THE RECENT
REVOLUTIOI
| IN ORGAN
BUILDING
GEORGE L, MILLER
OAKC rfl)SF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF ILLINOIS
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The
Recent Revolution
in Organ Building
Being an Account of
Modern Developments
By .
GEORGE LAING MILLER
Fellow of the Royal College of Organists,
Eng. ; First Mus. Bac., Dunelra. ; Organist
of Christ Church, Pelham Manor, N. Y. ;
late of All Angels', New York; St. Clem-
ent's, Philadelphia, and Wallasey Parish
Church, England
SECOND EDITION
NEW YORK
THE CHARLES FRANCIS PRESS
1913
Price One Dollar; in Great Britain Five Shillings
Copyright, 1909, 1913, by
GEORGE L. MILLER
Entered at Stationers' Hall, London
1 8 6. £
\\-bllrl
FOREWORD
SOME years ago the elders and deacons of a Scotch church were
assembled in solemn conclave to discuss the prospective installa-
tion of a pipe organ. The table was piled high with plans and
specifications and discussion ran rife as to whether they should
have a two-manual or a three-manual instrument — a Great and
Swell or a Great, Swell, and Choir organ. At last Deacon
MacNab, the church treasurer and a personage of importance,
got a chance to speak.
"Mr. Chairman," said he, "I don't see why we should have a
Great, a Swell, and a Choir organ. I think that one organ is
quite enough."
Now, Deacon MacNab was a master tailor, and a good one at
that; so the musical man who was pushing the thing through
appealed to his professional instincts in explaining the situation
by saying:
"Surely, Mr. MacNab, you would not say that a man was
properly dressed with only a coat on ! You would expect him to
have on a coat, waistcoat and trousers !" And the day was won
for the three-manual organ.
Of course there had been no organ in this church before, or
the worthy deacon might have known more about it. If he had
! read the second chapter of this book, he would have known all
| about it. The following pages have been written with the idea
J of helping those who may be placed in a similar position; who
may be called upon to decide the serious question of the purchase
i of a new organ for their church, town hall, or an auditorium,
XN or the rebuilding of the old one now in use; who are distracted
by the conflicting plans and contending claims of rival organ
builders; who are disinclined to rely upon so-called "expert"
270931
G Foreword
opinion, but wish to look into these things for themselves and
intelligently purchase an instrument which is thoroughly up-to-
date in every particular, which will not drive the organist to the
verge of profanity every time he plays upon it, and will not
prove a snug source of income to its builders — for repairs.
The organ -student, the amateur, and eke the professional
organist, will also find much here that will interest them and
lead to a better understanding of the 'instrument.
The revolution in organ-building herein described has for the
most part taken place under the personal notice of the author,
during the last fifty years. The organists of a younger genera-
tion are to be congratulated on the facilities now placed at their
disposal, mainly by the genius and persevering efforts of four
men — as hereinafter described.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
As It Was in the Beginning 9
CHAPTER II
The Organ in the Nineteenth Century 13
CHAPTER III
The Dawn of a New Era ; the Pneumatic Lever 18
CHAPTER IV.
Pneumatic and Electro-pneumatic Actions — Tubular Pneu-
matics— Division of Organs — Sound Reflection — Octave
Couplers and Extensions . 25
CHAPTER V
Stop-keys — Control of the Stops 42
CHAPTER VI
Radiating and Concave Pedal Boards — Pedal-stop Control —
Suitable Bass Attachments 48
CHAPTER VII
Means of Obtaining Expression — Crescendo Pedal — Sforzando
Pedal — Double Touch — Balanced Swell Pedal — Control of
Swell by Keys — Swell Boxes — the Sound Trap Joint —
Vacuum Swell Shutters 53
CHAPTER VIII
A/ Revolution in Wind Supply — Springs vs. Weights — Individ-
ual Pallets — Heavy Wind Pressures — Mechanical Blowers 62
CHAPTER IX
Transference of Stops — Double Touch — Pizzicato Touch — the
Unit Organ — Sympathy 68
CHAPTER X
Production of Organ Tone — Acoustics of Organ Pipes — Estey
Open Bass Pipes — Diapasons — Flutes — Strings — Reeds —
Vowel Cavities — Undulating Stops (Celestes) — Percussion
Stops — the Diaphone 73
CHAPTER XI
Tuning — Equal Temperament — New Method of Tuning Reeds . . 107
CHAPTER XII
Progress of the Revolution in Our Own Country 112
CHAPTER XIII
Chief Actors— Barker— Cavaille--Coll— Willis— Hope- Jones 119
CHAPTER XIV
How We Stand To-day — Automatic Players — Specifications of
Notable Organs : St. George's Hall, Liverpool ; Notre Dame,
Paris ; St. Paul's Cathedral, London ; Westminster Abbey ;
Contents — Con tin ued
Balruddery, Scotland : Worcester Cathedral ; Yale Univer-
sity, U. S. A. ; St. Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo : Paris Theatre,
Denver ; Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York ; Uni-
versity of Toronto, Canada ; City Hall, Portland, Me. ;
Liverpool Cathedral, England 150
' INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS
Prehistoric Double Flutes 10
The Wind-chest ; Front View. The Wind-chest : Side View 15-1G
The Pneumatic Lever 19
Portrait of Moitessier 23
Tubular Pneumatic Action 27
The First Electric Organ Ever Built 31
The Electro-Pneumatic Lever 34
Valve and Yalve Seat, Hope-Jones Electric Action 35
Portrait of Dr. Peschard 37
Console, St. Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo 4J
Console on Bennett System 43
Console, Trinity Church, Boston 44
Console, College of City of New York 45
Principle of the Sound Trap 59
Sound Trap Joint 59
The Vacuum Shutter 60
Estey's Open Bass Pipes 76
Diapason Pipe with Leathered Lip 82
Haskell's Clarinet without Reed 89
Diagram of Reed Pipe 90
Vowel Cavities 92
Diaphone in Worcester Cathedral 96
Diaphone in Aberdeen University '.<7
Diaphone in St, Patrick's, N. Y 98
Diaphone in Auditorium, Ocean Grove, N. J 100
Diaphone in St. Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo 102
Diaphone Producing Foundation Tone 104
New Method of Tuning Reeds 108
Portrait of Charles Spachman Barker 118
Portrait of Aristide Cavaill6-Coll 125
Portrait of Henry Willis 131
Portrait of Robert Hope-Jones 139
Keyboards of Organ, St. George's Hall 154
Keyboards of Organ, Notre Dame. Paris 157
Keyboards of Organ, Westminster Abbey 160
Organ in Balruddery Mansion, Dundee, Scotland 167
The Author Playing a Hope- Jones Unit Orchestra 178
THE RECENT REVOLUTION
IN ORGAN BUILDING
CHAPTER I.
As IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING.
"The Organ breathes its deep-voiced solemn notes,
The people join and sing, in pious hymns
And psalms devout; harmoniously attun'd,
The Choral voices blend ; the long-drawn aisles
At every close the ling'ring strains prolong/ ~*
And now, of varied tubes and reedy pipes, V^.
The skilful hand a soften'd stop controuls ;
In sweetest harmony the dulcet strains steal forth,
Now swelling high, and now subdued ; afar they float
In lengthened whispers melting into cadenced murmurs,
Forming soft melodious strains, and placid airs,
Spreading gently all around, then soaring up to Heav'n !"
— Dryden.
THE origin of the pipe organ is lost in the mists of antiquity.
Tradition hath it that there was one in Solomon's Temple at
Jerusalem, the sound of which could be heard at the Mount of
Olives. It has the honor of being the first wind instrument
mentioned in the Bible (Genesis iv, 21), where we are told that
"Jubal is the father of all such as handle the harp and the
organ." The Hebrew word here is ugdb, which is sometimes
translated in the Septuagint by cithara (the ancient lute), some-
times by psalm, sometimes by organ. Sir John Stainer ("Dic-
tionary of Musical Terms," p. 444) says: "It is probable that
in its earliest form the ugdb was nothing more than a Pan's-
pipes or syrinx, but that it gradually developed into a more im-
portant instrument." The passage, however, shows that the
ugab was known in the time of Moses, who was "learned in all
the learning of the Egyptians."
10
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
The flute, a component part of the organ, is one of the most
ancient of musical instruments. We find it pictured on the
walls of early Egyptian tombs, and specimens of it, still in
playable condition, have been unearthed and can be seen in our
museums. Some of them were double, as shown in the illustra-
Pre-historic Double Flutes. From Assyrian and Egyptian Tombs
tion. Side by side with these flutes we find the shepherd's pipe
with a reed or strip of cane in the mouthpiece, which may be
found in the Tyrol at the present day. The next step was
probably the bagpipes. Here we find four of these pipes attached
to a bag. The melody or tune is played on one of the pipes
furnished with holes for the purpose, while the other three give
a drone bass. The bag, being blown up, forms a wind reservoir
and the amount of tone can be regulated by the pressure of the
arm. Here we have the precursor of the organ bellows. Next
comes the Irish bagpipes, with a bellows worked by the arm
furnishing the wind to the bag, the reservoir, and producing a
much sweeter tone. This is one line of advance.
On the other hand we have the syrinx or PanVpipes. Stainer
says this was undoubtedly the precursor of the organ. "It was
o
As It Was in the Beginning 11
formed of seven,, eight or nine short hollow reeds, fixed together
by wax, and cut in graduated lengths so as to produce a musical
scale. The lower ends of the reeds were closed and the upper
open and on a level, so that the mouth could easily pass from one
pipe to another." This is the instrument used*at the present
day by the Punch and Judy man. He wears it fastened around
his throat, turning his head from side to side as he blows, while
with his hands he beats a drum.
The next step would be to combine a set of flutes or shepherd's
pipes with the wind reservoir of the bagpipes, placing a little
slider under the mouthpiece of each pipe which could be opend9
or closed afrwill, so that they would not all speak at once. Then
some genius steadied the wind pressure by pumping air into a
reservoir partly filled with water. This was the so-called
"hydraulic organ," which name has given rise to the impression
that the pipes were played by the water passing through them —
which is impossible.
And so we come down the ages to the Christian era. The
Talmud mentions an organ (magrepha) having ten pipes played
by a keyboard as being in existence in the Second Century.
"Aldhelm (who died A. D. 709) mentions an organ which had
gilt pipes. An organ having leaden pipes was placed in the
Church of S. Corneille, at Cdmpiegne, in the middle of the
Eighth Century." St. Dunstan had an organ with pipes made
of brass. Then we have the organ in Winchester Cathedral,
England, described by Wulfstan of Winchester in his "Life
of Saint S within." This was a double organ, requiring two
organists to play it. It contained 400 pipes and had thirteen
pairs of bellows. It was intended to be heard all over Winchester
in honor of St. Peter, to whom the Cathedral was dedicated.
The year was now A. D. 951, and this is an important date to
remember, as modern harmony took its rise about this time.
Before this, as far as we know, there had been no harmony
beyond a drone bass, and the vast companies of musicians de-
12 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
scribed in Holy Writ and elsewhere must have played and sung
in octaves and unison. I quote Stainer again:
"The large pipes of every key of the oldest organs stood in
front; the whole instrument sounded and shrieked in a harsh
and loud manner. The keyboard had eleven, twelve, even
thirteen keys in diatonic succession without semitones. It was
impossible to get anything else than a choral melody for one
voice only on such an organ * * * the breadth of a key-
board containing nine keys extended to three-quarters the length
of a yard, that of the single key amounted to three inches * * *
even from five to six inches * * * /The valve's of the keys
and the whole mechanism being clumsy, playing with the
finger was not to be thought of, but the keys were obliged to
be struck with the clenched fist, and the organist was often
called 'pulsator organum (organ beater)."
Gradually the keys were reduced in size and the semitones
were added. By 1499 they had almost reached the present nor-
mal proportions. In 1470 pedals were invented by Bernard,
the German, a skilful musician of Venice, the pipe work was
improved and so we come to the Sixteenth Century* after which
the organ remained almost in statu quo for hundreds of years.
Since then there have been four great landmarks in organ
construction, viz:
1. The invention of the swell box by Jordan in 1712;
2. The invention of the horizontal bellows, by Samuel Green,
in 1789;
3. The invention of the pneumatic lever by Barker in 1832 ;
and the electro-pneumatic action, by Peschard in 1866; and,
4. The marvelous improvements in mechanism and tone pro-
duction and control in 1886 to 1913 by Eobt. Hope-Jones.
*The organ compositions of Frescobaldi, a celebrated Italian organist
who flourished 1591-1640, show that the organ must in his time have been
playable by the fingers.
CHAPTER II.
THE ORGAN IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
BEFORE proceeding further we propose to give a brief description
of the^ construction of the organ at the beginning of the last
century and explain the technical terms we shall use later.
As everybody knows, the tone comes from the pipes, some of
which are to be seen in the front of the instrument. The pipes
are of various shapes and sizes and are arranged in ranks or
rows upon the wind-chest. Each of these ranks is called a stop
or register. It should be borne in mind that this word stop
refers to the row of pipes, and not to the stop-knobs by the
keyboard which operate the mechanism bringing the row of
pipes into play. Much confusion of ideas prevails on this point,
and cheap builders used to take advantage of it by providing
two stop-knobs for each row of pipes, thereby making their
instruments appear to contain more pipes than were actually
there. This practice was at one time very prevalent in the
United States.
The early organ-builders to obtain variety of tone divided
the pipes into groups placed in various positions, each playable
from a separate keyboard, and this practice prevails to this day.
An average church organ will contain three or four wind-chests,
each with its quota of pipes and designated as follows:
1. The Great organ, consisting of the front pipes and other
loud-speaking stops. Back of this and usually elevated above
the level of the Great organ pipes is
2. The Swell organ, all the pipes, of which are contained in
a wooden box with Venetian shutters in front, the opening or
closing of which modifies the tone ; below the Swell box is placed
3. The Choir organ, containing soft speaking pipes suitable
14 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
for accompanying the human voice; and back of all or on the
sides is
4. The Pedal organ, containing the large pipes played by the
pedals.
Larger instruments have still another wind-chest called the
Solo organ, the pipes of which are very loud and are usually
placed high above the Great organ.
In some large English organs, notably that in the Town Hall
of Leeds, a further division was effected, the pipes of the Great
organ being placed on two wind-chests, one behind the other.
They were known as Front Great and Back Great.
The original reason for dividing a church organ in this man-
ner seems to have been the impossibility of supplying a large
number of stops with wind from a single wind-chest.
It will thus be seen that our average church organ is really
made up of three or four smaller organs combined.
The wind-chest is an oblong box supplied with air under pres-
sure from the bellows and containing the valves (called pallets)
controlling the access of the wind to the pipes. Between the
pallet and the foot of the pipe comes another valve called tlw
slider, which controls the access of the wind to the whole row
of pipes or stop. The pallet is operated from the keyboard by
the key action. Every key on the keyboard has a corresponding
pallet in the wind-chest, and every stop-knob operates a slider
under the pipes, so that both a slider must be drawn and a
pallet depressed before any sound can be got from the pipes.
The drawings will make this plain.
Fig. 1 is a front view and Fig. 2 a side view of the wind-
chest. A is the wind-chest into which compressed atmospheric
air has been introduced, either through the side or bottom, from
the end of the wind-trunk B. The pallets, c c c, are held
against the openings, D D D, leading from the wind-chest to the
mouth of the pipes, by springs underneath them.
The spring S (Fig. 2) keeps the pallet c against the opening
The Organ in the Nineteenth Century
15
into D. I The wires called pull-downs (P, p, p), which pass
through small holes in the bottom of the wind-chest and are
in connection with the keyboard, are attached to a loop of wire
Fig. 1. The Wind-chest. Front View
called the pallet-eye, fastened to the movable end of the pallet.
A piece of wire is placed on each side of every pallet to steady it
and keep it in the perpendicular during its ascent and descent,
16
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
and every pallet is covered at top with soft leather, to make it
fit closely and work quietly. When p is pulled down (Fig. 1)
the pallet c descends, and air from the wind-chest A rushes
through D into the pipe over it. But the slider / is a narrow
strip of wood, so placed between the woodwork g and h that it
Fig. 2. The Wind-chest. Side View
may be moved backwards and forwards from right to left, and
is pierced with holes corresponding throughout to those just
under the pipes. If the apertures in the slider are under the
pipes, the opening of a pallet will make a pipe speak; if, how-
ever, the slider has been moved so that the apertures do not
correspond, even if the pallet be opened and the chest full of air
from the trunks, no sound will be produced.
The Organ in the Nineteenth Century 17
When the apertures in the slider are under those below the
pipe, the "stop," the handle of which controls the position of the
slider, is said to be out, or drawn. When the apertures do not
correspond, the stop is said to be in. Thus it is that when no
stops are drawn no sound is produced, even although the wind-
chest be full of air and the keys played upon.
This wind-chest with the slider stop control is about all that
is left to us of the old form of key action. The pallets were
connected to the keys by a series of levers, known as the tracker
action.
