Contrabass Digest

2005-07-02

From: Timothy Tikker
Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2005 21:08:26 -0400
Subject: Re: [CB] [CB Digest]


On Friday, July 1, 2005, at 06:53 PM, List Server wrote:
> Date: Fri, 01 Jul 2005 09:56:11 -0500
> From: "Gregg Bailey"
> Subject: [CB] "Octavin" as an organ stop
>
> Has Mr. Tikker or anyone else mentioned the fact that many pipe organs
> have a stop called "Octavin"?  It sounds like there must be no relation
> to the real instrument, though.  The organ stop version is a high flutey
> stop pitched at 2', meaning that the speaking length of the longest pipe
> is only 2', and the whole stop sounds two octaves above normal pitch.

Yes, in a French organ it's a 2' harmonic flute, i.e. the pipes are double-length and play an octave higher than normal length, overblowing to the octave harmonic (all except the bottom octave of pipes, which are normal length).

I've not been sure of the origin of the term among French builders.  My working theory is that it's a French-izing of the Italian "Ottavino", which I believe was a term for a piccolo (of course there was also Flauto piccolo).

- Tim Tikker

======================================================================
From: Timothy Tikker
Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2005 21:10:46 -0400
Subject: Re: [CB] [CB Digest]

A lot of American organbuilders in the mid-20th century got confused and used Octavin for a 2' rank of principal, not flute tone.  Some still do this.

- Tim Tikker

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