The Organ Forum

Recently, while doing some research on organ stops, I realized that many names have all but disappeared.  An example of one which was quite prevalent in the early 1900s was the "cow" stop (at least, that's what I called it).  The Clarabella 8'.  Organ builders appeared to favor it.  What happened to it?  How did it lose its popularity?

What is your disappearing stop name?  Please be sure to list the pitch as well as tone quality--if known.

Michael

Here are a couple 8' string stops:

I miss the shy Aeoline, so many of which were sliced into mutations, or unceremoniously tossed into the dumpster.

Apparently our modern ears do not have the patience for a true pianissimo. 

Despite occasional appearances here on the Forum the rare Keraulophone remains an elusive creature!  I would love to encounter this stop in person.

I heard an 8' Bell Gamba that was utterly beguiling.  They are 'too expensive' to make new and they do take up valuable space on a chest.

The Heckelphone is a rare reed with a fun name.

Yesterday I did a concert on an organ with quite a collection of rare stops: a Corno d'Amore (a sort of full Oboe), a Viole d'Orchestre, an Orchestral Oboe, and a Cornopean.

I miss the shy Aeoline, so many of which were sliced into mutations, or unceremoniously tossed into the dumpster.

Apparently our modern ears do not have the patience for a true pianissimo. 

Despite occasional appearances here on the Forum the rare Keraulophone remains an elusive creature!  I would love to encounter this stop in person.

I heard an 8' Bell Gamba that was utterly beguiling.  They are 'too expensive' to make new and they do take up valuable space on a chest.

The Hecklephone is a rare reed with a fun name.

Joe Whiteford of Aeolian-Skinner liked aeolines and included some as late as the 60s organs he designed. One was a 1960 for national City Christian in DC and the other for St Paul Cathedral RC in Minnesota currently undergoing renovation/enlargement by Quimby.

The keraulophone in true form should have a small hole near the top of the pipe behind and not in front. West Point has a specimen in the choir with 4 additional voices of unda maris tone tunes sharp-double sharp-flat double flat for a 5-rank dulciana unison ensemble. The other is the 1933 Skinner at Girard College in Philly-in the swell.

The bellgamba was a Roosevelt trademark for the greatr divisions.GDH of A-S wrote one into the specs for the Salt Lake orgaa BUT in the installation a regular skinner salicional 60 scale went in.

The heckelphone as per skinner was 6-7 times more powerful than the englishhorn. The 1922 St Luke Episcopal in Evanstown is flat topped and the 1928 Yale at Woolsey is a double bell version on 15'' with plenty of pluck.

soubasse32:

Here are a couple 8' string stops:

I miss the shy Aeoline, so many of which were sliced into mutations, or unceremoniously tossed into the dumpster.

Apparently our modern ears do not have the patience for a true pianissimo. 

Despite occasional appearances here on the Forum the rare Keraulophone remains an elusive creature!  I would love to encounter this stop in person.

I heard an 8' Bell Gamba that was utterly beguiling.  They are 'too expensive' to make new and they do take up valuable space on a chest.

The Hecklephone is a rare reed with a fun name.

Yesterday I did a concert on an organ with quite a collection of rare stops: a Corno d'Amore (a sort of full Oboe), a Viole d'Orchestre, an Orchestral Oboe, and a Cornopean.

God, I can't tell you the number of Aeolines I've pitched in the trash....many, many.  I can't give that stop away. 

Don Furr:

God, I can't tell you the number of Aeolines I've pitched in the trash....many, many.  I can't give that stop away. 

Oh no!

Let me know before you do that again - I'm thinking about making an Aeoline Celeste... 

Don Furr:

God, I can't tell you the number of Aeolines I've pitched in the trash....many, many.  I can't give that stop away. 

Please let me know too.  I have one rank of æoline pipes (61 notes), but still need another to create a soft celeste.

Thanks in advance.

Don brings up a good point.  Are the stops disappearing because of:

• Lack of interest?
• They fall out of fashion?
• Organbuilders no longer use them?
• Changing trends in organbuilding?

The idea that stops are being scrapped because no one wants them is foreign to me.  I wonder if the Organ Clearing House or Organ Historical Society has a page (or interest in creating one) for stops which need a home?  That might be a good idea for organ builders to share stops.

Michael

P.S.  Don, NYCFarmboy may be interested in an æoline as well.  Check with him.  I know he put a celeste over his fireplace recently.

The Melodia, whilst relatively unknown in Europe, seems to have fallen out of favour in today's American instruments, where, like the Clarabella, it used to constantly have pride of place.

Others that come to mind are:

• Sylvestrina - Willis used to include this rare stop in some of his organs in the U.K. However, we have a currently defunct Willis instrument over here in Malta, which has one on the Great, and an aforementioned Aeoline on the Swell. Look here.
• Clear Flute - an open wooden flute. We seem to rarely see this one these days.
• Zauber Flute - used to be popular in the U.K. particularly.
• Vox Angelica - was once common on the Swell division.
  
