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Re: Defining the ranks of an organ...
"Voicing" means adjusting volume levels, brightness, etc. of a rank of pipes so that it takes its proper place in the organ. For instance, if the 8' Principal and 4' Octave are separate ranks (rows) of pipes (not unified from one rank), then they usually are voiced somewhat differently. If you would compare middle C on the 8' rank with tenor C on the 4' rank (in other words, the same actual pitch), the two would sound simlar, but not identical in sound. There are several reasons why this is so.</p>
First, the Octave is usually scaled smaller than the base rank (8'). This is to give a slightly different tone quality as, if the two were identical, if you played a chord which included the above two pipes, it is possible that their sounds would cancel each other out, and you might not hear either one. This is part of the study of acoustics, and involves a long discussion which I do not want to get into here.</p>
Second, the Octave stop is usually somewhat softer than the 8' Principal. If the designer of the organ wishes, it could also be voiced brighter than, or not as bright as, the 8' stop.</p>
These reasons also apply to the 2' Octave as opposed to the 4' Octave. The 2' would be scaled slighly smaller.</p>
These are not hard and fast rules-the designer may wish to have the 4' louder than the 8' in certain situations, or may have the 2' be louder than either the 8' or 4'. This might happen on another manual besides the Great, to give a different sound to that manual. It can also be done by using a different type of sound for the 8', for instance, suing an 8' Flute . Then the 4' Diapason might be called Principal 4' . If you have a third manual, it might not have any diapason below the 2' level. Then you would use 8' and 4' Flutes, and the 2' would be called Principal 2'.</p>
This is common in organs designed for Baroque music, and is done to give different qualities to the ensemble of each manual. The mixtures that would go with each manual would be pitched according to the Principal of each manual division. If the Principal is 8', as on the typical Great, the Mixture would be fairly low pitched. If the Principal of a manual is at 4', Then the Mixture would be pitched higher, thus sounding brighter, and if the Principal is at 2', the Mixture would be pitched very high.</p>
Bear in mind that two identical pipes can be "voiced" differently, by adjusting the toe-hole, the position of the languid, the lower and upper lips, etc, to sound quite differently.</p>
Now to answer your question about the "monster"organs. Yes, they do have many ranks of pipes in them, and no doubt there may be many of those ranks that are for all practical purposes identical to other ranks. After all, if you have forty ranks of Diapasons, there are not actually forty different kinds of Diapason sound to choose from. But still the designer would not include identical ranks in the same division for the above reasons. The Atlantic City organ, for instance, has over a dozen divisions. some are obvious-Great, Swell, Choir, etc. Others have no home manual, for instance, a String division would be coupled to whichever manual the organist wanted to at the moment.</p>
Strings are a somewhat different breed than Flutes or Diapasons-Principals. In these big organs, Strings are used to get the full Orchestral sound, and therefore there will be many ranks of Strings, probably over a hundred in each of these big organs. I have not studied the specification of either organ in detail, but it would not surprise me if the Swell in both of them has as many as ten ranks of strings, that are virtually identical to the ones in the Choir, and that a separate String or Orchestral divsion might again have a virtual identical set of ten or twelve ranks of strings, with maybe a few more ranks of strings. Also, the String or Orchestral divsion might have, for instance, three pairs of Viola ranks, each pair forming a Celeste, but each pair being at a different volume level than the others. Also, it is not uncommon have Celestes to be made from three or more ranks. For instance, a four rank Celeste would have the loudest rank at standard pitch, with another virtually identical rank pitched sharp, the third rank pitched even sharper but somewhat softer, and a fourth rank also softer but pitched flat.</p>
With Diapasons, you might have four of more 8' Diapasons available on the Great These might vary in tone from a Baroque style Principal with a lot of chiff al the way to a theatre organ Diapason with no chiff, that almost sounds like a loud open flute. There might be identical ranks elsewhere in the organ, but maybe at 4' pitch instead of 8'. Of course you can also have Salicionals, Violin Diapasons, Diaphonic Diapasons, etc. Same with Flutes, which have even more variety, as you can have open Flutes, stopped Flutes, and half-stopped Flutes (Rohrflutes). Likewise Reeds come in all varieties, loud soft, full length (Trumpets, for example), half length (Clarinets or Krumhorns are examples), and fractional length (Vox Humanas or Regals, etc.). Mixtures contain a lot of ranks. The big organ at Ocean Grove in New Jersey, which is an organ that I admire, has one or two Mixtures on each manual and on the Pedals. If each Mixture has at least three ranks (most of them have four), the rank count can quickly add up. I think that, in the Ocean Grove organ, there are close to fifty ranks of pipes in the Mixtures, out of about 180 ranks. This organ also has probably forty ranks of Strings, as well as just about any kind or Diapason, Flute, or Reed one could want. It also plays in a seven thousand seat auditorium.</p>
I know that all of this may be overwhelming. Bear in mind that I have been studying these things for close to forty years, and have many books on organs, and I don't consider myself an expert by any means.</p>
