The organ

[AdamSmith]

[whipped guy]

And cheapen away he did! LMFAO!! And beyond my wildest expectations!

(I like when a good boi follows orders!)

[whipped guy]

The First may not have been his "first" depending on your point of view ...

 

In 1794, six years before his first symphony wrote a piece that had 4 movements, was about 22 minutes long, having a first movement in sonata-allegro form, a slow movement, a scherzo, and a rondo last movement, all of which is really quite charming.

 

It was composed for two oboes and English horn. He wrote only one other work for that combination (variations on Mozart's aria La Ci Darem da Mano) and to my knowledge, wrote nothing else that used English horn, not even his opera fidelio. There is a stack of compositions two feet high by many other composers from around that period, but none of them have generated anywhere near the enthusiasm, and many people assume that all of the others were pale immitations of Beethovens. However, I found a SUNY master's report quoting a German textbook on chamber music that Beethoven was inspired to write the piece after hearing an established professional trio perform a work by Wendt during an evening of mixed chamber music.

 

If you look on youTube, you'll find it being performed by many different combinations, some expected (oboe , flute, clarinet), some quite bizarre (3 Double Basses). Apparently, during one of his many patches of financial stress, Beethoven's publisher persuaded him to publish it as a trio for two violins and viola as opus 87 (around 1811, I think).

 

I'm not familiar enough with all of Beethoven's chamber music to know whether or not he might have written *other* works of this scale prior to publishing his first symphony.

 

 

 

 

Thank you @honcho! I was not familiar with this! Very nice! I think we are the only two sane ones here! Plus @TruHart1 on a good day that is! It's a hopeless cause for you know who, unless it's the cheap vodka that doing it!

 

Edit: I'm not sure who I would pick as the composer if I heard this not knowing. Probably Hummel or Sphor??? Give or take...

[AdamSmith]

(I like when a good boi follows orders!)

I always do!

 

Since learning at age 46 -- a transformational religious conversion experience -- how to be ze complete bottom!

 

(Completely verse zeze days but bottoms up the natural postur!)

[AdamSmith]

It's a hopeless cause for you know who, unless it's the cheap vodka that doing it!

I fail to see the great institutional virtue invested in sanity!

 

It has never seemed one of the essential Saltes to me!

 

[AdamSmith]

“The essential Saltes of Animals may be so prepared and preserved, that an ingenious Man may have the whole Ark of Noah in his own Studie, and raise the fine Shape of an Animal out of its Ashes at his Pleasure; and by the lyke Method from the essential Saltes of humane Dust, a Philosopher may, without any criminal Necromancy, call up the Shape of any dead Ancestour from the Dust whereinto his Bodie has been incinerated.”

BORELLUS

 

http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/cdw.asp

[AdamSmith]

...Willett, though a small man, actually took on a kind of judicial majesty as he calmed the patient with a gesture.

 

http://www.hplovecraft.com/pics/PixelClear.gif“I have told no one. This is no common case—it is a madness out of time and a horror from beyond the spheres which no police or lawyers or courts or alienists could ever fathom or grapple with. Thank God some chance has left inside me the spark of imagination, that I might not go astray in thinking out this thing. You cannot deceive me, Joseph Curwen, for I know that your accursed magic is true!

http://www.hplovecraft.com/pics/PixelClear.gif“I know how you wove the spell that brooded outside the years and fastened on your double and descendant; I know how you drew him into the past and got him to raise you up from your detestable grave; I know how he kept you hidden in his laboratory while you studied modern things and roved abroad as a vampire by night, and how you later shewed yourself in beard and glasses that no one might wonder at your godless likeness to him; I know what you resolved to do when he balked at your monstrous rifling of the world’s tombs, and at what you planned afterward, and I know how you did it.

 

http://www.hplovecraft.com/pics/PixelClear.gif“You left off your beard and glasses and fooled the guards around the house. They thought it was he who went in, and they thought it was he who came out when you had strangled and hidden him. But you hadn’t reckoned on the different contents of two minds. You were a fool, Curwen, to fancy that a mere visual identity would be enough. Why didn’t you think of the speech and the voice and the handwriting? It hasn’t worked, you see, after all. You know better than I who or what wrote that message in minuscules, but I will warn you it was not written in vain. There are abominations and blasphemies which must be stamped out, and I believe that the writer of those words will attend to Orne and Hutchinson. One of those creatures wrote you once, ‘do not call up any that you can not put down’. You were undone once before, perhaps in that very way, and it may be that your own evil magic will undo you all again. Curwen, a man can’t tamper with Nature beyond certain limits, and every horror you have woven will rise up to wipe you out.”

