Understanding Pipe Organ Stops and Registrations
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The pipe organ is a complex musical instrument with countless variations in stops and ranks available to play. In this presentation, noted pipe organ technician and historian, Brian Ebie, presents the basics of organ registration. Each family of stops is discussed, including flue and reed pipes, strings, flutes, gedackts, and principals. Finally, a list of general settings for hymn playing appears at the end of the presentation.
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Understanding Pipe Organ Stops and Registrations
- 1. Reliable Registrations Playing the orchestra at your fingertips Presented by Brian D. Ebie, PhD © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 2. If organists didn’t have the organ… © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 3. The Imitation Game • Organ pipes & how they correspond to stops on your ward organ • Crunching the numbers All in the Family • Flues • Reeds Solo & Ensemble • Chorus Registrations • Solo Registrations Pulling Out the Stops • Some thoughts on hymn playing Where are we going? 3 2 1 4 © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 4. The Imitation Game A giant box of whistles • LARGEST 64’ long & 8’ across • SMALLEST 6” long & 1/8” across (And everything in between) Electrically & mechanically operated • EP, DE, Tracker • Wave Oscillation • Digital Sampling Blown with air, pumped by hand 1 © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 5. A realm of contrast © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 6. Crunching the Numbers • The main principal sound is called eight- foot (8') pitch • A pipe half the length of another will sound one octave higher • If the longest pipe, C, is 8 feet in length, the pipe one octave higher will be 4 feet long, and two octaves above (middle C) will be 2 feet long © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 7. Flue Pipes • Principals • Flutes and Gedackts • Strings • Mutations • Mixtures Reeds • Chorus • Solo All in the Family2 © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 8. Unique to the organ • Provides the fundamental or characteristic tone of the organ • “Aggressive firmness” • Excellent support for hymn singing • Cleanliness for counterpoint 16’ 8’ 4’ Principal, Diapason, Open Diapason, Montre 4’ 2’ 1’ Octave, Super Octave, Fifteenth, Dog Whistle Principals | All the in the Family © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 9. The Open Flutes • Concert Flute, Melodia 8’ • Spitzfloete, Hohlfloete 8’ 4’ • Harmonic Flute 4’ • Nacthorn, Blockfloete 4’ 2’ • Waldfloete, Piccolo, Flautino 2’ • Schweigelpfife, Sifflöte, 1’ The Gedackts (stoppers) • Subbass, Leiblich Gedackt, Quintaton, Woof 16’ • Bourdon, Stopped Diapason, Gedackt 8’ • Rohrflöte, Rohrgedackt, Flute, 8’ 4’ Flutes | All the in the Family © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 10. String pipes are the smallest- scaled flue pipes • They produce a bright sound that is low in fundamentals and rich in upper partials • String stops are named after bowed string instruments • Generally soft • Narrow pipework 16’ 8’ • Gambe, Salicional, Viola, Viole, • Contra Viole, Gemshorn, Erzahler 8’ 4’ • Gemshorn, Violina Strings | All the in the Family © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 11. Strings and Celestes • Celeste Ranks are purposely tuned slightly above (or below— unda maris) pitch to create an undulating effect when paired with the primary rank • This is done to simulate the string section of an orchestra • Celeste ranks are not used alone, or usually with anything other than strings • Great for accompanying, solo organ works, and funerals Celeste, Voix Celeste, Aéoline, Unda Maris 8’ Celestes | All the in the Family © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 12. All lingual pipes are classified together in the reed family of registers • Tone produced by a vibrating reed set into motion by air • Generally nasal, pungent timbres • Size/shape of reed & resonator determine volume and timbre • “solo” and “chorus” reeds Contra Bombarde, Posaune, 32’ Trombone, Pousane, Fagott 16’ Trompette, Trumpet, 16’ 8’ 4’ Clarion, Rohrschalmei, Snarl 4’ Schalmei, Oboe, Krumhorn, Cornopean, Regal 8’ Reeds | All the in the Family © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 13. All in the Family | Mutations Ranks that do not speak at the unison or some octave of the unison pitch are called mutation stops © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 14. Mixtures contain multiple ranks of pipes sounding at consecutive octaves and fifths • (and in some cases, thirds) above unison pitch The number of ranks in a