piano, for developing organ technique, especially in the spots like this. V: Trying to speed up the tempo is a good idea to start in very small fragments. Basically stopping every two notes, then every four notes, every eight notes—talking about the left hand. A: Yes, and the trouble with the spot like this is that some of the people would simply play it very mechanically like an etude. And I don’t think that’s right attitude. Because some of those notes in the left hand are more important than others, and you really need to find what the melody is telling you to do. Because not each of those notes is equally important. V: Mmm-hmm. A: And you need to shape it like that. V: Right. So in this Noel, John is also wondering about the registration on English organs. And the main idea is sometimes those big chords to be played with the Grand Orgue registration, and variations in two parts to be played sometimes in Cornier registration and also in Krummhorn registration. English organs don’t necessarily have those stops… A: But do they have some reeds? V: Some reeds and some Cornet sounds would be possible to find. For example, obviously if you need Cornet, you could collect flutes of 8, 4, 2, 2 2/3 and 1 3/5. That would be a Cornet. If you need a Krummhorn, but English sound would not maybe have, but maybe have Clarinet, right? A: That might work, yes. V: It depends on what you have. If you don’t have Clarinet at all, if you don’t have reeds at all, it might be the case too. Well, what to do then. What would you do? A: Well, now I’m wondering if it’s worth playing piece that if you could not reproduce registration that can warrant it. But I think that even registration of flute and principles would work nicely for this kind of music. V: Yes. Imagine playing this variation on our piano at home. Wouldn’t it be nice! It would sound nice. Even though our piano is out of tune. A: Well it would sound obviously different, but… V: Yeah, it would be a different piece. So if you are transferring to a different type of organ, it would sound differently. That’s okay I believe. A: True. Except that I’m thinking what about voicing, when you have such a fast running notes in the left hand. Because some organs are just scaled in such a way that left hand is not audible so clearly. V: True! True, true, true! They’re not suited for fast passages. So maybe use higher pitched principles—maybe 4’ principle. A: That’s what I thought about a spot like this. And again, if we are talking that fast arpeggios, you really need to lean down on the strong beats of the places like this because otherwise you might lose the control. And leaning on the strong beat might help to control yourself better. V: Excellent! So we hope this conversation was useful, not only to John but to anyone who wants to try something French for Christmas next year. And this is, this piece has some tricky passages. It’s a wise idea to start earlier. A: True. And to start learning from those hard spots. V: Exactly. Not from the beginning but from the fast running passages. Alright guys, we hope this is, this conversation will spark a new set of questions from you. We always love helping you grow, so keep sending us your feedback. And also John finishes his question by saying, ‘I hope you have a great day!’ So what are we doing today, Ausra? A: We are going to Ikea. V: Ikea, right. And we are buying there? A: A bed, but I don’t think you are going to care because of the bed. You are going because of the Swedish meatballs. V: Yes! Whenever we go to Ikea, I always imagine I would be eating Swedish meatballs. (Laughs.) I hope they will have it today. Alright, guys, this was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: I think today we also, later, after we get back, we will practice organ duets for our upcoming organ recital in Denmark this summer. So, I also hope that you can practice some organ music today. Because when you practice… V: Miracles happen!
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 446 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. And this question was sent by John. He writes: “Hi Vidas and Ausra, How are you today? Soon I would like to start learning Noel X by Daquin as we discussed a few months ago. Could you please give some guidance and teaching on these points? How to play the French trills in this piece? Please spell out exactly what notes to play. When to play pedals, and do you double the left hand in this case? How to play the fast arpeggios in the left hand accurately especially on page 4? What registration would you use on a small two manual English style organ? I hope if I start learning soon then I