Monday, July 20, 2015

Hear the American Flag Sound Sculpture.


This 11:26 minute video features three ranks of glass pipe organ pipes, all designed and built by Xaver Wilhelmy.  These three ranks of pipes, along with many individual glass pipes made by Xaver Wilhelmy are the only completely glass pipe organ pipes that exist in the world.  This video demonstration takes place in a private home in the fall of 2011.  The American Flag Sound Sculpture is located to the left of the musician and pipe organ, and the Wilhelmy 8' Trumpet stop and the Wilhelmy 4' Clarion stop are shown to her right.   

As you watch, you'll see a title screen before each song that lists the stops used in that song.  You'll see the musician playing the keyboard to her left, this is the controller for the American Flag Sound Sculpture.  These bass pipes have a rich bass sound, and were voiced by Wilhelmy to sound much like the "Prinzipal" stop on a pipe organ.  In this case, the air pressure was lowered to 55mm, and they sound more like a rich cello stop.

The Wilhelmy 8' Trumpet and the Wilhelmy 4' Clarion were built into the wall to the right of the musician.  The copper support beams are meant to echo the design of the existing pipe organ case.  These pipes have a conical shape and were made with baroque Spectrum art glass.  These two ranks of glass pipes are not made with the same techniques as the American Flag Sound Sculpture, rather, Wilhelmy created them using hot glass techniques.  There are more Wilhelmy innovations in the wind chest that support these pipes, and they are too numerous to mention.