Major-third mixtures in the time of J.S. Bach : implications for organ performance and registration

Note:This paper presents the mixtures of organs known to Johann Sebastian Bach and the implications that these various mixtures have for organ performance and registration. Five organs built by four of the most important organ builders of early eighteenth-century Middle Germany (Tobias Heinrich Gottfried Trost, Gottfried Silbermann, Zacharias Hildebrandt, and Joachim Wagner) are discussed in the context of their mixtures, and whether or not they contain a major-third-sounding rank. The presence of a major-third-sounding rank in an organ creates a unique sound, and one that was familiar to J.S. Bach. As such, this unique sound is considered in the context of the organ works of Bach. This paper is divided into four chapters. The first includes an Introduction and Overview of the research problem and the mixtures of the five historic organs that were the subjects of the research. Chapter II discusses important issues to consider in the context of the major-third mixture: temperament of the instrument; and the texture, key, and mode of the composition being performed. Chapter III applies the research to performance practice. A detailed discussion of a recent performance on a twentieth-century North American organ is presented in the context of the major-third mixture. The topics of the second chapter are applied in the third, and further reflections of the practical application of the research are given. [...]La multi-percussion soliste est définie traditionnellement comme une seule personne jouant de deux ou plusieurs instruments à percussion, et c'est à la fin des années 1950 que cette pratique s'est établie en tant que discipline spécifique. Le présent document soutien que la multi-percussion soliste s'est développée comme une discipline hybride sous l'impulsion des compositeurs et interprètes, qui ont fait éclater les frontières techniques et expressives habituelles pour incorporer le medium électronique, tout comme des éléments provenant de la danse, du drame ou de l'art conceptuel. Le mémoire présent les résultats de trois études de cas qui documentent la manière dont j'ai repoussé les limites de mes propres pratiques d'interprète, grâce à plusieurs collaborations. Ces études de cas sont:1. Aphasia-Dialogue (2014) par M. Applebaum (cor. par D. Espinosa) 2. 150pF for body capacitance (2014) par H. Morales et D. Espinosa 3. Six Drawings by Randall (2012) par D. Adamcyk et D. Espinosa [...