Harder-Völkmann organ
| Harder-Völkmann organ | |
|---|---|
|
|
| General | |
| place | Groebenzell |
| Organ builder | Harder-Völkmann organ building |
| Construction year | 2006-2016 |
| epoch | 21st century |
| Organ landscape | Fürstenfeldbruck |
| Technical specifications | |
| Number of pipes | 3,024 |
| Number of registers | 199 register circuits from 76 registers |
| Number of rows of pipes | 39 (+5 percussion) |
The Harder-Völkmann organ in Groebenzell in the Upper Bavarian district of Fürstenfeldbruck is the world's largest organ in an office center, the floor , which also serves as a cultural center. It was rebuilt by Harder-Völkmann Orgelbau using historical material. In addition to 69 organ stops , accordion and piano, it has an extensive organ glockenspiel and an organ marimba. A total of 76 sounding registers are generated on three manuals and pedal using multiplex technology. Integrated is an instrument made in 1953 by the Paul Faust organ building company in Schwelm using traditional organ technology, originally with 16 registers, a whistle movement with an electro-pneumatic supply. This was in the Protestant Johannis Church in Duisburg-Walsum until 2005 . Due to the danger of the building collapsing, the municipality sold the instrument if it was in good condition and worthy of restoration.
In addition, in 2016, six high-pressure registers of a “Residence” organ built by the Aeolian Company, built in the USA in 1923, were inserted on original wind chests in a supplementary swell of eleven rows in two chambers.
Location
In June 2005, the organ lover Christian Stock, owner let the office center floor , break down the basic instrument in Duisburg and transfer to Munich. The office center in the Munich suburb of Gröbenzell (near the A8 ) comprises several building complexes.
Artistic-musical concept
The aim of the initiator Christian Stock is to revive the secular uses of the "queen of instruments" that have been taken for granted in the past and to pave the way for new fields of experimentation. The part-tone experiments of the late organ movement in the 1950 / 1960s, which created new synthetic sound spaces for avant-garde compositions - using organ pipes in a purely acoustic way, are also resumed. Art installations in interaction with the organ, combinations of organ and rock music, modern dance, electronic sound generators, etc. am should be stimulated.
implementation
The Harder-Völkmann Orgelbau company has designed an instrument that integrates seven different historical strands of organ building, some of which are continental and some are Anglo-Saxon-American.
The respective influences from the sound concepts no longer used today (since the 1920s and 1960s) justify the special position of this organ. Their special disposition structure enables them to be used widely for a wide variety of literature, including secular literature.
In order to provide this in a small space, but not to reach a so-called "universal organ", a complex electronic control of the purely acoustic sound body was part of the development from the start.
The aspects that characterize this organ from different epochs are:
- Assemblies of a restored neo-baroque church organ with a steep disposition and a strict workmanship form the sound foundation of the overall system. They enable the adequate representation of baroque compositions, but, in connection with a new aliquot work, are also the starting point for expressive-mystical and experimental-aggressive sounds.
- New partial works take up ideas of the early romantic organ theorist Georg Joseph Vogler to transform the organ into a classical "orchestra".
- There are aspects realized in the Harder-Völkmann organ
- Distribution of the pipework to various "orchestral groups" instead of the largely equal "partial organs" of the baroque concept.
- these are filled with strongly imitative register colors such as "strings, woodwinds, brass"
- Continuous register crescendo as possible to dynamize the organ sound
- clear tongue registers as the basis of a work
- Base tone reinforcement through combination tone formation of deep-lying aliquots
- This promotes the representation of transcribed orchestral works from the Classical to the Early Romantic period on this instrument.
- There are aspects realized in the Harder-Völkmann organ
- Orchestral ideas and technical inventions of the English organ visionary Robert Hope-Jones around 1900 are taken up.
- Features used here are:
- The technical control of the new assemblies in the so-called "multiplex or unit system", which extracts a large number of registers as so-called "extracts" from a limited number of basic rows of pipes.