can have it ready by Christmas this year! I really enjoy listening to you play this piece in your Christmas Concert at St Johns I think in 2016. I have read your podcast SOPP346 which has some great advice! I hope you have a great day! Take care, God bless, John...” V: So, John starts his question by asking how are we today. How are you today, Ausra? A: I’m fine. V: What does it mean? A: It means that I am fine. V: Excellent. And how am I today? A: I don’t know. V: So ask me! A: How are you today? V: I am excellent, today. And do you know why? A: I know why, but I don’t think everybody would have to know why! V: Because, I played two concerts this week. One was on, I think, Wednesday, for a group of Canadian tourists, and I also played, yesterday evening, part of the concert together with the Finnish choir in our church. I supplied two improvisations for them. A: And you will play tomorrow in Kėdainiai. V: Yes. Kėdainiai is, basically, right in the center of Lithuania. Medium sized town, which has at least two churches, and two historical organs. And I will be playing organ improvisations as part of the opening of the exhibition of one of the most famous painters in Lithuania. Aloyzas Stasiulevičius is his name. So anyway, John is working on Noel X by Daquin, and is wondering about the French trills. Ok? What is the main feature of French trills? How do you start? From the main note, or from the upper note? A: If we are talking about trills, then you start on the upper note. If we are talking about mordents, then you start on the main note and play with the lower note. Basically, the same rules apply for French Baroque music as for J. S. Bach. I think we have talked about it a number of times, that Bach played his ornaments according to French tradition. Don’t you agree? V: Of course. Yes. Obviously. Obviously, French trills need to be played most of the time from the upper note, and in this piece, yes, we have so many French trills, and I think that we can discuss a little bit of mordents, too, because there are some mordents playing on the main note, but then adding the lower note, and coming back to the main note. So, let’s say on page 4, the first measure is the mordent on the note C. So, I wrote C-B-C with 2-1-2. Or in the second line, second system of that same page and second measure is the note E with mordent, so E-D-E, 3-2-3. You see? But there are trills, like in the third system on that page, so this means we play from the upper note. A: That’s right. V: It’s written on the note A, so we start from the note B. B-A-B-A. Probably 4 notes. A: And for a place like this, actually, you could do even a double trill, longer. That’s like in the D minor Toccata, for example, some organists play only one repercussion, but some do two repercussions. V: There is an interesting trill on the same page where both hands have to play a trill for more than two measures. A: How would you play it? Would you play it exactly rhythmically? V: No. A: I thought so. I also wouldn’t play it rhythmically, so how would you play it? V: Well, before we play the trill, I have to tell a little bit what’s happening before that trill, right? Before the trill, we have at least one measure of both hands playing in parallel thirds right here, and even a half measure before. So, in 16th notes, it’s a fast passage. Basically, it’s a diminution on the minor and major third. The left hand plays from the beginning of that measure B, and the right hand plays D. Right? So the hands move up and down in parallel thirds. And then in the next measure it lands on the same minor third, B-D. But it’s a long trill. And I’m wondering whether we should play it from the upper note or not, because the trill actually starts a half measure before: D-E-D-E-D-E-D-E A: So you have to just continue and accelerate the tempo V: Absolutely. Yes, starting from the….. A: And then of course slow down at the end of it. V: Starting from the main note, I think, in this case, A: Yes, in this case yes! V: because it’s a continuation of the same trill, which was spelled out a half measure before, and then you have to accelerate, as Ausra says, and then slow down. How would this make sense? Okay… A: But the best thing, I think, is to listen to recordings of this. V: Obviously yeah. If John listened to our rec...to my recording…. Haha, I said “to our recording,” as a duet, it would be funny. I would play the right hand and you would play the left hand! A: Yes, very tricky! V: Yeah... [This conversation continues in the next podcast episode. Stay tuned...]
