Organ-Stops and Their Artistic Registration

George Ashdown Audsley

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9780486317014
• Topic: Mezzi di comunicazione e arti performative
• Subtopic: Storia e critica della musica

This 1921 classic by a renowned organ builder provides organists and all those interested in the instrument with a guide to its numerous stops, among them bassoon, bass tuba, cymbal, double trumpet, oboe, piccolo, viola da gamba, and xylophone. The text supplies various names of each stop in different languages, traces their origins, and describes their construction, tonal characteristics, and value in artistic combination and registration. A fascinating book about the "Monarch of all Instruments" for students, teachers, and professional musicians. A "must-have" for the organist's library. Introduction by Rollin Smith. 5 plates of illustrations.

GLOSSARY OF ORGAN-STOPS

A

ACUTA.—VOX ACUTA (from Lat. acutus—sharp). Ger., AKUTA, SCHARF. Dtch., SCHERP.—A compound harmonic-corroborating stop, composed of three or more ranks of open metal labial pipes, preferably of small scales. All the ranks are high-pitched and voiced to yield bright and penetrating tones—hence the name of the stop. When in its best form it has a third-sounding rank which adds greatly to its acute tonality. As the pipes forming the stop are necessarily very small, the ranks will have to break three or four times in the manual compass of five octaves. The following are examples of the composition of stops of three and four ranks:—

ACUTA—III. RANKS.

ACUTA—IV. RANKS.

In compound stops of the CORNET class, in which third-sounding ranks are introduced, it is desirable to subdue such ranks so as to be less assertive than the octave- and fifth-sounding ranks; but the same practice should not be followed in voicing and regulating the ACUTA, because the sharpness given by the third-sounding rank is an important element in its characteristic tonality. The standard rule which dictates that all compound harmonic-corroborating stops must be gradually softened in tone as they rise in pitch has to be observed in the regulation of the ACUTA.

The ACUTA is only required in Concert-room Organs of the first magnitude, and even in them it has been seldom introduced. One of four ranks is in the Great of the Organ in the Cincinnati Music Hall; but in it there is no third-sounding rank.

COMBINATION AND REGISTRATION.—As the ACUTA, when properly made, is strictly a member of the fundamental unison harmonic structure based on the DIAPASON, 8 FT., it properly enters. into numerous combinations either directly with that stop in full harmonic sequence; or with it and other stops in varied registrations, its presence being desired on account of its special brightness and life-giving character. The ACUTA is specially valuable in registration with full-toned lingual stops such as are properly inserted in the First or Great Organ. With the TRUMPET alone or with the TRUMPET and CLARION it is valuable, imparting great brilliancy and a singular orchestral coloring to the brass-tones, by powerfully corroborating the higher harmonics present to some extent in the voices of the lingual stops.

ÆOLINE.—Lat., ÆOLINA. Ger., ÄOLINE. Fr.,ÉOLINE. Ital., EOLINA.—The name employed by different organ-builders to designate extremely soft-toned stops both lingual and labial. Seidel describes it as a lingual stop voiced in imitation of the Æolian Harp. He adds: “The bodies of the pipes are very small and of a narrow measure. . . . The stop cannot be used by itself, but only in combination with some soft 8 ft. covered or open stop of narrow measure, such as the GAMBA.” This definition is supported by Hamel, who remarks:

“C’est un jeu d’anches libres qui, ainsi que son nom l’indique, doit imiter le murmure de la harpe æolienne, et qui, par consequent, doit avoir une intonation extremement tendre et aérienne. Le corps des tuyaux qui sonnent quelquefois le seize pieds, sont tres-petits et d’un diapason tres-étroit. Oh trouve ce jeu disposé avec des huit pieds dans le nouvel orgue de Sainte-Marie à Wismar.”*

The ÆOLINE of the old builders was evidently a free-reed stop furnished with small resonators. Töpfer describes it as a free-reed stop of 16 ft. and 8 ft. pitch, either like the PHYSHARMONICA or furnished with small conical tubes or resonators. Walcker has placed on the Second Manual of his Organ in Riga Cathedral an ÆLODICON, 16 FT., a lingual stop of the ÆOLINE class; and on the Fourth Manual an ÆOLINE, 8 FT., a labial stop of tin, with the bass octave of wood, as in the Third Manual of his Organ in St. Petri-Kirche in Hamburg. Speaking of the ÆOLINE, Carl Locher, of Berne, remarks: “It is of a soft string-toned character, occurring in Germany and Switzerland on almost all large and small Organs as an 8-ft. solo stop. It. is considered the most delicate of all string-toned stops.”*

