Top Page > Events sponsored by Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space > Charms of the pipe organ Ms. Eri Niiyama, organist under contract with TMAS, talks about the charms of the pipe organ. The organ has a long history. It has developed differently by era and by country. The design of the musical instruments at TMAS is based on the idea to create several styles of organs that have been developed over history into a single unit. Look at the console table. On both sides of the keyboard-left and right-there are stop knobs to change the tone, coupler knobs to combine the keyboards, and other knobs which operate other attachments. These knobs are some 150 in all. The organ has two faces in appearance and a characteristic that it can express three different types of music altogether. Therefore, although it is devised to make the operation easy, the player should perform with the utmost care and attention. The Grand Hall has quite a modern appearance, so designs like those in European churches would not fit. On the other hand, when 17th-18th century organ music is played, an appearance commensurate with the music is desirable. To solve this dilemma, a rotary formula has been invented. Two sets of organ cases were made back to back. The first front has a classic look and the second front has a modern one. The former was made in the European tradition, while the latter, harmonizes with the hall in a freer concept. As a result, from the standpoints of both the beauty of the hall and the tradition of the musical instrument, the merit of each was maximized. Three columns of 32-foot pipes, including the biggest ones, are placed against the wall at the end of the balcony to obtain the best effect for space and sound. Some 9,000 pipes, controlled by 126 stops in all, are divided into 14 sound groups (like Hoofdwerk, Borstwerk, etc., in the stop list), which are positioned for 8 manual controls and 2 pedals. On the side of the classic design, two organs in the Renaissance style and the baroque respectively are set in and a 3-tier-keyboard console table is used for both organs in common. On the modern-design side, the organ is installed, which is as old as the transition period from the French classical to romantic eras, and it can be played on a 5-tier-keyboard console. To feed air into all the pipes, it is necessary to have 5 blowers with 48 wind-chests. The rotary-table is equipped with 3 speed variable motors and controlled by computers. The weights of all the entire musical instruments are 70 tons. For the convenience of the organ player, 3 computers are mounted to keep a memory of the registration (of stop combination). Operation of keys and stops is mechanically controlled (mechanical action). For the old-type instruments hammer-processed lead pipes are used. Tuning was conducted in accordance with the very good acoustical conditions of the hall. The first organ was made in the spirit of the Dutch renaissance, tuned by the mean tones that included a just scale of the 3rd degree at 8 places for each octave. The pitch being 467Hz, it was suitable for tunes composed by such composers as Samuel Scheidt, Jan Pieterzoon Sweelinck and Heinrich Scheidemann. The second organ has a flavor of 18th century central Germany, with baroque tuning of a 415Hz pitch. It is suitable for works by J.S. Bach and his contemporaries. The modern design case contains an organ that is based on the French classic school, having in part elements of the middle of the 19th century French romantic school as well. Most of the tuning is tempered and the pitch is 440Hz, agreeable to symphonic melodies as well as French