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 346 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Danielle and she writes: “Dear Vidas, I purchased the Dauqin Noel score through PayPal but have not received a link to a pdf. Can you please help? I would love to learn part of it for Christmas! Thank you very much! -Danielle” V: Of course I have sent the score to her because sometimes those attachments get into the spam folder, sometimes people don’t notice them. So it’s all solved. I thought maybe we could talk a little bit about this wonderful piece and I have the score in front of me. Do you know this? Grand Jeu, et duo by Louis-Claude Daquin and I have prepared fingering and registration for three manual organ based on my performance in 2016 in our church. So let’s see how many variations does it have? A lot, five pages, right? And it starts, what do you think is happening in the first variation or the theme maybe Ausra? A: I think the theme is provided. It's an exposition. V: In how many voices? A: In two voices. V: Uh-huh. So the melody is then in soprano and bass is in the left hand but it’s in a high range. It’s like a duet of two solo treble instruments. A: Yes, that’s right. V: Umm-hmm. Interesting. A: And I remember as we talked a few days ago that French music if you would omit ornaments it would be probably boring. So I am looking at this melody and I am thinking that ornaments gives a lot to this melody. V: Exactly. And this Christmas feeling like birds, like chirping sound. A: Yes. V: OK the theme is clear, then after the theme comes Cornet de Recit and the theme was played by cromorne or clarinet and in the Cornet de Recit we have to play either with trompette or cornet, right Ausra? A: That’s right. V: And how many voices do you see here? A: Also two. V: Also two, right and what’s happening? Is it different from the theme or not necessarily? A: Well, it’s a little bit different but… V: Adding maybe more eighth notes. A: True. V: And those eighth notes are inegales. What is Notes Inegales? A: Well it’s a French tradition when it’s written even notes that are written are played uneven. V: A little bit… A: Dotted. You need to dot them a little bit. V: Maybe like triplets. Maybe like instead of two equal eighth notes sometimes you play as you say dotted notes but sometimes you make gentle swing like make the first note longer and the second note shorter. A: Yes but of course you need to do it differently because in French tradition if they would want you to play those eighth notes equally they would note it. V: Notate. A: Notate it, yes. V: It’s like in jazz, sometimes you have to swing in order to provide stylistically appropriate performance even though it’s written equally you play unequally. A: True. And if you would think about that famous Charpentier’s Te Deum that is used for Eurovision’s radio for example as a calling signal they play it so nicely with dotted rhythms but if you would take Lithuanian version of Charpentier interpretation they play it so equally it just sounds so boring. V: Right. A: I cannot listen to it. V: And I also sometimes play with one famous saxophone player who likes to play this piece with the organ and he always plays equally and you cannot teach these things. A: I just think you need to learn things to find how other cultures treats similar things and if you are playing French music then you need to play it accordingly. V: Umm-hmm. So after that, after this Cornet de Recit comes Grand Jeu. Oh, what’s Grand Jeu Ausra? A: The big sound of the organ because it would be played with the reeds. V: Reeds, cornets, and flutes probably. A: So it would be quite a big sound. V: You could even add optional pedal sometimes. A: That’s right. V: But I didn’t. I didn’t use the pedal at all. A: Well I think that most of these were not intended to be played on the pedalboard so you don’t have to add it if you don’t want. V: So these are big chords, three notes in the right hand and one note in the left hand, it’s just like keyboard harmony exercise. Nice. What comes next Ausra in Cornet de Recit second double? A: Oh this is what often happens in variation set, if we have like doublettes before, not we have triplets. V: Uh-huh. A: So this sort of variation adds more validity to set of variations because things seems faster now because you have three notes instead of two notes. V: More energetic. And those two voices that we see are played on separate manuals. Cornet is in right hand and cromorne is in the left hand. A: That is what is so fascinating about French music that you always have those dialogs between hands. V: Does it seem difficult for you this variation? A: Not so much yet. V: But then… A: But then yes, look at that long trill and then in the