Jeu

What it means

Jeu means “play” in French and designates in organ language a stop, that is, a complete rank of pipes of the same construction across the range of a keyboard. In registration instructions the word is met above all in fixed phrases: grand jeu means a powerful combination with reed stops, plein jeu the full organ formed of principals and mixtures, demi-jeu a medium gradation, jeux de fonds the foundation stops and jeux d'anches the reed stops. These terms each designate a family of sound and a level of volume at the same time.

Musical use

French organ music, especially of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, is closely tied to this system: many movements bear as their title the prescribed registration itself, so that type of writing and tone colour belong together. A piece headed for reed stops is conceived differently in sound from one for the foundation stops, and the polyphony is tailored to this sound. For the player this means that registration is not a matter of taste but part of the work. Since not every organ has the presupposed stops, transfer to another instrument always requires a translation.

Performance practice

First get an overview of the specification and assign the available stops to the families: foundation stops, principal chorus, reeds, mutations. Then look for the nearest equivalent for the required turn and note it in writing. Listen to the effect as far as possible from the room, not only from the console. If a required stop is missing, a similar colour at the right volume is usually better than a literal but unsuitable imitation. The prefaces of good editions contain concrete suggestions for instruments of different construction.

Bear in mind that the French registration terms are tied to particular types of movement: a piece with a heading for reed stops is composed for their sound, and another choice audibly changes the voice-leading. Check the heading therefore before you register. French organ music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries uses movement headings such as Plein jeu or Grand jeu that at the same time fix the registration. Note your solution with stop names and foot pitches and listen to the effect from the nave.