Grace Notes

THE CONTINUO ORGAN

DONNA REILLY

At most Upper Valley Baroque concerts you have seen and heard a Continuo Organ—the small pipe organ in the orchestra. For those of you who are attending the upcoming performance of Bach's St. John Passion, you will again see and hear one. This instrument is one of six of the same design constructed by A. David Moore, Inc (ADM) in their North Pomfret, Vermont shop. The organ used in this concert has three full stops. Sets of pipes can be easily swapped when a particular sound, such as an 8’ Regal used in Early Music is needed. The organ can be transposed from A-440 to A-415 (i.e., Baroque tuning) with a simple adjustment to the keyboard.

Founded 50 years ago, ADM’s continuo organs may be found in schools of music and churches across the United States, and have been featured in numerous performances at the Boston Early Music Festival. ADM has retained two instruments for short and long-term rental to clients throughout New England, one of which is being played in this concert.

The organ stands about 45" wide x 44" high x 25" deep, and is in two parts: the top part contains the chests, pipes and keyboards, and the bottom portion contains the base, the blower and the bellows. The most essential part of any organ is its sound, and this one is no exception. The sounds in this organ range from sweet and gentle to brilliant and sparkling. Each stop is voiced with care, and even with only three stops, the combinations are varied and plentiful. Weighing in at about 200 pounds, the instrument is easily portable by two people, and can fit into a van without a problem.

Sources: A. David Moore, Inc. and Yale Institute of Sacred Music