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 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 MEREDITH WILLSON LIBRARY 
 STANLEY RING COLLECTION 
 
 MUSTQ 
 LIBRARY
 
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 AN EXPLANATION OF THE 
 
 OEGAN STOPS
 
 AN EXPLANATION OF THE 
 
 ORGAN STOPS 
 
 WITH HINTS FO:i 
 
 EFFEC TlYE COMBINATIONS 
 
 CAPL LOCHER 
 
 CllIKl- ORGANIST AT THE CATHOLIC CHLIICH AT liKKNK 
 
 TnAs.<LATi:i> WITH Tin: Af'T/fo/rs i-j:!;mi.<>i<>x 
 
 AG NE S SCIIAUEXBURG 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 T. OX DON 
 KKCAN i'.\ri., 'liiKNCii A (!>.. I, I".\'ii;i;N()>tki; siti \i;i: 
 
 V
 
 [The rights of translation and of reproduction arc reserved.)
 
 Music 
 Library 
 
 Ml 
 
 irSeb 
 
 DEDICATED BY THE AlJTllUll 
 PROFESSOR l)K. H. VON HKl.MllOLTZ, 
 
 1 ;;ivv-corNiii.LOK at i;i;iii.iN. 
 
 1496823
 
 PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION. 
 
 My paper on Organ Stops, originally \yritten for a course 
 of lectures to organists, was published by the desire of 
 a committee of teachers. In altering and enlarging the 
 original work for the press, I was struck by the number 
 and excellence of literary works on the organ, its construc- 
 tion, preservation, and pitch. It is evident, however, that 
 in these only a limited space could be devoted to the 
 Di'gan stops. During a i)ractice of twenty-five } ears, intcr- 
 sper.sed with numerous concert-tours, and occasional calls 
 upon me as an expert, I have made organ stops, their 
 ])eculiarity and acoustic effects, my special study. 
 
 In woiking up this material, extending as it does over 
 divers provinces of musical science, I secured the welcome 
 co-operation of several highly experienced colleagues. 
 
 Befoi-e all others, I offer to Prof ])r. A. Forster, of 
 Berne, my warmest thanks for his kindness in stimulating 
 and facilitating my studies by the loan (^f books on physical 
 acoustics, and by highly intci'esting exi)erimfnts. I also 
 wish to oiler my best thanks to the oi'gan-buildcrs who 
 have thoroughly revised that poition of my work ticating 
 <>n the technicalities (jf organ-bnilding. 
 
 The kind acc<[>tance (;f the dedication of the ibllowing 
 technical \\(>rk by the Lrreat author of IIkj " Sen>ations
 
 viii Preface. 
 
 of Tone," Prof. Dr. von Helmholtz, was specially encouraging 
 to nie. 
 
 I venture to hope that this modest work may tind 
 favour with all friends of the organ, even in its new 
 English shape, and that it may serve to increase their 
 number, ami their interest in this the grandest of all 
 instruments. 
 
 (J. L. 
 
 BkRNE, S\V1TZKRI..\XL), 
 
 April, 188S.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 TAGE 
 
 Acoustic Tones 
 
 1 
 
 Cor Anglais . 
 
 . 10 
 
 Acuta 
 
 1 
 
 Cormorne . 
 
 10 
 
 Molina .... 
 
 1 
 
 Cornet .... 
 
 . 10 
 
 Amoroso 
 
 2 
 
 Corno 
 
 11 
 
 Arrangement . 
 
 2 
 
 Corno di Ba.ssctto . 
 
 . 11 
 
 
 
 Cornopean . 
 
 11 
 
 Baritone 
 
 1 
 
 Couplers 
 
 . 11 
 
 Bassethorn 
 
 2 
 
 Coupling 
 
 12 
 
 Bass Flute . 
 
 2 
 
 Crescendo 
 
 . 12 
 
 Basson .... 
 
 2 
 
 Cj'mbal . . . . 
 
 13 
 
 Bassoon 
 
 H 
 
 
 
 Bells .... 
 
 :! 
 
 Diapason . . . . 
 
 14 
 
 Bifara 
 
 3 
 
 Differential Tones 
 
 . 14 
 
 Blower's Signal 
 
 8 
 
 Dolce . . . . 
 
 14 
 
 Bombard . 
 
 .s 
 
 Double Bass . 
 
 . 1.5 
 
 Bordun .... 
 
 1 
 
 Double Flute 
 
 15 
 
 Bourdon 
 
 4 
 
 Double-stopped Ba.-^s 
 
 . IG 
 
 Bourdonecbo . 
 
 4 
 
 Doublettc . . . . 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 Dulcet .... 
 
 . 10 
 
 Carillon 
 
 .5 
 
 Dulcian . . . . 
 
 10 
 
 Celestina 
 
 f) 
 
 
 
 Clialuiiicau 
 
 r. 
 
 Eclio .... 
 
 10 
 
 Clairon .... 
 
 f) 
 
 Kclio Organ 
 
 17 
 
 Claribclla . 
 
 .) 
 
 Fleet ro-pii' 11 ni.'i tic Aetiou 
 
 17 
 
 Clarionet 
 
 ;) 
 
 Fn^di.-li Horn 
 
 1!) 
 
 Clavfeolitia . 
 
 *; 
 
 iMpial TeniperiniK lit 
 
 10 
 
 Conihiriatidns of Stops 
 
 (5 
 
 Fupiioniuni 
 
 10 
 
 Combination Str>|i.s 
 
 !) 
 
 Fvaeuant 
 
 . 10 
 
 Composition Coupler 
 
 !' 1 
 
 
 
 ComiiosifidU Stops 
 
 10 
 
 Fi>tula . . . . 
 
 10 
 
 ConiiioBition Swell Pedal . 
 
 . 10 
 
 Fhiehn;,ic 
 
 . -20 
 
 Concert Flute 
 
 10 
 
 Fbig.olet . . . . 
 
 20 
 
 Contra-l'as.s . 
 
 10 ' 
 
 l''l;iutiiio 
 
 . 'JO 
 
 Coiitra-I>ourdf)u . 
 
 10 1 
 
 Flauto ..\in;ibile . 
 
 'JO 
 
 Contra-'rioiiilione 
 
 10 
 
 Fl.nito Dnice . 
 
 . 'JO 
 
 Coutra-Violdii 
 
 10 
 
 Fia.ilo Miij'.r 
 
 Jl
 
 Contents. 
 
 Fliiuto riocolo 
 Flautn Traverse . 
 Flue Stops 
 Flute 
 
 Flute !i clicniinei' 
 Fluto Bass . 
 Flute d'Amour 
 Flute Douce 
 Flute Harnioni(|ne 
 F-lute Octaviante. 
 Flute Principal 
 Freiu Harmon i que 
 Fug:ara . 
 Furniture . 
 
 Gamba . 
 Oetlackt . 
 Geijjenprincipal 
 Genishorn . 
 Gemsliornquint 
 Grand Bounlon . 
 Great Organ . 
 
 Harmonia ^Etlieria 
 Harmonica 
 Harmonica Bass . 
 Harmnuiea Flute 
 Harmonic Flute . 
 Harmonic Trumpet 
 Harmonics . 
 Harmonium . 
 Hautbois 
 
 Ho!,m;;te 
 
 Horn . 
 
 Intonation 
 
 .Teux do Fond.s . 
 .Tubal Flute . 
 
 Kcraulophon 
 Kruminhorn 
 
 I-arifrot 
 Lieblicli-Ge(]a''l\t 
 
 Material for Pi]>es 
 Mfa.-ureinf-nt . 
 Melndia 
 
 21 
 
 Metal 
 
 Ar,K 
 
 38 
 
 21 
 
 Mixture .... 
 
 38 
 
 '21 
 
 Montre ..... 
 
 40 
 
 '25 
 
 Musette .... 
 
 40 
 
 2(5 
 
 
 
 2G 
 
 Nassat ..... 
 
 41 
 
 20 
 
 Ni<,'ht Horn 
 
 41 
 
 2(; 
 
 
 
 2G 
 
 Oboe 
 
 41 
 
 26 
 
 Octave .... 
 
 42 
 
 2G 
 
 Octave Bass .... 
 
 45 
 
 2G 
 
 Octave Couplers . 
 
 45 
 
 2G 
 
 27 
 
 Ophicleido .... 
 
 45 
 
 27 
 
 2!) 
 
 :ii 
 
 31 
 31 
 31 
 
 Pasteboard .... 
 
 46 
 
 Pedal Swell .... 
 
 4G 
 
 Physliarmonica . 
 
 46 
 
 Piccolo ..... 
 
 46 
 
 Piflfaro .... 
 
 46 
 
 Pneumatic Action . 
 
 46 
 
 Pneumatic Combination Pistons 
 
 47 
 
 Portunal Flute 
 
 47 
 
 32 
 
 Principal . 
 
 47 
 
 
 Probe Tin .... 
 
 49 
 
 32 
 
 
 
 32 
 33 
 33 
 
 Progressio .... 
 
 49 
 
 Progressio Harmonica 
 
 4!) 
 
 Prolongoment 
 
 49 
 
 31 
 
 
 
 34 
 
 Quint ..... 
 
 50 
 
 34 
 
 Quintaten .... 
 
 51 
 
 34 
 
 
 
 :!4 
 
 Eauschquint .... 
 
 52 
 
 35 
 
 Reed Stops 
 
 .I 2 
 
 
 Regals ..... 
 
 Gl 
 
 35 
 
 Ilohrflote .... 
 
 G! 
 
 36 
 
 Salicet 
 
 G2 
 
 3G 
 
 Salicional . ... 
 Sauftflote .... 
 
 g:'i 
 
 37 
 
 Scbalniei .... 
 
 <;;', 
 
 37 
 
 Septime ..... 
 Serpent .... 
 
 g;! 
 
 37 
 
 Sesqulaltcra .... 
 
 (;3 
 
 37 
 
 Sharp .... 
 
 Gl 
 
 
 Shnt-otr Valve 
 
 Gt 
 
 37 
 
 Sifflote .... 
 
 Gl 
 
 ;<7 
 
 Spitzfli;te . . , . 
 
 Gl 
 
 3S 
 
 Stentoipjifin 
 
 (;5
 
 Contents. 
 
 XI 
 
 Stop Manuals 
 
 Stopped Diapason 
 
 Suabile . 
 
 Suavial 
 
 Sub-Bass 
 
 Swell 
 
 Swiss Flute . 
 
 Temperameut 
 
 Terpodiou 
 
 Tierce 
 
 Tone Colour . 
 
 Tremulant . 
 
 Tromba . 
 
 Trombone . 
 
 Trumpet 
 
 Tuba . 
 
 Tuba Mirabilis 
 
 AGK 
 
 
 65 
 
 Uuda Claris . 
 
 65 
 
 
 65 
 
 Vibrations . 
 
 65 
 
 Viola . 
 
 65 
 
 Violin Diapasoi 
 
 66 
 
 Violino . 
 
 m 
 
 Violon 
 
 
 Violone . 
 
 67 
 
 Violon Bass 
 
 67 
 
 Violoncello 
 
 67 
 
 Voix Celeste 
 
 67 
 
 Vox Angelica . 
 
 69 
 
 Vox Humana 
 
 70 
 
 
 70 
 
 WaldflGte 
 
 70 
 
 Wicuerliote 
 
 72 
 
 
 72 
 
 Zartlloto 
 
 7:^ 
 
 . 7:S 
 
 7;^ 
 
 . 73 
 
 7.) 
 
 . 74 
 
 74 
 
 . 74 
 
 74 
 
 75 
 
 75 
 
 76 
 
 76 
 
 77
 
 A. 
 
 Acoustic Tones. See Quint. 
 
 Acuta. See Sharp. 
 
 .ffiolina derives its name from the /Eolian harp. (A 
 charming description * of this ancient instrument is to be 
 found in Radaus' " Lehre vom SchalL") It is of soft string- 
 toned character, occurring in Germany and Switzerland on 
 ahnost all large and small new organs as an 8-ft. solo stop. 
 It is considered to be the most delicate of all stringed stoi)S. 
 The yEolina was originally a metal stop, but as the art of 
 intonation in modern organ-building is capable of making 
 the transition from wood to metal (piite imperceptible, it is 
 permissible to construct the lower notes of wood in this and 
 some other stops. This stop is sometimes met with as an 
 <S-ft. or IG-ft. reed (see To[)fei', " Oigclbaukunst," vol. i. 
 180), either like the Pliysharm<jnica, or with a small Ix'll. 
 Walcker, for instance, lias j)laced on his mnv cathedral 
 organ at Riga a IG-ft. yElodicon (nearly i-elated to the 
 
 * To (ibtain musical (fTccts from tho strinj^s of an .Koliaii harp, yoii cxpo.-o 
 tliom to purrcnt.s of air. 'I'liis iirimitisc iiittrmiifiit, is made liy f^Iiicin^' a (liin 
 sr)iiii(liii;^-l)oanl to an ohloiii^' \voo<icii fraiuc. From ssix to tni cat^^iit .jtriiiLrs, 
 luiicil in nnison, arc tlicn .stri'trJKd ovir two liriii'^is (ixcil on thr slhiil mils 
 of tlif; frame. I'lacnl in an o|)' n wimlow or in an ajicrture of a tower, 
 olilii|Uily to tlie current ol' air, tliO W'in'I- or ..Iv'lian liarj) will irive out the 
 most 1" autiful harmonion.s sounds. 
 
 B
 
 2 ^In Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 Molina), as a reed on the second manual, and the above 
 described 8-ft. -Molina as a flue on the fourth manual. 
 T. F. Witte, of Utrecht, has also arranged a very successful 
 IG-ft. /Eolina as reed stop on the third manual of the new 
 organ at the Hague, Holland. yEolina combines well with 
 Yoix Celeste (q.v.), which is tuned slightly sharper, as well 
 as with Wienerflote and Lieblich-Gedackt. This latter 
 combination may be improved by introducing the brighter 
 character of the Flauto Traverso or Flute d'Amour. (See 
 Combinations of Stops.) For the physical generation of 
 tone in flues, see Flue Stops. 
 
 Amoroso. See Flute d'Amour. 
 
 Arrangement, or Disposition, from the Latin dlsponere, 
 to dispose, implying arrangement (also proper subdivision), 
 is briefly the plan and arrangement of the whole plant of 
 an organ, according to its size, power, disposition of stops, 
 and material. The whole success of this work of art 
 depends upon the carefully considered "arrangement," 
 which should be in accordance with all the rules of acoustics, 
 and adapted to the proportions of the building destined to 
 receive the organ. 
 
 B. 
 
 Baritone. See Tuba Mirabilis. 
 
 Bassethorn. See Serpent. 
 
 Pass Flute, or Flute Bass. See Flute. 
 
 Basson is more particularly a French striking reed, with 
 so-called anches a larmes, similar in intonation to a soft 
 trumpet. It occurs as a 16-ft. stop on the first manual 
 of Walcker's organ at Glarus. According to Faisst, Basson
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 3 
 
 coincides with the French name for the Bassoon, both as 
 orchestral instrument and as organ stop. 
 
 Bassoon is a small scale stop, usually constructed as 
 a free reed, which occurs, if of 16-ft. tone, on the manuals 
 as well as on the pedals (frequently labelled Double 
 Bassoon). If of S-ft. tone, this stop occurs only in the two 
 lower octaves, Clarionet and Oboe succeeding it in the 
 higher octaves. (See also Dulcian.) 
 
 Bells. See Carillon. 
 
 Bifara, Tibia bifaris. See Double Flute. 
 
 Blower's Signal. A draw stop applied to many organs, 
 serving? to call the blower's attention to the bellows. I mav 
 liere mention that I have now and then seen people 
 engaged as blowers, who, l)eing the reverse of intelligent, 
 had for that reason l^een chosen for this apparently inferior 
 post. Through their violent pulling, sudden releasing, and 
 generally incompetent treatment of the blowing apparatus, 
 great expense has been incurred, which would have ])aid 
 a thoroughly trained, conscientious blower foi- yeai's. At 
 the present date water and gas engines an; fretjuently 
 used for this purpose with large oi-gans, an arrangement 
 which offers many advantages to the organist, ))articulaily 
 for })racti.sing purposes at odd moments, as it makes him 
 inde[)enilent of the b](j\ver ( ( 'aleant). 
 
 Bombard aj)iiears as a lo-tt. and .'^^-ft. sti-iking reed on 
 the pedals. With regard to power it stands ]et\veen 
 Trombone and Bassoon. (Sr,- Tmmbone.) It is seldom 
 f)un<l on the mamials. There are, however, oi-gans in 
 France,", on which tlie thii'd and foui'tli inaniials I'orni (ng.ther 
 a so-called iJoinbai'd-manual liase(l on tlu' Hi-lt. tone ; fur 
 instance', St. Sulpice, St. iMistache, tlie .Maddriue, and S(. 
 Denis (see Tc^pfer, vol. i. liitj-')). Like th<' Triimb'tm'. tlie
 
 4 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 Bombard requires correspondingly powerful reeds as a 
 covering. {See Reed Stops for the physical generation of 
 tone in reed pipes.) 
 
 Bordun. See Bourdon. 
 
 Bourdon. A covered wood stop, never wanting even on 
 the oldest organs, and which, by its massive full sound, is 
 able to lend to the manual extreme dignity and an eccle- 
 siastical solemnity of tone. The usefulness of this stop 
 (also as a solo of 8-ft. tone, particularly in the upper 
 registers), if well intonated, has latterly been more and 
 more fully recognized. (See also Rohrflote.) A IG-ft. 
 Bourdon on the manuals, if neither size nor material have 
 been spared, gives depth and fullness even to the smallest 
 organ. (See Double-stopped Bass for the application of a 
 32-ft. Contra-Bourdon to manuals and pedals (by William 
 Hill, of London).) The Bourdon stops arc subdivided into 
 Bourdon, Gedackt, and Lieblich-Gedackt, and are sized in 
 this order. In England the IG-ft. Bourdon often stands 
 for IG-ft. Sub-Bass. (See Gedackt.) Bourdon is a stop 
 available for any combination. I found it had a peculiarly 
 beautiful effect in conjunction with a soft, wcll-tuned 
 Trumpet, or if coupled to a well-tuned solo reed on one 
 of the upper manuals. Bourdon, in fact, has the special 
 quality which enables it to be combined most conveniently 
 with any other stop ; hence the old name of Coupling-Flute, 
 or, more shortly. Coupler. (See also Combinations of 
 Stops.) 
 
 Bourdonecho. Sec Echo.
 
 An Explanation of the Oryan Stops. 
 
 c. 
 
 Carillon (Bells) is an arrangement now and then met 
 with in large organs. I found it surprisingly effective for 
 secular music, as for instance in the new concert organ of 
 the Trocadero Palace, Paris. In the organ of Merseburg 
 Cathedral (C. F. Becker), there is a Carillon from C to C", 
 composed of thirty-seven polished steel rods. For church 
 Carillons, principally found in Dutch churches, I refer 
 the reader to Radaus' " Lehre vom Schall," p. 272. One 
 example of these is found in Amsterdam, comprising forty- 
 two bells, with a compass of three and a half octaves. On 
 several occasions I found, on Italian organs, Carillon as 
 a special stop, beginning with c'. In the large organ being 
 built l)y Hill and Son for Sydney, there is a Carillon of 
 four ranks on the Echo Organ; and in Witte's organ at 
 the Hague there is one on the third manual. 
 Celestina. aSVc Voix Celeste. 
 Chalumeau. >SV'e Schalmei. 
 