There were usually six joints or sources of friction, between
the key and the pallet. To overcome this resistance and close
the pallet required a strong spring. Inasmuch as it would never
do to put all the large pipes (because of their weight) at one
end of the wind-chest, they were usually divided between the
two ends and it became necessary to transfer the pull of the keys
sideways, which was done by a series of rollers called the roller-
board. This, of course, increased the friction and necessitated
the use of a still stronger spring. That with the increased area
of the pallet is why the lower notes of the organ were so hard
to play. And to the resistance of the spring must also be added
the resistance of the wind-pressure, which increased with every
stop drawn. When the organ was a large one with many stops,
and the keyboards were coupled together, it required consider-
able exertion to bring out the full power of the instrument;
sometimes the organist had to stand on the pedals and throw
the weight of his body on the keys to get a big chord. All kinds
of schemes were tried to lighten the "touch," as the required
pressure on the keys is called, the most successful of which was
dividing the pallet into two parts which admitted a small quan-
tity of wind to enter the groove and release the pressure before
the pallet was fully opened; but even on the best of organs the
performance of music played with ease upon modern instruments
was absolutely impossible.
CHAPTER III.
THE DAWX OF A \i:\v ERA — THE PXHTMATIC LEVER.
J UST as we no longer see four men tugging at the steering wheel
of an ocean steamer, the intervention of the steam steering gear
rendering the use of so much physical force unnecessary, so it
now occurred to an organ-builder in the city of Bath, England,
rfamed Charles Spachman Barker,* to enlist the force of the
organ wind itself to overcome the resistance of the pallets in
the wind-chest. This contrivance is known as the pneumatic
lever, and consists of a toy bellows about nine inches long,
inserted in the middle of the key action. The exertion of de-
pressing the key is now reduced to the small amount of force
required to open a valve, half an inch in width, which admits
wind to the bellows. The bellows, being expanded by the wind,
pulls down the pallet in the wind-chest; the bellows does all
the hard work. The drawing on the next page, which shows the
lever as improved by the eminent English organ-builder, Henry
Willis, shows the cycle of operation.
When either the finger or foot is pressed upon a key connected
with /«•, the outer end of the back-fall gg is pulled down, which
opens the pallet p. The compressed air in a then rushes through
the groove bb into the bellows cc, which rises and lifts with it
all the action attached to it by /. As the top of the bellows cc
rises, it lifts up the throttle-valve d (regulated by the wire ra)
which prevents the ingress of any more compressed air by bb.
But the action of the key on gg, which opened the pallet pf
*The invention of the pneumatic lever has been claimed for Mr. Ham-
ilton, of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is, however, generally credited to
Barker and known • as the "Barker pneumatic lever." (See also note
about Joseph Booth, page 129.)
TJie Dnirn of a New Era
10
also allowed the double-acting waste-valve e to close, and the tape
/ hangs loose. The compressed air, therefore, as it is admitted
through && cannot escape, but on the other hand when the key
releases the outer end of g, and lets it rise up again, the tape /
CLOSED
OPEN
fojQfoy ^
Fig. 3. The Pneumatic Lever
becomes .tightened and opens the waste-valve, the bellows cc
then drops into its closed position.
The organ touch could now be made as light as that of a
pianoforte, much lighter than ever before.
This epoch-making invention, introduced in 1832, rendered
possible extraordinary developments. It was at first strangely
ignored and opposed. The English organ-builders refused to
20 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
take it up. Barker was at length driven to France, where, in
the person of Aristide Cavaille-Coll, he found a more far-seeing
man.
After Cavaille-Coll had fully demonstrated the practical value
of Barker's invention, Willis and others joined in its develop-
ment, and they contemporaneously overcame all difficulties and
brought the pneumatic action into general favor.
This process, of course, took time, and up to about fifty years
ago pneumatic action was found only in a few organs of large
calibre.
The recent revolution in organ building and in organ tone,
of which this book treats, was founded upon the pneumatic and
electro-pneumatic actions invented by Barker.*
It is safe to say that the art of organ building has advanced
more during the last fifty years than in any previous three
centuries. We are literally correct in saying that a veri-
table revolution has already been effected — and the end is
not yet.
As leaders in this revolutionary movement, three names stand
out with startling prominence — Henry Willis, Aristide Cavaille-
Coll and Eobert Hope-Jones.
Others have made contributions to detail (notably Hilborne
L. Eoosevelt) , but it is due to the genius, the inventions and the
work of those three great men that the modern organ stands
where it does to-day.
We propose:
1. To enumerate and describe the inventions and improve-
ments that have so entirely transformed the instrument;
2. To trace the progress of the revolution in our own country;
and,
3. To describe the chief actors in the drama.
*Barker was also associated with Peschard, who in 1864 patented
jointly with him the electro-pneumatic action. (See page 37.)
The Dawn of a New Era 21
In the middle of the last century all organs were voiced on
light wind pressure,* mostly from an inch and a half to three
inches. True, the celebrated builder, William Hill, placed in
his organ at Birmingham Town Hall, England, so early as 1833,
a Tuba voiced on about eleven inches wind pressure, and Willis,
Cavaille-Coll, Gray and Davison, and others, adopted high
pressures for an occasional reed stop in their largest organs;
yet ninety-nine per cent, of the organs built throughout the
world were voiced on pressures not exceeding three and one-
half inches.
In those days most organs that were met with demanded a
finger force of some twenty ounces before the keys could be
depressed, when coupled, and it was no uncommon thing for
the organist to have to exert a pressure of fifty ounces or more
on the bass keys. (The present standard is between three and
four ounces. We are acquainted with an organ in New York
City which requires a pressure of no less than forty ounces to
depress the bass keys.)
The manual compass on these organs seldom extended higher
than f2 or g3, though it often went down to GG.f
It was common to omit notes from the lower octave for
economy's sake, and many stops were habitually left destitute of
*The pressure of the wind supplied by the old horizontal bellows is
regulated by the weights placed on top. The amount of this pressure is
measured by a wind-gauge or anemometer invented by Christian Former
about 1677. It is a bent glass tube, double U shaped, into which a little
water is poured. On placing one end of it fitted with a socket into one
of the holes in the wind-chest (in place of a pipe) and admitting the
wind from the bellows the water is forced up the tube, and the difference
between the level of the .surface of the water in the two legs of the tube
is measured in inches. Thus, we always talk of the pressure of wind
in an organ as being so many inches.
rThe organ in Great Homer Street Wesleyan Chapel, Liverpool, Eng-
land, had manuals extending down to CCC. It was built for a man who
could not play the pedals and thus obtained 16 ft. tone from the keys.
The old gallery organ in Trinity Church, New York, also has this compass.
22 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
their bottom octaves altogether. Frequently the less important
keyboards would not descend farther than tenor C.*
The compass of the pedal board (when there was a pedal
board at all) varied anywhere from one octave to about two and
a quarter octaves. The pedal keys were almost invariably
straight and the pedal boards flat.
-J-ce^k
*ei:
/T> ' jf J
d* rL
Fig. 4. Nomenclature of Organ Keyboard
*Tenor C is the lowest note of the tenor voice or the tenor violin
(viola). It is one octave from the bottom note of a modern organ key-
board, which is called CC. The lowest note of the pedal-board is CCC.
Counting from the bottom upwards on the manual we have, therefore, CC
(double C), C (tenor C), c (middle C), c1 (treble C), c2 (C in alt) and
c3 (C in altissimo). This is the highest note on the keyboard of 61 keys.
According to the modern nomenclature of the pianoforte keyboard this
note is c4, and is frequently so stated erroneously in organ specifications.
GG is four notes below CC, the break in the scale coming between GO
and FFF. Tenor C is an important note to remember. Here is where
the cheap builder came in again. He cut his stops short at tenor C,
trusting to the pedal pipes to cover the deficiency.
PROSPER-ANTOIttE MOITESSIER,
INVENTOR OF TUBULAR PNEUMATIC ACTION
In the year 1845, Prospei-Antoine Moitessier, an organ-builder of
Montpellier, France, patented what he called "abr£g6 pneumatique," an
organ action in which all back-falls and rollers. were replaced by tubes
operated by exhaust air. In 1850 he built with this action an organ of
42 speaking stops for the church of Notre Dame de la .Dalbade at Tou-
louse. This organ lasted 33 years. In 18(50 Fermis, schoolmaster and
village organist of Hanterire, near Toulouse, improved on Moitessicr's
action by combining tubes conveying compressed air with the Barker
lever. An organ was built on this system for the Paris Exhibition of
1867, which came under the notice of Henry Willis, by which he was so
struck that he was stimulated to experiment and develop his action, which
culminated in the St. Paul's organ in 1872. (From article by Dr. Gabriel
Bedart in Musical Opinion, London, July, 1908.)
CHAPTER IV.
PNEUMATIC AND ELECTRO-PNEUMATIC ACTIONS.
UNDOUBTEDLY the first improvements to be named must be the
pneumatic and electro-pneumatic actions.
Without the use of these actions most of the advances we are
about to chronicle would not have been effected.
As before stated, Cavaille-Coll and Willis worked as pioneers
in perfecting and in introducing the pneumatic action.
The pneumatic action used by Willis, Cavaille-Coll and a score
of other builders leaves little to be desired. It is thoroughly
reliable and, where the keys are located close by the organ, is
fairly prompt both in attack and repetition. Many of the
pneumatic actions made to-day, however, are disappointing in
these particulars.
TUBULAR PNEUMATICS.*
In the year 1872 Henry Willis built an organ for St. Paul's
Cathedral, London, which was divided in two portions, one on
each side of the junction of the Choir with the Dome at an
elevation of about thirty feet from the floor. The keyboards
were placed inside one portion of the instrument, and instead of
carrying trackers down and under the floor and up to the other
side, as had hitherto been the custom in such cases, he made the
connection by means of tubes like gaspipes, and made a pulse
of wind travel down and across and up and into the pneumatic
*The researches of Dr. Gabriel B^dart, Professeur agre^e1 Physiologie
in the University of Lille, France, a learned and enthusiastic organ
connoisseur, have brought to light the fact that the first tubular pneumatic
action was constructed by Moitessier in France in 1835. It was designed
upon the exhaust principle.
26 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
levers controlling the pipes and stops. Sir John Stainer de-
scribes it as "a triumph of mechanical skill.'7 He was organist
of St. Paul's for many years and ought to know. This was all
very well for a cathedral, where
" . . . . the long-drawn aisles
The melodious strains prolong"
but here is what the eminent English organist, W. T. Best, said
about tubular pneumatic action as applied to another organ used
for concert purposes : "It is a complete failure ; you cannot play
a triplet on the Trumpet, and I consider it the most d nable
invention ever placed inside an organ." Notwithstanding these
drawbacks this action became very fashionable after its demon-
stration at St. Paul's, and was used even in small organs in pref-
erence to the Barker lever. One builder confessed to the writer
that he had suffered severe financial loss through installing this
action. After expending considerable time (and time is money)
in getting it to work right, the whole thing would be upset when
the sexton started up the heating apparatus. The writer is
acquainted with organs in New York City where these same
conditions prevail.
The writer, however, will admit having seen some tubular
actions which were fairly satisfactory, one in particular in the
factory of Alfred Monk, London, England, where for demon-
stration purposes the tubes were fifty feet long. Dr. Bedart
informs us that Puget, the famous organ builder of Toulouse,
France, sets fifty feet as the limit of usefulness of this action.
Henry Willis & Sons in their description of the organ in
the Lady Chapel of Liverpool Cathedral state that their action
has been tested to a repetition of 1,000 per minute, quicker than
any human finger can move. This is a square organ in one
case, but we note they have adopted the electric action for the
great cathedral organ where the distance of the pipes from the
keys is too great for satisfactory response.
Pneumatic and Electro-Pneumatic Actions 27
In view of the wide use at present of this action we give a
drawing and description of its operation as patented and made
by Mr. J. J. Binns, of Bramley, Leeds, England. J. Matthews,
in his "Handbook of the Organ," says that this action is very
o-ood and free from drawbacks.
Fig. 5. Tubular Pneumatic Action
The tubes, N, from each key are fixed to the hole connected
to the small puffs P in the puff-board E. Air under pressure
is admitted by the key action and conveyed by the tubes N
which raises the corresponding button valves S1, lifting their
spindles S and closing the apertures T2 in the bottom of the
wind-chest A, and opening a similar aperture T in the bottom
of the cover-board F, causing the compressed air to escape from
the exhaust bellows M, which closes, raising the solid valve H
in the cover-board F and, closing the aperture J1 in the wind-
28 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
chest A, shuts off the air from the bellows, which immediately
closes, drawing down the pallet B, which admits air (or wind)
to the pipes.
No tubular-pneumatic action is entirely satisfactory when the
distance between the keys and the organ is great. This is often
due to a law of nature rather than to imperfection of design or
workmanship.
Pneumatic pulses travel slowly — at a speed which does not
reach 1,100 feet per second. In large organs where neces-
sarily some of the tubes are short and some have to be long, it is
impossible to secure simultaneous speech from all departments
of the instrument, and in addition to this the crisp feeling of
direct connection with his pipes, which the old tracker action
secured for the organist, is lost.
It is generally thought amongst the more advanced of the
builders and organists qualified to judge, that the tubular-pneu-
matic action will sooner or later be entirely abandoned in
favor of the electro-pneumatic action. Certain it is that the
aid of electricity is now called in in practically every large in-
strument that is built in this country, and in an increasing pro-
portion of those constructed abroad.
THE CRYING NEED FOR ELECTRIC ACTION.
The instance of St. Paul's Cathedral cited above shows the
demand that existed at that time for means whereby the organ
could be played with the keyboards situated at some distance
from the main body of the instrument. In the Cathedrals the
organ was usually placed on a screen dividing the Choir from the
Nave, completely obstructing the view down the church. There
was a demand for its removal from this position (which was
eventually done at St. Paul's, Chester, Durham, and other
Cathedrals). Then in the large parish churches the quartet
of singers in the west gallery where 'the organ was placed had
been abolished. Boy choirs had been installed in the chancel,
Pneumatic and Electro-Pneumatic Actions 29
leaving the organ and organist in the west gallery, to keep time
together as best they could. In the Cathedrals, too, the organist
was a long way off from the choir. How glorious it would be
if he could sit and play in their midst ! Henry Willis & Sons
stated in a letter to the London Musical News, in 1890, that they
had been repeatedly asked to make such arrangements but had
refused, "because Dame Nature stood in the way/'— which she
certainly did if tubular pneumatics had been used. The fact
was that up to this time all the electric actions invented had
proved more or less unreliable, and Willis, who had an artistic
reputation to lose, refused to employ them. As an instance of
their clumsiness we may mention that the best contact they
could get was made by dipping a platinum point in a cell con-
taining mercury ! Other forms of contact rapidly oxidized and
went out of business.
Dr. Gauntlet, about the year 1852, took out a patent covering
an electric connection between the keys and the pallets of an
organ,* but the invention of the electro-pneumatic lever must
be ascribed to Barker and Dr. Peschard. The latter seems to
have suggested the contrivance and the former to have done
the practical work.
Bryceson Bros, were the first to introduce this action into
English organs. They commenced work along these lines in
*Dr. Gauntlett's idea was to play all the organs shown in the Great
Exhibition in London, in 1851, from one central keyboard. He pro-
posed to place an electro-magnet inside the wind-chest under each pallet,
which would have required an enormous amount of electric current. The
idea was never carried out. This plan seems also to have occurred to
William Wilkinson, the organ-builder of Kendal, as far back as 1862, but,
after some experiments, was abandoned. An organ constructed on simi-
lar lines was actually built by Karl G. Weigl6, of Echterdingen, near
Stuttgart, Germany, in 1870, and although not at all a success, he built
another on the same principle which was exhibited at the Vienna Exhi-
bition in 1873. Owing to the powerful current necessary to open the
pallets, the contacts fused and the organ was nearly destroyed by fire on
several occasions.
30 Tlie Recent Revolution in Organ Building
1868, under the Barker patents, their first organ being built
behind the scenes at Her Majesty's Opera House, Drury Lane.
London, the keys being in the orchestra. This organ was used
successfully for over a year, after which it was removed and
shown as a curiosity in the London Polytechnic Institute, re-
citals being given twice daily.
Schmole and Molls, Conti, Trice and others took a leading
part in the work on the European continent, and Roosevelt was
perhaps its greatest pioneer in the United States.
Various builders in many countries have more recently made
scores of improvements or variations in form and have taken
out patents to cover the points of difference, but none of these
has done any work of special importance.
Xot one of the early electric actions proved either quick or
reliable, and all were costly to install and maintain.*
This form of mechanism, therefore, earned a bad name and
was making little advance, if not actually being abandoned, when
a skilled electrician, Robert Hope-Jones, entered the field about
1886. Knowing little of organs and nothing of previous attempts
to utilize electricity for this service, he made with his own hands
and some unskilled assistance furnished by members of his
voluntary choir, the first movable console,f stop-keys, double
touch, suitable bass, etc., and an electric action that created a
sensation throughout the organ world. In this action the
*Sir John Stainer, in the 1889 edition of his "Dictionary of Musical
Terms," dismisses the electric action in a paragraph of four lines as of
no practical importance. In that same year the writer asked Mr. W. T.
Best to come over and look at the organ in St. John's Church, Birken-
head. which was then beginning to be talked about, and he laughed at
the idea that any good could come out of an electric action. He was a
man of wide experience who gave recitals all over the country and was
thoroughly acquainted with the attempts that had been made up to that
time. He did not want to see any more electric organs.
yConsole — the keyboards, pedals and stop action by which the organ
is played : sometimes detached from the instrument.
The First Electric Organ Ever Built
In the Collegiate Church at Salon, Near Marseilles, France (1866).
Pneumatic and Electro-Pneumatic Actions 33
"pneumatic blow" was for the first time attained and an attack
and repetition secured in advance of anything thought possible
at that time, in connection with the organ or the pianoforte.