- The single pipe in the extended section is used here several times in different registers; in contrast to the baroque work principle, provided on all manuals.
- The insertion of high pressure registers with their own intensive, room-pervasive basic tone formation. In particular, the high pressure - "Tibia clausa" is an indispensable accompaniment and solo part of such a sound structure.
- The inclusion of the percussion as a fully developed orchestral group and the piano in the organ
- The "2nd touch" on the first manual and the pedal.
- These characteristics are primarily used as a cinema organ , which enlivened the dramaturgy of the silent film in the 1920s.
- Features used here are:
- Influences from Georg Ashdown Audsley's "Straight" concept (in contrast to the "Unit" concept, all stops from separate rows) are included, as they are more suitable for the characteristic organ sound and the basis for the disposition of the huge concert organs in the USA during the interwar period, such as the organ of the Wanamaker Department Store (Philadelphia) .
- His concept is reflected in this organ in:
- the retention of the high-lying mixtures that characterize the pure organ tone
- the retention of the factory binding of all principals and mixtures as a respective plenum
- the arrangement of a multi-row string choir in the sense of an orchestral group as a "floating division" (see Vogler's concept)
- its own wind chest with purely tuned aliquots of all layers that can be merged as a "harmonic division"
- the partial placement of the pipework in several highly effective swell chambers, the "orchestral groups" of which can thus be dynamically played off against each other.
- It enables this instrument to represent the great romantic organ literature and late romantic orchestral works.
- His concept is reflected in this organ in:
- John Compton's experiments of the 1930s are shown in the system of supplementary “virtual” mixtures, which are drawn from the existing rows in pure tuning without their own pipework. Harder-Völkmann uses the possibilities of the single register architecture on an electric action in the sense of a mixture setter and thus provides expressionistic sound spaces.
- The added accordion is a typical feature of the self-playing Belgian dance organ of the 1960s, but as a small reed organ it also forms the basis of the III. Manuals according to Vogler's concept (around 1810), here preferentially promoting entertainment music (tango, jazz), it also replaces a late romantic phyharmonic and is another dynamic element on its wind sill.
- External couplings enable the integration of digital sound generators (e.g. synthesizers) for further experiments by taking out the data stream.
Architectural concept
The deliberately open technical system of the work without a comprehensive housing allows insight into the structure of the instrument. The audience can sometimes directly experience the switching processes during the game.
The dynamization takes place via register and wind sills, as well as via two very effective swell chambers for the high pressure voices. In terms of style, Harder-Völkmann made reference to the “open prospectuses” of the German organ builder Johannes Klais, who, in close contact with Bauhaus architects, found façade-free designs based purely on the rhythm of the functional assemblies.
At the same time, Walter Holtkamp was experimenting in a similar way in the USA. The room elements steel, terracotta and plant green are reflected in the color values. For optical support, the entire organ architecture is illuminated by a professional theater lighting system. It can be approached from a desk or pre-programmed according to the event.
Structure of the plant
Distribution of the sound material
The instrument is distributed across the room according to aural and architectural criteria so that the listener can sit in the middle of the “orchestra”.
It is composed as follows:
- 16 stops of pipework and 5 wind chests of the 1953 “Faust” organ with electro-pneumatic supply. This represents the neo-baroque core.
- 13 so-called “ranks” (= unit rows of pipes) of up to 92 notes on individual register drawers, each with its own sound circuit per row, not only complement these, but also completely transform the instrument's sound architecture. In terms of control technology, each of these rows represents an entire work with octave couplings, each a kind of "floating division" in multiplex technology. 12 of these rows provide 37 additional registers on all three manuals and pedal (s), the 13th row is used in the background to create "virtual" registers.
- 7 high-pressure voices that come very close to real orchestral instruments in their sound character justify the special ability of this instrument to represent orchestral transcriptions on the organ. 6 of these voices come from an "Aeolian Duo Art Pipe Organ" built in 1923 for a private citizen in Tacoma / Washington from the USA on their original windchest, supplemented by a high pressure tibia and 6 further registers, which complement the sound pyramid in the swellwork.
