Carcassonne church organ.

[Jonzjob]

Just before Christmas we went on a visit with our local AVF group to the Eglise St Vincent, Carcassonne to see the lovely organ there. We had the history of it followed by a very good look at it up in the gods. The organist showed us how all of the stops worked and what they did and it was fascinating. This was then followed by the organist playing a piece that was a wonder to watch and hear. I videoed the visit and put the piece that he played after showing what things do onto youtube. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did. I'm sorry that it isn't as good as it could have been but when it started I was stood behind the lady volunteered to turn the music pages. The organist is nothing short of a ballet dancer using not just his hands and feet, but heels and toes too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhQZvcGaPEo

Agter this, we were shown the mechanics of the beast, totally incredible! A very well worth visit!

If you don't know what the AVF is then google avf france, it will give you more info than I can and I recommend it to ALL!

[NormanH]

There is nothing unusual in using the heel and toe on the pedal board.

That is the standard technique for playing the organ.

His playing is a bit of a mess, going for general impressive 'effect' rather than clarity of detail.

What is more impressive is that he is achieving this on a 'tracker action', where the keyboards mechanical links to the pedals for example (you can see keys going down that he isn't playing with his fingers, because they are linked to pedals by rods).

This makes the action very heavy to play, a bit like driving a car with no power steering, and in which you have to double de-clutch.

On the whole the AVF is close to the National Front, welcoming white middle class Europeans to their comfortable world.

Were there any North African or Asian or African 'new' residents on your tour?

[Jonzjob]

You really are a tiny ray of sunshine on a dark day Norman! If you have nothing else but derogatory terms then i would suggest that you say nothing!

There was an Asian, a Peruvian and a North African on the visit! There are also Japanese, black Africans, Irish, oh what the hell. People like you will always look for the worst in whatever they see!

I apologise to all the other forum members for my outburst, but people like that tend to get slightly up my nose at a million miles an hour! This same clip has also been commented on by someone who is an organist and no such negative comments came forward. I will go on enjoying this spectacle and I hope that others here can do the same.

[mint]

Jonz, cannot make up my own mind about the organist's performance as your link doesn't work [:P]

[NickP]

[quote user="NormanH"]There is nothing unusual in using the heel and toe on the pedal board.
That is the standard technique for playing the organ.
His playing is a bit of a mess, going for general impressive 'effect' rather than clarity of detail.
What is more impressive is that he is achieving this on a 'tracker action', where the keyboards mechanical links to the pedals for example (you can see keys going down that he isn't playing with his fingers, because they are linked to pedals by rods).
This makes the action very heavy to play, a bit like driving a car with no power steering, and in which you have to double de-clutch.

On the whole the AVF is close to the National Front, welcoming white middle class Europeans to their comfortable world.

Were there any North African or Asian or African 'new' residents on your tour?

[/quote]

 

 Norman you are a plonker! [:P]

[Jonzjob]

I'm not sure why you can't watch it, but here is the link again. Taken from the web site itself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhQZvcGaPEo

Hope it works?? If t don't work, try to copy the link and paste it on the address line of your browser?

[NormanH]

[quote user="Jonzjob"]You really are a tiny ray of sunshine on a dark day Norman! If you have nothing else but derogatory terms then i would suggest that you say nothing!

There was an Asian, a Peruvian and a North African on the visit! There are also Japanese, black Africans, Irish, oh what the hell. People like you will always look for the worst in whatever they see!

I apologise to all the other forum members for my outburst, but people like that tend to get slightly up my nose at a million miles an hour! This same clip has also been commented on by someone who is an organist and no such negative comments came forward. I will go on enjoying this spectacle and I hope that others here can do the same.[/quote]

My 'negative' comments were about the AVF, which is an organisation which in my town for example doesn't support the vote for non-European residents in local elections even if they pay local taxes, because 'there are too many of them' ( A direct quotation in my translation from the explanation given by the guide to my town when I was taken on the visit)

My comments on the clip were largely explanatory about the technique of playing the pedals, and the action of the organ

This piece , the Finale from the Organ Symphony Number 1 by Vierne is a regular 'potboiler' s 'show-off' piece, but musically less challenging than  for example the chorale prelude An Wasserflussen Babylon Bach k 653, where not only each hand, but also each foot has an independent melody to play.

This obviously involves the 'heel and toe' technique in both feet at the same time, yet independently, but it is not at all a 'flashy' piece, so perhaps you would be less impressed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8zn6_Fd0wM&feature=PlayList&p=686023663454B7B7&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=52

(score here so you can follow

http://www.jsbach.net/midi/midi_organ.html)

What is interesting about your comment 'people like that tend to get slightly up my nose at a million miles an

hour! This same clip has also been commented on by someone who is an

organist '

is  the generalisation ("people like that") and your assumption that I am not an organist, which you can't know, or that my view is less valid than your friend's.

Perhaps what really gets up your nose it that people like me tend to know what we are talking about?

[NormanH]

Norman you are a plonker!

---

NickP

I always bow to reasoned argument ..

[mint]

Perhaps this piece will satisfy eveybody?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3G53cF835I

[Jonzjob]

That is rather a pleasing piece sweet!