 Clairon (small trumpet), sometimes labelled Clarino or 
 Clarion, is a reed of rather narrower scale than the Truinj)et, 
 and with a brighter somul ; it chiefly occurs as a 4-ft. (more 
 rarely 2-ft.) jjcdal stop. For particulars, sfe Truiiipet. 
 
 Claribella (Clarabella), from the Latin dd m-^, bi-ight, and 
 the English hvll , meaning therefoi'e " the bright sounding 
 (voice)," is an >S-f't. and 4-ft. line I'ipe, similai" t(^ oui- ()j)rn 
 S-ft. Flute, pleasantly refVeshing in cliaractci'; oecuning 
 iVe(|Uciitly in laru<' new English and Aninican oigiiiis 
 (Livt.T|i()ol, ( 'anti'iliiiiy, liiiiiiingliuni, ( iai ih-n ( "ity , r.S..\ , 
 and otliris).
 
 6 Ah Explanation of the Organ Sfojys. 
 
 Clarionet. An 8-ft. tone, intended to imitate the orchestral 
 instrument of the same name. It is of small scale, cylinder 
 shape, and has conical bells (resonant tubes). With regard 
 to power it stands between, say, a softly intonated Trumpet 
 and an Oboe. It is a solo stoji of brilliant effect. Clarionet 
 is one of the few reed stops whicli in Gern)any and Switzer- 
 land are constructed almost exclusively as free reeds. (See 
 Physharmonica.) In England and France this stop occurs 
 as a striking reed. In Switzerland very nice Clarionets 
 are found even on small organs. As a rarity Clarionet 
 occurs as a pedal stop of -i-ft. tone in Silbermann's Court 
 organ at Dresden. It combines well with 8-ft. Bourdon, 
 and, if necessary, by the aid of couplers, with Concert- 
 or Wiener-flote and 4-ft. Flauto Traverso, or 4-ft. Flute 
 d'Aniour. 
 
 Clavseolina. See /Eolina. 
 
 Combinations of Stops. It is clear that the limited space 
 of this modest and concise work docs not permit of our 
 enlarging upon the theory of .stops ; nor is it possible to give 
 a reprint of tlie many and varied arrangements. Wheie 
 occasion offered I have endeavoured, however, to give a 
 few useful hints for good combinations at the end of articles 
 on certain stops. They naturally make no claim to com- 
 pleteness, and must be modified in each case in accordance 
 with the intonation of the organ in question. As the 
 results of a varied experience, they will, I trust, be of 
 Her \ ice now and again to brother organists, by giving an 
 outline of the relative proportions of stops in condjination. 
 From my various })ropositions a tolerably skilful organist 
 will easily recognize my endeavour to point to the relations 
 and afiinities of .stops, which must be strictly observed, as 
 they are entirely distinct, according to their foundation
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 7 
 
 tone. In Flautino and Flageolet, for example, the necessity 
 for an appropriate covering, and the quality thereof, is 
 pointed out; in Bombard and Trombone the proportionate 
 power of the flue stops is to be considered; in I^Iixture, 
 Sharp, Cymbal, etc., their exclusive employment on the 
 Great Organ is expressly demanded. In the paragraphs on 
 Flues, Mixtures, Reeds, and others, some rules are laid down 
 for correct combinations to suit the express occasion. For 
 instance, solemnity, dignity, and volume are obtained by 
 means of the round, noble tone of the Principal, together 
 with the Gedackts, Flutes, and Gambas ; brilliancy and 
 acuteness by means of mixtures, 2-ft. tiues and piercing 
 reeds. The organist must first make himself acquainted 
 with the 8-ft. tone on his organ, which is the basis of all 
 stops; the Tremulant is often abused even to vulgarity, 
 and the predilection for sudden transition from the Great 
 Organ to a solo without due preparation, easily becomes 
 mere craving for effect. A well-considered, appropriate 
 clioice of stops, suitable to the character of the voluntary 
 and hymn, and a noble simplicity, free from all exaggera- 
 tion, are the chief qualifications for the performance of a 
 dignified church service. An inq)ortant requisite for fine 
 organ-playing is a careful choice of t!ie number and com- 
 bination of stops prop(jrtionate to the size and acoustic 
 properties of the Ijuilding, and in keeping with the sacrcd- 
 ncss of tlie place. To this end tlie advice of a real master 
 in organ-builiJing, and of an exj^erienced and clever organist, 
 is absolutely in(lis})ensable. The Composi(i<jn Stops (now 
 found on nearly all new organs), ])y means of which the 
 organist can di-aw three, fnir, or nioj-e conibinat inns witlinut 
 further refli;ction, make niiiftos nnicli ;isiri- jni- tlu' 
 beginner, and even jm rliai)> tcii'i 1" niaki liim indoKiit.
 
 8 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 Hints for combinations can naturally only be given and 
 received on a broad basis, as every church, eveiy organ, and 
 every work of art whatsoever has peculiarities of its own, 
 resultinof from different causes. Music Director R. Low, 
 organist at Bale, writes me the following excellent letter 
 on this subject: "In the church of St. Elizabeth I can 
 combine much that is beautifully effective, while in the 
 Munster the same combinations give a totally different 
 result, and vice versa. Every organ requires studying, and 
 although certain rules for the use of stops must always 
 remain law, still the minor' details cannot be specified ; and 
 let a number of stops appear ever so heterogeneous at the 
 first glance, they will under certain acoustic] conditions 
 combine well." 
 
 Furthermore the celebrated Berlin organist, Otto Dienel, 
 gives me the following concise practical rules on the use 
 of stops, for ^insertion in this book, and on which alone 
 one might write a good-sized paper. " According to the 
 tone-character of the organ stops, the following com- 
 binations can be formed: 1. Principal character; 2. Flute 
 and Gedackt character ; 8. Gamba or Salicional character 
 (strings); 4. Reed character; 5. F or FF character as pro- 
 duced by the Mixtures. Compound combinations of the 
 above groups of stops are not only possible but exceedingly 
 effective. In choosing stops one must remember that the 
 4-ft., 2-ft., 2|-ft., and mixture stops only strengthen the 
 small number of harmonics of the 8-ft. foundation tone, 
 and that the KJ-ft. manual stops only assist the combi- 
 national tone, which is composed of two sound-waves of 
 the 8-ft. tone. It tliL-rufore follows that tlic foundation 
 tone must be representi'd before all others, and tliat the re- 
 maining voices must only be em])loyed to give a colouring."
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Sioj^s. 9 
 
 Indispensable hints for obtaining tasteful combinations are 
 also found in the article on Tone Colour, Here must be 
 also mentioned the gradations of the strings, flutes, 
 gedackts, reeds, mixtures, etc., according to power, the study 
 of which the comparing and impressing of them upon 
 the mind I cannot recommend too highly to young 
 organists. 
 
 In conclusion, I cannot help giving a few passages on 
 ecclesiastical organ-playing from Anthe's " Music in Relation 
 to the Protestant Rite." He expresses himself with charming 
 litness : " It is the sublime object of religious music, and 
 therefore particularly that of the organ, to lift the soul 
 towards the Almighty by the marvels of sound. Greatness 
 and sublimity are its inviolable laws. All parts of church 
 organ-music must form an harmonious whole, only intended 
 to serve the purpose of Christian edification. Secular airs 
 and variations here appear as a profanation of the sanc- 
 tuary. ' Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place 
 whereon thou staudest is holy ground,' would be a suit- 
 able inscription on every organ ; " and no matter, I would 
 aild, whether it stands in a Protestant or a Catholic 
 church. 
 
 Combination Stops (constructed either as pedals, draw 
 sto[)s, or cumbinatioii pistons) call into action certain grou[>s 
 of st()[)s, previously connected for tliis })ur[)ose. They ati'ect 
 either separate manuals or the whole organ. The organ of 
 the Royal Albert Ifall, London, has no less than thirty-two 
 coiiibiuatiou buttons \'nv four manuals, and a number oi"i)e<lals 
 acting upon combinations affecting the whole organ, 'i'ln^ 
 giant organ (120 stops) being built ly Hill and Son ( >- v 
 'i'r'iiniloMi') Co)' Sydm y, prfS(,'nts a nio>t a^t<llln'^ing \;Liiri\ 
 of coiipli'is, C'HM|Mi-,ili.iii, ;uid cuniliinat iiiii s(m|i->.
 
 10 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 Composition Coupler. A pedal, or stop, which pushes out 
 all the couplers at once. 
 
 Composition Stops (from the Latin coniponere, to place 
 together) are contrivances (pedals, draw stops, or pistons) 
 which bring into action the whole of the stops on a manual, 
 or a certain prearranged set of stops. In the church of 
 St. Eustache, Paris, there is, for instance, one draw stop 
 labelled Fonds, and one Anches, which embrace respectively 
 all the corresponding groups of foundation stops and reed 
 stops. 
 
 Composition Swell Pedal. See Crescendo. 
 
 Concert-Flute. Similar to the rather brighter sounding 
 Wienerflote, q. r. 
 
 Contra-Bass. See Double Bass. 
 
 Contra-Bourdon. See Double-stopped Bass. 
 
 Contra-Trombone. See Trombone. 
 
 Contra- Violon. See Double Bass. 
 
 Cor Anglais. See English Horn. 
 
 Cormorne (also called Cromorne, Cremorne, Krummhorn) 
 has a soft-sounding horn tone, and is met with in many old 
 organs as an 8-ft. reed stop. 
 
 Cornet belongs to the mixture stops. It is based upon 
 the natural scale, and, if 5-ranked, is composed of C, c, g, c', 
 e', having pipes of 8-ft., 4-ft., 2-t., 2-ft., and If -ft. tone. The 
 4-rank and 3-rank stops are smaller accordingly. Occa- 
 sionally one meets with a Cornet based on a IG-ft. rank, as 
 in the church of St. Jolm, Schatfhausen, and in the Music 
 Hall, Boston. The Cornet is only a good one if all the 
 notes or the tones of a chorus blend in such a manner as 
 to leave no single tone percci)tible (see Topfer, " Orgel- 
 baukunst," part i. p. 97). The scale of the Comet is com- 
 ]iaratively the widest employed in the organ, and, on account
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stojjs. 11 
 
 of its numerous chorus of pipes, is the only mixture stop 
 which does not repeat; whilst the mixture proper often 
 repeats the notes of the higher octaves at the pitch of the 
 previous octave (see Mixture). The effect of a well-arranged 
 Cornet is that of great volume ; its intonation is loud, and 
 its tone resembles the horn, from which it derives its name 
 (from the Latin curnu, the horn). 
 
 Cornet is one of the few mixture stops which can be 
 employed as a brilliant solo, naturally only in combination 
 with foundation flue stops of equal length of tone. 
 
 Corno. See Cornopean. 
 
 Corno di Bassetto. See Ophicleide. 
 
 Cornopean (from the Latin cornu, horn, and the English 
 'pean, j)jean, hymn of praise) is an 8-ft. flue stop of horn- 
 like tone. In new English and American organs it is 
 fieipiently jtlaced in the Swell Box, by the side of Cornet 
 and ()l)ue. In the new Votiv organ at Vienna, Walcker has 
 also a 4-ft. Corno, a striking reed ; and Hill and Son have 
 placed an 8-ft. Cornopean in Westminster Abbey and in the 
 large organ for Sydney. 
 
 Couplers. The well-known contrivance for combining the 
 various manuals with each other, and the manuals with 
 the pedals. I may here say that I consider it advantageous 
 in small organs i\)V coupling not only the first manual, but 
 als(j the second manual to the pedals, as the latter an'ange- 
 nient permits a clevei' oigan-[)layer to accompany (liscreetl3\ 
 yet UKjst accurately, a soft sohj on the first manual ly the 
 Sub-Bass, which in turn is delicately su]ported by a sto[) 
 on the socoiul inanual. 1 should here mention the Swell 
 llass, obtained b\- coupling w!th the lowest octave of a 
 hi-l't. Licl)|ic]i-( iiMJackt \\\ iiiraiis of cdiidiinat i'liin, po.> 
 sihlr tliiwULjh coujiliiig manuals \.n pclab, an a-t' mi^hing
 
 12 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 vai'iety of the most beautiful effects is obtainable, and I 
 agree with Domcapellmeister Greulich, of Breslau, in most 
 warmly recommending beginners to study all the variations 
 and shades of tone that can possibly be produced on their 
 organ. (See Combinations of Stops.) 
 
 Coupler is (2) the antiquated name for an actual stop, 
 and an abbreviation of the word Coupling-Flute, so named 
 on account of its fitness for blending with every other voice. 
 It is usually stopped, and occurs as 16-ft., 8-ft., and 4-ft. 
 tone. The name Coupler for an actual stop is now obsolete, 
 having been very rightly superseded by Bourdon, or Gedackt. 
 {See Bourdon.) 
 
 Coupling. See Couplers. 
 
 Crescendo is the well-known pedal (usually placed low 
 on the right-hand side) by means of which the shutters of 
 the >S\vell are opened and closed. As a rule, the pipes of one 
 manual only are placed in the Swell. This is a disadvantage 
 in German and Swiss Swell Organs, as compared with the 
 English and French ones, that they often have only a com- 
 paratively weak, even feeble, manual on which there is 
 practically nothing to increase or diminish inside their 
 Swell Box. I therefore mention the fact so strongly dwelt 
 upon by Otto Dienel in his lectures to the Society of Organ- 
 ists in Berlin that the English, in j)articular, generally have 
 more and louder pipes on the Swell than on the Great Organ, 
 by which means they produce correspondingly brilliant 
 effects in light and shade. 
 
 But to return to German instruments. The organ of the 
 Vienna Musikverein (by Ladcgast) has a pneumatic (.sec 
 Pneumatic Action and Pneumatic Combination Pistons) 
 Crescendo and Decrescendo, adjustable to any degree of 
 power for the whole system of couplers, as well as for each
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 13 
 
 individual manual and pedal, with an Indicator and an 
 Echo. (Compare the arrangement of the St. Peter's organ 
 at St. Petersburg.) 
 
 Another kind of Crescendo, called Com])osition- or 
 Pedal-Swell (also Roller Swell), rarely met with owing to 
 its complicated mechanism, is found, amongst other places, 
 in the cathedral of Ulm and the convent church at Engel- 
 berg. By means of a roller worked by the foot, all the 
 stops, one by one, from J^olina up to Great Organ, can be 
 brought into play, and thrust in again for the Decrescendo 
 by a backward rotation of the roller. If the stops follow 
 and join in happily chosen succession, if the transition to 
 the tone of the mixtures is cleverly graduated, and if, 
 lastly, the mechanical part of the arrangement is perfect, 
 this kind of roller swell is of exceptional advantage to 
 every larger organ. The most perfect system for a Cre- 
 scendo on the whole organ is that of the pneumatic action, 
 by means of two power-bellows, one of wliich works the 
 Crescendo, the other the Decrescendo. The organist need 
 oidy couple the roller to the pneumatic action by a move- 
 ment of the foot, and the apparatus is at once set in 
 motion. The backward action is started by a special draw 
 sto]). l>y means of a lever, both Crescendo and Decrescendo 
 can lie at once disengaged. The contri\ance suggested by 
 Dr. Faisst, and already employed in sevcsral laiger oigans (for 
 example, in the church of St. John am Feuersee, Stuttgart), 
 is a very welcome one. An Indicator is connected with 
 tlic ( Vescendo in sucli a manner tliat, accoi'ding to the 
 pressure on the peilal key, the mo\-fih!(; disc indicates 
 the nunilier u[' stoj)s bi-onglit into action ; so tliat in excry 
 |osition oi" the })edal key tlie organist may know at oikm; 
 wliat [o\vrr of lone he C'oiuiiiands at tlie iiioniiiil.
 
 14 All E.rplamttion of the Organ S(oj)s. 
 
 Cymbal is a mixture stop of narrow scale, which, on 
 account of its small i)ipes, is tlic acutcst of all the mixtures ; 
 it is consequently tlic last stop to be drawn for the Great 
 Organ. It occurs as a 4-rank Cymbal on the new Sydney 
 organ (126 stops). 
 
 D. 
 
 (Dia 
 
 Diapason, Tliis name denotes not only a tuning-fork, 
 but in organ-building applies also to the stops, Principal, 
 Octave, and Gedackt ; but chieily in English organs, where 
 (for example, Westminster Abbey and Town Hall, Sydney, 
 etc.) it frequently occurs on all four manuals as principal 
 bass, under the name of IG-ft. Diapason, 8-ft. Open Diapason, 
 8-ft. Stopped Diapason, and on the pedals as 82-ft. Open 
 Diapason (the 4-ft. Octave so important for the tempera- 
 ment [q.v.^ is labelled -i-ft. Principal). (See also Princi- 
 pal and Octave.) Seidel, in his work, adopts the term 
 Disdiapason for the Super-Octave. Violin-Diapason is a 
 name for the <S-ft. Geigenprincipal on nearly every English 
 and American organ. 
 
 Differential Tones. See Quint. 
 
 Dolce, an 8-ft. string-toned metal stop, similar to Sali- 
 cional, is an extremely mellow solo stop, wider in scale 
 than Salicional, and constructed Ijy some builders as a 
 cone (a little Avider at the top). In Westminster Al)bey 
 it appears as 4-ft. Dulcet. In large organs it ought to bo 
 placed more frequently on tlic Great manual, to which, as a 
 soft string-toned stop, it would lend more power of ex- 
 pression than the naturally powerfully intonated Gamba 
 can give. By some builders (Weiglc, for instance) it is
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 15 
 
 voiced soft and flute-like, viz. in no wise string-toned, like 
 Flauto Dolce. {See Molina for the use of wood in the con- 
 struction of the lowest notes.) It combines well with 8-ft. 
 Bourdon, 8-ft. Hohlflote, 4-ft. Flute d'Amour, and, if coupled, 
 with Zartflote or Wienerflote 8-ft. {See Intonation.) 
 
 Double Bass (Contra-Bass). As 32-ft. stop it is acous- 
 tically combined with 16-ft. Violin and lOg Gedackt (that 
 is to say, 5^-ft. long, but producing 10|-ft. tone, vide 
 Gedackt). As an open 32-ft. and 16-ft. pipe, it is always 
 intonated as far as string character and power are con- 
 cerned between the Violin Bass and Principal Bass (Open 
 Diapason Bass), which latter stop, especially on French 
 organs, it is often called upon to replace. A very success- 
 ful 16-ft. Double Bass is equivalent to the orchestral instru- 
 ment of the same name ; and Bergner, oi'ganist at the 
 cathedral, Riga, writes me word that his Contra- Violin, for 
 instance, is of enchanting beauty. {See also Sub-Bass and 
 Double-stopped Bass.) Steinmeyer, organ-builder at Oettin- 
 gen, has, probably on the basis of the above-mentioned 
 intonation, placed a 32-ft. Contra- Violon in Rothcnburg an 
 der Tauber, and in the Frauenkirche, Munich ; and a dilfer- 
 encc, even for a musically trained ear, can only be found in 
 the greater power of certain harmonics. 
 
