John Stanley voluntaries edition?

[Havoc]

Very late reaction, but looking for some italian music I found that Armelin Musica Padova sells the reprint of the Urtext. http://www.armelin.it/ The sample page looks like the ones in my (copy of the) Schott Edition.

[markn]

Thank you, Havoc. I've placed the order at Armelin.

[iiipopes]

Yeah, I'm dragging up an old thread because I really enjoy Stanley. To the question above, yes, when the autograph says, "Flute," it means the 4' flute stop alone. Generally, this will mean on a period instrument playing it on the Choir manual, which is the only manual of a typical Georgian 2 1/2 manual organ that had a flute. Until closer to 1800, the Great generally only had the Principal as a 4' stop, and likewise the Swell, being the foil (and originally simply the "Ecchoes" as it was spelled) to the treble range of the Great. Throughout the era, you would occasionally find a "German Flute" on the Swell, but this was rare; and Samuel Green at the end of the era was fond of putting a Dulciana and Dulciana Principal on the Swell. But I digress. To recap: when you see the notation "Flute" in Georgian literature, it means only the 4' Flute on the Choir, usually accompanied by the Stopped Diapason alone on the Great, and occasionally echoed or dialogued with a reed on the Swell, always pulled with the Stopped Diapason for prompt speech.

The Georgians didn't use foot-length designations on their stops, so "Diapasons" were always unison stops, along with the Dulciana and reeds, octave stops were "Flutes" "Principals" and occasionally, "Clarions," single rank upper work was named by its relationship to the unison, and finally the compound stops were first the Sesqualtera, the main chorus mixture, then on top of that was the "Mixture," or what would be called a cymbal in contemporary nomenclature, and occasionally a third mixture with a different constitution would be the "Fourniture." The Great Cornet was treble compass only, and usually at least the Stopped Diapason was pulled along with it to complete this unison solo voice, while the Swell Cornet was part of the chorus like the Sesquialtera on the Great.

[hartleymartin]

I think it has a lot to do with naming conventions of the time. From what I know of English organs, "Flute" typically meant a 4' open diapason stop, and you would find "Open diapason" and "Stopped Diapason" for 8' stops. This is also why we find the convention of calling the upper work "12th", "15th", "17th".

I find that for the slow "diapason" movements in Stanley, it really begs for an 8' + 4' registration, especially if you are playing a small instrument where your 8' foundational rank is stopped!

I've also found some of John Alcocks "8 easy voluntaries for organ or harpsichord" to be nice pieces, especially the one in C major. I've used the latter half of the trumpet voluntary section as a short postlude for Ascension Sunday mass at college chapel.

[myorgan]

I think it has a lot to do with naming conventions of the time. From what I know of English organs, "Flute" typically meant a 4' open diapason stop, and you would find "Open diapason" and "Stopped Diapason" for 8' stops. This is also why we find the convention of calling the upper work "12th", "15th", "17th".

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that ONLY the Stopped Diapason was considered a Flute. When referring to the 12th, 15th, 17th, etc., I also thought those designations were used only for Diapason ranks rather than Flute ranks.

I agree about the slow Diapason movements in Stanley, however, I've sometimes used a Dulciana (arguably between a String and Diapason), which has enough overtones to make the line a bit clearer without adding 4'. I also agree if the 8' foundation is a Flute unless it is one with pronounced overtones, like a Gedackt 8'.

Of course this may be a difference between American and European registration practices.

Michael

[hartleymartin]

Sorry, I had a bit of confusion when I wrote that.

Open Diapasons at 4' were typically called "octave" and sometimes a 2' would be called "super-octave" (and 16' would be called "Double Diapason") and from there the 12th, 15th, 17th, etc would be open diapason tone.

8' stopped diapason pipes would be known by names derived from Flutes (in fact my chapel organ as "Wald Flute" for the Stopped Diapason rank). I've also come across names such as "Flageolet" for a 2' stopped diapason rank.

I think my confusion came around from my college's chapel organ which has "flute" for a 4' rank, which is an open diapason, except for the bottom octave which is stopped.

[fugueist]

Hello All,

I just signed up for the "Organ Forum" yesterday, and right away I find discussion of the Stanley Voluntaries. This interests me because my Master's Thesis (University of Western Ontario, 1974) was about these very works. I see several of you refer to the "Schott" Edition, ed. Denis Vaughn. I have that edition, but published by Oxford (1957), with English and German prefaces. Incidentally, this purports to be a "facsimile" edition, but a reviewer in one of the British Journals of the day pointed out that some c-clef material had been changed without comment. It is still fun from which to play. Now to some details:

To SJefferys' query about Flute registrations-your hunch is exactly right. Play on the 4' flute alone. This is usually a r.h. solo (see Op. 5 #8 for example where the l.h. would be played on the "Eccho" division on the Stopt Diapason). It would be impossible to play as written on a single manual, unless you played the left hand an octave lower than written. Note: an option is given, in bar 7, where the solo enters, to play either on the Stopt Diapn or the Flute. To play this correctly, you must have a 3-manual organ, as did Stanley at the Temple Church.

I would agree with Havoc that Vaughn's discussion of registration is more a rant against tubby, unresponsive British organs (his perception) extant in 1957, than it is a guide to registering this delightful music.

Perhaps the specification of Stanley's instrument at the Temple Church would be uswfull. Here it is:

Great: Open Diapason 8' Choir: Stopped Diapason 8' Swell Organ (new in 1740): Open Diapason 8'
Stopped Diapason 8' Principal 4' Stopped Diapason 8'
Principal 4' Flute 4' Cornet IV
Flute 4' Fifteenth 2' Trumpet 8'
Twelfth 2 2/3' Vox Humana 8' Horn (to Tenor F) 8'
Fifteenth 2' Cremona 8' Hautboy 8'
Sesquialtera III
Mixture III
Cornet (from C#) V
Trumpet 8'

Many people are unaware that the Diapasons (Open and Stopped) were almost always drawn. Thus, for example, a registration of "Trumpet" actually means Open 8', Stopped 8', Trumpet 8'.

Here endeth my scholarly, musicologically correct stuffy lesson on registration in the Stanley Voluntaries.

Note that the title page of the Walsh Edition of these pieces states that they are for Organ or HARPSICHORD. We could add or Electronic Keyboard, as I did a year ago. The trumpet tune of Op. 6 #5 is at least equal to the familiar Clarke pieces. These pieces would sound good in an Accordion Band (a welcome alternative to "Lady of Spain!).

My point is that, following "correct" registration habits can lead to unbalanced sounds, or even worse aberrations.

Continuing to destroy my reputation as a "purist", might I recommend that you Stanleyphiles out there look
at 2 "bloated" versions of some of these pieces? First, "The Temple Church Suite" Cramer 1984, ed. Hesford, and even better, "Suite for Organ", Oxford 1945, ed. Coleman. This is unabashedly "Romantic", and would sound fabulous on one of those "decadent" instruments mentioned above. Finally, Peter le Huray has edited, for Oxford, 3 of Stanley's Organ Concerti. These, especially the C Minor, are must-haves.

I hope I have not been too verbose on only my second day.

fugueist

- - - Updated - - -

Sorry everyone, I couldn't fix organ spec, but let's call it a puzzle! Have fun.

fugueist

[Havoc]

Thanks for sharing your insights. Sadly I can't register a solo 4' flute. So I'll have to fake it by playing an 8' an octave lower on the second manual.