Contrebasse 16

[Guest]

Was the Cavaille-Coll Contrebasse 16 a string, a principal or an open flute?

Having always thought a Contrebasse 16 was a soft-toned string, I was puzzled when reading through some old issues of TAO and I noticed a cover feature article which says: "The principal chorus of the Pedale is based on an open wood Contrebasse of 16' pitch." (http://casavant.ca/new_temp/img/home/HomeFrame.htm)
Casavant builds an Open Wood as a Contrebasse, and organstops.org cites it as an "Imitative string stop of 16' pitch.", moreover, is a Contrebasse 16 a principal? the Nichols and Simpson instrument at Christ Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, and their instrument at Pulaski Heights Methodist has an open metal 16 Contrabass in their Pedal division. (http://nicholsandsimpson.com/prod01.htm) Which is the real Contrebasse?

Violoncello

[Clarion]

Re: Contrebasse 16



You will find the answer(s) at the Encyclopedia of Organ Stops:

http://www.organstops.org/FullIndex.html#C

[soubasse32]

Re: Contrebasse 16



[quote user="Clarion"]You will find the answer(s) at the Encyclopedia of Organ Stops:[/quote]

Here I must disagree... The Encyclopedia is not exhaustive unfortunately, and there are errors and omissions(as is the case with the Contrebasse entry). [^o)]

Nevertheless I'm fond of sending people there myself.[:)]

So for the real story...

In a C-C organ we find the Contrebasse isneither a string, nor is it a Diapason. It isinvariably an open wood stop which - forall intents and purposes - functions as a flute. [8-|]

There are usually no 16' Pedal Diapasons inmost French romanticorgans, so the Contrebasse serves as theloudest 16' pedal flue - followed by the stoppered Soubasse. [:)]

If you do encounter a string stop in the French romantic organ's Pedal division, it will most likely be a Violoncelle 8' - a broad string (almost principal-toned) with freins harmoniques.

[Clarion]

Re: Contrebasse 16

[quote user="soubasse32"]


So for the real story...

In a C-C organ we find the Contrebasse isneither a string, nor is it a Diapason. It isinvariably an open wood stop which - forall intents and purposes - functions as a flute. [8-|]

There are usually no 16' Pedal Diapasons inmost French romanticorgans, so the Contrebasse serves as theloudest 16' pedal flue - followed by the stoppered Soubasse. [:)][/quote]

Sort of ironic, since acontrebasse is a stringed instrument. [^o)]

I checked out Contrebasse sampling on the French specification of my digital organ, and as you've already mentioned there is no 16' Diapason; buta Diapason by any other name . . . . [;)] The Contrebasse sounds almost exactly like the 8' Diapason when compared at the same pitch.

I don't knowwherethesesamples for the French organ spec were obtained, but their samples include C-C, LeTourneau and Casavant. I'd eventually like to get a list of the origin for each stop.

[Guest]

Re: Contrebasse 16



The 1930 Skinner 16 contrebasse at church of the savior cleveland ohio was originally a bearded diapason of wood and not enormous scale. in 1959 the beard was replaced with a new smaller diametere beard than the original large diameter beard.

the moller 1948 contrabass in youngstown ohio is large scale and the wood languid is beveled or angled downward from the fron of the mouth to the back of the mouth on a goodly angle say circa 45 degrees.

id like to know if c-c principal-basse 32 of wood was a low mouthed fairly large scale open wood

[Guest]

Re: Contrebasse 16

[quote user="soubasse32"]

[quote user="Clarion"]You will find the answer(s) at the Encyclopedia of Organ Stops:[/quote]

Here I must disagree... The Encyclopedia is not exhaustive unfortunately, and there are errors and omissions(as is the case with the Contrebasse entry). [^o)]

Nevertheless I'm fond of sending people there myself.[:)]

So for the real story...

In a C-C organ we find the Contrebasse isneither a string, nor is it a Diapason. It isinvariably an open wood stop which - forall intents and purposes - functions as a flute. [8-|]

There are usually no 16' Pedal Diapasons inmost French romanticorgans, so the Contrebasse serves as theloudest 16' pedal flue - followed by the stoppered Soubasse. [:)]

If you do encounter a string stop in the French romantic organ's Pedal division, it will most likely be a Violoncelle 8' - a broad string (almost principal-toned) with freins harmoniques.

[/quote]

Excuse me, Soubasse32, but what are freins harmoniques? They aren't a form of beard, are they?

Violoncello Oops. Excuse me...

Violoncelle

[soubasse32]

Re: Contrebasse 16



Here is a definition AND an illustration. [8-|]

freins harmoniques

[quote user="Violoncello"]They aren't a form of beard, are they?[/quote]

You might say they are a .... "stringy" beard! [:D]