 Double Flute. An open wood {)ipe, u.siiall}- of 8-ft. tune, 
 furnished with double, that is to say, two diametrically 
 opposed lips, and also with doullo slits. It tlierefore has a 
 brighter sound than the single-li[ped Flute. English organ- 
 builders usually place it on the Solo Organ, as has lieeii 
 done on the Tow i Hall organ, Sydney. It also ocoui-s 
 un<ler the name of Duilliite and Jultal J'"lute ('/.'.). It is 
 of eidivening effect in combination with an 8-tt. (ianiha. 
 A double-lipped 16-ft. Flute Bass is placed on the second
 
 16 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 pedal (see Hohlflote) of the Marienkirche, Liibeck, and a 
 double-lipped Rolirflote (q.v.) on the cathedral organ of 
 Breslau. Under the name of Bifara, Walcker has arranged 
 (for St. Petersburg) a 2-rank Double Flute ; the first rank 
 has stopped 8-ft. pipes, the second rank, Dolce, open 4-ft. 
 pipes. 
 
 Double-stopped Bass (TTntersatz, Majorbass) frequently 
 occurs as a 32-ft. stopped pipe on the pedals. If space and 
 means are limited, this stop often has to take the place of 
 an open 82-ft. pipe. (^S'^e Sub-Bass and Double Bass.) In 
 the large organs of Russian Libau, Riga, Paris, London, 
 Leipsic, Ulm, Sydney, and a few others, it is often labelled 
 S2-ft. Contra- or Grand- Bourdon. 
 
 Doublette is usually called by the French builders the 
 2-ft. Super-Octave ; and under this French name it is still 
 found on old German and Swiss organs. 
 
 Dulcet. See Dolce. 
 
 Dulcian. A soft-toned basson-like reed of 8-ft. and IG-ft. 
 tone, as a rule open, but sometimes stopped. Neither to be 
 mistaken for Dolciano, which in the Frauenkirche at Gorlitz 
 was constructed by the builder, Buckow, as an open wood 
 flue, nor for Dulciana, which both as 4-ft. and 8-ft. stop 
 occurs frequently in English (Westminster Abbey) and 
 French organs with Dolce intonation and wide scale. In 
 the new cathedral organ at Riga it is placed on the first 
 manual amongst the fine stops. 
 
 E. 
 
 Echo. When this word alone appears on the button, it 
 indicates an exceedingly soft, flute-like stop, which is often
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 17 
 
 placed in a swell box, separate from the main body of 
 the organ. (>See Vox Humana.) It is sometimes labelled 
 Bourdonecho. 
 
 Echo Organ. See Crescendo. 
 
 Electro-pneumatic Action. As it is not uncommon at 
 the present date to meet with organs which are dis- 
 tributed in different parts of the church as for example 
 in the new electro-pneumatic organ at Forst, near Bruchsal, 
 which I mention later on I will say a few words on 
 electro-pneumatics in organ-building, as being the only 
 contrivance making such division possible. I saw tliis 
 exhibited on trial at the organ-building works of F. Goll, 
 and am convinced that electro-pneumatics have a great 
 future in organ-building, for the following reasons : 1. Elec- 
 tricity makes distance of no consequence ; the differences 
 which arise between Iniilder and churchwardens, the dis- 
 putes about a foot or two of s})ace, no longer occur, as 
 the consol may bo, separated ad lihitiun from the main 
 body of the organ, regardless of distance, and placed in tlio 
 most convenient spot (the demands of acoustics must of 
 course rank pre-eminent). The connection between key- 
 boards and pallets is formed by means of an almost 
 imperceptible cable. On striking the keys the divided 
 parts sound Avith tlie same precision us if close together. 
 2. By means of el<;ctricity a whole host of levers, stickers, 
 rollers, trackers, etc., become unnecessaiy, and the possibility 
 of accidents to the meclianisin, and the unfavourable 
 influence of temperature on the works, ai'e considei-ably 
 reduced. J]. TIk; cost of niaintenanct; is i-e(ltiee(l to the 
 trilling niininium ftr eleetiic batteries. The comiecting 
 an<l discoTHK^'cting of the eleetiic cun-eiit is obtained liy tin; 
 sinijilest ininginal>le ])i'ocess. As soon as the wind process
 
 18 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 begins to act on the bellows, which are still required, the 
 electric circuit is completed by means of suitable accessory 
 bellows ; it may, on the other hand, be quite as easily 
 interrupted. It is important that the electric communica- 
 tion between consol and pallets should be materially assisted 
 by small bellows, which act as pneumatic levers ; hence the 
 name Electro-pneumatic Action. The doubts reflected on 
 this contrivance, as retarding the prompt articulation of the 
 pipes, have no foundation. A specimen of an organ by 
 Weigle, worked by an electro-magnet, unassisted by pneu- 
 matics, was exhibited at the Vienna Exhibition. Many an 
 electro-pneumatic organ is already in action, for instance, in 
 the new Catholic church at Forst, near Bruchsal, in Miin- 
 ster, canton of Lucerne, and one of forty-three stops in the 
 figlise St. Nyzier, at Lyons, where the organist sits at a 
 distance of seventy-five metres from the body of the organ. 
 Lastly, a new electro-pneumatic organ is in contemplation 
 for the Philharmonic at Berlin, and for other places. For 
 the present, however. Electro-pneumatic Action cannot be 
 generally introduced, as the patenting of this invention 
 (Organ-Building Department, Schmole and Mols, amongst 
 others) and the sudden and entire revolution of the existing 
 workshops offer for the present, for conspicuous reasons, 
 insurmountable difficulties, and as the invention, moreover, 
 still lacks stability and guarantee. More particulars of the 
 way in which the laws of acoustics are violated for the con- 
 venience of electric division will be found in the illustrated 
 " Acoustics " by Chladni, whom Tyndall, in his book, " On 
 Sound" (page 160), calls the father of all modern acoustics. 
 Compare Tisco's papei-, "The New Acoustical Apparatus" 
 (Vienna, 18S5), which contains, in addition to other matter, 
 a complete list of books of reference on this subject. This
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 19 
 
 is the place in which to mention the very interesting hints 
 by Pietro Blaserna, of Rome, on page 50 of his work on 
 " Acoustic Agents in an Enclosed Space." 
 
 English Horn. A very beautiful horn-like solo stop, 
 which occurs only on large organs as a striking reed, 
 similar to Oboe. I found this stop particularly lovely in 
 the Miinster at Bale, and on the Court organ at Lucerne. 
 As an 8-ft. Cor Anglais it appears in the St. Eustache and 
 Madeleine organs, Paris. 
 
 Equal Temperament. See Octave, 
 
 Euphonium. (From the Greek ^ixpiovia, euphony.) An 8-ft. 
 free reed, rather softer than Clarionet. A beautiful specimen 
 of it is found in the Grossmlinster at Zurich, and in the 
 church of St. John, Schaffhausen. As 8-ft. Euphon it 
 appears at Riga, and as IG-ft. pedal stop in the St. Eustache 
 and St. Sulpice churches, Paris. (See Reed Stops.) 
 
 Evacuant (from the Latin evacuare, to empty) is a stop 
 by means of which the organist, on ceasing to play, can 
 relieve the bellows of all wind pressure. 
 
 F. 
 
 Fistula. (Lat.) An obsolete name for a reed pipe. It is 
 of interest to know tliat the name of this stoj), as applied 
 to copper pi[)es in organ-buililing, was found in a manu- 
 script of Bongars of the eleventh century, discovered by Prof. 
 Dr. Hermann Hagen : "J)e fistulis oi'ganicis (juo modo 
 iiant. ('uprum ( I^ate Lat. for ci/pri ihui, copper) [)uris,siiiium 
 tun<lendo ad summaiii tenuitatem extt'uditur relicjiias 
 (listulas) ipsiiis (jr(biiis sic facies ut sujjerioi-es gi'avioris 
 ordinis fecisti " (Catalogue of MaunscripLs \>y Prof. l)i\
 
 20 An Explanation of the Organ Stopfi. 
 
 ITagcn, page 83, B. 06. Town Librarian at Berne). {See 
 also Gamba.) Also Dr. H. Riemann's " Organ-building in 
 the Early Middle Ages," Leipsic allgemeine Musikzeitung, 
 1870. Michael Practorius, in his "Syntagma," Anselm 
 Schubiger, in his " Spicilegien," and J. Seidel {" The Organ 
 and its Construction," page 119) mention the Fistula 
 Minima among the less used stops ; J. Weippert as the name 
 of a narrow scale Flageolet of thin intonation. {See Measure- 
 ment.) For the derivation of Salicis Fistula, sec Salicional. 
 
 Flachflbte (flat flute). A sharply intonated, broad-lipped 
 8-ft. and 4-ft. metal flute, arranged as a 2-ft. stop in the 
 Benedictine Convent, Weingarten, and as a 1-ft. stop on the 
 Catholic Court organ, Dresden. 
 
 Flageolet. A 1-ft. and 2-ft. flute-like open metal stop, 
 often of wide scale, and fuller in intonation than the 2-ft. 
 Octave. In large organs, and in the Swell box, it often 
 occurs with mellow intonation under the name of Flageolet 
 Echo. 
 
 Flautino. A small metal flue stop, often placed as a 2-ft. 
 stop on the upper manuals for the brighter colouring of 
 the whole of the manuals. In conjunction with the 4-ft, 
 Gemshorn in the Echo box, it contributes largely to the 
 more intense efl'ect of the latter. It is evident that the 
 existence of this, as well as of the former, and similar stops 
 of smaller and the smallest possible kind, requires the 
 presence of proportionately numerous 4-ft., 8-ft., and up to 
 ] 6-ft. stops. {See Combinations of Stops.) 
 
 Flauto Amabile. See Flute dAmour. 
 
 Flauto Dolce, an 8-ft. and 4-ft. wood stop (sometimes 
 of metal, viz. 1 part lead, 8 parts tin), is particularly 
 mentioned here amongst the flues, because it is used with 
 preference as a delicate stop on the flrst manual in new
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 21 
 
 German and Swiss organs. In combination with soft stops 
 of every kind it renders most valuable service. In this 
 treatise the Great manual is ahvays understood to be the 
 lowest one, although in some organs the second manual is 
 so termed (Vienna, Geneva, Freiburg, Paris, and others). 
 {See Combinations of Stops.) 
 
 Flauto Major. See Flute. 
 
 Flauto Piccolo, or l-ft. Piccolo, the smallest and acutest 
 of all metal stops. {See Flautino.) 
 
 Flauto Traverso (German, Traversflbte, ftuerflote) is a flue 
 pipe over-blowing into its octave, intended to imitate the 
 real orchestral flute. When constructed as a wood pipe, the 
 body is hollowed out, and in place of the ordinary .slit, 
 a round opening is made, such as is found in the real flute 
 for blowinji: into, and into which the wind enters throuGfli 
 an orifice somewhat below the mouth-hole. Flauto Tra- 
 verso is generally a 4-ft. and 8-ft. stop on the upper 
 manuals, and, if built by a master hand, is a solo stop 
 of delicious effect. In the large Englisli organ, built for 
 Sydney, the Flauto Traverso is represented three times 
 on the manual of the Solo Organ, that is, as 8-ft., 4-ft., and 
 2-ft. tone. From c' the Flauto Traverso is made double 
 the ]en<''tli, and it has a littl<j IkjIc at the node of viltration, 
 in oi'der that the over-blowing note may never rchipse into 
 tlie foundation tone. Flauto Traverso makes a iuie com- 
 bination witli .lEolina and Lieblieli-Gedackt, or with Oljoe 
 and Wienerflote. As a solo stop, acconii)aiiied l>y Dolce, 
 the Flauto Traverso is licard to givat advantage. For 
 its combination with l'h\shaniionica, ([.o. {See also 
 Intonation.) 
 
 Flue Stops, Flute Work, Flue Pipes. As tliis name is 
 fi-eqiieiitly Used tor a whulr family nf >tops in contra-
 
 22 An Exjilanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 distinction from Reed stops, I will endeavour to give a 
 concise definition, according to the latest results of study, 
 on the generation of sound in flue pipes. The peculiarity 
 of flue pipes is that, when they are sounding, air is the 
 generating and vibrating body. The pipe only serves to 
 cut off" the vibrating column of air from the outer atmo- 
 sphere, and to regulate the vibrations. The tone is origi- 
 nated at the sharp edge of the mouth {lahimn, lip); a flat 
 current of air is driven against this lip, and in splitting- 
 produces a curious noise, which may be considered as a 
 mixture of many tones in close proximity. (Compare 
 Melde's "Acoustics," 1883, p. 250 and the following.) The 
 bore of the pipe then stimulates some of those sounds 
 which correspond to the tones peculiar to the pipe, thereby 
 raising them to the rank of a musical note. (Even the 
 tone of a tuning-fork, if brought into close proximity with 
 the mouth of a tube, or an organ pipe, is strengthened 
 if the pitch of the said fork corresponds to one of the notes 
 peculiar to the pipe.) 
 
 Fig. 1 shows the longitudinal section of a wooden flue 
 pipe. The vibrating column of air is cut ofl" from the 
 outer atmosphere and regulated by the sides ii r. The 
 air coming from the wind-chest passes through the foot of 
 the pipe into the throat or air-chamber K, from which it 
 can now escape through the narrow slit c d, and in beino- 
 forced against tlie sharp edge, a h, of the mouth, produces 
 tlie musical tone as above described. 
 
 Fig. 2, on the other hand, is a metal flue pipe, soldered at 
 the top, therefore gedackt, or covered. It has purposely been 
 placed by the side of the open flue pipe, to show the phy- 
 sical definition given under Gedackt (q.v.), according to 
 which it gives a tone an octave deeper than does an open
 
 An Explanation of the Organ 6Vop.s\ 
 
 Fig. 1. Fig. 
 
 23 
 
 pipe of the same length 
 (Fig. 1). The letters R R, 
 as above, indicate the tube 
 which encloses the sonorous 
 body of adr ; a b is the 
 above-described site for the 
 origin of the tone, and F f, 
 the foot of the pipe stand- 
 ing in the sounding board, 
 and extending to the slit. 
 (See above.) 
 
 A definition of the pro- 
 duction of tone in the Hues 
 is to be found in Richter's 
 " Catechism of the Ornfan," 
 p. 24, and in Sonreck's 
 "Theory of the Sonorous 
 Column of Air." 
 
 One word more on the 
 difficult tuning of this 
 species of pipe. Although 
 I am quite of opinion that 
 the tuning of flue pipes 
 should really remain the 
 l)usiness of the (ji'gan- 
 builder, still I would here 
 draw attention to the new- 
 contrivance for tuning with 
 slots and rolled-uj) strips 
 of tin (for metal pi[)es), oi- 
 tuning sliders (for wood 
 pipes). The main body of"
 
 24 An Explanation of the Organ Sto2)s. 
 
 the pipe is made longer by half a tone than the intended 
 pitch requires ; an oblong opening, proportionate to the 
 measurement of the pipe, is then cut in the tube just 
 below the upper end, in such a way that its lower half 
 begins below the actual pitch of the pipe, while the upper 
 half extends beyond it. The strip of metal, which is cut 
 out to form the oblong opening, remains attached at the 
 lower end, and is rolled up in a spiral. (Compare Prof. 
 Kothes' excellent book on organ-building, to which I am 
 indebted for several capital illustrations.) By rolling up 
 the strip, and thereby shortening the working portion of 
 the pipe, the tone becomes sharper; by unrolling the strip, 
 that is, lengthening the pipe, the tone is made flatter. In 
 wood pipes the same operation is performed by means of 
 a movable slider, retained in position by two screws. The 
 tuning slot gives the pipes, apart from a precise articulation, 
 a more steady, decided tone, and adds power of expression 
 
 to its qualities. This mode of 
 tuning must, however, not be 
 confounded with tuning shades 
 of older date, which served ex- 
 clusively to facilitate the opera- 
 tion of tuning. 
 
 Fig. 3 shows the upper end of 
 a metal pipe, on which is visible 
 the tuning slot, (t, and the strip of 
 metal, h, rolled up in a spiral. 
 Fig. 4 shows that side of tlie 
 upper end of a wood i)ipe at which the tuning slider, ((, 
 is pushed up as far over the opening, h, as the dotted 
 line goes. 
 
 In now organ conti'acts, tliis tuning-slot arrangement is 
 
 Fig. 3. 
 
 Fig. 4.
 
 Ail Explanation of the Organ Stops. 25 
 
 often stipulated for, particularly for the Principal and 
 Gamba stops. 
 
 The open wood pipes are tuned by means of a tuning 
 shade of zinc or tin plate, bending up or down ; and the 
 metal pipes for instance, the small mixture pipes which 
 have no tuning slot are tuned by means of a tuning horn. 
 By narrowing tlie upper rim of the pipe the tone is flattened ; 
 by opening it out, it is sharpened. For tuning stopped 
 pipes, see Gedackt. 
 
 Flute. When this name alone is placed on the button 
 of a stoj), it means an open, particularly wide 8-ft. and 4-ft. 
 flue pipe, louder than Flauto Dolce (Flauto Major, as IG-ft. 
 stop on the Great manual at Riga). Flute is the founda- 
 tion of a large species of stops, several of which, such as 
 Fernflote, Blockflote, Spillflote, Nasonflote, Suabeflote, 
 BauerfloLe, etc., are becoming extinct in new organs. It is 
 evident tliat in organs of one hundred or more stops (Ulni, 
 Paris, Liverpool, London, Sydney, Russian Libau, Riga, 
 Garden City, U.S.A., and a few others), some nnines for 
 the same or a similar stop may occur with slightl}' altered 
 etymology, solely ftr purposes of distinction. In the 
 same manner as has just been done with Flauto Dolee, 
 other members of the Flute family are discussed in this 
 work. Three-cornei'ed Flutes have also been employed, 
 l)artly on account of limited space, partly because the 
 desired intonation necessitated a wiilei- lip. ('ombiiK-d 
 with otlu.'i's, it is rather more eirectiv(; than Flauto Dolce. 
 The 8-ft. Flute as ])edal stop occurs under the name oi' 
 Bass Flute tm nearly every jx'dal clavier. As we ninit ioncij 
 at tlic cud of the article Suli-jjass, the Flute Dass ami the 
 similar-toned Octav(- Buss gi\(! th: jiedals in the jnwer 
 ivgisters not only great jirecision a (juality jiart ieularly
 
 26 All Explanation of the Organ Stojjs. 
 
 belonging to the Violoncello but also more body, and in 
 the upper registers the fullness and roundness so often 
 wanting in Sub-Bass. 
 
 Flute a Cheminee. See Rohrflote. 
 
