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Organ Stories |
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Sunday 31 May 2009: Punctually to the Sunday of Pentecost our old lady appeared stubborn once again: During the whole feast service the organist does not succeed in loosen a sticking valve. Thus continuously a bass note was to be heard as background noise. In each break the regarding stop had to be turned off therefore. The behavior of the organ reminded somehow on a bagpipe, which has also permanently sounding bass pipes. Bagpipes are typical for the Scottish Highlands; the humans living there are said to be very thrifty. Hopefully the citizens of the Parish St. Martin do not interpret the Pentecost bagpipe sound as request to Scottish thriftiness, but stay further so generously as before. If so, the renewal of the trouble-prone instrument can be started in some years. If someone should miss the hanging tones, he can donate for a bagpipe stop. Thus the "new" Batzenhofen organ would become a very extraordinary instrument, because bagpipe stops there are only a very few. |
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Sunday 26 July 2009: If you tried in former times to listen to a distant transmitter station with an old medium wave radio you needed to open the volume control widely. Because of the high amplification you got a 60 Hertz humming tone then which was cause by the frequency of the power supply. Exactly the same humming tone you could hear from our organ while the pries was reading the gospel. The organist switched the stop of an on several times, but the humming tone remained, also as the organ at the end of the lecture inevitably had to be played again. Some people love that typically nostalgic sound of old tube receivers. But even very old organs, if they are intact, do not produce disturbing background noises of that kind. This unwanted humming witnessed once more how much our organ is in need of redevelopment meanwhile. Fortunately many people of the Parish St. Martin already recognized this fact and support our association by their membership and/or cash donations. For this our many thanks to all. All others, who still are thinking, no problem, the organ plays nevertheless each Sunday, can be sure of the next organ story... |
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Sunday 04 July 2010, Feast of St. Ulrich:
Was tönt von der Empore klack-klack, klack-klack? Es ist der Organist im Sonntagsfrack! Die Pedale, sie zwicken, die Register, sie klemmen, er muß sich mit Kraft dagegen stemmen. Da - auf einmal ertönt, es ist eine Qual, ganz von selbst und recht laut das Salicional. Was kann er nur tun, es ist ihm ein Graus, da hilft nur noch eines: Gebläse aus! Und beim Evangelium hoch über des Volkes Köpfen bemüht sich der Organist mit Schaltern und Knöpfen. Gebläse ein, der Organist stöhnt, denn jetzt auf einmal der Bourdon dröhnt. Und so hat das Lied zum Zwischengesang nicht den gewohnten, vertrauten Klang. Der Spieler kämpft tapfer und meistert das Stück, dann kann er pausieren zur Predigt zum Glück. Bevor die Messe dann weitergeht schickt er zu Cäcilia ein Stoßgebet. Das Instrument erklingt, brav spielt er die Strophen, doch fortan da fürchtet er Batzenhofen. English Translation to the poem above: What sounds from the gallery click-clicks, click-clicks It is the organist in his Sunday tails! The pedals, they pinch, the stops, they wedge, he must press against with force. There - suddenly sounds, it is an agony, by itself and quite loud the Salicional. What he can do, it's horrible, the only thing helps is: Blower off! And during the gospel highly over the people's heads the organist struggles with switches and buttons. Blower on, the organist groans, because the Bourdon roars now. And so the song for the intermediate singing does not have the used, familiar sound. The player fights courageously and masters the piece, then he can take a break to the sermon fortunately. Before the service continues then he sends a quick prayer to Cecilia. The instrument sounds good, he plays the verse well, but from now on he is afraid of Batzenhofen. |