[Magdalen] Toaster

[Scott Knitter]

Here's a superb performance on a Hauptwerk virtual organ in Germany
(sampling a church organ in Rotterdam). The facade pipes are just for show;
the sound is being generated from the sampled pipes of the Rotterdam organ
in the computer. It's all connected to a full-size console with real stops
and pistons and pedalboard. This is a very high-end Hauptwerk installation
with samples of many different church organs and even some theater organs.
The link goes to the interlude and then fugue portion of the Duruflé
Prelude and Fugue sur le nom d'ALAIN, in tribute to composer Jehan Alain,
killed in WW2 at age 29. Duruflé assigned notes to the letters A-L-A-I-N
and used that as the basis of one of the main melodies of the piece. This
is one of my favorites. Our cathedral organist Stephen Buzard played this
in our church on Sunday before Evensong & Benediction.

https://youtu.be/Or147RQSBOM?t=5m2s

On Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 11:04 PM Scott Knitter <scottknitter at gmail.com>
wrote:

> The non-pipe organs that are more impressive are those that use the
> Hauptwerk software; check YouTube for some good recordings. This technology
> involves careful sampling of every pipe of a notable pipe organ so that a
> playback program can be used with a console and pedal board to reproduce
> that organ's sound in performing organ works. A step up from electronically
> synthesized "toasters."
>
> One "toaster" that fooled me was the one used temporarily at All Saints',
> Margaret Street, in London during renovations. It sounded very good,
> although those who had experienced the pipe organ would surely have noticed
> a difference.
>
> On Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 10:12 PM cantor03--- via Magdalen <
> magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
>
>>
>> The large RC parish just north of me here has a new, rather nice
>> church building. that seats 800.  I went to their dedicatory organ
>> concert Sunday afternoon.
>>
>> I know little about electronic organs, my experience being pretty much
>> with pipe organs.  Many of my organist friends use the expression,
>> "toaster." for these instruments which are, perhaps, about one half
>> the cost of the same size pipe organ.
>>
>> After this recital, I agree with them.  I do not understand why the
>> electronic organ companies cannot exactly reproduce the pipe organ
>> sound.  The instrument in question is a large, 63 rank, three manual
>> instrument by the Allen Company, which is headquartered just down
>> the Turnpike at Allentown, Pennsylvania.
>>
>> I guess there is nothing like the real thing.
>>
>>
>>
>> David S.
>>
> --
> Scott R. Knitter
> Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois USA
>


-- 
Scott R. Knitter
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois USA