Bassanelli (unknown) Bassanello Italian Bassonell (unknown)

Audsley lists Bassonell with the following description:

Described by Wolfram as a lingual stop of 8 ft. and 4 ft. pitch, made of metal. Its tone was, in all probability, that of a soft Bassoon character. This is seemingly the stop referred to by Hamel under the Italian name Bassanello - “Bassanelli. Ce sont des instruments à vent du siècle dernier [xviii]; ils resemblent beaucoup au chalumeau. Dans l'orgue, ils ont été imités par des jeux d'anches particuliers de huit et de quatre pieds.”

The French quotation translates as follows: “They are wind instruments of the last century [18th]; they much resemble the shawm. In the organ, they were imitated by particular reed stops of eight and four feet.”

Wedgwood describes Bassanelli thus: “Werkmeister states that these were reeds. They were obsolete even in his time [around 1700].”

Examples

Bassanello 8', Grand'Organo (I); Collegiata della Vergine Maria, Firenze, Italy; unknown, 1599. A soft Regal. Restored 1980.

Bibliography