csw900 wrote:I wonder how many organists know that the volume of the notes is supposed to increase
as the pitch of the notes increases. That was new to me.
It varies from instrument to instrument, from builder to builder. And the whole idea just arose in the Romantic Era, and has no application to earlier instruments.
Found online at DobsonOrgan.com:
"Most organs from the Classical period have a fairly flat regulation profile. That is, the strength from bass to treble is relatively even within a given stop; further, pipes of a given pitch are the same strength from stop to stop (middle C of 8' and low C of 2', for example). This is especially true for principal pipes. Reed pipes are the exception to this rule: generally, the basses are much stronger than the trebles.
"In the Romantic era, builders went to great lengths to strengthen the treble of both flues and reeds. This treble ascendancy is a characteristic feature and necessary to properly interpret the melodic nature of the literature from the period. St. Paul’s flutes, especially the three harmonic ones, have obvious treble ascendancy, while the principals and strings have a more moderate increase."
But then, what would I know?