- Accordion, piano, glockenspiel, marimba and drum complete the orchestral character.
In the main part on the gallery are placed:
- I. Manual and pedal of the basic organ
- Flute group
- Aliquots and "virtual" mixtures
- Solo trumpeteria (horizontal)
- Carillon
- piano
The focus here is on plenary and abundance-related voices and these integrating percussion.
Opposite the entrance area are:
- II. Manual of the basic organ
- String section
- Solo tongues
- Lieblich trumpet
- accordion
- Marimba and percussion
This part tends to combine the solo voices (with their supporters) and percussion of the appropriate character.
To the side of the main part, the swell rises up as a separate tower with two chambers one above the other. It houses:
- In chamber 1: The 6 high pressure voices of the Aeolian organ in 8 'register, including a resounding clarinet
- In chamber 1: 6 the partial pyramid supplementary registers on low pressure
- In chamber 2: a tibia clausa in 4 octave extracts
The windchests are supplied by a newly designed bellows system with four tremulants, differentiated in the wind pressures, fed by five fans.
Control electronics
Part of the complex concept of the instrument is the control electronics, which connect the electrically or electro-pneumatically operated works distributed across the room to the gaming table via a data bus.
It was designed by the physicist Jürgen Scriba and the organ builder Markus Harder-Völkmann (Federal Patent No. 10 2006 032 800, granted on July 5, 2007). Scriba took over the further technical development and implementation.
The key points of the patenting are the "tone hole masking", which is particularly important for the unit series, and the decentralized processing. The “tone hole” that may arise in multiplex systems through the simultaneous use of a whistle in intersecting voices is masked by the repeated strike of the tone that has already been held. The time values are freely adjustable and can thus be adapted as required to the windchest technology used. The note of the moving voice speaks again and for the ear without delay, the run remains unbroken.
In contrast to common organ data buses, the evaluation and allocation of the information to the switching electronics in the windchest is decentralized on the organ side, the data stream transmitted via the bus is minimized. Since every row of units is equivalent to its own manual with its octave couplings in terms of circuitry, an evaluation of all extracts on all manuals on the console side would possibly lead to delayed processing.
With its modular structure, the electronics allow permanent expansion of the system as well as the integration of non-organ elements (e.g. synthesizers). The digital recording and playback of "live" recordings as well as the playback of externally created arrangements is also possible.
The gaming table
The new gaming table is placed on a mobile platform so that visitors can see it, with which it disappears into the substructure of the swell tower when not in use. The gaming table is kept as small, light and transportable as possible for flexible use. It can be integrated into the events on the stage.
- The virtual III. Manual is therefore created without its own keyboard. It allows an additional work to be put together from the supplementary multiplex series, but also has its own work character in the style of a “salon organ” with the accordion and the small pyramid of sound related to it. This can on the one hand be linked to all works as usual, on the other hand it can be switched to the keyboard of the II. Manual alternately (III = II not linked) with this.
- In the first manual (and in the pedal) there is also a “2nd touch” - a second, lower-lying touch point of the keyboard, which serves both to accentuate individual notes and to accompany the first manual with itself. The higher manuals can be linked to it.
- The gaming table has a total of 199 register circuits and 19 coupling devices. The register buttons of the basic organ are grouped in a traditional way. In contrast to the usual addition of supplementary registers in the works, these are arranged here as orchestral groups. This illustrates the internal structure of the organ as an orchestra in the sense of Vogler or Audsley. The groups are quasi "floating divisions", which are won from one or more rows. The organist assigns the registers of the unit rows to the desired work in the desired position, the assignment remains recognizable. Octave coupling does not make sense in an extensive multiplex system, since the extracts themselves represent a single register octave coupling.