 

http://www.hplovecraft.com/pics/PixelClear.gifBut here the doctor was cut short by a convulsive cry from the creature before him. Hopelessly at bay, weaponless, and knowing that any show of physical violence would bring a score of attendants to the doctor’s rescue, Joseph Curwen had recourse to his one ancient ally, and began a series of cabbalistic motions with his forefingers as his deep, hollow voice, now unconcealed by feigned hoarseness, bellowed out the opening words of a terrible formula.

 

http://www.hplovecraft.com/pics/PixelClear.gif“PER ADONAI ELOIM, ADONAI JEHOVA, ADONAI SABAOTH, METRATON. . . .”

 

http://www.hplovecraft.com/pics/PixelClear.gifBut Willett was too quick for him. Even as the dogs in the yard outside began to howl, and even as a chill wind sprang suddenly up from the bay, the doctor commenced the solemn and measured intonation of that which he had meant all along to recite. An eye for an eye—magic for magic—let the outcome shew how well the lesson of the abyss had been learned! So in a clear voice Marinus Bicknell Willett began the second of that pair of formulae whose first had raised the writer of those minuscules—the cryptic invocation whose heading was the Dragon’s Tail, sign of the descending node—

 

“OGTHROD AI’F

GEB’L—EE’H

YOG-SOTHOTH

‘NGAH’NG AI’Y

ZHRO!”

 

http://www.hplovecraft.com/pics/PixelClear.gifAt the very first word from Willett’s mouth the previously commenced formula of the patient stopped short. Unable to speak, the monster made wild motions with his arms until they too were arrested. When the awful name of Yog-Sothoth was uttered, the hideous change began. It was not merely a dissolution, but rather a transformation or recapitulation; and Willett shut his eyes lest he faint before the rest of the incantation could be pronounced.

 

http://www.hplovecraft.com/pics/PixelClear.gifBut he did not faint, and that man of unholy centuries and forbidden secrets never troubled the world again. The madness out of time had subsided, and the case of Charles Dexter Ward was closed. Opening his eyes before staggering out of that room of horror, Dr. Willett saw that what he had kept in memory had not been kept amiss. There had, as he had predicted, been no need for acids. For like his accursed picture a year before, Joseph Curwen now lay scattered on the floor as a thin coating of fine bluish-grey dust.

[whipped guy]

Mr. Smith's posts somehow reminded me about a play by Luigi Pirandello that I saw when in High School. It was at Yale University Theatre on York Street as not at the Yale Rep. I don't recall which play, but it definitely was not Six Characters in Search of an Author. We did not have tickets, but somehow a friend of the family got us in because she knew a guy who was a student from Turkey that worked at the box office so we got in for free. I have been trying to figure out which play. He did write one entitled the Imbecile, but that is in one act and I do not recall it being single act play. I do recall something about an insane asylum. In any event, at the conclusion I was not sure who was insane the characters on stage or those of us in the audience for watching it. Definitely "theatre of the absurd" material... kind of like... well I think that you get the idea!

 

And I went to Mr. Smith's link not realizing that he was going to post quite a bit if it... I still think that it's the cheap vodka. Too much PVC poisoning from the cheap plastic bottles!

[whipped guy]

Mr. Smith gets the prize! For picking up on the Russian Tea Room as being slightly to the left of Carnegie Hall... but then again I knew that he would! Not a doubt in my mind! Or as one durnkard who years ago sat next to me in Yankee Stadium said , "No bout adout it"! as he described every play. A worse experience than the drunk guy who sat next to me at the MET Opera. I just ignored him, but the woman who was sitting on the other side of him finally told him to, "Shut the f@(k up!" At about the senenth inning. What was funny is that she was there with her young son, but I guess thevkid eventually had to see a certain side of her... Just like we are seeing a certain side of Mr. Smith Here!

 

A walking stick! I should have known!

 

Young Frankenstein 25 times... after getting laid off? Or was that simply after getting laid?

[+ honcho]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZg_KbGXvns

 

I noticed while visiting the youTube page for this, that it referenced another video of a two hour symposium held

at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (pronounced "misery" - no joke) of a two hour tribute in honor of an eighty year old mathematician, Irving Kaplansky, which listed Lehrer as one of the speakers.

 

(It seems that the video you showed was cut out from the longer video).

 

What surprised me was that Kaplansky *also wrote satire songs*, and Lehrer was one of his math students.

 

Kaplansky was more famous for his mathematical research, and though his songs were amusing enough, I think the student bested the teacher in this capacity.

