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Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 324 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Dieter and he writes: Good evening Ausra and Vidas. Just recently something electrical malfunctioned on our Churches organ. As a result we lost the 32' and 16' ranks in the pedals. Only 8' and 4' left. I have heard it is possible to create the illusion of say a 32' by playing two notes on a 16' in the pedals. I am not averse to playing a two note chord in the pedals, as long as it is not too complicated for hymn accompaniment, a bit like a drone. Question is which two notes? Dieter V: Which two notes, right Ausra? A: Yes, that’s right. V: Have you heard about that anywhere? A: I have heard with my one ear. V: And what did that ear tell you? A: I think from what I know I think it might be a similar effect as we have in our church at St. Johns’. That we have that historical timpani stop. There are two wooden pipes, one is slightly higher than the other and then you pull out that timpani and they both sound at the same time and reverberate with each other and this gives that effect of a drone. V: But not very low drone. A: Yes. V: What about trying to play an interval of the fifth? A: With these kind of things you need to experiment and see what really happens because I think it might differ from one church to another depending on the organ, depending on the acoustics. But you know he wrote that actually he doesn’t have 16’ anymore in the pedal too so how would he achieve? V: You’re right, only 8’ and 4’ are left. A: So I think the best solution would be to call a technician. That’s why I don’t like these electrical things because you never know what might happen and you cannot be able to fix them for yourself. Because when you have mechanical instrument somehow you will find out what is wrong with your organ. V: Even pneumatical organ you can figure out. A: Yes, but not an electrical. V: Unless you are good with electricity. A: Which we are obviously not. V: You should be really experienced with electricity just to try to fix it because if you’re not good and inexperienced you might die, right? A: So don’t do it yourself. V: Unless you really know what you are doing. Unless you take all the precautions. A: Actually I know even some professionals who actually died doing their job. V: Right. And if you don’t know what you are doing with mechanical organ the worst that could happen is that you might break things, right? A: True. V: Of course this is also nasty and maybe you could break things and nobody could repair them, right, especially if it’s a historical instrument. So you need also to know what you are doing with mechanical organs. And to tell you the truth real organ builders don’t like organists looking and figuring out in the organ themselves. They would rather you call professionals to do this and I understand them. But, sometimes technicians and organ repairmen and organ builders are so far away, and maybe you just have one tiny cipher you just need to screw one small thing and it will be fixed if you know what you are doing, right Ausra? A: Yes, that’s right. V: Maybe you don’t need the entire cavalry of organ builders working on your little cipher. A: Now, let’s go back to the question. Do you think it’s possible to make that illusion of 32’ sound with only 16’ stop? V: On Monday when I go to our church in the morning I will definitely try to play an interval of the fifth with the stop of 16’, not with 8’ obviously because if you play with 8’ that would probably be illusion of 16’ (one octave lower) or not? A: Well, I’m not quite sure if this would work. V: You know what would happen probably a very rich foundation. A: I think you would rather create illusion of 32’ with 16’ but not illusion of 16’ with 8’. V: Umm-hmm. Maybe this will only sound muddy. A: Could be. V: Uhh-huh. When you don’t have 16’ in the pedals what about 16’ in the manuals? Maybe he should have 16’ in the manuals because originally this organ had 32’ in the pedals. A: Well then the possibility would be to put the 16’ in the manual and couple it to the pedal. That way you would have 16’ in the pedal until your organ would get fixed. V: Oh, that’s right. That’s possible. A: That’s what I would do if I was in his shoes. V: But if he is only playing hymns, right, so why don’t he even to play with hands only. A: Yes, that’s a possibility too but then everything would be with 16’, soprano and alto and tenor and bass. And if you want to diversify more then actually it would be probably better to put 16’ in the pedals and to play your hands on another manual if you have at least two keyboards. V: And definitely he should have more that one keyboard with that kind of disposition. A: That’s right. V: Nice. Nice solution Ausra, I haven’t thought about that. A: Thank you. V: I hope Dieter will get help from this and other people who are struggling with this question today or in the future. A: So, and which two notes he also asks. Which two notes would you try to play in the pedal to get that illusion? You said you would do a fifth. V: Open fifth, yeah. Like C and G, D and A, E and B, F and C, G and D. A: Don’t you think another interval would fit better? V: If you’re playing C and you’re suggesting a third for example, right? A: Yes. V: Or which one, a fourth? A: C and D. (laughs.) Or C and C#. V: That would be like a drum, like a timpani. A: I know, that would be like a timpani. Well I guess you just need to experiment. V: Umm-hmm. I might be able to tell you more on Monday when I go to church. A: We will see. V: Thank you guys for sending those thoughtful questions. Sometimes we don’t always know the answers, right? But maybe your questions raise even more questions to us. A: That’s very good. We like that. V: It’s an exercise for our brain too. A: That’s right. V: To improve our memory. I keep forgetting things, Ausra. Are you forgetting things too? A: Not as much as you do. V: Are you forgetting my name, Ausra? A: No. V: Are you forgetting your name? A: No. V: Not yet. A: Not yet. V: Wait and see. If you are eating that much cheese you might forget your name too. A: I’m not eating much cheese. V: So who has eaten all that cheese from our table? A: What cheese? V: OK, that was me. Sorry guys, family investigation about the nonexistent cheese is developing but remember when you practice… A: Miracles happen. SOPP298: I am quite confused about how one should register Bach's Trio Sonata in E flat (BWV 525)10/5/2018
Vidas: Hello guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 298 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Anne, and she writes: Dear Vidas, Could you help me out a little with registration? I am quite confused about how one should register for many compositions by Bach, in particular his Trio Sonata in E flat (BWV 525). I understand that it was not common practice in his time to list out particular stops one should pull for each piece, and that it depended rather on the organist himself and the place he was in. But I don’t know where to start. If it doesn’t trouble you too much, I’d definitely appreciate your help. Regards, Anne V: So, Ausra, how could we help Anne for starters? A: That’s a very good question! Actually, a very deep question, and this question actually was discussed a lot in the past, and I think will be discussed in the future, because there are so many possibilities and so many ways how people register Bach’s Trio Sonata. Well, I remember myself as being a student at the Academy of Music in Lithuania, and I and other students often registered Trio Sonatas without a 16’ stop in the pedal, and I think that was the first mistake that we did. V: Why is that? A: Well, when thinking about Trio Sonata, I always think about Baroque ensembles. V: Like instruments—instrumental ensembles. A: Yes. Especially those string ensembles. And usually, for lowest voice, you have a low instrument. V: Like Double Bass. A: Yes. V: Or in baroque times it was called Violone. A: That’s right. Or Bassoon, too. So I think you need to have a 16’ stop in the pedal. Although, then it provides sort of a problem, because when you add 16’ in the pedal, you need to articulate and to be very precise with how you press the pedals down, because otherwise, they might drag you down. And another think that I did then that I wouldn’t do now, I used actually gap registration a lot for my hands. And by gap registration, I mean adding 8’ and 2’ stop for the right hand without 4’. Now I probably wouldn’t do that, either. V: Or 4’ and 1’ but playing one octave lower. A: Yes, that’s right. V: I think gap registration came into fashion a lot with Neo-Baroque style after the 1960s, maybe. But if we compare all treatises and performance editions from the 18th century, obviously, gap registrations were not prominent at all. One of the nice places to look is this collection of chorale preludes by Kauffmann, “Harmonische Seelenlust,” and every piece there has a registration, which is quite rare. A: That’s a very rare case that we have real compositions with real registration suggestions. V: So there, you can find all kinds of interesting elements: doubling the same pitch level stops, a lot of flue registrations, reed registrations, too. You can be quite creative then, and to our ears, that sounds quite strange. A: Yes, because I remember in my youth playing a Trio Sonata, I would never double stops. I would never use, lets say, two 8’ in one hand. V: It’s completely acceptable, I think, especially in a slow movement. A: Another good source to look at would be, probably, the book by Barbara Owen about baroque registration in general. It’s a thick book, and it’s very thorough, and you can find very good suggestions in it. V: If you were playing E♭ Major Sonata today, for example, how would you register the right hand? A: Well, probably 4’ and 2’, but it depends on the organ, truly. V: You have so many options there. If the organ is nice and each stop is so characteristic, you can build, maybe, ten versions of the same registrations. A: That’s true, but let’s say, for example, you could do, maybe, principle 8’, and then flute 4’ and 2’. Because if you would take all the three principals, that might be too loud. Or, if you don’t have principal 8’, maybe add flute 8’ and then principal 4’ and flute 2’. So, you need to experiment and to find out what suits you. Maybe you don’t want to have a 2’. Maybe it’s too high pitched for you. V: Maybe 2’ pitch is just for the third part. A: That’s right. Maybe then just use a couple of 8’ stops and one 4’. And then, for the last hand, of course, I wouldn’t put, probably, the 2’ for the left hand. I would only limit myself to 8’ and 4’. V: I like, very much, if the organ is nice, and those sounds can be quite colorful, I like to play with 8’ and 4’ stops quite often. That can be two flutes, 8’ and 4’, in both hands, but different characters. One of them can be principal either 8’ or 4’. Do you think two principals, 8’ and 4’ would sound good? A: Well, it depends on how skilled they are. They might be just fine. V: In a small organ. A: True, true. And then in the pedal, I would add 16’, 8’, would you add a 4’, too? V: No. A: Me, too. I think it would be just too much. So probably, principal 16’ and principal or flute 8’, I think should work. V: Yes. Sometimes Subbass 16’ works well. A: That’s right. V: In our Saint John’s Church organ, I can put two 16’ stops, too. That reinforces the