I met with an organist in Georgia week before last who was adding 16' manual stops to a chorus up to and including Mixtures, with a goal of achieving transparency as well as the gravity that Bach talked and wrote of seeking.
It's an approach that I had never tried, and was rich and clear at the same time.
Personally, I find that 16' manual stops rarely seem useful on pipe organs, but often are more useable on digital organs. I wonder if that it because they can be voiced more appropriately (indepedently) on a digital organ, since with a pipe organ, the manual 16' is often (usually) extended down to be a pedal stop.
I do sometimes find a 16' manual stop useful as a solo stop, when combined with a 4' flute and 2-2/3' Nazard, for example.
Still, in general, thinking "outside of the box" when it comes to registrations, can often produce interesting and useful results.
That does seem rather odd to me. I find that in MOST, but not all cases. Adding manual 16 stops without the Reeds can be rather dangerous. However, like everything else with this instrument it depends on the instrument, room, song, etc. It's not something I generally do though. In the theatre world however, they almost always have 16's on in the right hand and play up and octave. Interesting...
Personally, I find that 16' manual stops rarely seem useful on pipe organs, but often are more useable on digital organs. I wonder if that it because they can be voiced more appropriately (indepedently) on a digital organ, since with a pipe organ, the manual 16' is often (usually) extended down to be a pedal stop.
It depends on the music you play! If you play French romantic pieces (esp FFF-movements like Widor's Toccata), you could have loud 16´-stops on, because the music is played almost an octave higher than a normal hymn setting or a large piece by Bach or Reger. So the usefulness of 16´ manual stops is also a question of your music choice.
You could also note that no Swedish organists complains about too loud 16´ manual stops. But transmitted 16´ stops and really loud 16´stops are rarely found in Swedish organs...
However I think you have a good point, that I guess applies to American organs.
It depends on the music you play! So the usefulness of 16´ manual stops is also a question of your music choice.
You are correct! I don't actually play any music that requires 16' manual stops. As is often the case, when it comes to registration, context is very important.
