Organ stops question

Lars

I played a pipe organ the other day, two manual:
on the positiv you have 8' flute, 4' flute and 2' principal.
on the great you have 8' principal, 4' principal and 2' flute ...
why?

ServiamScores

Depends on the voicing of the stops, the style of the instrument, and much more. One reason to pair a principal with a flute chorus is to make the flute chorus have more presence, so the two choruses of stops have a better balance or better serve as a foil to the other. If it was all principals verses all flutes, the disparity might be too large. It's also worth noting that voicing is a spectrum, and on some organs, there is precious little difference between a string diapason and a gamba, for instance. Usually it's just volume. You can also end up with very keen flutes that are nearly principals in their keenness.

Regardless, it is very common for small divisions that are based on a 8' flute to have 4' principals so they can serve as lesser plenums. Only having a 2' prin is less common, I'd wager, but not unheard of, especially if it is voiced mildly.

CharlesW

What hath organ builders wrought? Sometimes it is a bit difficult to imagine what the builder had in mind. I once had a great with a 2' principal that couldn't be played by itself. It only played as part of an aggressive 3-rank mixture. I had it broken out to play alone if needed. It made a huge difference in the sound of the instrument. Same with a 2' flute on the Swell. It was the base for a 2 and 2/3 stop.

Palestrina

I just find it bizarre that the Positiv has a Principal 2', rather than a Principal 4' - Pretty much without historical precedent there. And how on earth do they tune that division properly?!

What's the full specification?

liampmcdonough

I would bet money that these ranks are unified, and this is one (ill-conceived) way to achieve 2 choruses with 2 independent ranks within each

Lars

I don't think it has unified stops, it's a fully mechanical organ. It's small, the positiv only has these three stops, and the great has additionally a flute 8', mixture, and a trumpet 8',
one 16' pedal stop, and all the usual couplers.

francis

The two foot is prob for full organ or to be coupled with the flute

Anna_Bendiksen

I walk up to the organist to ask when rehearsal is.

He ignores me and starts playing the Durufle Op. 4.

Organ stops question.

(Don't forget to tip your waitress, folks)

Gamba

Aha! With those other stops I see what’s going on. Guessing the organ was built according to Orgelbewegung ideals, presumably from 55-75. The theoretical idea, based on questionable scholarship, was for it to be used as follows:

-The great has a straight principal chorus, the 2’ principal pitch being provided by the mixture. It also has a 2’ flute for use as a solo stop or with the 8’ flute.

-The positiv has softer flutes 8&4, but still has a principal component in the 2’ principal. This theoretically allows the positiv to be used as a smaller, contrasting principal chorus/plenum to the bigger one on the great (for echos, fugue episodes, etc.) and to be adequately independent for trio playing and to accompany the trumpet. Presumably there was not room for a 4’ principal.

-If one wants principals 8,4,2, or flutes 8,4,2 this can be done via the coupler.

It’s a cute idea and makes sense on paper, but in reality, I’ve yet to meet a little organ built on those lines where the Great mixture is not pitched too high and deafening, so the absence of a 2’ principal is deeply missed, and 8,4,2 on one manual and 8 on the other is such a useful and common way to set up an organ (for the psalm, alleluia, etc.) that I find this setup a huge pain.

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