Hurrahs all round to the winner of our crazy stop name competition. Aaaaand the winner is Martin C. from Hull in the UK who has an extraordinary sense of weird humour combined with a quirkish (and downright dangerous) organ stop wishlist. Lord help us if he ever becomes an organ builder. Anyway, the crazy names Martin came up with are worth sharing:
- 8’ Tuba Destructa: A very high pressure reed of earsplitting volume capable of causing structural damage.
- 8’ Bierflote and 4’ Halbe-Bierflote: Quiet breathy toned stopped flue with a frothy tone like that of blowing across the top of a beer bottle.
- 16’ Zippelfagott : Pedal bassoon reed with a tendency to unpredictable unmusical bleating. Disliked by J S Bach.
- 4’ Vox Castrato: Imitative reed stop, powerful, painful tone but somewhat lacking in balls.
- 8’ Viola Obscura: Keen string tone with hidden qualities. Much beloved for performances of ‘The Lost Chord’
- 8’ Tuba D’Amour: Literally ‘Tuba of Love’! Love shouted from the rooftops rather than whispered in the ear.
- 2 1/3 ‘ Triffida: Mutation stop with a vicious stinging tone. Triangular based pipes prone to moving spontaneously.
- 8’ Tromba di Carabiniere: Loud somewhat raucous undulating reed with an arresting tone
- 16’ Dyspeptic Bourdon: Stopped pedal flue with an unsettled rumbling quality.
- 32’ Ophicleide Flatulata: Pungent pedal reed that will cut through any ensembe with a lingering reverberation. Somewhat coarse-toned.
- Bassett Mixture III (sometimes nicknamed Dolly): A Licorice Allsorts sort of stop.
- 8’ Boysenberry Trumpet: Imitative reed with a cold, somewhat fruity tone and wafer-like crispness. Common on theatre organs.
Congratulations Martin - you will get the set of 10 greeting cards
(Incidentally, one of the above stops is genuine. Who knows which one??)