"Voicing" means adjusting volume levels, brightness, etc. of a rank of pipes so that it takes its proper place in the organ. For instance, if the 8' Principal and 4' Octave are separate ranks (rows) of pipes (not unified from one rank), then they usually are voiced somewhat differently. If you would compare middle C on the 8' rank with tenor C on the 4' rank (in other words, the same actual pitch), the two would sound simlar, but not identical in sound. There are several reasons why this is so.</p>
First, the Octave is usually scaled smaller than the base rank (8'). This is to give a slightly different tone quality as, if the two were identical, if you played a chord which included the above two pipes, it is possible that their sounds would cancel each other out, and you might not hear either one. This is part of the study of acoustics, and involves a long discussion which I do not want to get into here.</p>
Second, the Octave stop is usually somewhat softer than the 8' Principal. If the designer of the organ wishes, it could also be voiced brighter than, or not as bright as, the 8' stop.</p>
These reasons also apply to the 2' Octave as opposed to the 4' Octave. The 2' would be scaled slighly smaller.</p>
These are not hard and fast rules-the designer may wish to have the 4' louder than the 8' in certain situations, or may have the 2' be louder than either the 8' or 4'. This might happen on another manual besides the Great, to give a different sound to that manual. It can also be done by using a different type of sound for the 8', for instance, suing an 8' Flute . Then the 4' Diapason might be called Principal 4' . If you have a third manual, it might not have any diapason below the 2' level. Then you would use 8' and 4' Flutes, and the 2' would be called Principal 2'.</p>
This is common in organs designed for Baroque music, and is done to give different qualities to the ensemble of each manual. The mixtures that would go with each manual would be pitched according to the Principal of each manual division. If the Principal is 8', as on the typical Great, the Mixture would be fairly low pitched. If the Principal of a manual is at 4', Then the Mixture would be pitched higher, thus sounding brighter, and if the Principal is at 2', the Mixture would be pitched very high.</p>
Bear in mind that two identical pipes can be "voiced" differently, by adjusting the toe-hole, the position of the languid, the lower and upper lips, etc, to sound quite differently.</p>
Now to answer your question about the "monster"organs. Yes, they do have many ranks of pipes in them, and no doubt there may be many of those ranks that are for all practical purposes identical to other ranks. After all, if you have forty ranks of Diapasons, there are not actually forty different kinds of Diapason sound to choose from. But still the designer would not include identical ranks in the same division for the above reasons. The Atlantic City organ, for instance, has over a dozen divisions. some are obvious-Great, Swell, Choir, etc. Others have no home manual, for instance, a String division would be coupled to whichever manual the organist wanted to at the moment.</p>
Strings are a somewhat different breed than Flutes or Diapasons-Principals. In these big organs, Strings are used to get the full Orchestral sound, and therefore there will be many ranks of Strings, probably over a hundred in each of these big organs. I have not studied the specification of either organ in detail, but it would not surprise me if the Swell in both of them has as many as ten ranks of strings, that are virtually identical to the ones in the Choir, and that a separate String or Orchestral divsion might again have a virtual identical set of ten or twelve ranks of strings, with maybe a few more ranks of strings. Also, the String or Orchestral divsion might have, for instance, three pairs of Viola ranks, each pair forming a Celeste, but each pair being at a different volume level than the others. Also, it is not uncommon have Celestes to be made from three or more ranks. For instance, a four rank Celeste would have the loudest rank at standard pitch, with another virtually identical rank pitched sharp, the third rank pitched even sharper but somewhat softer, and a fourth rank also softer but pitched flat.</p>
With Diapasons, you might have four of more 8' Diapasons available on the Great These might vary in tone from a Baroque style Principal with a lot of chiff al the way to a theatre organ Diapason with no chiff, that almost sounds like a loud open flute. There might be identical ranks elsewhere in the organ, but maybe at 4' pitch instead of 8'. Of course you can also have Salicionals, Violin Diapasons, Diaphonic Diapasons, etc. Same with Flutes, which have even more variety, as you can have open Flutes, stopped Flutes, and half-stopped Flutes (Rohrflutes). Likewise Reeds come in all varieties, loud soft, full length (Trumpets, for example), half length (Clarinets or Krumhorns are examples), and fractional length (Vox Humanas or Regals, etc.). Mixtures contain a lot of ranks. The big organ at Ocean Grove in New Jersey, which is an organ that I admire, has one or two Mixtures on each manual and on the Pedals. If each Mixture has at least three ranks (most of them have four), the rank count can quickly add up. I think that, in the Ocean Grove organ, there are close to fifty ranks of pipes in the Mixtures, out of about 180 ranks. This organ also has probably forty ranks of Strings, as well as just about any kind or Diapason, Flute, or Reed one could want. It also plays in a seven thousand seat auditorium.</p>
I know that all of this may be overwhelming. Bear in mind that I have been studying these things for close to forty years, and have many books on organs, and I don't consider myself an expert by any means.</p>
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