bass. I like heavy bass sometimes. A: I know. I like it, too. And I remember that Dr. George Ritchie always...the only adjustment he would make to my registration, he sometimes omits some of my pedal stops, because I also like heavy bass. V: It’s because the bass is the foundation of harmony, and listeners should hear it quite clearly. A: True. And, because if they are thinking about larger church acoustics, if you would listen to the choir singing, the higher voice it is, the better it sounds—the louder it sounds. And, with the low voice, it’s very hard to project them in a big room with large acoustics. V: And low voices sound good when they sing softly. A: That’s right. V: What about the reeds? Would you use reeds in Trio Sonatas? A: Well, that’s also a good question for discussions. V: Nice. If you imagine Trio Ensemble playing the Sonata, maybe an oboe would play one part, A: Oboe. I think in some cases Oboe or Krummhorn would probably work quite well. Probably maybe for the right hand, then. V: What about mutations? A: Well, I don’t know. I probably wouldn’t use them. What about you? V: Maybe in one hand, it could sound colorful, like 2 2/3’ A: But you really need to listen to what mutation you have, because some of them sound quite unnatural and sort of squeaky. V: Maybe in one hand you could have 8’, 4’, and 5th (2 2/3’) and in another hand, you could have 8’, 4’, and 3rd (1 3/5’) or a high pitched 3rd (1 1/3’). Both hands would play with mutations of different pitch levels. That could work. A: What about strings? V: But that’s my second choice. With strings, I especially like them for probably a slow movement. A: Yes, for the middle movement, I think, it would work just fine. V: Because they need a slow tempo to be able to speak. A: Yes, and then for the solo in the middle movement, of course, you would have to use strings, flutes—soft stops. And then, of course, for the last movement, I would play it a little bit louder than the last movement. V: Yes, something similar, but maybe with 2’. A: That’s right. V: Or even 1’. A: Sometimes it might work. V: If the organ is nice, you can have so many colors, right? If it’s not nice, you’re limited. Sometimes, you could use just one principal: 8’ in one hand and 4’ in another hand but an octave lower. A: That’s a possibility, too, but you need to check the Diapason, if it will fit. V: Compass! A: Compass, yes. V: If the left hand part doesn’t go below tenor C, then you can play one octave lower. A: Yes, then it should work. V: You have to check. And since, I think, both upper parts are triple parts, I think that should work, playing an octave lower. A: I think, yes, in the E♭ major Sonata. V: Alright, so that’s, I think, enough to Anne for starters, to think about. A: Sure. V: Thanks, guys, for sending us these questions. Please send us more; 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 288, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Neil. He writes: Wow—it is so kind of you and Ausra to reply! I'm honored. My biggest challenges over the last six months have been pedal playing (which I basically have not done, except for harmonic pedal-point use) and registration. My wife and I keep looking for suitable organ shoes, but my feet are wide and I don't know what to buy. So far I play in my left sock for pedal-points. Or I'll play Bach's "Jesu, Joy..." with a G pedal point, and then reach down for a low C and D for the cadence back to G (may J.S. not strike me down with a lightning bolt!). But my church only seats about 200, so the pedals don't seem to be necessary. As far as registration, I have a 2 manual Allen electronic organ, and I'm getting pretty good at finding the colors that I want, but I am not able to change colors between verses of hymns, which I would like very much to do. I think you can use the piston-buttons for that, perhaps, but I haven't figured them out yet. You see, I don't have much time at all to practice on the church's organ. I work many different jobs to support my wife and children, mainly as a librarian, and I wish I had a small practice pedal with organ to play at home. I love your phrase "the miracle of practicing"—it's so true! By the way, my grandfather, who's mother was Lithuanian, lived to 103 years old. He loved America, but he used to say "America is a business country, but Poland and Lithuania were religious countries". He was a very devout and forgiving man, and when a Polish priest told him, after the war, that his brother Peter, back in Poland, was shot on the firing squad by the Nazis for being a spy, he just said "You have to forgive them". Makes me weep just to tell that story. Grandpa's name was Hendryk Kapowicz. Great guy. Thanks Vidas! Neil V: Ausra, what are your thoughts about the ending of this question about his grandfather who was Lithuanian, who has Lithuanian heritage? A: Well, that’s really amazing and that the end of his story makes me cry, want to cry. V: Right, because the history is so alive in our country. We still can remember through the ancestors those terrible days. A: And also in Poland too. And our two countries are very closely related historically. So, and Kapowicz, that could be Polish last name, but if you would add ending Kapovicius, it would be Lithuanian, just like yours—Pinkevicius. V: Right. I guess we could start discussing Neil’s situation about pedal playing, right? He’s hesitant to start playing the pedals except for pedal points. Maybe because of lack of shoes? A: Well but, you know since Neil is a man, I don’t think it’s that hard for a man to adjust shoes for the organ. For women usually it’s harder. V: Mmm-hmm. A: But, if you take any classical mans shoes, you could almost play organ with them. V: Or dance shoes. A: Yes. V: Classical dance shoes. So, of course we buy our shoes from OrganMaster shoes, but you could buy them from basically almost any other shoe store that has similar variety of shoes. A: And OrganMaster shoes, they have a variety of wideness of shoes. Not only sizes but you can buy little wide shoes. V: Narrow and wide, you can choose whatever fits your feet. A: That’s right. V: Right. It’s interesting that he plays Bach’s "Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring" with three notes in the pedal: G, C & D. A: Do you think Bach is happy about that? V: Certainly not very angry because Neil is still alive, and Bach is dead. A: (Laughs). That’s right. V: I don’t think he can punish Neil very much for that. A: Yes. Now, let’s talk a little bit about changing registration between verse of hymns. Do you think it’s very hard if you have pistons? V: Not necessarily very hard, you just have to practice a little bit, maybe five to ten times, changing the desired piston after each verse, and do it sort of rhythmically, right? Basically counting. You hold the last chord, and you mentally figure out where that next button is, and still keep counting. If you need to slow down because it was the end of the verse, and in the same rhythm, when you release, you press the next button, and you’re ready to go to the next verse. A: And Neil said that he has trouble setting the pistons. V: Aha. A: Is it hard to do? To set those combinations? V: On Allen electronic organ, and I guess on most modern electronic organs, and basically even pipe organs, if they have solid state system, it’s kind of just one system to get used to, right? On the lower left side of the first keyboard there is this Set button, and then in the middle of that keyboard there are many combination pistons, right? One, two, three, four, five or more, right? So all you have to do, is to do what, Ausra? A: To press Set, then to press the right piston number. V: While holding that,,, A: While holding that Set button too. V: Mmm-hmm. But you first have to select the desired stops. A: Of course. You select the desired stops, and then you are sure that this is a combination that you needed, you just press Set, and then the right piston number. V: Uh-huh. In the far right hand side of the lower keyboard, there is a Cancel button. If you press the Cancel button, what happens? A: All the stops will disappear. V: Right. A: They will get off. And if you will press the next combination, the next piston, well, you get the next combination. And in that case you will not have to press Cancel button. V: You mean like sequencer? A: Not necessarily. Let’s say your organ has six stops, six pistons buttons, yes? Six combinations. It means that if you will press a second button, yes, that’s all button combination set of the first button will disappear, and it will change to the second combination. V: When you’re playing too. A: Yes. V: But when you’re setting the second combination, do you need to cancel before that or not? A: Yes, of course. Unless you want just to add some stops to the first combination. V: Uh-huh. A: Or do something new, yes. V: Uh-huh. So general idea is if the next combination is rather similar to the previous one, you don’t need to cancel the first one. And if it’s contrasting, rather different, then you cancel and select the stops from scratch. That’s how it’s done on most modern solid state system organs. A: Yes. V: Mmm-hmm. Good. Then Neil writes that he doesn’t have much time to practice on the church’s organ because he has to support his wife and children working as a librarian, right? Do you think, Ausra, if there any moments in librarian’s work, where he could incorporate, at least mental practice, while looking at the score? When the readers are not asking for new books, right? A: Sure, that possible I think, but I don’t know if many people would want to mix their job with something else. V: Mmm-hmm. A: That might not be good. For example, when I teach at school I cannot think about anything else. What about you? V: Uh-huh. I don’t think it would be a big problem for me, because I would bring some, at least one score into work. And if nobody is looking, right, if nobody is looking for me, I am sort of just sitting. And what do I do when I sit? Either I scroll my phone, or search for information online, right, which is also not related to the actual job. What can I do next? I could write, right, a blog post, I could draw a comic strip, whatever, right? Because I’m must waiting. So maybe Neil could incorporate those breaks that he sits. I don’t know if he sits but if he does maybe that would be something to consider. Just mental practice, on the table, while looking at the score. A: Yes, that’s one of the possibilities. V: Mmm-hmm. A: But you know, life is so busy for everybody. That’s usually the practice is the first thing to suffer, because of course you have to do so many other things first. V: And then of course, as a librarian, maybe his job is not only sitting at the desk, waiting for books, but maybe he has to take those books manually. Maybe he as to walk around. A: Plus many librarians, we have to do catalogs all the time, and refresh them, and all other things too. V: Right. So just, I guess maybe, he has to find some other time after work, maybe early in the morning or late at night, when everybody is asleep. A: True. V: Wonderful. So we hope this was useful to you. Please continue sending us those wonderful, thoughtful questions. And we love helping you grow, right Ausra? A: Yes, that’s right. V: Answering your questions is one of our favorite activities in the day, right? A: True. V: So, this was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: And remember, when you practice,,, A: Miracles happen!
