Rodgers Trilogy - Musical Resources: Diapason and Flute Families; The Diapason Family; The Flute Family

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THE MUSICAL RESOURCES OF THE MODEL 32- B AND THE TRILOGY
THE- VOICE FAMILIES OF THE ORGAN
(DIAPASONS,
FLUTES, STRINGS AND REEDS)
THE DIAPASON FAMILY
The sound which most of us associate with the organ is Diapason tone, the very
foundation of the organ. The importance of this stop is often emphasized by the
use of the word "principal" to denote it. The Diapason is non-imitative, it is
unique to the organ alone, and it has enough foundational tone to enable it to
blend well with, and add strength to, the ensemble. At the same time, it pos-
sesses enough harmonic development to add brilliance and life. The usefulness
of this type of tone becomes apparent as one looks at the stoplist of the 32- B or
Trilogy. On -the-Great manual, Diapasons are present at 8', 4', and 2' pitches.
There is also a Mixture, which corroborates the upper harmonics of the Diapa-
sons and adds the final touch of brilliance to the Diapason Chorus. In the Swell
division, the Diapason tone becomes less bold, more in keeping with the roman-
tic nature of the Swell Organ. These Diapasons are called Geigen Diapasons.
In the Pedal Organ, the Diapasons are present at 16' and 8' pitches, to provide
foundation and firmness for that division.
THE FLUTE FAMILY
The Flute tones of the organ are characterized by an almost complete lack of
harmonic development, and as such are good foundation builders. In the Great
division, they complete the ensemble and give it a fuller sound. The light
Choir Flutes with their mutation pitches are useful as a contrapuntal foil to the
Great, as well as being able to synthesize many interesting solo effects. The
Baroque "chiff' , accent is also available on the Choir Flutes, adding sparkle to
the works of Bach and his contemporaries. The Swell Flutes characteristically
possess greater harmonic development than the flutes on the rest of the organ,
but they still have the "covered" sound of the Flute Family. In the Pedal Organ,
the Bourdon and Lieblich Gedeckt at 16' pitch and the Flute at 8' pitch provide
the soft to medium-heavy foundation for quiet ensemble playing.
THE STRING FAMILY
This sound was introduced into the organ rather late in its development: in the
early part of the 19th century. It is an imitative sound, closely associated with
the sound of an orchestral string section. The string family of organ stops pos-
sesses a soft tone, with a keen edge and a limited amount of foundation pitch.