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four, allowing individual tutoring on repertoire, manual and foot exercises, finger substitution, chordal structures STATE OF THEART and inversions. Worksheets, vocabu­ lary puzzles, quizzes and visits to IN "PIPELESS"ORGANS: other consoles in the town are in­ cluded. Several guest organists have AN IMPRESSIVEINSTALLATION been invited to visit the class, with a question and answer period after each IN appearance. All that is required for enrollment VISALIA,CALIFORNIA is a minimum of one year of keyboard training, whether it be organ, piano by Ron Musselman or accordion. There are music teachers, housewives, nurses, dentists and a mortician in the class, as well as Ever since the introduction of the handful of voices from a single set of a man and wife team whose goal is to Hammond organ in the 1930's, organ oscillators, the various voices being play organ and piano duets in their re­ enthusiasts have tended to use the produced by modifier circuitry. A tirement. What a thrill to be able to pipe organ as a yardstick in judging typical organ of this type often sup­ teach and inspire all these different the merits of electronic organs. While plies a good flute and Tibia sound, a levels of talent and ability. They are absolutely realistic pipe sound has not decent string and Diapason, with the of different ages and at different been achieved to this day, some in­ other voices, particularly the more stages of achievement - all moti­ struments, the original Hammond in­ pungent reeds, sounding noticeably vated to improve and learn. They cluded, were never really intended to synthetic to even the most casual lis­ proved that when the entire first class go head-to-head with the pipe organ tener . And the ensemble sound is not signed up for the second semester. A in a battle for tonal equality. what would be expected when the lOOOJofollow-through is pretty hard Of course many makers of elec­ voices are combined. But this is not to to beat! tronic organs have tried over the years criticize the average electronic. All of It is a joy to see the smiling faces to duplicate the sound of pipes, with these perceived shortcomings are every day. Wait till they find out we varying degrees of success. The vast simply a function of price. And when will be learning the 11th and 13th majority of instruments designed for one considers all that goes into the chords! The second semester will in­ home use have been built down to a making of an organ selling for four or clude more basics, as well as an intro­ price to place them within the reach of five thousand dollars, it is clear that duction to "Chicago Style," open almost anyone. An organ in this class­ the best instruments in this price harmony, glissandos, transposition ification is usually a loose approxima­ range are ingenious and effective and modulation, and improvisation. tion of a theatre organ. As an impres­ pieces of engineering. Those who have a· flair for theatre sionistic attempt to simulate the While most electronic organs are organ music and wish to have concert sound of a pipe organ, they satisfy the built on the basis of compromise with experience before an audience are needs of thousands of amateur organ­ the general consumer market in mind, given an opportunity to play a three­ ists without entailing an impossible a few firms have turned out organs manual custom Allen organ for a half expense. It is this affordability, along designed to be a challenge to the real hour before the Adult Education with modest space requirements and thing. Naturally, an electronic instru­ Travel Forum lecture and film series. minimal maintenance that make the ment that ambitious is going to be When the first year is completed, it electronic organ such an attractive more complex, with requirements will be time to compile the textbook proposition for home use as well as such as a set of oscillators for each in­ for the class. At the moment it is all in for some public installations. These dividual voice for improved accuracy my head. □ instruments normally generate a of each rank by itself, as well as a con­ vincing ensemble sound that retains The College of the Sequoias Theatre, the integrity of each pipe, rather than dissolving into homogenized sonic mush. And each oscillator of the Posthorn, for example, is going to be comprised of more components in or­ der to provide more of the harmonics and partials that are present in an ac­ tual Posthorn. A no-holds-barred electronic that strives for as much realism as possible is not inexpensive to build: The pursuit of perfection has never been cheap. But there have been enough customers in the market for premium electronics to make their manufacture feasible. In the case of the church, many congregations with MAY /JUNE 1983 a considerable amount of money to well, I'll fix it tomorrow.' Now all I spend on a new organ found that for a have to do when I want to practice in given pnce, a greater number of the evening is hit the switch, set up voices were obtainable from a top registration and start playing. It's electronic than a pipe organ. Other very close to the sound I had with .# ............... .,. ..... ~. · -·· ..... ?:':' ~.,,.,,.--.....-.. ....................~ ........ .. considerations echo those of individ­ pipes. Not an exact replacement, but -r · - - - -;:;;r-::, - !J: ual purchasers; the mitigation of a very good substitute." space requirements and most mainte­ The price of an instrument like the nance. 965 at the college was a little out of ....._. ' :_4~ . One of the leaders in the field of reach, so he settled for a scaled-down ~ I .~ ;-'·~-:: .,.:::;....::::-,:~IU' J- two-manual version for his home high-tech "pipeless" organs is the . '·•·•·• • l·t l , f·I I f ·f•,·' Allen Organ Company, which gained studio. On my way down, Pete had attention 44 years ago with the intro­ me swing by his house first before we duction of the first organ utilizing all­ went over to the campus. After a get­ electronic oscillators. The Allen or­ acquainted chat, he showed me his gans I've heard the past few years, live studio, a room measuring about 15' x and recorded, have sounded basically 22'. In the middle of one wall was the very good, with some stops and cer­ two-manual horseshoe console. As he tain combinations sounding, as one slipped onto the bench and began individual put it, ''like a recording of playing, one thing that impressed me a pipe organ." One of their latest ma­ was the effect produced by the four jor installations (representing an in­ separate speaker systems placed in looked like a Wurlitzer 260. Stretch­ vestment of over $50,000) is in the each corner and enhanced by a fac­ ing upward at a steep angle from this College of the Sequoias Theatre in tory-built digital delay system. With­ imposing sight on the stage was an au­ Visalia, California. Located in the out the delay, the voicing of the organ ditorium of about 400 comfortable San Joaquin Valley between San sounded good, but as you would ex­ theatre seats arranged in curving Francisco and Los Angeles, this com­ pect, the room was dead. Switched in, rows. With the steeply inclined floor, munity has more than one other size­ the walls almost seemed to drop away one got the feeling of being seated in a able electronic installation, but the and the illusion of being in a much movie house balcony. The audience new COS organ is in a league by itself. larger room did a lot to make the had a nice overview of the stage, yet Gaylord Carter and Tom Hazleton sound of the organ much more effec­ the loftiness was not excessive. And have each played it for college events tive. I was pleasantly surprised to hear while the house had an air of snug in­ and both were pleased with its sound. a very good Tibia Clausa, clearly­ timacy about it, the steep rows gave a My first look at this instrument was etched strings that were most realistic, certain sense of bigness to the space. arranged by calling the college's Di­ and the best imitation of a Posthorn It was one of the few modern audito­ rector of Organ Studies, Pete Swee­ I've heard yet. Although I was inter­ riums I have really enjoyed being in, ney, who is very enthusiastic about ested mainly in the quality of the pipe and it complemented the console well. the organ. I had planned a trip that voices, I was intrigued with and Pete's studio organ had proved to would take me through Visalia, so I amused by the synthesized Chryso­ be a flexible instrument, so I was anx­ set up a meeting with him to have a glott that featured detailed action ious to hear what this big brother to it look at it on my way through. After noise! While it was not a 100% faith­ would do. If it sounded anything like being asked to look around and select ful simulation of pipe organ sound, its console looked, it was bound to be what he felt was the best sounding it's definitely good enough that a per­ a winner. A quick look around the electronic on the market for the col­ son can stop picking out differences stop rails while Pete and his assistant lege's new theatre, Sweeney chose the and enjoy what it does. After this were getting everything hooked up re­ three-manual Allen 965.

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