Mixtures.

[Ntalikeris666]

Hello there,


In organs today the number of the ranks of a mixture is pointed out usually with a Latin number (e.g Scharff IV). But what do we mean when we say for example, "Mixture IV-X Rks"? (Four to Ten Ranks?)

[Krummhorn]

Trying to recall what my organ teacher said 40 years ago, it refers to the addition of more ranks as As the pitch raises, more ranks are added as the scale ascended.

This may well be the 'breaks' one hears in certain octaves as one ascends on the keyboard. Here's some information on one kind of mixture in the Encyclopedia of Organ Stops, another valuable resource worth bookmarking.

[Ntalikeris666]

Trying to recall what my organ teacher said 40 years ago, it refers to the addition of more ranks as As the pitch raises, more ranks are added as the scale ascended.

This may well be the 'breaks' one hears in certain octaves as one ascends on the keyboard. Here's some information on one kind of mixture in the Encyclopedia of Organ Stops, another valuable resource worth bookmarking.

Ok, I see, Thanks!

Yea i know i have used the Encyclopedia of Organ Stops before, its just that it did not come to my mind to use it now.

[acc]

As the pitch raises, more ranks are added as the scale ascended.

This may well be the 'breaks' one hears in certain octaves as one ascends on the keyboard.

On the contrary, a break implies that the number of ranks does not change. Look for example at the mixture composition at St-Sulpice on this page: http://www.stsulpice.com/Docs/mixtures.html. Scroll down and compare, say, the last two:

• The Récit Cymbale starts at C1 (i.e. bottom C) with four ranks: 0'1/4, 0'1/3, 0'1/2, and 0'2/3. At G1, the 0'1/4 rank disappears, and a 1' rank starts in its place: this is what is called a break. Similar breaks occur at C2, G2, D#3, C4, and F4. Each time, the smallest rank disappears and is replaced with a larger rank. In particular, the number of ranks is constant throughout: in this example, always equal to four.
• The Positif Plein Jeu starts with three ranks at bottom C: 1'1/3, 2', and 2'2/3. This time, there are no breaks, but ranks are progressively added to those three: a fourth rank of 4' at C2, then a fifth rank of 5'1/3 at C3, and finally a sixth rank of 8' at C4. In Ntalikeris's notation, this would then be called a "Plein Jeu III–VI".