- The two external couplers E1 and E2 are used to control sound generators (synthesizers etc.) that are not inherent to the organ via a MIDI interface. Since the last expansion in 2016, the Koppel Extern1 has also served the register switching of the expanded swell mechanism as a classic "floating division" on IV to all keyboards. The wind chest of the Aeolian high-pressure register is also available in the then "duplex" technology of this company - a forerunner technology of the multiplex process, which makes the voices available at least simultaneously on two (and not all) keyboards - so that these are independent of the coupling can also be switched to Manual III.
- A setter provides 80 banks of 40 combinations = 3,200 combinations. 20 of these banks are separated by access authorization. There are 10 direct accesses to the composer positions 01/01 - 10/01, especially valuable for improvised play, as well as sequencers "+" and "-" switching.
- The 30-step crescendo roller can be programmed in 25 different processes with its own roller setter. 2 swell steps for wind swell accordion and an optional swell mechanism are available.
Building history
The individual construction phases:
June 2005 - April 2006
- Purchase of the basic organ, transfer and restoration of the reused material in the building company
- Design and construction of the new overall system (wind supply, additional individual register wind chests, electrical actions, control electronics, new gaming table)
- Completion of fundamental orchestral timbres through all registers (unit rows of open flutes and strings)
- Supplement to plenary reeds (trumpeteria)
- Supplement to solo tongues
Opening concert on April 21, 2006
November 2006 - July 2007
The following new timbres on newly manufactured technology:
- Completion of the string section
- Expansion of the trumpeteria
- Supplement to the aliquots
- Installation of piano and accordion
February - March 2009
- Manufacture and installation of the carillon
October – November 2009:
- Manufacture and installation of the marimba and other percussion
July 2015 - June 2016
- Restoration of the assemblies used (windchest, bellows, pipework, tremulants) of the Aeolian organ
- Production of Tibia clausa and the supplementary partial registers including their supply units
- Integration into the newly manufactured swell mechanism housing with 2 swell chambers
Technical data and special features
- Base: 15 registers + 1 transmission with 1,016 pipes
- Extension free-standing: 37 registers from 12 + 1 unit rows (= ranks) with 1,034 pipes
- Expansion swellable: 16 registers from 11 rows (6 duplex / 3 unit / 3 straight) with 974 pipes
- Total inventory: 3,024 pipes
- Body length of the largest pipe: 5.20 m / C of the violon 16 'in wood
- Body length of the smallest pipe: 10 mm / g '' 'of the ninth 8/9'
The wind turbine provides the pipework with 8 pressure levels:
- Basic organ, aliquots, strings and Lieblich trumpet (85 mm WS )
- Solo reeds (95 mm WS)
- Violon 16 '(105 mm WS)
- Open flutes, flutes harmoniques (110 mm WS)
- Horizontal Trumpets (125 mm WS)
- High pressure voices in swell chamber 1 (195 mm WS)
- Low pressure voices in swell chamber 1 (60 mm WS)
- High pressure tibia in swelling chamber 2 (210 mm WS)
Tremulant 1 acts on the second manual basic organ and string section
Tremulant 2 acts on the solo tongues Schalmei and Krummhorn
Tremulant 3 affects the voices in swell chamber 1
Tremulant 4 acts on the tibia in swelling chamber 2
The integrated piano (Schimmel brand) can be controlled in the 3 dynamic levels p, mf and f. The attenuation cancellation is controlled by a foot switch from the gaming table. The “Mandolin” effect circuit introduces a change between the hammer and the strings, which shifts the sound character into delicate overtones.
The integrated accordion has an 8-step wind sill from 20-100 mm water column . Treble and bass are split in e / f - corresponding to the keyboard and button side of the real instrument.
- The 3 treble reeds are: 16 ', 8', musette 8 '+ 8' (= double row floating above / below)
- The 5 bass tongues with a more delicate intonation are: 16 ', 8', 4 ', 2', 1 '
The glockenspiel in 4 'position has 122 steel sound bars (= 61 notes × 2 registers) on full-length open resonators.
- The 1st row has single tone attenuation and common cancellation.
- The 2nd row on beat (= celesta effect) can be switched on by common damping cancellation.
- Due to the large scope, excerpts are possible in different positions.
