In the jovial spirit of the holiday, I decided to try something new and exciting. I took a drive up the steep, winding roads of the Cascade mountains, in the snow-capped crags above the tree-logged village of Littlefoot, to the hidden and nearly-forgotten monastery of St. Kakovoni, where the monks have been getting on for a century.
All of the monks there have taken the Vow of Noise, and sing and shout on all manner of topics, and at the slightest provocation.
A modest bunch, though loud, the monastery’s financial means do not get them far - not as far as their voices carry through the canyons - those travel a long way.
But still, they have accomplished much in their sonorous seclusion - including constructing one of the most rare and unusual pipe organs in the world, and the last surviving work of the now-unregarded (and then-unregarded) organ builder Spitzlicker.
Here, the 4M/2P Spitzlicker Opus 13 stands in its original and unmodified condition (for there are no funds to improve it). It was constructed entirely of discarded and unwanted pipes and components from other instruments, although it is rumored that some of the ranks come from a brand new instrument that Spitzlicker had completed but for which the client refused to pay.
As you may have guessed from “4M/2P”, the organ has two pedalboards. This allows for an innovation that only Spitzlicker would try. Each note is automatically sustained when pressed on the primary pedalboard, allowing the feet to move freely while a note is held, and a 2nd pedalboard (actually two, 15 notes to the left, and 14 to the right of the main pedalboard in a convex irradiating pattern) is used to release the held notes. For anything other than slow, legato passages, however, this requires multiple players.
But, “slow and legato” is the way to go with this instrument due to its unique action. Although built at the dawn of electrification, even then it was realized that performers would prefer the feel of a mechanical action.
To solve this issue, the organ incorporates all known actions into one: A series of wooden trackers are activated by each key. The trackers are augmented with lead fishing weights dredged from the local reservoir, to add heft and authenticity. At the other end, the trackers open valves that feed tubes that go to a series of copper pouches. These difficult-to-inflate pouches make contact with an electrical relay, which then sends the signal to the organ case.
There, the process is reversed, where an electric valve fills a tube which in turn moves a tracker, which finally opens the valve in the chest. Thus, both ends of the chain are purely mechanical, intended to please (or at least silence) most purists.
Here are some unique selections from the stoplist:
Manual I - Grande Argue
16’ Full Monte
8’ Vice Principal
8’ Gambino
4’ Octo (VIII)
2’ Roarflute
1 5/8’ Tincture
1’ Flout (extension of Tincture)
Mixtura Pierca (XIII)
8’ Crumbhorn
4’ Shoehorn
Chimes of Passion
Manual II - Grout Choir (Foundations)
16’ Trenta Principale
2.4384m Principa Metrica
8’ Venti Principale
8’ Seasonal Flue
8oz Lush Celeste
4’ Grande Principale
2’ Level
1’ Tinnitus
.5’ Canem Sibilus
8’ Oplenty
Babylon (V)
Zimbelgalaxis
Manual III - Blowenwerk
16’ Graven
8’ Diapason & sons (II)
4’ Buzzstring
3’ Fierce
2 3/5’ Pierce
2’ Upderre
1’ Altimiter
Mutant (II.5/VI)
Manual IV - Solicit
16’ Fagato Romeo (Prepared)
8’ Core Principal (Wavering)
8’ Quad Chamade (No one is prepared)
8’ Awooga
8’ Squeezed Weasel (Vox Mustela)
4’ Clarionandon
4’ Arecallin
Monolith (I/IV/IX)
Pedal -
64’ Richter
32’ Bonneé (under the ocean)
16’ Agape (wide mouth)
16’ Contra Resultant (from Richter)
8’ Unprincipaled
16’ Blastoff
8’ Trumpeta Ownhorn
8’ Harinette
6’ Sociale Intervallum
4’ Tinhorn
1’ Gehtmeanette
There is also a floating division, but it sank shortly after construction.
Unfortunately the combination action system has been broken for some time, so at present all stops play on all manuals all the time. This limits the repertoire that can be performed to 20th century composers.
The monastery also once had a Portative built by Handsonson, but it keeps getting moved from parish to parish by the diocese for unknown reasons.
It is rumored that more stops still exist in a warehouse that were never installed. (The location of the warehouse is kept secret due to multiple arson attempts.)
Perhaps some of you have heard of some of these other rare stops and can elaborate upon their names and characteristics?
