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Home > Music > Organs > Brombaugh
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The Brombaugh organ was built especially for the Memorial Chapel, in
the south transept of Duke Chapel, by John Brombaugh, one of the world's
most distinguished organ builders. Construction began in 1995, and the
organ was installed in 1997. The dedication recital, played by University
Organist Robert Parkins, took place on October 26, 1997.
The Brombaugh organ reproduces the characteristics of Italian organs
before the time of J. S. Bach - its approximately 960 pipes are modeled
after examples from 1480, 1551, and 1612. The organ has two manual
keyboards and a pedal keyboard. The sounds it produces are those of
the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods, suited to the works
of composers such as Frescobaldi or Pachelbel. The sound is sweeter
and milder than that of later organs, as is appropriate for the smaller
space of the Memorial Chapel. To fit in conveniently in the Memorial
Chapel, the organ is located in a "swallow's nest" loft, built by
Brombaugh to match the organ case, in Italian Renaissance style.
Perhaps the most significant feature of the Brombaugh organ is its
use of the historical "meantone" tuning system. In the modern "equal
temperament" tuning system, the octave is divided into 12 equal
half-steps, rather than being based on the natural scale. This allows
modern keyboard instruments to play in any key, but it means that
most intervals are not "pure," according to the natural scale. In
contrast, the meantone system uses pure tuning for major thirds. This
means that it favors certain intervals, chords, and keys, while
making others unusable. In the "good" keys, the contrast between
consonance and dissonance is enhanced. Early music that might seem
bland when played on modern instruments "springs to life," in the
words of University Organist Robert Parkins. Only a handful of modern
meantone organs exist in the United States, and its early Italian
design makes the Brombaugh even rarer.
Follow these links for more information about the Brombaugh organ:
Recordings of the Brombaugh organ
Specification and stoplist
Essay by builder John Brombaugh
Essay by University Organist Robert Parkins
Photos of Brombaugh organ construction
Dedication recital program and notes
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