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Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start Episode 226, of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. And this question was sent by Daniel. He writes: “Vidas: In your opinion, could Jesu Meine Freude, BWV 610, be setup with a big registration, which includes reeds and mixtures?” V: So, this is a narrow question, quite Ausra? A: Yes, it’s a very narrow question. V: But we could talk a little bit about what type of pieces requires reeds and mixtures, right? A: True. V: So, first of all, I don’t think Jesu Meine Freude would work well with a big registration, because, for several reasons: We have this score in front of us. Maybe the first reason is the slow tempo, Largo. A: True. V: What do you think about it? A: Yes. Of course some Largo could work with reeds and mixture, probably not this one. Because when I have the free works, then you know, I register them as the free works. But when I have the choral-based works, I always try to look at the text—what it means. And I don’t think the meaning of choral Jesu Meine Freude, or Jesus my Joy, you know, requires reeds and mixtures. V: I agree with you Ausra. And plus, if you look at the mode, it’s another thing. It’s written in basically in C minor although in the original notation, Bach didn’t use three flats. A: That’s because that’s C dorian, so it has the six scale degree. V: And only two flats are required. A: That’s right. V: So in any case, it’s a minor mode, rather somber character. And for that reason I think, more quiet registration would work well. What do you think about Principles 8 and 4, for example? A: Yes I think that I would not go louder than the principles. Even I think it’s possible to play this choral on the flutes too. It wouldn’t hurt, but definitely not a big registration, with mixtures and reeds. Not the Organo Pleno. V: Could it be, maybe a mixture of two stops? Maybe a Gedacht and a Quintadena. A: Yes, could be. V: If your organ has Quintadena. Very soft nasal sounding stop. A: Yes. And for example with like some smaller organs, they have Principal 8. You could Principal 4, but Flute 8. V: Mmm-hmm. A: Yes, and you know, experiment with the softer stops. V: And after I wrote down suggested registration for this piece, I took a look at the recording that George Ritchie made. A: So what did he use? V: Principles 8 and 4. A: Sure. V: Somehow we’re both intuitively agree with this concept. A: True. V: So in general, Ausra, if you want to use mixtures and reeds, what kind of piece would you choose for that? A: If we are talking about J. S. Bach, I would choose, you know, his Preludes and Fugues, or you know, Passacaglia, Fantasias and Fugues, or Toccata and Fugue. V: Free works. A: Yes, free works basically. V: But not trio sonatas! A: True. Not trio sonatas, and probably not all of the choral based works also would work with Organo Pleno. Some of them yes, maybe. But not as often as free works. V: The thing about Organo Pleno and mixture sounds that are included in Organ Pleno, is that Bach frequently indicates his choice, right? A: True. V: For example; in the first choral fantasia from 18 Great Choral Preludes or the Leipzig collection. It’s called Komm, Heiliger Geist. It is written for organ, Organo Pleno. A: Yes. V: For Organo Pleno. Which means, yes, you need full principle chorus, and probably 16’ reed in the pedals too, emphasize the Cantus Firmus in the bass. If you have a 32’ stop, it wouldn’t hurt there too. A: True. True. V: Because it moves in slower note motions. A: True. V: Excellent! So in other cases, let’s say you’re playing In Dir ist Freude, BWV 615 from Orgelbuchlein. Would that be nice with mixtures? A: Well, yes, I think it would suit the character of that particular choral. V: And it’s different, right, from Jesu Meine Freude. A: Yes, it’s very different in character. V: And mode is joyful, the rhythm is repetitive, and the tempo is quick. A: True. Or you know Herr Christ, der einge Gottes-Sohn, BWV 601 from Orgelbuchlein, I think it would also work nicely with the mixtures. It’s also has a joyful pattern, you know, of trust, fast tempo. V: Mmm. Yeah, so Orgelbuchlein collection there are a number of those pieces suitable for playing with Organo Pleno. A: Yes, but not so many longer chorals. Not so many, you know, light chorals, or other. V: Mmm-hmm. So the main idea basically is to look at the character, A: True. V: At the tempo, A: True. V: And the text. Right? A: That’s right. V: Excellent! What about the soft registrations? What are the type of things you have to look for? A: Well, you need to look if the choral or the piece is written or manual or pedals, or two different manuals and pedals, and that makes a big difference, you know, if you have a solo voice in one of your hands, then you need to register it on the separate manual. And sometimes you could use reeds for a solo voice or you know, other suitable stops would be, probably Cornier, or you could do you know, combination of various stops. Maybe Quintadena as you mentioned before, work nicely too, sometimes. V: We don’t have a Quintadena in our church, so I haven’t used it for quite a while. The last time I used Quintadena, was probably in Sweden, in Stockholm. A: True. V: St Gertrude’s church. A: True. V: On the Duben Organ, a modern-day replica of the organ from the 17th century. A: Yes. V: What is the last piece that you played with mixtures, Ausra? A: Well, good question. Probably E Flat Major, Prelude and Fugue, BWV 552 by J. S. Bach. V: Mmm-hmm. So it fits the idea very well. Free work and it’s even written I think for Organo Pleno. A: Yes. Although you do some softer stops in the prelude, that Bach indicates himself. But you also use the Pleno but on the other, you know, manual. V: Exactly. So maybe the second level of Pleno would be less thick without 16’ in the manual. Sometimes even without the mixture you could, if the mixture is too fierce and too harsh. My piece that I recently played with mixtures is probably, I think, one of the free works too. Mmm-hmm. That could be B minor Prelude and Fugue, BWV 544. A: Yes. It’s very sad piece I would say, tragic piece. Don’t you think so? V: It is tragic piece, exactly. A: It has all of dramatic descending lines all the time, you know, throughout the Prelude. And I think that the theme of that fugue, it has sort of like sign of cross. V: I think I first learned this piece at the Lithuanian Musical Academy. A: Had you played it? I don’t recall it. I played it, at the academy. V: With Gediminas Kviklys. A: So it was much later, yes. V: In our masters degree program. And only yesterday I understood why I played this piece. Because Gediminas Kviklys himself loved this piece and plays it all the time. A: True. V: Wonderful, guys. So please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And we hope that this question was useful to you. This was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: And remember; when you practice… A: Miracles happen! Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start Episode 206, of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. This question was sent by Alison. And she writes: Hi Vidas, I enjoying reading your blog and would appreciate some advice on repertoire using the mutation stops. I am to give a recital on an organ which has 3 mutation stops and would like to demonstrate all 3 during the recital. I have looked out a Cornet Voluntary by John Stanley and a tierce en taille by Michel Corrette, but perhaps you could suggest some other repertoire I could play? Here is the full specification of the organ: Department and Stop list Pedal Key action Suspended Stop action Me Compass-low Compass-high Keys 1 Sub Bass 16 RDH Bourdon Manual I Key action Suspended Stop action Me Compass-low Compass-high Keys 2 Principal 8 3 Stopped Diapason 8 4 Octave 4 5 Fifteenth 2 6 Nineteenth 1 1/3 7 Twentysecond 1 Manual II Key action Suspended Stop action Me Compass-low Compass-high Keys 8 Gedackt 8 9 Chimney Flute 4 10 Nazard 2 2/3 11 Flute 2 12 Tierce 1 3/5 Console Console type attached Stop type drawstop Pedalboard radiating concave Naturals black, sharps black/white; couplers by hitch down pedal; Couplers Manual II to Manual I Manual II to Pedal Manual I to Pedal I hope you will use this question in your blog. Best wishes, Alison V: Basically, you can find the specification in the description of this conversation as a text. But we could also summarize, right? In the pedal, if it has only one stop, SubBass 16’, in the first manual, if it has Principle 8’, Stop Diapason 8’, Octave 4’, 15 2’, 19 1 1/3’, so that’s the mutation. And then 22nd one foot. And then on the second manual, Gedacht 8’, Chimney Flute 4’, Nazard 2 2/3’, Flute 2’ and Tierce 1 3/5’. Basically on the second manual it has two mutations—a fifth sound and a Tierce sound. And in the manual one he has a high pitched fifth; 1 1/3, right? A: Yes, that’s right. V: So the most common mutations, I would say. A: Yes, yes. V: And if he has suspended key action, which means the keys should be depressed quite lightly, in Italian fashion, I believe, according to this specification. A: Yes, it looks like very much Italian, because it doesn’t have reeds. V: So, so she chose Cornier Voluntary by John Stanley. Let’s see if we could build the Cornier. For Cornier remember we need five banks. A: Yes, that’s right. V: 8, 4, a fifth, a two foot and a third. So on the second manual you have all, everything you need, right? Because we have to remember that they have to be flutes. A: That’s right, so it looks like, you know, the second manual is actually a Cornier. V: Exactly. A: If you pull all stops together. V: And then Tierce en Taille by Michel Corrette is something different. Tierce en taille. Tierce en taille means, it’s like a Cornier but in the tenor. A: That’s right. It’s a French manor. Piece written in French manor. V: Maybe without Nazard. Maybe, maybe Gedacht 8’, Chimney Flute 4’, sometimes for depth and reinforcement and this Tierce. And