registration

The selection and combination of organ stops to produce a desired timbre and dynamic level. Franck's music implies specific registration schemes derived from the resources of Cavaillé-Coll instruments.

Franck's own registration practice at Saint-Clotilde was documented by his pupils. For soft passages: Fonds 8' (principals and flutes at 8' pitch) with swell box closed. For climaxes: full Great with Reeds, Mixture, and all couplers drawn. The crescendo passages (as in the Grande Pièce Symphonique) are achieved by gradually opening the swell box and adding stops incrementally, not by changing manuals abruptly.