next variation the sixteenth notes comes. So we have now duplets, we went to triplets, and now we have sixteenth notes so the energy is building up. V: So you have to choose a tempo wisely at the beginning. A: Sure, this is the thing about that piece which is so made out of so many segments. You have to look at the most difficult spot where the smallest note values are and then you pick up the opening tempo according to the hardest variation. V: Umm-hmm. And I’m looking at this disposition of voices and figuration and it’s just like Johann Pachelbel would write. A: Yes, it’s similar. V: He also would start his chorale variations with chords, then with eighth notes, then with triplets, then with sixteenth notes. A: And I think it’s common not only for him only in this setting I think it’s in general how the things are made, even in Sweelinck’s music. V: Right. You start slow and speed up. And what’s at the end, Grand Jeu, we already had Grand Jeu, right? A: But here we have more voices than in that Grand Jeu I believe. V: And what’s happening in the last page of the third line here? A: The echoes? V: Yes, and even towards the end even more echoes. Between Grand Jeu, Recit, and Echo. Three manuals I believe are involved or two manuals. A: I think echoes is one of the nicest things in organ in general especially if it’s in a big church with large acoustics then it works extremely nice. V: Maybe I was wrong, actually it’s three manuals. Grand Jeu, then Cornet, and Cornet de Echo. You have to close the box or play cornet on a distant manual. Grand Jeu, Cornet, Echo you see. A: So if you have a three manual organ use all three of them in such a spot. If you have only two manuals but one has a swell box then for the softest manual you can play on the same swell manual with the box closed. V: Umm-hmm. So this is a very nice piece. A: Especially now when the season is getting close. V: And there is still time to practice and learn it. At least some parts of it. You don’t have to play entire setting if you are not advanced with your technique. A: And if you are willing to learn the whole set then start learning from the end probably because those three last variations are the hardest ones. V: And obviously check out our score with fingering and registration provided because this will save you many, many hours I think. A: True. V: Thank you guys, this was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow and remember when you practice… A: Miracles happen.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 337 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Barbara, and she writes: Dear Vidas and Ausra, Thank you so much for your wisdom and advice! I have De Grigny's Premier Livre, but haven't learned any of the pieces. If you have a recommendation on where to start, I'd be happy to take it. I love Dandrieu (know a couple of his Noels), and will use your fingerings for Couperin. First, I'll learn how to interpret all the ornament markings -- and read about the composers, so I know who they are. My practice organ is electronic (not as thrilling as real pipes), but I can get pairs of reedy sounds for conversations among the voices. This will be fun! I'll see what I can find in the way of exercise classes, too. Love walking. Will work on taking breaks and breathing (one of my singer friends is helping me learn how to sing/breathe better, too). Many thanks, Barbara p.s. I sat in on an Olivier Latry master class two summers ago at the AGO/RCCO convention in Montreal. He recommended that one student study Chopin -- for touch, phrasing, breathing, rubato. It was unexpected and memorable! V: So, Ausra, Barbara loves De Grigny and walking. Do you like walking? A: Yes, I like it. V: And De Grigny, too! A: Yes, I like De Grigny, too. V: You have two things in common, at least, with Barbara. A: Sure. V: That’s nice. A: But, you too like De Grigny and like walking. V: He’s called the French Bach, right? A: Yes, because his music is probably the most polyphonic out of French Classical repertoire. V: What was the last piece by De Grigny that you played? Do you remember? For me, it was, I think, Verbum Supernum. A: I also have played Verbum Supernum, and I also played Veni Creator, which is my favorite piece. So, if Barbara decides to do only one piece from that book, I would recommend her to do Veni Creator. It’s the nicest, for me. But of course, when you are picking up a piece to play, you have to look for what kind of occasion you will perform it. V: Right, because these were liturgical pieces at the time. A: True. So, for example, of course I did these both, actually, in a concert, but as an