The Art of Organ Building, Vol. 1

George Ashdown Audsley

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9780486316987
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music Theory & Appreciation

Volume 1 of the fullest repository on organ building and history in English language. Includes outline of organ history, external design and decoration, internal arrangement and mechanical systems, acoustics and theories of sound-production in organ pipes, tonal structure and appointment, compound stops of the organ, more. Complete with illustrations, tables, and specifications. "the most significant republication in our field for the past twenty years... an incomparable, invaluable book." — American Guild of Organists Quarterly.

CHAPTER XIII.

NAMES AND GENERAL PARTICULARS OF ORGAN
STOPS—ANCIENT AND MODERN.

N this Chapter an attempt is made to give the names and leading characteristics or peculiarities of all the more important speaking stops that have been introduced in the Organ, since the fifteenth century, in the different organ-building countries of the world; and which have existed or still exist in European and American instruments. The observations on each stop are necessarily brief; but this is a matter of no great moment, seeing that all the important speaking stops introduced in the modern Organ are more or less fully described elsewhere in this treatise. Special attention is paid to the correct orthography of each term, according to the language or languages in which it properly appears; and any modifications or corruptions are pointed out, so that, being undesirable, they may be avoided in modern stop nomenclature. This is a matter of considerable importance, for at present there is a lack of uniformity and accuracy in the nomenclature of organ stops, probably springing more from carelessness than positive ignorance. It is now most desirable that this irregularity should cease; and we have written the present Chapter, in the form of a Glossary for easy reference, in the hopes of establishing an orthographic standard which will be adopted by English and American organ builders and experts.

ACUTA or VOX ACUTA (from Lat. acutus—sharp).—A compound, labial, harmonic-corroborating stop, formed of three, four, or more ranks of metal pipes, having a keen, bright quality of tone. When correctly composed it has a third-sounding rank. Accordingly, it commences in a three-rank stop with c²—e³—g²; in a four-rank stop with c²—e²—g²—c³, or with c³—e³—g³—c⁴; and in a five-rank stop with g²—c³—e³—g³—c⁴. As the several ranks are required to be acute or high in pitch, the stop will have to break three or four times in the manual compass of five octaves. The ACUTA is sometimes composed of octave-and fifth-sounding ranks only, as in the example in the Organ of the Music Hall, Cincinnati; but this composition is not to be recommended. The ACUTA strictly belongs to the Great Organ, where it should appear with other compound stops of graver pitch. It appears in numerous German Organs labeled SCHARF and sometimes AKUTA, and in Dutch instruments it is commonly designated SCHERP.

ÆOLINE.—This name has been employed to designate extremely soft-toned stops of both, lingual and labial forms. Seidel describes it as a reed stop voiced in imitation of the Æolian Harp, and this definition is supported by Hamel.* Locher says: “This stop is sometimes met with as an 8 ft. or 16 ft. reed, either like the PHYSHARMONICA, or with a small bell.” Allihn also describes it as a delicate free reed stop. In its more modern form it is a labial stop of extremely small scale, producing the softest string-tone in the Organ. Locher, describing the labial ÆOLINE or ÆOLINA, says: “It is of a soft string-toned character, and is found in almost all recently built German and Swiss Organs as an 8 ft. solo stop.” The true ÆOLINE is to be found in numerous Organs by American builders. It is properly formed of tin; the pipes being of a very small scale, slotted, and having mouths furnished with small curved beards which aid the production of the delicate string-tone. When skilfully voiced it is an extremely beautiful stop, peculiarly adapted for Chamber Organs. The corresponding names for this stop in other languages are:—Lat., ÆOLINA. Ger., ÄOLINE. Fr., ÉOLINE. Ital., EOLINA.

ÆOLODICON, Grk.—The name originally given to a keyboard instrument and the precursor of the Harmonium, and subsequently used by Walcker to designate a soft-toned reed stop of 16 ft. pitch, placed in the Second Manual division of the Grand Organ in the Cathedral of Riga.

ÄQUALPRINCIPAL, Ger.—The term which has occasionally been used by German builders to designate the principal manual unison stop—the PRINCIPAL, 8 FT. In early times of the art the simple term ÄQUAL was deemed sufficient. The term has been applied to other stops to denote their unison pitch.

AMOROSA, Lat.—The name sometimes used by Steinmeyer and other builders to designate a small-scaled wood FLUTE, of 8 ft. pitch, resembling the FLAUTO D’AMORE. The extended term Vox AMOROSA has occasionally been used.

ANGENEHMGEDECKT, Ger.—The term that has occasionally been substituted for LIEBLICHGEDECICT by German organ builders. It is formed from the word angenehm—pleasant.

ANTHROPOGLOSSA, Grk.—The term that has been sometimes used by the old German organ builders to designate the stop now known as the Vox HUMANA.

