Trio-like organ playing

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The trio-like organ playing is a way of playing in which several timbres of the organ are used simultaneously, i. H. two manuals ( keyboard ) and the pedal . This creates the possibility of particularly emphasizing a voice, usually a melody voice. This way of playing is therefore particularly possible or specified for chorale accompaniment, chorale-related literature and cantus firmus- influenced improvisations.

Disambiguation

The term “trio-…” is somewhat misleading and vague, as it describes the actual use of three parts of the organ. Although three sub-works are actually used, the pedal work (if not the melody part) and the accompanying manual of the two manuals basically have the same subordinate tonal significance and are usually just as cautiously registered . The basis for this count, however, is the fact that playing on a manual together with the pedals is always "duo-like" organ playing. Playing on two manuals and pedal is thus "trio-like".

Furthermore, no conclusion can be drawn that trio-like organ playing automatically only means three parts. Only the tonally accentuated melody part and the bass part played on the pedal are usually unanimous, while the "accompanying manual" is usually played with several voices. If a melody voice z. If, for example, it is emphasized in the soprano, the alto and tenor parts are played on the accompanying manual in a four-part choral setting. Since only the simultaneous use of three parts of the organ is described, but not an inevitable three-part play, only the term "trio-like organ play" is actually completely correct, whereas the synonym "trio play" incorrectly suggests a three-part play. "Obligatory organ playing" and "trio-like organ playing" are also used synonymously, mostly to describe that the melody part is emphasized in a chorale accompaniment. Another conceptual inaccuracy therefore arises when the melody part, which theoretically can and may be in all voices, is in the bass part. All other accompanying voices then no longer necessarily have to be played on several manuals. (A corresponding example of this vocal distribution from the literature is the chorale arrangement "Vom Himmel hoch" by Johann Pachelbel : The two upper voices can and should be played on two manuals, but do not have to.) A chorale accompaniment with a melody part highlighted in the bass is in each In the case of “obligatory organ playing”, in the strictest sense, however, it is no longer a trio-like organ playing if the upper parts are only played on one manual. A similar gray area arises when z. For example, in the case of a chorale accompaniment, the melody part is in the tenor: As a rule, this is then highlighted on an extra manual. With certain registrations, however, it also stands out well if only one manual is played. Concerning the set of parts and the fingering one plays in this case quasi trio-like, but in fact not, since only two parts, namely a manual and the pedal work are used.

The term "trio-like play" or "trio play" is used primarily as a terminology or instruction for when the worship service (also mostly freely played) chorale accompaniment is performed in exactly this way. In fact or in terms of composition, composed chorale arrangements do not differ from this, but one speaks less of a “trio-like” chorale arrangement. In this case, specifications such as "2 Clav & Ped." Or "highlighted" are printed.

The trio-like organ playing is not compatible with the playing of organ trios , e.g. B. trio sonatas by Johann Sebastian Bach , to be confused and is fundamentally different. These pieces basically consist of exactly three parts, which have a more or less equal meaning. Correspondingly, the registration must be fundamentally different, since the voices must differ, but none of the voices may be particularly emphasized.

Distribution of votes and registration

Organ works that are tied to chorales and require a “trio-like” distribution of the voices were largely written during the Baroque period . At this time, except in France, it was not customary to provide registration information, which, because of the differences between the organs, could only be exemplary. A meaningful registration must be derived from the voice in which the melody is located and from the character of the piece. Ultimately, it is no different with trio-like chorale accompaniments in church services .