  

soubasse32:

Despite occasional appearances here on the Forum the rare Keraulophone remains an elusive creature!  I would love to encounter this stop in person.

The Gray and Davidson I played until very recently had one on the Swell. Apparently, G&D invented the stop, so it's not surprising. Sadly, I never ever had cause to use it as it was just too quiet for anything. You could barely hear it above the blower. Granted, the organ was in pretty bad repair by that stage. I think it's being retained in the rebuild (although I'm no longer playing there) so I should be able to report in due course. 

However a pretty stop, I don't think the Sylvestrina  was hardly ever in favor anywhere. I know of one example in Westminster Cathedral on the Choir Organ, I think it is 8' pitch, I am not sure.

I think the Zauberflote is coming back, though. In the last few years some organ builders have included it under the name of "Flauto Magico" or "Magic Flute". I have noticed Nichols and Simpson Organbuilders and Wicks both have inserted it in theur Choir Organs at 4' or 2' pitch.

Casavant has been put in a few compound stops called Voix Angelique II. I don't think they are anything like the true Dulciana or Salicional.

Can I make a forecast? I think the true 16' Bassoon is falling out of favor. I think nowadays, since pipe metal is more expensive, and space seems to always be a concern, builders have been settling just for a 16' Extension of the 8' Oboe. For those that do not know, the construction and tonaliies of a Bassoon pipe and an Oboe pipe can be very different at times. A well-voiced Bassoon stop should have a distinctly different and some-what imitative tone, it should also have a good balance of both chorus and solo reed tone. 

I have yet to hear a Clear Flute in person, and I would like to hear a Keraulophone before I die.

Violoncello 

Violoncello:

Can I make a forecast? I think the true 16' Bassoon is falling out of favor. I think nowadays, since pipe metal is more expensive, and space seems to always be a concern, builders have been settling just for a 16' Extension of the 8' Oboe. For those that do not know, the construction and tonaliies of a Bassoon pipe and an Oboe pipe can be very different at times. A well-voiced Bassoon stop should have a distinctly different and some-what imitative tone, it should also have a good balance of both chorus and solo reed tone.

I don't see too many independent 16' Bassoons on small instruments, but I do see them on larger ones.

One new organ I play has an independent full-length 16' Basson in addition to an 8' Basson-hautbois.

Independent Bassoons are all well and good, but having a 16' resonator is very nice indeed. 

myorgan:

Don brings up a good point.  Are the stops disappearing because of:

• Lack of interest?
• They fall out of fashion?
• Organbuilders no longer use them?
• Changing trends in organbuilding?

The idea that stops are being scrapped because no one wants them is foreign to me.  I wonder if the Organ Clearing House or Organ Historical Society has a page (or interest in creating one) for stops which need a home?  That might be a good idea for organ builders to share stops.

Michael

P.S.  Don, NYCFarmboy may be interested in an æoline as well.  Check with him.  I know he put a celeste over his fireplace recently.

The last set of pipes I pitched was a matched set of Aeolines and VO's.....in perfect condition mitered to 7 feet.  The only problem with the set was they were very, very thin scaled.  We're talking pencil strings.  I made a few phone calls and NO ONE showed any interest.  We stepped on 'em, bent 'em back double and set 'em in the street.  I did the same thing with a 45 SC diapason that came out of the same organ.  Too much cut up for me.

The other times I've offered free pipework on this forum  no one would bite.  Shipping is expensive and with today's gas prices who would want to come get 'em????? 

Don Furr:

The other times I've offered free pipework on this forum  no one would bite.  Shipping is expensive and with today's gas prices who would want to come get 'em????? 

You never know...

Just keep us posted. 

As I read through this thread I noticed some of the stop names were used on the Reed Organ, or Pump Organs.  I guess some were also used in pipe organs.

Now when it comes to the electronic organs, I find stop list of great interest.  For example on the old tonewheel Hammond Organs most nearly all the presets sound the same except in volume.  Now where did they get, the Diap. Gamba 8' & Flute 4' mf, 00 4544 220 the E on the lower,above this one on the upper E is the Salicional pp    04544 222 which is the exact same setting with only the last white drawbar ending in 2 instead of 0.  Anyone knows that is a fallacy.  Then with only a very few adjustments in various numbers the same for Great 8' f, 00 6644 322 and Swell Diapason  00 5644 320 mf where only two drawbar changes.  Also the Cello 8' on the lower, 00 4544 440, most pitiful for a string.

Did anyone ever hear of a Diapason Gamba 8' in reality or was this something Hammond made to look impressive?  God knows I heard a church Hammond where the organist only used the E pre-sets for everything, with the V3 vibrato.  There was no Leslie or the tone would have been mushy.  It was beat to death with that mechanical vibrato anyhow.  Now, wasn't that a great and wonderful sound to hear every Sunday?   She need a harmonium with no stops since that Hammond Organ was intimadiating to her apparently.

I have heard of a Viol da' Gamba or something as such on the Conn organs.  I do remember Clarabella 8' on some early Baldwin.

Also, how about Roman Pipe 2'?

James