Hope-Jones introduced the round wire contact which secures
the ideally perfect "rubbing points," and he makes these wires
of dissimilar non-corrosive metals (gold and platinum).
He replaced previous rule-oi-thumb methods by scientific cal-
culation, recognized the value of low voltage, good insulation and
the avoidance of self-induction, with the result that the electro-
pneumatic action has become (when properly made) as reliable
as the tracker or pneumatic lever mechanism.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ELECTRIC ACTION.
The electric action consists substantially of a small bellows
like the pneumatic lever, but instead of the valve admitting
the wind to operate it being moved by a tracker leading from
the key, it is opened by an electro-magnet, energized by a con-
tact in the keyboard and connected therewith by a wire which,
of course, may be of any desired length. We illustrate one form
of action invented and used by Hope- Jones.*
Within the organ, the wires from the other end of the cable
are attached to small magnets specially wound so that no spark
results when the electric contact at the key is broken. This mag-
net attracts a thin disc of iron about ]/\. inch in diameter, (held
up by a high wind pressure from underneath) and draws it
downward through a space of less than 1/100 of an inch.
The working is as follows: The box A is connected with the
organ bellows and so (immediately the wind is put into the or-
gan) is filled with air under pressure, which passes upwards
between the poles of the magnet N". Lifting the small iron disc
J, it finds its way through the passage L into the small motor M,
*From Matthews' "Handbook of the Organ," p. 52 et seq.
34
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
thus allowing the movable portion of the motor M to remain in
its lower position, the pallet C1 being closed and the pallet C2
being open. Under these conditions, the large motor B collapses
7o ktu c.ontix.'T-
Fig. 6. The Electro-Pneumatic Lever
and the pull-down P (which is connected with the organ pallet)
rises.
When a weak current of electricity is caused to circulate round
the coils of the electro-magnet N, the small armature disc J
is drawn off the valve-seat H on to the zinc plate K.
The compressed air from within the small motor M escapes
by way of the passage L, through the openings in the valve
seat H into the atmosphere. The compressed air in the box A
then acts upon the movable portion of the small motor M in
such a manner that it is forced upwards and caused (through
the medium of the pull-wire E) to lift the supply pallet C1
and close the exhaust pallet C2, thus allowing compressed air to
rush from the box A into the motor B and so cause this latter
Pneumatic and Electro-Pneumatic Actions
35
motor to open and (through the medium of the pull down P) to
pull the soundboard pallet from its seat and allow wind to pass
into the pipes.
'K
Fig. 1. Valve and Valve Seat, Hope-Jones Electric Action
36 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
The valve-seat H has formed on its lower surface two crescent
shaped long and narrow slits. A very slight movement of the
armature disc J, therefore, suffices to open to the full extent
two long exhaust passages. The movement of this disc is re-
duced to something less than the 1/100 part of an inch. It is,
therefore, alwa}Ts very close to the poles of the magnet, con-
sequently a very faint impulse of electricity will suffice (aided
by gravity) to draw the disc off the valve-seat H. The zinc
plate K being in intimate contact with the iron poles of the
magnet N, protects the latter from rust by well-known electrical
laws. All the parts are made of metal, so that no change in the
weather can affect their relative positions. E is the point at
which the large motor B is hinged. G is a spring retaining cap
in position; 0 the wires leading from the keys and conveying
the current to the magnet N"; Q. the removable side of the
box A.
Fig. 7 represents a larger view of the plate K in which the
magnet poles N are rigidly fixed — of a piece of very fine chiffon
M (indicated by a slightly thicker line) which prevents particles
of dust passing through so as to interfere with the proper seat-
ing of the soft Swedish charcoal iron armature disc J — of the
distance piece L and of the valve seat H.
On the upper surface of this valve seat H another piece of
fine chiffon is attached to prevent possible passage of dust to the
armature valve J, from outside.
As all parts of this apparatus are of metal changes in humidity
or temperature do not affect its regulation.
The use of this action renders it possible for the console (or
keyboards, etc.) to be* entirely detached from the organ, moved
to a distance and connected with the organ by a cable fifty or
one hundred feet or as many miles long. This arrangement may
be seen, for example, in the College of the City of New York
(built by the E. M. Skinner Co.), where the console is carried
to the middle of the platform when a recital is to be given, and
t
•
DR. ALBERT PESCHARD
INVENTOR OF ELECTRO-PNEUMATIC ACTION.
DR ALBERT PESCHARD was born in 1836, qualified as an advocate
(Docteur en droit), and from 1857 to 1875 was organist of the Church of
St fitienne, Caen, France. He commenced to experiment in electro-pneu-
matics in the year 1860, and early in 1861 communicated his discoveries
to Mr Barker. From that date until Barker left France, Peschard
collaborated with him, reaping no pecuniary benefit therefrom. Peschard,
however, was honored by being publicly awarded the Medal of Merit of t
Netherlands ; the Medal of Association Frangaise pour 1'Avancement de
la Science ; Gold Medal, Exhibition of Lyons ; and the Gold Medal, Exhi
bition of Bordeaux. He died at Caen, December 23, 1903. (From Dr.
Hinton's "Story of the Electric Organ.")
Pneumatic and Electro-Pneumatic Actions
removed out of the way when the platform is wanted for other
purposes.
' As all the old mechanism— the backfalls, roller-boards and
trackers— is now swept away, it is possible by placing the bellows
in the cellar to utilize the inside of the organ for a choir-vestry,
as was indeed done with the pioneer Hope-Jones organ at St.
John's Church, Birkenhead.
DIVISION OF ORGANS. *
Before the invention of pneumatic and electro-pneumatic
action, organs were almost invariably constructed in a single
mass. It was, it is true, possible to find instruments with tracker
action that were divided and placed, say, half on either side of a
chancel, but instances of the kind were rare and it was well nigh
impossible for even a muscular organist to perform on such
instruments.
The perfecting of tubular pneumatic and especially of electi
pneumatic action has lent wonderful flexibility to the organ and
has allowed of instruments being introduced in buildings where
it would otherwise have been impossible to locate an organ.'
Almost all leading builders have done work of this kind, but the
Aeolian Company has been quickest to seize the advantage of
division in adapting the pipe organ for use in private residences.
Sound reflectors have recently been introduced, and it seems
likely that these will play an important part in organ con-
struction in the future. So far they appear to be employed only
by Hope-Jones and the firms with which he was associated.
It has been discovered that sound waves may be collected,
focussed or directed, much in the same way that light waves can.
In the case of the Hope-Jones organ at Ocean Grove, N. J.,
the greatest part of the instrument has been placed in a base-
ment constructed outside the original Auditorium. The sound
waves are thrown upward and are directed into the Auditorium
by means of parabolic reflectors constructed of cement lined
40 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
with wood. The effect is entirely satisfactory. In Trinity
Cathedral, Cleveland, Ohio,* Hope-Jones arranged for the Tuba
to stand in the basement at the distant end of the nave. Its
tone is directed to a cement reflector and from that reflector
is projected through a metal grid set in the floor, till, striking
the roof of the nave, it is spread and fills the entire building
with tone. In St. Luke's Church, Montclair, N. J., he adopted
a somewhat similar plan in connection with the open 32-foot
pedal pipes which are laid horizontally in the basement. We
believe that the first time this principle was employed was in
the case of the organ rebuilt by Hope- Jones in 1892 at the resi-
dence of Mr. J. Martin White, Balruddery, Dundee, Scotland.
OCTAVE COUPLERS.
In the days of mechanical action, couplers of any kind proved
a source of trouble and added greatly to the weight of the
touch. The natural result was that anything further than unison
coupling was seldom attempted.
In some organs hardly any couplers at all were present.
In Schulze's great and celebrated organ in Doncaster, Eng-
land, it was not possible to couple any of the manuals to the
pedals, and (if we remember rightly) there were only two
couplers in the whole instrument. Shortly after the introduc-
tion of pneumatic action, an organ with an occasional octave
coupler, that is a coupler which depressed a key an octave higher
or lower than the one originally struck, was sometimes met with.
In the pioneer organ built by Hope-Jones in Birkenhead,
England (about 1887), a sudden advance was made. That
organ contains no less than 19 couplers. Not only did he pro-
vide sub-octave and super-octave couplers freely, but he even
added a Swell Sub-quint to Great coupler!
Octave couplers are now provided by almost all builders.
*Organ built by the Ernest M. Skinner Co.
Pneumatic and Electro-Pneumatic Actions 41
Though condemned by many theorists, there is no doubt that in
practice they greatly add to the resources of the instruments to
which they are attached. We know of small organs where the
electric action has been introduced for no other reason than
that of facilitating the use of octave couplers, which are now
a mere matter of wiring and give no additional weight to
the touch.
Hope-Jones appears to have led in adding extra pipes to the
wind-chest, which were acted upon by the top octave of the
octave couplers, thus giving the organist a complete scale to
the full extent of the keyboards. He made the practice common
in England, and the Austin Company adopted it on his joining
them in this country. The plan has since become more or less
common. This is the device we see specified in organ builders'
catalogues as the "extended wind-chest," and explains why the
stops have 73 pipes to 61 notes on the keyboard. An octave
coupler without such extension is incomplete and is no more
honest than a stop which only goes down to Tenor C.
CHAPTEE V.
STOP-KEYS.
ON LOOKING at the console of a modern organ the observer will
be struck by the fact that the familiar draw-stop knobs have
disappeared, or, if they are still there, he will most likely find in
addition a row of ivory tablets, like dominoes, arranged over the
upper manual. If the stop-knobs are all gone, he will find an
extended row, perhaps two rows 'of these tablets. These are the
Fig. 8. Console, Showing the Inclined Keyboards First Introduced Into
This Country ~by Robert Hope-Jones
Stop-Keys
43
stop-keys which, working on a centre, move either the sliders
in the wind-chest, or bring the various couplers on manuals and
pedals on or off.
We learn from Dr. Bedart that as early as 1804 an arrange-
ment suggestive of the stop-key was in use in Avignon Cathedral.
William Horatio Clarke, of Eeading, Mass., applied for a patent
covering a form of stop-key in 1877. Hope-Jones, however,
is generally credited with introducing the first practical stop-
keys. He invented the forms most largely used to-day, and led
their adoption in England, in this country, and indeed through-
out the world.
Fig. 9. Console on the Bennett System, Showing Indicator Ditcs
44 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
Our illustration (Fig. 8) gives a good idea of the appearance
of a modern Hope-Jones console. The stop-keys will be seen
arranged in an inclined semi-circle overhanging and just above
the keyboards. Fig. 9 shows a console on the Bennett system.
Fig, 10. Console of Organ in Trinity Church, Boston, Mass. Built by
Hutching s Organ Co.
Figs. 10 and 11, hybrids, the tilting tablet form of stop-keys
being used for the couplers only.
There is much controversy as to whether stop-keys will eventu-
ally displace the older fashioned draw-knobs.
A few organists of eminence, notably Edwin H. Lemare, are
strongly opposed to the new method of control, but the
Stop-Keys
45
majority, especially the rising generation of organists, warmly
welcome the change. It is significant that whereas Hope-Jones
was for years the only advocate of the system, four or five of
the builders in this country, and a dozen foreign organ-builders,
are now supplying stop-keys either exclusively or for a consider-
able number of their organs. Austin, Skinner, Norman & Beard,
Ingram and others use the Hope-Jones pattern, but Haskell,
Fig. 11.
Console of Organ in College of City of New York.
The E. M. Skinner Co.
Built ly
46 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
Bennett, Hele and others have patterns of their own. It is a
matter of regret that some one pattern has not heen agreed on by
all the builders concerned.*
CONTROL OF THE STOPS.
In older days all stop-keys were moved by hand, and as a
natural consequence few changes in registration could be made
during performance.
Pedals for throwing out various combinations of stops were
introduced into organs about 1809; it is generally believed that
J. C. Bishop was the inventor of this contrivance.
Willis introduced into his organs pneumatic thumb-pistons
about the year 1851. These pistons were placed below the key-
board whose stops they affected.
T. C. Lewis, of England, later introduced short key-touches
arranged above the rear end of the keys of the manual. De-
pression of these key-touches brought different combinations of
stops into use on the keyboard above which they were placed.
Somewhat similar key-touches were used by the Hope- Jones
Organ Co. and by the Austin Organ Co.
Metal buttons or pistons located on the toe piece of the pedal-
board were introduced by the ingenious Casavant of Canada.
They are now fitted by various builders and appear likely to be
generally adopted. These toe-pistons form an additional and
most convenient means for bringing the stops into and out of
action.
At first these various contrivances operated only such com-
binations as were arranged by the builder beforehand, but now
it is the custom to provide means by which the organist can so
alter and arrange matters that any combination piston or com-
*Organists find, after using them a short time, that a row of stop-keys
over the manuals is wonderfully easy to control. It is possible to slide
the finger along, and with one sweep either bring on or shut off the whole
organ.
Stop-Keys 47
bination key shall bring out and take in any selection of stops
that he may desire. Hilborne Boosevelt, of New York, was the
first to introduce these adjustable combination movements.
The introduction of the above means of rapidly shifting the
stops in an organ has revolutionized organ-playing, and has
rendered possible the performance of the orchestral transcrip-
tions that we now so often hear at organ recitals.
In order to economize in cost of manufacture, certain of the
organ-builders, chiefly in America and in Germany, have adopted
the pernicious practice of making the combination pedals, pis-
tons or keys bring the various ranks of pipes into or out of
action without moving the stop-knobs.
This unfortunate plan either requires the organist to remem-
ber which combination of stops he last brought into operation
on each keyboard, or else necessitates the introduction of some
indicator displaying a record of the pistons that he last touched.
In the organ in the Memorial Church of the 1st Emperor
William in Berlin, the builder introduced a series of electric
lights for this purpose. This device can be seen in use in this
country.
When this plan is adopted the player is compelled to preserve
a mental image of the combinations set on every piston or pedal
in the organ and identify them instantly by the numbers shown
on the indicator — an impossibility in the case of adjustable
combinations often changed — impracticable in any case.
Almost all the greatest organists agree in condemning the
system of non-moving stop-knobs, and we trust and believe that
it will soon be finally abandoned.
-. •
CHAPTER VI.
RADIATING AND CONCAVE PEDAL BOAKDS.
PEDAL BOARDS had always been made flat with straight keys
until Willis and the great organist, Dr. S. S. Wesley, devised
the radiating and concave board whereby all the pedal keys were
brought within equal distance of the player's feet. This was
introduced in the organ in St. George's Hall, Liverpool, in 1855,
and Willis has refused to supply any other type of board with
his organs ever since. Curiously enough, the advantages of this
board were not appreciated by many players who preferred the
old type of board and at a conference called by the Royal College
of Organists in 1890 it was decided to officially recommend a
board which was concave, but had parallel keys. The fol-
lowing letter to the author shows that the R. C. 0. has experi-
enced a change of heart in this matter:
THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ORGANISTS.
LONDON, S. W., 27th May, 1909.
Dear Sir : In answer to your inquiry the Resolutions and Recom-
mendations to which you refer were withdrawn by my Council some
years ago. No official recommendation is made by them now. It is
stated in our Calendar that the Council wish it understood that the
arrangements and measurements of the College organ are not intended
to be accepted as authoritative or final suggestions. I am,
Yours faithfully,
THOMAS SHINDLER,
Registrar.
The radiating and concave board has been adopted by the
American Guild of Organists and has long been considered the
standard for the best organs built in the United States and
Canada, It is self-evident that this board is more expensive to
construct than the other. That is why we do not find it in low-
priced organs.
Radiating and Concave Pedal Boards 49
In most American organs built twenty years ago, the compass
of the pedal board was only two octaves and two notes, from
CCC to D. Sometimes two octaves only, Later it was ex-
tended to F, 30 notes, which is the compass generally found in
England. Following Hope- Jones' lead, all the best builders
have now extended their boards to g, 32 notes, this range being
called for by some of Bach's organ music and certain pieces of
the French school where a melody is played by the right foot
;in(l the bass by the left. The chief reason is that g is the top
note of the string bass, and is called for in orchestral transcrip-
tions. Henry Willis & Sons have also extended the pedal
compass to g in rebuilding the St. George's Hall organ in
1898.
PEDAL STOP CONTROL.
For a long time no means whatever of controlling the Pedal
stops and couplers was provided, but in course of time it be-
came the fashion to cause the combination pedals or pistons on
the Great organ (and subsequently on the other departments
also) to move the Pedal stops and couplers so as to provide a
bass suited to the particular combination of stops in use on the
manual. This was a crude arrangement and often proved more
of a hindrance than of a help to the player. Unfortunately,
unprogressive builders are still adhering to this inartistic plan,
it frequently leads to a player upsetting his Pedal combination
when he has no desire to do so. It becomes impossible to use
the combination pedals without disturbing the stops and coup-
lers of the Pedal department.
The great English organist, W. T. Best, in speaking of this,
instanced a well-known organ piece, Rinck's "Flute Concerto,"
which called for quick changes from the Swell to the Great or-
gan and vice versa, and said that he knew of no instrument in
existence on which it could be properly played. An attempt
had been made on the Continent to overcome this difficulty by
50 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
the use of two pedal-boards, placed at an angle to each other,
but it did not meet with success.
