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International Organ Competition
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Information About The Longwood Organ
Longwood Gardens’ 1929 Aeolian Pipe Organ
Movable Console
General Information
• Most Recent Rebuild: 2004-2011
• 2001 Console by Robert Turner
• 10,010 pipes
• 146 ranks
• 237 stops and couplers
• Five 32-foot pedal stops
• 97 pistons
• Digital Control System (SSOS)
The four manuals are (from bottom) Choir, Great, Swell, Solo. General Pistons are centered under the bottom 3 manuals and numbered 1 to 24. Divisional Pistons for the Choir, Great, and Swell are 1-4 on the left, 5-8 on the right. For the Solo they are centered 1-8. There are 4 Crescendos and II, III, IV can be set by the organist although it is a tedious task. Three pistons permit the String to be set on the Swell, Great, or Choir pistons. Thumb slides under the Choir, Great, and Swell keys can be used to operate the swell shades or variable tremolos. The “All Next” piston turns all the pistons into “Next.” There are 512 levels of memory, permitting 19,456 general piston settings, plus another 4,000 on the sequencer. In addition to 24 General Pistons for the hands, there are 14 General Toe Studs for the feet, totaling 38 Generals. Behind a sliding panel to the upper left is the Expression Matrix used for assigning Expression Pedals and Variable Tremolos. Behind a sliding panel to the upper right is the clock, transposer, recorder, sequencer, and USB ports. In the center are LED bar graphs showing shade positions for the 7 divisions under expression. Under the left and right stop jambs are hidden rocker switches permitting a page turner to hit NEXT or PREVIOUS almost invisibly.
Memory levels will be made available to each competitor.
Pedals
• Renovated Skinner pedal board
• There is a pedal divide
• Pedal board is lit with incandescent bulbs
The silver button on the first expression pedal to the left controls the Piano Sustain Dampers and the Harp Dampers, e.g., holding it down while playing the Weber Concert Grand Piano from the organ is the same as holding down the Sustain Pedal of a concert grand piano.
Including left and right foot controls.
Pedal Left has General, Pedal, Reversible, Traps 2 Touch, Next, and Previous Toe Studs; and Sostenuto and Reversible Toe Spoons.
Pedal Right has General, Pedal, Reversible, Nightingale, and Next Toe Studs; and 3 working Toe Spoons, including the GONG Roll and Crash depending on how long it is pressed. In the Solo, the Page ← and Page → tablets are for future use with computer screen music notation and do nothing at present.
Reservoir CutOuts, Matrix Levels Dial, Pedal Divide
In a pull-out drawer at the bottom of the left jamb are controls to shut down the reservoirs in any division should a malfunction (especially cipher) occur; a dial used to selected 12 levels of memory for the Expression Matrix; and a dial for Pedal Divide. See separate instructions.
Stop List
This list is subject to change, as some minor modifications are still being made.
|
GREAT- Manual II
CHOIR - I
SWELL - III
SOLO - I
V
|
STRING (floating) FANFARE (floating) PERCUSSION (floating) |
80 COUPLERS, 97 PISTONS, FOOT CONTROLS
Toe Spoons
TREMOLOS |
Tablets Left
Both stops and couplers are controlled from these tablets. The 8’ non-floating Manual Couplers are indicated with thin black borders to improve visibility. The String Division floats, so it must be assigned to one or more of the manuals and pedal.
Tablets Right
Both stops and couplers are controlled from these tablets. The 8’ non-floating Manual Couplers are indicated with thin black borders to improve visibility. The Tuned Percussion Division floats, so it must be assigned to one or more of the manuals and pedal; the Untuned Percussion is on the Choir. The Fanfare normally plays on the Solo but can be canceled there and coupled anywhere.
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