The launch of the latest version (version 6) of the magnificent Hauptwerk virtual pipe organ has stimulated me into producing a few recordings of Christmas music. This software produces an incredibly realistic sound. However, don’t get this software if you don’t have the computer to go with it. Because it copies all individual pipe sounds into RAM, it devours all the capabilities of my iMac Pro with 32 GB of memory. Even then, it cannot replay the highest-quality samples with […] . Click here to read the full article.
Church organ
Recording ‘The Swan’ by Saint-Saëns
One of the most popular, and beautifully romantic, organ pieces is ‘The Swan’ (or Le Cygne) by the French composer Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns, who composed the piece as part of his Carnival of the Animals in 1868. Apparently, The Swan was the only movement from The Carnival of the Animals that the composer allowed to be played in public during his lifetime. Below, I have just recorded this piece, below, using the Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ and using samples of the […] . Click here to read the full article.
Recording ‘Nimrod’ from ‘Enigma Variations’ by Edward Elgar
‘Enigma Variations’ is one of Edward Elgar’s most famous orchestral works and ‘Nimrod’ is its most recognised melody. On its website, Classic FM describes Elgar’s Enigma Variations as “one of the greatest pieces of the 19th century”, and I certainly do not disagree with that. Below I recorded myself playing a version for church organ. This was produced using the Hauptwerk virtual pipe organ, which is widely regarded as the best sample-based organ in the world, athough it does require […] . Click here to read the full article.
Learning to Play the Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ
What a strange period we are experiencing with the coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the world. It is having dramatic social and economic impacts, and causing people to be on ‘lockdown’ in their homes. While the pandemic is having an adverse financial impact on friends, I am loving the lockdown period for other reasons. It’s delightful having my daughters home from university and I am using some of the time to rekindle my passion for the church organ. I’ve had to […] . Click here to read the full article.