Stops. Term for organ pipes aligned on the same slider. All the pipes of the same stop produce sounds that differ only in pitch from high to low; while the pipes of another stop produce sounds that differ in another way, as several shades of blue, for example, differ from the shades of red ranging from light to dark, which in this comparison correspond to high and low.

In addition to the names that distinguish them, stops are also designated by the length in feet [1] of their longest pipe, C , the lowest of the bass pipes. This corresponds to the first note of the keyboard to the organist’s left, unless the keyboard has a short octave. Thus, we say the Prestant speaks four feet, because its longest pipe, C , is four feet long. The Doublette speaks two feet, because its longest pipe, the same C on the keyboard, is only two feet long; and likewise for the other stops , as shown in the table of compasses of organ stops [Plate XI, fig. 67], in our [other] organ plates , and the individual articles .

This table [Plate XI], showing the relationships of the stops , has vertical spaces or columns representing the octaves above and below the reference pitch marked one foot. We take as reference the sound produced by a pipe one foot long. This pitch is midway between the limits of the organ, and it is the octave of M. Sauveur’s reference pitch. [2] The harmonic foot is to the pied du roi as 17 is to 18, so it only measures 11 pouces 4 lignes .  [3] We have marked the lengths that produce these pitches, and with + or – the octaves of these pitches, to wit: the treble octaves, above the reference pitch, are +1, +2, +3, +4; the lower octaves, below the reference pitch, are -1, -2, -3, -4. For length, one foot, which is the reference; ½ foot, which is the octave above; ¼ foot, the double octave; and 1/8 foot, which is the triple octave above.

The lower octaves are found by doubling in succession the length of the reference pipe: for the first, 2 feet; for the second, 4 feet; for the third, 8 feet; for the fourth, 16 feet; and for the fifth, 32 feet; in this octave the pipes only go down to the fifth at most. See the table of compasses of organ stops [Plate XI, fig. 67].

Montre, 16’ all tin, with the longest pipe the bass C, 16 feet long. See Montre, 16’ and [Plate VIII] figure 31 .

Bourdon, 16’. The basses, two octaves and sometimes three, are of wood, and the trebles have only one octave of lead pipes, stopped like the basses, with ears for tuning. [4] See Bourdon, 16’ and [Plate VII] figure 30 .

Bombarde, tin or wood , a reed stop. See Trompette. It speaks 16 feet. See Bombarde and Plate [IX].

Bourdon, 4’ stopped, speaking 8 feet; the basses of this stop are wood; the tenor lead, stopped and with ears; and the trebles with chimneys and ears. See Bourdon, 4’ stopped and [Plate VIII] fig. [32] .

8’ open, or 8’ sounding , speaks in unison with the 4’ Stopped. This stop is of tin, and open at the top. See 8’ open and [Plate VIII] fig. [33] .

Prestant speaks four feet; it is of tin; it is the first stop in the organ, used for laying the bearings and for tuning all the others. It owes this privilege to being in the middle between high and low among all the stops composing the organ. See Prestant and Plate [VIII], fig. [34] .

Flûte speaks in unison with the Prestant, but it is of wider scale. The basses are capped, the tenors have chimneys, and the trebles are open. See Flûte, organ stop, and Plate [VIII, fig. 35 A B C].

Gros Nazard speaks the fifth above the 8’, a fourth above the Prestant. This stop tapers towards the top like a spindle, as shown in the figure ; sometimes it is like the other stops , the basses capped, the tenors with chimneys, and the trebles open. See Gros Nazard and Plate [VIII, fig. 36].

Double Tierce speaks the third above the Prestant or 4’; this stop is of lead and tapers towards the top; it is tuned by ears. See Double Tierce and Plate [VIII, fig. 37].

Nazard is of lead and tapers towards the top; it speaks the fifth above the Prestant or 4’, and a minor third above the Double Tierce, an octave above the Gros Nazard. When this stop is tapered, it is tuned by ears; sometimes, especially in small chamber organs, the basses are capped, the tenors have chimneys, and the trebles are open. See Plate [VIII, fig. 38], and the article Nazard.

Quarte de Nazard speaks the octave above the Prestant, consequently two feet; this stop is of lead, the basses with chimneys and the trebles open. See Quarte de Nazard.

Doublette speaks the octave above the Prestant, in unison with the Quarte de Nazard; it must measure 2 feet long; it is of tin. See Doublette and [Plate IX] fig. [40] .

Tierce is of lead and speaks the third above the Doublette or 2 feet, an octave above the Double Tierce. See Tierce and [Plate IX] fig. [41] .

Larigot speaks the octave above the Nazard and the fifth above the Doublette, or 2’; this stop is of lead and all open. See Larigot and [Plate IX] fig. [42] .

