Bach on Hammond B-3?

[Karen McDonald]

Would it be possible to perform all of J.S. Bach's organ works on a
Hammond B-3 organ with the standard 25-note pedalboard?

In fact - how many pedal notes did Bach have in his day?

TIA for any info.

Karen

[d***@aol.com]

The number of notes on pedalboards varied in Bach's day...I don't have
statistics in front of me. But to answer your original question: no,
25 notes is not enough for several of Bach's works, which at times go
up to "D." And the Toccata in F has a high "F," which was not very
common in Bach's time. I think that this compass did exist on an organ
at Cothen, where Bach was employed for a time (as Kappellmeister?).
Sorry not to have more specific information right at the moment. I do
remember, in my childhood, actually playing the Toccata in F on a
25-pedal Hammond! In the passage with the high "F," I switched to the
manual, with a registration matching the pedal registration as closely
as possible; the other high-lying pedal passages I transposed down an
octave!!

David

[Passacaglia88]

Yes, you're right David. Many organ pieces of Bach need a high F and E
and D.
There is a Hungarian website with relevant informations about the
organs of Bach, here is the link:
http://free.x3.hu/bach/
You should click on the fourth point, "Bach orgonái".

Post by d***@aol.com
The number of notes on pedalboards varied in Bach's day...I don't have
statistics in front of me. But to answer your original question: no,
25 notes is not enough for several of Bach's works, which at times go
up to "D." And the Toccata in F has a high "F," which was not very
common in Bach's time. I think that this compass did exist on an organ
at Cothen, where Bach was employed for a time (as Kappellmeister?).
Sorry not to have more specific information right at the moment. I do
remember, in my childhood, actually playing the Toccata in F on a
25-pedal Hammond! In the passage with the high "F," I switched to the
manual, with a registration matching the pedal registration as closely
as possible; the other high-lying pedal passages I transposed down an
octave!!
David