that might be enough, don’t you think? A: Yes, I think so. I actually have to listen to that balance. Because sometimes its sort of risky you know, to decide to, what stops you will pull out before you actually, you know, play on that particular organ. Because, well, some, some stops, sometimes stops sound so much different from what you imagined. And from sort of, common, common stops. So you need to adjust right on the spot. But, but I think it might work. V: And, my guess is that 1 1/3 19th on the first manual might be a principal stop. A: Yes, that could be. Because it looks like you know, the first manual is stronger. It has no other principles. V: So what we’ll be suggesting next might not work for the first manual. What about the ornamented chorales? You see? They’re probably more suited for the second manual, right? A: Could be. But then it would probably be hard, you know, to select something for accompaniment on a different manual. V: Well, sometimes you can play with Octave 4’ but one octave lower. If the tenor is not lower than tenor C. A: That’s right. But then again, you know, maybe you could use one of those new principles. Probably Principle 8’ not a stop Diapason. What do you think? V: Yeah, if it’s not too loud of course. A: I know. You need to check the balance. V: If it’s too loud then check Octave 4’ one octave lower and you have a couple of choices here on the second manual, to bring out the melody. A: What do you think; would it possible to accompany the Gedacht 8’ on the second manual and then play solo on the first manual? V: With 19th? A: Yes. V: And stop Diapason? A: Yes. Would that be possible, a possibility? V: It could be possible, yeah. It could be possible. If it’s not too harsh, this 19th. If it’s not… A: Yes. Then again you have to check on the spot to listen to how it sounds. V: Right. So any type of ornamented melody in the soprano might work for any of those mutations, high pitched 3rd stops, like 1 1/3’ or Nazard together with Gedacht, right? Or a Tierce together with Gedacht, without Nazard. A: What, let’s say, you know, if you would go to that organ and you would find out that mutations are just really loud. What would you do? V: I don’t… A: I think, I think it would work for Stanley like, you know, well, that piece, but, but for major ornamented chorale it would be too much. Would it be possible to register and not use mutations? V: Yeah. Principle 8’ or Octave 4’ one octave lower, would be perfectly suitable for the solo voice, I think. A: And what would you do when for accompaniment on the Gedacht 8’ or would you also add Chimney Flute 4’? V: Chimney Flute 4’ of course. And we have to probably recommend to Allison to use Chimney alone sometimes in the demonstration too. A: Yes. That would be nice. Because some pieces sound just beautiful played on the 4’ flute. V: Or Flute 2’ on some passages. A: That’s true. V: If it’s a full, full demonstration too. So lots of choices even though it is just a twelve stop organ. A: I know. You could also use some gap registrations as well you know, like 2’ 8 and 2 together. V: Oh, you mean on the second manual Gedacht 8’ and Flute 2’,,, A: That’s right. V: Would sound perfect for, or even for ornamented chorale. A: That’s right. Sometimes it works very nice. V: Or remember you played the Canzona by Scheidemann this way. A: Yes. I did it, and it worked quite well. V: Mmm, hmm. It think you have to, you have to maybe play with coupler in the pedal, sometimes, right? To reinforce,,, A: Yes. Yes, I think so, yes. V: Because Subbass alone is not enough sometimes. Then you need to do either pedals to manual two or pedals to manual one, depending on which manual is accompanying. V: Yes. But I think it’s, you know, its a nice, nice size instrument. It seems like it’s not a big one but you can still do lots of things with it. Don’t you think so? V: I think so, yeah. And hopefully the room is a little bit reverberant so it can even enlarge the sound and reinforce the acoustics. Excellent! Lots of variety. It can be done very nicely I think during the recital. So you don’t need to have hundreds of stops to register some elegant and delightful organ music and play for, for thirty minutes or entire hour this way. V: Yes, that’s right. V: Even solo organ music, you don’t need to play with, with a friend or a singer. I mean you could, if you have an instrumentalist, but it’s perfectly possible to do a solo recital this way. V: Yes and I think some Italian music would work well on this kind of instrument. Remember those sonatas, by,,, V: By, by, I’m thinking about, eh, you’re thinking about Italians, right? A: Yes. V: And we played it? A: Well, yes you did. Remember, at the museum. V: Oh, Gaetano Valerj’s sonatas are perfect for this too. A: That’s what I thought but I also forgot his name. Getting old. V: Mmm, hmm. 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 164, of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. And this question was sent by David. He writes: “I'm working on a "paper" about understanding what 18th century French classical registrations really mean when an organ of that period is not being used, since, of course, the French Revolution wiped most of them off the face of the earth. It’s easier to find unicorns!” V: So it’s a fascinating question, right, Ausra? A: It is. But I can think that it still would be harder to find the Unicorn. V: Yeah, we should ask David if he found any Unicorns. A: Yes, if you would look, let’s say at Paris, in Paris, you would search for French classical organ, you wouldn’t find them, but if look in the provinces, like tiny villages, in those you can still find French classical instruments. V: And there are of course modern day replicas being built. A: Sure. V: Great. The basis for understanding 18th century French classical organ registration, probably relies not only on the organs, but on the registration suggestions by the composers. A: Yes. And I think actually, if you have little experience, I think it’s easier to register French classical pieces of organ music comparing to let’s say, German. V: What do you mean? A: Well, because, as you talked earlier, composers indicate what they want from a piece, how they should be played and registered, and French are just very systematized. V: So, people who don’t understand the system probably don’t read French. A: Yes. I mean if you know what Plein Jeux or Grand Jeux is, then you should be able to register, you know. V: Do you think that a lot of people understand the terms Plein Jeux or Grand Jeux? Maybe we should explain a little bit. A: Yes, so Vidas, let’s tell us or remind us what the Plain Jeux or Grand Jeux and what is the difference between them. V: In general terms, Plein Jeux is the sound that reminds of the organum plenum sound. Except with some difference maybe from the German. But it has, I think, Principles, right, of many pitch levels, and it has the Mixtures together, right? A: Yes. V: And if it has the term Grand Plein Jeux then you add the 16’ Bourdon in the manuals too. And very often you would need Cantus Firmus in the pedals, then you would need, I believe a Trompette 8’, maybe together coupled with the Flute 8’. Or if you have Clarion 4’, you could add 2’ to reinforce the sound of the pedals, but no 16’ in the pedals. A: Well, what about Grand Jeux? V: In my understanding here, it’s more of a flute sound combined with the cornets, flutes and reeds. A: Reeds, yes. V: Which means, Trumpets, then Cornet either real Cornet with five ranks, based on flute sounds; 8’, 4’, 5th, 2 1/3, right? Or you can select those five flute sounds from the manual and add them to the general plunger sound, right? Do you need the 16’ in the manuals here? I believe so. A: I think so, yes. V: Mmm, hmm. A: And what about solo registration for solo voices? What if you have tierce en taille? V: Those characteristics stops that French organs have, I think, they have specific meaning and specific function, right? Tierce registration means you use a third based on 1 3/5 sounds. But in addition to that you of course need 8’ flute, right? And then a Tierce sound, and maybe even a fifth sound to remind a little bit of the Cornet. You have to check on you balances on your organ, if it’s not your know, historical French organ, if you’re adapting it. A: Yes, and my next question would be, do you think it’s okay to play the French classical music on modern instruments. V: I think it’s okay to play whatever a person wants and likes, right? But the result will not necessarily be the same as on the historical French organ. A lot of people don’t care about that. They just love the music. A: Well should you then just follow closely to the original registration? You should look for and make up your own registration, depending on the sound of a particular organ. V: Yeah, I believe you’re right. You should listen to some recordings, not necessarily of the same piece but maybe a typical French classical registration that you are looking for, like Tierce en Taille or dialogues of the Voix Humaine or the Crumorne registration, right, or the Cornet, all those things. You could listen to a piece like that, and then check if your organ has similar kind of stops. If it’s not you have to, you know, adapt. A: Yes, but for example, if you are playing a German organ, those reeds are different from the French reeds. What would you do then? V: I wouldn’t play French music on a German organ. A: Okay. V: But you know, a lot of people think differently, and they have the right to do so, right? We’re just telling people, sharing with people our experiences, right Ausra? A: Yes. V: And you don’t necessarily have to agree with us. And I believe people who are opposed to that, their opinion might change if they try out a lot of historical organs. A: Yes. V: French, German, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, right? And all those areas have different styles and different types of music. A: Yes. And what is your favorite French classical composer? V: Ohhhh, a tricky