The Recent Revolution in Organ Building Part 14

In his "Handbook of the Organ" (page 24), J. Matthews says: "There can be no _finality_ in organ building. Whilst the violin fascinates by its perfection, the organ does so no less by its almost infinite possibilities, and modern science is fast transforming it into a highly sensitive instrument. The orchestral effects and overwhelming _crescendos_ possible from such organs as those described in this work, 'double touch,' new methods of tone production, such as the Diaphone, the ease with which all the resources of a powerful instrument can now be placed instantaneously at the performer's command are developments of which Bach and Handel never dreamed."

And the modern tendency of the best builders is to make the organ still more orchestral in character, by the addition of carillons and other percussion stops.

The late W. T. Best, one of the finest executants who ever lived, stated to a friend of the writer who asked him why he never played the Overture to Tannhauser, that he considered its adequate rendition upon the organ impossible, "after having had the subject under review for a long time." Nowadays many organists find it possible to play the Overture to Tannhauser; the writer pleads guilty himself. Dr. Peace played it at the opening of Mr. White's organ at Balruddery and stated that he found the fine string tones it contained of peculiar value for Wagnerian orchestral effects. Dr. Gabriel Bedart says that music ought to be specially written for these new instruments.

While we a.s.sociate the organ chiefly with its use in Church services, a new field is opening up for it in Concert Halls, Theatres, Auditoriums, College and School Buildings, Ballrooms of Hotels, Public Parks and Seaside Resorts, not as a mere adjunct to an orchestra but to take the place of the orchestra itself. The Sunday afternoon recitals in the College of the City of New York are attended by upwards of 2,500 people, many hundreds being unable to gain admittance; and the daily recitals at Ocean Grove during July and August, 1909, reaped a harvest of upwards of $4,000 in admission fees. Organs have been installed in some of the palatial hotels in New York and other cities, and one is planned for an ocean pier, where the pipes will actually stand under sea level, the sound being reflected where wanted and an equable temperature maintained by thermostats.

Organists have found it necessary to make special study of these new instruments, and the University of the State of New York has thought the matter of sufficient importance to justify it in chartering the "Hope-Jones Unit Orchestra School" as an educational inst.i.tution.

Our review would be incomplete without some mention of

AUTOMATIC PLAYERS.

When one listens to the Welte-Mignon Piano Player, it seems difficult to believe that a skilled artist is not at the keyboard performing the music.

The exact instant of striking each note and the duration during which the key is held are faithfuly recorded and reproduced with absolute accuracy, and a pretty close approximation to the power of blow with which each key is struck is obtained.

The first of these, that is, the time and duration of the note, is directly recorded from the artist who plays the piece to be reproduced.

The second of these, that is, the power of tone, is subsequently added to the record either by the artist himself or by musicians who have carefully studied his manner of playing.

The result of this is a very faithful reproduction of the original performance.

In the case of the organ, the pressure with which the keys are struck does not need to be recorded or reproduced, but instead of this, we have to operate the various stops or registers and the various swell shades if we would obtain a faithful reproduction mechanically of the piece of music played by an artist on the organ.

Automatic Players are attached to many pipe organs. They, for the most part, consist of ordinary piano players so arranged that they operate the keys, or the mechanism attached to the keys, of an organ.

This is a very poor plan, and the resulting effect is thoroughly mechanical and unsatisfactory. Only one keyboard is played upon at a time as a rule, and neither the stops nor the pedals, nor the expression levers are operated at all.

The Aeolian Company, of New York, effected an improvement some years ago when they introduced what they term the double tracker bar. In this case, the holes in the tracker bar are made smaller than usual and they are staggered--or arranged in two rows. Every evenly numbered hole is kept on the lower row, and the oddly numbered holes are raised up to form a second row.

Provided the paper be tracked very accurately, and be given careful attention, this plan adopted by the Aeolian Company allows of two manuals of an organ being played automatically; but still the stops and expression levers are left to be operated by hand.

More recently a plan has been brought out by Hope-Jones that provides for the simultaneous performance of music upon two manuals and upon the pedals--each quite independent of the other. It also provides for the operation of all the stops individually in a large organ, and for the operation of the expression levers.

A switch is furnished so that when desired the stops and expression levers may be cut off and left to be operated by hand. The Hope-Jones Tracker Bar has no less than ten lines of holes--it is, of course, correspondingly wide.

We look for a great development in the direction of organs played by mechanical means.

The piano player has done a very great deal to popularize the pianoforte and in the same way it is believed that the automatic player will do a very great deal to popularize the organ.

Many people who cannot play the organ will be induced to have them in their homes if they knew that they can operate them at any time desired, even in the absence of a skilled performer.

We now give specifications of some of the most notable organs of the world, all of which have been built or rebuilt since the year 1888, and embody modern ideas in mechanism, wind pressures, and tonal resources.

First in the writer's estimation comes the

ORGAN IN ST. GEORGE'S HALL, LIVERPOOL, ENG.