The Hope- Jones plan (patented 1889) of providing the com-
bination pedals or pistons with a double touch was a distinct
step in advance for it enabled the organist by means of a light
touch to move only the manual registers and by means of a very
much heavier touch on the combination pedal or piston to operate
also his Pedal stops and couplers. Most large organs now built
are furnished with a pedal for reversing the position of the
Great to Pedal coupler. Though to a certain extent useful when
no better means of control is provided, this is but a makeshift.
Thomas Casson, of Denbigh, Wales, introduced an artistic,
though somewhat cumbersome, arrangement. He duplicated
the draw-knobs controlling the Pedal stops and couplers and
located one set of these with the Great organ stops, another set
with the Swell organ stops and a third with the Choir. He
placed in the key slip below each manual what he called a "Pedal
Help." When playing on the Great organ, he would, by touch-
ing the "Pedal Help," switch into action the group of Pedal
stops and coupler knobs located in the Great department, switch-
ing out of action all the other groups of Pedal stops and couplers.
Upon touching the "Pedal Help" under the Swell organ keys,
the Great organ group of Pedal stops and couplers would be
rendered inoperative and the Swell group would be brought into
action. By this means it was easy to prepare in advance groups
of Pedal stops and couplers suited to the combination of stops
sounding upon each manual and by touching a Pedal Help, to
call the right group of Pedal stops into action at any moment.
The combination pedals affecting the Great stop-knobs moved
also the Pedal stop-knobs belonging to the proper group. The
Swell and Choir groups were similarly treated.
But the simplest and best means of helping the organist to
control his Pedal department is the automatic "Suitable Bass"
arrangement patented by Hope- Jones in 1891 and subsequently.
Radiating and Concave Pedal Boards 51
According to his plan a "Suitable Bass" tablet is provided just
above the rear end of the black keys on each manual.
Each of these tablets has a double touch. On pressing it
with ordinary force it moves the Pedal stop keys and couplers,
so as to provide an appropriate bass to the combination of stops
in use on that manual at the moment. On pressing it with
much greater force it becomes locked down and remains in that
position until released by the depression of the suitable bass
tablet belonging to another manual, or by touching any of the
Pedal stop-knobs or stop-keys.
When the suitable bass tablet belonging to any manual is
thus locked down, the stops and couplers of the Pedal depart-
ment will automatically move so as to provide at all times a
bass that is suitable to the combination of stops and couplers
in use upon that particular manual.
On touching the suitable bass tablet' belonging to any other
manual with extra pressure, the tablet formerly touched will be
released and the latter will become locked down. The Pedal
stops and couplers will now group themselves so as to provide
a suitable bass to the stops in use on the latter-named manual,
and will continue so to do until this suitable bass tablet is in
turn released.
This automatic suitable bass device does not interfere with the
normal use of the stop-keys of the pedal department by hand.
Directly any one of these be touched, the suitable bass mechan-
ism is automatically thrown out of action.
The combination pedals and pistons are all provided with
double touch. Upon using them in the ordinary way the man-
ual stops alone are affected. If, however, considerable extra
pressure, be brought to bear upon them the appropriate suitable
bass tablet is thereby momentarily depressed and liberated—
by this means providing a suitable bass. In large organs two
or three adjustable toe pistons are also provided to give inde-
pendent control of the Pedal organ. On touching any of these
52 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
toe pistons all suitable bass tablets are released, and any selec-
tion of Pedal stops and couplers that the organist may have
arranged on the toe piston operated is brought into use. The
Hope-Jones plan seems to leave little room for improvement.
It has been spoken of as "the greatest assistance to the organist
since the invention of combination pedals."*
Compton, of Nottingham, Englandf (a progressive and artis-
tic builder), already fits a suitable bass attachment to his organs
and it would seem likely that before long this system must be-
come universally adopted.
*Mark Andrews, Associate of the Royal College of Organists, England.
President of the National Association of Organists and Sub- Warden of
the American Guild of Organists.
fMr. R. P. Elliott, organizer and late Yice-President of the Austin
Co., said on his last return from England that Compton was at that time
doing the most artistic work of any organ-builder in that country. He
is working to a great extent on the lines laid down by Hope-Jones, and
has the benefit of the advice and assistance of that well-known patron of
the art, Mr. J. Martin White. His business has lately been reorganized
under the title of John Compton, Ltd., in which company Mr. White is
a large shareholder.
CHAPTER VII.
MEANS OF OBTAINING EXPRESSION.
CRESCENDO PEDAL.
To MOST organs in this country, to many in Germany, and to a
few in other countries, there is attached a balanced shoe pedal
by movement of which the various stops and couplers in the
organ are brought into action in due sequence. By this means
an organist is enabled to build up the tone of his organ from
the softest to the loudest without having to touch a single stop-
knob, coupler or combination piston. The crescendo pedal, as it
is called, is little used in England. It is the fashion there to
regard it merely as a device to help an incompetent organist.
It is contended that a crescendo pedal is most inartistic, as it
is certain to be throwing on or taking off stops in the middle,
instead of at the beginning or end of a musical phrase. In spite
of this acknowledged defect, many of the best players in this
country regard it as a legitimate and helpful device.
We believe the first balanced crescendo pedal in this country
was put in the First Presbyterian Church organ at Syracuse,
N. Y., by Steere, the builder of the instrument.
SFORZANDO PEDAL — DOUBLE TOUCH.
Under the name of Sforzando Coupler, the mechanism of
which is described and illustrated in Stainer's Dictionary, a de-
vice was formerly found in some organs by which the keys of
the Swell were caused to act upon the keys of the Great. The
coupler being brought on and off by a pedal, sforzando effects
could be produced, or the first beat in each measure strongly
accented in the style of the orchestration of the great masters.
54 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
Hope-Jones in his pioneer organ at St. John's Church, Birken-
head, England., provided a pedal which brought the Tuba on the
Great organ. The pedal was thrown back by a spring on being
released from the pressure of the foot. Some fine effects could
be produced by this, but of course the whole keyboard was af-
fected and only chords could be played. Various complicated
devices to bring out a melody have been invented from time to
time by various builders, but all have been superseded by the
invention of the "Double Touch." On a keyboard provided with
this device, extra pressure of the fingers causes the keys struck
to fall an additional eighth inch (through a spring giving way),
bringing the stops drawn on another manual into play. If play-
ing on the Swell organ, the Choir stops will sound as well when
the keys are struck with extra firmness ; if playing on the Choir
the Swell stops sound; and if playing on the Great the Double
Touch usually brings on the Tuba or Trumpet. It is thus pos-
sible to play a hymn tune in four parts on the Swell and bring
out the melody on the Choir Clarinet ; to play on the Choir and
bring out the melody on the Swell Vox Humana or Cornopean;
or to play a fugue with the full power of the Great organ (ex-
cept the Trumpet) and bring out the subject of the fugue every
time it enters, whether in the soprano voice, the alto, tenor,
or bass.
In the latest Hope-Jones organs arrangements are made for
drawing many of the individual stops on the second touch, inde-
pendently of the couplers.
BALANCED SWELL PEDAL
At the commencement of the period of which we are treating
(some fifty years ago) the Swell shutters of almost all organs
were made to fall shut of their own weight, or by means of a
spring. The organist might leave his Swell-box shut or, by
means of a catch on the pedal, hitch it full open.
When, however, he wanted the shutters in any . intermediate
Means of Obtaining Expression 55
position, he had to keep his foot on the pedal in order to pre-
vent its closing.
The introduction of the balanced Swell pedal (Walcker, 1863)
has greatly increased the tonal resources of the organ. It is
used almost universally in this country, but strangely enough
the country in which the Swell-box was invented (England,
1712) lags behind, and even to-day largely adheres to the old
forms of spring pedal.
A further and great step in advance appears in recent organs
built by the Hope-Jones Organ Company. The position of the
swell shutters is brought under the control of the organisi^s
fingers as well as his feet. Each balanced swell pedal is pro-
vided with an indicator key fixed on the under side of the ledge
of the music desk, where it is most conspicuous to the eye of
the performer. As the swell pedal is opened by the organist's
foot, the indicator key travels in a downward direction to the
extent of perhaps one inch and a quarter. As the organist closes
his pedal, the indicator key again moves upward into its normal
position. By means of this visible indicator key the organist
is always aware of the position of the swell shutters. Through
electric mechanism the indicator key is so connected with the
swell pedal that the slightest urging of the key either up-
ward or downward by the finger -will shift the swell pedal and
cause it to close or open as may be desired and to the desired
extent. When an organ possesses four or five swell boxes, and
when these swell boxes (as in the case of Hope- Jones' organs)
modify the tone by many hundred per cent., it becomes highly
important that the organist shall at all times have complete and
instant control of the swell shutters and shall be conscious of
their position without having to look below the keyboards. Hope-
Jones also provides what he calls a general swell pedal. To this
general swell pedal (and its corresponding indicator key) any
or all of the other swell pedals may be coupled at will.
Hope- Jones has also recently invented a means of controlling
56 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
the swell shutters from the manual keys to a sufficient extent
to produce certain sforzando effects.
When this contrivance is brought into use upon any manual
and when no ke}7s upon that manual are being played, the swell
shutters assume a position slightly more open than normal in
relation to the position of the swell pedal. Directly any key
upon the manual in question is depressed, the swell shutters
again resume their normal position in relation to the swell pedal.
This results in a certain emphasis or attack at the commence-
ment of each phrase or note that is akin to the effect obtained
from many of the instruments of the orchestra.
These contrivances are applicable only to such organs as have
the balanced swell pedal.
SWELL BOXES.
The invention of the Swell is generally attributed to Abraham
Jordan. He exhibited what was known as the nag's head Swell
in St. Magnus' Church, London, England, in the year 1731.
The "nag's head" Swell, with its great sliding shutter, rapidly
gave place to the "Venetian" Swell shades, used almost univer-
sally to this day. At the beginning of the period under con-
sideration Swell boxes were almost invariably made of thin
boards and their effect upon the strength of the tone was small.
Willis was one of the first to realize the artistic possibilities of
the Swell organ and in almost all his organs we find thick
wooden boxes and carefully fitted shutters, and often an inner
swell box containing the delicate reeds, such as the Vox Hu-
mana and Oboe.
Many of the leading organ builders now employ this thicker
construction, and it is no uncommon thing to find Swell boxes
measuring three inches in thickness and "deadened" with saw-
dust or shavings between the layers of wood of which they are
formed.
A few organs of Hutchings and other makers are provided
Means of Obtaining Expression 57
with a double set of shutters, so. that sound waves escaping
through the first set are largely arrested by the second. The
crescendo and diminuendo are thus somewhat improved.
By the adoption of scientific principles Hope-Jones has mul-
tiplied the efficiency of Swell boxes tenfold. He points out that
wood, hitherto used in their construction, is one of the best
known conductors of sound and should, therefore, not be em-
ployed. The effects produced by his brick, stone and cement
boxes (Worcester Cathedral, England; McEwan Hall, Edin-
burgh, Scotland, Ocean Grove, New Jersey, etc.) mark the dawn
of a new era in Swell-box construction and effect. It is now
possible to produce by means of scientific Swell boxes an in-
crease or diminution of tone amounting to many hundred per
cent.
We have heard the great Tuba at Ocean Grove, on 50-inch
wind pressure, so reduced in strength that it formed an effective
accompaniment to the tones of a single voice.
The Hope-Jones method seems to be to construct the box and
its shutters (in laminated form) of brick, cement or other inert
and non-porous material, and to substitute for the felt usually
employed at the jofjfits his patented "sound trap." This latter
is so interesting arid of such import in the history of organ
building that we append, on the next page, illustrations and
descriptions of the 4?vice.
If a man should stand at one end of the closed passage (C)
he will be able to converse with a friend at the other end of the
passage (D). Tne passage will in fact act as a large speaking
tube and a conversation can be carried on between the two indi-
viduals, even in whispers (Figure 12).
This passage is analogous to the opening or nick between
Swell shutters of the ordinary type.
If a man should stand in room 1 at A, he will be able to see
a friend standing in room 4 at B, but the two friends will not
be able to converse. When A speaks, the sound waves that he
58
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
produces will spread out and will fill room 1. A very small per-
centage of them will strike the doorway or opening into room
2. In their turn these sound waves will be diffused all through
Fig. 12. The Principle of the Sound Trap
room 2, and again but a small percentage of them will find access
into room 3. The sound waves will by this time be so much
attenuated that the voice of the man standing in room 1 will
be lost. Any little tone, however, that may remain will become
_
.,.,..,,„,„,,„., ..,.....,
Fig. 13. Sound Trap Joint
dissipated in room 3, and it will not be possible for a person
standing in room 4 to hear the voice.
This plan illustrates the principle of the sound trap joint.
Means of Obtaining Expression 59
Figure 13 shows in section the joint between two Swell shut-
ters. A small proportion of the sound waves from inside the
Swell box striking the sound trap joint, as indicated by the
arrow, will pass through the nick between the two shutters, but
these sound waves will become greatly weakened in charging
the groove A. Such of the sound waves as pass through the
second nick will become attenuated in charging the chamber B.
They will be further lost in the chamber C, and practically none
will remain by the time the chamber D is reached.
It is Hope- Jones' habit to place the shutters immediately
above the pipes themselves, so that when they are opened the
Swell box is left practically without any top. It is in such cases
not his custom to fit any shutters in the side or front of the
Swell box.
To relieve the compression of the air caused by playing for
any length of time with the shutters closed, he provides escape
valves, opening outside the auditorium. He also provides fans
for driving all the cold air out of the box before using the organ,
thus equalizing the temperature with the air outside — or he ac-
complishes this result through the medium of gas, electric or
steam heaters, governed by thermostats.
The Hope-Jones Vacuum Swell Shutters, with sound-trap
joints, are shown in Figures 14 and 15.
It is well known that sound requires some medium to carry
it. Readers will doubtless be familiar with the well-known ex-
periment illustrating this point. An electric bell is placed under
a glass dome. So long as the dome is filled with air the sound
of the bell can be heard, but directly the air is pumped out
silence results, even though it can be seen that the bell is con-
tinuously ringing. As there is no air surrounding the bell there
is nothing to convey its vibrations to the ear.
That is why the hollow swell shutter, from the interior of
which the air has been pumped out, is such a wonderful non-
conductor of sound.
60
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
The shutters shown in Figures 14 and 15 are aluminum cast-
ings.
Eibs E1 and E2 are provided to support the flat sides against
the pressure of the atmosphere, but each of these ribs is so ar-
ranged that it supports only one flat side and does not form a
means of communication between one flat side and the other.
Thus E1 supports one flat side whilst E2 supports the other.
The aluminum shutters are supported by means of pivot P.
Figs. 14-15. The Vacuum Shutter
They are very light and can therefore be opened and closed
with great rapidity.
A very thin vacuum shutter forms a better interrupter of
sound waves than a brick wall two or three feet in thickness.
When partially exhausted the aluminum shutters are dipped
into a bath of shellac. This effectually closes any microscopic
blow-hole that may exist in the metal.
Means of Obtaining Expression 61
The use of Swell boxes of this vastly increased efficiency per-
mits the employment of larger scales and heavier pressures for
the pipes than could otherwise be used, and enormously in-
creases the tonal flexibility of the organ.
It also does away with the need for soft stops in an organ,
thus securing considerable economy. Where all the stops are
inclosed in cement chambers (as in the case of recent Hope-
Jones organs) and where the sound-trap shutters are employed,
every stop is potentially a soft stop.
CHAPTER VIII.
A REVOLUTION IN WIND SUPPLY.
PRIOR to the construction of the above-named organ at Birken-
head, England, it had been the custom to obtain or regulate the
pressure of wind supplied to the pipes by means of loading the
bellows with weights. Owing to its inertia, no heavy bellows
weight can be set into motion rapidly. When, therefore, a
staccato chord was struck on one of these earlier organs, with
all its stops drawn, little or no response was obtained from the
pipes, because the wind-chest was instantly exhausted and no
time was allowed for the inert bellows weights to fall and so
force a fresh supply of air into the wind-chests.
BELLOWS SPRINGS VERSUS WEIGHTS.
In one of Hope-Jones' earliest patents the weights indeed re-
main, but they merely serve to compress springs, which in turn
act upon the top of the bellows.
Before this patent was granted he had, however, given up
the use of weights altogether and relied entirely upon springs.
This one detail — the substitution of springs for weights — has
had a far-reaching effect upon organ music. It rendered pos-
sible the entire removal of the old unsteadiness of wind from
which all organs of the time suffered in greater or less degree.
It quickened the attack of the action and the speech of the pipes
to an amazing extent and opened a new and wider field to the
King of Instruments.
In the year 1894 John Turnell Austin, now of Hartford,
Conn., took out a patent for an arrangement, known as the "Uni-
versal air-chest." In this, the spring as opposed to the weight
is adopted. The Universal air-chest forms a perfect solution
A lie volution in Wind Supply 63
of the problem of supplying prompt and steady wind-pressure,
but as practically the same effect is obtained by the use of a
little spring reservoir not one hundredth part of its size, it is
questionable whether this Universal air-chest, carrying, as it
does, certain disadvantages, will survive.
INDIVIDUAL PALLETS.
Fifty years ago the pallet and slider sound-board was well
nigh universally used, but several of the builders in Germany,
and "Roosevelt in this country, strongly advocated, and intro-
duced, chests having an independent valve, pallet or membrane,
to control the admission of wind to each pipe in the organ.*
In almost all of these instances small round valves were used
for this purpose.
