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Thread: for lovers of baroque keyboard music (mainly organ)

  1. #1
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    Default for lovers of baroque keyboard music (mainly organ)

    I play keyboards and used to spend several hours a week playing pipe organs (badly) and I love organ music. It's not for very everyone I know, in fact I'm aware there are very few other nutters who share my taste - organists appear to be a dying breed....

    however if there is anyone else here who likes organ music (and also there is some harpsichord and harmonium music) I just came across this site by chance and was bowled over by how great an idea it is.

    http://www.virtuallybaroque.com/

    Basically a UK company (Crumhorn Labs) came up with a virtual pipe organ, in fact several pipe organs.

    Painstakingly carefully sampling every single pipe of some of the nicest and best organs in the world (and a few other instruments including harpsichords and harmoniums) they enable users of the software to play (using a midi keyboard attached to the computer) the virtual recreation of these instruments in their own home or sequence them with sequencing software (bit like a player piano). A decent set of speakers attached to the PC is kind of important.

    Basically you get to play the actual sounds of the organ of the Marienkirche, the organ at St. StephanusKirche, the Carmel organ Chicago, the Cavaille-Coll in Mainz, the Arp Schnitger in Gronigen etc etc. without going there.

    Only of interest to organists and keyboard music players and enthusiasts I know, but what a resource for those of who love keyboard music!

    For those who don't play so well themselves, the site above has hours and hours of music sorted in various ways which you can download and listen to performed using these 'virtual' organs for free.

    I hope my neighbours like organ music!


  2. #2
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    hmmmmm interesting to say the least.....

    I love keyboard,synth,organ,piano stuff. I'm no "player" as such but I play what I have to in order to make my studio work sound the way I want it. I absolutely cannot get enough of the ol' hammond thang & pipe organs are just UNBELIEVABLE....in every way.

    I havn't looked at the site yet as I don't have the time to get caught for what could be hours but I will be looking

    thank you very much

  3. #3
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    Jeez, thanks for that. I love Bach's music and there's a cracking choice of pieces in there. Will definately be back for a listen later!



  4. #4
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    Thanks for the link, emb123. I do indeed enjoy listening to that type of music! (Bach's Toccata And Fugue In D Minor playing in background).
    I am living for today, always remembering yesterday, and looking forward to tomorrow!

  5. #5
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    no bother - hope you enjoy it as much as I am!

    In addition to just enjoying the music, I've been hunting for some nice representative pieces with good choices of instrument for some quick links to make some of the pieces more approachable for non-organists...

    To hear the music you need to click on the headphones icon.

    I think this is just plain nice...
    Nicholas De Grigny - Basse de Trompette ou de Cromhorne
    http://www.virtuallybaroque.com/trak1251.htm

    and so is this...
    http://www.virtuallybaroque.com/trak1515.htm

    For a fun and lively but lightweight piece by one of the ultimate baroque show offs you don't need to look much further than Padre Antonio Soler who wrote a lot of extremely cheeky pieces of music for two organs like this

    http://www.virtuallybaroque.com/track026.htm

    Far as Bach goes, this is particularly lovely, a very sweet and tender (almost tearful) setting of Nun Komm Der Heiden Heiland (come now, sweet saviour) as described

    "A voluptuous setting of Martin Luther's Advent Chorale, "Saviour of the Gentiles, Come." This version expresses a palpable yearning for a long awaited redemption. Instrument: Casavant, Opus 3246 (1975) at Grace Lutheran Church, Champaign, Illinois"

    http://www.virtuallybaroque.com/track507.htm
    (same piece, different version, different instrument: http://www.virtuallybaroque.com/trak1143.htm )


    Bach organ grandeur in full-on heavyweight & hard to cope with mode would be would be this instrument in Birmingham http://www.virtuallybaroque.com/track201.htm

    or Gigout's famous Toccata that most people should know...
    http://www.virtuallybaroque.com/trak1304.htm
    or on another instrument
    http://www.virtuallybaroque.com/trak1320.htm

    There is just so much music there it's difficult to know where to start (and when to stop!)
    Last edited by emb123; 22-May-07 at 19:50. Reason: correction of urls

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