Melody voice

  • Melody in the soprano: Depending on the character, different registers or registrations are suitable (trumpet or other reeds , cornet , sesquialtera or individual aliquots with basic voices as "substructure", possibly even mixtures).
  • Melody in alto: this vocal distribution occurs only very rarely (with "normal" vocal distribution, i.e. with the bass part in the pedal), since the soprano part on the accompanying manual always has to be higher and the tenor part always lower, which is hard to grasp if the vocal guidance is faultless.
  • Melody in tenor: basically as before, Sesquialtera and Aliqouten may not be suitable if the voice is very low and there are disturbing split sounds .
  • Melody in the bass: Usually only reeds in 16 'or 8' positions. Theoretically, higher labial registers (4 ′, 2 ′, 1 ′) or pedal mixes (whistle, bell tone, etc.) can also be used - if available . This is only useful for "highly registered" accompanying parts in the manual works, so that the pedals do not actually sound higher than the manual works.
  • Special form: The melody voice is played with the pedal, e.g. B. with a trumpet 8 'or 4', but the pedal work is not registered as a "bass work". A 16 'register is not used, possibly not even an 8' register. The pitch of the “lowest” register used depends on the voice in which the melody part is located. This variant can usually only be implemented appropriately on somewhat larger organs if there are correspondingly high registers in the pedals and a 16 'register in one of the manual works. With this variant, the melody can theoretically be in almost all voices, just not in the bass, which is played with the left hand on a manual. This variant is used very often when the melody is in alto, as this case can otherwise hardly be implemented technically.
  • Special form canon : The chorale melody can also appear in the form of a canon in two voices, usually in soprano and bass, for example in the chorale prelude "The glorious day appeared" from the little organ book by Johann Sebastian Bach or in the chorale arrangement " In dulci jubilo ”by Johann Gottfried Walther . Both votes must be registered highlighted accordingly. This form is free and improvised can hardly be carried out without errors, so it only occurs in organ literature. In the narrowest sense of the word, it is not part of the trio-like organ playing in the sense of chorale accompaniment and would also be unsuitable for it due to the “double melody”. In the case of free, improvised chorale preludes, however, it is quite feasible to approximate them to the canon form by citing only the beginning of the chorale or the beginning of each chorale line with two highlighted parts of the work. In a broader sense, such pieces have a "only" trio-like character, since the bass part and one of the melody parts are identical.

Accompanying voices

The registration of the accompanying voices depends not only on the sound image to be achieved but also on the voice in which the melody is located:

  • Melody in the soprano: The pedals are quietly registered (usually labial 16 'and 8' registers), the accompanying voices (alto and tenor) are played with the left hand on a "quiet manual" (usually labial 8'- and 4′-stops, often partly or entirely from the wide choir). Depending on the selected “melody registration”, an accompaniment with a single stronger 8 'register may also be feasible.
  • Melody in tenor: There are several possibilities. If the accompanying upper parts only have a calm shape that only complements the entire organ movement to form four parts, they are registered rather softly, e.g. B. also only an 8 'and 4' register. The two upper voices, together with the bass and the melody in the tenor, ultimately only form the chords, but do not have to be audible in their own vocal progression. If, on the other hand, the accompanying voices have their own vocal progression, they must not be more concise than the melody, but they still have to be heard independently. For example, they are registered up to the 2 'position or even higher (example from the organ literature, at least regarding the upper part: chorale prelude "Happy should my heart jump" by Helmut Walcha ).

But the cantus firmus registration is also decisive for the choice of register for the accompanying voices. For example, if the melody is only played with the labial or tongue register in 8 'position, the 8' position of the accompanying voices in alto and soprano sounds higher than the melody part. With each additional higher register in the melody part, however, voice crossings (sounding real) can result, provided that the accompanying voices are not registered at least equally higher. The extent to which the vocal crossings are perceived as such depends on how far the registers for the melody part merge into an overall sound.

Only with the melody in the tenor does it make sense to play a “real” trio, the right hand only plays unanimously on a second manual. The tonal presence of such a moving, figured upper part can and must almost come close to the melody part (e.g. melody part with trumpet 8 ′, the upper part is registered e.g. with an aliquot register or played with a narrow, quieter tongue).

Typesetting features

There is a big difference in the question of whether the melody is in the soprano or in another voice. Only when the melody is in the soprano is it a “normal” choral movement - even if it is played trio-like. If the melody is in a different voice, this alone is a fundamental difference in composition. For the remaining accompanying parts (and, if applicable, the bass part), the usual voice guidance rules apply (prohibition of octave and fifth parallels, no major third doubling, etc.).

