Spitzflöte Céleste German

Listed only by Irwin, who says:

A very gentle undulating stop of quiet tone, at 8' on the manuals, sometimes called a Flute Céleste, although this term may also refer to a Dolce Flute Céleste or a Viola Flute Céleste. This céleste, even though it is not a string céleste, is one of the few cases among the organ's stops where a céleste is as useful as the single rank. It is either normal-sharp or normal-flat in pitch design, a few stops being sharp-flat, but this last design denies the organist the use of a normally tuned rank of Spitzflöte pipes, although it contrasts better with an on-pitch solo stop. The mysterious, tranquil sound that comes from this soft céleste is heard in many church services during prayer, or when filling in the short periods between parts of the service.

Examples

Spitzflote Celeste 8', Gallery Swell; Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark, New Jersey, USA; Schantz 1953.

Spitzflöte Celeste 8', Antiphonal; Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA; Ruffatti 1973.

Spitzflote Celeste 8', Ancillary I; Calvary Church, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Moller 1990.

Bibliography