While I have no experience with most of the control options mentioned, I do have experience with a Great/Choir Manual Transfer and find it can be very helpful at times.
Well, it seems to me that generals aren't a substitute for ventils. For instance, you can't have a general which lets you go from any flue registration you happen to have drawn to add or subtractwhatever Reeds you pre-draw. But you can with a Reeds ON/OFF ventil. It's just more flexible because you can add or subtract registrations on the fly and still just hit one control to add Reeds, for instance. Then too,at least Reed ventilsare certainly what French composers would expect you to have available.
As a lover of French romantic music, I specify ventil/rappel controls onevery instrument I've been involved with!
Manual transfer is a must. Some manuals must be in certain positions, in order to play repertoire properly. A proper transfer also transfers divisional pistons - you don't have that nicety if you only haveGreat to Choir.
I have to dash momentarily - much more later... [:)]
I havea "doubles off" at church, which removes all 16' manual tone and 32' pedal tone. It also removes subcouplers. It is quite useful to instantly lighten the texture of a heavy registration. This is most useful for hymn playing.
I haven't used anything such as celestes off, tremolos off, etc. although I could see a use for them on a very large instrument.
I have specified "rappels" on several instruments. The term "ventil" was used on the consoles however, as more organists would likely understand what was implied. At least, that is what one hopes is the case... [:S]
Playing French music is so much more interesting when you can set up registrations - and change them - the way all French organist/composers did in the 19th century and continued doing well into the20th century.
Of course, a modern combination action can do a lot more, and perhaps more quickly... but kaleidoscopic stop changes are foreign to this repertoire.
If we use ventils or rappels (as they were used by all the French romantic composers), we can start to have a deeper understanding of that genre ofmusic.
One example that comes to mind is the Prélude, by Paul Pierné. In the French system, you set up one registration at the beginning. Byengaging the ventils (or releasing the rappels) in a specified order you achieve a tremendous crescendo, without moving any stops. If you use a modern combination action, you would use up quite a few pistons to accomplish the same effect.
The decrescendois effected in by reversing the process:groups of stops are silenced in a specified order. It is not uncommon to have the same registration throughout a piece - all of the changes are created by the use of the ventil levers. Even though it seems very primitive, it is quite effective!
I actually enjoy not having to set pistons and write piston numbers throughout a score. It is less to worry about! [:D]
I also use rappels during hymns - they are an effective way to 'tone down' any combination you have set. Every registration set on a general piston hasnumerous alternate results,depending on which ventil/rappel isengaged.
Now a word about Manual Transfer. There are numerous French works which require some 'thumbing down' from one manual to another. Works by Duruflé, Guilmant, and others come to mind. In these works, it is a requirement for the Choir to be immediately below the Swell, or for the Great to be immediately below the Choir. Manual Transfer accomplishes this. As I've mentioned, a good Manual Transfer will move divisional pistons along with the keyboards being transferred - that is very important.
Much French music was conceived for an instrument with a smallish (but fiery)Swell and a larger Positif with plenty of foundations, possibly some 16' tone, mixture work, and chorus reeds. With all manuals coupled, a very exciting tonal pyramid is in effect when you build from the Swell (at the top), move to the Positif (in the middle), then down to the large Great on the bottom. The Pedal completes the pyramid.
If you play French music with such an arrangement for any length of time, it becomes very natural and seems entirely logical - especially if you have a large Choir division. I find it difficult to go back to playing the Great in the middle!
If you put the Great on the bottom, and use ventils/rappels you begin to capture a little bit of the drama and excitement of playing oneof the great Cavaillé-Coll organs. Nothing could be more exciting! [8-|]
I think they are still worth having, especially the Great/Choir transfer. It certainly makes a lot of my favorite literature easier to play. All of those devices are quite helpful in improvisation or anything where you are changing registration without preset combinations.
[quote user="organpower"]i take it that bass and melody couplers are not even worth discussing for us "real" organists......[/quote]
Actually, I forgot to respond to that! And my post was turning into a novel. [:)]
I've never used a melody coupler, but I know it might be useful for hymn playing. Bass couplers are perhaps frowned upon, because they seem to be designed for organists who do not use pedals (such as a pianist who must play a church service). I would never use a bass coupler to play any solo organ literature, but find ituseful in other ways.
One organ I play has a bass coupler, which I use on occasion. It is extremely useful when playing orchestral reductions of oratorios, which often have avery activebass part. This helps me avoid mistakes, and lets me look at the conductor rather than focus on playing all of those notes with my feet.
A bass coupler is great if you have a bad back, and want to give it a rest. [:S]
It does take a special technique in order to make sure it is used properly. I would imagine it would be even more true of the melody coupler.Since themelody is so much easier to hear than the bass (especially if you have something loud like a Tuba coupled to the melody) you'd have to be very careful on how you attack and releasephrases.
I like the melody coupler for hymn playing--if the hymn is unfamiliar, or if the attendance is low. Otherwise, I don't use it very often. I almost never use the bass coupler, although the other two musicians at our church (both trained as pianists) would be absolutely dismayed if that coupler should ever fail!
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