Hereford Cathedral
Hauptwerk (v5 and upwards) Virtual Organ
Hauptwerk (v5 and upwards) Virtual Organ
© Lavender Audio 2008 -
DEMOS
Despite the generous acoustics of Hereford Cathedral, the direct sound of the Great and Choir in particular allows for good clarity in the polyphonic lines of Bach.
A demonstration of some of the softer stops across all four manuals, contrasting flute, string and reed.
The Great Trumpet and Solo Tromba come together to form a passable Tuba in this ceremonial piece. The final chord features more or less full organ ... well, as full as it gets with 33 stops loading.
The Hereford organ has been described as having an orchestral palette of sounds, so an orchestral transcription to demonstrate the Great Trumpet and Solo Tromba individually against the principal choruses.
October 2010
These demos were recorded when only 33 stops across all four manuals and pedals were able to be played. In particular, there is only limited action noise present and detailed programming of the Swell and Tremulant models has yet to be completed.
Registration details for each piece are available here.
These demos were recorded when only 33 stops across all four manuals and pedals were able to be played. In particular, there is only limited action noise present and detailed programming of the Swell and Tremulant models has yet to be completed.
Registration details for each piece are available here.
The solo line features the Choir 8’ and 4’ flutes, contrasted with the Choir Open Diapason for the repeat.
Another quieter piece, featuring solos from the Cor Anglais and Claribel Flute and ending with the quiet tranquility of the Swell Vox Angelica.
The following two pieces use stops that will available on all versions of the Hereford Cathedral organ sample sets (except Evaluation)
All of these mp3 and wma demonstrations have been recorded using Hauptwerk’s in built recorder with no external processing applied. It is planned that this selection of pieces will be increased over time to include some recorded on the 23 stop set - meanwhile, the earlier recordings made with beta versions of the sets have been retained for now.
Features the Choir and Swell Flutes along with the Great Claribel Flute in combination with the second Principal.
The old “French Air” in question was apparently the call sign of a French radio station ! This piece features softer stops in solo and in combination across all four manuals and ends with the quintessential English sounding Swell strings and 32 foot pedal Open Wood.
The following Fantasia and Fugue was recorded live by Richard Morgan in April 2011. Key, stop and swell shutter action noises hadn’t been programmed at this stage.
Conceived on a grand scale with perhaps a passing nod to the genius of JSB, this typically English sounding piece makes good use of the louder combinations available across the 46 stops of volumes 1 and 2.
These pieces were played by Professor Johannes Geffert at Joerg Glebe’s house concert in Bochum, Germany in March 2011. I am grateful to both Prof. Geffert and to Joerg Glebe for permission to link to both the audio recordings (on Contrebombarde.com) and the Youtube videos.
Grand Solemn March - Henry Smart
Scherzo - Eugene Gigout
April / May 2011
Two English pieces recorded on the 46 stop sample set, prior to final testing and balancing had been carried out.
Two English pieces recorded on the 46 stop sample set, prior to final testing and balancing had been carried out.
Come, Come Ye Saints - arranged and
performed by Rob Stefanussen
An arrangement made by Rob specifically for the Salt Lake Tabernacle organ, originally written to demonstrate as many ranks of that instrument as possible. Starting quietly, it ends with full organ.
Bist du bei Mir, BWV508 - J.S. Bach
performed by Craig Jorgensen
A well-loved tune by J.S. Bach given a very effective English romantic treatment. This demonstrates the weight of the lower pitched foundation stops nicely.
August 2011
These pieces, kindly provided by Rob Stefanussen and Craig Jorgensen, use the completed 46 stop sample set.
These pieces, kindly provided by Rob Stefanussen and Craig Jorgensen, use the completed 46 stop sample set.
The Washington Post - John Philip Sousa
performed by Rob Stefanussen
Sousa meets Willis in a highly enjoyable romp through a march written just three years before the Hereford instrument was completed.
The Choir cornet (Claribel 8, Lieblich 4, Nazard, Spitzflute and Tierce) is accompanied by Great Stopped and Principal No.2, with the Solo 8 and 4 foot flutes coupled.
Grave - Great to Mixture (including Double Open) with full Swell flues plus Trumpet coupled.
Adagio - Solo Clarinet accompanied by Choir Dulciana with Swell Stopped coupled
Voluntary in A minor - John James
Just the Great organ here - Open Diapasons 2 and 3, Claribel Flute, both Principals, Fifteenth and the four rank Mixture
July 2012
Four pieces recorded using the soon to be released full sample set. Various stops from volume 3 are showcased here
Four pieces recorded using the soon to be released full sample set. Various stops from volume 3 are showcased here
A piece demonstrating various full combinations as well as the Tuba, along with its friend, the octave coupler. The final chord is getting close to full organ, although no sub-octave couplers have been used.
Recordings using the 67 stop (complete) Hereford Cathedral sample set.
The music of Percy Whitlock works extremely well on the Hereford organ with its diverse range of tone colours. Recitalist Christoph Keller has very kindly recorded expert renditions of four contrasting pieces using the complete sample set which demonstrate this range beautifully. He has also chosen to showcase an unusual piece by American composer Leo Sowerby ...
The music of Percy Whitlock works extremely well on the Hereford organ with its diverse range of tone colours. Recitalist Christoph Keller has very kindly recorded expert renditions of four contrasting pieces using the complete sample set which demonstrate this range beautifully. He has also chosen to showcase an unusual piece by American composer Leo Sowerby ...
Features the diverse sound and acoustic levels of the 4 divisions - the directness of the Choir flutes contrasts with the more distant Swell strings. The soft 16 reed in the pedal at the beginning of the second part is the Orchestral Oboe drawn as a 16’ and coupled from the Solo. Initially the box is half-closed and then totally closed at the end.
The strings and various solo stops from the Solo division along with the tremolo-sampled Cor Anglais . The Open Diapason No.2 is combined with some more 8's from Great and Choir as a solo line.
This exciting piece starts with the Swell tutti, increasing progressively with the high pressure reeds, starting with the Tromba and then moving to the Tuba for a full organ finale.
Allegro Risoluto (from the Plymouth Suite) - Percy Whitlock
WMA (24 bit lossless - 53.2 MB) MP3
The first movement of one of Whitlock’s most accessible works shows off the Hereford diapason choruses to good effect. It starts by contrasting the different style and placement of the Great, Choir and Swell organs, before building to a full organ climax
Despite its soft and serene beginning, displaying some of the various softer tones of the organ, a surprise awaits, offering the perfect solution for anyone wondering what to do with the Hereford Glockenspiel.
Recordings using the 67 stop XL (extended) Hereford Cathedral sample set.
James Lewis has kindly contributed the following recordings. The first is one of George Dyson’s variations on old psalm tunes and the second a seasonal work by Max Reger
James Lewis has kindly contributed the following recordings. The first is one of George Dyson’s variations on old psalm tunes and the second a seasonal work by Max Reger
As well as showcasing the Tuba at the start, this triumphant piece also features the effect of the enclosed Choir, the enclosure being one of the additions of the XL set.
This performance features a variety of imaginitive registrations, including at one point the Solo strings coupled to the Swell strings with 8/16’ soft reeds. The solo lines towards the close use the Choir Lieblich Gedacht and the Solo Cor Anglais.