 Flute Bass. See Flute. 
 'O'lute d' Amour (Flauto Amabile) is a charming wood flue 
 stop of slender scale, aiTanged as 8-ft. and 4-ft. tone ; in 
 Switzerland more frequently as 4-ft. tone. According as 
 the rest of the pipes are arranged, it occurs on the first 
 manual in many organs, where it is very useful as a solo ; 
 for example, in the new organ of St. Martin's Church, 
 Vevey, and in the German Church at Montreux. The 
 sombre Gedackts and the strings (see Molina) are effec- 
 tively enlivened by it. It is often found as 8-ft. Amorosa 
 on Steinmeyer's organs. 
 
 Flute Douce (Sanftflote). See Wienerflote. 
 
 Flute Harmonique. See Harmonic FJute. 
 
 Flute Octaviante. See Harmonic Flute. 
 
 Flute Principal. An 8-ft. stop of a pleasant, bright, fluty 
 tone. Occurs in many organs to great advantage on the 
 second manual, and combines very prettily with Salicional 
 or Viola, and an enlivening Flauto Traverso. 
 
 Frein Harmonique is an arrangement, invented by Gavioli 
 of Paris, applied to naiTOW scale stops (Gamba, Violoncello, 
 Viola, etc.), by means of which the ready, incisive, string 
 character of the tone is considerably strengthened and 
 beautified. This contrivance consists (Dienel) of a narrow 
 metal plate, of the length of the mouth, fixed obliquely to 
 the latter on an adjustable spring. I have referred (see 
 Gamba) to the effectiveness of this Frein, which answers 
 even in the case of the smallest scale string stops. 
 
 Fugara lias much in common with Gamba, while in
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 27 
 
 quality of tone it stands between this and the Geigen- 
 prineipal. It occurs as 8-ft. and 4-ft. tone. Fig. 5. 
 
 Furniture is the French name for our Mixture. 
 
 iGa 
 
 G. 
 
 'Gamba, or Viola di Gamba (German, Kniegeige), 
 
 is an eminently characteristic organ stop, found at 
 the present date as 8-ft. stop on every Great manual, 
 besides occurring in very large organs as a 16-ft. 
 stop. On the cathedral organ at Riga (124 speak- 
 ing stops), it occurs on the Great manual as 16-ft., 
 8-ft., and 4-ft. tone simultaneously. Its intonation 
 is stringy, and shriller than that of Salicional. A 
 Gamba of ready speech, and possessing these quali- 
 ties strongly developed, is one of the most satis- 
 factory results of the modern art of organ-building. 
 (See Intonation.) The pipes have a narrow aperture 
 between the lips and narrow gauge (Fig. 5), and are 
 therefore constructed longer than Principal or Sali- 
 cional pipes. The proportions of the 8-ft. Gamba are 
 taken from those of the 4-ft. Octave, and the length 
 of C, for instance, is 8 ft. '] in.* It is made chiefly 
 of best English tin. A conical Gamba is called Com.'- 
 Gamba. In examining an organ the other day, in 
 the ca})acity of an expert, I found the lower ranks 
 of the Gamba, which weie made ol" wood, l\'ing hori- 
 zontally for reasons of space, without in the least 
 
 * Prof. ZcUiior, of Vienim, writcrt to mo: " liiogcrof Ja^'criulorr 
 roii.struct.s iiictiil (liunl)iia wliicli an' cxoi'idiiiLrly iiuriow (I I luin. 
 |,' in iliiilii. t'wl- ii'). 'I'liry liavc tin- l-'rciii II iriiiiinii|Uc ('/.r.). ainl, 
 uii'lcr iniTCisitil pri-.-siirr, .^luiik willi L'lrnt iinci.-iou."
 
 28 .in Expla nation of (he Organ Stoj)s. 
 
 thereby losing colour or power. In Spain, horizontal 
 ranks are not unfrequently met with. The wider, and 
 therefore more, powerful, Gambas found in some places 
 cannot be so highly recommended as the narrower and 
 weaker ones, which possess the real incisive Gamba tones, 
 unless Viola and Salicional supply this want. (See Geigen- 
 principal.) Although a Gamba of the above-mentioned 
 qualities requires no addition to be wonderfully beautiful 
 in effect, I would still recommend should a flute-like 
 character be desired for this string-toned stop a richly 
 voiced Gedackt, Hohlflote, Rohrflote, and Flute d'Amour. 
 (See Combinations of Stops.) In the construction of such 
 metal stops as are not visible, a moderate alloy of tin and 
 lead (see below) is not only permissible, but is indeed quite 
 the rule. With regard to the historical development of 
 pipes, and the materials which in turn have been employed 
 {see also Fistula), I refer the reader to my collection of 
 notes which came out in the Alpcarosen (Series 1878, 
 C Locher's " History of the Organ "). In the terminology 
 of the oro-an, the terms "pure EnoU.sh tin," "tin," and 
 "metal" often occur, by which is simply meant the propor- 
 tion (alloy) in which lead has been added to the pure 
 English tin. We have [)ure English tin (instead of which 
 an alloy, containing j\- of lead, is unfortunately still often 
 employed) ; further, the common English tin (proportion 
 2:14); ])robe-tin (4 : 12); and metal, of which one- third, 
 often even one-half, is lead. It is apparent that tliese pro- 
 portions are subject to modifications according to the prac- 
 tice of the organ-builder in question and the varying con- 
 ditions of the contract. Only absolutely purest tin ought 
 to be employed for the front pipes, even should the contract 
 l)ecome more expensive in consequence ; instead of the sil-
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 29 
 
 very polish {see Principal), which is the chief ornament of 
 the front, the alloy pipes show in course of time a blueish 
 tint, or even worse, sugar of lead. (Compare Zamminer, 
 "Musical Instruments in their Relation to Acoustics," p. 
 20 1 and the following, and Prof, von Schafhiiutl's "Experi- 
 ments with Metal, Wood, and Pasteboard," for further par- 
 ticulars on material for pipes, and its influence on sound.) 
 
 Gedackt, or Gedeckt (covered, stopped), if a wood pipe, is 
 plugged with a leather-covered stopper (Fig. G) ; if a metal 
 pipe (Fig. 7), it is a 4-ft., 8-ft., 16-ft., and .32-ft. flue stop. 
 
 Fig. 6. 
 
 Fig. 7. 
 
 coveied witli a metal lid. Gedackts form one of the most im- 
 portajit families of stops, which is evident from the fact that 
 Bourdon and Suh-ljass belong to them. The tei-ms Licblich-, 
 Sanft-, Still-, Gross-, and (h'ob-Gedaekt depend upon the 
 power of intonation and the dimensions of the pipes. The 
 H-ft. Liel>lich-Ge<lackt is built ly some niastei's with double 
 lips from g u[)war(ls. A iclined Lieblich-Gedackt, cleverly 
 intonated by a master hand, forms one of the most fasci- 
 nating organ stops on the Swell, and admits, as hardly any 
 other does, of a tasteful us(! of the 'I'remulaiit f.'-'"' 'i'l'emu- 
 lant). CSr,- Suli-Uass for the use of the (Ichickts as pe(lal
 
 30 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 stops.) Every stopped pipe may be looked upon as an 
 open pipe cut in half at the node of vibration (Topfer). It 
 gives a tone an octave deeper than the open pipe of the 
 same length, because the column of air set vibrating in the 
 covered pipe has the same distance to travel to the lip, as if 
 the pipe were open and as long again. Stopped pipes of 
 very wide scale give, when softly blown, the foundation tone 
 almost true, whereas narrow Gedackts allow the twelfth 
 to be distinctly audible (Helmholtz). (See also Quintaten.) 
 A double-lipped Gedackt (see Double Flute) sounds pro- 
 portionately brighter and stronger than the single-lipped 
 one. No large oriran should be without the IG-ft. Lieblich- 
 Gedackt on its upper manual, for the same reason that 
 a responsive 16-ft. Bourdon is recommended for the first 
 manual. A beautifully effective specimen is that in the 
 Catholic church at Berne. Gedackts form a good founda- 
 tion, and can be combined with anything that lacks fullness 
 and sombre colouring. (See Bourdon and Combinations of 
 Stops.) If, however, one wanted to play a polyphonic com- 
 position with its dissonances only on the Gedackts, it would 
 all sound equally colourless, and, for that reason, without 
 character or enei'gy (Helmholtz). (See also Tone Colour.) 
 In tuning the stopped pipes, which should be the organ- 
 builder's affair (see Flue Stops), the pipe is lengthened by 
 raising the stopper or the lid ; by pushing the latter down, 
 the bore is made shorter, and the tone consequently 
 sharpened. 
 
 Geigenprincipal. A metal stop of very narrow scale, occur- 
 ring as IG-ft. (Riga for instance), 8-ft., or 4-ft. stop on the 
 upper manuals, where, on a smaller scale, it is often required 
 to take the place of the Piincipal. It has a rather incisive, 
 violin-like tone. In the narrow flue pipes, which naturally
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 31 
 
 require a strong wind-pressure (Geigenprineipal, Violon- 
 cello, Violon Bass, Viola di Gamba, etc.), the foundation tone 
 is accompanied loudly and distinctly by a number of 
 harmonics, which, according to Helmholtz (" Sensations of 
 Tone," p. 151), lend to the tone its stringy quahty.* 
 Geigenprineipal gives the round organ-like tone to the 
 Swell Manual, so often supplied only with far-fetched 
 would-be characteristic stops ; and as 8-ft. tone it combines 
 favourably with 4-ft. Gemshorns in rapid passages. Bergner, 
 organist at the Riga Cathedral, considers 16- ft. Geigenprin- 
 eipal most effective with 8-ft. Spitzflote. {See Combinations 
 of Stops and Tone Colour. See Diapason for the term 
 Violin Diapason, as applied to the Geigenprineipal in 
 American organs.) 
 
 Gemsliorii is a metal stop resembling the Principal, with 
 a precise, rather horn-like tone ; the pipes taper upwards to 
 a point. It occurs as 8-ft. and 4-ft. tone, and in power about 
 equals Geigenprineipal. A bright, singing Gemshorn, along 
 with 8-ft. Geigenprineipal, produces intensity of tone in the 
 Swell. There is a 2-ft. Gemshorn in the new or^an at the 
 Hague, Holland ; and in Westminster Abbey (W. Hill) there 
 is a 2-ft. Harmonic Gemshorn. {Sec Harmonic Flute.) 
 
 Gemsliornquint. S'-e Quint. 
 
 Grand Bourdon. St'e Double-stopped Bass. 
 
 Great Organ. Prof. R. Palme, of Magtleburg, is right 
 in drawing my attention to a fact which I have often 
 observed myself, viz. tliat when organists meet with the 
 imlication " Great Organ," they blindly draw all the stops 
 they can well lay hold of I dare say that it will only 
 
 * 'J'lie rt-.'tl I'rinci|iiil.s of wide ncklc wliicli allow of stroiifrcr wiiid-iirotiHun! 
 without over-blowing, givo tlio fmindution tone full iiiid loud with tlio more 
 ilflicat'' accoiiipaiiimcut of tho uiijirji- pedal.s, and fonu, tiiLrtfi>rc, iIk; hulk of 
 fuuudatiou sound:! iif the or''an.
 
 32 An Explanation of the Organ Stoj^s. 
 
 require this critical hint from the master to remind 
 beginners that under the term " Great Organ " is still often 
 allowed a suitable omission of certain reeds and " screamers," 
 and that a but partial use of groups of stops in accordance 
 with the character of the piece to be played is not excluded. 
 (See also Combinations of Stops.) 
 
 H. 
 
 Harmonia ^theria. See Harmonica. 
 
 Harmonica, a very tender 8-ft. string-tone stop of 
 narrow scale, intonated between Molina and Salicional, 
 is a delicate solo voice usually placed on the third manual 
 in large organs (Frankfort-on-the-Main, Ulm, Leipsic, 
 Lucerne). In Frankfort-on-the-Oder it occurs under the 
 name Flote-Harmonica, 8 ft., and in Canterbury under that 
 of Harmonica Flute, 4 ft. It combines splendidly with 
 Bourdonecho. It must not be confounded with Physhar- 
 monica {q.v.), nor with the mixtures Progrcssio Harmo- 
 nica (Lubeck, Grafenrheinfeld, Merseburg) and Harmonia 
 yEtheria (ex. Echo Organ of the cathedral organ, Riga, and 
 Nicolaikirche, Leipsic), both of which are arranged as 
 particularly delicate mixtures on the upper manuals. [See 
 Reed Stops for the so-called chemical Harmonica, so impor- 
 tant for acoustical experiments on the generation of tone in 
 organ pipes.) 
 
 Harmonica Bass. An exceedingly delicate, softly string- 
 toned, IG-ft. wooden pedal stop, corresponding in strength 
 to the softly voiced Salicet-Bass, or 16-ft. Salicional (q.v.), 
 on tlie pedals. As solo or in combination with IG-ft.
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 33 
 
 Sub-Bass {q.v.) it is specially suitable for the accompaniment 
 of soft passages. A fine specimen is that, for instance, in 
 the Catholic Church at Berne, 
 
 Harmonica Flute. See Harmonica. 
 
 Harmonin Flute, Flute Harmonique, is, briefly, an over- 
 blowinof Flute of the nature of our Flauto Traverso, very 
 frequently arranged as 4-ft. stop {q.v.), in which case it 
 is called Flute Traversiere Harmonique. On account of 
 its over-blowing, it is also frequently called Flute Octa- 
 viaute, Trompette Harmonique, Flageolet Harmonique, etc. 
 It will be seen from the arrangement of French organs 
 of what value the French consider these Jeux Harmoniques, 
 based upon the utilization of harmonic tones. The Jeux 
 Harmoniques frequently represent one-sixth of all the stops. 
 Further scientitic notes on the subject, in which special 
 attention is given to French organ-building, are to be 
 found on p. 7-5 and the following of Adrien de la Fago's 
 "Report to the .Societe des Beaux-Arts, Paris." In that 
 most magnificent organ for Sydney, now in course of 
 building at W. Hill and Son's works, London, the larox-st 
 ever built for any English colony, the Harmonic Flutes and 
 Trum]ets are ingeniuusly incorporated in the tremendous 
 army of 12G speaking stops. This English organ will cer- 
 tainly be one of the most remarkable, both as regards tone 
 and mechanical requirements, (.s'^ ^' iiL<(> Ti-onibrin,..) 
 
 Friedrich Ladegast, builder of tlie Xicnlai oigan, l^in'ji-ic, 
 writes on the subject of the harmonic tones oC })ijies 
 (T<jpfer, vol. ii. (ill*; : " It is known that these tones have 
 a power and fullness which can nevt-r ])e ollained by 
 ordinary pipes speaking in the foundaticjn tone only. 'I'he 
 air C'ilumn of such jiipes as give hai'inonic tiinc> i> dividfd 
 into two, three, four, or more \ilir;iting sections. The t<ine
 
 34 All Kxplanutioii of the Oiyan Sfo2X<?!. 
 
 improves in quality, and may be strengthened without 
 becoming shrill, and the whole stop receives uniformity." 
 This reminds me also of the apparatus which Dienel found 
 in the workshops of Cavaille-Coll, and which he described 
 in the Urania for 1878, No. 12. This apparatus demon- 
 strates the effect of harmonics on the foundation tone, and 
 gives a clear list of the names of harmonic tones, the number 
 of sound-waves per second, and the metrical length of 
 the waves. Compare Konig's apparatus, described by 
 Pietro Blaserna of Rome on p. 211, Fig. 86, which is based 
 on the principle of Helmholtz's resonators. By means of 
 his eio^ht resonators, each of which acts throuo-h an elastic 
 membrane on easily affected gas-flames, it may be proved 
 
 (1) that all musical insti'uments have harmonic tones, and 
 
 (2) which these harmonic tones are. (See also Tone Colour.) 
 Harmonic Trumpet. See Harmonic Flute. 
 Harmonics. See Harmonic Flute, Geigenprincipal, Tone 
 
 Colour, Mixture, Octave, and Quint. 
 
 Harmonium. See Physharmonica. 
 
 Hautbois. See Oboe. 
 
 Hohliibte (hollow-tone flute). An open, wide-scale wood 
 stop of a round, rather colourless fluty tone, generally as 
 2-ft., 4-ft., and 8-ft. tone on the manuals, and arranged as 
 Quint stop, labelled Quintflute, Hohlquint (hollow quint), of 
 .5J-ft., 2|-ft., and IJ-ft. tone. It occurs also as 1-ft. Sifflote 
 and as IG-ft. Grosshohlflote. As a particularly rare specimen 
 I found this stop in Ulm Miinster as a 2-ft. pedal stop, 
 where, combined with other stops on the uj^per pedal, it 
 gives, without need of any coupler, a power of expression 
 belonging almost exclusively to the manuals. To explain 
 the term " upper pedal," I must say tliat at Ulm, as 
 well as in the church of St. Paul, Frankfort-on-tlie-Main,
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Sfojis. 35 
 
 in the Marienkirche, Liibeck, and in the Stiftskirche, 
 Stuttgart, there are two pedals placed one above the other 
 (like the manuals) instead of the customary single pedal. 
 This arrangement has been superseded by the present 
 convenient composition and combination pedals. Hohlfiote 
 with Gamba give a felicitous, somewhat horn-like combina- 
 tion. 
 
 Horn. An 8-ft. reed, intonated between Bassoon and 
 Trumpet (Sydney), frequently resemblijig the English Horn 
 
 I. 
 
 Intonation. (From the Latin infovarr, to resound, or, 
 in a transitive sense, to cause to sound.) Intonation (the 
 real art in organ-building, unfortunately so often treated 
 as a minor consideraHon, and also })aid as such) is a tev\a 
 which occurs frequently in this work in the articles both 
 on Flues and on Reeds, and which I will therefore endea- 
 vour to define by a very few words. The intonation of 
 an organ is one of the most important operations, because 
 the tone (in the pi'oper sense of the -svonljof the instru- 
 ment de])end^ U]>r)n it. The wholt; instiMimeiit may bo 
 ver\' Mell built, the' jiijic^ may be ot" vriy god.j material 
 and verv accui-ately executeil, and \('t one may not Ite 
 abh; to call the oigan \'ery excellent, if the ed'ect of each 
 single' tone, as well as of the gi-neral tone, does not corre- 
 spoiul with the fanltlessness of the rest of the work. The 
 result of a masterly intonation is: fl^ the correct cliaracter 
 ibi- each sjiecifs (it" ]iil>c; ( li an easy anJ i'ea<ly -|iiceli. 
 Tojifer '\n|. i. 1 HiO) (\pres~,.s liini<rlf ]ia|i|iily : "It is
 
 36 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 generally much more difficult to combine good speech 
 with good tone, than to separate them; it is, therefore, 
 easier to obtain a good tone if one is satisfied with slower 
 articulation." Gamba and Salicional, for instance, offer an 
 eloquent proof of the progress made in articulation and 
 intonation generally. (See Frein Harmonique.) (3) The 
 possibility of giving the pipe a colouring of tone suitable 
 to its character and denomination {see, for instance, Trumpet, 
 Flauto Traverso, Oboe) ; (4) the careful equalizing, in all 
 registers, of the degree of sound to suit the building ; and 
 (5) the proper temperament (see Octave), and thoroughly 
 complete tuning of the organ, which should more cor- 
 rectly come under the head of tuning. (See also Tone 
 Colour and Keed Stops.) 
 
 J. 
 
