Bourdon
Encyclopedia
Bourdon, bordun, or bordone normally denotes a stopped flute
/flue type of pipe in an organ
characterized by a very dark, heavy tone, strong in fundamental, with a quint transient but relatively little overtone
development. Its half-length construction make it especially well suited to low pitches, and the name is derived from the French
word for 'buzz'.
, meaning that the lowest pitched pipe would be 16 feet in length if it were an open pipe, but Bourdons are stopped pipes, that are only half the length of an open pipe of the same pitch. It is also common in the pedal division at 32′ pitch, where its very heavy roll of sound can actually shake the building it is installed in. It can occasionally be found at 8′ although this is generally unnecessary as many stopped flute/flue pipes, such as the Gedackt
and stopped Diapason, give a similar sound. Although sometimes varying between builders, its tone is usually low pitched and firm.
The pipes can be built of wood or metal, but are overwhelmingly constructed of wood in modern organ building (French makers from Cavaille-coll on prefer metal). They are thick walled, and generally square in cross section, with a high mouth cut-up to produce the fluty tone. Bourdon is a stopped pipe, having an airtight stopper fitted into the top. This both makes the tone one octave lower than a similar pipe of open construction, and also eliminates the development of even-numbered harmonic
s ("squaring off
" the timbre), helping to create the characteristic dark tone.
This stop is very common in church organs and indeed theatre organ
s. In an organ so small as to have only one 16′ stop in the pedal division, it will almost invariably be a bourdon, as the deep, dark and penetrating tone can be clearly heard under soft or loud combinations, and blends well with all sounds of the organ.
organ builders will often use "Bordun", or even "Untersatz" on the stop knob for this rank. "Subbass" was originally a stop of somewhat different design than the Bourdon, but the word is accepted today as a synonym for a Bourdon in the pedals. The Italian spelling is "bordone".
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
/flue type of pipe in an organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
characterized by a very dark, heavy tone, strong in fundamental, with a quint transient but relatively little overtone
Overtone
An overtone is any frequency higher than the fundamental frequency of a sound. The fundamental and the overtones together are called partials. Harmonics are partials whose frequencies are whole number multiples of the fundamental These overlapping terms are variously used when discussing the...
development. Its half-length construction make it especially well suited to low pitches, and the name is derived from the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
word for 'buzz'.
Description
This stop is most commonly found in the pedal at 16′ pitchPitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
, meaning that the lowest pitched pipe would be 16 feet in length if it were an open pipe, but Bourdons are stopped pipes, that are only half the length of an open pipe of the same pitch. It is also common in the pedal division at 32′ pitch, where its very heavy roll of sound can actually shake the building it is installed in. It can occasionally be found at 8′ although this is generally unnecessary as many stopped flute/flue pipes, such as the Gedackt
Gedackt
Gedackt is the name of a family of stops in pipe organ building. They are one of the most common types of organ flue pipe. The name is a German word, meaning "capped" or "covered".- History :...
and stopped Diapason, give a similar sound. Although sometimes varying between builders, its tone is usually low pitched and firm.
The pipes can be built of wood or metal, but are overwhelmingly constructed of wood in modern organ building (French makers from Cavaille-coll on prefer metal). They are thick walled, and generally square in cross section, with a high mouth cut-up to produce the fluty tone. Bourdon is a stopped pipe, having an airtight stopper fitted into the top. This both makes the tone one octave lower than a similar pipe of open construction, and also eliminates the development of even-numbered harmonic
Harmonic
A harmonic of a wave is a component frequency of the signal that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency, i.e. if the fundamental frequency is f, the harmonics have frequencies 2f, 3f, 4f, . . . etc. The harmonics have the property that they are all periodic at the fundamental...
s ("squaring off
Square wave
A square wave is a kind of non-sinusoidal waveform, most typically encountered in electronics and signal processing. An ideal square wave alternates regularly and instantaneously between two levels...
" the timbre), helping to create the characteristic dark tone.
This stop is very common in church organs and indeed theatre organ
Theatre organ
A theatre organ is a pipe organ originally designed specifically for imitation of an orchestra. New designs have tended to be around some of the sounds and blends unique to the instrument itself....
s. In an organ so small as to have only one 16′ stop in the pedal division, it will almost invariably be a bourdon, as the deep, dark and penetrating tone can be clearly heard under soft or loud combinations, and blends well with all sounds of the organ.
Spelling
'Bourdon' has many spellings and GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
organ builders will often use "Bordun", or even "Untersatz" on the stop knob for this rank. "Subbass" was originally a stop of somewhat different design than the Bourdon, but the word is accepted today as a synonym for a Bourdon in the pedals. The Italian spelling is "bordone".