These names usually indicate a stopped flute similar to the Gedeckt or Stopped Diapason. According to Grove, they are sometimes used for a Chimney Flute or open conical flute (see Spitzflöte). Williams confirms this apparent contradiction: “a prefix denoting ‘stopped’ or closed pipes. Tapadillo was a 17th-18th cent. Spanish flute of 4' pitch, stopped, open, conical, or Rohrflöte.

Examples

Tapadillo is the most common of these names; Osiris contains 42 examples, all at 4' pitch except for one at 2' pitch. Of Tapada alone we know of no examples, but Osiris contains seven examples of Octava Tapada, all at 4' pitch, and three examples of Flauta Tapada. Neither of those names are mentioned in the literature, and we assume them to be synonyms for Tapada. Only one example of Tapado is known, and five of Flautado Tapado, two at 4' and three at 8'. No examples of Tappato are known. Contributions welcome.

Flauta Tapada 4', manual; Museum, Braga Cathedral, Braga, Spain; unknown 1700's.

Flauta Tapada 8', manual; Parroquia de San Pedro, Aibar, Navarra, Spain; Tarazona 1770.

Flauta Tapada 8', Organo de Eco (right); Santa María la Real, Xunqueira de Ambía, Orense, Spain; Valdonado 1759.

Flautado Tapado 4', manual right; Old Cathedral, Salamanca, Spain; unknown 1540.

Flautado Tapado 8', Organo de Eco (left); Santa María la Real, Xunqueira de Ambía, Orense, Spain; Valdonado 1759.

Octava Tapada 4', Cadereta Interior; San Sebastian, Antequera, Malaga, Spain; Muñoz 1735.

Octava Tapada 4', Cadereta; Santa María, Fuentes de Nava, Palencia, Spain; Ortega 1790.

Tapadillo 4', manual left; Parroquia, Zafra, Badajoz, Spain; Hernández 1717.

Tapadillo 2', Organo de Ecos; Convento de Sant Agusti, Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain; Caimari 1700's.

Tapado 8', Caderetas Exteriores; Main Hall, Auditorio Nacional, Madrid, Spain; Grenzing 1991.

Bibliography