This is a sortable list of names that may be found associated with electronic and pipe organ stops. Countless stops have been designed over the centuries, and individual organs may have stops, or names of stops, used nowhere else. This non-comprehensive list deals mainly with names of stops found on numerous Baroque, classical and romantic organs. Here are a few of the most common ones:
Stop name
Alternative name
Type
Notes
Aeoline (English)
Aéoline (French?) Éoline (French)
Eolina (Italian)
Echo Salicional (English)
String
An extremely small scaled stop with a very delicate, airy tone; built frequently as a single-rank stop, or as a double-rank celeste.
Baryton (French)
Baritone (English)
Baritono (Italian)
Varitono (Spanish)
Reed
A 16 ft, 8 ft and/or 4 ft pitch reed stop imitative of the instrument.
German for "recorder"; a wide scaled conical or stopped flute of 4 ft or 2 ft pitch, taking its name from the common flute called a "recorder" which its tone closely resembles.
Bombarde (French)
Bombarda (Italian)
Bombardon (English)
Bombardone (Italian)
Reed
A powerful chorus reed stop with a brassy timbre, occurring on the manuals at 16 ft (and occasionally 8 ft), or in the pedal at 16 ft or 32 ft pitch; similar tone as the Ophicleide or the Trombone.
A wide-scaled stopped-flute, usually 16 ft and/or 8 ft pitch on the manuals, and 16 ft (sometimes 8 ft), and/or 32 ft pitch in the pedals (where it may be called Subbass or Contra Bourdon).
A multi-rank stop consisting of up to five ranks of wide-scaled pipes. The pitches include 8 ft, 4 ft, 2+2⁄3 ft, 2 ft and 1+3⁄5 ft. Three and four-rank cornets eliminate 8 ft and 4 ft ranks. This stop is not imitative of the orchestral cornet.
Cornopean (English)
Reed
An 8 ft pitch chorus reed similar to the Trumpet; normally located in the Swell division. It is usually quieter than a trumpet.
A special type of organ pipe that produces tone by using a felt hammer to beat air through the resonator. Common on theatre organs but not often used in classical instruments.
Viola di Gamba (Italian)
Viole de Gambe (French)
Gambe (French)
String
A string stop that has a thinner, more cutting tone than the Cello stop. It is one of the earliest designs of string stops, and is named after the Baroque instrument viola da gamba.
A basic stopped 8 ft and/or 16 ft flute in the manuals, and stopped 16 ft and/or 8 ft flute voice in the pedal.
Gemshorn (English/German)
Gemshoorn (Dutch)
Cor de Chamois (French)
Bachflöte (German)
Flute/String hybrid
A flue stop usually at 4 ft or 2 ft pitch but sometimes 8 ft pitch; similar tone as Spitz Flute.
Gravissima (Latin)
Gravitone (Latin)
Acoustic Bass (English)
Basse acoustique (French)
Flute
A name for a resultant 64 ft flute (a 32 ft stop combined with a 21+2⁄3 ft stop, which is a fifth, producing a difference tone of 8 Hz on low C).
Harmonic Flute (English)
Flûte Harmonique (French)
Flauta Armónica (Spanish)
Harmonieflöte (German)
Flute
An open metal flute made to sound an octave above its length by means of a small hole at its midpoint. This stop has a very pure flute tone and was popularized by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll.
Multi-rank stops that enhance the harmonics of the fundamental pitch, and are intended for use with foundation stops, not alone. Mixture IV indicates that the stop has four ranks. Mixture 15.19.22.26 indicates the composition.
Nachthorn (German)
Night Horn (English)
Nachthoorn (Dutch)
Cor de Nuit (French)
Corno de Nacht (???)
Pastorita (Italian)
Flute
A wide-scaled flute with a relatively small mouth, produces a soft, but penetrating sound; occurring at 8 ft and 4 ft pitch, and also at 2 ft pitch in the pedal.
Nasard (French)
Nasat (German)
Nasardo (Italian/Spanish) Nazard (French?)
Mutation
A flute mutation stop of 2+2⁄3 ft pitch (sounding a twelfth above written pitch).
Nason Flute (English)
Nasonflöte (German)
Nason (English)
Flute
Flute stop with stopped pipes. Usually 4 ft pitch in which the twelfth is often prominent.