question. Mmm, A: I have my favorite. V: Let’s see. Does it start with the letter called ‘G’? A: Yes. How do you know? Yes. Nicolas de Grigny. Yes, that’s my favorite. V: Nicolas de Grigny was very polyphonically oriented composer, because a lot of French composers like Couperin not necessarily wrote polyphonically advanced music. They wrote a lot of harmonically advanced pieces, and their harmony system is basically a pioneer system of the system that we used today. It’s based on the Rameau treatise, right? A: Yes. V: But Germans were more keen to the polyphony, right, just as Italians were a century later, or earlier, in the Renaissance, even in the 16th Century or the beginning of the 17th Century. But then the Italians started to play those different types of pieces, like Scarlatti, right? A: I know, it’s just like everything an opposite way. V: Polyphony changed. But Germans were more strict with polyphony with Bach and that tradition. And French were more eager to explore the sounds and the colors. A: But yes de Grigny polyphonic pieces were quite complex. You can even find 5 part fugue. V: And Bach also learned from de Grigny. He copied his Livre de Orgue and based some of his earlier compositions, Fantasy and Fugue in C Minor, for example, or other pieces, like Piece d’Orgue for example. A lot of pieces which have five part texture, they’re based on the French model. A: Yes, that’s true. V: And do you know Ausra, why French wrote five-part textures and not four-part textures like Italians? I’ve read that Italian string chamber music, was, A: I think they had an extra voice, yes? V: Italians, four parts, and then, A: Like string quartets, yes? V: Yeah, two violins, viola and the cello. But French had one extra instrument: two violins, two violas, and one violone. A: Two violas, yes, wow. That’s amazing. V: And they used different kinds of clefs. And people sometimes today like to read those clefs, right? Some crazy organists. A: Yes, like Vidas. V: Like Vidas. Are you a crazy organist, Ausra? A: Well, not as crazy as you are (laughs). V: You are sort of in between normal humans and you can relate to normal humans, right? A: Yes. V: You can read the music that normal people read. And I can do too. But sometimes, I’m not satisfied with normal stuff so, I get crazy. Alright, guys. Please explore the French classical registrations. It’s really a fascinating topic. We could actually recommend a book, right? Maybe Fenner Douglass and Barbara Oven. They both wrote interesting treatises about organs and registrations, so if you read the transcript from these podcast you could click on the link and check out those books. A: Yes. They would be a big help exploring different registrations. V: Wonderful! Thank you so much for listening, and applying our tips in your practice. This was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: And remember, when you practice… A: Miracles happen! AVA161: How To Build A Principal Chorus On The Organ At Vilnius University St John's Church?2/21/2018 Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 161, of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. We’re continuing our discussion about the preparations that John from Australia, John Higgins is doing in order to be well prepared for his upcoming recital in April in our church, Vilnius University St. John’s church. In the previous podcast we discussed the questions about the action heaviness, about the situation with the swell pedal, right? About English speaking listeners and if we can translate English speaking words from John that he will be saying in between the pieces, right. And now, let’s start a little further bit further. He asks: 5) How many people who might attend my recital would speak English? I'm guessing my poster and program need to be in Lithuanian and you would have to interpret any words I say? 6) Would people expect me to speak at the beginning of the recital and then play all the pieces, or is it ok to play groups of 3 pieces and introduce each bracket of three pieces? If it takes a long time to walk from the organ loft, this may not be possible unless there is a wireless microphone? 7) On the St John's organ playing Bach fugues, would you normally register the pedal with principal chorus and no couplers, plus the pedal Posaune or is this reed too loud? I am used to playing small organs more in the English style, so you always use the Great to Pedal coupler. Sometimes on Australian organs the pedal Posune is too loud for fugues, so you might use the Swell 16’ reed coupled to the pedal with the Swell to Pedal coupler, and just use the Great principal chorus in the manuals. Can you believe it's only 9 weeks to go! Look forward to hearing for you! I hope you have a lovely day, Take care God bless, John... V: So, Ausra, it’s a very simple situation, right, we have? A: Yes, we have a wireless microphone. V: No, it’s, a cord, we record. A: It’s a cord? V: Yeah, it’s an old-fashioned microphone you have to A: It’s connected to that speaker. I remember now, yes. V: So the system is this; before recital, I turn on the lights and we have the headlights pointing to both sides of the organ loft and beautiful organ facade is lighted in golden colors then. And then I take out the speaker from the inside of the organ and put it someplace close to the balcony, eh, balcony rim. And then, what happens; I connect the microphone and I recommend then probably you could do both ways: You could speak just at the beginning of the recital and then play all the pieces of your program non-stop, right? Or you could talk between each of the pieces, or between some groups of the pieces, like John says, three pieces, and then play. What would you prefer, Ausra? A: Well, if I would be listener or if I would be a player. Because you know if I would be a player then I would just talk at the beginning and then would play the entire recital through. But if I would be a listener I would prefer that somebody would speak, maybe in groups of three pieces as John suggested. V: And, I know what you mean. For a player, you concentrate better if you play non-stop. A: Yes. V: But it’s also more difficult to concentrate for an hour, right, non-stop. So if you talk and play, talk and play, talk and play, you could kind of switch actions and activities and can start afresh in each piece. A: Well it depends what is easier for you, to talk or to play. For me it’s easier to play than to talk. V: Of course, John is a great storyteller. It will be easy for him to talk. A: So what I would suggest is that he would talk , you know, during the recital. V: Mmm, hmm, as many times as he wants because we can translate it for people. Excellent! Another question that he had is that about playing Bach fugues on this organ. He says ‘would you normally register the pedal with principle chorus and no couplers, plus the pedal Posanne, or would this be too loud?’ No, I wouldn’t say it’s too loud, right? If you have, let’s say, full Principle Chorus on the great, like Principle 16’, 8’, 4’, 3’, 2’ and a Mixture, maybe some flutes, 2’, 8’ and 4’, and if you like you could add a Tierce, right? A: This is on the right side, yes. V: You could also have many stops in the pedals; 16’ Principle, 16’, another, you know, wooden stop, and then maybe full basso 8’ level, and then 4’ flaut bass, and then you could add Posanne. Right? A: Yes. V: Would you need, Ausra, pedal coupler for these two? A: I wouldn’t have pedal couplers. If I have Posanne, it is not necessary unless you want to have more pedals. V: For example, if you have a large pedal solo. A: Then yes, you could do that. V: Because at the moment our mixture, pedal mixture is not working. A: Then you could add the coupler. Great to the pedal. V: Then of course, and then you could use the pedal coupler in spaces when you need the manual coupler too. 3rd’: to the great, 3rd to the first coupler and 2 principle choruses combined then, and you would need it and you need more pedal power too. You see what I mean? A: That’s right, yes. V: If you couple two manuals, then you might probably need pedal coupler as well. A: Yes. V: Excellent. Wonderful! So, nine weeks to go for John to prepare because of course, it’s a long process to adjust, adjust to the unfamiliar organ. And we’ll be talking about the next question. How we prepare for our international tours on unfamiliar instrument, especially when we don’t have a lot of rehearsals scheduled, right? A: That’s right? V: This summer, we’ll be going to St. Paul’s Cathedral to play in London and before that we’ll going to go to the oldest organ in the Baltic States. What is it? A: Yes, it’s Ugale, in Latvia. V: Yeah. Our friend, organ builder Janis Kalnins has restored this beautiful Cornelius Rhaneus from 1601 or 1701, I forget. It doesn’t matter. 