 Jeux de Fonds. See Shut-ofF Valve. 
 
 Jubal Flute. (Called after Jubal, the father of music in 
 the Old Testament, Genesis iv.) A doublc-lij^ped powerful 
 Flute, sounding open and bright, similar to the Double 
 Flute, w^hich is also double-lipped. I found this stop on 
 the first manual in St. Paul's Church, Frankfort-on-the- 
 Main ; and, labelled Double Flute (q.v.), as 8-ft. stop 
 seldom as 4-ft. or 2-ft. stop on some of Weigle's instru- 
 ments. As already i-omarlced with regard to the Double 
 Flute, the Jubal Flute has an enlivening effect, if combined 
 with a fine string-tone stop.
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 37 
 
 K. 
 
 Keraulophon (from the Greek KtpauXrjc the horn-blower)^ 
 is a flue, belongmg to the family of Geigenprincipals. It 
 has an exquisite horn-like intonation, and is much used 
 in large new organs, as, for instance, by Roosevelt (New 
 York), 1879, in the Garden City organ (118 stops); by 
 Steinmeyer of Oettingen, 1880, in the Frauenkirche, Munich; 
 and by Hill in Westminster Abbey, 1881; and almost 
 simultaneously by Merklin (Lyon), in the church of St. 
 Eustache, Paris. 
 
 Krummliorn. See Cormorne. 
 
 L. 
 
 Larigot. An antiquated denomination for a very shrill, 
 piercing Quint of l.V^t. tone, with a very wide mouth. 
 Lieblich-Gedackt. >S'ec Gedackt. 
 
 M. 
 
 Material for Pipes. Bej'. (Jamba. 
 
 Measurement. (From the Latin rnclior, mensvra, mea- 
 sure.) Thu manuscript of tlie elevciitli century, moutioued 
 under Fistula, gives prop(n'tions for measuremcuts : "Ilcli- 
 <{uas fistulas ipsius or<liiiis sic iacies ut su[)('i'ior('S gravioris 
 orilinis fccisii.' The expression ".Measurement,' as lie- 
 quently used in this woi'k, jiieans all (liMiensi(iis ot" orgnu 
 
 Jtipes, length, Avidtll, as well as cutting up. All these; 
 
 (!iuieii>i'ins matei'ially intlui-nce the ]iitch. p^wci-. t"ne
 
 38 Ah Explanation of the Organ Stoats. 
 
 colour, and speech of the pipes. The object of inakuig a 
 pipe wide is to obtain a strong, round, thick tone, not 
 easily over-blowing even in the shortest kind of pipe ; 
 beside which, w^de measurements are in proportion to 
 large buildings. A narrow scale gives a more stringy, 
 incisive, and Gamba-like colouring of tone (see also Geigen- 
 principal), and a more readily over-blowing tone, and also 
 that particular brilliancy and acuteness peculiar to certain 
 stops ; it is suitable, under certain conditions, for a small 
 building, and for such u})per manuals as make no pretence 
 to fullness of tone. 
 
 Melodia is an 8-ft. wood flue, labelled Double Melodia 
 when of 16-ft. tone. It is intonated simihirly to Flauto 
 Dolce, and much used in new English and American organs. 
 It occurs as 8-ft. Melodia in the cathedral ortran at Riga. 
 
 Metal. See Gamba. 
 
 Mixture. (From the Latin mixtum, miscere, to mix.) 
 The theorist is inclined to reject the idea of a contrivance 
 by which the higher harmonic fifths and thirds, sounding 
 with each foundation tone, must bring hideous dissonances 
 into every harmonious weft. Practical reasons, however, 
 compel organist and organ-builder to retain these Mix- 
 tuix's. Their purpose is to produce harmonics which exist 
 in a lesser degree iu the foundation sto])s of the organ 
 than, for instance, in the instru}nents of an orchestra, whicli 
 latter, therefore, require artificial harmonics much less than 
 does the organ. Even the orchestra, according to Dienel, 
 cannot quite do without aj'tilicial harmojiics ; considering 
 that the strengtliening by unisons and octaves is nothing 
 more nor less than the skilful utilization of harmonics, or 
 jiartials, such as the 4-it. and Il-ft. stops of the organ })ro- 
 'luce, \\'ell-coui})oscd Mixtures, supported by a practical
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 39 
 
 arrangement of stops, and correctly employed, are a most 
 effective addition to musical resources. To prevent the 
 Mixture stop from being intolerably harsh, it is necessary 
 proportionately to strengthen the lower tones of each note 
 by other stops (Hclmholtz, p. 98). It is on this account 
 that, in small oro;ans with insufficient coverin<T, the Mix- 
 tures jar by the excess of harmonics. (See Octave.) The 
 Mixture often repeats (^ee Cornet) in the tenor and middle 
 octave. The 5-rank Mixture, for instance, based on C, 
 is composed of c (4-ft.), g(23-ft.), c (2-ft.), gCl^^-ft.), c (1-ft.), 
 or of g (2i-ft.), c (2-ft.), g (l^ft.), c (1-ft.), g (i); the four- 
 fold and threefold Mixtures are reduced accoitlingly by one 
 or two I'anks. 
 
 In order to lend greater volume and power to the 
 Mixture, particularly in the absence of a Cornet, and if 
 the foundation tones are not sufficiently represented, the 
 Tierce is added ; but not as highest tone, as in the Cornet, 
 but rather in the middle register, as is the case in Sharp 
 (fjr example, in the Catliolic Church, Berne, where it has 
 six ranks in the ujtper (octaves). Walcker writes me word 
 that he always em[)]in-s the Tierce in Mixture, and in so 
 d(jing obtains a more uniform effect. Tlie ^lixture sto[) 
 occurs Soften labelled Pi-ogressio), ])articularly on ( lei-iiiaii 
 organs ^juite in half the- cases), as thi'ougli, tliat is to say, 
 non-repeating voice, and as snch is generally of from two to 
 five ranks, coiiii)os-(l rcs]icctively of 2:;-ft. and 2-1't. ; of 
 4-ft., 2r:-ft., and 2-ft.: and, linally, (.f S-ft., .Vl-ft., l-ft., 
 2H-ft., ami 2-i't. (rxanijiles in Swit/ciland : l*]ngellKrg 
 ('onvfiit, and eliureh <;f St. .lohn, Scliall'Iiau>i'n;. Tlie 
 .Mixture is nij go m1 without --uHieirut foiunlat ii-n ton<'^, 
 iircaii^e it contains tie' louW soiiielin^' liarnioiiic^ ; it 
 l)elongs, tlierelbi-e, to tin- Creat ( )rgan only.anil lia^ n i il^lit
 
 40 An Explanation of the Organ Stojw. 
 
 to be ever used separately. On the other hand, the great 
 value of a well-arranged and properly covered Mixture 
 has, as already mentioned, been long recognized. It lends 
 to the whole organ energy and decision, to the lower tones 
 distinctness, and to the Great Organ a silver-like brilliancy. 
 Among the old organ-builders, Gottfried Silbermann (died 
 1753, at Dresden) was principally successful in employing 
 this stop, and obtaining for it due recognition. His organs 
 in the Catholic Chapel Royal and the Frauenkirche, 
 Dresden, are still much admired. Zamminer writes, "There 
 seems to be a disinclination to dispense with the sharp 
 incisiveness wliich the clear shrill Mixture pipes add to the 
 bulk of the sounding organ, and to which they stand in 
 the same relation as spice does to food." I have to thank 
 this same scholar for the correct estimation of theory and 
 practice, with regard to the stop, with which I headed 
 this paragraph. The material for Mixture stops is chiefly 
 spotted metal (an alloy of tin and lead ; see Gamba), or 
 metal, as this compound is called in German organ-building. 
 (See also Combinations of Stops.) 
 
 Montre (from the Latin monstvare, to show) is the name 
 given by the French to the visible, or front, Principals. 
 I met with the names Montre and Montre Echo on the 
 Great Organ at Freiburg (Moser); and on the i\Iiinstcr 
 organ at Geneva I found the names IG-ft. Principal, 8-ft. 
 ^Montre, and 4-ft. Prestant on the same manual. (Sec 
 Octave.) 
 
 Musette. S'''' Schalmei.
 
 A71 Explanation of the Organ Stops. 41 
 
 N. 
 
 Nassat (Nazard). A stopped flue pipe, usually occurring 
 as a Quint stop of 5J-ft., 2|-ft., and IJ-ft. tone. Gross- 
 nassat, 10|-ft., produces a 82-ft. tone if combined with 
 16-ft. Principal (see Quint). It is found on some of Haas's 
 large organs. 
 
 Night Horn. As a rule a large scale liorn-like pedal 
 stop (as 4-ft. stop, for example, in the Breslau Cathedral and 
 the Berlin Garrison Church). It is found on the manuals 
 as 8-ft. and 4-ft. tone ; and as a rarity of 2-ft. tone, it 
 occurs in the Benedictine convent at Weingartcn. 
 
 0. 
 
 Oboe, Hautbois, is a very frequent 8-ft. rccd stop, strik- 
 ino^ as well as free, and occurring; onlv^ on the manuals. It 
 represents, although unfoiiunatcly not always, the wind 
 instrument of tlic same name (and is tlicrcfore calleil, as 
 in We.stmhister Ahbey, Orchestral Oboe), particularly in 
 tlio upper octaves, where it often forms tlu' cwutinuatiou 
 of th(,' Bi\ssoon ('/.''.). In the St. Franeois organ at l^au- 
 sjiiuie, and at Ghu'us, the Oboe is arrangeMl as a iVee reeil 
 Avith a swell of its own. A rai\r kiml of < >l)oe, of l-ft. tone, 
 is placed in the cathedral at lliua, ami as Oc(av(! Olnie in 
 tli<' 'I'owu ir;ill oi'gan foi- Sy(ln<'\-, now in eourse ol" buiM 
 iiig by W. Hill iiii'l Sons, houiloii. ll' built by ii iniisl'T. 
 the two stops, Obor and ( 'lai-ionet '''/,'', make siilnwliil 
 ^ol.i-, anil ari' an ornaiiMMit \n ;\]\y <>v^a]] \\'!iiii llnri'
 
 42 An Explanat'ioi of the Organ Stops. 
 
 is a possibility of keeping them in tune I do not like to 
 find any organ without Oboe and Clarionet, even if it have 
 only eighteen or twenty stops, {tiee Reed Stops.) The 
 combination of Oboe with 8-ft. Wienerflote and 4-ft. Flauto 
 Travcrso produces a charming effect, coupled with Flauto 
 Dolce or Bourdon on the first manual, with Sub-Bass and 
 Harmonica Bass, or the latter only, as a foundation, {^ee 
 Combinations of Sto])s.) 
 
 Octave, Prestant, Diapason. This stop is on every organ 
 without exception, and adapts itself to the Diapasons in 
 character, intonation, and size. The first Octave must be 
 half as large as the largest Diapason, the second Octave 
 mu.st be half as large as the first Octave, and so forth.* 
 A 16-ft. Principal, therefore, requires for the completeness 
 of aiTangement the 8-ft., 4-ft., 2-ft., but seldom 1-ft. Octave. 
 As 2-ft. and l-ft. tone it is often called Super-Octave. An 
 8-ft. Octave Bass (and, if possible, a 4-ft. Octave Bass for the 
 performance, for example, of Bach's trios, with a cantus 
 firmus on the pedal) is therefore necessary to the 10-ft. 
 Principal Bass (as pedal stop). The Octave stops are some- 
 times called Prestants (from the Latin, 'p)x<3st<(rc), when 
 })laced in the front (like the corresponding Principals). 
 The Octave stops serve to strengthen the first harmonic, 
 and therefore give more energy and clearness to the 
 larger and deeper Piincipals. In very small organs, where 
 Mixtures cannot be afforded, bright Octaves are absolutely 
 necessary for the clearness of the stop. Where funds will 
 allow, the 2-i't. Octave should never be missing in any Init 
 the smallest organs, it ]eing asup[)ort to the Mixture stops, 
 
 * 'J'lie calcdlations as to infaMircniont aiT, it is true, luatlicinatically not 
 al>.-olut(.'ly corn-el (conijiaic ^Iiildc's " Acoiist ics." ISs:!, p. 277), but inny be 
 accepted a sueh in the teeln)i(jne ol'ur.L'au bail ling.
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 43 
 
 although ah-eady contained in the latter. {Bee Mixture 
 and Flautino.) 
 
 The 4-ft. Octave on the Great manual is one of the 
 most important of all organ stops, and is rightly termed 
 in England the -i-ft. Principal {see Diapason), which it in 
 reality is. This stop is generally used as the starting-point 
 for tempering the organ. An alteration in the cycle of 
 fifths must be made in such a manner that the twelfth 
 fifth becomes identical with the foundation tone, or with 
 one of its octaves ; which result is obtained by tuning each 
 fifth a tritie fiat. By these slight deviations from perfect 
 attuneinent, beats (or pulsations of sound) arc created, and 
 hence the term described in German as "Temj^erament 
 witli equal beats," commonly known as " Equal tempera- 
 iJient." The fifth is fii-st correctly attuned, and then flat- 
 tened till it gives a slow pulsation. (See Tiipfer, vol. i. 
 ]). 827 and the following, on Temjicrament, and on 
 Heinrich Schei bier's mathematical tuning, according to 
 differences of viljration.) 
 
 By presupj)osing the Paris pitch, adapti'd by the Con- 
 ference for deciding pitch at Yieinia, tlie a', whicli is iiicu- 
 tioiiL'd in e\ery oigan contract, makes eight liundred and 
 seventy vibrations p(;i' se'cond at I 2 Itcauniur ( 1 ."> Celsius 
 = ."iir Falii'enlieitj. Conqiai'e Hla^ei'iias 'Sound," ]. .S7. 
 
 J)y taking as basis itln,' so-called jiliysicists" (\ 
 sngL,'este(l l)y Sauveur, adopti-d later on by ('liladni), of 
 .')12 simple or ( }'"rencli) liall'-vibrat ions (explanation follows), 
 to wliieh a Inning-i'ork, a', of ^'''v'; \ ilaat ions would eonc- 
 spind, the folldwing nunie'i'ic pi'o|ioi-tioiis. (l(ii\i(l fnun the 
 nniltii-l.-s of 1', ai-e obtained : :>2-ft. (' witli '.Vl : hifl. (' 
 witlifi}-: s-ft.<'wltli lliS: n't.C witli 2.'.t; ; -J I'l . ( ' with 
 "ill'; and la-llv ,' -ft. (' tie' liiuli'-t (' >>\\ lie' orjan !ia\ in'_r
 
 44 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 16,000 half-vibrations per second (ex. Riga). Compare Du 
 Hamel's " Organ-Builder," vol. iii. p. 137. 
 
 This is the proper place to mention the very interesting 
 way in which one has succeeded, by means of the Double 
 Siren (invented by Seebeck, improved upon by Cagniard de 
 la Tour and Dove, and in its present form constructed by the 
 great physiologist and physicist, Hclmholtz), in determining 
 with mathematical exactness the number of vibrations per 
 second of a chord, an organ pipe, or a human voice. Long 
 before there was anything known of vibrations and their 
 calculations, Pythagoras (580-500 B.C.) had discovered that 
 if you divide a string by a bridge in such a way that the 
 two parts produce consonants, they must be divided as 
 1 to 6. 5f the string be divided so that two-thirds of the 
 string remain on the right, and one-third on the left, this 
 proportion of length 1 to 2 gives the interval of an 
 octave ; just as the proportion 2 to 3 gives the fifth, 3 to 4 
 the fourth, 4 to 5 the major third, and 5 to 6 the minor 
 third. (The proportions of the inversions are obtained by 
 doublino' the smaller fio-ure of the original interval.) 
 
 It was not until much later that it was discovered 
 (Mersenne), from the laws regulating the movements of 
 strings, that the simple proportions of length in strings 
 apply in an equal manner to the number of vibrations of 
 tones ; therefore to the intervals of tone on all musical 
 instruments, and also to that immediately under our 
 notice, the organ. I have mentioned by way of example 
 the simple relative vibrational numbers of the various 
 octaves founded on C. Excellent illustrations, furnished 
 with correspondingly clear explanatory text, of Helmholtz's 
 Duuble Siren, to which we owe such exceedingly important 
 results in pliysical acoustics, arc found in Helmholtz's
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 45 
 
 " Sensations of Tone," part ii., chap, viii., p. 242 ; and in 
 Tjndall's " Lectures on Sound," vol. ii. p. 91. I recommend 
 the latter to my English readers, as the best work on this 
 subject in the English language. Compare the chapter on 
 Reed Stops and Sirens in Melde's " Acoustics," sect. 9 i, and 
 in Blaserna's "Theory of Sound," p. 120. 
 
 In illustration of the above-mentioned vibrational 
 numbers, that for instance of 870 for a', I must add that, 
 according to Tyndall, English and German physicists call 
 a vibration a complete oscillation of the vibrating body, 
 the wave of which bends the drum of the ear first inwards 
 and then outwards. A French physicist, on the other hand, 
 calls a vibration a backward or a forward motion of the 
 vibrating body in one direction only. We have therefore 
 to distinguish between whole vibrations and half-vibrations ; 
 and as the Paris pitch (adopted by the International Con- 
 ference at Vienna) goes by the latter, I have given the 
 numbers accordingly. The a', for instance, mentioned as 
 having 870 (French) vibrations, would have 435 com]>lete 
 German vibrations; the 82-ft. C would have 32 (Frencli) 
 vibrations, but only IG complete German ones. 
 
 Octave Bass. See Flute Bass. 
 
 Octave Coupler engages the higher octave of the stop 
 drawn on tlu^ manual (specimen: Peti'ikirclie, llamliurg). 
 
 Ophicleide. An 8-lt. stop. This name, wliicli at tlie lirst 
 glance aj^pears ratlier far i'etched, is simply derived from 
 the orchestral instrument Sei'})ent ((Jreek or/xa, the snaivc ; 
 lience tlie name), wliieli stnp is still called Ophicleide in 
 France. It is a reed st^p, iVe'[Uently i"ound ou the (lifut 
 manual, as well as on the Swell, in larL:'' new or'j;aiis (lliga, 
 i'ji/'^tori). Its intonation is like that of i1h' Claiiniict , ami 
 its dcgi-ee of strength is ].imji iitionate tu the manual on
 
 46 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. ' 
 
 which it stands. An Ophicleide occurs as pedal stop of 
 IG-ft. tone in Canterbury Cathedral, and in the organ at 
 Garden City, U.S.A. 
 
 P. 
 
 Pasteboard as material for pipes. See Reed Stops. 
 
 Pedal Swell. See Crescendo. 
 
 Physharmonica is a very soft 8-ft. free reed stop, in 
 which the metal tongue, instead of striking on the edge of 
 the groove, vibrates freely within the groove. It is placed 
 in a box, and has no real tube. If the Physharmonica has 
 an appropriate swell, the most wonderful effects can be 
 produced with it. It is arranged as 8-ft. and IG-ft. stop, 
 with bells, in the Miinster at Freiburg, Switzerland. (See 
 Reed Stops.) In the cathedral organ at Magdeburg, there 
 is an 8-ft. Harmonium, identical with the Physharmonica 
 here described (Palme). A well-known effect is ol)tained 
 by combining a good 4-ft. Flauto Traverso with an 8-ft. 
 Flauto Dolce, accompanied by a Physharmonica with a 
 tasteful Crescendo and Decrescendo. (See Combinations of 
 Stops.) 
 
