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Another feature of the Providence is the Great/Cl1oir/Flute Chiff control.
This control, when actuated, puts a harmonic attack on the Flute, which
gives the attack characteristic of the German Baroque Flutes.
THE STRING FAMILY
The String sound is a relative newcomer to the organ, being conceived in
the Romantic Period. The String tone is closely related to the Diapason,
except much thinner and transparent in qual ity and generally much softer.
The Strings are most often located in the Swell division with their c·eleste.
A celeste is created by two identical ranks of pipes, with one set tuned
slightly sharper than the other, causing a tremolo effect when played
simultaneously. On the Providence, the strings are drawn as one stop,
but play two sets of oscillators. The result is a mystical and ethereal
sound which was a favorite of many Romantic organ composers. The
celeste effect became so popular, it was used on other voices for more
color. The Providence has a Flute Celeste in the Swell Division.
Another form of string is the Gemshorn and Violone. These are generally
classified as hybrid stops, since their tone quality lies somewhere between
the String and Diapason. On the Providence, the Gemshorn and its
celeste are found in the Choir organ, where they provide a medium-full,
yet rich sound that blends with the Flutes, and is ideal for accompaniment stops.
The Violone in the Pedal division tends to imitate the String Bass, and is
more abundant in harmon ics than the Pedal Pr inc ipal. It is found at 32',
16', and 8'. The
32'
Violone gives the depth of pitch, but is lightweight
so it does not become ponderous and can be used in very
I
ight combinations
as well as full combinations. The 16' Violone and 8' Violone give a mezzo
forte richness to the Pedal organ and are useful when an orchestral Pedal
sound is des ired.
In pipe organs, all of the above tone qualities (Diapasons, Flutes, and
Strings) are derived from a pipe sound caused by a vibrating column of
air set in motion by the action of a sheet of wind-impinging on a knife-like
edge on the upper lip of the pipe mouth. These pipes and their resulting
sounds are classed collectively under the name of Flue Stops.
THE REED
FAMILY
The Reed derives its categorical name from the manner of sound production
in a pipe organ. To produce a sound, a brass reed tongue vibrates against
a slotted metal tube (shallot) with the vibrations being affected by the
length, width, and thickness of the resonator which is directly attached to the
top of the shallot.
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