Organ 23

The new rank of pipes were made by Booth’s of Leeds, modelled on the scaling of one at Farnborough Abbey. They are truly beautiful, solid and well-made.

A reed pipe is in two parts, the lower part, the boot (upper right in the picture above) has the bottom of the upper part, the resonator placed in it. Sticking out of the bottom of the resonator is the shallot, a brass part, to which will be attached the tongue, another piece of brass, whose vibration is what actually produces the sound.

This will be installed by the voicer, to whom the pipes must be passed on before they are ready for installing in the organ.

Once the reed is in place, the two parts of the pipe are put together, and a tuning wire installed, which rests on the tongue and determines its resonating frequency (pitch), and then passes up through the groove in the wider part of the resonator, which is where the resonator rests in the boot.

The trompette is quite strident, and acts both as a solo stop and adds a great sparkle to full organ.

NEXT