APFELREGAL, Ger. Eng., APPLE-REGAL.—An obsolete reed stop which derived its peculiar name from the shape of its resonant tubes; which were formed of short cylindrical portions surmounted by apple-shaped heads, perforated with numerous small holes for the emission of the wind and sound. Hamel tells us that the cylindrical body of the largest pipe was only four inches long. The APFEL-REGAL must be classed among the curiosities of German organ-building.

BARDONE, Ital.—The name that has occasionally been employed to designate the stop commonly known as the BOURDON. The more correct Italian rendering is BORDONE. There was an old bass instrument called Viola di Bardone.

BAREM, Ger,—According to Hamel, this name was given to a covered stop of 8 ft. and 16 ft. pitch, voiced to yield a soft tone. The term is from the old German word baren—to sing. This stop appears to have been identical with that now known as the STILLGEDECKT.

BÄRPFEIFE, Ger. Dtch., BAARPIJP.—An old lingual stop, having pipes of a very peculiar shape, resembling two cones joined together at their bases, and both truncated. The illustration given by Seidel shows these two cones surmounted by a third truncated cone, forming a small bell to the pipe. The tone is described by Wolfram as of “a soft growling character,” hence the name of the stop. The BAARPIJP is to be found, of 8 ft. pitch, in the Echo division of the celebrated old Organ in the Cathedral of St. Bavon, at Haarlem, and in certain other old Organs in Holland.

BARYTONE (Grk.

—deep-toned). Ital., BARITONO.—The name given by certain builders to a reed stop, of 8 ft. pitch, producing a singularly rich and full tone on moderate wind pressure. Under the name BARITONE, a stop of this class exists in the Solo division of the Organ, by Roosevelt, in the Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City, Long Island, U. S. A.

BASSET-HORN. Fr., COR DE BASSET. Ger., BASSETTHORN. Ital., CORNO DI BASSETTO.—A stop voiced to yield a tone resembling that of the orchestral instrument of the same name. In its proper and imitative form it is a reed stop of 8 ft. pitch. See CORNO DI BASSETTO.

BASS FLUTE. Ger., BASSFLÖTE.—An open labial stop, of 8 ft. pitch, constructed of either wood or metal, and yielding a pronounced flute-tone. This stop properly belongs to the Pedal Organ. It is frequently borrowed from the OPEN DIAPASON, 16 FT., by means of an Octave coupler.

BASSONELL.—Described by Wolfram as a lingual stop, of 8 ft. or 4 ft. pitch, made of tin or metal. It was probably of a soft Bassoon quality. The name appears to be obsolete. This is probably the stop described by Hamel under the Italian name BASSANELLO.*

BASSOON. Er., BASSON. Ger., FAGOTT. Ital., FAGOTTO.—A small-scaled reed stop voiced to imitate the tone of the orchestral instrument bearing the same name. As a manual stop, of 8 ft. pitch, it is sometimes, and correctly, associated with the HAUTBOY or OBOE, being labeled HAUTBOY & BASSOON or OBOE & FAGOTTO, 8 FT. The orchestral Bassoon furnishes the true bass to the Hautboy. As a stop of 16 ft. pitch, the BASSOON frequently appears in the Pedal Organ, and sometimes in a manual division. When of this grave pitch it is more correctly called DOUBLE BASSOON or CONTRAFAGOTTO. A BASSON, 16 FT., appears in the pedal department of the Grand Organ in the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris; and a CONTRAFAGOTTO, 16 FT., is placed in both the Pedal and Solo Organs of the instrument in St; George’s Hall, Liverpool

The tubes of the BASSOON, when in its best form as a striking reed, are of inverted conical form, small-scaled, and made of either metal or wood. Continental organ builders have made the BASSOON with free reeds, having comparatively short tubes formed of two cones, joined at their bases, the upper one of which is truncated so as to leave a small opening for the emission of the sound. Seidel, however, gives an illustration of a BASSOON pipe having a slender cylindrical tube similar to that which is now used for the CLARINET pipe. See ORCHESTRAL BASSOON. This stop appears in Spanish Organs under the name BAJON.

BASSPOSAUNE, Ger. Eng., BASS TROMBONE.—The Pedal Organ reed stop, of 32 ft. pitch, in all respects similar to the CONTRAPOSAUNE, an example of which appears in the pedal department of the large Organ in Christ Church, at Hirschberg. Stops of the same class and pitc...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• The Art of Organ-Building
• Contents
• The Organ
• I. The Organ Historically Considered.
• II. The Position of the Organ.
• III. External Design of the Organ.
• IV. Decoration of the Organ.
• V. The Church Organ.
• VI. The Concert-Room Organ.
• VII. The Chamber Organ.
• VIII. Internal Arrangement of the Organ.
• IX. Acoustical Matters Connected with Organ Pipes.
• X. The Tonal Structure of the Organ.
• XI. The Compound Stops of the Organ.
• XII. The Tonal Appointment of the Organ.
• XIII. Names and General Particulars of Organ Stops—Ancient and Modern.
• XIV. Suggestions for the Introduction of a Systematic Organ Stop Nomenclature.
• Back Cover