 Piccolo. See Flauto Piccolo. 
 
 Piffaro. A bright 2-rank flute of 4-ft. and 2-ft. tone. 
 
 Pneumatic Action. The pneumatic lever that is, a lever 
 set in motion hy air is a mechanical mediator between the 
 pressure on the keys and the resistance of the trackers and 
 pallets. In a box filled with air and hermetically closed, 
 tliere are as many little l)ellows connected with the trackers 
 as there are keys on the manual, and the finger has only
 
 An ExphAiwtion of the Orgon Stops. 47 
 
 to apply sufficient pressure to raise a little 
 valve. Particulars of this invention of the 
 Englishman Barker, which considerably facili- 
 tates playing, even with couplers, will be 
 found in Topfer, vol. i. p. 542 and following, 
 and in Richter, chap. xi\\ Latterly Pneumatic 
 Action has been successfully applied to (Com- 
 bination Pistons ('2''.)- 
 
 Pneumatic Combination Pistons (buttons) 
 have, particularly in England, and lately also 
 in Germany and Switzerland, been placed 
 above or below the corresponding manual. 
 When pressed by the finger they push out a 
 group of stops attached to them, without 
 interfei'ing with the organist's previous ar- 
 rangement of stops. In this place should 
 l)e mentioned the so-called stop key-l)(>ai-d, 
 which in some organs takes the place of the 
 buttons. 
 
 Portunal Flute. An exceedingly rai-c open- 
 wood Hue pipe of 8-ft. and 4-ft. tone ; which, 
 meaning Bordunal Flute, is undouljtedly de- 
 rived from Bordun. 
 
 Principal (Fig. s), called ^b)ntrc in French, 
 is the chief flue sto]), foun<l without excep- 
 tion on e\eiy organ. It is always made of 
 tlie Ijest niateiial (>"' (Jamba), an<! fn-ms, 
 tastefully ai'ranged in front f>"' I'^jectro- 
 jineumatie Action;, the cbiid" outei' ornament, 
 as Well as the foundation for the wliuie 
 tuning. 'I'lie most ap])ru\-e(| wav <if biiiM- 
 in:; a I'liiieipal Jiijie is to make it nf jiiir.' 
 
 Fig. 8.
 
 48 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 English tin, giving it a high silvery polish. {See Fistula.) 
 If an organ has two or more manuals the Principals 
 are made of different dimensions. On an organ of two 
 manuals, for instance, the Principal of the Great manual is 
 of wide scale, and that of the upper manual of smaller scale 
 (Geigenprincipal, q.v.). On medium or small organs, the 
 Diapason of the Great manual is always of 8-ft. tone ; that 
 is to say, the lowest note of this row of pipes getting 
 smaller as they ascend is about 8 ft. (An exception is made 
 in the case of front pipes, which are lengthened in order to 
 obtain symmetry of outline, and are cut open behind at the 
 point where the pipe proper ends.) I met with an 8-ft. 
 Principal in my travels, which, owing to limited space, was 
 arranged acoustically for the lowest manual tones with the 
 8-ft. Gedackt, and with a mellow wooden 4-t. octave stop, 
 and I did not discover great disadvantage arising from 
 this combination. Very large organs often have both a 
 16-ft. and an 8-ft. Principal on the first manual. In the 
 organ of St. Denis, by Cavaillo-Coll, is found a rare 
 specimen, viz. a o2-ft. Principal on the second manual, 
 which latter is sometimes called the Great manual (Paris, 
 Geneva, and others). On the pedals the Principal is found, 
 even in medium-sized organs, as a 16-ft. stop. As an 
 exception I found, on a very good organ in Jersey, an open 
 16-ft. pedal stop, labelled Grand Open Pedal, which alone 
 counterbalanced the three manuals. This stop resembles 
 in size and power the corresponding pedal stop in the 
 church of St. Laurence at St. Gallen (the latter organ pre- 
 sents the peculiarity of extraordinarily large keys). This 
 peculiar proportion of the pedal stops is also found in large 
 American organs. An arrangement by Roosevelt (New 
 York), for example, only shows one Principal Bass of 16 ft.,
 
 All Explanation of the Organ Stops. 49 
 
 one Sub-Bass of 16 ft., and one Violoncello of 8 ft., amongst 
 33 speaking stops. In the largest organs the 32-ft. Princi- 
 pal Bass is made of wood, seldom of metal. The widest 
 scale Principal pipe of 32 ft., when made of metal, weighs 
 4^ cwt. (specimen : Hof kirche, Lucerne), and has a diameter 
 of about 18 inches, and a circumference of about 5 ft. Accord- 
 ing to Topfer (vol. ii. p. 200), an open 32-ft. Principal pipe 
 requires 1536 cubic inches of wind per second for the C' ; 
 the c' requires 99'4, and the c'"" 6'4 cubic inches per second. 
 Open 32-ft. Principal Bass stops of wood (in some churches 
 erroneously labelled Sub-Bass) are of more frequent 
 occurrence. In most cases, the weight of C, in such a giant 
 pipe, is about 8 cwt., with sides of 2.i, inches thickness, so as 
 to be able to oppose sufficient resistance to the vibrations 
 of the column of air. Tlie sides of organ pipes arc not 
 absolutely motionless ; the vibration of tlic sides can be- 
 distinctly felt as soon as the lipe is blown. As tlio 
 physicist Zamminer, however, says, it is necessary to en- 
 clo.se the air in resisting walls, so that powerful vibrations 
 may be obtained ; if they are slack and yieMing the motion 
 communicates itself through the sides of the ])ipe to the 
 surrounding atmosphere, and tlic vitality of the undulation 
 is annihilated before it reaches the othei" ('ud of the tulje. 
 (.SV/' ( 'oial)inatioJis of Sto])s and Flue Stops.) 
 
 Probe Tin. Sec (Jamba. 
 
 Progressio is a iion-icpcutiiiic stop, morr nearly dcscrilied 
 under the lu-ad oi' .MixtiiiT. 
 
 Progressio Harmonica. Srr Ilaimonica. 
 
 Prolongement. I. < 'nniliination I'ldlimi^iiiimi. Uy 
 means of {\\\> |i(,Mlal, aiian^efl \\>y in^taiic' "ii Walckei - 
 giant or^^'in at IJiga, tlie uiganist is cnable.l t" l<ic|i nii ilir 
 combination of stups alreu'ly chi>>en. \\liil>t In- jini'air^ any 
 
 y.
 
 50 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 other set, which can then, at any given moment, be drawn 
 in place of the former set. (2.) Prolongement Harmonique 
 is a contrivance worked by a pedal or stop, which prolongs 
 the sound of the notes struck on the manuals, even after 
 the fingers have left the keys (for instance, during a pause) 
 and are occupied in combining another set of stops (arranged 
 in Cavaille^-Coll's Exhibition organ, 1878). The effect of 
 this prolongement lasts until the pedal or stop releases the 
 keys of the manual. 
 
 a. 
 
 ftuint is a well-known mutation stop, which has for 
 object the strengthening of the second upper partial. It ap- 
 pears as an open stop with the dimensions of a Principal, and 
 its tubes are cylindrical; but it may also occur cone-shaped, 
 and is then called Gemshorn, Spitzquint, or Nassatquint. 
 The length of the Quint stop is 10 ft. (^.f), 5 J ft., ^ ft., and 
 1\ ft., and depends upon the corresponding Principal. The 
 Quint of the IG-ft. Principal is 10| ft., that of the 8-ft. 
 Principal 5 J ft. ; the Quint of the 4-ft. Octave is 2^ ft., and of 
 the 2-ft. Octave IJ-ft. I .should here mention the invention 
 of Court Kapellmeister Abt Vogler (died 1814, at Darmstadt), 
 who found, by using the tones discovered by Sorge and named 
 after Tartini (differential tones, the origin of which Helm- 
 hoi tz has explained), that in sounding simultaneously a 1()| 
 Quint and a 16-ft. Principal a 32-ft. tone is produced, and 
 that in sounding simultaneously a SJ-ft. Quint and an 
 8-ft. Principal a IG-ft. tone is obtained. It is evident that 
 by avoiding an actual construction of the lowest open Basses, 
 32-ft. and IG-ft., a considerable amount of material is saved 
 (see end of article on Principal). This so-called simplification
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stoj^s. 51 
 
 system of Abt Vogler's is sometimes employed (for instance, 
 for the acoustical 32-ft. tone in Glarus), and I have often 
 recommended it as a vakiable aid (particularly in cases 
 where the height of the church did not permit of any other 
 arrangement). This is the place in which to mention 
 Walcker's interesting combination of the acoustical 32-ft. 
 Grand Bourdon on the Votiv organ at Vienna ; this stop is 
 composed of 16-ft. Principal Bass, 8-ft. Octave Bass, and 4-ft. 
 Octave Bass, combined with l()-ft. Quint Bass and 6'-= Great 
 Tierce. Gottschalg says of these five pedal Basses in reality 
 a 5-rank giant pedal mixture that, thanks to their con- 
 struction, they combine to a single tone, which, in point of 
 roundness, distinctness, and power, leaves nothing to bo 
 desired. They are mounted on a separate sounding-board, 
 which is very responsive. A covered Quint stop fitted 
 with a chimney is called Rohripiint. {See llolirfiote.) Like 
 the mixtures. Quint belongs only to the Great Organ. (Seo 
 Octave for the numeric proportions of the simple intervals 
 to their foundation tone.) 
 
 ftuintaten allows the fifth, that is, the twelfth above the 
 octave, to be very softly heard at the same time as the 
 prime; hence the name of Quintam tenons (see IFehuholtz, 
 p. 152), tliat is, lujlding tlie tilth. Quiiitateii may ]Jossil)Iy 
 lia\'e been derived from the medijuval i.,atin <j'i i ulinh nii.re, 
 French qui ntad > m r (\\\\]\n). Tlie Quiiitaten, bflungiug t) 
 the I'amily of the ( ledackts, owes this (juality to its matrrially 
 nairow seal*.'. On tin' U|i]ur manuals tlie Qiiiiitalrii is of 
 ricli, vohniiinous tone, and when built by a master tbiins an 
 oniaiiH'nt to aiiv o^'an. AuimH"- oi'ijaiis of modciii datr, I 
 mention the great S3ihiey oigan, by Hill anii S'm, in whidi 
 tlie I'l-tt. Quintaten, i)laced un the S(lo Organ, will he of 
 \aluahle -ii \ ice. The Madeleine, I'ari^, jMiv^rs^c. a \ ei-\ laie
 
 52 An Explanation of the Organ Stojys. 
 
 32-ft. Quintaten on the pedals. Zamminer, p. 2G5, gives the 
 following technical explanation of this valuable stop : " An 
 open pipe the size of a Quintaten would be considered a 
 very wide one ; as a Cornet stop it is sufficiently slender to 
 allow of the fifth of the octave being distinctly heard if over- 
 blown, which is still more facilitated by a low cutting up 
 and stronger wind pressure." {See Measurement.) 
 
 R. 
 
 Rauschquint, Rauschflbte. Composed generally of 2-ft. 
 Quint and 2-f t. Octave ; that is, of the fifth and its octave, so 
 that both tones together form a fourth, and have, therefore, 
 a " rustling " sound. I have never found this stop except 
 on large organs. It belongs naturally to the Great Organ, 
 
 Reed Stops. Fig. 9. (Reed pipes, Reed work.) As this 
 term comprises a whole species of stops, in contradistinction 
 from Flue work, and as it occurs frequently in this book, 
 I think it advisable to give a thorough definition of it, in 
 accordance with technical books on the subject. The cur- 
 rent of air, arriving from the sound-board, sets in vibration 
 an elastic tongue (a thin oblong metal plate, Fig. 10, /), which 
 periodically intercepts the stream of air (alternately opening 
 and closing). These vibrations of the tongue, or rather the 
 intermittent impulses of the wind,* which at each vibration 
 break through the aperture closed by the tongue, produce 
 
 * We therefore Itave to deal witli a current of air passing throngli tlie 
 pipe, for which reason JMelde (" Acoustics," p. .308) compares these constant 
 condeusntions and rarefications of the tongue to the periodical changes in 
 density occasioned by the combustion of gas in connection witli the air 
 column, tending to vibrations in the so-called chemical harmonica. An 
 exhaustive description of this instrument, so important for exi)erimeiits on tiie 
 generation of tone in organ pipes, is found in paragraph 80 of the last- 
 mentioned work.
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 53 
 
 the tone, which, in height or depth, depends upon the 
 length and vohime of tlie vibrating portion of the tongue. 
 How very different the build of flue pipes is from that oi' 
 reed pipes is evident from the fact that in the latter the 
 visible part of the pipe (resonant tube, as in Fig. !)) con- 
 tributes in no way to the production of the tone, but only 
 serves musically to refine the sound which originates at the 
 Fig. 9. tongue (and to give it the requisite tone 
 
 colour), and to strengthen it after the 
 
 mode of a speaking trumpet. The heiglit 
 
 of these resonant tubes is, however, strictly 
 
 limited {see Trumpet): and Haas, for 
 
 instance, made a rule pj,, j^^ 
 
 that in blowing across 
 
 the upper edges of 
 
 the tube (see Tyndall, 
 
 "Eight Lectures on 
 
 Sound," p. 212) this 
 
 cavity should produce 
 
 a tone half a note 
 
 higher than the note 
 
 of the reed for which 
 
 the tube is intended. 
 
 \( one wishes to in- 
 vestigate, for instance, 
 
 whether a tul)e has 
 
 the right length for c, 
 
 the hollow of the cu]), 
 
 if blown in the maimer 
 
 above described, must 
 
 <'-ive cj. As I have said, tlie piteh of the tone dej)i'nds 
 
 upon the length of the- excursions of the tongue, wlueli 
 
 
 tc sJ 
 
 ^ o
 
 54 All Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 arc regulated by the tuning-wire. The scale of the tubes 
 depends upon the pitch produced by the greater or lesser 
 vibrations of the tongue. The lower tones naturally receive 
 larger and longer tubes, the higher tones smaller and 
 shorter ones. The tongue is fastened over a groove or reed, 
 which, when at rest, it closes, with the exception of a very 
 fine chink all round its margin. The tongue is either 
 allowed to vibrate freely in the groove {see Physharmonica), 
 in which case it is said to be a free vibrator (anche libre, 
 frei-schiviiigend) (see also Vox Humana), or with each vibra- 
 tion it strikes against the edge of the groove, and is then 
 called a striking reed {aufsclilagend). To soften the fre- 
 quently harsh tone produced by metal beating against 
 metal, modern art of organ-building has very cleverly 
 resorted to fine leather covering for the edges of the grooves 
 to mellower reed stops. 
 
 In Fig. 10, p p represents the air chamber, where the 
 groove and tongue are fixed between the wedge and the 
 block ss. Figs. 9 and 10 represent longitudinal sections, 
 to allow of an inspection of the cleverly arranged interior 
 parts of this species of pipe. 
 
 In consequence of the intense influence which heat and 
 cold exercise upon flue stops, and the difterence in pitch from 
 that of the reeds resulting therefrom, these latter frequently 
 require retuning. I will give one example only of the 
 influence of temperature upon sound : the velocity of sound 
 in air at zero, 32^ Fahrenheit, is 1090 ft. per second ; it in- 
 creases about two feet per every degree of Celsius Qo" of 
 Falir. as the temperature rises. A cold column of air 
 gives a deeper tone than the same column if warmed and 
 therefore rarefied. For, in spite of the same length of the 
 Avaves, the tone in warm air is higher than in cold air
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 55 
 
 because of the quicker succession of these waves. By heat 
 the pitch of flue pipes is, therefore, raised considerably- 
 higher than that of reed stops, which is flattened by the 
 extension, and consequent slackening, of the tongue in the 
 same temperature.* 
 
 This is a proof that, contrary to general opinion, reed stops 
 with sounding tubes are less subject to the changes of 
 temperature, and their effect upon true pitch, than are 
 flue stops, and that, if there is a difference of pitch between 
 these two species of pipes, it is generally brought about by 
 a change in the flue pipes. The trials made in various 
 organ factories fully bear out this argument. These 
 trials were made with a Trumpet and an Octave, which 
 were first justly tuned to the pitch of the tuning-fork, 
 and were then subjected to artificially produced changes 
 of temperature. 
 
 For technical reasons {sue Flue Pipes) the tunhig of the 
 flues should remain the affair of tlie organ-builder ; the 
 organist, therefore, in his attempts to bring his instrument 
 back to the proper pitch, is limited to the retuning of tlie 
 reeds only. But it is easily understood that even tliis 
 operation, whicli is based upon a delicate handling of tlie 
 tongue liy the tuning-wire, slunild only be perftjrmed by 
 conscientimis and ex})crienced hands. And though one may 
 always expect conscientiousness in country organists, yet it 
 would not be fair to look for ex})ciience. One, therefoi'e, 
 refrains from the use of reeil stoj)s in very small ])rovincial 
 organs, and tiies to i-e})lace them in a measiu'e liy the sub- 
 stitution of incisive an<l stiing-tonf'd stoi)S ((lanil)a, \'iola, 
 
 * 'Di'^ tliiTiiiiil influ.-iicc r,:i 111,; iininlpcr "f \ iKi;i( ioin ..f ;i livctcc] toiii^'iio 
 ( I'hy^lmriiioiiir-'a inul I[:iriii"nimn ) nny. n-* cxjicririicr ]ii-uvc-. (Zfllinr ), Im 
 
 rdllHi'liTci illfillitCNitlKlllv Slllilll.
 
 56 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 Geigenprincipal). Where the tuning of the ree<ls can be 
 regularly undertaken by an organist possessing the above- 
 mentioned qualities, one should not, solely on account of 
 expense, omit to provide an Oboe, a Clarionet, a Trumpet, 
 and so forth, according to the size of the organ ; but even 
 then only if its construction has been entrusted to a skilled 
 master. With regard to this tuning, I will venture the 
 remark that I do not care to see it done by either simply 
 forcing down the tuning-wire, or pulling it out by a pair of 
 pincers, in which operation the tuning- wire is so often bent, 
 or even broken ; rather should this, if at all possible, be done 
 with the aid of a properly constructed reed-knife, which can 
 only move the wire up or down vertically. It is always 
 best at once to replace damaged wires, or such on which the 
 knife has no proper hold for want of a notch,* because the 
 knife might slip off and damage the sides of the pipes. 
 
