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

DICTIONARY OF ORGAN STOPS. 45
domains of reed-voicing and flue-voicing, respectively, which have been
witnessed in the present era of organ building.
(7) It is a cardinal principle of modern organ designing that as much
variety should be introduced between stops of near relation to each other
as is consistent with good tonal blend.* The primary application of this
principle demands the complete differentiation of the several Diapasons
which may occur on the Great organ ; its secondary application that some
distinction be enforced between the Great, Swell, and Choir Diapasons.
In designing an organ with four Diapasons on the Great organ it would be
sheer waste of good material to make all these Diapasons of similar
quality. Not only is "sympathy" at once encouraged, but, also, golden
opportunities in the way of effective contrast, and in scientifically moulding
the character of the general ensemble, are senselessly ignored. It is no
exaggeration to state that, in the above instance, quite one-third of the
volume of tone would be lost by the wearisome iteration of tone colour.
As in painting, so in organ tone, the most effective results are those of
contrast The first Diapason, then, might be of large scale and powerful
tone, leathered; the second, of the large Schulze type; the third, of
medium scale and power, leathered;! the fourth, of the quiet cantabile
Hill or Green type (see also Gamba). Such a combination with a Flute
of the Tibia family would produce an immense volume of dignified church
tone, which would pervade every nook and cranny of the largest building.
It is, of course, essential to the avoidance of "sympathy," to scale the
various Diapasons differently, and to separate them from each other on
the soundboard.
(8) On the Swell, the ordinary Diapason is, perhaps, a source of as
much trouble as any stop in the organ. It is apt to develop into a kind of
horny Dulciana, of objectionable quality, and its tone is considerably
impeded by the proximity of the swell box sides. For these reasons, to
the detriment of the Swell in general, the flue foundation has suffered
greatly by the substitution of a Geigen, or some such stop. The full-
toned leathered Diapason is the most effective foundation stop possible
in the Swell. It is particularly susceptible to the crescendo ; on opening
the shutters an immense flood of pure mellow tone is liberated, tone
which, in combination, does much to relieve the effect of monotony
resulting from undue prominence of reed tone in the Swell—Swell
" sausage- frying " as the cynics name it. There is a magnificent example
on 10 in. wind in the Swell at Burton-on-Trent Parish Church (Norman &
Beard and Hope-Jones). With the louvres closed, the writer was forcibly
* See "Tonal Design in Modern Organ Building," pp. II and 12, for the elaboration
of this point.
t There are, of course, various types of leathered Diapason, just as of unleathered.