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

12 DICTIONARY OF ORGAN STOPS.
past been somewhat exaggerated. The main reason for the disuse of
stops requiring to be tuned by means of the ears was the difficulty en-
countered in getting at the latter. Sandwiched in between other stops,
possibly on a crowded sound-board, it will be seen that delicate manipulation
was a matter of no inconsiderable awkwardness. Under the same
category as the Bell Gamba and Bell Diapason falls the old-fashioned
type of Rohrflote and such Harmonic Flutes as are provided with long
ears for tuning purposes. The author, personally, would be the last to
disparage keen string Gambas, believing them to be amongst the most
beautiful and valuable of modern achievements in voicing. There is,
albeit, no valid reason why they should be cultivated to the exclusion ol
other varieties, and be duplicated on both Swell and Choir organs. It is
much to be desired that some attempt be made to reproduce the beautiful
old-fashioned Viola-di-Gamba tone from a pipe of more practical form.
A 1 6 ft. Glocken-G'amba occurs on the Pedal at Grace Church, New York
(Roosevelt, 1878).
Bells—See Campana, Carillons.
Bible-Regal— (Ger.) Bibel-Regal. See Regal.
Bifara—Bifra, Biffra, Tibia Bifara, Piffaro. (Late Lat.) Bifarius = two-
wayed, double. Piffaro is an onomatopoeia suggested by the " piff
or lip-tone of the orchestral Flute. 8 ft. ; 4 ft.
The description of the Bifara given in ancient organ literature has
puzzled modern writers not a little. It is said to have been a wooden
double-mouthed pipe, with the block so set that one mouth was higher
than the other, and with the bore so small as to admit but a limited supply
of wind. As the result of these peculiarities a pleasant undulation, rather
lighter than that of the Unda Maris, is said to have been obtained from
the one pipe. St. Wenzeslaus, Naumberg: Walterhausen (1730). Seidel,
commenting on the latter example, remarks that though he had several
times played on the organ at Walterhausen, he had never had any such
effect brought to his notice. If the effect occurred at all it could only have
been a sort of "wobbling" of the tone. But Sponsel, in his "Orgelhistorie,"
(p. 105) utters the following remarks: "It is the quietest, softest and
most charming register conceivable. The pipes are of Prinzipal scale, but
the feet are plugged, having only a very small opening bored through them.
Two of these pipes are apportioned to each key, but so tuned as to be
slightly discordant to each other and give rise to an undulation. It can
only be carried through the two upper octaves. In the two lower ones it
is represented by a quiet Flute, so that, when the organ possesses but one
manual, the stop can be played throughout the compass. It can only be
played on very slowly, and serves instead of the Tremulant for conveying
"