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

13© DICTIONARY OF ORGAN STOPS.
about in any way by amateurs, unless, indeed, they are incapable of further
deterioration.
In the "tree-reed" (q.v.) the tongue passes right through the shallot as
in the Harmonium or American suction organ. A free-reed is illustrated
under Clarinet. It will be seen that there is a "bridge," along which the
tuning block passes. The voicer has obviously little control over the
tongue, the quality of tone being mainly determined by the shape of the
pipe or resonator. Thus it happens that all free reeds bear a strong family
resemblance to each other and to the Harmonium. Except possibly in
the case of very small-scaled orchestral stops, the tone of free reeds is not
usually agreeable, unless in buildings of resonant acoustical properties.
The objectionable harshness of tone of Harmoniums and free reeds
generally is due to the excessive development of harmonics. Free reeds
were formerly extensively employed in Germany, but are now fast falling
into desuetude. On learning the English mode of treating striking reeds,
Schulze, the eminent German voicer, at once abandoned the use of free
reeds (see also Cor Anglais). Reeds have been made with double
tongues (see Double-tongued Reed), with the tongue beating on the
inside of the shallot (see Retreating Reed), with the shallot tapering in
a reverse direction (as above noticed), with wooden tongues and shallots,
with shallots curved at the end like the tongue, in France with two
channels leading from the shallot to the pipe, and with various other novel
features, iH^>ne of these varieties are now in systematic use.
German builders generally, and some French and English builders,
cover their shallots with thin leather. Like capping in most cases, this is,
as regards chorus reeds, an attempt to secure smoothness of tone by
merely makeshift means instead of by the aforesaid scientific, though
arduous process, of curving the tongue. Needless to say, the quality of
tone usually resulting from such efforts lacks all intrinsic beauty, being
merely nauseous in its pseudo-refinement and smoothness.* Willis, who
strongly condemned this practice of leathering reeds, has conclusively
demonstrated that it is not essential to smoothness of tone. And certainly,
stops of the Hope-Jones Tuba Sonora type, which probably mark the
greatest advance in the direction of smoothness of tone yet attained, are
not leathered. Nevertheless, let it be said in extenuation that the use of
leathered reeds, combined with really efficient curvature of the tongue, is
not per se by any means so indefensible as that of capped chorus reeds.
The influence of thermal variation on organ pipes forms an interesting
study—a study, moreover, of very practical import. If the pitch of the
* Add to this the fact, that, as the leathering is not usually continued throughout the
compass, there is a nasty break in tone between the leathered and unlea'.hered portions,
and it will be seen that the process, as commonly practised, merits but scant shrift.