There is a sense of extraordinary excitement when we secure a customer who wants to commission a totally bespoke instrument for their church, home or concert hall. While many customers might want to have an individual stop list set within a standard console which we can easily arrange those wishing to design the complete console are rather rare.
The Keyboard is of great importance in a digital organ
While a pipe organ builder has scope to leave their mark on the complete instrument from a dramatic pipe façade to beautifully engineered mechanical workings and of course the console, a digital organ builder really only has the console to work with. It is after all rather difficult to get excited about loud speaker design that for the most part no one will ever see.
So we take our pride in producing the most beautiful and comfortable and ergonomically set out work place for our musician customer. Often given scant attention and ironically of great importance are the keyboards. The bridge through which musician turns movement into musical form through ‘articulation’ that is crucial to musical performance. How often have we visited a pipe organ only to find playing it a nightmare as the keyboards just do not easily allow the degree of control required.
With choice of keyboard material and action also come colour and design options that extend into the key cheeks and allow the first view of an instrument to really make a statement. Just as sitting in a luxury car the shine of the veneer and quality of the instruments send us a message so can an organ console lift our spirits or all too often deliver the reverse emotional reaction.
Many options for Console design and Voicing of the Organ
Regent Classic instrument can include all the features that you might ever have considered you wanted. Richly polished solid wood draw stop heads with lovely engraved scripts or perhaps something less traditional in a polished metal head. Rocker tabs made to echo the historic designs of the past used by Skinner and Willis offer a reassuringly traditional appearance.
None of this however is of much value unless the sound generation and installation were also not exceptional. Regent Classics also offers sound of the very best authentic quality and unmatched post installation voicing flexibility. Judge for yourself on the recording below.
What ever you can dream up the Regent Classic team are there to guide and advise clients on what will combine to make a good choice into a spectacular one and so deliver an instrument of exceptional quality that will be a lasting investment. The photographs you see in this article show a small range of what past clients chose and we can hardly wait for the next commission when the opportunity to create another really great instrument arises.
I have had a passion for church organs since the tender age of 12. I own and run Regent Classic Organs with a close attention to the detail that musicians appreciate; and a clear understanding of the benefits of digital technology and keeping to the traditional and emotional elements of organ playing.
