1 1/3'

a mutation stop that sounds two octaves and a fifth above the written pitch, usually called Larigot



1 3 /5'

a mutation stop that sounds two octaves and a third above the written pitch, usually called Tierce



2'

indicates a stop that sounds two octaves above the written pitch



2 2/3'

a mutation stop that sounds an octave and a fifth above the written pitch, usually called Nazard or Twelfth



3'

another name for a 2 2/3' stop



4'

indicates a stop or coupler that sounds an octave above the written pitch



5 1/3'

a stop that sounds a fifth above the written pitch



8'

indicates a stop or coupler that sounds at the written pitch



16'

indicates a stop or coupler that sounds an octave below the written pitch



32'

a stop that sounds two octaves below the written pitch



Action

the parts of an organ that connect the keys with the pipes



Antiphonal

a division of the organ that is separate from the rest of the pipes; also question and answer effects



Bellows

an apparatus of wood and folded leather that collects wind and delivers it to the wind chest



Blower

an electric fan that provides wind for the pipes



Bombarde

a division of the organ, also a large reed stop



Bourdon

a stopped flute stop of metal or wood



Case

the wood box built around the pipes, to focus and blend their sound



Celeste

a rank of pipes tuned slightly sharp to cause beats with its companion rank



Chamber

a room housing the pipes of an organ, opening into the main room



Chest

the box on which pipes stand, filled with air



Choir

a division of the organ, usually played from the lowest of three manuals, often enclosed



Choralbass

a 4' principal stop found in the pedal division



"Chorus" reeds

reed stops designed to be used in combinations with flues



Clarion

a trumpet stop, usually at 4' pitch



"Color" reeds

reed stops designed to be used as solo stops



Combination action

a device allowing the organist to change stops with buttons or toe studs



Console

the control center of the organ



Cornet

a combination of stops at 8', 4', 2 2/3', 2', and 1 3/5'



Coupler

a device that makes the pipes from one division sound on another keyboard than its own, or at another octave



Crescendo pedal

a pedal that brings on stops and couplers gradually



Cromorne

a reed stop of the clarinet family



Cut-up

the height of a flue pipe mouth



Cymbal

a high-pitched mixture



Diapason

a flue pipe with basic organ tone



Division

a section of the organ, usually with its own keyboard and pipes



Dulzian

a reed stop in the clarinet family



Echo

a division of the organ, usually enclosed and across the room from the rest of the pipes



Electric action

action that uses electricity to open and close the pipe valves



En chamade

the placement of reed pipes on their sides to project their tone



English Horn

a color reed stop in romantic organs



Erzähler

a hybrid flue stop with a sound between a flute and a string, usually soft



Façade

the front of the organ chamber or case



Fagott

"bassoon" in German; a reed stop of the oboe family



"Floating" division

a division that has no special keyboard, but plays by being coupled to another keyboard



Flue

an organ pipe that makes sound by setting a column of air vibrating



Flute

a flue pipe of wide scale, made of wood or metal



Fourniture

a mixture



French Horn

a color reed stop in romantic organs



Fundamental

the bottom pitch in the harmonic series



Gallery

a balcony, one of the places organs are located



Gamba

a string stop, named after the early instrument



Gedeckt

the German name for a stopped flute pipe



Gemshorn

a hybrid flue stop with a sound between a flute and a string



Grand Orgue

the French name for the Great division



Great

the main division of an organ, usually played from the lower of two or the middle of three manuals



Harmonic

one of the series of high pitches that are present in musical tones produced by natural means



Hauptwerk

the German name for the Great division



Hautbois

the French name for oboe



Krummhorn

a reed stop of the clarinet family



Languid

the "block" of a metal pipe that sends the wind against the upper lip



Larigot

a mutation stop of 1 1/3' that sounds two octaves and a fifth above the written pitch



Mechanical action

action that uses rods called "trackers" to connect the keys with the pipe valves



Mitered pipe

a pipe bent to fit into limited space



Mixture

a stop of more than one rank of pipes at various high pitches



Montre

the French word for principal, from the verb "to show" - meaning the pipes that show in the case



