Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🎻 A violin mute 🎹 A soft organ stop
sourdine

sourdine

9.9
A part of an organ that makes the sound soft and gentle
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : sordina
  • The organist selected the sourdine to create a gentle, subdued tone for the hymn.

Examples

  • Using the sourdine, the performer achieved a delicate, almost ethereal sound on the pipe organ.

  • The composer called for the sourdine in several passages to evoke a sense of quiet reverence.

  • The musician adjusted the sourdine to create a softer tone.

  • She prefers using a sourdine during quiet performances.

  • The organist selected the sourdine to create a gentle, subdued tone for the hymn.

  • Using the sourdine, the performer achieved a delicate, almost ethereal sound on the pipe organ.

  • She prefers using a sourdine during quiet performances.

Synonyms

organ stop
vssourdine
  • Jargon
7.9

A group of pipes on an organ that make a particular sound when you choose them

is a specific type that gives a soft muted tone rather than any tone

How Soft

sourdine
  • Specialized
9.9
reed stop
  • Specialized
9.4
diapason stop
  • Specialized
9.9

Surface Forms

sourdine singular
sourdines plural

Etymology

Sourdine comes from the French word sourd meaning 'deaf' and the ending -ine meaning 'small'. So it suggests a 'little muffler' that makes sound quieter, which is why an organ sourdine is a stop used to give a soft, muted tone.