A good pallet and slider chest is difficult to make, and those
constructed by indifferent workmen out of indifferent lumber
will cause trouble through "running" — that is, leakage of wind
from one pipe to another. In poor chests of this description the
slides are apt to stick when the atmosphere is excessively damp,
and to become too loose on days when little or no humidity is
present.
Individual pallet chests are cheaper to make and they have
none of the defects named above. Most of these chests, how-
ever, are subject to troubles of their own, and not one of those
in which round valves are employed permits the pipes to speak
to advantage.
Willis, Hope-Jones, Carlton C. Michell and other artists, after
*One object of this was to prevent what was called "robbing." While
the pressure of the wind might be ample and steady enough with only
a few stops drawn, it was found that when all the stops were drawn the
large pipes "robbed" their smaller neighbors of their due supply of wind,
causing them to sound flat. By giving each pipe a pallet or valve to
itself, the waste of wind in the large grooves was prevented. Another
object was to get rid of the long wooden slides, which in dry weather
were apt to shrink and cause leakage, and in damp weather to swell and
stick.
64 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
lengthy tests, independently arrived at the conclusion that the
best tonal results cannot by any possibility be obtained from
these cheap forms of chest. Long pallets and a large and steady
body of air below each pipe are deemed essential.*
HEAVY WIND PRESSURES.
As previously stated, the vast majority of organs built fifty
years ago used no higher wind pressure than 3 inches. Hill, in
1833, placed a Tuba stop voiced on about 11 inches in an organ
he built for Birmingham Town Hall (England), but the tone
was so coarse and blatant that such stops were for years em-
ployed only in the case of very large buildings.f Cavaille-Coll
subsequently utilized slightly increased pressures for the trebles
of his flue stops as well as for his larger reeds. As a pioneer he
did excellent work in this direction.
To Willis, however, must be attributed greater advance in the
utilization of heavy pressures for reed work. He was the first
to recognize that the advantage of heavy wind pressure for the
reeds lay not merely in the increase of power, but also in the
improvement of the quality of tone. Willis founded a new
school of reed voicing and exerted an influence that will never
die.
In organs of any pretensions it became his custom to employ
*A striking instance of the difference between the two kinds of pallet
can be seen in All Angels' Church, New York. The organ was built
originally by Roosevelt, with two manuals and his patent wind-chest.
In 1896 the church was enlarged and Jardine removed the organ to a
chamber some thirty feet above the floor and fitted his electric action
to the Roosevelt wind-chest. At the same time he erected an entirely
new Choir organ, in the clerestory, with his electric action fitted to long
pallets. The superiority of attack and promptness of speech, especially
of the lower notes, of the Choir over the Great and Swell organs is
marvelous. The same thing can be seen at St. James' Church, New York,
where the Roosevelt organ was rebuilt with additions by the Hope-Jones
Organ Co. in 1908.
fSome congregations could not stand them and had them taken out.
.-1 Revolution in Wind <S'///>/>/// Gf>
pressures of 8 to 10 inches for the Great and Swell chorus reeds
and the Solo Tubas in his larger organs were voiced on 20 or 25
inches.
He introduced the "closed eschallot" (the tube a^ahu-'t which
the tongue beats in a reed pipe) and created a revolution in
reed voicing. He has had many imitators, but the superb ex-
amples of his skill, left in English Cathedral and town hall
organs, will be difficult to surpass.
Prior to the advent of Hope- Jones (about the year 1887) no
higher pressure than 25 inches had, we believe, been employed
in any organ, and the vast majority of instruments were voiced
on pressures not exceeding 3 inches. Heavy pressure flue
voicing was practically unknown, and in reeds even Willis used
very moderate pressures, save for a Tuba in the case of really
large buildings.
Hope- Jones showed that by increasing the weight of metal,
bellying all flue pipes in the centre, leathering their lips, cloth-
ing their flues, and reversing their languids, he could obtain
from heavy pressures practically unlimited power and at the
same time actually add to the sweetness of tone produced by
the old, lightly blown pipes. He used narrow mouths, did away
with regulation at the foot of the pipe, and utilized the "pneu-
matic blow" obtained from his electric action.
He also inaugurated "an entirely new departure in the science
of reed voicing."*
He employ's pressures as high as fifty inches and never uses
less than six. His work in this direction has exercised a pro-
found influence on organ building throughout the world, and
leading builders in all countries are adopting his pressures or
are experimenting in that direction.
Like most revolutionary improvements, the use of heavy pres-
sures was at first vigorously opposed, but organists and acous-
* Wedgwood : "Dictionary of Organ Stops," p. 1G7.
6G The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
ticians are now filled with wonder that the old low-pressure idea
should have held sway so long, in view of the fact that very
heavy wind is employed for the production of the best tone from
the human voice and from the various wind instruments of the
orchestra.
Karl Gottlieb Weigle, of Stuttgart, was a little in advance of
many of his confreres in using moderately heavy pressures, but
he departed from the leather lip and narrow mouth used by
Hope-Jones and has obtained power without refinement.
In employing these heavy pressures of wind, increased purity
and beauty of tone should alone be aimed at. Power will take
care of itself.
MECHANICAL BLOWERS.
The "organ beater" of bygone days was invariably accom-
panied by the "organ pumper," often by several of them. There
is a well-known story of how the man refused to blow any longer
unless the organist said that efwe had done very well to-day."
The organ pumper's vocation is now almost entirely gone, espe-
cially in this country, although we know of organs in England
which require four men "to blow the same" unto this day.
When Willis built the great organ in St. George's Hall, Liver-
pool, in 1855, he installed an eight-horsepower steam engine to
provide the wind supply. There is a six-horse steam engine in
use in Chester Cathedral (installed 1876).
Gas and petrol (gasoline) engines have been used extensively
in England, providing a cheaper, but, with feeders, a less con-
trollable, prime mover. By far the commonest source of power
has been the water motor, as it was economical and readily gov-
erned, and as water pressure was generally available, but the
decline of the old-time bellows, with the fact that many cities
to-day refuse to permit motors to be operated from the water
mains, have given the field practically to the electric motor, now
generally used in connection with some form of rotary fans.
A Revolution in Wind Supply 67
The principle of fans in series, first introduced by Cousans, of
Lincoln, England, under the name of the Kinetic Blower, is now
accepted as standard. This consists of a number of cleverly
designed fans mounted in series on one shaft, the first delivering
air to the second at, say, 3-inch pressure, to be raised another
step and delivered to the next in series, etc., etc. This plan per-
mits tapping off desired amounts of air at intermediate pressures
with marked economy, and as it is slow speed, and generally
direct connected with its motor on the same shaft, it is both
quiet and mechanically efficient.
CHAPTEB IX.
TRANSFERENCE OF STOPS.
AT THE commencement of the period of which we are treating,
the stops belonging to the Swell organ could he drawn on that
keyboard only ; similarly the stops «n the Great, Choir and Pedal
organs could be drawn only on their respective keyboards. It
is now becoming more and more common to arrange for the
transference of stops from one keyboard to another.
If this plan be resorted to as an effort to make an insufficient
number of stops suffice for a large building, it is bound to end
in disappointment and cannot be too strongly condemned. On
the other hand, if an organ-builder first provides a number of
stops that furnish sufficient variety of tonal quality and volume
that is ample for the building in which the instrument is sit-
uated, and then arranges for the transference of a number of
the stops to other manuals than their own, he will be adding
to the tonal resources of the instrument in a way that is worthy
of commendation. Many organs now constructed have their
tonal effects more than doubled through adoption of this
principle.
It is difficult to say who first conceived the idea of transference
of stops, but authentic instances occurring in the sixteenth cen-
tury can be pointed out. During the last fifty years many
builders have done work in this direction, but without question
the leadership in the movement must be attributed to Hope-
Jones. While others may have suggested the same thing, he has
worked the s}^stem out practically in a hundred instances, and
lias forced upon the attention of the organ world the artistic
advantages of the plan.
His scheme of treating the organ as a single unit and render-
Transference of Stops 09
ing it possible to draw any of the stops on any of the keyboards
at any (reasonable) pitch, was unfolded before the members of
the Royal College of Organists in London at a lecture he de-
livered on May 5, 1891.
When adopting this system in part, he would speak of "uni-
fying" this, that or the other stop, and this somewhat inapt
phrase has now been adopted by other builders and threatens to
become general.
Extraordinary claims of expressiveness, flexibility and artistic
balance are made by those who preside at "unit (Hope-Jones)
organs," but this style of instrument is revolutionary and has
many opponents. Few, however, can now be found who do not
advocate utilization of the principle to a greater or less degree
in every organ. For instance, who has not longed at times that
the Swell Bourdon could be played by the pedals? Or that the
Choir Clarinet were also in the Swell?
Compton, of Nottingham, England, employs this plan of stop
extension and transference, or unifying of stops, in all the or-
gans he builds.
As additional methods facilitating in some cases the transfer
of stops must be named the "double touch" and the "pizzicato
touch." The former, though practically introduced by Hope-
Jones and. found in most of his organs built during the last
fifteen years, was, we believe, invented by a Frenchman and
applied to reed organs. The pizzicato touch is a Hope-Jones
invention which, though publicly introduced nearly twenty years
since, did not meet with the recognition it deserved until re-
cently. The earliest example of this touch in the United States
is found in the organ at Hanson Place Baptist Church, Brook-
lyn, N. Y., 1909.
Tn the French Mustel reed organ the first touch is operated
by depressing the keys about a sixteenth part of an inch. This
produces a soft sound. A louder and different tone is elicited
upon pushing the key further down. In the pipe organ the
70 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
double touch is differently arranged. The first touch is the ordi-
nary'touch. Upon exerting a much heavier pressure upon the
key it will suddenly fall into the second touch (about one-eighth
of an inch deep) and will then cause an augmentation of the
tone by making other pipes speak. The device is generally em-
ployed in connection with the couplers and can be brought into
or out of action at the will of the organist. For instance, if the
performer be playing upon his Choir Organ Flute and draws the
Oboe stop on the Swell organ, he can (provided the double-touch
action be drawn), by pressing any key or keys more firmly, cause
those particular notes to speak on the Oboe, while the keys that
he is pressing in the ordinary way will sound only the Flute.
The pizzicato touch is also used mostly in connection with the
couplers. When playing upon a soft combination on the Great,
the organist may draw the Swell to Great "pizzicato" coupler.
Whenever now he depresses a Great key the Swell key will (in
effect) descend with it, but will be instantly liberated again,
even though- the organist continue to hold his Great key. By
means of this pizzicato touch (now being fitted to all Hope-
Jones organs built in this country) a great variety of charming
musical effects can be produced.
THE UXIT ORGAN.
The Unit organ in its entirety consists of a single instrument
divided into five tonal families, each family being placed in its
own independent Swell box. The families are as follows:
"Foundation" — this contains the Diapasons, Diaphones, Tibias,
etc.; "woodwind" — this contains Flutes, Oboes, Clarinets, etc.;
"strings" — this contains the Gambas, Viols d' Orchestre, Dulci-
anas, etc. ; "brass" — this contains the Trumpets, Cornopeans and
Tubas ; "percussion" — this contains the Tympani, Gongs, Chimes,
Glockenspiel, etc.
On each of the keyboards any of the stops, from the "founda-
tion" group, the "woodwind" group, the "string" group, the
Transference of Stops 71
ubrass" group and the "percussion" group, may be drawn, and
they may be drawn at 16 feet, at 8 feet, and, in some instances,
at 4 feet, at 2 feet, at twelfth and at tierce pitches.
Arranged in this way an organ becomes an entirely different
instrument. It is very flexible, for not only can the tones be
altered by drawing the various stops at different pitches, but the
various groiips may be altered in power of tone independently of
each other. At one moment the foundation tone may entirely
dominate, by moving the swell pedals the strings may be made
to come to the front while the foundation tone disappears; then
again the woodwind asserts itself whilst the string tone is mod-
erated, till the opening of the box containing the brass allows
that element to dominate. The variety of the tonal combinations
is practically endless.
The adoption of this principle also saves needless duplication
of stops. In the organ at St. George's Hall, England, there are
on the manuals 5 Open Diapasons, 4 Principals, 5 Fifteenths,
3 Clarinets, 2 Orchestral Oboes, 3 Trumpets, 3 Ophicleides, 3
Trombas, 6 Clarions, 4 Flutes, etc., etc. In the Hope-Jones
Unit organ at Ocean Grove effects equal to the above are ob-
tained from only 6 stops. The organist of Touro Synagogue,
New Orleans, has expressed the opinion that his ten-stop Unit
organ is equal to an ordinary instrument with sixty stops.
SYMPATHY.
A strong reason against the duplication of pipes of similar
tone in an organ is that curious acoustical phenomenon, the bete
noir of the organ-builder, known as sympathy, or interference of
sound waves. When two pipes of exactly the same pitch and scale
are so placed that the pulsations of air from the one pass into
the other, if blown separately the tone of each is clear; blown
together there is practically no sound heard, the waves of the
one streaming into the other, and a listener hears only the rush-
ing of the air. That the conditions which produce sound are
72 Tlic Recent Revolution in Qryan Building
all present may be demonstrated by conveying a tube from the
mouth of either of the pipes to a listener's ear, when its tone
will be distinctly heard. In other words, one sound destroys the
other. Helmholtz explains this phenomenon by saying that
"when two equal sound waves are in opposition the one nullifies
the effect of the other and the result is a straight line/' that is,
no wave, no sound. "If a wave crest of a particular size and
form coincides with another exactly like it, the result will be a
crest double the height of each one" (that is, the sound will be
augmented). * * * "If a crest coincides with a trough the
result will be that the one will unify the other," and the sound
will be destroyed.* That is why in the old-style organs the
builder, when he used more than one Diapason, tried to avoid
this sympathy by using pipes of different scale, but even then
the results were seldom satisfactory; the big pipes seemed to
swallow the little ones. In the big organ in Leeds Town Hall,
England, there was one pipe in the Principal which nobody
could tune. The tuner turned it every possible way in its socket
without avail, and at last succeeded by removing it from the
socket and mounting it on a block at a considerable distance
from its proper place, the wind being conve}-ed to it by. a tube.
This is only one instance of what frequently occurred..
In the Hope-Jones organ the usual plan of putting all the
C pipes on one side of the organ and all the C# pipes on the
other, is departed from. The pipes are alternated and in this
ingenious way sympathy is largely avoided.
*Broadhouse : "Musical Acoustics," p. 261.
CHAPTEI? X.
THE PRODUCTION OF ORGAN TONE.
\\"E now come to the department of the organ which will be of
more interest to the listener,, viz., the various organ tones. The
general shape and construction of the pipes now in use, judging
from the earliest drawings obtainable, have not changed for hun-
dreds of years. The ancients were not wanting in ingenuity
and we have pictures of many funny-looking pipes which were
intended to imitate the growling of a bear (this stop was some-
times labeled Vox Humana!), the crowing of a cock, the call
of the cuckoo, the song of the nightingale, and the twitter of
the canary, the ends of these pipes being bent over and inserted
in water, just as the player blows into a glass of water through
a quill in a toy symphony. Then there was the Hummel, a
device which caused two of the largest pipes in the organ to
sound at once and awake those who snored during the sermon!
Finally there was the Fuchsschwanz. A stop-knob bearing the
inscription, "Xoli me tangerc" (touch me not), was attached to
the console. As a reward for their curiosity, persons who were
induced to touch the knob thereby set free the catch of a spring,
causing a huge foxtail to fly into their faces — to the great joy
and mirth of the bystanders.
In order to understand what follows we must make a short
excursion into the realm of acoustics. We have already remarked
upon the extreme antiquity of the Flute. The tone of the Flute
is produced by blowing across a hole pierced in its side ; in other
words, l»j a xtreain of wind striking upon a cutting edge. It is
possible to produce a tone in this way by blowing across the end
of any tube made of any material, of glass, or iron, or rubber,
or cane, or even the barrel of an old-fashioned door key. The
74 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
primitive Flutes found in the Egyptian tombs and also depicted
on the ancient hieroglyphics are made of reed or cane, about 14
inches long, possessing the usual six finger-holes. The top end
is not stopped with a cork, as in the ordinary Flute, but is
thinned off to a feather edge, leaving a sharp circular ring at
right angles to the axis of the bore. By blowing across this ring
a fair but somewhat feeble Flute tone is produced.
The six holes being closed by the fingers, the ground tone of
the tube is produced. On lifting the fingers in successive order
from the bottom end, we get the seven notes of the major
scale. Closing the holes again and blowing harder, we get the
scale an octave higher. By blowing still harder we get an octave
higher still. In other words, we are now producing harmonics.
It is possible to produce from a plain tube without finger-
holes or valves, such as the French Horn, by tightening the lips
and increasing the pressure of the player's breath, the following
series of harmonics :
The harmonics of a pianoforte string can be easily demonstrated
by the following experiment : Depress the "loud" pedal and strike
any note in the bass a sharp blow. On listening intently, the
3d, 5th, and 8th (the common chord) of the note struck will be
heard sounding all the way up for several octaves. In this case
the other strings of the piano act as resonators, enabling the har-
monics to be heard.
Coming back to our Flute again and applying the knowledge
we have gained to an organ pipe, we observe :
1. That the pitch of the sound depends on the length of the
tube.
The Production of Organ Tone 75
2. That the pitch of the sound also depends on the amount
of wind pressure.
From "this last will be seen how important it is that the pres-
sure of £he wind in an organ should be steady and uniform.
