__NOTOC__ A tremulant (; , , ) is a device on a

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

which varies the wind supply to the

pipes Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to: Objects * Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules ** Piping, the use of pipes in industry * Smoking pipe ** Tobacco pipe * Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circu ...

of one or more divisions (or, in some cases, the whole organ). This causes their amplitude and pitch to fluctuate, producing a

tremolo In music, ''tremolo'' (), or ''tremolando'' (), is a trembling effect. There are multiple types of tremolo: a rapid repetition of a note, an alternation between two different notes, or a variation in volume. Tremolos may be either ''measured'' ...

and

vibrato Vibrato (Italian language, Italian, from past participle of "wikt:vibrare, vibrare", to vibrate) is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch (music), pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. ...

effect. A large organ may have several tremulants, affecting different ranks (sets) of pipes. Many tremulants are variable, allowing for the speed and depth of tremolo to be controlled by the organist. The tremulant has been a part of organ building for many centuries, dating back to Italian organs of the sixteenth century. The tremulant should not be confused with the celeste, which consists of two distinct ranks of pipes, one tuned slightly sharp or flat from the other, producing an undulating effect when they are used together.

Construction

The simplest kind of tremulant is a weighted

electric motor An electric motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a electromagnetic coil, wire winding to gene ...

affixed to the top of the reservoir for the division. When activated, the spinning of the motor causes the reservoir to shake, altering the wind pressure. This type of tremolo appeared first in the twentieth century, when the electric motor became available. The ''tremblant fort'' (French: "strong tremulant") allows an escape route for some of the wind in the wind trunk. The loss of wind creates the tremulant effect. The ''tremblant doux'' (French: "gentle tremulant") was illustrated by

Dom Bédos de Celles François-Lamathe Dom Bédos de Celles de Salelles (24 January 1709 – 25 November 1779) was a Benedictine monk best known for being a master pipe organ builder. Life and work He was born in Caux, Hérault, near Béziers, France. He was elec ...

in his monumental '' L'art du facteur d'orgues''. It consists of a spring-loaded flap that is mounted inside the wind trunk of a division. When the tremulant is engaged, the flap drops into the wind trunk and bounces as the wind passes by it. The spring allows the flap to rebound repeatedly back into the wind supply, which creates the undulation. Both the tremblant fort and the tremblant doux were commonly seen on German organs of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Austin Organs, Inc. Austin Organs, Inc., is a manufacturer of pipe organs based in Hartford, Connecticut. The company is one of the oldest continuously-operating organ manufacturers in the United States. The first instruments were built in 1893 with the Austin Patent ...

builds a proprietary kind of tremulant for its Universal Windchest. The Austin tremulant consists of a large blade that spans the length of the windchest above the pipes. When the tremulant is activated, the blade turns on its longitudinal axis, disturbing the air over the sounding pipes and creating a tremulant effect. It does not affect the air pressure of the pipes. Normal tremulants cause pipes to go out of tune quicker. File:Fotothek df tg 0008466 Mechanik ^ Musikinstrument ^ Orgel ^ Tremulant.jpg, Tremulant mechanism (

Salomon de Caus Salomon de Caus (1576, Dieppe – 1626, Paris) was a French Huguenot engineer, once (falsely) credited with the development of the steam engine. Biography Caus was the elder brother of Isaac de Caus. Being a Huguenot, Caus spent his life moving ...

, 1615) File:Wippfedertremulant Orgel Esens.JPG, Wippfeder-tremulant (rocking spring-tremulant), built during 1848-60 by Arnold Rohlfs organ. ( St. Magnus Church in Esens) File:Reedorganvoxhum.JPG, The interior of an 1895 ''Mason & Hamlin''

reed organ The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...

showing stop mechanism, swell case and Vox humana ''tremulant''.

References

External links

;Multi media * The tremulant of the Taylor and Boody organ for The First Presbyterian Church in

Pittsford, New York Pittsford is an incorporated town in Monroe County, New York. A suburb of Rochester, its population was 30,617 at the time of the 2020 census. Formerly part of the town of Northfield, Pittsford was settled in 1789 and incorporated in 1796. T ...

** ound"''Very quiet and effective.''" ** echanism"''The tremulant copied from memory from the one in the Paul Fritts organ at Notre Dame University. This tremulant gets its wind directly from a valve on the main bifurcation windline, through a 1" copper tube about 6" long. It is almost identical to the one in the organ in Marquand Chapel, Yale University.''" {{Pipe organs Pipe organ components Organ stops