100 years older or younger, who cares... V: But you find a beautiful movable eagle. A: This reminds me of a duck, because as an eagle seems too fat. So I imagine that it’s a duck with eagle wings. V: Oh, I remember, it’s 1701. A: Yes, 1701. V: Yeah. So, but we’ll be talking about how we will be preparing for these unfamiliar instruments in the next conversation. In the meantime, go ahead and try to practice some more because it’s really a wonderful day, right Ausra? You will be playing today, some of the pieces solo, recital pieces on your program for the upcoming Bach recital, and will be playing organ duet pieces. A: Oh yes, that’s right. V: Everyone knows your playing E Flat Major Prelude and Fugue by Bach. How’s that going for you? A: Well, it’s going well. I just have to repeat it time after time just to keep myself in good shape. V: It’s not a big deal. A: Yes. It’s not a big deal. It was a big deal you know, last year when I played it after like ten years after not playing it. V: And you are scheduled to play this piece in Notre Dame in Paris, A: Yes, that’s true. V: in a couple of years. A: Yes. V: So, wonderful piece, wonderfull instrument too. And Ausra, what about our Duets? Are you enjoying the quick runs with your right hand from the Bach arias we’re playing together? A: (Laughs) Are you teasing me? V: Of course! That’s my, that’s my character, always. A: Yes, we are working on two duets from Cantata 140 which is probably my most favorite cantata by J. S. Bach. V: Wachet auf… A: Yes, Wachet auf. V: You remember, guys, BWV 645 is taken from this cantata. A: The 1st of the Schüblers chorals. V: Yes, Middle movement from the cantata. And we’re playing organ duet arrangements from that cantata. A: Yes and we are playing one which has the nice oboe ritornello? V: Ritornello? A: Ritornello. And another one which has violin ritornello. And I play that ritornello with my right hand in both of these duets, and then with my left hand I am playing, you know, one of the soloist, I think the rhythm parts of soloists. Because these are sort of like that between bass and soprano. And of that you know, ritornello of the solo instrument. And then of course there is the continuo parts. So with this playing the continuo part and doing one of the soloists, the bass soloists, and I’m doing the other two. So my, my sort of role is small, virtuoso and I’m not enjoying it so far. Maybe I will when I will learn the text. V: Are you enjoying the third eye, I remember from, it’s called Mein glaubiges Herze. It’s Cantata No. 68. But we have to read from the C clef. A: Yes. Actually it’s okay because when I have the C clef I have only one voice. And then later on when I have the two other parts and two voices I have two treble clefs so that’s fine with me. What about you? V: In my part of the third, this aria, or duet, probably I need only two bass clefs, no C clefs for me. Umm, which is easier then. But I don’t mind C clefs. I enjoy them. It takes a little more time to get used to them, especially in, you know, live situation, when you play in public. But it’s not a big deal anymore for me. But playing together with you is really fun, especially to see how your right hand is running all, in all passages up and down. A: Yes. And now when we’re talking about clefs, I remember a funny story we had that just happened when you just started learning your organ book. I remember you were talking about or writing about clefs, and instead of bass clef, you just left that ‘B’ letter, you know, just by accident. V: Ah, I see. A: And, and when you did the spell check it still, you know, showed it’s okay because such a word exists. And then you received a letter from one of your readers, you know, telling you, ‘O Vidas, look at this! Was this a new class that starts not with the ‘B’ letter but with the letter ‘A’?’. V: Exactly. A: it was so funny. Funny, funny joke. V: I felt embarrassed. A: I know. V: But uh, I corrected my, my typo right away. A: Yes. That’s funny. V: Excellent, guys. So we’re going to stop this recording now and go ahead and practice some duets and solo pieces. And we hope you do the same, right? A: Yes. V: Please send us more of the questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice… A: Miracles happen! Vidas: Let’s start Episode 130 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Listen to the audio version here. Today’s question was sent by Aleksey, and he wants to know about registration: “What are some of the perfect, or worst, stop combinations?” That’s a broad question, right Ausra?
Ausra: Yes, it’s a very broad question. Vidas: Where should we start? Ausra: I think, you know, not understanding the style well can make you to put wrong stops for your pieces. Vidas: Remember sometimes we go to churches, and...especially not in Vilnius, but in other cities where people play the organ, but they completely--they don’t know what they’re using, what type of instruments, and what type of stops they should use. Sometimes they play with all the stops drawn out, and with vibrato, with tremolo. Ausra: Yes, that’s right, yes. Vidas: Have you heard that? Ausra: Yes, I have heard that actually many times. Vidas: It’s like a big Hammond organ--although it’s a pipe organ. It sounds quite funny! Ausra: I know, or when you use some undulating stop and you don’t use an 8’ stop. Vidas: True. Ausra: That’s another thing; I have heard that also many times. Vidas: Or when you use mixtures without foundations. Ausra: Yes. It’s also a horrifying sound, at least for my ears. Vidas: The reason they do that is sometimes mixtures are positioned closest to the player, in the bottom row-- Ausra: And it’s easy to pull them! Vidas: Easy to find them! And the principal is on the top, and you have to reach for it. And maybe an amateur organist just looks at the closest stop and draws it! Ausra: I know, it’s a hard thing, you know. And it takes time to develop good taste, and knowledge about different styles and different registrations; and how to adjust, for example, to a particular organ which is not built in that period, or not styled in that period, but you still have to play music from some particular period... Vidas: What organ do you know the most, Ausra? Ausra: St. Johns’, probably. Vidas: I agree. Ausra: And of course, our practice organ. I know it’s very big! It has 2 stops! Vidas: Yeah-- 8’ and 4’! Ausra: Yes! Vidas: Flutes! Ausra: And pull-down pedal. Vidas: There is so much to learn about those 2 stops. Ausra: I know. Vidas: Soft, and softer! Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Hahaha. Do you have a favorite organ stop in our church? Ausra: Well...well...my very favorite? ...Cornet. If I had to choose one, it would be the Cornet stop. Vidas: If I had to choose...I would choose two, actually: Unda Maris, and Viola Gamba. At first, Unda Maris was better for me than Gamba; but recently, I’ve been discovering such beautiful (and quite intense!) colors with the upper range of Viola Gamba on the third manual, that I kind of keep improvising on these stops all the time. Ausra: Yes. And I find that Cornet really beautiful; it’s very nice for a solo voice. Vidas: I think in every recital, we use Cornet at least once. Ausra: Yes. And there are also other nice stops. Some flutes are really nice. And I like Posaune in the pedal--Posaune 16’ in the pedals. Vidas: Especially the low E♭? Ausra: Haha yes! Vidas: Why E♭? Ausra: Because it makes such a funny sound. And it’s fun to play Bach’s Prelude in E♭ Major, where you have to...press it! Vidas: Oh, the B section? Ausra: Yes, yes. “Ba-ba-ba-bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum...BAHHH!” Haha! That low E♭! Ausra: Yes. It sounds funny! So, if we could tell people about things that they should probably not do while registering...I think even playing Trio Sonata by J. S. Bach... Vidas: Ok? Ausra: I would say you should always add 16’. Vidas: In the manuals or in the pedals? Ausra: In the pedals. In the pedals, because I have heard trio sonatas played so many times; and people not using 16’ in the pedal--I think that’s a principle mistake. Vidas: Remember, we recently heard even Bach cantatas--Christmas Oratorio--performed-- Ausra: Yes, yes. Vidas: And they didn’t play the continuo arias with double bass. Doubled bass was always present with choir movements, right? So always that octave-down sound was present in the loud sections; but when somebody sang an aria with 1 or 2 instruments, they didn’t use 16’. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Which was, I think, not a good choice. Ausra: No; in general, I like a low foundation, that gravity in the pedal. And I would suggest to always play with a 16’ stop in the pedal, unless there is some indication by the composer not to do that, or if it has like a solo voice, or it should be played on some particular stop. Vidas: You sound like Mendelssohn, now. Ausra: Really? Vidas: He wrote in his Preface to his 6 Organ Sonatas that you should always include a 16’ stop unless there is indication otherwise. Ausra: Because, you know, without a 16’ stop in the pedal, organ loses half of its beauty. Vidas: But then there is the question of the historical period, right? Before the 17th century, for example, 16’ in the pedal was not very common. Ausra: Well, yes, because most of that music before that period was written only for manuals, so you don’t have that trouble. Think about, like, early Italian music, early French music--they didn’t have a developed pedal, so they did not need 16’. Vidas: What about German? Ausra: Well, I’m talking about non-German, starting from non-German. Look how the organs are developed; I mean, look at their huge pedal towers… Vidas: But before the 17th century, 16’ pedals even in Germany was not always chosen. Ausra: Well...do you mean if the performer would not choose it, or that it was absent from the organ? Vidas: Performer, of course. Because of course, those big huge pedal towers sometimes include 32’ stops. But cantus firmus in the pedals, when they used chorale notes in the long values played by feet, they did not always include 16’. Ausra: So then you have cantus firmus in the pedal. I already mentioned it’s when the pedal has a solo voice, then actually yes, you don’t include the 16’, but that’s another story. Vidas: Unless it’s the bass. