Grossoctav German Grossoktav[e] German

Audsley lists Grossoctav with the following description:

The name give by Walcker to an open labial stop, of 8 ft. pitch, placed on the First Manual of the Organ in Paulskirche, Frankfurt a. M. The term is used because, strictly considered, the manual is of 16 ft. pitch, containing, including the Principal, three stops of 16 ft. pitch. In the Pedal of the same Organ is a stop of 16 ft. pitch labeled Grossoctavbass.

Adlung has this to say:

An Oktave may at times be called Grossoktave if it is the next largest after the Principal. ... The name cannot be restricted to any specific size, but is determined by the Principal. If, for example, the Principal is a 16' pitch, then 8' is the Grossoktave, 4' the ordinary [Oktave] and 2' the Superoktave. If the pedal [is based on] a 16' Principal, the 2' Oktave is often lacking; in that case the 4' is called the Superoktave and the 8' either simply the Oktave or also the Grossoktave. ... There is a Grossoktave 8' at Görlitz, also called Tubal ...

Variants

Examples

All known examples are listed below.

Grossoktave 8', Pedal; Kaiserdom, Speyer, Germany; Scherpf 1961, 1977.

Grossoktave 8', Hauptwerk; Ulm, Münster, Germany; Walcker 1969.

Gross Octav 4', Great; Crouse College Auditorium, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA; Holtkamp 1950.

Bibliography