Period Instruments

Samples, Synths and Positive Organs

The idea is simple; achieving the desired result, however, is an entirely different matter. The question being, is it possible to produce any sound you can imagine from a single instrument? Instrument makers have answered this question with a certain level of success over the years, and with today’s technology, it is possible to have just about every conceivable sound in a single box.

The organ is such an instrument, as it has been the choice instrument for many musicians wanting a band at their finger tips. Organ makers would cram flute, string, vocal and percussion sounds with varying levels of success into a single instrument. Pipe organ makers made this possible by adopting different techniques and materials to manufacture the pipes. Theater organs, for example, may have actual percussion that can be played as one of it’s ranks. The history of organ making is long and requires textbook length discussion to cover the subject. The history of synthesizers is also quite extensive, but I will fast forward to 1988.

Korg M1

The Korg M1 was already about four years in production, when I purchased it. The M1 held such promise to be the all-in-one solution I was looking for, but I would soon discover it’s limitations. Nevertheless, that did not stop me from continuing to try and push it to the limit. The Korg M1 has a limited number of sample and synthesizer based sounds and functions. With these and a vivid imagination, synthesis parameters can be changed to come up with a limitless number of sounds.

I would soon discover that the instrument could only produce a limited number of voices at one time. An 8 track sequencer was never enough. Playing too many layered sounds at the same time meant that there would be “dropped” voices, so getting a rich multi-layered sound was impossible with just one Korg M1. If you’ve had any experience in these matters, you know how these limitations can be frustrating. This did not stop me from trying to dial in or multi-track the right sound. Fast-forward to present day.

Playing the band from a single box has it’s limitations. Outside of the box, I’ve had the privilege to learn and play many other instruments. In my opinion, playing a “real” piano is still better. Playing any real instrument is better than playing the one in the box. Even with the higher sample rates and resolutions available today, nothing beats a real piano, etc. With that said, there are many real instruments that would have been out of my reach without the use of my Korg M1, sampler or VST instruments.

One such instrument is the positive organ. The price of a quality positive organ could easily cost $28,000 and more. I love the sound of ancient music played on the positive organ, especially when it is played in the right room. So with a little imagination, I dial in the parameters on my Korg M1 and “invent” the sound I want.

In the following example, I have recorded layered Korg M1 sounds to play: Fantasia by Johann J. Froberger. Getting warm and realistic sounds from the Korg M1 is very challenging. The following sounds are made from the basic sampled sounds of Bottles, Organ and DWGS TRI. The idea here was to emulate a positive organ of one or two ranks, with pipes made out of wood.

This next example, Toccata, is a piece by, Johann P. Sweelinck.

The following example is, O Sacred Head, Now Wounded. The music is attributed to Hans L. Hassler, 1601; harm. by Johann Sebastian Bach, 1729.

For the following three examples, I am comparing harpsichords made using the Korg M1 against a harpsichord from a leading orchestral library. Nowadays, instruments can be sampled and played at much higher resolutions. It’s the equivalent of taking a 2 megapixel picture versus a 24 megapixel picture. The piece recorded here is Gavotte by J. S. Bach. This rendition is for harpsichord and flute. I am playing a “real” flute.

The following Korg M1 harpsichord was layered from 3 different basic samples. The harpsichord was then recorded onto three different stereo tracks and blended to make the single instrument.

This Korg M1 harpsichord was also Layered from 3 different basic samples. The harpsichord was then recorded onto three different stereo tracks and blended to make the single instrument.

Harpsichord played from the IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonik sample library. For this harpsichord, the instrument was played without any parameter changes on my part. In other words, I could play the instrument without “inventing” or synthesizing the sound.

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False Expectations

I was set up for false expectations.  I think. As I sit listening to a recording of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 23 in F minor, I cannot go without wondering if I was set up for false expectations. Piano recordings sound huge, and so do a lot of the orchestral recordings readily available. Many of the recordings, of Haydn, Mozart, Handel, etc., are almost explosive.

While running the usual click here and there through Youtube, I came across a strange video put out by Viviana Sofronitsky playing on “period correct” pianos built by Paul McNulty.  In the video, excerpts of five composers are played on piano copies similar to the ones used by each composer.  What a thought, most of the recordings that I would gravitate to by any of these composers would probably be played on Steinway and Sons concert grands.  I’m not saying that this is a problem or misleading, but for a bit of ignorance Mozart sounds like Mozart on a beautiful and powerful grand piano.  To hear his music on a “piano forte” doesn’t seem to sound right at all.  It almost sounds like a spinet in somebody’s living room and not anything that would have been played by Mozart in a concert hall.

Some years ago, I attended a “piano forte” concert. The instrument was tiny in comparison with today’s concert pianos. Three guys effortlessly brought it in. Then the pianist did a quick touch up to the tuning on stage, just before the concert. The stage swallowed up the little thing, as well as the sound. The same can be said of orchestral recordings.  …Sit in a Haydn orchestra as compared to a Wagner or Stravinsky orchestra, and you may find yourself asking if the rest of the musicians are staging a strike.

History tells that the creative imagination of composers such as Bach, Haydn and Beethoven were never confined to the instruments they played and composed on.  Bach composed his cantatas on a clavichord, and the thing sounds like a toy.  It is, however, fascinating to hear their music on period instruments, and it can be almost puzzling to imagine how music and music composers were held in such high regard in society.  Today we have great concert halls, modern instruments, amplified acoustics and sound effects that almost dazzle the imagination.

Before I take another vinyl for a spin, I think that I’ll consider listening to some more music played on period instruments.