Adding to what you have already read here, I add a comment concerning landscape orientation over portrait. Organ music desks are often placed at eye level due to the number of manuals and controls that are usually above them and below the desk. If the music is portrait then the top of the page can be quite high. This can cause some issues in refocusing from page to manuals and back especially if you must look at the pedal clavier.
When I play the Toccatta from Widor's Symphony No. 5 I use a HUGE sheet with all the pages glued together and greatly reduced in size. No allowance was made in the engraving, nor is one possible, for page turns or registration changes. Your hands are always on the manuals moving at great speed. Even finding a spot to push a thumb piston is a challenge. When I change manuals I am always a bit apprehensive about finding my place when I go back to the page so I try to not take my eyes away from the music. At the recapitulation I am similarly stressed when I must find a toe stud to beef up the pedal. These are things about which the listener has no idea! Guy Hayden -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of timothy key price Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2010 9:53 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Finale] Organ music page size As organist often have to play anything that they are given, the music stand is often filled with books, loose sheets, and all of various sizes. We manage just fine. Personally, legal or not, I will copy as many pieces as I can into an 8 1/2 x 11 format and put them in plastic sheets in a notebook which I then attach on each page sticky notes with the registrations for whichever instrument I am currently playing. It works fine for me. As for published music, most of what I buy is in 9" x 12" page size, either in portrait or landscape position. The latest piece I just got is the collection of Mendelssohn's organ works, and is 12" wide by 9" hight, spiral bound. Much classical work seems to be in this format. This is great and if you use this it will be perfectly fine. Individual pieces or collections of organ music are usually in vertical layout. Finally, 8 1/2 x 11 in either horizontal or vertical format would be fine as well, if it keeps it simple for you. best wishes, tim On May 12, 2010, at 10:11 PM, Ryan Beard wrote: > Is it still common practice to use oblong pages for organ music? > I'm guessing that the size is dictated by the "stand" that's often > built into organs. What would be the largest size page you organ- > playing listers would use? > Should the *music* size (staff size) be larger than standard > instrumental parts since the organists music may be further away > depending on the size of the console? I typically print instrumental > parts at 85%-90%. > I solved my previous organ problem (dynamic placement) thanks to the > users on this list and a local organist. I'll ask the local guy the > above question as well, but I'm hoping the collective experience of > users on this list will give me a wide range of situations to take > into account. Thanks. _______________________________________________ > Finale mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale timothy key price [email protected] _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
