The Recent Revolution in Organ Building: Being an Account of Modern Developments — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building: Being an Account of Modern Developments
John Stuart Mill · en
We learn from these that pure foundation tone does not blend. True,
there are examples of organs where the true foundation tone exists but
does not blend with the rest of the instrument, but it is misleading to
say that "pure foundation tone does not blend." Hope-Jones has proved
conclusively that by exercise of the requisite skill it does and so
have others who follow in his steps. A view of the mouth of a
Hope-Jones heavy pressure Diapason, with inverted languid, leather lip
and clothed flue, is given in Figure 17.
[Illustration: Fig. 17. Diapason Pipe with Leathered Lip]
The dull tone of the old Diapasons was due to the absence of the upper
harmonics or partials. With the introduction of the Lutheran chorale
and congregational singing it was found that the existing organs could
not make themselves heard above the voices. But it was discovered
empirically that by adding their harmonics artificially the organs
could be brightened up and even made to overpower large bodies of
singers. Hence the introduction of the Mixture stops (also called
compound stops), which were _compounded_ of several ranks of pipes.
The simplest form was the Doublette sounding the 15th and 22nd (the
double and treble octave) of the note struck. Other ranks added
sounded the 12th, 19th, and so on, until it was possible to obtain not
only the full common chord, but also some of the higher harmonics
dissonant to this chord, from a single key.
THE DECLINE OF MIXTURES.
Fifty years ago it was common to find the number of ranks of mixtures
in an organ largely exceed the total number of foundation stops.
Mixtures were inserted in the pedal departments of all large organs.
Organists of the time do not seem to have objected and many of the
leading players strongly opposed Hope-Jones when he came out as the
champion of their abolition. These stops greatly excited the ire of
Berlioz, who declaims against them in his celebrated work on
orchestration.
The tone of these old organs, when all the Mixture work is drawn, is
well nigh ludicrous to modern ears, and it is hard to suppress a smile
when reading the statements and arguments advanced in favor of the
retention of Mixtures by well-known organists of the last generation.
These mutation stops still have their place in large instruments, but
it is no longer thought that they are necessary to support the singing
of a congregation and that they should be voiced loudly. The decline
of Mixture work has in itself entirely altered and very greatly
improved the effect of organs when considered from a musical point of
view. The tone is now bright and clear. Mr. James Wedgwood says: