Encyclopedia of Organ Stops

Octaaf Dutch Octav German Octava Spanish Octave English Oktava Finnish, Swedish Ottava Italian Octave Diapason English Octave Principal English	Prästant German Praestant Latin Principaal Dutch Principal English Prestant French, German Principal Octave English
Flautadito Spanish Halbprincipal German Koppeldoof Dutch?	Oktavenprincipal German Primaria Latin Regula Minor Latin

This entry is still under construction. The next time you visit, check the Revision History to see what's been added.

An Open Diapason of 4' pitch on the manuals, or 8' pitch on the pedal.

These names have also been given to the stop more properly called Super Octave or Fifteenth. The name Principal is more properly used as a synonym for the Open Diapason. The name Prestant often indicates that the pipes are mounted in the front of the case. The word Octave is often used as a modifier with other stop names to indicate a stop at a pitch one octave higher than normal, but the word by itself invariably refers to a Diapason.

Variants

Cymbeloktave
Echo Octave
Grand Octave
Grossoctav

Grossoctavbass
Major Octave
Major Principal
Minor Octave

Octavbass
Octave Bass
Stentor Octave

Usage

Arguably the most important stop on the organ. It is usually the first stop to be tuned; other stops are then tuned to it.

Examples

No examples are known of Flautadito, Halbprincipal, Koppeldoof, Oktavenprincipal, Primaria, or Regula Minor. Contributions welcome.

Sound Clips

See the Sound Files appendix for general information.

Manual Octaves
Octava 4', Hauptwerk	Reinhardtsgrimma, Sachsen, Germany	Silbermann, 1731	arpeggio	St. Anne
Prestant 4', Grand Orgue	St. Bernhard, Mainz, Germany	Cavaillé-Coll, 1872-1892	arpeggio	St. Anne
Principal 4', Great	St. Anne's Church, Moseley, Birmingham, England	Lewis, 1875	arpeggio	St. Anne
Octave 4', Great	Kellogg Auditorium, Battle Creek, Michigan, USA	Aeolian-Skinner, 1933		St. Anne
Octave 4', Swell	Kellogg Auditorium, Battle Creek, Michigan, USA	Aeolian-Skinner, 1933		St. Anne
Octave 4', Great	First Baptist Church, Riverside, California, USA	Schantz, 1966	arpeggio	St. Anne
Prestant 4', Manual I	University of Illinois, USA	Buzard, 1986	arpeggio	St. Anne
Pedal Octaves
Octaven Baß 8', Pedal	Reinhardtsgrimma, Sachsen, Germany	Silbermann, 1731	arpeggio
Octave 8', Pedal	First Baptist Church, Riverside, California, USA	Schantz, 1966	arpeggio
Octave 8', Pedal	St. Anne's Church, Moseley, Birmingham, England	Nicholson, 1969	arpeggio

Bibliography

Adlung[1]: §158 Halbprincipal, §171 Oktave, §177 Prästant. Audsley[1]: Halbprinzipal; Octave; Prestant; Regula Minor. Audsley[2]: I.XIII Halbprincipal, Octave<, Prestant; Regula Minor; II.XXXVI Octave. Bedos[1]: § 140-142, 144, 155, 166, 234, 266. Bonavia-Hunt[1]: Octave. Douglass[1]: 83, 85, 87, 91-92, 103, 112-113. Grove[1]: Flautado; Octave; Praestant. Hopkins & Rimbault[1]: § 597. Irwin[1]: Minor Octave; Octave; Prestant. Locher[1]: Montre; Octave. Maclean[1]: Prestant. Skinner[1]: 24; XII Octave, Prestant. Strony[1]: Octave. Sumner[1]: Double Diapason; Halbprinzipal; Montre; Octave; Prestant; Principal. Wedgwood[1]: Halb; Octave; Prestant. Williams[1]: Glossary: Doef; Flautado; Octava; Praestant.

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