Accordion as a portative organ?

[donn]

Something I posted here last year, in a very elementary vein along these lines: La Morisque

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It would be fabulous if you could arrange some early music! I would love to hear it, and make an attempt to play it

Sorry, La Morisque there was the limit of my ambitions. Tilman Susato, mid 16th century.

I might try playing a bit of the Pierre Phalèse branle that I arranged for marching band a long time ago, really just transposed a recorder arrangement with some minor adjustments. But I think it would be an example of the type thats really meant to have several voices, though, and suffers too much from reduction to melody + chords.

 

[QuaverRest]

Would it spoil this highbrow discussion of fine music if I were to say that I learned to play a raucous sea shanty earlier named 'Haul Away Joe'..?

 

[donn]

We've already touched on Morris, which should have let the air out of any pretension.

 

[Matt Butcher]

Go on then let's hear it!

 

[Sarah]

Cool organ sound

Accordionist Ben van den Berg (video)

 

[QuaverRest]

Cool organ sound

Accordionist Ben van den Berg (video)

That sounds wonderful! It sounds like Dowlands Now oh now (I needs must part)

*edit - In fact I believe it is! What a cool and crazy arrangement

 

[JohnDev]

When I was a classical guitar student at the conservatory I remember I was studying the Fantasia n.7 by John Dowland,
when my teacher put the sheets on the music stand I remember I started to sight reading it and he immediately told me:
Stop!You dont sight read this you must first sing every different voice to understand it
Well we did but I still wanted to hear the different voices together so I transcribed it for organ on Finale,

and hearing John Dowland on an organ was really a huge discovery for me as some voices had very long notes that were fading away on the guitar,
the organ made really clear all the contrapunctal intricacies and changed my interpretation of Dowland on the guitar.

So I think its really a good idea to transcribe it for accordion I bet Dowland will sound wonderful on it ,
unfortunately I think I will never have the ability to play it on the accordion as it would be also very difficult and Im a newbie,
but its a wonderful idea.

This is the fantasia,by the way:

 

[Anyanka]

Cool organ sound

Accordionist Ben van den Berg (video)

Oh, that is beautiful! And it does sound like organ. Thank you.

 

[Bill Palmer]

I don't know that I would consider the accordion a portative organ. It would be more like a "regal" or a "harmonium." Portative organs had flue pipes. Regals had reed pipes and harmoniums have reeds.

 

[QuaverRest]

I was unaware that regals and harmoniums used reed! I'll have a look on imslp.org and see if there are any scores available for them

Thanks!