alternatim. Remember in Šiauliai, where you and three other guys sang and I played these two. V: Yes! Very nice! We were like Schola Cantorum. A: Yes. But in general, Veni Creator was actually very good for Pentecost, and of course for a wedding, too. V: Right. For the first movement, especially, and the last one, if you’re tired of Mendelssohn and Wagner, A: Yes, you could do these two movements from Veni Creator for a wedding, at the beginning and at the end. V: You know, a lot of people sometimes complain about the popularity of those famous wedding marches, and they want something fresh. So, then the organists have to either improvise or find any other suitable marches or processionals. So, Veni Creator, I think, it’s called Kyrie en Taille, right? Because, the chorale tune is in the tenor voice. A: That’s right. V: Played with the trumpet stop in the pedals, 8’ level. It’s quite suitable, because in the hands you have the Plein Jeu sound, which is Principle Chorus, so to say, and it’s very refreshing after hearing Wagner’s March for so many times. A: True, plus if you look deeper in a liturgical way of Veni Creator, Veni Creator means Come Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost. And, at least in Catholic churches, when you have a wedding ceremony, one of the most important songs, hymns, sung at a wedding is the hymn to the Holy Ghost. V: Right, and it is sung right at the beginning of the ceremony, after the opening processional. A: Sure, because it is believed that it’s not the priest who gives the sacrament to a couple, but God Himself gives that sacrament, and in order to do that, the Holy Ghost has to come down and to do it. So, if you think of it in such a way, it’s very meaningful. V: And De Grigny starts in the mode of F Mixolydian, I believe, two flats, and ends on the note F, and if you sing this Veni Creator yourself in your own language, perhaps, to start on the note F is quite convenient! A: Yes, it’s very convenient, I would say. V: The highest note is, I think D. So, everybody can sing D. I think. A: Sure. V: Nice. We are a little bit off track, because Barbara asks for recommendations where to start playing French music, Classical, French Classical repertoire. Do you think that Dandrieu Noëls are easier than De Grigny’s? A: Well, I think they are a little bit easier because of the texture, but in terms of the ornaments, all French Noels are so highly ornamented, that in that sense, it won’t be easier. What do you think? V: For Barbara and others who are interested in Ornament interpretations, please look at the table given by D'Anglebert, I think. It was copied by Johann Sebastian Bach, and some things were added to it, but basically, Bach used the French table of ornaments, especially later in life. So, if you know how to interpret French ornaments, you will know how to interpret Bach, too! A: Sure. Do you really think that the organist has to play all of those ornaments that are written in, or not necessarily? V: I believe even more, maybe, because French music is… it generally lacks the interest of polyphonic writing. It’s more interesting in a harmonic way—a more interesting chordal progressions, more interesting modulations, but the German way of writing, not touching Johann Sebastian Bach here, but people who came before him—let’s say Buxtehude or Pachelbel, for example, or others, they tend to write more polyphonically-oriented textures. Don’t you agree, Ausra? A: Sure. V: And, therefore this kind of texture is more suited for linear thinking in organ playing, and with Baroque organs, it sounds more interesting, even if played without ornaments. If you play French music without ornaments and it lacks polyphonic interest, there is something really deeply missing, I think. A: Yes, it might sound dull. V: You need also colorful French stops, probably a French type of temperament, and lots and lots of ornaments. It doesn’t really hurt. Well, you will see when too much is too much, but it’s fun adding them. A: But, of course, I think Dandrieu would be easier in the beginning comparing to De Grigny. V: Especially, not all of his variations on Noëls are very virtuosic. The ending is very virtuosic, but the beginnings are generally very simple. A: Do you think it would be suitable to play, let’s say, a few of those variations, not an entire setting? V: Definitely! I think Dandrieu devised his sets of variations on purpose, so that you could stop whenever you feel like it, and liturgically speaking, it’s also nice, because you never know when you are supposed to stop in liturgy, although I don’t think his music was played not in the mass itself. Maybe it was played