The Melodia seems to be a rank/stop that seems to have fallen out of favor after WW2, and seems to be making a tiny bit of a comeback....this particular rank when I first got it I felt would probably be consigned to long term storage, however I really love its sound and it is definately staying on the organ. I don't see too many new Melodia's being constructed but I have noticed a FEW lately.
The Durst catologue which firm later merged to become organ Supply used to offer melodias which were also named concert flutes. Some builders though distinguished the two. Skinner's concert flute has stoppered basses; open wood tenor with rolled slide tuners on top of the pipes; and harmonic metal from middle C. Other builders offered a mostly open wood stop possibly with a stoppered bass but not always; some were open all the way down. The singularly most beautiful specimen of melodiaI have ever encountered was a 1923 Hillgreen-Lane 2/9 organ. The melodia was a taste of sheer glory--heaven--liquid organ tone of exquisite voicing.
So, is it a good thing that I have one on my pipe organ I have in storage? Don't they have a reputation for being a bit "tubby?" Perhaps a theatre sound?
Michael
Way too many organs to list, but I do have 5 Allens:
We've a vintageVotteler-Holtkamp-Sparlingrank in our choir division. It was to have been removed when we redesigned and combinedthe choir and petite division as there was also another 8'open flute present. However, I requested it be kept, and am now glad we did so. It's indeed darker and fatter than the other flutes on the organ, but is a nice solo voice, and does have a nice vintage sound. The other ranks in that division are also keptmore romantic, with the 8' geigen diapason, dulciana and unda maris, ludwigtone, 4' fugara and 4' spire flute, clarinet, 2' flute, plus cornet and mixture. We're working now to slow down the tremolo and deepen it a bit. Should handle fun theater/gospel sounds quite well when I want them .
Recordings of this instrument will be available sometime in February I hope! If I can figure out how to set up a photo gallery, I'll do that as well. [:D]
The picture shows a small scale, open wooden flute with inverted mouths, no harmonic break (as one might find in a Flute Travisiére) and a stopped bass. That's pretty Melodia-ish, and not Bourdon-ish.
It looks very much like a Wurlitzer "Flute" which is a Melodia in construction. It is missing the smaller pipes. Note that at the bass end, the pipes change to stopped bourdon construction, just like a Wurlitzer rank does.
If I am not mistaken: If one clicks on the Ebay link and views all three pictures, one will see that there is a treble pipe with a stopper; thus this may indeed be more of a Bourdon than a Melodia?
The Melodia rank on my Reuter also has a stoppered bottom 8' octave. I'm sorta guessing that was common practice to conserve wood/space etc...the work with the rank but it is not a "pure" Melodia rank as the bottom 12 notes do sound and function as regular Gedeckts.
Mr. Odell is exactly correct about the flute pictured.
The Wurlitzer "Flute" rank which this is, was included ib every organ made. The rank usually is 97 noyes starting with a 16' Bourdon. There are 30 stopped pipes. The "Melodia" style pipes make most of the rest of the rank changing to open metal pipes in the upper octaves. The pipe work estends to the top note of 2' pitch. The wind pressure is 10". Lowering the pressure is not feasible as thr pipes very quickly fall out of regulation. This rank is generally the softest stop in the organ, but is not really very soft unless the shutters are closed. It has a somewhat light classical sound. This rank is probably the most used and valuable rank in my Wurlitzer. The mutation pitches and the 2' stop are derived from this rank on original Wurlitzers.
I love the sound of this rank. It adds some spice to the Tibia's and Diapason's when used ar 4' and 2' pitches.
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