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: In the bass, yes. Ausra: Yes, yes. Vidas: But if it’s in tenor, it’s 8’ level; if it’s alto, maybe 4’ level; if it’s soprano, maybe 2’ level. Right? Ausra: Yes. But for most cases, still you can find, you know...If you would compare repertoire with 16’ stop in the pedal and without it, I would say that with-16’ would win over those cases without 16’. Vidas: Especially the repertoire that we are accustomed to today. Ausra: Yes; and plus, if you are a church organist--if you are accompanying congregational singing--I just would not imagine that you would not use 16’ in the pedal. Vidas: Yes, you’re right. For congregational singing, 16’ stops are essential. Ausra: Yes. What about putting 16’ in the manuals? What would you suggest for people to do then? Vidas: There are choices when you want to have more gravity. And for example, some organs don’t have a pedalboard at all, but they have 16’ in the manual. Then you have stop combinations with 16’; and it’s a little bit muddy, but it’s a broader sound, with more gravity. It fits sometimes. And then there was a question with mixtures. Sometimes mixtures are high, sometimes low. With low mixtures, like in our St. John’s Church, the first manual mixture is based on the 4’ level; which means that you do need to have 16’ in the manual. Ausra: And I have heard many times, when organists come, and they just don’t use the 16’ in the manual but use that mixture--and it sounds, actually, not good. Vidas: Can you use mixtures with strings, for example? Is it a good idea? Ausra: Well...not so much. Vidas: You don’t...? Ausra: I don’t like that combination. Although I’ve heard some organists do that. What about you? Vidas: Yeah, sometimes. If the string is soft--and I don’t mean, here, undulating strings, like Viola Celeste, but just like Viola or-- Ausra: Gamba? Vidas: Gamba. Then sometimes it’s okay, especially when I improvise, and I build up a pleno sound, and I don’t have time to take out some of the strings--it sounds convincing, to me. Ausra: Well, if I want to strengthen my principal chorus, then I add flutes, not strings. That’s what I prefer. Vidas: Do you think flutes eat more air, or strings? Ausra: Flutes, probably. Vidas: So in our case, in our organ, there is some inconsistency with the winding system, and sometimes those “big” stops which require a lot of air don’t necessarily fit the large sounds--I mean, the large registration. I mean here, the 16’ flutes, on the third manual or on the second manual--I don’t use them. Ausra: Well, I don’t use them either; but I use 8’ flutes, and that doesn’t hurt the organ so much. Other than the wind system. So basically, registration is a tricky thing. You can know it theoretically very well; but on each instrument you need to adjust, and you need to listen. Because sometimes, you know, if you just pull out the stops that are required for that piece, and you will not listen to it, you might get a disaster, because each organ is a little bit different. But, like, we talked sometime about that organ in Nida that we have on the coast in Lithuania, that has just a ridiculous mixture. It’s so awful! I never use it! Even if I’m playing a piece by J. S. Bach that requires mixture and pleno registration--still, I don’t manage it. It’s very ugly! Vidas: It is too fierce, too...screaming. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Too high-pitched. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Like a cymbal, but too bright. Ausra: I know. And I’m thinking if I would use it, after my performance, probably the church would be empty--everybody would just leave! Vidas: Maybe it’s ok to use it just once in awhile, just for a special effect. And that’s it. Ausra: But, well, if you are playing, let’s say, a prelude and fugue by Bach-- Vidas: A long one…! Ausra: A long one! Then, you know, hardly anybody would survive it. And I’ve heard organists use that mixture, you know. So you always just need to listen to the organ stop, and to your registration. Vidas: And how it sounds in the church, in the sanctuary. Ausra: Yes. So it’s always a good idea, if you’re registering pieces for your recital, to have an assistant or somebody that could help you, to play a little bit of your music, so you could just go downstairs and listen to how it sounds. Vidas: If you don’t have an assistant, put a recorder or a phone down in the pews, and then record yourself for a short moment, and see if you like the combinations; and then come back, listen to it, and change something if you don’t. Ausra: Yes, that’s a good idea, too. Vidas: Thank you guys! This was Vidas. Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: And remember, when you practice… Ausra: Miracles happen.
Vidas: Let’s start Episode 71 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Today’s question was sent by Matt, and he writes that he wants to learn how to do proper registrations for standard pieces (Bach, Vierne, Franck. etc.) and good registration approaches in general.
That’s a very broad question, Ausra, right? Ausra: Well it is, yes; you could write several doctoral dissertations on this topic! Vidas: And in fact, a lot of books have been written concerning separate topics of the registration for Bach, separate for Franck, separate for Vierne, right? Quentin Faulkner wrote on Bach registration, Barbara Owen on Baroque music registration in general, Orpha Ochse and William J. Peterson wrote on French romantic music, Fenner Douglas on French Classical music, there is a classic text by George Audsley - about the organ stops and the registration in general. Ausra: Yes, these are different styles and must be registered differently. Vidas: But probably Matt doesn’t expect us to give everything in those few minutes that we’re answering questions today; but maybe we could start with some pointers, to start with. Ausra: Yes, let’s do that. Vidas: So when a person, let’s say, takes a piece of Bach, and is ready to start registering it, maybe he’s learned some notes with pedals and hands, and the time approaches when he or she wants to perform it in public. And it’s time to start registering it. What would you think about first, when you register the piece? Let’s say, a chorale-based piece, a chorale prelude. Ausra: Well, you have to think what you want for the piece sound and how that piece is put together, because, like, chorale preludes, they are very different. Let’s say in Orgelbüchlein you could have chorale with ornamented cantus firmus, and definitely then you would want to play those different parts on different manuals, and register them differently. Maybe to put a cornet stop for solo voice, and a couple of soft flutes for accompaniment (8’ and 4’); and a couple of soft flutes in the pedal (16’ and 8’). Vidas: Yes. Ausra: That’s one of the possible registrations. Or you could take not necessarily cornet, but a reed stop for a solo voice. Vidas: Yeah, usually you could play with cornet, reed, then maybe mutation combination, like flute 8’, 4’ and 1 ⅓’, or high-pitched third 1 ⅗’ or a fifth, like 1-⅓, to make it more colorful. Can you play the solo line in the principal, alone? Ausra: Well, in some cases you could do that… Vidas: If it’s very beautiful? Ausra: Yes, if it’s beautiful, but that’s not often the case. Vidas: Sometimes on modern organs, a better solution is to play the 4’ principal, but one octave lower. Usually they are better-scaled. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: But first, Ausra, you mentioned you have to discover if the piece is to be played on one manual or two manuals, right? Ausra: Yes, that’s the first step. Vidas: If the lines have a melody, a solo melody, or not, and then register appropriately. What if the chorale prelude has to be played on one manual? All parts together, but on one manual--with pedal, perhaps. Ausra: Well, such chorales often work well for organo pleno. Vidas: Yes. Ausra: And of course, it depends on the character. Sometimes you don’t want to add all the stops together; maybe just use a couple of principals. Vidas: Should you read the text of the chorale? Ausra: Definitely, yes. Vidas: That will explain to you if the chorale prelude has to be performed loudly or softly, in general. Ausra: Yes, and you need to find out also for what occasion you will play it. If it’s a church service, will it be for communion or will it be for a prelude? Or if you’re playing for a recital, you also see where in the program you will place it, according to the registration--do you need a soft or loud piece in that place? Vidas: Are you starting the recital, or ending the recital, or somewhere in the middle? Ausra: Well, but actually what you can know if you are playing preludes and fugues by Bach, that you can easily just play them with organo pleno. Vidas: And by organo pleno you probably mean full principal chorus. Ausra: Sure. Vidas: What’s that? Can you spell it out for everybody? Ausra: That’s principals 8’, 4’, 2’, sometimes even 16’ principal, if your organ has it; and then of course you have to add a mixture. And it depends on your taste and on the organ; you could add other stops to the pleno, too. Vidas: Maybe a fifth. Ausra: Yes, sometimes even a tierce. Vidas: Tierce works well if the mixture doesn’t have thirds. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Because in Bach’s area, in Bach’s time, the majority of organs had not only octaves, not only fifths in the composition of the mixture, but also thirds. So if you add the tierce stop, it’s not the same as having a third-sounding pipe in the composition of the mixture which would break every octave or so. It’s not the same, but the general feeling will be similar. It’s a little bit spicier than just the fifth and an octave. Ausra: What about pedals? Vidas: Pedals also need principal chorus--if they have principals. In Bach’s area, a lot of pedals had only Subbass and Posaune, and then a manual coupler. Ausra: So if you would add like, principals on a modern organ, would you supplement it with the posaune 16’, or not? Vidas: If the posaune is fitting for the chorus, for the chorus registration, then yes. Like in our organ at St. John’s church in Vilnius, I usually add a principal 16’. We don’t have, like, a proper principal 8’, but it’s called Fullbass. It’s a little bit similar. At least it’s an 8’ stop; a little bit darker than the principal, I would say. But then, I would add 16’ Posaune, and then a mixture, if you have one. Mixtures can be bright; don’t worry if the sound is very bright in the pedals, it’s okay! Then, 4’ principal is also good to have in the pedals. So...but you have to listen for the balance, in the manuals. Sometimes you can add the coupler, maybe to the Great sometimes not, depending on the acoustics, environment and location. Ausra: Yes. So what about French composers that Matt asked? Vidas: French composers used different organs, right? Cavaille-Coll organs for most of the time. And...it has a lot of differences