Grand Cornet , with five pipes for each note, is made up of a treble Bourdon, A , the two upper octaves, including the tenor and treble; a treble Flûte, B ; a treble Nazard, C ; a treble Quarte de Nazard, D ; and a treble Tierce, E . See Grand Cornet and [Plate IX] fig. [43] ; this stop only has two octaves.

Cornet de Récit , comprising the same pipes as the Grand Cornet V, but of narrower scale. See Cornet de Récit and [Plate IX] fig. [43] . This stop has only two octaves.

Cornet d’Écho , comprising the same pipes as the Grand Cornet V, but of narrower scale than the Cornet de Récit. This stop is enclosed in the lower part of the organ case, so that it less prominent and thus acts as an echo. See Cornet d’Écho and [Plate IX] fig. [43] .

Flûte Allemande speaks in unison with the treble of the 8’, namely, two feet. It is of lead and wide-scaled; it has only the two tenor and treble octaves, like the Cornets d’Écho, de Récit, Grand Cornet and Trompette de Récit. See Flûte Allemande, organ stop.

Cymbale , part of the plein jeu . It, too, has several pipes for each note, and it has full keyboard compass. See Cymbale and [Plate IX] fig. [56] .

Trompette , a reed stop, speaks in unison with the 8’; it is of tin and funnel-shaped towards the top. See Trompette and [Plate IX] fig. [44] .

Voix Humaine speaks in unison with the 8’, the Trompette and the Cromorne. This stop is of tin, and its largest pipes are only 7 or 8 inches long; they are half-closed by a piece of the same metal, soldered over the opening at the top. It is a reed stop. See Voix Humaine, and [Plate IX] fig. [48] .

Cromorne , a reed stop , speaks in unison with the 8’; the pipes are cylindrical, that is, they are no wider at the top than at the bottom. See Cromorne and [Plate IX] fig. [47] .

Clairon , a reed stop , speaks the octave above the Trompette and in unison with the Prestant, consequently, 4’. This stop is of tin and wider scaled than the Trompette. See Clairon and [Plate IX] fig. [45] .

Voix Angélique speaks in unison with the Prestant or 4’, and the octave of the Voix Humaine, which it resembles. This stop is of tin, and has reeds. See Voix Angélique and [Plate IX, fig. 48].

Trompette de Récit speaks in unison with the Trompette, consequently 8’; it is of tin and has only the two tenor and treble octaves. See Trompette de Récit and [Plate IX, fig. 46], which must be imagined as being smaller [ sic ].

All these organ stops are tuned together, as explained in the article Tuning, and the individual articles. In larger organs there are also the following stops , called pedals because the feet are used to depress the pedal keys that make them speak. They are:

4’ Pedal , speaks in unison with the Prestant. When there is a short octave, it goes down to 8’. The basses of this stop are of wood and the trebles of lead, all open. See 4’ Pedal and [Plate IX, fig. 51].

Clairon, Pedal , reed stop ; it is of tin and speaks in unison with the 4’ Pedal, and an octave above the Trompette, Pedal. See Clairon, pedal.

Eight-foot Pedal , otherwise called Flûte, pedal , speaks in unison with the 8’; the basses are of wood, and they have no stoppers; the trebles are of lead. See 8’ Pedal or Flûte, pedal.

Trumpet Pedal , a reed stop , speaks in unison with 8’, and consequently with the Trumpet; the only difference is its wider scale; this stop is of tin. See Trompette, pedal.

Bombarde, pedal , a reed stop , is only installed in very large organs. It speaks in unison with the Bombarde, consequently 16’. This stop is of tin or wood; if there is a short octave in the pedal keyboard, the Bombarde goes down to the 32’ range. See Bombarde, pedal, and [Plate IX, fig. 50].

All these stops are placed on chests or channel blocks, so that the organist admits wind to the stop he chooses by opening the slider under the feet of the pipes, then opening the pallet that controls the channel on which the pipe stands. See Windchest and Organ.

Usually, several stops are set off [ sic ] at a time, which forms compounds; the chief compound is the plein jeu , which is the Montre and the 16’ Bourdon, the 8’ Open Bourdon, the Prestant, the Doublette, the Fourniture, the Cymbale and the Tierce.

The other compounds are at the discretion of the organist, who can choose among the almost infinite number of combinations possible the ones they find most pleasing, which they perceive on playing the keyboard. However, we may say that of all the possible combinations of these various stops taken by twos, threes or fours, some must be avoided, for example those whose pipes on the same note produce a dissonance, like the Tierces and the Quarte de Nazard. See the table of compasses of organ stops [Plate XI, fig. 67].

1. The pied is about equivalent to the foot (Translator’s note).

2. Joseph Sauveur (1653-1716), French mathematician and physicist who published a treatise on musical theory in 1697 (Editor’s note).

3. The ligne is one-twelfth of a pied (Translator’s note).

4. The wood Bourdon pipes illustrated have no ears; they are stopper tuned (Translator’s note).