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DICTIONARY OF ORGAN STOPS. 37
judgment of competent tone critics who have studied the most repre-
sentative types, true Diapason tone is lost and merged into Flute or string
tone—limits, howbeit, defined by no arbitrary line of demarcation. It is
within these bounds that the author will endeavour to justify his own
particular preference.
(2) The pipes of the Diapason are of metal—the heavier
and thicker the better—cylindrical in shape, of large scale,
and copiously winded. The wind pressure on which the stop
is voiced varies considerably according to circumstances ; it is
usually from 3 in. to 4 in. It is possible to voice the stop on
a fairly heavy wind pressure, the bore remaining small, but as
8 in. or 9 in. is exceeded, it is difficult to avoid windiness if
the tone is to be kept sufficiently subdued for normal use.
The bore, in fact, becomes so attenuated that the rapid inrush
of wind is apt to give rise to windy and whistling sounds.
There is, however, a Diapason on the Solo organ at St. John
the Divine, Kennington (Walker), speaking on actually 15 in,
wind. It is sometimes convenient to plant a Diapason on the
same soundboard as heavy pressure reeds, and a capable
voicer can do so within the limits specified above, absolutely
and entirely disguising the employment of heavy pressure from
the listener. The early English builders, with their small
scales and light wind pressures, often succeeded in producing
stops of beautiful quality, mellow, sweet and cantabile to
a degree—stops admirably adapted to the musical requirements
of the age, but now, as Great organ primary Diapasons,
totally inadequate in point of power. * It is sometimes
asserted that the production of this class of tone is a lost art,
that modern voicers cannot equal, much less excel, the work of
such geniuses as Smith, Harris, Snetzler and Green. It
cannot too definitely be pointed out that any such statements
are absolutely at variance with the facts. Modern artists, with
the increased resources science had placed at their disposal,
can voice delicate Gedackts and Dulcianas of exquisite quality
—and, further, can preserve the same degree of perfection
throughout the whole compass, an attainment which even their
most zealous devotees can scarcely with any semblance of
verity claim for the old school of builders.
In like manner, did they so desire, modern voicers could
Diapason.
faithfully reproduce the old style of Diapason. In truth, much of the
work of the late Mr. Thynne, whose ideals in some respects centred round
*See the author's "Tonal Design in Modern Organ Building,'' pp. 18, 19, 22 and 23