Otherwise the pipes will speak a harmonic instead of the sound
intended — -as, indeed, frequently happens.
? When a: stop is labeled "8 ft.," that means that the bottom
pipe, CO is 8 feet long and the pitch will be that of the key
struck. A- "16-ft." stop will sound an octave lower; a "4-ft."
stop an octave higher. These measurements refer to pipes which
are open at the top and are only correct in the case of very nar-
row pipes, such as the stop called Dulciana. Wider pipes do not
require to be so long in order to produce 8-ft. tone.
"If a tube * * •* open at both ends be blown across at one
end, the fundamental tone of the tube will be sounded; but if
the hand be placed at one end of the tube, so as to effectually
close it, and the open end be blown across as before, a sound will
be heard exactly one octave below that which was heard when
both ends of the tube were open. One of these pipes was an open
pipe, the other a stopped pipe; and the difference between the
two is that which constitutes the two great classes into which the
flue pipes of organs are divided/'*
Thus by stopping up the end of an organ pipe we get 8-ft.
tone from a pipe only 4 ft. long, 16-ft. tone from a pipe 8 ft.
long, and so on, but with loss of power and volume. The har-
monics produced from stopped pipes are entirely different from
those of the open ones; their harmonic scale is produced by vi-
brations which are as 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., those of a stopped pipe by
vibrations which are as 1, 3, 5, 7. All these harmonics are also
called upper partials.
The Estey Organ Company claim to have discovered a new
principle in acoustics in their Open Bass pipes, of which we show
*Broadhouse. J., "Musical Acoustics," p. 27.
7G The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
\
ENLARGED VIC* OF TUNING SUDC
Fig. 10. K. tie if 8 Open Ba*$ Pipes — Wood and
The Production of Organ Tone 77
a drawing opposite. This invention (by William E. Haskell)
enables the builders to supply open bass tone in organ cham-
bers and swell boxes where there is not room for full-length
pipes.
.Referring to the illustration, it will be seen that the pipes are
partly open and partly stopped, with a tuning slide in the centre.
The builders write as follows :
"The inserted tube, or complementing chamber, in the pipe is
such in length as to complete the full length of the pipe. It is,
as will be noted, smaller in scale than the outside pipe. The
effect is to produce the vibration that would be obtained with a
full-length pipe, and in no way does it interfere with the quality
of tone. In fact, it assists the pipe materially in its speech.
This is most noticeable in a pipe such as the 32-foot Open Dia-
pason, which when made full length is quite likely to be slow in
speech. With this arrangement the pipe takes its speech very
readily and is no slower in taking its full speech than an ordinary
16-foot Open Diapason.
"We have worked this out for all classes of tone — string, flute
and diapason — and the law holds good in every instance."
Helmholtz was the first to demonstrate that the quality of all
musical tones depends entirely upon the presence or absence of
their upper partials. In the hollow tone of the Flute they are
almost entirely absent; in the clanging tone of the Trumpet
many of the higher ones are present; and if we take an instru-
ment like the Cymbals we get the whole of the upper lot alto-
gether.
The different qualities of tone of the organ pipes are therefore
determined: (1) By the material of which the pipes are made:
(2) by the shape of the pipe; (3) by the amount of wind pres-
sure; (4) by the shape and size of the mouth, the relation of
the lip to the stream of wind impinging on it from a narrow
slit, and the shape and thickness of the lip itself. The manipu-
lation of the mouth and lip to produce the tone desired is called
78 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
voicing and calls for considerable artistic skill. The writer recol-
lects an instance of a clever voicer (Gustav Schlette) taking a
new organ in hand, which was not quite satisfactory, and on the
following Sunday he hardly knew it again.
Another kind of harmonics must now be described, called com-
binational or Tartini tones (from Tartini, a celebrated Italian
violinist of the XVII century, who first described them).
"These tones/' says Helmholtz, "are heard whenever two musi-
cal tones of different pitches are sounded together loudly and
continuously." There is no necessity for giving a table of all of
their tones here; we select the two most useful. If two notes at
an interval of a fifth are held down, a note one octave below the
lower one will be heard. So organ builders take two pipes — one
16 feet long (CCC) and one 102/3 feet long (GG)— which
make the interval of the fifth, and, by sounding them together,
produce the tone of a pipe 32 feet long (CCCC). This is the
stop which will be found labeled "32-ft. Resultant." Hope-
Jones makes a stop which he calls Gravissima, 64-ft. Resultant,
in his large organs. Many contend that this system produces
better results than if pipes of the actual lengths of 32 or 64 feet
were employed. Indeed, a pipe 64 feet long would be inaudible ;
the human ear has its limitations and refuses to recognize tone
lower than 32 feet (just as we cannot lift water by a suction
pump over 32 feet) — but, these great pipes produce harmonics
which wonderfully reinforce the tone of the organ. Therefore
their use is worth while.
The other combinational tone to which we refer is that pro-
duced by the interval of a major third. It sounds two octaves
below the lower note. The writer is not aware that this has
ever been used as an organ stop, but it is found written in the
organ compositions of Guilmant and other first-rate composers.
It will be seen that a skilful organist, with a knowledge of ihese
tones, can produce effects from small organs not available to the
ordinary player.
The Production of Organ Tone 79
Reverting once more to our Flute, whose tube is shortened by
lifting the fingers from the holes,, it is not generally known that
this can be done with an organ pipe; the writer has met with
instances of it in England. The two lowest pipes of the Pedal
Open Diapason were each made to give two notes by affixing a
pneumatic valve near the top of the pipe. When the valve was
closed the pipe gave CCC. When the organist played CCC sharp,
wind was admitted to the valve, which opened, and this short-
ened the pipe. The device worked perfectly, only that it was
not possible to hold down both CCC and CCC sharp and make
"thunder" ! The organist of Chester Cathedral had been playing
his instrument twice daily for ten years before he found this out,
and then he only discovered it when the pipes were taken down
to be cleaned. It is an admirable makeshift where a builder is
cramped for room.
Organ pipes are divided into three families — Flues, Reeds and
Diaphones. The flues are subdivided into Diapasons, Flutes, and
Strings, and we now proceed to consider each of these groups
separately.
DIAPASONS.
The pipes usually seen in the front of an organ belong to. the
Great organ Open Diapason, long regarded as the foundation
tone of the instrument. The Open Diapason may vary in size
(or scale) from 9 inches diameter at CC to 3 inches. The aver-
age size is about 6 inches.
The Diapasons of the celebrated old organ-builders, Father
Schmidt, Renatus Harris, Green, Snetzler and others, though
small in power, were most musical in tone quality. Though
sounding soft near the organ, the tone from these musical stops
seems to suffer little loss when traveling to the end of quite a
large building. About the year 1862 Schulze, in his celebrated
organ at Doncaster, England, brought into prominence a new
and much more brilliant and powerful Diapason. The mouths
80 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
of the pipes were made very wide and they were more freely
blown. Sehulze's work was imitated by T. C. Lewis, of England,
and by Willis. It has also exercised very great influence on the
work done by almost all organ-builders in this country,, in Ger-
many, and elsewhere. Schulze's method of treatment added
largely to the assertiveness and power of the tone, but gave the
impression of the pipes being overblown and led to the loss of
the beautiful, musical, and singing quality of tone furnished by
the older Diapasons. Hard-toned Diapasons became almost the
accepted standard. Willis even went so far as to slot all of his
Diapason pipes, and Cavai lie-Coll sometimes adopted a similar
practice. Walker, in England, and Henry Erben, in this coun-
try, continued to produce Diapasons having a larger percentage
of foundation tone and they and a few other builders thus helped
to keep alive the old traditions.
In the year 1887 Hope-Jones introduced his discovery that
by leathering the lips of the Diapason pipes, narrowing their
mouths, inverting their languids and increasing the thickness
of the metal, the pipes could be voiced on 10, 20, or even 30-inch
wind, without hardness of tone, forcing, or windiness being in-
troduced. He ceased to restrict the toe of the pipe and did all
his regulation at the flue.
His invention has proved of profound significance to the organ
world. The old musical quality, rich in foundation tone, is
returning, but with added power. Its use, in place of the hard
and empty-toned Diapasons to which we had perforce become
accustomed, is rapidly growing. The organs in almost all parts
of the world show the Hope-Jones influence. Few builders have
failed now to adopt the leathered lip.
Wedgwood, in his "Dictionary of Organ Stops," pp. 44. 45.
says :
"Mr. Ernest Skinner, an eminent American organ-builder,*
*Mr. Skinner has built some of the finest organs in this country.
The Production of Organ Tone 81
likens the discovery of the leathered lip to the invention by
Barker of the pneumatic lever, predicting that it will revolu-
tionize organ tone as surely and completely as did the latter
organ mechanism, an estimate which is by no means so exag-
gerated as might be supposed. The leathered Diapason, indeed,
is now attaining a zenith of popularity both in England and
America.* A prominent German builder also, who, on the au-
thor's recommendation, made trial of it, was so struck with the
refined quality of tone that he forthwith signified his intention
of adopting the process. A few isolated and unsuccessful ex-
perimental attempts at improving the tone of the pipes by coat-
ing their lips with paper, parchment, felt, and kindred sub-
stances, have been recorded, but undoubtedly the credit of having
been the first to perceive the value and inner significance of the
process must be accorded to Mr. Robert Hope-Jones. It was
only at the cost of considerable thought, and labour that he
was able to develop his crude and embryonic scientific theory
into a process which bids fair to transform modern organ build-
ing. The names of Cavaille-Coll and George Willis, and of
Hope-Jones, will be handed down to posterity as the authors of
the most valuable improvements in the domains of reed-voicing
and flue-voicing, respectively, which have been witnessed in the
present era of organ building."
The desire for power in Diapason tone first found expression
in this country by the introduction into our larger organs of
what was called a Stentorphone. This was a large metal Dia-
pason of ordinary construction, voiced on heavy wind pressure.
It was most harsh, unmusical and inartistic. It produced com-
paratively little foundation tone and a powerful chord of har-
monics, many of them dissonant. In Germany, Weigle, of
Stuttgart, introduced a similar stop, but actually exaggerated
*Much of Roosevelt's finest work is now being improved by various
builders by leathering the lips.
82
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
Fig. 17. Diapason
Pipe with Leath-
ered Lip
it> want of refinement by making the mouth
above the normal width. As knowledge of
the Hope-Jones methods spreads, these coarse
and unmusical stops disappear. He is with-
out question right in urging that the chief
aim in using heavy pressure should be to in-
crease refinement, not power of tone. Sweet
foundation tone produced from heavy wind
pressure always possesses satisfactory power.
He is also unquestionably right in his con-
tention tha+ when great nobility of founda-
tion tone is required, Diapasons should not
be unduly multiplied, but Tibias or large
Flutes should be used behind them.
Every epoch-making innovation raises ad-
versaries.
We learn from these that pure foundation
tone does not blend. True, there are exam-
ples of organs where the true foundation
tone exists but does not blend with the rest
of the instrument, but it is mis-
leading to say that "pure founda-
tion tone does not blend." Hope-
Jones has proved conclusively that
by exercise of the requisite skill it
does and so have others who follow in his
steps. A view of the mouth of a Hope-
Jones heavy pressure Diapason, with inverted
languid, leather lip and clothed flue, is given
in Figure IT.
The dull tone of the old Diapasons was
due to the absence of the upper harmonics
or partials. With the introduction of the
Lutheran chorale and congregational singing
Lip
Clotted Flue
The Production of Organ Tone 83
it was found that the existing organs could not make themselves
heard above the voices. But it was discovered empirically that
1>\ adding their harmonics artificially the organs could be bright-
ened up and even made to overpower large bodies of singers.
Hence the introduction of the Mixture stops (also called com-
pound stops), which were compounded of several ranks of pipes.
The simplest form was the Doublette sounding the 15th and 22nd
(the double and treble octave) of the note struck. Other ranks
added sounded the 12th, 19th, and so on, until it was possible
to obtain not only the full common chord, but also some of the
higher harmonics dissonant to this chord, from a single key.
THE DECLINE OF MIXTURES.
Fifty years ago it was common to find the number of ranks of
mixtures in an organ largely exceed the total number of founda-
tion stops. Mixtures were inserted in the pedal departments of
all large organs. Organists of the time do not seem to have ob-
jected and many of the leading players strongly opposed Hope-
Jones when he came out as the champion of their abolition.
These stops greatly excited the ire of Berlioz, who declaims
against them in his celebrated work on orchestration.
The tone of these old organs, when all the Mixture work is
drawn, is well nigh ludicrous to modern ears, and it is hard to
suppress a smile when reading the statements and arguments
advanced in favor of the retention of Mixtures by well-known
organists of the last generation. These mutation stops still have
their place in large instruments, but it is no longer thought that
they are necessary to support the singing of a congregation and
that they should be voiced loudly. The decline of Mixture work
has in itself entirely altered and very greatly improved the effect
of organs when considered from a musical point of view. The
tone is now bright and clear. Mr. James Wedgwood says :
"The tendency to exaggerate the 'upper work' of the organ
reached a climax in the instrument built by Gabler, in 1750, for
84 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
the Monastic Church at Weingarten, near Kavensburg. This
organ comprised no less than ninety-five ranks of Mixture, in-
cluding two stops of twenty-one and twenty ranks, respectively.
Toward the close of the Eighteenth Century, the Abt Vogler
(1749-1814) came forward with his 'Simplification System/ one
feature of which consisted in the abolition of excessive Mixture
work. The worthy Abbe, who was a capable theorist and a gifted
player, and possessed of an eccentric and, therefore, attractive
personality, secured many followers, who preached a crusade
against Mixture work. The success of the movement can well
be measured by the amount of apologetic literature it called
forth, and by the fact that it stirred the theorists to ponder for
themselves what really was the function of the Mixture. * * *
The announcement by Mr. Hope-Jones at the beginning of the
last decade of the past century of his complete discardment of
all Mixture and mutation work may fairly be stated to have
marked a distinct epoch in the history of the controversy."
It is indeed strange to find that this man, who did much to
discourage the use of mixtures, has never quite abandoned their
employment and is to-day the sole champion of double sets of
mixture pipes, which he puts in his organs under the name of
Mixture Celestes! However, these are very soft and are of
course quite different in object and scope from the old-fashioned
mixture — now happily extinct.
FLUTES.
The chief developments in Flutes that have taken place during
the period under consideration are the popularization of the
double length, or "Harmonic," principle,* by Cavaille-Coll, by
William Thynne and others, and the introduction of large scale,
leather-lipped "Tibias" by Hope-Jones.
*The "Harmonic" principle is described in Dom Bedos' book, published
in 1780, as applied to reeds, and Dr. Bedart states that this principle was
applied to flutes as early as 1804.
The Production of Organ Tone 85
Harmonic Flutes, of double length open pipes,* are now util-
ized by almost all organ builders. Speaking generally, the tone
is pure and possesses considerable carrying power. Thynne, in
his Zauber Flote, introduced stopped pipes blown so as to pro-
duce their first harmonic (an interval of a twelfth from the
ground tone). The tone is of quiet silvery beauty, but the stop
does not seem to have been largely adopted by other builders.
Perhaps the most beautiful stop of this kind produced by
Thynne is the one in the remarkable organ in the home of Mr.
J. Martin White, Balruddery, Dundee, Scotland.
The Hope-Jones leathered Tibias have already effected a revo-
lution in the tonal structure of large organs. They produce a
much greater percentage of foundation tone than the best Dia-
pasons and are finding their way into most modern organs of
size. They appear under various names, such as Tibia Plena,
Tibia Clausa, Gross Flote, Flute Fundamentale and Philomela.
"The word Tibia has consistently been adapted to the nomen-
clature of organ stops on the Continent (of Europe) for some
centuries. The word Tibia is now used in this country to de-
note a quality of tone of an intensely massive, full and clear
character, first realized by Mr. Hope-Jones, though faintly fore-
shadowed by Bishop in his Clarabella. It is produced from pipes
of a very large scale, yielding a volume of foundation tone, ac-
companied by the minimum of harmonic development. Even
from a purely superficial point of view, the tone of the Tibia
family is most attractive; but, further, its value in welding to-
gether the constituent tones of the organ and coping with modern
rood-work is inestimable. "f
"The Tibia Plena was invented by Mr. Hope-Jones, and first
introduced by him into the organ at St. John's, Birkenhead,
*That is to say, the pipes are made double the length actually required,
but are made to sound an octave higher by means of a hole pierced half-
way up the pipe.
fWedgwood : "Dictionary of Organ Stops," p. 150,
86 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
England, about 1887. It is a wood Flute of very large scale,
with the mouth on the narrow side of the pipe. The block is
sunk, and the lip, which is of considerable thickness, is usually
coated with a thin strip of leather to impart to the tone the
requisite smoothness and finish. It is voiced on any wind pres-
sure from 4-inch upwards. The Tibia Plena is the most power-
ful and weighty of all the Tibia tribe of stops. It is, therefore,
invaluable in large instruments. * * * The Tibia Profunda
and Tibia Profundissima are 16-ft. and 32-ft. Pedal extensions
of the Tibia Plena."*
"The Tibia Clausa is a wood Gedackt of very large scale (in
other words, a stopped pipe), furnished with leather lips. It was
invented by Mr. Hope-Jones. The tone is powerful and beauti-
fully pure and liquid. The prevailing fault of the modern Swell
organ is, perhaps, the inadequacy of the Flute work. * * * It
was the recognition of this shortcoming which led to the inven-
tion of the Tibia Clausa."f
The Tibia Dura is another of Mr. Hope-Jones' inventions. It
is an open wood pipe of peculiar shape, wider at the top than the
bottom, and described by Wedgwood as of "bright, hard, and
searching" tone.