with the Bach tradition. Probably you need to start with the knowledge of what are the foundation stops and Anches in French and what’s Fonds and Anches in French. Do you know what does Fonds mean in French? Ausra: That means the main stops; that’s principals and flutes, actually. Vidas: They’re positioned in Cavaille-Coll organ, I think on the left-hand side of that manual, right? So in Cavaille-Coll’s organs they had horizontal layout of the stops, stop knobs; and on the left-hand side they had, probably, the foundations: 16’, 8’, 4’, all those principals and flutes together--and strings as well, in that order. What was on the right-hand side? Ausra: I think that was reeds. Vidas: What’s left, right? Mixtures, mutations... Ausra: Yes, mixtures and reeds, and imitations. That’s right. Vidas: So every manual had this layout, and the Positif, Récit, and Grand Orgue also had the same principals, but maybe different kind of reeds, right? Maybe positif had what they call Clarinet, maybe Récit had Hautbois, and Trompette Harmonique; but also the Grand Orgue--had trumpets 16’, 8’, and 4’, right? And I think Positiv and Récit also had those trumpets. So in every manual, you could have 16’, 8’, and 4’ basically, a reed chorus on the big Cavaille-Coll organ in general. Ausra: Yes, and I think it’s easier to register French music, probably, than Bach, let’s say; because the French composers were quite good at notating, adding in the score what they want. So nowadays, you have so many editions where you simply just have to follow directions and register accordingly. But of course, sometimes it’s hard if you have to adjust from let’s say, a French style organ to a German style organ. That might be a tricky part. Vidas: Probably a German style organ doesn’t have a lot of foundations, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Maybe they have 8’ principal and 8’ flute, and that’s it. You have to have more. Ausra: The German mixtures, they are sort of...screamier than French mixtures. Vidas: What would you do in this case, if you have a Neo-Baroque organ in the German tradition, but you had to play in let’s say, Franck or Vierne. Ausra: That’s a hard choice! Vidas: But you don’t necessarily have to play French music Ausra: Yes. Vidas: On that instrument. Ausra: That’s what I’d do, probably. I wouldn’t choose to play French music on such an instrument, but if I would have to do it, I probably would avoid mixtures at all. Vidas: Why? Ausra: Because they sound very bad, in French music on a German organ. Vidas: Or, avoid 16’ stop in the manual, but play everything one octave lower. Ausra: If that’s possible, yes; that’s a very good solution. Vidas: You see, the LH part has to go not lower than the tenor C because when you transfer everything one octave lower, then the bass C becomes your lowest note. So if anything goes lower than C, then it’s a little bit too low. So guys, I hope this was useful. Do you think, Ausra, people can start practicing and registering pieces according to our suggestions, now? Ausra: I hope so. Vidas: And if you have more questions, please send the to us when you subscribe to our blog at www.organduo.lt, if you haven’t done so already, and simply reply to our messages that you receive from us. All right! We love helping you grow as an organist. And remember, when you practice… Ausra: Miracles happen.
Vidas: Let’s start Episode 70 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. And today’s question was sent by Matt, and he writes that his challenge is with registration flow and marking: “How to use pistons and stops to flow through pieces and mark them well in the score.” So as I understand, Ausra, this is a question about practicing registration changes and basically how you mark registration changes! Oh! That’s very simple.
Ausra: Yes, that’s how I think about it. Vidas: Okay. What’s the system you learned in Lithuania? Ausra: Well, in Lithuania, we would just mark stops by numbers. Vidas: Numbers? Ausra: Never stop names, but only numbers. Vidas: And what’s the system you learned in America? Ausra: Well, we would write the stop names down. Or just numbers of combinations, because if you would have the piston system. Vidas: At the exact place in music, you write an abbreviation of the stop: let’s say Principal 8’ would be P8, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Or flute would be F4. Of that manual. You have to indicate the number of the manual, either with abbreviated letters, like Great would be GT, or Swell, SW; or Choir would be CH, right? Or simply by writing what number of the manual: 1, 2, or 3. Ausra: Yes. And if you have to change it in a particular spot, you just write it in that particular spot. If you have time to change stops or to omit some stops, you just indicate that it’s a free action. Vidas: Yeah. Ausra: And to make it clearer, some people in their score add colored stickers--to grab your attention, that you would not miss it. Vidas: Maybe if the stop changes happen on one side--on the left side, let’s say--you could use one color stickers.... Ausra: Yes. Vidas: And on the right side, you could use another color. Ausra: Yes, that’s an excellent idea. Vidas: It would be more helpful for your assistant. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: What else? We have seen people do registration indications on a separate sheet of paper, right? Ausra: Yes, that’s also useful sometimes. Vidas: That’s how we do our beginning registration, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: In order to keep our scores relatively clean, we write beginning registrations for each piece in our performance-- Ausra: Or each movement of a piece, if you have a few movements. Vidas: True. So that means that by the end of the movement or the piece, you have to press either “cancel” on the combination system organ, or mechanically, basically, disengage all those stops, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: There is another system which works interestingly--I found it interesting to use on a relatively small instrument or medium-size instrument. I’ve seen European organists do that, especially when they have little time to prepare, and their assistant is not used to the layout of the stops: so on a separate sheet of paper, they would write numbers--from 1 to, let’s say, 10--how many stops are on one side of one manual. Let’s say--at St. John’s Church, let’s say, on the left hand side, for the Great, there are twelve stops; so you could write 1-2-3-4-5-6-7...up until 12. Twelve is a rather large number to notice on the layout of the organ; but maybe up to 6 works well, especially if it’s a horizontal layout, not vertical. What do you think, Ausra? Ausra: Yes, that might work. [If you have a small organist and it’s a large organ, I don’t think it would work. Vidas: So then, let’s say if you have to add something for the pedals, and your pedals are only 6 on the left side, you would write “+3,” right? And your assistant would count 1-2-3, and draw that number 3. It doesn’t have to be the exact number 3 marked on the stop knob, yes? The number could be quite different--it could be even 23!--but the position in the pedal ranks would be 3. And that’s how they will easily find the right stop knob. But that only works for relatively small instruments. So...abbreviation of stops like P8 or F4 would be good for occasions when you have to literally know what kind of stop you are using--for your assistant, right Ausra? Ausra: Yes, that’s true. Vidas: What’s the problem with numbers? Ausra: Well, for example for me, if I’m using numbers, I never know what kind of stop I’m adding; so I just prefer writing stop names. That will be easier for me. Vidas: If you write or “+14,” or “+17” or “+24,” your assistant will not know exactly what kind of stop you would prefer, what you meant. Maybe you made a mistake--maybe you wrote 12 instead of 13; maybe you meant 23 instead of 13. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: You don’t know. And they don’t know. But when you write P8, it’s very obvious you need Principal 8 for that manual. Ausra: Definitely. So I prefer this system. Vidas: Yeah. It basically forces your assistant, also, to think a little bit, what stops they are drawing. Ausra: I know, but in most cases assistants simply don’t care so much what to add, and it might be easier for them just to look at the numbers. Vidas: Especially if they’re used to that system. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: So you have to probably decide for yourself, what to use. Ausra: Yes, maybe try one system, and then another system, and see which one works better for you! Vidas: Or sometimes, we don’t use anything--we don’t write stops at all, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: When does that happen? Ausra: Well, it happens sometimes, especially when you have to try a new organ, and you don’t have time at all. Then you just improvise a registration on the spot. Vidas: That’s a good exercise, right? Improvise your registration. Ausra: Yes, that’s a good practice of organ registration. Vidas: That’s how, actually, organists back in the day did, when they improvised a lot in public. People down in the church would hear it like it’s a real composition. Like it’s a written-down composition: a very specific, detailed composition. But organists would improvise a very detailed plan for this piece, and registration changes would be quite extensive, too. Ausra: Yeah. Vidas: And that means you would simplify things. You will draw the stop that you could do, yourself--not necessarily everything at once, but just a few things. So, guys, thank you so much for listening! Please send us more of your questions. We hope to help you grow as organists. This was Vidas. Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: And remember, when you practice… Ausra: Miracles happen. |
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Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing. 
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