None (English)
Neuvième (French)
Twenty-Third (English)
Flute
A rare mutation stop of 8/9 ft, reinforcing the 8 ft harmonic series. (Sounds a twenty-third above written pitch.)
Oboe (Italian)
Hautbois (French)
Hautboy (English)
Hoboe (???)
Reed
An 8 ft pitch reed stop used as both a solo stop and a chorus reed.
A resultant mutation stop, 5+1⁄3 ft pitch on the manuals reinforcing the 16 ft harmonic series or 10+2⁄3 ft pitch in the pedal reinforcing the 32 ft harmonic series.
Quintadena (German)
Quintaton (English?)
Quintatön (German)
Flute
Flue stop of 4 ft, 8 ft, or 16 ft foot pitch with stopped pipes and a flute tone in which the twelfth is prominent.
Regal (English/German)
Régale (French)
Regale (Italian)
Regaal (Dutch)
Reed
A reed stop with fractional-length resonators; produces a buzzy sound with low fundamental frequency.
Rohrflöt(e) (German)
Chimney Flute (English)
Flauto a Camino (Italian)
Rohr Flute (German/English)
Rorflojte (Danish)
Flute
German for "reed flute"; a semi-capped metal pipe with a narrow, open-ended tube (i.e. "chimney") extending from the top which resembles a reed.
Sackbut (English)
Reed
A reed stop that has a similar sound to the trombone. Found on the IV manual Kenneth Tickell organ of Worcester Cathedral, Worcestershire, England, where it has wooden resenators.[5]
Salicional (English?)
Salicionale (Italian)
Salicet (???)
Salicis Fistula (Latin)
Principal/String hybrid
An 8 ft (sometimes 4 ft or 16 ft) string stop, softer in tone than the Gamba.
A large-scale, stopped wood flute pipe, usually with a leathered lip; performs same function in a theatre pipe organ as a principal in a classical organ.
Tierce (French)
Seventeenth (English)
Septadecima (Latin)
Terz (German)
Terts (Dutch)
Mutation
A flute mutation stop pitched 1+3⁄5 ft, supporting the 8 ft harmonic series.
A loud chorus reed stop, generally a single rank, with inverted conical resonators.
Tuba (English)
Trumpet (Latin)
Reed
A large-scale, high pressure, smooth solo reed usually 8 ft or 16 ft pitch in the manuals and 16 ft (sometimes 32 ft) pitch in the pedal. Tuba is Latin for Trumpet; it is not named after the orchestral tuba.
Tuba D'amore (Italian)
Tromba D'amore (Italian?)
Posaune Der Liebe (German)
Soft Trombone? (English?)
Chorus Reed
A soft? reed that is at 16, 8, and 4 ft pitch. This pipe is made of wood similuar to a posaune or a basoon made. Not much is known about this rank. The only known example is located in the Echo Division at the Midmer Losh organ at Boardwalk Hall, NJ. Source: http://www.organstops.org/t/TubaDAmour.html
Twelfth (English)
Octave Quint (English)
Open Twelfth (English)
Quint (French/German/Dutch)
Duodecima (Latin)
Docena (Spanish)
Mutation
A principal mutation stop of 2+2⁄3 ft and/or 5+1⁄3 ft on the manuals and 5+1⁄3 ft and/or 10+2⁄3 ft on the pedals.
Twenty-Second (English)
Kleinoctav(e) (German)
Vigesima Seconda (Italian)
Super Super Octave (English)
Two and Twentieth (English)
Principal
A 1 ft pitch principal in the manuals or a 2 ft pitch in the pedal.
Unda Maris (Latin)
Meerflöte (German)
Flute
Latin for "wave of the sea"; a very soft rank tuned slightly sharp or flat. It is drawn with another soft rank to create an undulating effect. Occasionally built as a double-rank stop called Unda Maris II, which has both a normal-pitched and detuned rank.
Vox Coelestis (Latin)
Voz Celeste (Spanish)
Voix Lumineuse (French)
String
An 8 ft pitch string stop tuned slightly sharp or flat to create an undulating effect when combined with another string stop. Some variants contain both a normal-pitched and detuned rank. Playⓘ