After my visit to St. Kakovoni, and my spontaneous slide down the mountain, I spent the rest of my holiday relaxing in luxury at the St. Helens Sanitarium for the Recently Deranged, where they gave me a lovely jacket and a well-insulated room.
All of the monks there have taken the Vow of Noise, and sing and shout on all manner of topics, and at the slightest provocation.
A modest bunch, though loud, the monastery’s financial means do not get them far - not as far as their voices carry through the canyons - those travel a long way.
But still, they have accomplished much in their sonorous seclusion - including constructing one of the most rare and unusual pipe organs in the world, and the last surviving work of the now-unregarded (and then-unregarded) organ builder Spitzlicker.
Here, the 4M/2P Spitzlicker Opus 13 stands in its original and unmodified condition (for there are no funds to improve it). It was constructed entirely of discarded and unwanted pipes and components from other instruments, although it is rumored that some of the ranks come from a brand new instrument that Spitzlicker had completed but for which the client refused to pay.
As you may have guessed from “4M/2P”, the organ has two pedalboards. This allows for an innovation that only Spitzlicker would try. Each note is automatically sustained when pressed on the primary pedalboard, allowing the feet to move freely while a note is held, and a 2nd pedalboard (actually two, 15 notes to the left, and 14 to the right of the main pedalboard in a convex irradiating pattern) is used to release the held notes. For anything other than slow, legato passages, however, this requires multiple players.
But, “slow and legato” is the way to go with this instrument due to its unique action. Although built at the dawn of electrification, even then it was realized that performers would prefer the feel of a mechanical action.
To solve this issue, the organ incorporates all known actions into one: A series of wooden trackers are activated by each key. The trackers are augmented with lead fishing weights dredged from the local reservoir, to add heft and authenticity. At the other end, the trackers open valves that feed tubes that go to a series of copper pouches. These difficult-to-inflate pouches make contact with an electrical relay, which then sends the signal to the organ case.
There, the process is reversed, where an electric valve fills a tube which in turn moves a tracker, which finally opens the valve in the chest. Thus, both ends of the chain are purely mechanical, intended to please (or at least silence) most purists.
Here are some unique selections from the stoplist:
Manual I - Grande Argue
16’ Full Monte
8’ Vice Principal
8’ Gambino
4’ Octo (VIII)
2’ Roarflute
1 5/8’ Tincture
1’ Flout (extension of Tincture)
Mixtura Pierca (XIII)
8’ Crumbhorn
4’ Shoehorn
Chimes of Passion
Manual II - Grout Choir (Foundations)
16’ Trenta Principale
2.4384m Principa Metrica
8’ Venti Principale
8’ Seasonal Flue
8oz Lush Celeste
4’ Grande Principale
2’ Level
1’ Tinnitus
.5’ Canem Sibilus
8’ Oplenty
Babylon (V)
Zimbelgalaxis
Manual III - Blowenwerk
16’ Graven
8’ Diapason & sons (II)
4’ Buzzstring
3’ Fierce
2 3/5’ Pierce
2’ Upderre
1’ Altimiter
Mutant (II.5/VI)
Manual IV - Solicit
16’ Fagato Romeo (Prepared)
8’ Core Principal (Wavering)
8’ Quad Chamade (No one is prepared)
8’ Awooga
8’ Squeezed Weasel (Vox Mustela)
4’ Clarionandon
4’ Arecallin
Monolith (I/IV/IX)
Pedal -
64’ Richter
32’ Bonneé (under the ocean)
16’ Agape (wide mouth)
16’ Contra Resultant (from Richter)
8’ Unprincipaled
16’ Blastoff
8’ Trumpeta Ownhorn
8’ Harinette
6’ Sociale Intervallum
4’ Tinhorn
1’ Gehtmeanette
There is also a floating division, but it sank shortly after construction.
Unfortunately the combination action system has been broken for some time, so at present all stops play on all manuals all the time. This limits the repertoire that can be performed to 20th century composers.
The monastery also once had a Portative built by Handsonson, but it keeps getting moved from parish to parish by the diocese for unknown reasons.
It is rumored that more stops still exist in a warehouse that were never installed. (The location of the warehouse is kept secret due to multiple arson attempts.)
Perhaps some of you have heard of some of these other rare stops and can elaborate upon their names and characteristics?
After my visit to St. Kakovoni, and my spontaneous slide down the mountain, I spent the rest of my holiday relaxing in luxury at the St. Helens Sanitarium for the Recently Deranged, where they gave me a lovely jacket and a well-insulated room.
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