This is a rectangular, open organ pipe with a small hole at its midpoint, on a side perpendicular to the pipe’s lip. At the hole there is a small five-sided piece of wood that can pivot to cover or open the hole. At the base of the pipe there is a round mouthpiece.
Accession Number: 2011.ph.424
Alternative Name: Pipe with opening at midpoint
Primary Materials: Wood
On the side of the pipe is stamped: RUDOLPH KOENIG À PARIS
On the base of the pipe by the mouthpiece is the handwritten number “84”. This refers to the pipe’s entry in Koenig’s 1873 catalogue.
There is a white sticker stuck to one side of the pipe. It reads “PHY 1 YY” in blue pen. This likely refers to an earlier catalogue of the pipes.
Length = 43cm, Height = 5.0cm, Width = 4.3cm
In David Pantalony’s book “Altered Sensations” (2009), the pipe is described like this: “The natural note of this pipe jumps an octave when the wooden lever at the midpoint is opened. The pressure falls to zero at the node creating a ventral section, thus doubling the frequency.” (pg 240).
Very good. The pipe has some wear along the edges from use.
Associated Instruments:
Manufacturer: Rudolph Koenig, Paris
Date of Manufacture: 1878
Provenance:
See Also: David Pantalony’s “Altered Sensations: Rudolph Koenig’s Acoustical Workshop in Nineteenth-Century Paris” (New York: Springer, 2009) in the text’s Catalogue Raisonné under the entry #89 (pg 240).
Historical Notes: