A comprehensive dictionary of organ stops - Allen Organ Studio of ...

DICTIONARY OF ORGAN STOPS.
The Oboe emits a quiet tone of a strangely wailing character, resembling
that of a high-pitched nasal voice. In the tenor octave it yields a peculiarly
°obot ral
muffled tone. Regarding, at the present time, the work of the
most representative English firms, it would appear that the oldfashioned
Oboe tone is again coming into vogue, something more
powerful but less plaintive having in the meantime largely been
substituted. It is not difficult to discern a direct causal
nexus between this and the wonderful advance in the
direction of smooth reed voicing witnessed during the
past ten years. The Oboe is, perhaps, the easiest reed
of all to voice. Some care is, nevertheless, required, if
the bass is to be kept smooth and free from rattle. The
Swell Oboe was formerly the first reed to be inserted in
the organ, probably on account of its dual function as com-
binational and solo stop. So far as combinational usage
is concerned, the modern keen String Gamba, however,
proves a satisfactory substitute for this stop. And for
solo purposes, Oboe tone may often satisfactorily be
built up by some such combination as Viol and Flute.
It is now generally agreed, amongst those who keep in
touch with the development of tonal design, that a fuller-
toned reed is altogether more serviceable. As the first
reed of the organ, therefore, in modern organ designing,
the Cornopean is usually selected in preference to the
Oboe (see also Oboe-Horn).
The Orchestral Oboe is c.ften made like an
ordinary Oboe, but of very much more slender scale-
The tongues, of course, are treated specially. But
another form, which has found favour with indolent
builders, consists of an ordinary small-scaled Oboe pipe,
with a slot cut under the bell to thin or dilute the tone.
The Orchestral Oboe was really invented by Mr. George
Willis, a brother of the late Mr. Henry Willis, and the
founder of the "Willis" system of reed-voicing. The
Willis pattern is made of inverted conical pipes, capped
at the top. They are slotted, and are usually pierced
with a hole opposite to the slot. Sometimes the pipes
Orchestra)
Oboe
were made with four slots. The stop is usually placed
(Willis).
on a heavy-wind pressure, and the bore is small. The tone is
very piquant. This pattern of pipe is used by several builders.
Willis, Walker, and other firms have also employed open conical
pipes without bells. There is a good example at St. Werburgh,
Derby (Walker, rebuilt bv Incram). Yet another type of