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The organ and Midi, Midi the devil or midi opening new horizons


Midi has entered organ playing. Not just in Hauptwerk. A playing table sits by itself on the podium of the new Philharmonie of Paris. It is linked to a large organ behind by only a small cable. Midi has been implemented in an increasing number of church organs. Professionals practice during day time, make a recording by Midi and the result is played for a CD recording at night when there is little outside noise. One only needs to save the memory stick to replay the recording at any time!
So where is the place for the organist? Sure, guiding the worshippers in singing requires interaction between them and the organist. Improvising brings a gathering to live. But we could simply run a complete service putting the USB stick in the organ. Midi the devil?
However, recently I have been playing with a sequencer connected to Hauptwerk. Certainly, we all know that playing notes keyed into the computer yields robot music, lacking what music should do, transmit emotions. But in principle, the sequencer offers the opportunity to produce notes of any length at any moment. It is not easy to make music that way but much practice, like practicing to play music with the fingers, can do the job. Moreover, one can replay what one has composed, listen and subsequently improve one’s registration until one hears what one wants to hear. This has stimulated me to spend much time on a (in my ears) perfect performance. In addition, if one likes to compose, one can make music which exceeds what one can do with fingers and feet. This might start a complete trend in organ playing. I think this could be very important because organ music is becoming less appreciated as something being old fashioned. In other words: Midi opening new horizons!

by GuidoSmo
Oct 10, 2021 09:22 AM

Replies (4)

RE: The organ and Midi, Midi the devil or midi opening new horizons


When the notes are played into a midi recorder it can capture the nuances in timing and on a piano it can capture the stroke pressure also. If they are entered by scanning the paper music or by mouse clicking and dragging, the result is very mechanical and lacking expression. Wouldn't it be great to be able to hear Bach or any of the great composers playing their own compositions/improvisations?
by bayless
Oct 10, 2021 03:50 PM

RE: The organ and Midi, Midi the devil or midi opening new horizons


For me, MIDI is a gift. It's simply that I didn't learn any sensible fingering when I was young, and so I'm deprived of the great, difficult works by Bach, for example. But I have a precise idea of how this music, or even my own compositions, should sound. And that's exactly what I model with my sequencer and my Java software, which produces a very lively MIDI file.
The midified organ is also a gift. I was allowed to work on a midified organ myself, and it was great fun to enjoy my complex compositions at full volume from the church seat.
In short: the content of a MIDI file is not something that comes out of a machine, but it is an individual interpretation of a piece of music - as long as you take the trouble to work on tempo, articulation, phrasing and ornamentation - to model it.
If you don't do this, it sounds lifeless and you should simply leave it alone.
by NeoBarock
Oct 11, 2021 05:43 AM

RE: The organ and Midi, Midi the devil or midi opening new horizons


Hello. For me also Midi is a gift. I have been working with it since the years 1980. At this time I worked for the French magazines Guitares & Claviers and Musiciens and wrote about synthesizers, not organs. At this time I did not need sequencers to play the organ, I could do it without the help of Midi. In 2005 I was diagnosticed Parkinson disease and gradually started to loose the use of my fingers. Nowaday I can no longer play and the only pleasure that remains to me is the ability to compose and record my music exchanging Midi messages between my notation software and a virtual organ or my Viscount console. This is the reason why all my posts are Midi, not Live.
The midifiles I create could be much better if I gave them more time. Midi music can be humanised very well by different ways ; managing the notes start position, lenght, randomly or note by note, and giving small variations to the tempo. Velocity cannot be applyed to an organ, but Midi control change messages allow easy and precise movement of the swell box pedal.
I hope my post will be useful to other members. Jean-Paul
by musicalis
Oct 21, 2021 04:53 PM

RE: The organ and Midi, Midi the devil or midi opening new horizons

GuidoSmo wrote:

Midi has entered organ playing. Not just in Hauptwerk. A playing table sits by itself on the podium of the new Philharmonie of Paris. It is linked to a large organ behind by only a small cable. Midi has been implemented in an increasing number of church organs. Professionals practice during day time, make a recording by Midi and the result is played for a CD recording at night when there is little outside noise. One only needs to save the memory stick to replay the recording at any time!
So where is the place for the organist? Sure, guiding the worshippers in singing requires interaction between them and the organist. Improvising brings a gathering to live. But we could simply run a complete service putting the USB stick in the organ. Midi the devil?
However, recently I have been playing with a sequencer connected to Hauptwerk. Certainly, we all know that playing notes keyed into the computer yields robot music, lacking what music should do, transmit emotions. But in principle, the sequencer offers the opportunity to produce notes of any length at any moment. It is not easy to make music that way but much practice, like practicing to play music with the fingers, can do the job. Moreover, one can replay what one has composed, listen and subsequently improve one’s registration until one hears what one wants to hear. This has stimulated me to spend much time on a (in my ears) perfect performance. In addition, if one likes to compose, one can make music which exceeds what one can do with fingers and feet. This might start a complete trend in organ playing. I think this could be very important because organ music is becoming less appreciated as something being old fashioned. In other words: Midi opening new horizons!

As with all technological developments, midi can be used in a good way and in bad way. Also, the intentions and use can be good, but the general long term effect can be undesired.
Some good things about midi:
* amateurs can familiarize themselves with the sounds and possibilities of organs they will never be able to play themselves
* exchange of interpretations is very easy (see the success this concert hall)
Some worse things:
* if midi is used for replay, the organist may become unnecessary; the result may be that even less people will learn to play
* the art of performance for a living public may be compromised

by Bercaudia
Oct 22, 2021 06:00 AM

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