Organ

The jeu de tierce is a combination of stops indicated in French organ music of the 17th and 18th centuries. It consists of the bourdon, flûte, nazard, quarte, tierce, and sometimes the larigot stops. This means that for any given note played on the keyboard, the organ sounds the following pitches: the note itself, the octave, the 12th, the 15th, the 17th, and sometimes the 19th. These notes reinforce the harmonic series, creating a solo combination usually played against an accompaniment of softer stops.

The plein jeu or "full registration" is a combination of stops indicated in French organ music of the 17th and 18th centuries. It consists of all principal stops at the 16-, 8-, 4-, and 2-foot pitch, as well as the mixture stops (upper harmonics), with the positif manual coupled to the grand orgue. This means that for any note pressed, the organ sounds the following pitches: one octave below the given note, the note itself, one octave above, two octaves above, and a combination of octaves and fifths above that. This combination was commonly used in the opening movements of hymn and mass settings.

The name B-A-C-H corresponds to the notes B-flat, A, C, B-natural. This motif appears in a number of works of J.S. Bach (1685-1750), most notably as the final fugue subject of the unfinished Contrapunctus 14 in The Art of Fugue. The motif was also used by Johann Christian Bach, as well as by later composers writing in homage to J.S. Bach, including Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Arvo Pärt, and in the 21st century by Pamela Decker. In this recording, the BACH motif is played twice--first by itself, then as the beginning of a fugue by Johann Christian Bach.

Sound of Cathedral of the Sacred Heart organist playing before Sunday mass. 

This excerpt was recorded on Halloween at midnight during a Halloween organ music concert in a large chapel. An organ creates its sound through transporting large amounts of air through large cylindrical metal tubes that can be over thirty feet tall. The history of the pipe organ has been traced as far back as third century BC. The instrument became a significant part of church music. During prayers, often the churchgoers would sing while being accompanied by the organ. Although the space in which the Organ Pump was recorded was a chapel, the purpose of the organ has transformed itself. In this setting a group of over one hundred college kids are lying down on the together laughing, listening, and loving the vibrations created by the spooky organ music on Halloween night. Although this was not a religious event, the music performed by the organist still acted as a medium in which the listeners could connect to each other and feel the same vibrations from the organ pipes at the same time. It is interesting how the same space and sounds can create a completely different experience for the audience depending on the attitude and positioning of the audience.