after the mass during Christmas time. I’m not sure, I have to check. But, today, maybe it would be too light, too joyful, too entertaining to be played in offertory, let’s say, or communion. A: But, because it’s Christmas time, then maybe it’s ok, I think. V: Oh, yeah, right. It’s a special occasion. Yeah! Experiment with your congregation and see how it reacts—how people are responding. One note about practicing on an electronic keyboard, of course, it’s not as thrilling as it might be with real pipes and real touch. Aren’t you happy, Ausra, that we have just two stops, but a real organ? A: Yes, I am happy. Definitely! V: When we first came back from the States to Lithuania, we were looking for many options, which kind of keyboard to buy, and there were some options for electronic keyboard, maybe digital organ, but we said it’s better to have a real thing with two sets of pipes than maybe artificially sounding three manual instrument or two manual instrument with 30 stops for the same price, of course. A: That’s right. V: But that’s us! We are kind of used to the real sounds. Other people might have different experiences. A: But of course, when you have a mechanical organ, you are sort of bound to that particular place, because it wouldn’t be very easy to take it away and put it in some other place. V: Too move it! A: Yes, to move it. Yes, because it really would take time and money to do it. But with an electronic organ, I think it’s easier. V: Mhm! And she writes that she loves walking and breathing, right? I also love walking and I’m going to walk today a lot. Yesterday, I walked not that much, because I drove your car to the shop to change the oil. A: So now you have to tell the story to everybody? V: It’s not something I have to hide. A: Well… V: But now, your car is prepared for the Winter. A: That’s right. Thank you. V: Ok, thank you guys for listening. Please keep sending your wonderful questions; we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen. Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start Episode 182, of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. This question was sent by Robert. He writes: Hello from America (Illinois). My name is Robert and I am learning Clerambault - Basse et Dessus de Trompette. I am using Trumpet for the Basse (Swell) and a Cornet for the Dessus (Choir) against Soft Stops on the Great. A few questions: How fast do you play this? I listened to a few recordings and it was sometimes played so fast that it was un-musical. At the end, it has a marking "Ensemble" what does this mean? Do you couple the Swell and Choir to the Great and finish with both hands on The Great? Or, are there other options? Thanks so much for your work. Robert V: Excellent. So this was a question about Clerambault. We’re looking now at the score, and this piece is from the first Organ Book by Clerambault, 1st Suite, and it’s called Basse et Dessus de Trompette ou de Cornet Separe (forgive my French) En Dialogue, basically in dialogue. So what does it mean, Ausra, in dialogue? A: It means that the trumpet is dialoguing, with the cornet. V: Right. Sometimes solo is for the left hand of the trumpet, sometimes the right hand plays with the cornier. A: Yes. Actually it’s very common, you know, writing style in French. V: Mmm, hmm. A: This type of composition when you have the dialogue between two reeds played on two different manuals. V: But not reed because cornet is, A: Yes, yes, but, but, V: It reminds of reed. A: It reminds of the reeds. Yes, cornier is a combination of principle stops. V: Or Flutes. A: Or Flutes of various pitch. V: Which ones? 8’ A: 8’, 4’, V: 4’, A: 2’ V: 3’ first, a fifth, right? A: Yes. V: Then, A: 2 & 2/3 V: And then, 2’ as you say, and then a tierce. A: That’s right. V: So five ranks—cornet. A: And sometimes you have to, you know, just add a single stop because you have a cornier already in your organ. But sometimes if you don’t have a cornet stop, you have to, make it from different stops. V: Right. So in your case, if you have an organ with cornier stop, you can easily use it, right? But if you don’t you can combine different flutes. A: Yes. V: Make it from the flute combination. V: Here the meter is 6/8, right? And the moving, the main, uh, unit of smallest rhythmical value is 16th note. A: 16th note. V: So it’s quite a lively piece. A: Yes. But you know as Robert said, where he listened to some recordings that played very fast and he didn’t like it, so I don’t think it should be so fast that you could not hear what is going on. You still has to be able to control things, and to hear what you are doing. I would think that, you