Foundation stop · 2 ft
The Doublette
The open 2-foot stop, sounding two octaves above the 8-foot: the highest of the octave stops of the classical organ.
Foundation stop
What it is
The doublette is an open octave stop of medium scale, made of fine tin and running the full compass. It speaks an octave above the prestant, or two octaves above the open 8-foot; its first pipe is two feet tall. A similar one is placed on the positive, and Dom Bedos notes that it is found in every organ.
It belongs to the same family as the montre and the prestant, sharing their medium scale. It should not be confused with the quarte de nasard, of the same pitch but of wide scale, which builders intend for combination with the nazards and tierces.
L'Art du facteur d'orgues
What Dom Bedos says
On appelle le 2 pieds Doublette, parce qu’il sonne une double octave plus haut que le 8 pieds.
TranslationThe 2-foot is called Doublette because it sounds a double octave higher than the 8-foot.
In practice
In the music of the Couperins and their contemporaries
The doublette is part of the plein jeu, with the montres, prestants, fourniture and cymbale: Boyvin names it on both the positive and the great organ, and Dom Bedos draws every doublette of the organ.
In the tierce combinations it is only a substitute: Boyvin and Dom Bedos prefer the quarte de nasard and use the doublette only when there is no quarte. Dom Bedos also uses it on the positive, with the two 8-foot stops and the larigot, to accompany a basse de trompette, and with the quarte to imitate the flageolet.
See also
- Plein jeu →Combination
- Montre and Prestant →Foundation stop
- Jeu de tierce →Combination
- All the stops →
Sources
- Dom Bedos de Celles, L’Art du facteur d’orgues, Ire partie, Paris, 1766 (texte de l’exemplaire BnF, IMSLP)
- Dom Bedos de Celles, L’Art du facteur d’orgues, IIIe partie, chap. IV, « Les principaux mêlanges ordinaires des Jeux de l’Orgue », Paris, 1770 (transcription Wikisource)
- Jacques Boyvin, Premier livre d’orgue, Paris, 1690, « Avis au public concernant le mélange des jeux de l’orgue » (transcription Wikisource)
The musical programme of the Chaumes-en-Brie organ aims to serve this repertoire; its specification will be defined with the selected organ builder.