Mechanical Music Digest  Archives
You Are Not Logged In Login/Get New Account
Please Log In. Accounts are free!
Logged In users are granted additional features including a more current version of the Archives and a simplified process for submitting articles.
Home Archives Calendar Gallery Store Links Info
MMD > Archives > October 2000 > 2000.10.25 > 04Prev  Next


Choosing an Organ Scale
By Harald Mueller

Hello -- I am not a big arranger, but I have arranged a handful of
tunes for the Raffin 20er crank organ.  (But I have not ever heard most
of them except on the computer, because I do not yet own an organ.)

Actually, I _love_ to arrange for this micro-scale of 20 notes.  Coming
from the full-scale piano and with a jazzy and classical-chromatic
background, I only learned with the 20er scale what tricks you can
play.  (Quite certainly, I found only a few of them up to now.)  Of
course, at times you have to "straighten out" things, but still,
e.g.  playing a "complete C scale" with a missing B (-natural) is fun.
(I do it by replacing the B with a G and having some other ascending
line that helps the listener "go up").

And regarding a much smaller scale::  On and off, I listen to
MIDI transcriptions of classical music by Ramon Pajares
(http://nil.es/rpajares/).  In August, he posted the overture to
Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri, and, as I usually do, I listened
to any errors that might be in the transcription.  There was one:
In measure 63, the timpani are definitely one tone too low.  It
should be D, not C... Really??

After looking through the complete score, I found that this was
(almost) the only place where a D would be necessary.  Having a third
timpani only for a few measures is out of the question, so Rossini used
the C (which is part of D7 chord).  There are a few other places where
Rossini arranged "around the missing D":

  m.118..127      organ point
  m.131/135       D is simply left out
  m.174/175       replacement chord for quint

(I think this was/is called a "Neapolitanic", at least in German;
any musician out there who wants to correct me?)

And in m.166..173 one can see/hear how this single C can be "attached"
to four different harmonic contexts.

So much for a _very_ small scale.  The moral?  There are certainly
many, but three worth mentioning are:

(1) Not only organ arrangers have to cope with limited resources.
(2) Also a small scale can be used creatively.
(3) I'll never be a Rossini ...

Regards

Harald M. Mueller

 [ Well, then you might be a fine tympanist!   My little Dictionary
 [ of Musical Terms, of 1895, says: "Neapolitan sixth -- a chord of
 [ the sixth on the sub-dominant in minor, with minor sixth."  My, my!
 [ A "fifth of Scotch" is more entertaining!  :)  -- Robbie


(Message sent Wed 25 Oct 2000, 10:35:38 GMT, from time zone GMT+0200.)

Key Words in Subject:  an, Choosing, Organ, Scale

Home    Archives    Calendar    Gallery    Store    Links    Info   


Enter text below to search the MMD Website with Google



CONTACT FORM: Click HERE to write to the editor, or to post a message about Mechanical Musical Instruments to the MMD

Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are those of the individual authors and may not represent those of the editors. Compilation copyright 1995-2024 by Jody Kravitz.

Please read our Republication Policy before copying information from or creating links to this web site.

Click HERE to contact the webmaster regarding problems with the website.

Please support publication of the MMD by donating online

Please Support Publication of the MMD with your Generous Donation

Pay via PayPal

No PayPal account required

                                     
Translate This Page