classical organ music. Thus, the organist can choose the organ in accordance with the music he/she is going to play so that he/she can play it as faithfully to the original as possible. Top of this page Organ I: Early 17th century Dutch Renaissance type - a=467Hz,Lead pipes are used.Mean tone tuning method - HOOFDWERK-BORSTWERK-BOVENWERK C,D,E,F,G,A,B,,,,d''' - PEDAAL C,D,E,,,,,d' HOOFDWERK: - BOURDON 16' - PREASTANT 8' - QUINTADEEN 8' - OCTAAF 4' - QUINT 3' - WOUDFLUIT 2' - MIXTUUR 2' 6-12st. - TROMPET 8' BORSTWERK: - HOLPIJP 8' - BLOCKFLUIT 4' - QUINTFLUIT 1 1/2 - REGAAL 16' - DULCIAAN 8' - SCHALMEI 4' BOVENWERK: - SPEELFLUIT 8' - OCTAAF 4' - SEXQUIAITER 2st. - SUPEROCTAAF 2' - VOX HUMANA 8' PEDAAL: - PREASTANT 16' - OCTAAV 8' - SUPEROCTAAF 4 - MIXTUUR 2' 6st. - BAZUIN 16' - TROMPET 8' - CINK 2' ACCESSOIRES: - TREMULANTEN HOOFDWERK BORSTWERK BOVENWERK PEDAAL - CYMBELSTER - NACHTIGALL Organ II: Early 18th century central German baroque type - a=415Hz.Lead/tin pipes are used. Baroque tuning method - HAUPTWERK-KLEINWERK-OBERWERK C,,,,f''' - PEDAL C,,,,f' HAUPTWE: - PRINCIPAL 16' - PRASTANT 8''(A In German notation, it is inscribed with an umlaut.) - ROHRFLOTE 8' (O In German notation, it is inscribed with an umlaut.) - OCTAV 4' - SPITZZPFEIFE 4' - NASAT 3' - SUPEROCTAV 2' - MIXTUR1 1/2 5-8 f. - TROMPETE 8' - VOX HUMANA 8' KLEINWERK: - GEDACKT 8' - QUINTADENA 8' - PRASTANT 4'(A In German notation, it is inscribed with an umlaut.) - FLOTE 4' - SESQUIALTER 2.f. - WALDFLOTE 2' - MIXTUR2' 5f. - KRUMMHORN 8' PEDAL: - PRASTANT 32'(tr.) - OCTAV 16'(tr) - SUPEROCTAV 8'(tr) - SUBBASS 16' - ROHRFLOTE 8' - PRNCIPAL 4' - NACHTHORN 2' - MIXTUR2' 5f. - CONTRAPOSAUNE 32' - POSAUNE 16' - TROMPETE 8' - TROMPETE 4' - ZINK 2' OBERWERK: - ROHRFLOTE - BLOCKFLOTE 4' - TRAVERSO 4' - CORNET 3f. - QUINTLEIN 1 1/2' - REGAL 8' ACCESSOIRES: - TREMULANTEN HAUPTWERK KLEINWERK OBERWERK REDAL - ZIMBELSTERN - NACHTIGALL - COPULA HW./KW. Organ III: French symphonic type - a=440Hz.Tin/lead pipes are used. Tuning method close to temperament - GRAND ORGUE-PETIT ORGUE-RECIT EXPRESSIF C,,,, a''' - RECIT CLASSIQUE-ECHO CLASSIQUE c ,,,, d''' - PEDALE C ,,,, g' GRAND ORGUE: - MONTRE 16' - MONTRE 8' - BOURDON 8' - FLUTE HARMONIQUE 8' - GROS NAZARD 5 1/3' - PRESTANT 4' - FLUTE 4' - GROSSE TIERCE 3 1/5' - NAZARD 2 2/3' - DOUBLETTE 2' - TIERCE 1 3/5' - GRAND CORNET 5 rgs. - FOURNITURE 5 rgs. - CYMBALE 4 rgs. - TROMPETTE 8' - CLAIRON 4' - VOIX HUMAINE 8' RECIT CLASSIQUE: - BOURDON 8' - FLUTE 4' - CORNET 5 rgs. - TROMPETTE 8' - CLAIRON 4' PETIT ORGUE: - BOURDON 16' - DIAPASON 8' - FLUTE TRAVERSIERE 8' - COR DE NUIT 8' - PRESTANT 4' - FLUTE DOUCE 4' - QUINTE 2 2/3' - DUOBLETTE 2' - TIERCE 1 3/5' - LARIGOT 1 1/3' - FOURNITURE 5 rgs. - CLARINETTE 8' - CROMORNE 8' ECHO CLASSIQUE: - FLUTE 8' - CORNET 5 rgs. - TROMPETTE 8' ACCESSOIRES: - TREMBLANTS G.O.-P.O.-REX.-RECHO - TIRASSES G.O.-P.O.-REX. - ACCOUPLEMENTS P.O.-REX./G.O REX./P.O RECIT EXPRESSITE: - COR DE NUIT 16' - FLUTE DOUCE 8' - GAMBE 8' - VOIX CELESTE 8' - FLUTE OCTAVIANTE 4' - FUGARA 4' - OCTAVIN 2' - SESQUIALTERA 2 rgs. - PLEIN-JEUX 3 rge. - BASSON 16' - TROMPETTE HARMONIQUE 8 - CLAIRON HARMONIQUE4' - HAUTBOIS 8' - VOIX HUMAINE 8' PEDALE: - PRINCIPAL 32' - CONTREBASSE 16' - SOUBASSE 16' - GROSSE FLUTE 8' - VIOLONCELLE 8' - - PRINCIPAL 4' - COR DE NUIT4' - CONTREBOMBARDE 32' - BOMBARDE 16' - TROMPETTE 8' - CLAIRON 4' Top of this page Top Page > Events sponsored by Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space > Charms of the pipe organ Copyright (C) 2003 The Tokyo history cultural property Foundation Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space All Rights Reserved.