Back to Indexto David Rumsey’s home page

to David Rumsey’s mediæval page

The basic shapes of medieval organ pipe fields- one octave of pipes -

Type 1

Constant-scaled, chromatic Constant-scaled, diatonic

Type 2

Scaling ratio 1:2, chromatic Scaling ratio 1:2, diatonic

Type 3

1:2 with addition constant (first fully documented c15th century)

Bourdons/bordones/borduni

MS Incipit mensura (Erfurt, Wissenschaftliche Bibliothek der Stadt, Ca 20

395, dated c1371, of English provenance) indicates that, with borduni,you can take “any length you like” and add “relatively much” to the widthto produce a “sterling and full-sounding instrument”.

Saint-Remi PsalterReims

Munich MS

12thc constant scaling (2 ranks - one octave 8' + 8'? 8'+6'? 2 octaves??)

13thc MS (depicting archaic organ type) constant scaling

Peterborough Psalter (Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale)

Flanders, 1290Baltimore, Walters Art Gallery

Rutland Psalter

Late 13thc constant [2-ranks 8'+6'; borduni; Quint organist side]

13thc constant (?) - [2-ranks, 18 notes 8'+6'? Or chromatic compass of c36 notes?? - borduni?

Quint rank on calcant side]

13thc variable scalingc35 notes 8'+6'? or c70 notes??

Tuning slides? 2 ranks? Borduni? IfQuint, then organist side.

Christ Church, Canterbury(Oxford, Bodleian)

Macclesfield Psalter

14thc variable (?) constant (?) 1:2 with addition constant?

14thc constant scaling with bordunes

La dame à la licorneTapestry

Prado, Madrid

15thc variable scaling (1:2?)

Louis Alimbrot (Lodewijk van Hallynckbroot) 1440s - constant scaling

Alimbrot Detail

Remains of pipes from an already “old” organ destroyed in early 16thc

Plantin, from De La HèleVIII Missae quinque, sex et septem vocum (1578)

Hamar (N) 15/16thc

16thc constant? variable? 1:2 with addition constant?

Credible?

MS. Reggio Emilia(Oxford, Bodleian)

Inlay - Ducal Palace, Urbino

Early 16thc - constant

c1470 variable - ca. 1:2?cf. Lorenzo da Pavia/Mantegna below

Positive with paper pipesMuseo Correr, Venice

Museum of Ancient Art (Castello Sforzesco, Milan)

Lorenzo da Pavia (1494) - variable scaling 1:2? (dual tempering according to Marco Tiella; short octave?)

Andrea Mantegna - Madonna Trivulzio (1497)

The Trinity Altarpiece(National Gallery, Scotland)

Back to Indexto David Rumsey’s home page

to David Rumsey’s mediæval page

See also on this site:

Glossary of medieval organ topicsExplanation of Gothic-mediæval organ types

A general background to Gothic-mediæval organ culture

Hugo van der Goes c1480 (with music rack) (variable - 38-40 notes? Chromatic?)