tremulant

American  

[trem-yuh-luhnt] / ˈtrɛm yə lənt /

adjective

1. trembling; tremulous.

---

tremulant British  

/ ˈtrɛmjʊlənt /

noun

1. music

   1. a device on an organ by which the wind stream is made to fluctuate in intensity producing a tremolo effect

   2. a device on an electrophonic instrument designed to produce a similar effect

---

Other Word Forms

• untremulant adjective

Etymology

Origin of tremulant

1830–40; < Medieval Latin tremulant- (stem of tremulāns ) present participle of tremulāre to tremble; -ant

Example Sentences

Through the use of a tremulant or two pipes tuned slightly apart this stop produced a slightly undulating tone — an indication that some sort of oscillation was expected in singing.

From New York Times

Organ: The widespread impression amongst a section of the musical public that a unit organ consists of about a dozen vox humanas and a powerful tremulant is based upon observation of the performances of the injudicious.

From Time Magazine Archive

Several days afterwards I went to the church for the special purpose of experiment; I seated myself at the organ and commenced to improvise on the swell organ with flute, viol d'amour, and tremulant stops out.

From Project Gutenberg

Regina, open the organ, and play something soft and holy, with the Tremulant.

From Project Gutenberg

She stood by the bench, one hand resting on it; she stood all in the tremulant shadow.

From Project Gutenberg