 

(MSRI is in the hills above UC Berkeley and is coupled to the university in parallel manner that the Princeton Institute for Advanced Studies - where Einstein hung out - is coupled to Princeton.)

[whipped guy]

Regarding Italian pronunciation by non Italian operatic singers one can often determine the origin of the singer. Germans obviously say "qvesto" and. "qvello" for "questo" and "quello". In the famous Giulini recording of Don Giovanni Gottlob Frick ain't exactly idiomatic with his Italian. I'm surprised that Giulini did not protest, but then again as the Commendatore he might have dragged Giulini down to hell along with Don Giovanni!

 

The Spanish have an overtly "ss" sound as in a word such as "causa" comes out as "caussa" as opposed to more of an Italian "z" sound of "cauzza".

 

The Sinatra example above is the classic American way.

 

Of course there was a famous soprano who often would give an Australian twang to her Italian! Example: "pene" the plural of "pena" meaning pain and suffering comes out as "pane" bread and on a recording no less! To make matters worse in the next line "pene" rhymes with "imene" meaning nuptials and that comes out as "imane" which has no meaning!

 

No prize for guessing her name!

 

(Note to [uSER=12213]@Truhart1[/uSER]... now that might have made Rossini turn over in his grave!)

[AdamSmith]

I had forgotten some of these verrry interesting details of how couplers can work.

 

Couplers

A device called a coupler allows the pipes of one division to be played simultaneously from an alternative manual. For example, a coupler labelled "Swell to Great" allows the stops of the Swell division to be played by the Great manual. It is unnecessary to couple the pipes of a division to the manual of the same name (for example, coupling the Great division to the Great manual), because those stops play by default on that manual (though this is done with super- and sub-couplers, see below). By using the couplers, the entire resources of an organ can be played simultaneously from one manual. On a mechanical-action organ, a coupler may connect one division's manual directly to the other, actually moving the keys of the first manual when the second is played.

 

Some organs feature a device to add the octave above or below what is being played by the fingers. The "super-octave" adds the octave above, the "sub-octave" the octave below. These may be attached to one division only, for example "Swell octave" (the super is often assumed), or they may act as a coupler, for example "Swell octave to Great" which gives the effect while playing on the Great division of adding the Swell division an octave above what is being played. These can be used in conjunction with the standard eight foot coupler. The super-octave may be labelled, for example, Swell to Great 4′; in the same manner, the sub-octave may be labelled Choir to Great 16′.

 

The inclusion of these couplers allows for greater registrational flexibility and color. Some literature (particularly romantic literature from France) calls explicitly for octaves aigües (super-couplers) to add brightness, or octaves graves (sub-couplers) to add gravity. Some organs feature extended ranks to accommodate the top and bottom octaves when the super- and sub-couplers are engaged (see the discussion under "Unification and extension").

 

In a similar vein are unison off couplers, which act to "turn off" the stops of a division on its own keyboard. For example, a coupler labelled "Great unison off" would keep the stops of the Great division from sounding, even if they were pulled. Unison off couplers can be used in combination with super- and sub-couplers to create complex registrations that would otherwise not be possible. In addition, the unison off couplers can be used with other couplers to change the order of the manuals at the console: engaging the Great to Choir and Choir to Great couplers along with the Great unison off and Choir unison off couplers would have the effect of moving the Great to the bottom manual and the Choir to the middle manual.

 

Divided pedal

Another form of coupler found on some large organs is the divided pedal. This is a device that allows the sounds played on the pedals to be split, so the lower octave (principally that of the left foot) plays stops from the pedal division while the upper half (played by the right foot), plays stops from one of the manual divisions. The choice of manual is at the discretion of the performer, as is the 'split point' of the system.

 

The system can be found on the organs of Gloucester Cathedral, having been added by Nicholson & Co (Worcester) Ltd/David Briggs and Truro Cathedral, having been added by Mander Organs/David Briggs, as well as on the new nave console of Ripon Cathedral. The system as found in Truro Cathedral operates like this:

 

• Divided Pedal (adjustable dividing point): A# B c c# d d#
  

under the 'divide': Pedal stops and couplers

above the 'divide': four illuminated controls: Choir/Swell/Great/Solo to Pedal[2]

This allows four different sounds to be played at once (without thumbing down across manuals), for example:

 

Right hand: Great principals 8′ and 4′

Left hand: Swell strings

Left foot: Pedal 16′ and 8′ flutes and Swell to Pedal coupler

Right foot: Solo Clarinet via divided pedal coupler

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_console#Couplers

[AdamSmith]

This thread has little trouble getting itself back on track from it sillinesses.

