Small Victory

[voet]

As I have mentioned before, I acquired a Content Pastorale M/D 5800 a month ago. I have been playing every day exploring old and new repertoire. It has been great fun. The first week I had the organ, I regulated the instrument, which mainly involved setting the volume for each division and stop and then adjusting any single notes that were either too loud or too soft. Playing literature is a great way to find things that need be fine tuned.

I am fortunate to have two 16' Pedal reeds on this organ, a Bazuin and a Fagotto. The Bazuin is intended to be the louder of the two. The problem is, I really do not like the sound of the Bazuin so I found myself using the Fagotto almost exclusively when a 16' pedal reed is called for. To my ears the Bazuin has a characteristic Dutch sound that might be OK for Baroque music, but (in my opinion) it is too prominent for later music.

Today I decided to adjust the two reeds. I have set the volume on the Fagotto to the maximum setting, and I lowered the volume on the Bazuin. In effect, these two reeds have now switched places. The results are very pleasing. At the lower volume the Bazuin functions well when you want a little buzz to define the pedal line and the Fagotto has a pleasant sound at the higher volume and blends well with the other chorus reeds in the pedal (32' Bombarde, 8' Trumpet and 4' Clarion.)

I am often struck by how much difference small incremental tweaks can make. This one has resulted in a much more pleasing sound. And, the final test, both reeds work well in their intended functions for a variety of literature.

[myorgan]

I am fortunate to have two 16' Pedal reeds on this organ, a Bazuin and a Fagotto. The Bazuin is intended to be the louder of the two. The problem is, I really do not like the sound of the Bazuin so I found myself using the Fagotto almost exclusively when a 16' pedal reed is called for. To my ears the Bazuin has a characteristic Dutch sound that might be OK for Baroque music, but (in my opinion) it is too prominent for later music.

Today I decided to adjust the two reeds. I have set the volume on the Fagotto to the maximum setting, and I lowered the volume on the Bazuin. In effect, these two reeds have now switched places. The results are very pleasing. At the lower volume the Bazuin functions well when you want a little buzz to define the pedal line and the Fagotto has a pleasant sound at the higher volume and blends well with the other chorus reeds in the pedal (32' Bombarde, 8' Trumpet and 4' Clarion.)

Voet,

It sounds like a good trade-off to me. According to the Encyclopedia of Organ Stops, the Bazuin is more like a Trombone or Posaune, whereas the Fagotto is more like a Bassoon. However, I have run into organs where the Fagotto was used and voiced as a chorus reed instead of the more nasal or duck-like sound we associate with the Bassoon (think: Peter and the Wolf--even though it is the grandfather). I didn't take time to listen to the recorded examples on the Encyclopedia of Organ Stops, but I suspect you'll find a fair amount of variation there.

I have never liked the Rohr Krummhorn 16' on more than one of my organs because it is too nasal, but someone once described it as useful to provide definition to a moving Pedal line. While I've never had an opportunity to use it for that, it does make sense.

Thank you for sharing your voicing experiences and possibilities.

Michael

[toodles]

Often times on smaller electronic organs the Posaune is the only 16 ft reed in the pedals--I prefer a Fagotto, as it is usually of better blend, yet provides some clarity to the pedal line. Larger organs include two pedal 16 ft. reeds, one for smaller combinations and a clear pedal line, the other for more full organ registrations.

Glad the adjustments worked out for you. Interesting that the inherent voicing of these two stops on this organ are seemingly reverse of what might usually be expected.

[voet]

I went to the Encyclopedia of Organ Stops and listened to the three sound clips they have for Bazuin (a 16' Silberman Pousaunen Bass, a 16' Aeolian-Skinner Posaune and a 16' Trombone by Nicholson) The Silberman is the closest in sound to the 16' Bazuin on my organ. To my ears, this sounds very much like the 16' pedal reeds of many Dutch organs. I also listened to the three sound clips for 16' Pedal Fagots by Schantz, Buzard and Casavant.

It is difficult to know what any of these ranks actually sound like in the settings they are in. The recorded clips are clearly from very different acoustical environments. As with any organ, the final result is what we evaluate.

Thanks for your thoughts, Michael and Toodles.