Unification in a home/chapel organ

[mashaffer]

If you are going to midify your cinema II you could use midi relays to control the real pipes and also pass midi to a computer running one of the virtual organs to add some of the things that you otherwise couldn't do because of space, cost, or time (32' pedal stops, hairy chested reeds, mixtures etc). Just a thought.

mike

[VaPipeorgantuner]

You are going to find that unifying the Tierce (1 3/5) pitch out of a equal-tempered tuned unison rank is NOT going to work well at all...the 2 2/3 is liveable, but the tierce is going to be about 13 cents (13/100th of a semi-tone)off pitch and will NOT blend and produce the 'sesquialtera' sound that you desire. Keep in mind that it's not only the wind chest that needs to be built, but also you will need a reservoir and a quiet blower so that you have a steady regulated source of wind pressure, AND you will need the keyboard and contacts and switching system (you could use 2n3055 transistors and ganged switches for the unification).

Like the others, consider whether you want to be PLAYING the organ or BUILDING the organ. most people that I know that have small pipe organs end up working on them more than playing them, always trying to "tweak" the tuning or fix something that they otherwise would live with (various flaws).

Rick in VA

[hartleymartin]

I may or may not bother with the 1-3/5 Tierce. It would probably overpower the space in which the instrument would be played anyway.

I mostly play organs, but I'm also a tinkerer. I built my own touring bicycle from components a couple of years ago, and then toured on it. I would do much the same with the organ. Build it and then play it!

I've been going over my notes. I think I'll stick with the 16', 8', 4', 2-2/3' and 2' from a unified flute rank and then have 8' and 4' from an open wood diapason rank, with the bottom octave borrowed from the stopped rank.

[hartleymartin]

On reflection, I suppose what I really want is my own version of a moller artiste. My plan is to acquire a flute rank, add an open diapason rank and should the opportunity arise, a reed rank of some sort.

I wish that they still made those instruments. They would be perfect for most modern small parish churches, who have either gone with cheap electric instruments, or worse still resorted to cheap keyboards.

[AllanP]

My organ has a tierce which is used rarely. I use it to create a Cornet sound ( 8' stopped flute, 4' 2 2/3', 2', 1 3/5' combined). It is also useful to add color to an ensemble.
If the tierce were removed, I would hardly miss it.
The 2 2/3' is more useful as it can be used in a wider variety of combinations. The tierce is really only used for a single note melody, no chords (usually).

The essential ranks (in my opinion) are diapason, open flute, and stopped flute for classical organ music. A string adds brightness and variety. My organ also has a color reed and a chorus reed which are quite valuable for playing transcriptions.

A small organ like the Moller Artiste can be really nice sounding. I love my 6 rank organ which would work well for hymn accompaniment.

[james]

Allan P,

What are the ranks of your 6 rank organ as well as the stop list?

I am sure the Cornet can sub for a Trumpet 8' fanfare for a few church pieces such as God of Our Fathers.

Do you ever make a Clarinet solo stop via the 8' 2 2/3' and 1 3/5'?

How do you make an Oboe? What strings do you have and where do you find them most useful?

A decent six rank pipe organ can be great for a small church in lieu of many of the poor imatations found on many of the digital organs of today, and many of the same from yesteryears.

[AllanP]

The ranks are:
Diapason 16, 8, 4 Solo manual / 8, 4 Accompaniment / 16, 8 Pedal
Bourdon - open flute 16, 8, 4, 2 2/3, 2, 1 3/5 Solo manual / 8, 4, 2 Accompaniment / 16, 8 Pedal / first 30 notes a stopped bourdon, rest of the notes an open wood melodia (inverted mouth)
Tibia (wood stopped pipes) 16 TC, 8, 4 Solo manual / 8, 4 accompaniment / 8 pedal
Salicional 16 TC, 8, 4 Pretty assertive string Accompaniment / 8, 4 Solo / 8 pedal
Vox Humana 16 TC, 8, 4 accompaniment / 16 TC, 8 solo
Trumpet 16 TC, 8 Solo / 8 accompaniment / 8 pedal Willis style with partially closed shallots

I have used the mutations as you mentioned to make a clarinet using the 8' Tibia as the base.
The 8 salicional and 8' flute with the 2 2/3 makes a passable pipe organ orchestral oboe (thinner sound than a real oboe).
The 8' trumpet with the 4' Tibia make a pretty good oboe for solo lines.
The diapason alone makes a nice "horn" type sound.

The stop list is described on the web site, the link is in the signature. The organ still has the original voicing so that the higher pitches hold up well and are not subdued as is the current fad. The Tibia is in tune with or without a tremulant allowing it to be used for classical music without tremulant.

There are Accompaniment to Pedal and Solo to Pedal couplers to allow the pedal to have a wider pitch range for more punch. The entire instrument is enclosed in a swell box, unenclosed would be way too loud for a home installation.