Organ music, your system, and an old German
After reconstituting my audio system after a move, the next step was pulling the discs out of the 40 book and record boxes in the garage I'd been dragging about for some time. Then you put them in the house, and you wonder, what have done? Is this better than my old abandoned system? Was the money spent and all that effort worth it? The answer, for me, came tonight. I won't tell you what my setup consists of, it's irrelevant to most of you, I'm sure, although we all need to talk about our equipment (me too). Bottom line: I pulled out a long-unplayed set of Erato recordings of Marie Claire Alain playing Bach organ music. I ran it through the Degritter (probably not necessary, but it's been decades). Years ago I'd accompany my sister at night to a church in Houston (for protection) while she practiced during her masters program at Rice for her organ recitals. I knew what an organ sounds like. I'd spent years attending Houston and St. Louis Symphony concerts, but I can tell you, there is NOTHING like the sound of a massive church organ. I know what that's like, and like it or not, that is the ultimate sonic experience that we have at hand. Bass freaks beware. What I'm saying is that, within minutes, maybe less, I knew I'd assembled a great system. At least for my purposes. As far as all the talk about the "absolute sound" goes, this is as close as most of us can get. Other venues are so dependent on the material, or the acoustics. Most of us, regretfully, are listening to over-compressed pop stuff that we can only wish would be better. You put a well-recorded organ disc on there and all bets are off. It's not an easy thing to do. I say, if you're able, to hear a good organ (not just any one) and then go home and play something. It's a test of all the frequencies. One other thing: this Bach guy, a little German man working basically in obscure servitude as a church musician, generated an astonishing volume of mind-blowing music for which he'd never be compensated, maybe outside of God's grace. Most of his organ stuff we're gifted with is secular (although not in his mind). Why did he even do that? The only reason is because he HAD to. It has to make you stop and think. Where would that fit into our present culture? Never mind that it's all obvious genius. I suggest you consider listening to a good organ and then try playing this stuff, if in fact you are serious about your audio beyond your equipment (always a debate here). As you might perceive, I'm blown away.
