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The GT Fagot 8' finished

Blacksburg Presbyterian project · September 2026

Yesterday I finished the GT Fagot 8' — a reed stop, smaller in sound than a Trumpet and nimbler in character. I wanted to share three recordings so you can get an impression of the sound of it. Final tonal regulation will be carried out onsite. The acoustics in my shop are very dry, with little reverberation, and unforgiving.

The GT Fagot 8' on the voicing chest

The first is the familiar hymn "Vom Himmel Hoch". I use various pieces to check different aspects of a stop — promptness of speech, balance of the bass to the treble, how noticeable the inner voices are, and overall character. This piece is helpful to hear how the melody carries and how it stands above the accompaniment.

The second shows the inner voices of the music very well. The short motif is repeated throughout at different pitches. I am very happy with the transformation of this stop, and the work I carried out — described in my last post — has paid off. It was rather bland and characterless, but now it sings and has a sonority to it. It will be a welcome addition to the Great.

The third is a fast piece, and shows the promptness of speech of the pipes. This is a real test of speed and balance. Reed pipes that are a bit sluggish in speech would show up instantly, as would pipes that are too weak or too loud.

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