 How important must be a moderate and aesthetically dis- 
 cerning choice of reeds for the flue work, is evident from 
 the fact that no manner of construction is yet known by 
 which it is possible to give to the reeds in the upper 
 registers the strong, piercing tone which, in certain registers, 
 is peculiar to the flues, and by which the latter, in a way, 
 lose their great strength in the lower notes, where in turn 
 the reeds begin to be more decidedly effective. Topfer 
 (" Orgelbaukunst," p. 104) places this distinctly perceptible 
 relative effect of these two species of pipes upon each 
 other in the tenor octave. The difference in the develop- 
 ment of power is most clearly evident ; and it is for this 
 reason that the pedals play such an important part in 
 
 * See Topfer's " Orgelbaukunst," Diagram C V., Fig. 937, whieli represents 
 a reed pipe with the upper end of the tuning-wire (not visible in our Fig. 
 10). and in which thi.- sharp notch may be clearly seen.
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 57 
 
 compositions for the organ (see Marx, "Theory of Com- 
 position," Part I., Bk. ii. p. 830). While, for instance, a 
 32-ft. Principal develops a majestic depth and fullness, the 
 Trombone and Tuba Mirabilis will always have a power 
 and distinctness which, in a way, grates on the ear. The 
 same relation exists between the smaller pipes of each kind. 
 
 It is nationally characteristic of the Germans and the 
 French, that whereas the Germans prefer to hear the 
 peaceful tone of a flue pipe in their church, the French 
 incline towards the more lively character of the Trumpet, 
 and it is for this reason that the German organ is dis- 
 tinguished for its glorious flue stops, while the French 
 organ excels in brilliant reeds. I will give two examples 
 of this ; for instance, the Miinster organ in Ulm (Walcker), 
 as compared to the organ of the Trocadero Palace, Paris 
 (Cavaille-Coll), and the organ of St. Johanniskirche, Stutt- 
 gart (Weigle), as compared to the Miinster organ, Geneva 
 (Merklin), without denying that on both sides I heard 
 faultless examples of both species of i)ipes. Equally 
 admirable and tasteful arrangements are frequently found 
 in England ( W. Hill and Son, London), Holland (T. F. Witto, 
 Utrecht) and in the United States, America (Hamilton 
 Roosevelt, New York, and Hook and Hastings, Boston). 
 The Swiss organ-builders aho turn out excellent instruments. 
 
 I am not sure whether a reason f >r the more frefpieiit 
 occurrence of the very expensive reeds in English, French, 
 Dutch, and American organs, may not be found in the fact 
 that the organ-builder demands and obtains a propoi'tion- 
 atuly higher price for the .sacrifice of time and laljuur which 
 this kinil of pii)e entails. J cannot refrain I'roni siqqxirting 
 most warmly the wish of my csteeiiK'd friend (Idttscliali;- 
 (I^i'd.ni'i, Series for I'ST'S, p. 17'>, and Series for J'ShT,
 
 58 All Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 pp. 37 and 63), and of the Dutch master S. de Lange 
 (Leipsic Musik. Wochenhlqtt, 13th Scries, No. 22), that 
 the conscientious builder, let him belong to whatever nation 
 lie may, ought to be recompensed according to his exertions. 
 In this way the careful scrupulousness in executing all the 
 details of new organs would be cultivated and increased. 
 This is frequently the secret of an organ-builder Ijeing 
 able to turn out a perfect work of art. 
 
 The organ exhibited at Milan with leather-pulp pipes, 
 prepared by a chemical process, leads me to say a word 
 on Italian organ-building, as in nearly every other case 
 the finest organs in Italy (Rome for example) are of 
 foreign origin. In the course of time very diffei'ent 
 materials have been employed (compare the capital work 
 by Wangemann, 1887, 3rd edition), which has been found 
 to be not without influence on the tone colour of the stops 
 (Prof, von Schafhautl and Zamminer). The percentage of 
 the influence of material on sound, however, would not be 
 thought of much account at the present time, and when 
 considering the success of modern organ-building. This 
 latter is, for instance, able, by the art of intonation, to make 
 the transition from metal to wood (see Molina) quite imper- 
 ceptible. This is still more evident if one considers tlie 
 scientifically proved fact (see Flue Stops) that the body of 
 the flue pipe only serves to regulate the vibrating body 
 of air, and to separate it from the outer atmosphere (that 
 is, to limit the quantity of vibrating air). Melde (in his 
 "Acoustics," 1883, p. 242) proposes divers materials for 
 acoustical trials, such as metal, zinc, tin-plate, lead, brass, 
 copper, glass, wood, and pasteboard, and (on p. 24) gives 
 exact tables of the results as to vibrations obtained by 
 small cylindrical pasteboard tubes. Pastor Allihn, wlio has
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 59 
 
 revised the new edition of Topfer's work, writes me word 
 that, if it is intended to form the continuation of the 4-ft. 
 and 8-ft. Octave of wood, he considers the pasteboard 
 material perfectly practicable. 
 
 I therefore accepted with much pleasure the kind 
 invitation of Signor Crespi Reghizzo, professor of physics, 
 and inventor of that material, which threatened the organ 
 with a "paper age," to examine personally the organ a 
 canne di cartone at Milan. On entering the Oratorio 
 di Santa Cristina the front visible in the background 
 reminded me of the similarly painted English show 
 pipes already mentioned {see Principal), only that, in the 
 case of the Italian ortjan, the groundinf^ was leather- 
 coloured. With the help of a clever Italian organist and 
 of the inventor himself, I was enabled to make myself 
 acquainted with the effects of this innovation, so loudly 
 discussed in the papers. As the instrument was erected 
 by a physicist and an intelligent modellist, named Columbo, 
 without the practical aid of an organ-builder, and as its 
 sole object was to prove the usefulness of a new material 
 fur organ-pipes, I will limit myself to making the following 
 mention of the trial. An 8-ft. stop compared with my 
 tuning-fork (S70 French vibrations f(^r a') gave the exact 
 I'aris pitch. The general effect of tlie pasteboard pipes is 
 surprisingly loud and bright, the mixture sound {rlpleiu)) 
 is ])OWerf"ul, and tlie volume of tone on the whole satis- 
 factory. To my ear, somewliat spoilt perhaps, there was 
 wanting the brilliant metallic, and yet rounded, cliaracter 
 of thi; Trumpet, and the decided tone of the jioworful 
 iMigli^h Tuba Mirabilis; and the incisive hai-nionic string- 
 tone of a slende-r-scaled, ])o\verfully l)lown (!amba, supplied 
 with a Frein Ilarmoniqut' : as well as the enchanting delicacy
 
 GO An Explanation of the Organ Stoj^s. 
 
 of our Lieblich-Gedackts and iEolinas. Without intending 
 to, or being able to, supplant the English tin, or the wood 
 of the fir, oak, pear, and inai)le, the peculiarity and sound- 
 producing qualities of which Reghizzo by no means under- 
 values, this new material could still, on account of its un- 
 rivalled cheapness, sooner or later assume a certain rank 
 among existing materials, if supported by modern organ- 
 builders. A modest beginning towards a similar com- 
 bination has already been made in these pasteboard pipes. 
 In reed pipes, for example, the air-chamber, block, and cup 
 are of pasteboard ; the groove and wedge, on the other hand, 
 are of wood, and the tongue is a thin strip of brass, thickest 
 where it is screwed on, and tapering into a thin blade 
 towards the lower end. The brass tuning-wire in no way 
 differs from ours. In the Gedackts and Flues all parts 
 are of leather pulp, with the exception of the block (anima), 
 which is of hard wood, and the stopper, similar to our 
 Fig. 6. It might be in store for a financial company, 
 with the assistance of scientific and musical professionals, 
 to overcome the imperfections of a first attempt, by pro- 
 curing the requisite machinery and consulting competent 
 organ-builders, and critically investigating the new in- 
 vention. It is evident that the most renowned organ- 
 builders of all countries, who are frequently cited as real 
 artists in their profession, will not leave unnoticed such 
 a cheap and easily transportable material ; especially if in 
 the long run it should show sufficient resistance to the in- 
 fluence of temperature, and stability with regard to pitch. 
 Experienced friends, whose advice has been valuable to me 
 from the beginning, agree that it was part of the task 
 of this work to mention this new invention of the clever 
 and gifted Signor Crespi Reghizzo.
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 61 
 
 Still I consider it my duty to remark that, at present, 
 there can be no guarantee for the practicability of employ- 
 ing this material in thoroughly sound new instruments. 
 
 My opinion is that, for the present, the best material 
 for an instrument laying claim to a lasting faultlessness is, 
 from beginning to end, English tin (see Gamba), combined 
 with the above-mentioned kinds of wood, which by Fig. 11. 
 the use of centuries have been tried and proved to 
 be good. 
 
 Regals is the ancient family name for a number 
 of reed stops, amongst which Geigenregal and Jung- 
 fernregal are sometimes used. 
 
 Eohrflbte, Flute a Cheminee (as it is called in 
 France), is a covered flue stop, eitlier of 8-ft. or 4-ft. 
 tone, the lid of which is provided with a chimney 
 (ivhir, Fig. 11), which lends to the tone a peculiar, 
 rather brighter character. The width of this little 
 tube depends upon its length, both dimensions in- 
 creasing or decreasing together. Tlie widest must 
 therefore be almost as long as the flue itself (see 
 Topfer, vol. i. p. 70). The power and brightness 
 of tlie tone grow^ as the tube widens, "whilo if tlie 
 tube be too narrow tlie tone can scarcely be dis- 
 tinguish(,'d from that of a Gedackt. In Silcsian 
 oi'gans for examj)lo, on tlic second manual of 
 the cathedral oigau at Ijrcsluu there is a <loublc-li])])rd 
 llohrilote. In small organs the RohrlloLc sonictiuK's takes 
 the place of the Gedackt on an u[pcr manual, if otliei- 
 wise the flute character l)e too fcebl}' rciu-escntcd. i!i>tli 
 stojis may alM> apiicai- wvy well side by side. Aii\liow, a 
 llolirtlote should ]>\ rights always he sccndarN- to tlie S-t'(. 
 Ijourdon, and slioidd only Ik: ( lupjoycd when tin; latter
 
 62 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 does not occur. (See Bourdon.) Rohrflote, together with 
 a fine, cutting Gamba, Dolce (if arranged on the first 
 manual), or coupled with Viola or Oboe, gives a peculiarly 
 attractive colouring. It combines well with Salicional ; for 
 instance, in the organ at Brienz (Berner Oberland). If 
 necessary it may be refreshed by a bright Flute d' Amour. 
 (See Combinations of Stops.) 
 
 s. 
 
 Salicet. See Salicional. 
 ^^alicional, Salicet. A much affected stop among the 
 strings, arranged as 8-ft. or 4-ft., rarely as 2-ft., and as 
 16 -ft. stop at Riga. It is, as a rule, of wider scale than the 
 Gamba, and is consequently less cutting in character. The 
 Court organist Gottschalg, of Weimar, writes that in North 
 Germany these dimensions of Gamba and Salicional are 
 often reversed. Seidel and Zamminer derive the word Sali- 
 cional from the Latin salicis fistula {see Fistula), English 
 willow-pipe. The articulation of this stop, as well as that 
 of the Gamba, was formerly rather tardy, in accordance 
 with the construction of the pipe. The modern art of organ- 
 building has overcome this difficulty by improved intona- 
 tion (see Gamba). (See yEolina for the use of wood in con- 
 structing the lower tones.) If constructed as a pedal stop, 
 it is called 16-ft. Salicet (Nicolaikirche, Leipsic), or simply 
 16-ft. Salicional (St. George's Hall, Liverpool). In the 
 episcopal church at Lund, Sweden, the Salicional occurs 
 double-li])ped (see Double Flute), according to Seidel, on 
 the second manual. The 16-ft. Salicional closely resembles 
 the Harmonica Bass constructed in other countries (q.v.). 
 A Voix Celeste is often found of charmintf effect with
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stojjs. 63 
 
 Salicional (also Molina) if tuned slightly sharper than the 
 latter. Salicional is one of the most useful stops for fine 
 combinations. I will only mention for instance Wiener- 
 flote, Gedackt, Flauto Traverso, or Flute d'Amour, the two 
 latter as refreshers of the 4 -ft. tone. (See Intonation.) 
 
 Sanftflote. See Wienerflote. 
 
 Schalmei. A soft reed stop, usually of 8-ft. tone (for 
 example at the Hague, Holland, arranged by J. F. Witte), 
 and generally labelled Musette in French organs (Madeleine, 
 Paris). Zamrainer (p. 228) gives a delightful description of 
 this ancient wind instrument (originally a flat tube of green 
 willow bark blown with the lips). He traces back to this 
 instrument, which was used by the shepherds of the Al})s, 
 the origin of the modern Bassoon, Clarionet, Oboe, etc. It 
 appears also as 8-ft. Chalumeau on the third manual of 
 Silbermann's Court organ, Dresden, and as -i-ft. Schalmei on 
 the First Pedal (see Hohlflote) of the Liibeck organ. 
 
 Septime (seventh), as I understood from Profs. Fink and 
 Palme, was intended for the Nicolaikirche (Ladegast) at 
 Leipsic. The organ-builders Avhom I consulted are of 
 different opinion concerning the value and effect of this 
 stop. The organ of Notre Dame, Paris, has three Scptimes, 
 one of 4| ft. on the pedals, and two of 2= ft. and II I't. 
 respectively on the manuals. 
 
 Serpent, IG ft., and the 8-ft. Bassethorn, measured on 
 the same I'oundation, are sinootli, free r('c<l pedal stops, as 
 a rule without a tube, like IMiyshaniioiiica. They repre- 
 sent the smooth reed-chai'acter on the upjicr pedal of the 
 I'lm Cathedral, and on the Swell pedal of the cathedral 
 organ, Itiu;a. (Sre Ophielcide for its I'elations to this stoji.) 
 
 Sesquialtera. A 2-rank mixture stoj) rfscnililiiiL;- Sli;w|), 
 inasmuch as it also has a tliird. thou'di not in tlie hrsL
 
 64 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 position like that stop, but as fifth and twelfth from the 
 foundation tone ; that is to say, on striking the note c', 
 the notes g' and e' are heard. It belongs to the Great 
 Organ, 
 
 Sharp is a mixture stop of from three to five ranks, 
 which differs from the mixture proper in that it contains 
 an obbligato third in its first position (for example, Frank- 
 fort-on-the-Main, Berne) ; therefore, if of three ranks, it has 
 c, e, g ; if of four ranks c, e, g, c, and if of five ranks g, c, e, 
 g, c. It belongs to the Great Organ, and is found in English 
 organs under the Latin name Acuta, or as Sharp Mixture, 
 
 Shut-off Valve is a stop, found for instance on the Mlin- 
 ster organ at Berne, which admits and intercepts the 
 passage of wand by means of a valve which works in tlic 
 Fig 12 wind-trunk. It is also used in conjunction wuth the 
 slider for combining different groups of stops. It is 
 used by Cavaille-Coll, Merklin, Ladegast, Stein- 
 meyer, and others. In French organs the manuals 
 as well as the pedals have their Jeux de Fonds 
 (foundation stops) and Jeux do Combinaison (com- 
 bination stops) on different portions of the wind- 
 chest. Accordingly as the pallet of one or other of 
 the divisions is opened or closed, the combinations 
 of the different groups of stops can be sounded. 
 Siffldte. See Hohlfiote. 
 
 Spitzfldte (spire or tajocr flute) is a mucli-used 
 open metal stop, with conical tops (Fig. 12). Its tone 
 is somewhat brighter than that of Flute d'Amour, 
 and it is often used as sharpening stop for several 
 mellow 8-ft. stops on the upper manuals. It appears 
 moi-c t'i-e(iuent]y as an <S-ft. than as a 4-ft. tone. (Sec Flute 
 d'Amour for its occasional arrangement on the first manual.)
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Sto2^s. 65 
 
 In combination the 4-ft. Spitzflote ranges in point of power 
 between 4-ft. Flute d' Amour and 4-ft. Gemshorn, which 
 stops it sometimes replaces. 
 
 Stentorphon. See Tuba Mirabilis. 
 
 Stop Manuals. See Pneumatic Combination Pistons. 
 
 Stopped Diapason. See Gedackt. 
 
 Saabile. See Suavial. 
 
 Suavial, Suabile. A soft-toned stop like Geigenprincipal, 
 often found on old organs as 8 -ft. stop beginning at c', as 
 for instance in the French Church at Berne. 
 
 Sub-Bass (often labelled Bourdon, Grand Bourdon in 
 England). The name of a stop with a 16-ft. or 82-ft. covered 
 pipe. (See Gedackt.) In small organs, where the size of the 
 church does not admit of the 16-ft. open pipe, Sub-Bass is 
 ([uite indispensable (or even side by side with this). We 
 advise the use of Harmonica Bass (q.v.) with Sub-Bass, 
 if there is a liberal allowance of pedals, which stop, dis- 
 creetly giving precision to the sombre fullness of the Sub- 
 Bass, is, in such combination, of special value. In large and 
 small organs Sub- Bass forms one of the most essential stops ; 
 and even in the smallest instrument a coupler to the first 
 manual should not be deemed a sufficient substitute. From 
 an acoustic point of view it is worth mentioning that my 
 experience of the chai'acter of this stop is that tlic same 
 note, which may have a tremendous effect in one ])art of tlie 
 church, may scarcely be audiljle a few j)aces from tliis spot. 
 This acoustic peculiarity of Sub-Bass (and otlier tones of 
 lower registers) has therefore caused great troul)le to many 
 a builder, and has often made the sHtisracti<in of r\|)eit> 
 'jUcstionable. Prof Dr. Forster, of iiei'iie, wi-itcs to nit.' 
 on this subject: "It wouM be doing tin' oigan IiuiMn- a 
 U'vcat injustic if" onr att iiliut<'(l tliis jiliindnMiinii \<< :i 
 
 y
 
 GG An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 faulty construction of the instrument. In different parts of 
 the church increase and decrease in the tone, especially if 
 this be of great length of undulation and of great intensity, 
 may arise from resonance as well as from interference * 
 of dii'ect and reflected waves.t The appearance or non- 
 appearance of these phenomena is dependent upon the shape 
 and proportions of the interior of the church." Tlie pro- 
 fessor had the kindness to prove to me a<l oculos by phy- 
 sical experiments this explanation, which is as clear as it is 
 concise. Those of my English readers who may take 
 special interest in these remarkable phenomena in the 
 province of physical acoustics are referred to the inimitably 
 clear and unrivalled Lectures on Sound by Tyndall. (See 
 Principal Bass for the name Sub-Bass instead of Principal 
 Bass.) Sub-Bass lends itself well to the accompanying 
 of any soft combination. It gains a delicate precision by 
 the aid of Harmonica Bass and Violon Bass. It becomes, 
 however, still more precise with Violoncello. Flute Bass 
 and Octave Bass render Sub-Bass not only more precise, but 
 also thicker and sounder. (See Flute.) An admirably delicate 
 reinforcement of the Sub-Bass is obtained by coupling it to 
 a suitable stop on the second or third manual. (See Couplers 
 and Combinations of Stops.) 
 
 Swell. See Crescendo. 
 
