Birds, Bells, Drums, and More in Historical Italian Organs, Part 1 Fabrizio Scolaro, English Translation by Francesco Ruffatti
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Birds,Bells,Drums,andMorein HistoricalItalianOrgans,Part1 FabrizioScolaro,EnglishtranslationbyFrancescoRuffatti t is a general belief that the stop naissance—one of the most extraordi- I composition of historical Italian or- nary and rich periods in the history of gans is rather standardized, based on a humankind—was flourishing in Italy. series of principal-scaled stops forming The splitting of the territory into many the Ripieno, and enriched by one or different states ruled by marquises, two flutes. In many cases and especial- dukes, princes, and kings—all very rich ly for certain historical periods, this is and prosperous, all competing with each a correct assumption; however, excep- other to obtain the work of the most fa- tions abound. mous artisans and artists—produced an Organbuilding has been greatly influ- artistic level that is among the highest enced by the peculiar Italian geographi- in all of art history. The names of the cal configuration, by its very interesting painters, sculptors, and artists in general history, and its political fragmentation that one would have then encountered into a number of states, to the point that in the squares, churches, and palaces even a small distance between two cit- throughout Italy are the same names ies or two areas often exhibited marked that we encounter today in the most fa- differences in organbuilding practices. mous museums. It is obvious that such A notable example of this is the coex- intense artistic and economic activity istence, around the middle of the 18th would attract artists and artisans from century, of two organbuilding schools, other European countries. What was featuring drastic differences in the tonal happening in the figurative arts had its character of their instruments: one in the parallel in music as well. The names of city of Venice and the other in the Lake Costanzo Festa, Giovanni Pierluigi da Garda territory, two areas that are geo- Palestrina, and Claudio Merulo were graphically very close. mixed with those of Adrian Willaert, Ja- The Italian organ did not crystallize its kob Arcadelt, and Orlando di Lasso, to tonal structure, as many believe. Quite mention just a few, the latter all coming to the contrary, it remained open to in- from northern Europe. fluences coming from across the Alps, In organbuilding, the work within by incorporating new stops, mechanical Italy of artisans coming from across the features or accessories, and special ef- Alps helped enrich the tonal spectrum fects that ended up becoming common of the Italian organ, and influenced the even in smaller instruments. A notable local organbuilding schools. The foreign aspect of this is the presence of acces- organbuilders brought with them from sories and special effects. The use of the their original countries the effects and tremulant, of ingenious systems imitating accessories, but also different pipe types, birds (sometimes of different species) or such as stopped pipes, for example, and of singing insects, the rolling of drums, these new features and ideas were read- and the sound of shepherds’ bagpipes is ily adopted by local organbuilders. mentioned in a number of texts, not nec- As we will see, during that period the essarily connected to organ music. Here new special effects (tremulant, rolling are a few examples: drum, and nightingale) were systematically Photo 1. Valvasone, Duomo del SS. Corpo di Cristo: registration chart probably introduced from the north to the south of suggested by Vincenzo Colombi, written around 1558, entitled Tutti li modi di The organs built by Vincenzo the Flem- Italy, even to already-existing instruments. suonar con l’Organo (All the methods of playing the organ). The last line mentions ish, the first located in the Cathedral of Or- the registration “flauto con il fiffaro,” where the term fiffaro indicates the tremulant vieto played by Gio. Pizzoni, the second in The Tremulant (L. Stella archives). S. Pietro at Gubbio and played by Grisos- tomo Rubiconi; they both deserve being The introduction of the tremulant greatly praised, and in particular the one in (tremolo in Italian, also referred to by the organist (or, in other words, by A further name for the same instrument S. Pietro, which in addition to 12 contin- in the past as tremolante, tremolare, the wind absorption), while the “closed” was Flauto alemanno or Flauto alla to- ued organ stops [meaning Principal-scaled tremolli) in an organ requires a rather system is effective only when a few disca (or tudisca), meaning flute in the stops extended for the entire keyboard’s simple mechanism. Two types were notes are played, but loses its speed German style.11 One of the most valued compass], is enriched by the presence of used in the