Super Octave Coupler

[Guest]

I was practising on a tracker organ yesterday that's about a million years old, and I noticed on the swell that it had a Super Octave coupler. I thought Super Octave couplers added a note two octaves above the note you played. Ionly could see the keys one octave above the note I was playing moving down. And then on some notes, the keys one octave down were moving down as well as one octave above. What is it really supposed to do?

[Guest]

Re: Super Octave Coupler

Hi Diaphone32 .... the "super octave" coupler or more commonly known on organs of today as "super"couple the octave above not two octaves above. The same is true with the "sub" coupler which couples the lower octave. The lower octave notes you may have seen moving may have been the manual to pedal coupler being on and your feet were playing those notes? Hope this helps.

[Guest]

Re: Super Octave Coupler

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[Guest]

Re: Super Octave Coupler



[quote user="Gamba"]Hi Diaphone32 .... the "super octave" coupler or more commonly known on organs of today as "super"couple the octave above not two octaves above.[/quote]

So what is the difference between that and just an octave coupler?

[Guest]

Re: Super Octave Coupler

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[soubasse32]

Re: Super Octave Coupler



There are indeed "octave" couplers. It all depends on which organ you are looking at. [:)]

There are multiple terms in common use, all meaning the same thing. Octave coupler=Superoctave coupler=Supercoupler.

I understand whereDiaphone32's initialconfusion might be coming from. 'Octave' coupler seems to imply one octave higher; super octave seems to imply one octave higher than the octave(which is not the case).

For this reason, I avoid the term "superoctave coupler" - itis the most misleading. The other two terms are most commonly used, at least in classical organ terminology.

[Guest]

Re: Super Octave Coupler

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[soubasse32]

Re: Super Octave Coupler



In organs built in French style, one sees the term "Octaves" and "Octaves Graves" used.

I like that!

I think I've seen organs with the "Anglicized version" of the same: "Octaves" and "Sub Octaves". Don't recall the builder, unfortunately. Schoenstein...?

[Guest]

Re: Super Octave Coupler

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[soubasse32]

Re: Super Octave Coupler



[quote user="acc"]it seems understandable that Cavaillé-Coll would display it this way, since suboctaves were much more common in his instruments than superoctaves. [/quote]

Not just Cavaillé-Coll- (super) octave couplers hardly existed in France until consoles started becoming electrified. St-Ouen is obviously one of the rare exceptions.

It is also unusual to find French music calling for "Octaves aiguës" until Duruflé (St-Étienne-du-Mont has these couplers).

[Guest]

Re: Super Octave Coupler

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[soubasse32]

Re: Super Octave Coupler

(Re: Duruflé) Wishful thinking indeed - the tessitura of some of the writing goes beyond the compass of the chest anyway! [:D]

[Guest]

Re: Super Octave Coupler

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[tumult_in_the_praetorium]

Re: Super Octave Coupler

Jean Langlais also calls for the Octaves Aiguesin some of his oeuvre - this would perhaps have meant that such a coupler was present at St.Clotilde?

[Guest]

Re: Super Octave Coupler

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