I hope to be able to get the organist to let me video some more of his playing? It really is a lovely piece of equipment and a very interesting history too. It has been renovated to its former state with no electrics bought into it. All mechanical, as it was first built, apart from an electric pump..

[Weedon]

Now I do like a bit of organ music but not being able to play a proper note myself I only like what I like.  Whether it is a show-off piece or just blooming well played I have no idea, it either pleases me or not.

I couldn't get your links to work either John, the second one just Googles back to your posting on the forum.

This is my personal favourite but I am quite willing to listen to other pieces and because I am of fickle disposition could change my preference...anyway here's mine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipzR9bhei_o&translated=1

I quite like the example posted by Norman...pity that he chose to be so bloody rude with his initial response though,and I thought I was grumpy. At a guess he probably hasn't worked in a position where diplomacy is an asset.

[mint]

Weedon, I enjoyed that enormously.  I loved the graphics too:  they remind of pianola music, you know, the paper roll with all the holes in it!

So now, how about this very famous piece?

http://video.tiscali.it/canali/truveo/1233113066.html

[Weedon]

Sorry Sweets my youtube is on go slow again, it stopped 4 times in 23 secs so I shall have to come back to it..cos at my age time is important.

Here's an idea.  You play the paper roll with the holes in it and I will do descant with comb and loo paper. [:)]

[Tricia]

You've picked my favourites too (Bach, Albinoni) I've got the Bach Toccata and Fugue in Dmi transcribed for "easy piano".

This is another dramatic one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzd-AdxqNn4

My Dad used to play the organ.

edit :don't seem to be able to get the link to work - it's the Widor Toccata.

[Jonzjob]

Try this one Sweet?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhQZvcGaPEo

If this one works then there is some kind of problem with me using Chrome? This is on IE8.

[NormanH]

Both that one and the first work for me, as do all the other links.

[Chancer]

[quote user="NormanH"]

On the whole the AVF is close to the National Front, welcoming white middle class Europeans to their comfortable world.

[/quote]

Untrue of my AVF NormanH.

They only welcome white middle class French people on mutation or in retirement (the bulk of the membership)[:D]

All the other riff-raff including, in fact, especially myself are merely tolerated and dont even receive rappels de cotisations any more in the hope that they might just forget.

I did enjoy the Conversation Français classes as they had a real multi-cultural feel to them with new arrivals from Japan, Korea and Ecuador but other than this class where the benevole was really kind and enlightened none of the students  felt accepted at the sein of the organisation and never went to any of the other activities after their first tentative try which is a real shame.

You only have to look at the animations regulaires like Bridge, Scrabble, Scrapbooking, Peinture, Café Rencontre, Lecture, Points Comptes etc to see who will feel really at home.

Norman you have a way with words just as I have a way with women, its called the wrong way [:P][;-)] but as aways what you say is not off the mark.

[NormanH]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

Perhaps this piece will satisfy eveybody?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3G53cF835I

[/quote]

Yes sweet 17, that is a well-loved favourite, the first of the six Schubler chorale preludes which are Bach's own arrangements for organ of movements from his cantatas.

He was a great borrower of material (not only his own!)

This one is from Cantata no 140. Wachet auf! (Sleepers wake in English)

The tune is used throughout the cantata, but this chorale is a transcription of the 4th section where the tenors sing the tune

You can see the choral version here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1rUz0GM-NM

and the first section with the tune in the top line here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1-0HOmza2c&feature=related

[mint]

Yes, an all-time favourite with me.  In fact, if I didn't have to go to bed last night, I would have mentioned this to you.

It's on a CD I have with all my Christmas favourites.

[NormanH]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

Yes, an all-time favourite with me.  In fact, if I didn't have to go to bed last night, I would have mentioned this to you.

It's on a CD I have with all my Christmas favourites.

[/quote]

Are you American?

I think the standard English usage would have been " If I hadn't had to go to bed last night I would have mentioned this to you."

[mint]

[:D]  I see you're in your joking mood again, Norman.

Nothing to do with organs but Werther is on on Arte.  Some great singing and the orchestra sounds very good.

 

[mint]

Norman, the tenor was Jonas Kaufman:  I think I mentioned this German tenor to you?

Do watch the last act if you can manage to get it on whatever repeat device is available.

Sorry, Jonz, after my beauty sleep tonight, I will post more organ music, OK?

[NormanH]

This extract

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq9_NH8BRvE

is frustrating in that we never have the whole piece played, but interesting in that the pedal technique is clearly shown as is the 'tracker' action I mentioned above.

You can see that the keys on the upper manual go down at the same time as the organist plays on the middle one. This is called 'coupling' and on this organ and at the one in Carcassonne  as I observed in my first comment it is done mechanically which makes the keys extremely heavy in comparison to a normal keyboard.

It is also interests me to see Marie-Claire Alain who is unlike the popular image of an organist, though in fact one of the finest in France.

Here she plays the chorale prelude on the old 'Magnificat' tune

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

if you click on 'more details' you also get the specification of the organ.

and heart renderingly beautiful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mFUXBa4ook&NR=1