A special feature should be noted with the melody in the bass: If the melody or a later chorale line does not begin with the root note (e.g. in the chorale “ Gott ist present ” with the third, in the chorale “Praise God, the Lord, you heathens all “With the fifth) harmonizing with the tonic would result in a sixth chord or even a fourth chord. The sixth chord sounds a bit unusual, but it can be chosen. As an alternative, the starting chord (based on a major chorale) would be the parallel chord of the dominant , e.g. B. in an F major chorale in A minor. The sixth fourth chord , however, should be avoided . However, this is also easier to circumvent, since the dominant is simply the starting chord in the basic position. The first harmony z. B. in an F major chorale with a melody part in the bass would be C major.

Interpretative peculiarities

The trio-like playing is often perceived as a particularly solemn way of playing, as it is relatively transparent and transparent compared to a plenary registration, but is particularly emphasized by the solo registration, which underlines the cantus firmus. Musically, this arises from the fact that the various voices can be interpreted completely differently and this difference comes into its own particularly well in trio-like play: While the melody can be particularly tied , cantable and (analogous to human breathing) agogic, the accompanying voices can e.g. . B. rather non legato and rhythmically concise.

See also

literature

  • Herbert Gadsch : Song accompaniment - sometimes different. Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Merseburger, Berlin 1974.
  • Herbert Kelletat : Improvisation for organ . Merseburger Publishing House, Berlin 1976.
  • Johann Christian Kittel : The budding practical organist. Part 1 to 3 . VEB Deutscher Verlag für Musik, Leipzig 1986, ISBN 3-370-00160-8 (reprint from Erfurt 1801, 1803, 1808).
  • Hans Klotz : The book of the organ . 9th edition 1979, 14th Bärenreiter, Kassel 2012, ISBN 3-7618-0080-0 .
  • Hans Klotz: About the organ art of the Gothic, the Renaissance and the Baroque. Music, disposition, mixtures, lengths, registration, use of the pianos . 3. Edition. Bärenreiter, Kassel 1986, ISBN 3-7618-0775-9 .
  • Gustav Adolf Krieg : Cantus firmus improvisation on the organ. System - method - models . Verlag Dohr , Cologne 2001, ISBN 3-925366-68-7 ; 2008², ISBN 978-3-936655-49-0 .
  • Jon Laukvik: Organ School for Historical Performance Practice. Part 1: Baroque and Classical . 4th edition. Carus, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-923053-61-4 .
  • Daniel Gottlob Türk : Of the most important duties of an organist . Leipzig and Halle 1787, new edition Knuf, Hilversum 1966 (Bibliotheca organologica 5).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See on this Kelletat: Improvisationslehre für Organ . 1976, pp. 14-27.
  2. ↑ Klotz: About the art of the organ . 1986, p. 50f, gives the earliest examples of the trio or trio-like game from the 15th century.
  3. ↑ Klotz: The book of the organ . 1979, p. 154.
  4. ↑ Examples of baroque trio registrations from France can be found in Klotz: Über die Organkunst . 1986, pp. 286, 289f.
  5. ↑ For solo registrations in the North German Organ School, see Jon Laukvik: Organ School for Historical Performance Practice . 2000, p. 139.
  6. ↑ See Klatz: The Book of the Organ . 1979, pp. 80, 89, 152f.
  7. ^ According to Klotz: About the art of the organ . 1986, p. 336f, the choral solo part in the treble with Matthäus Hertel and Samuel Scheidt was gladly registered "sharply".
  8. ↑ For solo registrations with Bach, see Jon Laukvik: Organ School for Historical Performance Practice . 2000, pp. 225-227.
  9. ^ The trio-like organ playing has a "pleasant effect", see Michael Schneider: The organ playing technique of the early 19th century in Germany . Bosse, Regensburg 1941, p. 55 .
  10. ^ War: Cantus firmus improvisation on the organ . 2000, p. 113, refers to Bach's treatment of the middle voice in the chorale prelude “ Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ ” from the little organ book , BWV 639.