mixture is denoted by a Roman numeral on the stop knob • For example, a stop labeled "Mixture V" would contain five pipes for every note • So for every key pressed, five different pipes sound (all controlled by the same stop) Fourniture, Scharf, Plein Jeu, Zimbel II, III, IV, V Mixtures | Mixing it up © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 15. Solo & Ensemble3 Combinations | Generals | Pistons | Presets General Pistons • Building from soft to loud using 1-10 Manual Pistons • With couplers, can be used to “bring on” color for a verse change Practice using pistons, toe studs, and hand-registering© 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 16. Reliable Registrations: Chorus Chorus Registrations are like a choir… Sopranos, Altos, Tenors, Basses Principal Chorus • 8, + 4, + 2, + mixtures Flute Chorus • 8, + 4, + 2 String Chorus • 16, + 8, + 4 (Strings and Celestes) (“Moonbeams”) Reed Chorus • 16, + 8, + 4 + mixtures (sometimes) © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 17. Reliable Registrations: Chorus Combination Choruses • Combining ranks can provide even more variety For a more full, rounder sound • Principals & Flutes at 8’ 4’ For a softer principal-type sound • String 8’ & Flute 8’ • Adding up to 4’ and 2’ For an aggressive principal chorus, add reeds • Principals 8’ 4’ 2’ +Reeds 8’ + 4’ (“Midnight Swell”) © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 18. Reliable Registrations: Solo Emphasis on a single voice—a melodic line • Usually completed against an accompaniment on a different manual • Usually a distinctive character stop or combination of stops against flutes or strings/celestes. • Can be displaced by an octave in either direction, depending on range, timbre, etc… Solo voices can be an individual stop or a combination of stops © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 19. Reliable Registrations: Solo Timbre-creating Combinations: • Gedackt 8’ + Piccolo 2’ • Gedackt 8’ + Nazard 2⅔’ • Salicional 8’ + Nazard 2⅔’ (Synthetic Oboe) • Gedackt 8’ + Nazard 2⅔’ + Piccolo 2’ • Gedackt 8’ + Nazard 2⅔’ + Tierce 1⅗’ (Synthetic Clarinet) • Salicional 8’ + Flute 4’ + Nazard 2⅔’ • Gedackt 8’ + Flute 4’ + Nazard 2⅔’ + Piccolo 2’ + Tierce 1⅗’ (Cornet) • Bourdon 16’ + 8’ + 4’ + 2’ (+ Tremulant = the “Tabernacle” sound) • Bourdon 16’ + Piccolo 2’ • Bourdon 16’ + Nazard 2⅔’ Adding to the Reeds: • Oboe 8’ + Gedackt 8’ • Oboe 8’ + Nazard 2⅔’ • Oboe 8’ + Salicional 8’ © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 20. Playing Hymns The most important thing we do4 © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 21. Playing Hymns Practice EVERY verse of EVERY hymn for next Sunday during the week • Read the text and study its relationship to the music; which determines what stops to choose and where the climax is • Have a plan which frees you up to be creative or inspired “People do sing over here, and quite boldly, and therefore one can be bold in setting up the correct mood for the hymn. But once it’s going, you can step back a bit and let them enjoy the sound of their own voices…” John Scott © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 22. Playing Hymns Congregations are what count • But congregations don’t COUNT • Make sure your playing is solid, rhythmic, and that you and the chorister are holding the notes for their full value Your hymn introduction does not have to be what appears between the [ ]’s in the Hymnal • Sometimes the entire hymn is appropriate to invite the Spirit • You set the tempo, give out the tune, and set a mood • I try to play the introduction in the tempo I hope we will sing © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 23. Playing Hymns Devote a level of memory to the hymns Graduated Generals • Build up from 1-10, adding to each piston, while typically including the previous piston’s stops “Finding just the right balance between too much and not enough is a lifelong pursuit…” ---Bruce Neswick Playing Hymns © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 24. Brian’s General Pistons 1-5 General 1: (sacrament hymn introduction/general/special effects) – SW: Solo reed, or flutes 8’ 2⅔’, or similar – GT: flute celeste + 8’ gemshorn – PD: flutes 32’ 16’, GT/PD General 2: (sacrament hymn/contrasting verse) – SW: strings, celestes, flutes 8’ 4’ – GT: flutes 8, 8 (celeste) SW/GT – PD: flutes 16’ 8’ SW/PD General 3: (solo diapason/hymn intro) – SW: flutes 8’, string 8’ 4’ – GT: 8’ principal, 8’ flute 8’ gemshorn – PD: flutes 16’ 8’ SW/PD General 4: (orchestral/verse contrast) – SW: flutes, strings, 8’ 4’ – GT: gemshorn 8’ flutes 8’ 4’ SW/GT – PD: 16, 16, 8, SW/PD General 5: (hymn verse 1) – SW: 8, 8, 8, 4, 4, – GT: principal 8’ flute 8’ 4’ SW/GT – PD: 16, 16, 8, SW/PD © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 25. Brian’s General Pistons 6-10 General 6: (second verse, w/o pedal? “Port and Stilton”) – SW: General 5 + Oboe 8’ ? – GT: General 5 – PD: General 5 General 7: (third verse, with pedal, no reeds) – SW: full without reeds – GT: full without reeds – PD: full without reeds General 8: (last verse, plenum) – SW: General 7 + 8’ reeds (“midnight swell”) – GT: General 7 – PD: General 7 + principals 8’ 4’ + GT/PD General 9: (full with reeds and mixtures) – SW: General 8 + Mixture – GT: General 8 + Mixture (?) – PD: General 8 + 32’ + 16’ reed General 10: (solo reed) – SW: 8, 8, 8, 4, 4, 2’ – GT: 8’ festival trumpet + 8’ principal + 8’ flute (played 8vb) – PD: 16, 16, 8, SW/PD © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 26. You have an orchestra at your fingertips • Take time to experiment with what works and what does not. • Get someone to play while you sit around the chapel. • Listen to good organists. Discover a use for each stop on the organ, and try to apply it at least once over the course of a month. Hymn playing is an art form. It requires a palette of hundreds of techniques, to which the organist will have constant subconscious access. Hymn playing, when executed well, is a personal response to other art forms—poetry and music—as well as the spontaneous singing of a body of untrained participants Conclusion © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
- 27. Selected References Audsley, George Ashdown (1921). Organ-stops and their artistic registration. New York, H. W. Gray, Co. Engel, James (1986). An Introduction to Organ Registration – Church Music Pamphlet Series. St. Louis, Concordia Forster, Stuart (2013). Hymn Playing: A Modern Colloquium. St. Louis, MorningStar Goode, Jack C (1964). Pipe Organ Registration. New York, Abingdon Press Bonavia-Hunt, Noel Aubrey (1923) Modern organ stops: A practical guide to their nomenclature, construction, voicing and artistic use. Musical Opinion. Irwin, Stevens (1962). Dictionary of Pipe Organ Stops. New York, G. Schirmer © 2015 Brian Ebie. All Rights Reserved.
Notas do Editor
- A stopped flute, such as the Gedackt (German for "covered"), produces a more muffled sound, while an open flute, such as the Waldflöte (German for "forest flute"), produces a rounder, open sound. The Rohrflöte (German for "pipe flute", or more commonly "chimney flute" in English) is a stopped flute rank with a small pipe or chimney built into the cap.
- Ranks that do not speak at the unison or some octave of the unison pitch are called mutation stops (or, sometimes "aliquots"). They are rarely used on their own; rather, they are combined with unison stops to create different tone colors. A typical and distinctive sound of the organ is the cornet, composed of a flute and ranks making up its first four overtones, sounding 8', 4', 22⁄3', 2', and 13⁄5'. The sounding length of a mutation stop gives the answer as to what pitch the rank sounds. For example, a stop labeled 22⁄3' (or one third of 8') sounds at three times the frequency, that is, the interval of a twelfth above unison pitch. The third harmonic (twelfth, quint or nazard) is the most common pitch, followed by the fifth (17th or tierce) and sixth (larigot) but there are much rarer examples from higher in the series, such as the "septième" and "none". Mutations usually sound at pitches in the harmonic series of the fundamental and, except where they are derived from unit ranks, are always tuned pure. In some organs, lower pitches are used to create difference tones e.g., Quintbass 102⁄3'. Such 'helper ranks" that sound at the fifth just above or fourth below the fundamental (e.g., Bourdon 16'),[citation needed] can create the impression of a stop an octave lower than the fundamental (i.e., Bourdon 32'), saving the space and money otherwise needed for larger bass pipes.
- When you are accompanying congregational singing, remember that the congregation sings at the 8' pitch level. To lead, and to enable the congregation to hear, it is wise to use at least the 4' above the 8'. Principals 8', 4', and 2' should be accompanied by the same timbre in the pedals at 16', 8', and 4' (The pedal line has a tendency to disappear unless a 16' is used.). If your instrument has a Gemshorn 8', you can use this stop in place of the Principal 8', to lighten the sound of the Principal Chorus - an effect that is useful in contrapuntal music.
- “Hymns are when congregations engage with the organ more than in any other context” (Forster, xi) “Some of the greatest sermons are preached by the singing of hymns.” (Hymnal, ix) “We get nearer to the Lord through music than perhaps through any other thing except prayer.” (President J. Reuben Clark Jr.)