It is the most extensive organ glockenspiel in Europe.
The Marimba 8 'comprises 49 sound bars from c made of padouk wood on covered resonators.
- With its soft mallets and the resonators that promote the fundamental tone, it differs significantly from an organ xylophone in terms of sound.
- It is a solo register in an 8 'position.
- It can be switched to a single strike as well as repetitive.
Extracts can be made in different positions. Their sound bars and resonators come from the Moeller cinema organ of the Temple Theater in Birmingham / Alabama / USA - manufactured in 1924 and supplied there by the US company Deagan. Your technical system is new. It is thus the only organ marimba in Europe, and with 49 pitches it is one octave more extensive and lower than most marimbas or xylophones (e.g. Mighty Wurlitzer in Berlin with 37 pitches).
The percussion is complemented by a small drum and triangle. The entire solo percussion can be controlled in two dynamic levels.
Disposition
Basis: Duisburg-Walsum, Faust 1953
| I. Manual | ||
|---|---|---|
| Principal | 8th' | |
| Gemshorn | 8th' | |
| octave | 4 ′ | |
| Night horn | 2 ′ | |
| mixture | 1 1 ⁄ 3 ′ | 4-way |
| Dulcian | 16 ′ |
| II. Manual | ||
|---|---|---|
| Covered | 8th' | |
| Reed flute | 4 ′ | |
| octave | 2 ′ | |
| Nasat | 1 1 ⁄ 3 ′ | |
| Sharp | 2 ⁄ 3 ′ | 3-way |
| Tremulant on II + string section |
| pedal | |
|---|---|
| Sub-bass | 16 ′ |
| Revelation | 8th' |
| Chorale bass | 4 ′ |
| Quintadena | 2 ′ |
| Dulcian | 16 ′ (trans.) |
Extension: Harder-Völkmann 2006–2009
| III. Manual (without its own keyboard) | ||
|---|---|---|
| accordion | 16 ′, 8 ′, 8 ′ + 8 ′ beating | |
| Gambette | 4 ′ | |
| Hörnlein | 2 ′ | 2-way |
| Flageolet | 1' | |
| Glöckleinton | 1 ⁄ 2 ′ | 3-way |
| swellable in chamber 1 | ||
| Dumped | 8th' | |
| Dumped | 4 ′ | |
| diapason | 8th' | High pressure |
| Big tide | 8th' | High pressure |
| Gamba | 8th' | High pressure |
| Viole celeste | 8th' | High pressure |
| swellable in chamber 2 | ||
| Tibia | 8th' | High pressure |
| Sub-fund IV - III |
| IV. Floating Division (without its own keyboard) | Via coupling E1 | |
|---|---|---|
| swellable in chamber 1 | ||
| Big tide | 8th' | High pressure |
| Gamba | 8th' | High pressure |
| Viole celeste | 8th' | High pressure |
| Clarinet | 8th' | High pressure |
| Vox humana | 8th' | High pressure |
| Rohrnasat | 5 1 ⁄ 3 ′ | |
| Dumped | 4 ′ | |
| Rohrnasat | 2 2 ⁄ 3 ′ | |
| Seventh sesquialter | 2 2 ⁄ 3 ′ | 4-way |
| mixture | 1 1 ⁄ 3 ′ | 4-way |
| swellable in chamber 2 | ||
| Tibia | 16 ′ from c | High pressure |
| Tibia | 8th' | High pressure |
| Tibia | 4 ′ | High pressure |
| Tibia | 2 ′ | High pressure |
| Tremulant Chamber 1 | ||
| Tremulant tibia chamber 2 | ||
| Super fund IV - IV |
| To I: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Akuta | 4 ⁄ 7 ′ | 4-way |
| To II: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Buntzymbel | 8 ⁄ 19 ′ | 2-way |
| To the pedal: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Heavy bass | 2 2 ⁄ 3 ′ | 6-fold |