 Swiss Flute (formerly more frequent in Germany than 
 
 * If two or more stones are thrown into still water at different points, two 
 or more systems of rings are formed, which in expanding meet. This meet- 
 ing tliat is, the phenomenon occasioned by it is called interference. 
 Beyond the point of meeting the waves proceed undisturbedly the same as 
 before. 
 
 t If in an enclosed space a sound is produced, the waves of sound progress 
 in all directions, beating against the walls, from which tliey are then rellected. 
 The angle of reflection is that which is formed by a vertical line erected at 
 the point struck by tlie lay of sound, and by the rellected ray itself.
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 67 
 
 in Switzerland) is an 8-ft. stop, which, in spite of its name, 
 belongs rather to the string family, as for example on the 
 Great Organ of the instrument in Magdeburg Cathedral, 
 where it means a loud Gamba. The name Swiss Flute, in 
 the same way as Wienerflote {q.v.), has therefore no foun<la- 
 tion whatever. 
 
 T. 
 
 Temperament (from the Latin tempcrnre, to regulate, to 
 jtroportion) is the manner, described under the head of 
 Octave, of deciding the intervals (laying the bearings), 
 which, in short, enables us to play relatively in tune in all 
 keys (Equal Temperament). 
 
 Terpodion (from the Greek repino, to delight), according 
 to C. F. Richter, was originally a keyed instrument struck 
 with wooden sticks ; according to Schuberth, however, a 
 keyed instrument similar to the pianoforte. This sto|) is 
 arranged as a pipe with flute-like intonation on the third 
 manual of the great Marien organ at Liibcck, and on the 
 fourth manual of the cathedral organ at Halberstadt. 
 
 Tierce. A mutation stop, of Flute tone and Principal 
 size (metal), which, as its name denotes, gives, chiefly in 
 larger oi'gans, the major third e when intonated on c. It is 
 often, like many Quints and Mixtures, mistakenly arrangcil 
 on small provincial oigans ; that is to say, without suilicicnt 
 covering by foundation sto])s. It occurs as b-j-ft, 'il,-it, 
 and <i?|-l't. tone. An iniconiinon Tierce of l'2'i-i't. occurs 
 oil the jK'dal of the Nicolai oi'gan, Ijcipsic. It belou^-s to 
 tlif Great Organ. 
 
 Tone Colour. This cxiircs^iim In)- the (jualify. oiv as tlic
 
 68 An Explanation of the Organ Stojis. 
 
 French say, the timbre of a stop, has, in the course of this 
 book, been used on almost every page to designate the 
 characteristic difference of the oral effects of the various 
 stops; a further definition may therefore not seem ill- 
 placed. Even if we only compare the Oboe with the Flute, 
 or the Trumpet with the Violoncello, we shall see that, 
 although tuned to the same pitch, they cannot be mistaken 
 for one another, on account of the difference in their Tone 
 Colour. The expression " Tone Colour " has been used by 
 Helmholtz, the greatest authority on acoustics of any age, 
 in his " Sensations of Tone," and has thereby, in the ter- 
 minology of musical science, become classical. (Compare 
 Melde's " Acoustics," p. 345.) Tyndall owns that the Eng- 
 lish language has no equivalent, and he therefore envies 
 the German language the suppleness with which it adapts 
 itself to the requirements of nature. It is well known that 
 colour also depends upon the velocity of vibrations, so 
 that, for example, a blue light has the same relation to a 
 red one as a high note has to a low one. Tyndall felici- 
 tously compares any one single colour, which has a simple 
 ratio of vibration, with a tone, the vibrations of which 
 cannot be divided into simpler ones (every tone, the 
 vibrations of which have a complicated form, such as a 
 string, must be capable of being divided into a number 
 of simple tones, all of which belong to the harmonic scale 
 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Compare Blaserna's " Theory of Sound," 
 p. 200) ; while a mixed colour corresponds to a sound, 
 for the production of which the foundation tone and the 
 characteristic harmonics act together. Hence the expres- 
 sion "Tone Colour." In ray article on Geigenprincipal, I 
 have made practical use of this theory, by the aid of which 
 Helmholtz explains the violin-like colour of tliis stop.
 
 A)i Explanation of the Organ Stops. 69 
 
 Some stops, which strengthen certain high upper partials 
 more than the lower ones, serve to produce specially 
 characteristic Tone Colours, and thereby distinguish them- 
 selves from the others. A favourable centre for the 
 foundation of the bulk of the harmony is formed by the 
 sound tone-power of the Principal proper {q.v), which 
 does not bear this name for nothing. The organ has this 
 advantage over all other instruments (says Helmholtz), 
 that the player can mix the Tone Colours in a far higher 
 degree in accordance with his feelings and the character 
 of the piece he is rendering. It is evident how grateful 
 a field for the production of the most varied shades of tone, 
 even with limited means, is open to the skilful organist. 
 He must therefore shun no pains to make himself thoroughly 
 acquainted with tlie Tone Colour of each stop on his organ; 
 he will find himself plentifully rewarded by the skill in 
 combination which he will soon acc^uire. (>S*cc also Com- 
 binations of Stops.) 
 
 Tremulant. The Tremolo, or trembling, is produced on 
 new organs chiefly by a pallet in the wind-trunk, which, 
 when not in action, presses firmly on the frame of the 
 trunk. When raised by the draw-stop, it vibrates freely 
 in the air-current and offers resistance by means of springs, 
 which assist the vibration. Tremulant is a draw^ stop used 
 often to vulgarity, to wliich being, as Prof Zt-llner exi)resses 
 himself, a "barbarism" no importance can Ite attached 
 (.sec Helmholtz, p. 251). The Treuiolo can only V)e ap])lied 
 with eflect to the most dt'licate stops in the Swell (n'V', b.i- 
 exaini)l(", Vox Humana), and even then only rarely, ami 
 with tast<' ami moderation. In the Xvdeek oii^^an at Heme, 
 the front side of tlie wind-ti-unk, in wliicli the 'i'lcuu'lo 
 w(jiks, is of glass, so that its elieet may he la^ily rciiiaikrd
 
 70 A a Explanation of the Organ Sto2)s. 
 
 A new effective Tremolo is (Dienel) now constructed after 
 the manner of blowers (ventilators), which are turned by 
 the current of air like a fan with wdngs. {See also Unda 
 Maris.) 
 
 Tromba. Means also Trumpet. 
 
 Trombone, Contra Trombone, is a beating reed, intended 
 to imitate the sound of the orchestral trombone, and 
 is seldom missing on large organs. Next to the Eng- 
 lish Tuba Mirabilis {q.v.), it is the most powerful and 
 sonorous of all organ stops, and therefore requires a cor- 
 responding number of loud, voluminous stops to prevent 
 it from drowning the others. In medium-sized organs it 
 is often replaced by the softer Bombard. The Trombone 
 occurs oftenest as a 16-ft. stop, and as Double Trombone 
 (Contra Posaune) as 32-ft. stop. (In the magnificent organ 
 now in course of building by W. Hill and Son, for the 
 Town Hall, Sydney, I find the most remarkable feature 
 in the specification to be the G4-ft. Double Trombone on 
 the pedals. This tremendous and peerless reed will, it 
 is confidently believed, have a fine tone and ready speech, 
 but cannot be used except with the Great Organ to good 
 efiect. I here mention with pleasure that in England the 
 art of organ-building is of the highest order, and that the 
 oldest and largest English firm, W. Hill and Son, founded 
 1755, employ at present 140 men in their workshops.) The 
 tubes, usually of wood, are in the shape of inverted four- 
 sided pyramids. By the use of tin for the resonant tubes 
 the tone becomes, perhaps, more brilliant and expressive. 
 The Sydney organ above mentioned has a 32-ft. Double 
 'i'rombone of metal. {Ser Heed Stops.) 
 
 Trumpet, 8 ft, Tuba, 10 ft., Clarino, Tuba, Clarion, 4 ft., 
 Clairon, 4 ft., have all tlio sliajX' of an inverted cone. Built
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 71 
 
 and intonated by a master, and supplied with a proper- 
 sized tube, it is a brilliant stop of decided effect. In this 
 stop is shown what the modern art of organ -building can 
 accomplish by careful intonation. One now feels great 
 satisfaction in finding on organs by good makers a Trumpet 
 of a softly rounded and yet lively metallic sound, very 
 different from the hard crashing sound, which in old 
 organs made the Trumpet intolerable. The tone of the 
 organ under its influence loses the dull monotonous 
 character peculiar to combinations of nothing but flue 
 stops. The Clarino (Clairon) is a small Trumpet of 4-ft. 
 tone, found not only on the pedals (along with 8-ft. 
 Trumpet), but also on the manuals. On the Munster 
 organ, Geneva, at Glarus, and in Temple Neuf at Strass- 
 burof, I found a i-ft. Clairon on the Great Manual as well 
 as on the pedals. English organs often possess several 
 Clarions with strikingly brilliant effect. On the pedals 
 of the Stiffs organ, Stuttgart, and on the Munster organ, 
 Ulm, there is a Clairon of 2-ft. tone. In the higliest 
 octave on the manual this stop repeats (that is, starts 
 again with the lai'gcr pipes), because its building would bo 
 too difficult up to V". 
 
 In organs wliich do not ])0ssess any of the modern 
 improvements, it is advisable to exclude the Trumpet from 
 the composition pcilals, unless there is a chance of regular 
 tuning of the organ, particularly of the reed stops. If not, 
 tlie Ti'umpet, when out of tunc (n'*' Reed Sto[s), makes 
 the composition sto])s as good as useless. I)y means of 
 these modern coutrivanet's, already iiientiomid, any one 
 stop may be cliniinated IVom a coiiibinat ion loimcd li\' tie' 
 coiiiposition jiedai. (Sic I'licuniat ic ( 'oniliinai ion I'islons. ) 
 Jf intonated iy an cxpeiifiicfd hand, the Tniniiict ir(|uiirs
 
 72 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 
 
 no combination to be effective ; but I can recommend the 
 melodious, healthy tone of a good Principal as a reinforce- 
 ment, and the 8-ft. Bourdon with 4-ft. Fliite d' Amour to 
 give it a more tender colouring, or, if necessary, a larger 
 group of flue stops. (See Tone Colour, Intonation, and 
 Combinations of Stops.) 
 
 Tuba, Contra Tuba, Tromba, Double Trumpet. A trumpet 
 of ] 6-ft. tone. (See Trumpet.) 
 
 Tuba Mirabilis. A stop much used in England for 
 concert organs. It is a very powerful, perfectly round, 
 precise, non-crashing 8-ft. Trumpet, or Trombone, generally 
 placed on the Solo manual, which receives a considerably 
 heavier often more than double pressure of wind, and is 
 extremely effective. This stop may be opposed singly to the 
 Great Organ. In Roosevelt's organ (115 stops) at Garden 
 City, U.S.A., the wind-pressure of the Solo manual to that 
 of the Great manual is as 10 to 3^. In this organ the Tuba 
 Mirabilis is supported by the powerful and rare stops, 8-ft. 
 Stentorphon and 8-ft. Baritone. In the splendidly restored 
 organ at Westminster Abbey, Messrs. W. Hill and Son in 
 London have mounted an 8-ft. Tuba Mirabilis with heavy 
 wind on a special Tuba sound-board. Walcker has proved 
 by the introduction of his Tuba Mirabilis on the Great 
 manual of his cathedral organ at Riga (124 speaking stops) 
 that German builders also employ this tremendous stop, the 
 mighty power of which is often still more increased by the 
 rarely found Cornettino, a 2-ft. reed-stop. 
 
 u. 
 
 Ilnda Maris (wave of the sea). A flute-like metal stop, 
 tuned .^lightly lower than anotlier (equally soft) sto}), with
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 73 
 
 which, when played, it produces a peculiarly fluctuating 
 (wave-like) tone. {See Tremulant on the temperate use of 
 Tremolo stops.) According to Dr. Faisst's opinion on this 
 stop, it would seem that earnest professionals do not approve 
 of the Vox Humana, Yoix Celeste, and Tremulant. I agree 
 with the milder opinion of Prof. Zellner, of Vienna, that, 
 according to circumstances, a delicate, moderately vibrating 
 stop may be very characteristic, and in this case has, 
 even from an artistic point of view, a certain claim to 
 recofjnition. 
 
 V. 
 
 Vibrations. See Octave. 
 
 Viola (Viola d'Amore, Viola di Alto). A delicate, string 
 tone metal stop, frequently of S-ft. and 4-ft. tone, which is 
 often required to represent the Gamba-likc character on 
 the upper manuals. It is meant to imitate the tone of tlie 
 viola (tenor, hratscJie), and is one of the most lovely solo 
 stops. Bergner, of Riga, has on the first manual of his organ 
 a Viola di Alto of wood, possessing a Gamba-like string tone. 
 In certain registers he prefers this wood stop to a metal one. 
 It comlincs like Salicional (7.''., and Intonation). 
 
 Violin Diapason. Src Viol i no. 
 
 Violino (Violina, Violin Diapason) is a sliarp metal stop 
 resembling Geigcni)i'ineii)al, and occurs asl-f't. an<l S-ft. tone, 
 for instance, on the instruiuents of W. Hill ;uid Sou, llook 
 and Hastings, and Roos(nelt. (It occurs also in the Cliurcli 
 of the Holy (Ihost, Magdeburg, as an S-ft. stop, and as 2 -ft. 
 stoj) on the fourtli iiiauual of tie' Nienlaikiicln', bri|i>i<-.) 
 
 Violon. l)r. I''ais>f ad\ i>'> that in ca.^f tie' vi r\- ineisiv i-
 
 74 An Explanation oj the Organ Stops. 
 
 8-ft. Violoncello should not suit the quality of the general 
 tone, a wider-sized and rather more powerfully intonated 
 Violoncello, of a clear, sound, and only moderately stringy 
 tone, should be used. He then calls it 8-ft. Violon, in contra- 
 distinction to the proper 8-ft. Violoncello. The name Violon 
 often occurs in Northern Germany for a similar 8-ft. stop, 
 and I have now and again proposed it for Swiss organs. 
 
 Violone. See Violon Bass. 
 
 Violon Bass is a 16-ft. wood pedal stop, after Sub-Bass 
 the most commonly used stop. It is of small scale, and has 
 a pleasantly stringy tone, similar to Double Bass (labelled 
 Violone on the Sydney organ). It combines admirably 
 with IG-ft. Sub-Bass and 8-ft. Flute Bass, and gains decision 
 by the aid of Violoncello. {See Harmonica Bass.) 
 
 Violoncello, of 8-ft. tone, answers to the 16-ft. Violon 
 Bass, and is a prominently characteristic pedal stop, corre- 
 sponding in construction, material, and tone colour to the 
 Gamba on the manuals. I have found this stop most satis- 
 factory on all newer organs by good builders, and a cliarac- 
 teri.stic well-articulating Violoncello has been mentioned 
 under " Intonation " as a specimen of the progress made in 
 the art of modern organ-building. (For its combination 
 wJili Sub-Bass and Violon Bass, q.v.) 
 
 ^^^oix Celeste (Celestina) is an 8-ft. metal stop, slightly 
 higher in pitch than iEolina and Salicional, and oftener 
 employed in combination witli these stops than as a solo 
 (arranged as 4-ft. Celestina on the Sydney organ). It has 
 a fine effect (for example, in the Catholic Church, Berue) 
 with the accompaniment of an open Flute (for instance, 
 Flauto Dolce, Fliite d'Amour, etc.), or in combination with 
 Lieblich-Gedackt or Wieneiflote. {See also .Molina and 
 Salicional.) It is sometimes labelled, Latin, Vox Coelcstis
 
 An Explanation of the Organ Stops. 75 
 
 (celestial voice). It must not be mistaken for Vox Angelica 
 (angelic voice), which occurs often as a reed, but has been 
 placed by Walcker in the cathedral organ, Riga, as a 4-ft. 
 llue stop. 
 
 Vox Angelica. See Voix Celeste. 
 
 Vox Humana is an 8-ft. metal stop, intended to imitate the 
 human voice, and constructed differently by almost every 
 organ-builder. In spite of the best construction, how- 
 ever, something nasal is always perceptible in the metal 
 tone. According to Helmholtz, the sound in reed pipes 
 is produced by a series of intermittent pulses, which, at 
 each vibration, break through the opening closed by the 
 tongue. {See Reed Stops.) Hard, unresponsive material, 
 like that of brass tongues, makes the individual pulses 
 appear more broken than does soft, responsive metal. 
 It is clear that this is tlie reason why the notes of the 
 human voice, if well trained, excel in mt41owness of tone, 
 and thus diff(ir from any of the reeds, even from the best- 
 constructed Vox Humana (.see Holmholtz, p. IGl). The 
 effect of the Vox Humana is improved by local })cculiarities, 
 not materially connected with it ; for instance, placement 
 ill a separate sounding-box, comljination with a Lieblich- 
 ( Jedackt or Bourdcjiiechu in the Swell, tasteful use of the 
 Tremulant. I desist, fu' evident reasons, from investi- 
 gating liere to which of the last-named acoustical agents this 
 (r that \'ox lluniana may owe its success with the public, 
 and agree in this with Du llaniel (Tiipfer's " Oigcl- 
 liaukuiist "j, that style (tf architecture, clever choice (^f the 
 nnisieiii pieces, e'.\{)erienee of the organist, and the iiiomen- 
 tary disposition of the auditor x\.\r. s(jiuetinics much iiiuic 
 cssriitial to the suct'iss of this stop than tiie [lailiculaf 
 (.<n>trueliijn (j1" thf l'ili'.
 
 7Q An Explanation of the Organ Stojjs, 
 
 w. 
 
 Waldflbte is a 2-ft, stop of wide scale, with a strong 
 fluty tone, to be found on large organs (for instance, Riga 
 and Lucerne). In the lower registers it is made of wood, 
 in the higher ones of metal. In the cathedral organ at 
 Magdeburg it is arranged as 4-ft. stop. {See Flautino.) 
 
 Wienerflote is one of the most charming wood flutes, 
 intonated rather brighter than Flauto Dolce. As a rule, 
 it occurs on one of the upper manuals as an 8 -ft. or 4-ft. 
 solo stop, more particularly in Swiss organs, where it 
 might with equal correctness be called Concert Flute. 
 Under this name I have found it on the third manual of 
 Walcker's organ at Miihlhausen. It may also be called 
 Zartflote and Sanftflote ; labelled thus, it occurs as 4-ft. 
 and 8-ft. tone in the Nicolaikirche, Leipsic. The denomi- 
 nation " Wienerflote " lacks all etymological or historical 
 foundation. In the new Votiv^ orojan, althouojh this stands 
 in Vienna itself, there is not a single Wienerflote amongst 
 sixty-one speaking voices. The competent builder of this 
 organ has, however, placed a Wienerflote on the third 
 manual of the cathedral organ at Riga, in order to satisfy 
 the increasing demand for a stoj) of this name. Wiener- 
 flote is one of the most useful stops on the upper manuals, 
 not only as a solo, but also for combination with any 
 other stop. I found it particularly beautiful in combina- 
 tion with Oboe and Flauto Traverso. (See Combinations of 
 Stops.)
 
 A71 Explanation of the Organ Stops. 77 
 
 z. 
 
 Zartflbte. A very delicate and smooth wood flue stop, 
 varying in construction according to the builder. It is 
 generally of 8-ft. tone, appearing only on the upper 
 manuals. Its combinations are the same as those of the 
 Wienerflote {q.v.). 
 
 rRp.iri. I',',' uii.i.iA\r i i."',M" , ,\vn m>ns, i.imitkh, L".M"
 
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