The Tibia Minor was invented by Mr. John H. Compton, of
Nottingham, England, one of the most artistic builders in that
country. "The Tibia Minor bears some resemblance to Mr. Hope-
Jones5 Tibia Clausa, but being destined more for use on an open
wind-chest, differs in some important respects. The stop is
now generally made of wood, though several specimens have been
made of metal. In all cases the upper lip is leathered. The
tone of the Tibia Minor is extraordinarily effective. In the bass
it is round and velvety * * * in the treble the tone becomes
very clear and full * * * it forms a solo stop of remarkably
* Wedgwood: 75 id., p. 153.
fWedgwood: Ibid., p. 151.
The Production of Organ Tone 87
fine effect, and in combination serves to add much clearness
and fulness of tone to the treble, and, in general, exercises to
the fullest extent the beneficial characteristics of the -Tibia
class of stop already detailed. If only by reason of the faculty
so largely exercised, of thus mollifying and enriching the upper
notes of other stops — which too often prove hard and strident
in tone — the Tibia Minor deserves recognition as one of the
most valuable of modern tonal inventions."*
The Tibia Mollis, invented by Mr. Hope-Jones, is a Flute of
soft tone, composed of rectangular wooden pipes. The name
Tibia Mollis is also employed by Mr. John H. Compton to de-
note a more subdued variety of his Tibia Minor.
Other Flutes found in organs are the Stopped Diapason,
Clarabella, Clarinet Flute, Rohrflote (Eeed-flute), Wald Flote,
Flauto Traverse, Suabe Flute, Clear Flute, Doppel Flote (with
two mouths), Melodia, Orchestral Flute, etc., each of a different
quality of tone and varying in intensity. The Philomela as
made by Jardine is a melodia with two mouths.
STRINGS.
Under this head are grouped the stops which imitate the tones
of such stringed instruments as the Viola, the Violoncello, the
Double Bass, and more especially the old form of Violoncello,
called the Viol di Gamba, which had six strings and was more
nasal in tone.
At the commencement of the period herein spoken of string-
toned stops as we know them to-day scarcely existed. This family
was practically represented by the Dulciana and by the old slow-
speaking German Gamba. These Gambas were more like Diapa-
sons than strings.
Edmund Schulze made an advance and produced some Gambas
and Violones which, though of robust and full-bodied type, were
*Wedgwood: Ibid., p. 153.
88 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
pleasant and musical in tone. They were at the time deemed
capable of string-like effects.
To William Thynne belongs the credit of a great step in ad-
vance. The string tones heard in the Michell and Thynne organ
at the Liverpool, England, exhibition in 1886 were a revelation
of the possibilities in this direction, and many organs subse-
quently introduced contained beautiful stops from his hands —
notably the orchestral-toned instrument in the residence of
J. Martin White, Dundee, Scotland — an ardent advocate of
string tone. Years later Thynne's partner, Carlton C. Mitchell,
produced much beautiful work in this direction. Hope-Jones
founded his work on the Thynne model and by introducing
smaller scales, bellied pipes and sundry improvements in detail,
produced the keen and refined string stops now finding their
way into all organs of importance. His delicate Viols are of
exceedingly small scale (some examples measuring only 1%
inches in diameter at the 8-foot note). They are met with under
the names of Viol d' Orchestre, Viol Celeste and Dulcet.* These
stops have contributed more than anything else towards the
organ suitable for the performance of orchestral music.
Haskell has introduced several beautiful varieties of wood and
metal stops of keen tone, perhaps the best known being the labial
Oboe and Saxophone, commonly found in Estey organs. His
work is destined to exert considerable influence upon the art.
Other string-toned stops found nowadays in organs are the
Keraulophon, Aeoline, Gemshorn, Spitzflote, Clariana, Fugara,
Salicet, Salicional, and Erzahler.f
REEDS.
As remarked in our opening chapter, pipes with strips of
*"The Hope-Jones pattern of Muted Viol is one of the most beautiful
tones conceivable." — Wedgwood: "Dictionary of Organ Stops," p. 173.
fThe Erziihler, a modified Gemshorn, is found only in organs built by
Ernest M. Skinner.
The Production of Organ Tone
89
cane or reeds in the mouthpiece are of
great antiquity, being found side by
side with the flutes in the Egyptian
tombs. These reeds, as those used at
the present day, were formed of the
outer siliceous layer of a tall grass,
Arundo donax, or sativa, which grows
in Egypt and the south of Europe.
They were frequently double, but the
prototype of the reed organ-pipe is to
be seen in the clarinet, where the reed
is single and beats against the mouth-
piece. Of course, an artificial mouth-
piece has to be provided for our organ-
pipe, but this is called the boot. See
Figure 19, which shows the construction
of a reed organ-pipe. A is the boot
containing a tube called the eschallot
B, partly cut away and the opening
closed by a brass tongue C, which vi-
brates under pressure of the wind. D
is the wire by which the tongue is
tuned; E the body of the pipe which
acts as a resonator.
In the last half-century the art of
reed voicing has been entirely revolu-
tionized. Prior to the advent of Willis,
organ reeds were poor, thin, buzzy
things, with little or no grandeur of
effect, and were most unmusical in
quality. Testimony to the truth of
this fact is to be found in old instruc-
. tion books for organ students. It is
Fig. 18. Haskell's Clarinet
Without Reed there stated that reeds should never be
90
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
used alone, but that a Stopped Diapason or other rank of flue
pipes must always be drawn with them to improve the tone
quality.
Willis created an entirely new school of reed voicing. He was
the first to show that reeds could be made
really beautiful and fit for use without help
from flue stops. When he wanted power he
obtained it by raising the pressure, in order
that he might be able to afford still to restrain
the tone and to consider only beauty of musical
quality.
He was the first to show that every trace of
roughness and rattle could be obviated by im-
parting to the reed tongue exactly the right
curve.
He restrained too emphatic vibrations in the
case of the larger reed tongues by affixing to
them with small screws, weights made of brass.
He quickly adopted the practice of using har-
monic, or double-length tubes, for the treble
notes, and secured a degree of power and bril-
liance never before dreamed possible.
Willis gave up the open eschallot in favor of
the closed variety, thereby securing greater re-
finement of musical quality, though of course
sacrificing power of tone. He designed many
varieties of reed tubes, the most notable depart-
ure from existing standards being probably his
Cor Anglais and Orchestral Oboe.
Under the guiding genius of Willis, the Swell organ — which
had hitherto been a poor and weak department, entirely over-
shadowed by the Great — became rich, powerful and alive with
angry reeds, which were nevertheless truly musical in effect.
Hope-Jones took up the work where Willis left it, and has not
B
Fig. 19.
Diagram of
Reed Pipe
The Production of Organ Tone 91
only pushed the Willis work to its logical conclusion, but has
introduced a new school of his own.
He has taken the Willis chorus reeds and by doubling the wind
pressures and increasing the loading and thickness of tongues,
has produced results of surpassing magnificence. From the
Willis Cor Anglais he has developed his Double English Horn,
from the Willis Oboe his Oboe Horn, and from the Willis Or-
chestral Oboe the thin-toned stops of that class now being intro-
duced by Austin, Skinner and by his own firm. His chief claim
to distinction in this field, however, lies in the production of the
smooth reed tone now so rapidly coming into general use ; in his
85-note Tuba ; in the use of diminutive eschallots with mere saw-
cut openings; in providing means for making reed pipes stand
in tune almost as well as flue pipes; and in the utilization of
"vowel cavities" for giving character to orchestral-toned reeds.
The latter are of particular interest, as their possibilities are in
process of development. The results already achieved have done
much to make the most advanced organ rival the orchestra.
To exemplify the principle of the vowel cavities Hope-Jones
was in the habit, in his factory in Birkenhead, England, in 1890,
of placing the end of one of his slim Kinura reed pipes in his
mouth and by making the shape of the latter favor the oo, ah, eh,
or ee, entirely altered and modified the quality of tone emitted by
the pipe.
Some years ago in an organ built for the Presbyterian Church,
Irvington-on-Hudson, N". Y., Hope-Jones introduced a beating
reed having no pipes or resonators of any kind. He is using
this form of reed in most of his organs now building.
In England this vowel "cavity principle has been applied to
Orchestral Oboes, Kinuras and Vox Humanas, but in this coun-
try it was introduced but seven years ago and has so far been
adapted only to Orchestral Oboes. At the time of writing it is
being introduced in connection with Hope-Jones' Vox Humanas
and Kinuras. Examples are to be seen in the Wanamaker (New
92 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
York) organ; in Park Church, Elmira; Buffalo Cathedral; Co-
lumbia College, St. James' Church, New York; College of the
City of New York; Ocean Grove Auditorium, and elsewhere.
There undoubtedly lies a great future before this plan for in-
Brass Slides
Fig. 20. Vox Humana with Vowel Cavity Attached.
Fig. 21. Orchestral Oboe with Vowel Cavity Attached
Fig. 22. Kinura with Vowel Cavity Attached
The Production of Organ Tone 93
creasing the variety of orchestral tone colors. Figure 20 shows
a vowel cavity applied to a Vox Humana (Norwich Cathedral,
England), Figure 21 to an Orchestral Oboe (Worcester Cathe-
dral, England), and Figure 22 to a Kinura (Kinoul, Scotland).
Builders who have not mastered the art of so curving their
reed tongues that buzz and rattle are impossible have endeavored
to obtain smoothness of tone by leathering the face of the es-
challot. This pernicious practice has unfortunately obtained
much headway in the United States and in Germany. It cannot
be too strongly condemned, for its introduction robs the reeds of
their characteristic virility of tone. Eeeds that are leathered
cannot be depended upon; atmospheric changes affect them and
put them out of tune.
The French school of reed voicing, led by Cavaille-Coll, has
produced several varieties that have become celebrated. Many
French Orchestral reeds are refined and beautiful in quality and
the larger Trumpets and Tubas, though assertive and blatant, are
not unmusical. The French school, however, does not appear
to be destined to exercise any great influence upon the art in
this country. (For further information regarding reeds see
chapter on tuning.)
UNDULATING STOPS CELESTES.
The writer is not aware who first introduced into the organ
a rank of soft-toned pipes purposely tuned a trifle sharp or flat
to the normal pitch of the organ, so as to cause a beat or wave
in the tone. Fifty years ago such stops were sparingly used and
many organists condemned their employment altogether. Stop??
of the kind were hardly ever found in small organs and the
largest instruments seldom contained more than one.
A great development in this direction has taken place and
further advance seems to be immediate. Already most builders
introduce a Celeste into their small organs and two or three into
94 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
their larger instruments — whilst Hope-Jones' organs are planned
with Vox Humana Celestes, Physharmonica Celestes, Kinura
Celestes and even Mixture Celestes!
Most modern Celestes are tuned sharp, the effect being more
animated than if it were tuned flat; but the aggregate effect
and general utility of the stop are. greatly enhanced by the use
of two ranks of pipes, one being tuned sharp and the other flat
to the organ pitch. A three-rank Celeste (sharp, flat, and unison)
formed one of the novel features of the organ in Worcester
Cathedral, England, built by Hope-Jones in 1896. Wedg-
wood credits its invention to Mr. Thomas Casson. The three-
rank Celeste is also to be found in the organs of the Bennett
Organ Company.
Apart from the inherent beauty of the tones there is much
to be said in favor of the presence of these stops — if the organ
is to be used as an adjunct to, or a substitute for, the orchestra.
The whole orchestra is one huge and ever-varying "Celeste."
Were it not so its music would sound dead and cold. Few of
the instrumentalists ever succeed in playing a single bar
absolutely in tune with the other components of the band.
PERCUSSION STOPS.
This class of stop is also now finding its way into organs more
generally than heretofore. Eesonating gongs giving, when skill-
fully used, effects closely resembling a harp have been intro-
duced freely by the Aeolian Company in its house organs, and
there seems no possible objection to such introduction. The
tone is thoroughly musical and blends perfectly with the other
registers. Under the name of "Chimes" these resonant gongs
are now finding place in many Church and Concert organs.
Tubular bells are also used in a similar capacity by all the lead-
ing organ-builders.
The greatest development in this direction is found in the
Hope-Jones Unit Orchestra. In these instruments fully one-
The Production of Organ Tone 95
third of the speaking stops rely on percussion for production of
their tones. Even small instruments of this type have all got
the following percussion sjops: Chimes, Chrysoglott, Glocken-
spiel., Electric Bells (with resonators), Xylophone, and carefully-
tuned Sleigh Bells — in addition to single percussive instruments,
such as Snare-drum, Bass-drum, Kettle-drum, Tambourine, Cas-
tanets, Triangle, Cymbals, and Chinese Gong.
As all these tone producers are enclosed in a thick Swell box,
an artist is able to employ them with as much refinement of effect
as is heard when they are heard in a Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Hope-Jones informs the writer that he has just invented
an electric action which strikes a blow accurately proportioned to
the force employed in depressing the key, thus obtaining expres-
sion from the fingers as in the pianoforte. He will apply this
to the percussion stops in organs he may build in the future.
When skilfully employed many of these percussion stops blend
so perfectly with the flue and reed pipes that they become an
important integral part of the instrument — not merely a collec-
tion of fancy stops for occasional use.
THE DIAPHONE.
The invention of the Diaphone by Hope-Jones in 1894 will
some day be regarded as the most important step in advance
hitherto achieved in the art of organ building. The existence of
patents at present prevents general adoption of the invention
and limits it to the instruments made by one particular builder.
In addition to this the Diaphone takes so many forms and covers
so large a field that time must necessarily pass before its full
possibilities are realized.
Enough was, however, done by Hope-Jones in connection
with the organs he built in England a dozen or eighteen years
ago to leave the experimental stage and prove the invention to
be of the greatest practical importance to the future of organ
building. The author's opinion that before long every new large
96 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
Fig. 23. Diaphone in Worcester Cathedral, Eng.
The Production of Organ Tone
97
organ will be built upon the Diaphone as a foundation, is shared
by all who have had opportunity to judge. By no other means
known to-day can anything approaching such grand and dignified
Diapason tone be produced. Were twenty large Diapasons added
to the instrument in Ocean Grove, N". J.,
or to that in the Baptist Temple, Phila-
delphia, and were the Diaphone removed,
the instrument would suffer most seri-
ously. In the Pedal department no reed
or flue pipe can begin to compare with a
Diaphone, either in attack or in volume
of tone.
In Figure 23 we give a sectional view
of the first large Diaphone made, namely
that constructed for the Hope-Jones or-
gan in Worcester Cathedral, Eng., 1896.
M is a pneumatic motor or bellows to
which is attached a rod bearing the com-
pound and spring valve V, V1, working
against the spring S. On the admission
of wind (under pressure) to the box A,
the motor M is caused to collapse, and
thereby to open the valves V, V1. Wind
then rushes into the chamber B, and
entering the interior of motor M through
the passage C, equalizes the pressure in
the motor. The action of the springs
now serves to close the valves V, V1, and
to open out the motor M, whereupon the
process is repeated.
In Fig. 24 we illustrate the Diaphone
in the Hope-Jones organ built for Aber-
deen University, Scotland. The action
is as follows :
Fig. 24. Diaphone in
. I Itcnlct'ii I nii'crxitt/.
98
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
The Production of Organ Tone 99
Wind from the organ bellows enters the pipe foot F, and
raises the pressure in the chamber C. The air in the chamber
will press upon the back of the valve V, tending to keep it closed.
It will press also upon the bellows or motor M, and as this
bellows has a much larger area than that of the valve, it will
instantly collapse, and, through the medium of the tail piece T,
will pull the valve V off its seat and allow the compressed air
in the chamber C to rush into the resonator or pipe P. Owing
to the inertia of the column of air contained in the pipe P, a
momentary compression will take place at the lower end of the
pipe, and the pressure of the air inside the motor M will, in
consequence, be raised. The motor having now increased pres-
sure both sides, will no longer keep the valve off its seat, and
the spring S will open the motor and close the valve. The com-
pression caused by the admission of the puff of air into the lower
parts of the pipe P will be followed by the usual rarefaction,
and as this rarefaction will exhaust or suck the air from the
inside of the motor M, the valve will again be lifted from its
seat, and the cycle of operations will be repeated as long as the
wind supply is kept up. A series of regular puffs of wind will
thus be delivered into the lower part of the resonator or pipe,
resulting in a musical note.
Figs. 25, 26, 27 represent the first Diaphone heard in a public
building in this country, namely that of a model sounded in
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City, in 190'5. In this form
of Diaphone the pressure of air operating the Diaphone has been
varied between 10 inches and 500 inches, without perceptible
variation in the pitch of the note emitted.
Referring to Fig. 25, the chamber WW is supplied with
air under pressure whenever the organist presses a key or pedal
calling into use this particular note. The. pressure of air enters
through the circular engine supply port S, thus raising the
pressure in the chamber C and forcing in an upward direction
the aluminum piston P through the medium of the division
100 The Recent Revolution in Organ Build in-fj
Fig. 28. Diaphone in the Auditorium, Ocean Grove, N. J,
The Production of Organ Tone 101
D (colored black), which forms a portion of the aluminum
piston.
