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DICTIONARY OF ORGAN STOPS. 43
mouths of Diapason pipes should be cut up. Waiving the altogether
distinct question of the carrying power of pure Flute tone, it will be found
that nothing is more detrimental to that of Diapason tone than " carving
up," as it has expressively—the more so because innocently—been dubbed.
The practice in question simply entails the elimination of the natural
overtones, upon the normal development of which depends almost
entirely the ring and carrying power of Diapason and analogous tones.
Nothing could be more fatal. " Tuning slots," on the other hand, in the
case of foundation work, i.e., pipes of no very attenuated scale—unless
indeed very wide or well within the distance of one diameter from the top
of the pipe (in which cases the effects are more or less neutralized),have
the effect of considerably weakening the ground tone. Their use gives
rise to the production of a hard and horny quality, displayed in the
Diapasons of Cavaille-Coll (who slotted all open metal pipes in the organ,
Mixtures included), and other French builders, and in many of those of
Willis. Certainly, as has been claimed, the practice facilitates "blend"
(of a sort), but for the simple reason that it largely removes the
obstreperous foundation tone. Most people prefer dignity and foundation
in organ tone. Another result of " carving up," when hard blowing and
big-scaled basses are resorted to, is a particularly distracting boisterous
and blustering quality of tone, the windiness of stops so treated being in
many cases perceptible at some distance from the organ. Now, it has
unreservedly been admitted that there are certain higher dissonant
harmonics, which, however desirable they may be in the Gamba, are
inimical to the production of true Diapason tone, and are responsible for
the hard, stringy quality so frequently encountered. Such harmonics
are encouraged by low thin lips, and the usual method of eliminating
them is the process of cutting up, a process which, unfortunately,
conjointly entails the absence of any just proportion of the lower
harmonics. It is the octave, twelfth, etc., which impart to the tone vigour,
firmness and definition, constituting what is sometimes termed " the true
Diapason ring." Some builders, perspicaciously recognizing the import-
ance of these lower harmonics, find themselves constrained to adopt low
mouths with their attendant disadvantages. The problem of preserving
the lower partials, without causing corresponding accentuation of the higher,
may successfully be solved, without any undue "cutting up," by the
employment of a thick smooth lip. We have here one of the most
important processes of modern voicing. The thick lip is productive of a
quality of tone both full and weighty, and refined and smooth, extra-
ordinarily effective in combination, and, though possessed of great carrying
power, yet in no sense wearisome.* It affords precisely the same full
* This is, of course, when properly treated. It is possible to exaggerate weight in
organ tone just as much as brilliancy.