FORMATION.—The ÆOLINE, properly of eight feet pitch, in its most approved modern form may be classed in the SALICIONAL family, of which it forms the softest-toned member. If voiced to yield a more decided string-tone, it may be considered an ECHO VIOLA DA GAMBA. The stop is formed of small-scale cylindrical pipes, preferably of tin or Hoyt two-ply, hard-rolled, pipe-metal. The mouths, which are about one-fifth the circumference of the pipes, are cut low and sharp, furnished with ears, and voiced with either some form of frein harmonique or harmonic-bridge, and on a wind between 1½ inches and 2½ inches. The scale may vary according to the class of Organ in which the stop is placed, and its position in the Organ; but a suitable one, which may be accepted as normal, in the ratio of 1 : 2.519, gives the CC pipe a diameter of 2.51 inches; the C pipe a diameter of 1.54 iuches; and the middle c¹ pipe a diameter of 0.94 inches. Locher says: “The ÆOLINA was originally a metal stop throughout, but as the art of intonation in modern organ-building is capable of making the transition from metal to wood quite imperceptible, it is permissible to construct the lower notes of wood in this and other stops.” As before mentioned, Walcker, of Ludwigsburg, has used wood basses for this stop. A certain English organ-builder has used a bass octave of stopped wood pipes, and even gone farther by grooving the ÆOLINE to a soft covered stop. None of these money-saving devices should be followed.

COMBINATION AND REGISTRATION.—The extreme softness of the voice of the ÆOLINE renders its value in combination and registration, comparatively speaking, very limited; yet it has a delicate timbre-creating property which is worthy of the organist’s study. For instance, it combines well with such a stop as the FLAUTO D’ AMORE, 8 FT., creating a compound tone of peculiar charm. It also combines in an effective manner with the MELODIA, HARMONICA, and other flute-toned stops, provided they are not too loudly voiced to be tonally affected. In simple registration it will be found of value as a solo stop; its delicate singing string-tone rendering it very fascinating to the lover of refined organ music. The ÆOLINE is frequently drawn with the VOIX CÉLESTE.

ÆLODICON, Grk.—The name originally used to designate a keyboard, free-reed instrument and the precursor of the Harmonium. As an organ-stop it is a variant of the free-reed ÆOLINE. An example, under the name ALODICON, 16 FT., by Walcker, of Ludwigburg, occupies a place in the Second Manual Division of the Organ in the Cathedral of Riga, where it is a soft-toned lingual stop. As such its presence, in this age of noisy, high-pressure stops, would, indeed, be most welcome.

ÆQUALPRINZIPAL, Ger.—The term which has been used by German organ-builders to designate the principal manual unison stop. In early times of the art in Germany the simple term ÆQVXL or ÄQUAL was deemed sufficient. The term, signifying unison, was sometimes applied to other stops.

AMOROSA, Lat.—The name that has been used by Steinmeyer and other German organ-builders to designate a wood FLUTE, 8 FT., of small scale and soft and pleasing tone, resembling that of the FLAUTO D’ AMORE. The extended term VOX AMOROSA has occasionally been used.

ANGENEHMGEDECKT, Ger.—The term which has occasionally been used by German organ-builders, instead of the usual term LIEBLICHGEDECKT, to designate a small-scaled covered stop yielding a refined tone. It is formed from the word angenehm—pleasant.

ANTHROPOGLOSSA, Grk.—The name that has been given by old German organ-builders to the lingual stop yielding a tone somewhat resembling the human voice; now designated VOX HUMANA.

APFELREGAL, Ger.—Eng., APPLE-REGAL.—An obsolete lingual stop which must now be classed among the curiosities of German organ-building. The stop received its peculiar name from the shape of its resonators; which were formed of very short cylindrical portions surmounted by apple-shaped heads, perforated with numerous small holes for the emission of wind and sound—the latter necessarily muffled. Seidel tells us that the cylindrical portion of the largest resonator was only about 4 inches long. The stop was also called KNOPFREGAL; and was made of both 8 ft. and 4 ft. tone. See REGAL.

ASSAT.—The term occasionally met with in the stop-lists of old Organs. It is obviously a corruption of the proper term NASAT.

* “Manuel Complet du Facteur d’Orgues.”

* “Aeoline 16′ und 8′, em zartes Rohrwerk von schönwirkendem, sanftem, säuselndem Tone, mit freischwingenden Zungen und Kurzem Schalltrichter.” “Die Orgel,” F. Zimmer.

B

BAJONCILLO, Span.—Port., BAIXONILHO.—A lingual stop found in Spanish and Portuguese Organs; the tones of which resemble those of the orchestral Bassoon, which, however, they do not imitate very closely. The stop is of 8 ft. pitch. BAJON or BAIXO being the stop of 16 ft. pitch.

BARDUEN.—The name used by Prætorius to designate a covered stop in all essentials similar to that now known as the BOURDON. He gives the stop as of 8 ft. pitch.

BARDONE, Ital.—The term that has occasionally been employed to designate the stop commonly known as the BOURDON. There was an old bass stringed instrument called Viola di Bardone, which may have suggested the term. It is now rendered, more in k...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Introduction to the Dover Edition
• Foreword
• Plates
• Organ-Stops
• Glossary of Organ-Stops