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

DICTIONARY OF ORGAN STOPS. S3
by a stopped bass from mid. C, but as now made, practically only the lowest
nine pipes are stopped. The Waldflote is constructed with an inverted
mouth on the narrow side of the pipe. The tone of the Waldflote is fairly
powerful, and is distinguished by a very sweet and cloying horny timbre.
In its fullness of tone it resembles the Clarabella, in the slightly hard
quality the English Hohlflute. The horny quality is probably due to the
development of certain of the higher harmonics,
notably the flat twenty-first. The stop is of ex- (O
quisite quality, and is most useful, alike solo and in
combination. In the tenor octave, particularly when
combined with the Swell Oboe or Viol (box closed),
chords on the Waldflote furnish an excellent repre-
sentation of orchestral Horns. The Waldflote is also
largely used by Messrs. Norman & Beard. It is open
to discussion whether the Waldflote 8 ft. is the most
suitable stop for use as the Great organ Flute, especi-
ally in churches of but modest dimensions. It is an
indisputable fact that the peculiar timbre of stops
with inverted mouth is apt rapidly to pall and become
wearisome to the ear. The sweet " sugary "
character of the Waldflote, whilst doubly enhancing
the value of the stop for occasional combinational
use and for solo purposes, would seem to render
it rather inappropriate for the position of a stop so
constantly in use as a Great organ unison Flute.
On any other manual, or in octave pitch, this
objection would not hold valid, but for the said
position a stop of the Tibia class would certainly
appear to be more suitably adapted, and might
therefore profitably be substituted.
The Waldflote is frequently employed by
English builders as a 4
ft. Choir stop. Some firms
also use it in place of the more usual Harmonic
Flute 4 ft. on the Great organ, holding its blending
power to be superior. This is purely a matter of
taste, and, apart from this question, there is little
to choose between the two stops. As used by
Mr. Compton, the Waldflote has a sloping block
and cap of peculiar shape. His pipes are also
more sparsely nicked than is ordinarily the case,
and the upper lip presents the unusual feature of
being rounded and polished. On the Continent
the Waldflote lacks the horny character of tone
;
Section of Waldflote
(Compton).