This n.o.ble instrument was built by Henry Willis to the specification of Dr. S. S. Wesley, by whom it was opened on the 29th and 30th of May, 1855. The writer made its acquaintance in 1866, when it was tuned on the unequal temperament system. In 1867 Mr. Best succeeded in getting it re-tuned in equal-temperament, several improvements were made, and the wind pressure on four of the reed stops on the Solo organ increased from 9 1/2 inches to 22 inches. In 1898 the organ was thoroughly rebuilt with tubular pneumatic action in place of the Barker levers.

The compa.s.s of the manuals was changed from GG--a|3| to CC--c|4|,[1]

five octaves, and the pedals were carried up to g--33 notes. A Swell to Choir coupler was added (!) and various changes made in the stops, the Vox Humana transferred from the Swell to the Solo organ, and two of the Solo wind-chests were enclosed in a Swell-box. We note that the Tubas are still left outside. The cast-iron pipes of the lowest octave of the 32-ft. Double Open Diapason on the Pedal organ were replaced by pipes of stout zinc, and four composition pedals added to control the Swell stops.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Keyboards of Organ, in St. George's Hall, Liverpool.

Two Rows of Stops at Left Omitted]

The following is the specification of the organ as it now stands, in its revised form:

FIRST MANUAL (CHOIR), 18 STOPS.

FEET. FEET.

Double Diapason 16 Gamba 4 Open Diapason 8 Twelfth 2 2/3 Clarabella 8 Fifteenth 2 Stopped Diapason 8 Flageolet 2 Dulciana 8 Sesquialtera, 3 ranks Viol da Gamba 8 Trumpet 8 Vox Angelica 8 Cremona 8 Princ.i.p.al 4 Orchestral Oboe 8 Harmonic Flute 4 Clarion 4

SECOND MANUAL (GREAT), 25 STOPS.

FEET. FEET.

Dble. Open Diap. (metal) 16 Twelfth 2 2/3 Open Diapason, No. 1 8 Fifteenth 2 Open Diapason, No. 2 8 Harmonic Piccolo 2 Open Diapason, wood 8 Doublette, 2 ranks Open Diapason, No. 3 8 Sesquialtera, 5 ranks Stopped Diapason 8 Mixture, 4 ranks Violoncello 8 Trombone 16 Quint 5 1/2 Trombone 8 Viola 4 Ophicleide 8 Princ.i.p.al, No. 1 4 Trumpet 8 Princ.i.p.al, No. 2 4 Clarion, No. 1 4 Flute 4 Clarion, No. 2 4 Tenth 3 1/2

THIRD MANUAL (SWELL), 25 STOPS.

FEET. FEET.

Double Diapason (metal) 16 Piccolo 2 Open Diapason, No. 1 8 Doublette, 2 ranks Open Diapason, No. 2 8 Fourniture, 5 ranks Dulciana 8 Trombone 16 Viol da Gamba 8 Contra Hautboy 16 Stopped Diapason 8 Ophicleide 8 Voix Celeste 8 Trumpet 8 Princ.i.p.al 4 Horn 8 Octave Viola 4 Oboe 8 Flute 4 Clarionet 8 Twelfth 2 2/3 Clarion, No. 1 4 Fifteenth, No. 1 2 Clarion, No. 2 4 Fifteenth, No. 2 2

FOURTH MANUAL (SOLO), 15 STOPS.

FEET. FEET.

Viol da Gamba 8 Vox Humana 8 Open Diapason, wood 8 Orchestral Oboe 8 Stopped Diapason 8 Corno di Ba.s.setto 8 Flute (Orchestral) 4 *Ophicleide 8 Flute Piccolo 2 *Trumpet 8 Contra f.a.gotto 16 *Clarion, No. 1 4 Trombone 8 *Clarion, No. 2 4 Ba.s.soon 8

These stops are all placed in a new swell-box, except those marked*, which are on the heavy wind pressure.

PEDAL ORGAN (17 STOPS).

FEET. FEET.

Double Open Quint (metal) 5 1/2 Diapason (wood) 32 Fifteenth 4 Double Open Fourniture, 5 ranks Diapason (metal) 32 Mixture, 3 ranks Open Diapason (wood) 16 Posaune 32 Open Diapason (metal) 16 Contra f.a.gotto 16 Salicional (metal) 16 Ophicleide 16 Bourdon (wood) 16 Trumpet 8 Ba.s.s Flute (wood) 8 Clarion 4 Princ.i.p.al (wood) 8

COUPLERS.

Solo Super-Octave. Choir to Great.

Solo Sub-Octave. Choir Super-Octave.

Solo to Great. Choir Sub-Octave.

Swell to Great Super-Octave. Solo to Pedals.

Swell to Great Unison. Swell to Pedals.

Swell to Great Sub-Octave. Great to Pedals.

Swell to Choir. Choir to Pedals.