Bach Organ Partita at Lyons, New York

Organist Frederick Hohman plays the first portion of the organ partita on the choral "Sei gegrüsset, Jesu gütig," S. 768, by Johann Sebastian Bach.

The organ is the 1970 Schlicker organ, 2 manuals and pedal, 31 ranks at the First Lutheran Church of Lyons, New York. The organ is considered a hybrid, because, while it is mainly a mechanical-action instrument (tracker), it incorporates some electro-mechanical features. For example, the 16-foot pedal stops are on electro-pneumatic offset chests, and not tracker driven. Also, the organ has an electric stop action and a crescendo pedal, but a tracker swell shutter control.

The acoustics at First Lutheran Church of Lyons are much like the live acoustics found in eastern European churches from the 19th-century. The immigrants who made the plaster that lines the walls of the sanctuary used the same construction techniques they brought from Germany. First Lutheran Church of Lyons dates from 1830, and held services in German until the 1950s.

The Bach Partita on "Sei gegrüsset" is the longest of Bach's solo organ works. After the choral is heard on the "plenum" registration, we see the first 3 variations played. Variation one presents a highly-ornamented choral melody in the right hand against an accompaniment figure in the left hand. The second variation is a four-voice elaboration of the chorale, while the third variation is played on a 4-foot flute stop, with figures that only hint at the root chorale melody and its harmonies.

Frederick Hohman's website is: http://www.frederickhohman.net and his recordings and videos may be reviewed and purchased at http://www.zarex.com/bin

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Bach
• Organ
• Chorale
• Partita
• Sei
• gegrüsset
• 768
• Hohman
• Schlicker
• First
• Lutheran
• Lyons
• New
• York
• classical
• Midnight
• Pipes

[rohrgedackt8]

Hi Fred, was this organ designed by Paul Bunjes by any chance? This is a nice piece, and the instrument is wonderfully baroque, just like others I've played here in St. Louis.

[midnightpipes]

The Lyons Schlicker was actually designed by my Eastman organ professor, David Craighead. It does show some Bunjes influences. However, I understand that, in 1969-1970, apprentices from von Beckerath and Schucke (East Germany) worked on this organ installation, and hence, the Lyons organ sounds more truly East-German or Polish than any other Schlicker I can think of. The casework is similar to those Schlickers which Mr Bunjes designed. Thanks for writing. - FH

[Jaanip]

Very well played, but the organ sounds like a circular saw.

[midnightpipes]

Thanks for posting your comment. Sometimes, organ music can sound rough if your computer's audio output settings are not set at 44.1kHz. Please confirm 44.1kHz as your audio setting (not 48kHz), as this may improve the audio. - FH

[san6166]

I really love the pedal reed stop on this organ what is the name of the pedal reed on this organ?

[midnightpipes]

There are two reed stops in the pedal division of this organ: a 16' Fagott and a 4' Schalmei. You hear the 16' in the opening of this video. The 4' is heard in the other Lyons video. The pedal division is behind the rightmost third of the organ case. The lowest octave of the 16' reed is on electro-pneumatic chests at the back of the case on left and right at floor level. The upper portion of the Fagott and the entire Schalmei are on elevated, mechanical action chests.

[virginiaorganbuilder]

Wow. I learned to play on a 1969 Schlicker in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and this organ is much fuller sounding. From the sound alone I would never have guessed the builder, but the console positively screams Schlicker!

[raulw2005]

BEAUTIFUL!!!

[friedrichsacher]

no! Not all organ. In the beginnings the organ keyboard looks like that! And they are still produced. Some people like the manuals the old fashion way (mee to btw) but mostly there are "normal" keyboards. Just an optical thing

[afertyus1000]

do all organs have the opposite colour keys to a piano?

[kotetsu131]

tierce de picardie!

[bachluthology2]

great organ the best bach organ in the usa At my church in racine wisconsin we have a 52 rank schlicker with 2,666 pipes

I like the keys on this one though it looks more german

[edolch]

I really love the sound of this organ!

[gjroest]

Well played! Great organ.