 

The Duke Flentrop temperament is according to Lambert Chaumont, 1695. The pitch is A = 440 at 72° F (22.2° C).

 

http://www.organsociety.org/database/photos/NC/Durham.DukeUniversityChapel.1976Flentrop.Ritch01.jpg

 

Hoofdwerk

Fluework

Prestant 16'

Bourdan 16'

Octaaf 8'

Octaaf 4'

Quint 2-2/3'

Terts 1-3/5'

Mixtuur 2'

Scherp 1'

Cornet (from C3)

Reedwork

Bombarde 16'

Trompette 8'

Clairon 4'

Trompet 8'

Trompeta Magna (from C3) 16'

Clarin (from C3) 8'

Trompeta Batalla (C1 - B2) 4'

 

Rugwerk

Fluework

Prestant 8'

Gedekt 8'

Octaaf 4'

Fluit 4' (gedekt)

Nasard 2-2/3' (roerfluit)

Octaaf 2'

Fluit 2'

Terts 1-3/5'

Larigot 1-1/3'

Sesquialter 2-2/3'

Sesquialter 1-3/5'

Mixtuur 2'

Scherp 1'

Reedwork

Cromorne 8'

Schalmey 8'

Trompet 4'

 

Echo

Fluework

Gedekt 8'

Prestant 4'

Fluit 4' (C' - E' gedekt)

Nachthoorn 2'

Cornet (from C3)

Reedwork

Hautbois 8'

 

Bovenwerk

Fluework

Prestant 8'

Baarpijp 8'

Gedekt 8'

Quintadeen 8'

Octaaf 4'

Roerfluit 4'

Nasard 2-2/3' (C1 - B2 gedekt)

Fluit 2'

Terts 1-3/5'

Sifflet 1'

Mixtuur 2'

Reedwork

Trompet 8'

Hobo 8'

Vox Humana 8'

 

Pedaal

Fluework

Prestant 16'

Subbas 16'

Quint 10-2/3' (gedekt)

Octaaf 4'

Quint 5-1/3'

Octaaf 4'

Nachthoorn 2'

Mixtuur 4'

Reedwork

Bazuin 16'

Trompette 8'

Trompet 8'

Clairon 4'

Zink 2'

 

https://chapel.duke.edu/sites/default/files/Flentrop_Stoplist.pdf

Reading more about said Lambert Chaumont, Fenner Douglass's evil genius overwhelms me! Chaumont, from his musical background, is likely the one musician of all time whose ideas and insights about temperament could have let Fenner direct Dirk to architect an instrument capable of performing with fidelity not only the high North German repertoire, but then also the early Spanish Baroque works -- and then, all but impossibly! -- all the great early French Romantic compositions as well.

 

Lordy! To quote Comey.

[BasketBaller]

Mr. Smith's posts somehow reminded me about a play by Luigi Pirandello that I saw when in High School. It was at Yale University Theatre on York Street as not at the Yale Rep. I don't recall which play, but it definitely was not Six Characters in Search of an Author. We did not have tickets, but somehow a friend of the family got us in because she knew a guy who was a student from Turkey that worked at the box office so we got in for free. I have been trying to figure out which play. He did write one entitled the Imbecile, but that is in one act and I do not recall it being single act play. I do recall something about an insane asylum.

 

Perhaps Enrico IV? It's not set in an insane asylum but it does revolve around a character thought to be insane.

[whipped guy]

Perhaps Enrico IV? It's not set in an insane asylum but it does revolve around a character thought to be insane.

 

Yes! @BasketBaller that was the play. All I recall was that one left the theatre questioning who was really mad and what was the nature of madness. Reading the the "Cliff Notes like" plot summary reminded me that since the title character knew that he was wearing a mask by pretending to be what he was not... he considered himself not to be insane even though he was acting the part as such... and that those who wear masks and don't realize it are the ones who are really insane!

 

So thank you! While I never went mad over trying to decipher which play... nor lost any sleep over it... it was always in the back of my mind. Unfortunately I'm still questioning my own possible insanity. :confused::eek:

[AdamSmith]

How the F&@k I could have written the previous post with Bigus Dickus still reson bating in my mind I'll never know!!!!

And in turn when I got to Duke and its pedantic paper requirements I just thought Can't you look at my sketchings in brief muttered outline form and see vhat I mean?

 

But zen vhen I got to Jale, zhey sa Yes, just jot down some notes zo ve can comprenenn you.

 

Zne zousands of verds poured fourth before that to make ze point!

 

Und got ze summa cum laude.

[AdamSmith]

but it does revolve around a character thought to be insane.

Need there be any doubt?