know, tempo mark Gayement is not only the indication of a fast tempo but it’s more like a character mark. So as long, you know, as you playing it joyfully, I think it’s, it’s fine. V: It doesn’t have to be, A: Presto, V: Presto, prestissimo. A: Yes. V: Mmm, hmm. A: Of course it should it should be not a slow tempo, fast tempo, but still not, you know, sort of in a reasonable sense. V: Sometimes the trumpets, French trumpets are very very strong in the bass. And that’s why they have dialogue in the bass for the left hand in the trumpet, on the trumpet stop. But some organs from the modern day, they have more power in the treble. A: That’s true. V: Can, can we adapt, somehow to reinforce the, the bass stop? A: Well maybe you could add something to the trumpet. That’s a possibility but you need to be careful and listen how it sounds. V: Mmm, hmm. A: But also you know, talking about tempo again; you have to be able to, you know, to articulate. I think it’s very important when you are playing on the reeds, that you would keep articulating. V: Actually, yeah. That’s a good idea. It doesn’t say anything about articulation. Even though we’re looking at the score from the 19th century from the Guilmant edition. And were he was quite honest about his work and he didn’t have any, or two many unnecessary additions of his own, right? And at least he wrote them in parenthesis, with asterisks, and you can read about that. His registrations suggestions for example. You know clearly that it’s not original from Clerambault’s time but from Guilmant’s mind, right? All those manual indications are in parenthesis too. So he didn’t write legato anyway, slurs, which is nice. A: Yes. Very nice. V: Even though it was in 19th Century. We could say in Germany, like maybe beginning of the 20th Century Karl Straube would write everything with legato, right? Even though Baroque chorales, and now days if you play from that score you could think ‘oh maybe baroque composers wrote legato slurs’, right? If you are not reading carefully. A: Well, Straube allowed himself lots of things, you know. He always dictated Max Reger how he should write. And kept editing his work. V: True. So at the end of this piece, one, two three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, maybe, yeah, the last couple of lines, the last episode, is written ensemble. And Robert is asking what does it mean. It simply means, Ausra, what? A: Yes, actually, here is that spot where, you know, trumpet and cornier comes together. So don’t play those two voices on one manual. You still have to keep manuals separate. V: Do you mean that you need the three manual organ for that? For that piece? A: Well, it would be the easiest way to play it, on the three manuals. V: Unless you have an assistant who can change from flutes, soft flutes to cornier. A:Yes. V: Or to the trumpet. A: Otherwise you would have to, you know, play it on a three manual organ. V: Mmm, hmm. I don’t know if Robert has three manual or two manual instrument. A: But even if you have two manual instrument, if you have pistons, you can registrate it yourself. V: Let’s see, well yes, because every change of the C to, of the cornier to the trumpet, is marked by the cadence, by the stop of the texture, so you could at this moment press the piston. A: Yes, but that last episode, it just means that you know, you have trumpet in one hand and cornier in another hand. And you play them on different manuals. V: And since cornier was a descant stop, it wouldn’t play in the bass register. You have to play it with the right hand, basically. A: Yes, and that’s how it’s written in the score. V: Mmm, hmm. Excellent! We hope this is useful to you, guys. This is fantastic piece to learn, if you have never played Clerambault, right? A: Or any French classical music. V: Mmm, hmm. Like Couperin, De Grigny, Raison, Dumage I could keep going with the names but my French isn’t good. A: But it seems that you enjoy it. V: Yeah. I like listening to my voice. (Laughs). A: I hope our listeners too, like your voice. V: If the don’t they could just read the transcriptions. A: Yes. V: Excellent! Please send us more of your questions. We love reading about your organ practice experiences of any kind, funny, frustrating, challenging, so we could help you, right Ausra? A: Yes, that’s right. V: Okay, guys. Don’t forget to practice, now. And we’re going to play today in the church, our duets too. Because when you practice… A: Miracles happen! |
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Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing. Our Hauptwerk Setup:
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