Harmonic Piccolo English Octavin Harmonique French Piccolo Harmonique French
Harmonique Piccolo corruption Octavina Harmonique corruption

A 2' Harmonic Flute. Audsley implies that the Octavin Harmonique is not identical to the Piccolo Harmonique, but does not specify any difference. This stop is more closely imitative than the normal unison-length Piccolo; see Orchestral Piccolo. Irwin describes its tone as “round rather than brilliant” and “liquid rather than transparent or cold”.

Examples

Osiris contains about forty examples of Harmonic Piccolo, twenty examples of Piccolo Harmonique, and three examples of Octavin Harmonique, all at 2' pitch except for one at 1' pitch (see below). No examples are known of the names Harmonique Piccolo and Octavina Harmonique, which are mentioned only by Hopkins & Rimbault.

Piccolo Harmonique 1', Recit; Notre Dame des Neiges, Alpe d'Huez, France; Kleuker 1969.

Octavin Harmonique 2', Recit Expressif; St. Denis, Paris, France; Cavaille-Coll 1841. (Some sources list this stop as simply Octavin).

Octavin Harmonique 2', Recit Expressif; Notre-Dame de la Dalbade, Toulouse, France; Puget 1888.

Octavin Harmonique 2', Swell; Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church, Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA; various.

Bibliography