Renaissance and in succes- and depth as the wind consumption is characteristics of such stops was the vi- an equal number of stops imitating stopped sive centuries: the open wind tremulant increased by pulling more stops or by brato: Martin Agricola, in 1545, in the and open Flutes . Drums, Tremulant, 1 (also called lost wind tremulant) and the playing big chords, to the point of losing fourth edition of his work Musica instru- and Nightingales . closed wind tremulant. its effect completely. mentalis deudsch, calls the transverse . there is a precious and rare organ, In the first case, a pallet, to which a During the restoration of the 1519 or- flutes Schweitzer Pfeiffen, and writes comprising 2,800 pipes, with 40 stops, the spring or a weight is applied, is located gan built by Giovanni Piffero, located in that it is good practice to use them with sound of which imitates that of Trompettes, externally over an opening in the wind- the Palazzo Pubblico at Siena, one of the oscillating breath.12 Timpani, the song of birds . .2 line or in the windchest. When the pal- oldest examples of the introduction of One of the first sources on the use of let is released and made free to move, an open wind tremulant in an Italian or- the tremulant is the registration chart . In the organ of S. Giustina in Padova the pressure inside the wind system gan was found.5 Starting from this date, written or dictated, probably in 1558, by one hears the Trompette, and the Viola, will try to push the pallet open, while evidence of the manufacturing of organs organbuilder Vincenzo Colombi for the the Violin, and also the song of various birds . .3 the spring or weight installed over the with tremulants, or of their additions to organ in Valvasone, where the use of the pallet will react by applying a contrast- existing instruments, becomes more and “flauto along with the fiffaro”13 is sug- The purpose of this article is to pres- ing force. The result is an oscillation of more frequent in instruments located gested. (Photo 1) The tremulant is there ent the history of such effects and acces- the pallet, which determines a periodic throughout the Italian peninsula. called fiffaro, thus exchanging the end sories in Italian organs and to provide release of wind out of the system and a In 1561, Massimiliano da Udine in- result (the imitation of the transverse suggestions for their use in musical per- resulting periodic pressure drop, which cluded the tremulant in the contract for flute) with the means to obtain it. formances, on the basis of documents, in turn creates the undulating effect in the organ for the Sisters of San Daniele As mentioned above, Silvestro Col- books written by scholars and compos- the sound. This was the most common in Venice, an instrument that no longer liga in 1561 promised to manufacture a ers of organ music, and also by nota- system during the Renaissance. exists.6 During the same year, in Sicily, Flauto alla todisca with its tremulant. tions in musical manuscripts (few in ear- In the second case (the closed wind Silvestro Colliga included a “Flute in the Similarly, in other contracts for Sicilian lier times, but which became more and system), the pallet is installed inside the German style with its Tremulant” for the organs, in almost every case where flutes more abundant and specific later on). A windline to stop the wind flow. When organ of S. Antonio Abate in Palermo.7 with stopped pipes are mentioned—to further source is the Tabelle di Regist- the tremulant is not active, the pallet is In 1570, the Venetian organbuilders imitate the flutes alla todisca, or of Ger- razione (registration charts) that a small pulled up in the open position and the Emiliano and Giulio Zacchino were con- man style—the tremulant appears as number of organbuilders wrote and left wind can flow without restrictions. The tracted to restore the new organ in the well.14 It is therefore clear that it was rath- with their instruments, as instruction device is activated by releasing the pal- Basilica of S. Antonio in Padova, and, er common practice among organists to manuals to prevent registration mistakes let, which, by falling down in the closed among other things, to update the fiffari imitate the transverse flute by combining or to suggest the best ways to utilize position, tends to prevent the wind from (meaning the tremulant) to modern prac- the flute stop (whether made of stopped their instruments. flowing. This creates a periodic oscilla- tices.8 In 1577, the brother organbuilders pipes or not) with the tremulant. How- While a wide variety of sources has tion of the pallet, pushed open by the Vittore and Federico Federici restored ever, we need to wait until the beginning been consulted, it is, however, almost wind rushing through, but the pallet be- the organ in the Cathedral of Feltre, and of 1600 in order to find texts of wider dif- inevitable to have left out some of them.