One Black Key

[indianajo]

I picked up an organ LP at Salvation Army resale shop last week, Master Works for Organ Vol 8 J S Bach on Nonesuch. It has a pleasant Fantasia in G with a spritely gigue at the end (572), and another interesting variation on a hymn (769a). It is recorded by Arno Schonstedt at the Arp Schnitger organ at Pankratiuskirche, Hamburg-Neuenfelde.
What is shocking to me, is that manuals of this organ reportedly only have one black note, Bb. The pedals have F#, G#, and Bb. Pardon me if you all had this in organ construction 101 in college, but I find the idea of only one black note hilarious. I can't imagine the audacity of starting an album recording project by finding material that only was in the keys of C or F. The idea of someone basing his career as the organist of such a historical and limited instrument is equally daunting.
The album is H-71241 for anybody still interested in obsolete old vinyl LP's.

[Westminster]

It sounds suspiciously like there's a translation problem here. If, as seems unlikely but plausible, the organ was built "short octave", the bass octave of the keyboard would have the appearance of being chromatic from E (i. e. with "f#", "g#" and "bb"). However the E would be playing C, F#=D and G#=E. The only accidental in the bass octave would be Bb. This would seem to be very late for short octave, but the idea of only one accidental through the compass is ludicrous of course. I think the writer of the notes got things even more discombobulated than this. A quick look googling didn't yield a definitive picture of the keyboards. The available picture was taken from the left of the console with the view of the lowest keys obscured by the tall key cheeks, but my eye thinks the perspective is suggesting full compass. (Low C# was still often being omitted). This was Schnitger's home church and his private box is preserved there.

http://mypipeorganhobby.blogspot.com...ankratius.html

[indianajo]

I agree the picture you reference has a lot of black keys showing. The album says this "Range C-c''' [C-B broken octave; manuals - C D E F G A Bb Bnatural c,etc. pedal C D E F F# G G# A Bb Bnatural c, etc]. Manual coupling. " Furthermore, "The great Dutch organ builder Arp Schnitger (1648-1719) received a commision to build an organ for the Pankratiuskirche at Nuenfelde in 1683; since the interior of the newly constructed church was not yet finished, five years passed in which he did not more than occasionally carry parts across the Elbe from his Hamburg workshop. In 1688, however, Schnitger and three journeymen spent 21 weeks completing the organ. The instrument underwent a misguided modernization at the end of the 19th century but has since been restored to its original disposition - including its tuning in Chorton, roughly a whole tone higher than standard modern pitch.
The Nuenfeld chruch holds further souvenirs of Arp Schnitger as well. On completion of the organ, he waived 800 marks interest owed him by the congregation, earning the right to erect a pew bearing his coat of arms alongside the alter pulpit; and on July 24, 1719, Schnitger was laid to rest on the northern aisle of the church.
Elsa Kagerer, translated and adapted by Joshua Rifkin."
So the mystery continues. What does Ms. Kagerer mean by that statement:"broken octave".

[Westminster]

***********What does Ms. Kagerer mean by that statement:"broken octave".

This is synonymous with "short octave" as described in my post. It applies only to the bass octave. The keyboards and pedalboard in the picture may be later than the original construction(?) The pedalboard shown has no low C# but is otherwise chromatic.