Bombarde (organ)
In the vast majority of cases, the Bombarde describes the organ register as a long reed register - usually found in the pedal in 16 'position, in large organs also in 32' position, then the register name is often given the prefix "Kontra". The bombard is generally built with funnel-shaped metal cups; but often the double bombardment 32 'is carried out with wooden cups for financial reasons. The name Pommer has established itself in German organ building .
sound
In the Renaissance the name referred to a double reed instrument . Like every reed register, the Bombarde has an assertive and difficult to mix sound with many overtones. However, in late romantic organs there are also powerful, mixable bombards, which integrate well in every tutti and support the labial 16-foot voices. The Bombarde's musical task is to create a stable foundation for the bass. Unlike the kurzbechrigen shelf -Registern the sound is sonorous, devastating and festive. The organ register most similar in sound is the somewhat weaker, similarly used trombone . Apart from high pressure registers and horizontal trumpets , the bombard is the loudest single part of an organ, if any.
use
The first bombards can be traced back to the end of the 16th century in the Franco-Flemish organ building. During the same period, Dutch organ builders built the register in northern German organs under the name "Pommer", but not later. At the end of the 17th century, Eugenio Casparini and Zacharias Thayßner used it in Central Germany and Silesia. Already in the Baroque era, bombards were built in France and Italy both as main tongues and as pedal tongues; South German baroque organ builders like to replace the otherwise common trombone 16 'with a bombarde 16' . In general, the conical bells were made of pewter, while the Silbermann family in Alsace preferred wooden beakers for the Pedalbombarde.
In the Romantic era it was hardly used in Germany, from the middle of the 19th century also with resounding tongues, in France, however, it was more and more common, as a 16′-tongue in the main work, swell, solo and pedal, up to the legendary one by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll built Contre-Bombarde 32 ′ . While the bombarde remained the common 16 'reed in France in the 20th century, it almost completely disappeared in the German organ movement, but spread to other countries such as Italy and the USA. In the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Northern Germany, the bomb never really caught on. Typical French pedal bombards (32 ′ and 16 ′) are hardly ever built in Germany, despite the great enthusiasm for the pedals on Cavaillé-Coll's organs. In the German-speaking area, the Rieger Orgelbau company was the only workshop to consistently build a 16 'Bombarde in smaller organs and a 32' Double Bombarde in larger organs. Currently, a Bombarde 32 'and, instead of a Bombarde 16', a slightly weaker variant, a Trombone 16 ', are available in large organs.
literature
- Roland Eberlein : Organ register. Their names and their history . 3. Edition. Siebenquart, Cologne 2016, ISBN 978-3-941224-00-1 , p. 59-62 .
Web links
- Audio sample of a 16 ′ bombarde (MP3; 115 kB)