Seraphongedeckt German

This stop is mentioned only by Irwin, who lists it with the following description:

A stopped wooden Flute of 8' or 4' on the manuals, having two mouths per pipe and on opposite sides. It is of large scale and yields a loud smooth tone of solo quality.

Irwin also describes the Seraphonflöte as having two mouths on opposite sides, but his accompanying illustration clearly shows them on adjacent sides. It is likely he made the same mistake in his description of Seraphongedeckt. The seraphon series of stops was invented by W. F. Weigle of Stuttgart. They featured wide mouths and high wind pressures. The name probably derives from seraphim, which may have been intended to imply “angelic”, but the Hebrew word Saraph means “to burn”.

Examples

Seraphon Gedeckt 8', Manual I; St. Martin, Dornbirn, Austria; Behmann/Kuhn 1927. This is the only known example.

Bibliography