Mutation

a rank of pipes that sounds a non-octave pitch above the written note



Nazard

a mutation stop of 2 2/3' that sounds an octave and a fifth above the written pitch



Oboe

a reed stop used as a solo and in combinations



Octave

an interval of eight scale tones; a principal rank, usually sounding an octave above the main principal rank in any division



Orchestral Oboe

a solo reed stop found in romantic organs



Organo Pleno

the term used for principal chorus with mixture



Partial

any of the harmonics above the fundamental in the harmonic series



Pistons

buttons and toe studs that change stops and couplers and may be set by the organist



Plein Jeu

literally "full stops"; the French term for Organo Pleno; one of the names for a mixture



Plenum

another word for principal chorus with mixture



Pommer

a flute stop



Posaune

literally "trombone"; the German name for a low-pitched reed stop of the trumpet family



Positif, Positiv

German and French for Positive - a division of the organ, usually open and bright in sound



Prestant

a principal stop



Principal

the type of pipe that makes typical organ tone



Principal Chorus

principal stops at 8', 4', 2', sometimes 16', 2 2/3' with mixture(s)



Quintadena

a flute stop voiced to sound its third partial prominently



Quinte

a stop of 2 2/3' pitch, usually made of principal pipes



Rank

a row of pipes of one tone color brought into play by a stop knob or tablet



Rankett

a reed stop with short resonators



Récit

the French name for the Swell division



Reed

an organ pipe that makes sound by the vibration of a reed against a hollow tube called a "shallot"



Regal

a reed stop with short resonators



Register

another name for stop



Resonator

the body of a reed pipe, which amplifies and modifies the sound of the reed itself



Reversible

a piston that turns something both on and off



Romantic

refers to instruments and music of the 19th century or in that style



Salicional

a string stop



Scale

a series of diatonic notes; the relationship of the diameter to the length of a flue pipe



Schalmei

a reed stop of the oboe family



Scharf

a mixture



Schwellwerk

the German name for the Swell division



Sesquialtera

the name for a stop which pulls two ranks - 2 2/3' and I 3/5 - into play



Sforzando

a name for the tutti combination piston



Shallot

the hollow brass tube against which the reed vibrates in a reed pipe



Shutters

the wooden slats that enclose a swell box



Solid State

combination action controlled by a small computer, containing several memories so that the entire organ can be set up several times at once



Solo

a division of the organ that contains solo stops and often loud reeds, usually played from the top of four manuals



Specification

a list of the stops or ranks found in an organ



Spotted metal

a combination of tin and lead used for metal flue pipes



Stop

the knob or tablet that pulls a rank of pipes into play



Stopped Diapason

a flute stop



Stopped pipe

a flue pipe that is closed at the top with a cap or stopper, making it sound an octave lower than an open pipe of the same length



Strings

flue pipes of narrow scale, voiced to have many harmonics



Swell

a division of the organ enclosed in a box with shutters



Tempered

tuning that is not mathematically exact, but adjusted to allow for performance in all keys



Tierce

a 1 3/5' mutation stop that sounds two octaves and a third above the written pitch



Toe Stud

a large button near the pedal keyboard that operates a piston



Tracker

a rod that connects the key to the pipe valve in mechanical-action organs



Tremolo

a device that shakes the wind, making the sound of the pipes waver



Trombone

a low-pitched reed stop of the trumpet family



Trumpet

a reed stop whose pipes have conical resonators



Tuba

a reed stop of the trumpet family, often on high wind pressure



Tutti

a piston that brings on full organ, usually reversible



Twelfth

a mutation stop of 2 2/3' pitch, usually made of principal pipes



Viola da Gamba

a string stop



Voix Céleste

a rank of string pipes tuned sharp to cause beats with its companion rank



Vox Humana

literally "human voice"; a reed stop with short resonators



Windchest

a box on which the pipes stand, filled with air



Zimbelstern

a wheel with bells on it, used as a special effect on some organs



Zink

a reed stop with short resonators