News
3/21 Organ + Dance: It’s All in the Family
On April 3, Anabel Taylor Chapel will be the site of a unique
performance event: renowned organist Hans Davidsson will perform on
Cornell’s new baroque organ while three professional dancers—two of them
his sons--interpret the music.
2/10 Cornell's Baroque Organ Featured on 'Pipedreams'
If you missed last March's festival to inaugurate Cornell's new baroque organ in Anabel Taylor Hall, you have another chance to hear some of the fabulous performances, on the radio. American Public Media's program "Pipedreams" is featuring Cornell’s baroque organ on this coming Sunday’s “Old Is New” program.
1/12 Measuring the Organ, Part II: The Good, the Bad, and the Fingerprinted
Traditionally, organs have only been documented through mechanical measurements such as size and overall wind pressure. But this static data can’t communicate the dynamic behavior of the wind system and how an organ actually sounds.
1/5 Measuring the Organ, Part I: Nervous Breathing and Sensitive Pipes
Carl Johan Bergsten, a research engineer with the Gothenburg Organ Art Center (GOArt) at the University of GÖTEBORG, Sweden, spent the 2011 Thanksgiving holiday studying the wind system and acoustics of Cornell’s baroque organ. The measurements are part of a larger GOArt study exploring the interactions between bellows, wind chest, and pedals to determine an organ’s sound.
12/22 The True Value of Noise
Throughout history, organ builders have striven for a steadier sound and to silence the noise of the key action. Modern organs have achieved this goal—to a fault, according to designer Munetaka Yokota. "Modern organs are easy to play and consistent," he says. "No matter what you do it sounds good. But they're missing the expressiveness old organs have."
12/15 Has Someone Been Shooting at Europe’s Organs?
No, those aren’t bullet holes, though the round black dots found on some tin organ pipes look like Al Capone’s been using them for target practice. The holes are signs of a far greater danger to organs than a gangster’s gun: corrosion.