| Back set | 5 1 ⁄ 3 ′ | 3–4 times |
| Tibia | 8th' | High pressure |
| 13 unit series that can be freely selected for the plants | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st - 3rd Strings | |||
| Violon | 16 ′ | 1st row | |
| Salizional | 16 ′ | 3rd row | |
| cello | 8th' | 1-2 times | 1st row |
| Gamba | 8th' | 1-2 times | 2nd row |
| Vox coelestis | 8th' | 1-2 times | 3rd row |
| violin | 4 ′ | 1st row | |
| 4th + 13th flutes | |||
| Pedestal | 32 ′ | 4th row | |
| Flute bass | 16 ′ | ||
| Hollow flute | 8th' | ||
| Transverse flute | 4 ′ | ||
| Soft flute | 4 ′ | 13th row | |
| Fifth | 2 2 ⁄ 3 ′ | 4th row | |
| Flute harmonique | 2 ′ | ||
| 5th + 6th trumpets | |||
| trombone | 16 ′ | 5th row | |
| Trumpet | 8th' | ||
| Clarine | 4 ′ | ||
| Lovely trumpet | 8th' | 6th row | |
| 7th + 8th solo tongues | |||
| shawm | 8th' | 7th row | |
| shawm | 4 ′ | ||
| Krummhorn | 8th' | 8th row | |
| Tremulant shawm / krummhorn | |||
| 9-12 Aliquots: | (in tune) | ||
| Fifth / nasat | 5 1 ⁄ 3 ′, 2 2 ⁄ 3 ′, 1 1 ⁄ 3 ′ | 9th row | |
| third | 3 1 ⁄ 5 ′, 1 3 ⁄ 5 ′, 4 ⁄ 5 ′ | 10th row | |
| Seventh | 2 2 ⁄ 7 ′, 1 1 ⁄ 7 ′ | 11th row | |
| None | 8 ⁄ 9 ′ | 12th row |
| percussion | |
|---|---|
| Carillon | 4 ′ from C |
| Marimba | 8 ′ from c |
| piano | 16 ′, 8 ′, 4 ′ |
| Small drum | |
| triangle |
| Couple | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I - P | II - P | III - P | IV (= E1) - P | E2 - P | |
| II - I | III - I | IV (= E1) - I. | |||
| II - 2nd | III - 2nd | ||||
| I - II | III - II | P - II | III = II | IV (= E1) - II | E2 - II |
| IV (= E1) - III | Sub-fund IV - III | Sub-fund IV - IV |
Web links
- Groebenzeller Harder-Völkmann-Organ on the owner's website
- The instrument on the Harder-Völkmann Orgelbau website
- Federal Patent No. 10 2006 032 800
literature
To implementation 2:
- Martin Balz: The organ as an orchestra - for the 250th birthday of Georg Joseph Vogler. In: Ars Organi. Volume 47, Issue 4/1999, ISSN 0004-2919 , pp. 194-204.
- Georg Brenninger: Organs in Old Bavaria. Verlag F. Bruckmann, Munich 1982, ISBN 3-7654-1859-5 , p. 205.
To implementation 4:
- George Ashdown Audsley: The Organ of the Twentieth Century. Dover Publications, Mineola (NY) 2004, ISBN 0-486-43575-X . (First published: Dodd, Mean & Company NY 1919)
Implementation 3 + 5:
- Stephen Bicknell: The History of the English Organ. Cambridge United Press, Cambridge et al. a. 2001, ISBN 0-521-65409-2 .
- Orpha Ochse: The History of the Organ in the United States. Indiana University Press, Bloomington 1988, ISBN 0-253-20495-X .
To implementation 5:
- Winfred Ellerhorst: Handbook of organ science . Frits Knuf, Buren (NL) 1986, ISBN 90-6027-515-2 . (First publication: Benziger Publishing House , Einsiedeln 1936)
To “Architectural Concept”:
- Phillipp Klais: Hans Klais - custom-made organ design between organ movement and modern architecture. In: Aspects of Organ Movement. Merseburger, Kassel 1995, ISBN 3-87537-261-1 , pp. 219-262.