The Arciorgano
Description
Built in 2016 by Fleig Orgel- und Cembalobau in collaboration with Studio31. The instrument is an organo di legno with one open principale stop based on 8'. The construction type of the organ pipes follows the model of the original instrument in the Silberne Kapelle Innsbruck.
The keyboard has 36 keys per octave, organised on two manuals. The lower (white) keys are arranged in a conventional diatonic layout. On both manuals all upper (black) keys are split into two parts. On the lower manual there is an additional key between the notes b and c, and between e and f respectively. The keyboard range of the lower manual is four octaves, C to c''', and on the upper manual F to c'''.
The organ uses a tracker action with brass wire trackers. There are two separate rollerboards, one for each manual. The wind chest is doubled as well, with two rows of valves.
The pipe arrangement is in the shape of a mitre with a facade facing the player. Three rows of pipes are located on the wind chest, a fourth one at the back of the instrument on the level of the keyboard and a fifth one for the bass pipes on floor level. All pipes are made of yellow cedar (Canada), the case is made of French chestnut (North Italy). The pipes are cut to length, without tuning devices such as sliders or flaps. The reference pitch is g'=440 Hz (19°C), which equals a'=492 Hz (19°C). The tuning remains stable between temperatures of 17°C and 29°C, while the reference pitch moves according to the temperature changes.
For the wind supply there are two manually operated bellows at the side of the instrument. Alternatively they can be powered by an electric fan. The windpressure is 50mm water column.
The bellows and the row with the bass pipes can be dismantled and transported separately. The organ case can be split into two parts, both portable by two or four persons. Dismantling and installing the organ takes roughly 30 minutes. The tuning is usually immediately stable and the instrument can be used directly after transportation.
The tuning system follows Vicentino's second description of 1555: the lower manual is tuned in quarter-comma meantone with a chain of fifth starting with g flat and ending with b sharp. The upper manual is tuned in quarter-comma meantone as well, with a chain of fifth from g flat to a sharp. Relatively to the lower manual, the upper manual is transposed upwards by a quarter syntonic comma.
Photos
Activities
The most recent posts involving the Arciorgano: