Ophecleide
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Ophecleide and Contra Ophecleide are extremely powerful reed stops in pipe-organ building. The name comes from the early brass instrument, forerunner of the tuba, the ophicleide.
The ophecleide is of 16' pitch, the contra ophecleide of 32' pitch. While they can be 8' or 16' reeds in a manual division, they are most commonly found in the pedal division of the organ. Voiced to develop both maximum fundamental tone (as in the bombarde) and overtone series (as in the posaune), if the classic voicing technique and use of terminology are followed, the Ophecleide and Contra Ophecleide are among the most powerful stops – and the loudest – in pipe organs that contain them, bested only by the various forms of en chamade Trompette. However, the Ophecliedes require an extremely large instrument to balance their sound, and so are rarely built today, except into the largest of organs (about one hundred ranks and up). They were common stops a century ago in many very big British and American organs.
See also
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