When the lower edge of the piston has risen a certain distance
it will uncover the circular engine exhaust port E, and will
allow the compressed air to escape into the atmosphere. At
this moment the rise of the piston will have closed the engine
supply port S.
The momentum acquired by the piston (see Fig. 27) will cause
it to travel upward a little further, and this upward travel of
the division D will cause a compression of air to take place
at the foot of the resonator or pipe E. This compression will
be vastly increased through the simultaneous opening of the
eight circular speaking ports SP.
The pressure of the compressed air at the foot of the resonator
R will now by acting on the upper surface of the division D
depress the aluminum piston until the engine supply port S is
again opened.
By this time the compression at the foot of resonator R will
have traveled up the pipe in the form of a sound wave, and
will have been followed by the complementary rarefaction. This
rarefaction on the upper side will render more effective the
pressure of the compressed air again admitted through the
engine supply port S on the underside of division D.
It will be seen that this cycle of operations will be repeated
as long as the organist holds down his pedal or key admitting
compressed air to the chamber W.
As the aluminum piston P is very light and is in no way
impeded in its movement or swing, the speed of its vibration,
and consequently the pitch of the note emitted, will be governed
by the length of the resonator or pipe R.
The tone given by this particular form of Diaphone possesses
a peculiar sweetness in quality, while the power is limited only
by the pressure of air used to operate it.
In Fig. 28 we give an illustration of the form of Diaphone
102 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
Fig. 29. Diaphone in St, Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo, N. Y.
The Production of Organ Tone 103
used in the Hope-Jones Unit organ at the Auditorium, Ocean
Grove, N". J.
P is a pallet controlling the admission of air into the body
of the pipe P1. M is a motor adapted for plucking open the
pallet P through the medium of strap s. The box B is per-
manently supplied with air under pressure from the bellows.
When the valves V and V1 are in the position shown in the
drawing, the Diaphone is out of action, for the wind from the
box B will find its way through the valve V (which is open)
into the interior of the motor M.
When it is desired to make the note speak, the small exterior
motors M1 and M2 are simultaneously inflated by the electro-
pneumatic action operated by depressing the pedal key. The
valve V will thereupon be closed and the valve V1 be opened.
As the pressure of air inside the motor M will now escape into
the pipe or resonator P1, the motor will collapse and the pallet
P will be opened in spite of the action of the spring S which
tends to keep it closed.
The wind in the box B will now suddenly rush into the lower
end of the pipe P1, and by causing a compression of the air at
that point will again raise the pressure of the air inside the
motor M. The pallet will thereupon close and the cycle of
operations will be repeated — thus admitting a series of puffs of
wind into the foot of the pipe P1 and thereby producing a musical
tone of great power.
As the valve V1 is open, the sound waves formed in the pipe P1
will govern the speed of vibration of the motor M. It will thus
be obvious that the Diaphone will always be in perfect tune with
the resonator or pipe P1, and that the pitch of the note may be
altered by varying the length of the pipe.
In Fig. 29 will be found an illustration of the Diaphone (or
valvular reed) used in the Hope- Jones organ at St. PauFs
Cathedral, Buffalo, N. Y.
Upon depressing a key, wind is admitted into the box B.
104 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
Fig. 30. Diaphoiic Producing Foundation Tone
The Production of Organ Tone 10r>
Pressing upon the valve V it causes it to close against its seat
in spite of the action of the spring S. This, however, does not
take place until a pulse of air has passed into the foot of the
pipe P, thereby originating a sound wave which in due time
liberates the valve V and allows the spring S to move it off its
seat and allow another puff of air to enter the pipe P. By
this means the valve V is kept in rapid vibration and a power-
ful tone is produced from the pipe P. At Middlesborough, York-
shire, England, Hope-Jones fitted a somewhat similar Diaphone
of 16 feet pitch about 1899, but in this case the resonator or pipe
was cylindrical in form and measured only 8 feet in length.
In Fig. 30 will be found another type of Diaphone in which
the tone is produced through the medium of a number of metal
balls, covering a series of holes or openings into the bottom of
a resonator or pipe, and admitting intermittent puffs of air.
The action is as follows. Air under pressure enters the cham-
ber B through the pipe foot A, and passing up the ports C, C1, C2,
etc., forces the metal balls D, D1, D2, etc., upwards into the
chamber E ; the bottom end of the resonator or pipe. The pres-
sure of air above the balls in the resonator E, then rises until
it equals or nearly equals the pressure of air in chamber B. This
is owing to the fact that the column of air in the pipe or resona-
tor E possesses weight and inertia, and being elastic, is mo-
mentarily compressed at its lower end. This increased pressure
above the balls allows them to return to their original position,
under the influence of gravity. By the time they have returned
to their original position, the pulse of air compression has trav-
eled up the pipe in the form of a sound wave, and the comple-
mentary rarefaction follows.
The cycle of movement will then be repeated numerous times
per second, with the result that a very pure foundation tone
musical note will be produced.
The Diaphone is tuned like ordinary flue pipes and will keep
in tune with them ; the pressure of wind (and consequently the
106 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
power of the tone) may be varied without affecting the pitch.
The form of the pipe or resonator affects the quality of the tone ;
it may be flue-like or reedy in character, or even imitate a
Pedal Violone, a Hard and Smooth Tuba, an Oboe, or a Clarinet.
In closing this chapter, the writer desires to express his
indebtedness for much of the material therein to the compre-
hensive "Dictionary of Organ Stops," by James Ingall Wedg-
wood, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, Scotland, and Fellow
of the Boyal Historical Society (published by the Vincent Music
Co., London, England). Although the title is somewhat for-
bidding, it is a most interesting book and reveals an amount of
original research and personal acquaintance with organs in
England and the Continent that is simply marvelous. It ought
to be in the library of every organist.
CHAPTER XI.
TUNING.
HAVING described the improvements in pipes, we now consider
how they are tuned, and the first thing we must notice is the
introduction of equal temperament.
About fifty years ago most organs were so tuned that the
player had to limit himself to certain key signatures if his music
was to sound at all pleasant. Using excessive modulation or
wandering into forbidden keys resulted in his striking some dis-
cordant interval, known as the "wolf." The writer remembers
being present at a rehearsal of Handel's "Messiah" in St.
George's Hall, Liverpool, Eng., in 1866, when the organ was
tuned on the unequal temperament system, and there was a
spirited discussion between the conductor and Mr. W. T. Best,
who wanted the orchestra to play "Every Valley" in the key of
E flat so as to be in better tune with the organ.
The modern keyboard is imperfect. One black key is made to
serve, for instance, for D sharp and for E flat, whereas the two
notes are in reality not identical.* To secure correct tuning and
tone intervals throughout, forty-eight keys per octave are re-
quired, instead of the twelve now made to suffice.
In what is called the equal temperament system the attempt is
made to divide the octave into twelve equal parts or semi-tones,
thus rendering all keys alike. To do this it is necessary to slightly
flatten all the fifths and sharpen the major thirds. The differ-
ence from just intonation is about one-fiftieth of a semi-tone.
Although recommended and used by J. S. Bach, equal tempera-
ment was not introduced into English organs until 1852.
"Some organs have been made (notably that in Temple Church, Lon-
don) with separate keys for the flats and sharps.
108
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
Tuning 109
Much has been lost by adopting equal temperament, but more
has been gained. To a sensitive ear, the sharp thirds and fourths,
the flat fifths and other discordant intervals of our modern keyed
instrument, are a constant source of pain ; but the average organ-
ist has become so accustomed to the defect that he actually fails
to notice it!
The change to equal temperament has on the other hand
greatly increased the scope of the organ and has rendered pos-
sible the performance of all compositions and transcriptions re-
gardless of key or modulation.
The tuning of an organ is seriously affected by the temperature
of the surrounding air. Increased heat causes the air in the open
pipes to expand and sound sharp contrasted with the stopped
pipes through which the air cannot so freely circulate. The reeds
are affected differently, the expansion of their tongues by heat
causing them to flatten sufficiently to counteract the sharpening
named above. Hence the importance of an equable temperature
and the free circulation of air through swell-boxes, as described
on page 59, ante.
NEW METHOD OF REED TUNING.
Organ reed pipes, especially those of more delicate tone, fail
to stand well in tune, especially when the tuner is in a hurry or
when he does not know enough of his business to take the spring
out of the reed wire after the note has been brought into tune.
Few persons fully understand the reason why reeds fail to,
stand in tune as they ought to.
Figures 31, 32, and 33 will serve to make clear the chief cause
for reeds going out of tune. Figure 31 may be taken to repre-
sent a reed block, eschallot, tongue and tuning wire at rest.
In this case the tuning wire will be pressing firmly against the
tongue at the point B, but said tuning wire will not be subjected
to any abnormal strain.
Turning to Figure 32, if we use the reed knife and slightly
110 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
lift the tuning wire at the point C, friction against the tongue at
the point B will prevent said point B from moving upward. (In
this connection it must be borne in mind that the co-efficient of
friction in repose is much greater than the co-efficient of friction
in motion.)
In consequence of the drawing up of the tuning wire at point
C, and the frictional resistance at point B holding the latter
steady, the lower part of the tuning wire will assume the shape
shown in Figure 32, and point A will in consequence move far-
ther away from the tongue.
Now, if the reeds be left in this state and the organ be used
for any length of time, it will be found that point B of the
tuning wire will have risen upward until the abnormal strain
upon the tuning-wire spring has been satisfied. In consequence
of this, this particular note will be sounding natter in pitch than
it ought to do.
Conversely, if the portion of the tuning wire lettered C be
slightly driven down, as in Figure 33, the retarding effect of the
friction of repose at point B will cause the lower portion of the
tuning wire to approach nearer the tongue than it should do.
If now this reed be left in this state, after the pipe has been
used for some time and the tongue has been vibrating, it will be
found that point B on this tuning wire will have traveled nearer
to the tip of the tongue, in order to relieve the abnormal strain
upon the lower portion of the tuning wire. Point A will then
have resumed its normal position.
In Figures 32 and 33, the defective action of the lower portion
of the tuning spring has been purposely exaggerated in order to
make the point clear. This bending of the tuning wires, however,
takes place to a much larger extent than most organ builders
imagine. It is the chief reason why reeds fail to stand in tune.
When point A on the reed tuning wires is rigidly supported
and held by force in its normal position, reeds can be made to
stand in tune almost as well as flue pipes.
Tuning 111
Figure 34 represents the Hope-Jones method of supporting the
tuning wire at point A. It consists of having a brass tube T
inserted in the block moulds before the block is cast. This tube
T therefore becoming an integral part of the block itself. The
inside bore of tube T is of such diameter that the tuning wire fits
snugly therein.
In Figure 35 another method used by him for accomplishing
the same purpose is shown. In this case a lug L is cast upon the
block, forming, indeed, a portion of said block. The lower end
of lug L is formed into a V, which partly embraces a tuning
wire and supports it in such manner as to prevent improper
movement of said tuning wire at point A.
When this method of construction is employed, the reeds are
very much easier to tune, and, when once tuned, will stand infi-
nitely better than reeds made in the ordinary way.
CHAPTER XII.
PROGRESS OF THE E EVOLUTION IN OUR OWN COUNTRY.
IN the study of the art of organ-building one cannot fail to be
struck by the fact that almost all the great steps in advance have
been due to Englishmen: the compound horizontal bellows, the
concussion bellows, the swell box, the pneumatic lever, the tubu-
lar-pneumatic action, the electro-pneumatic action, the Universal
air chest, the leathered lip, the clothed flue, the diaphone, smooth
reed tone, imitative string tone, the vowel cavity, tone reflectors,
cement swell boxes, the sound trap joint, suitable bass, the unit
organ, movable console, radiating and concave pedal board, com-
bination pedals, combination pistons and keys, the rotary blower
— and many other items — were the inventions and work of Eng-
lishmen.
Speaking in general terms, this country lagged very far behind
not only England, but also behind France, and even Germany, in
the art of organ-building until comparatively a few years ago.
It has recently advanced with extraordinary rapidity, and if
it be not yet in the position of leader, it is certainly now well
abreast of other nations.
Hilborne Roosevelt constructed a number of beautiful organs
in this country, beginning his work about the year 1874. While
his organs altogether lacked the impressive dignity of the best
European instruments of the period, they were marked by beauty
of finish and artistic care in construction. He invented the
adjustable combination action, and this forms about all his orig-
inal contribution destined to live and influence the organ of the
future. Nevertheless, his marks on organ-building in this coun-
try were great and wholly beneficial. He studied the art in
Europe (especially France) and introduced into this country
Progress of the Revolution in Our Own Country 113
many features at that time practically unknown here. Several
of the organs constructed by his firm are in use to-day and are
in a good state of repair. They contain Flutes that it would be
hard to surpass, Diapasons that are bold and firm, and far above
the average, though thought by some to lack weight and dignity
of effect. The action is excellent and the materials employed
and the care and workmanship shown throughout cannot be too
highly praised.
Eoosevelt must be set down as the leader of the revolution
which, by the introduction of foreign methods, has in the last
twenty years so completely transformed organ-building in the
United States.
Roosevelt was also the pioneer in using electro-pneumatic ac-
tion here. Accounts had reached England of his wonderful organ
in Garden City Cathedral, part of which was in the gallery, part
in the chancel, part in the roof, and part in the choir vestry in
the basement. The author, on arriving in Philadelphia in 1893,
as organist of St. Clement's Church there, was anxious to see
a Roosevelt electric organ and was invited to see one in the
concert hall of "Stetson's hat factory. He was shown one of the
magnets, which was about six inches long! Here is an account
of the organ in Grace Church, New York City, which appeared
in the American Correspondence of the London Musical News,
February 15, 1896:
There are three organs in this church by Roosevelt — in the chancel,
in the west gallery, and an echo in the roof, electrically connected and
playable from either of the keyboards, one in the chancel and one in
the gallery. The electric action is of an old and clumsy pattern, oper-
ated from storage batteries filled from the electric-light main, and re-
quiring constant attention. The "full organs" and "full swells" go off
slowly, with a disagreeable effect, familiar to players on faulty pneumatic
instruments.
This organ has lately been entirely rebuilt with new action
and vastly improved by Mr. E. M. Skinner.
In 1894 the writer made the acquaintance of the late Mr.
114 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
Edmund Jardine, who was then building a new organ for the
Scotch Presbyterian Church in Central Park West, with an
entirely new electric action that had been invented by his
nephew. Of course by this time Mr. Hope-Jones' inventions
were well known over here, and Mi-. Jardine told the writer
that some of the other organ-builders had been using actions
which were as close imitations of the Hope-Jones as it was pos-
sible to get without infringement of patents. The Jardine action
seemed to the writer a very close imitation also, and he can tes-
tify to its being a good one, as he later on had nearly three years'
experience of it at All Angels' Church.
But the pioneers had troubles of their own, no doubt, caused
by using too large and heavy magnets, which exhausted the bat-
teries faster than the current could be produced. The writer
had this experience with the batteries at two different churches
and had some difficulty in getting the organ-builders to see what
was the matter. The steady use of the organ for an hour-and-
a-half's choir rehearsal would exhaust the batteries. The organ-
builder would be notified, and, on coming next day, would not
find anything the matter, the batteries having recovered them-
selves in the interim. Finally, two sets of batteries were installed
with a switch by the keyboard, so that the fresh set could be
brought into use on observing signs of exhaustion. Many
churches have installed small dynamos to furnish current for
the key action. Even in these cases signs of weakness are often
apparent — the organist in playing full does not get all the notes
he puts down. Same cause of trouble — too heavy magnets. Here
is where the Hope-Jones action has the whip-hand over all others,
all the current it requires being supplied by a single cell! At
the writer's churches there were six and eight cells. Most of
the electric organs erected in this country, 1894-1904, have had
to be entirely rebuilt.
About the year 1894 Ernest M. Skinner (at that time Super-
intendent of the Hutchings Organ Co., of Boston, Mass.), went
Progress of the Revolution in Our Own Country 115
over to England to study the art in that country. He was well
received by Hope- Jones, by Willis and others. He introduced
many of the English inventions into this country — the movable
console (St. Bartholomew's, New York; Symphony Hall, Bos-
ton, etc.), increased wind pressure and the leathered lip (Grace
Church, Plymouth Church, Columbia College, College of the
City of New York, Cleveland Cathedral, etc.), smooth heavy
pressure reeds, Tibias (Philomela) small scale strings, etc. In
this work Skinner eventually had the advantage of Hope-Jones'
services as Vice-President of his own company and of the assist-
ance of a number of his men from England.
About the year 1895 Carlton C. Michell, an English organ-
builder, who had been associated with Thynne and with Hope-
Jones, and who had as the latter's representative set up new-
type organs in Baltimore, Md., and Taunton, Mass., joined the
Austin Organ Co., Hartford, Conn. He rapidly introduced
modern string tone and other improvements there-.
In 1903 Hope-Jones came to this country and also joined the
Austin Organ Co. as its Vice-President, whereupon that com-
pany adopted his stop-keys, wind pressures, scales, leathered lip,
smooth reeds, orchestral stops, etc. (Albany Cathedral, Wana-
maker's organ, New York, the organs now standing in the Brook-
lyn Academy of Music, and others.)
In 1907 the Hope-Jones Organ Co., Elmira, N. Y., com-
menced the construction of organs containing all these and other
English improvements (Ocean Grove, N. J. ; Buffalo Cathedral,
N. Y. ; New Orleans, La., etc.).
The influence of the work already done by the aforenamed
pioneers in this country is being manifested in a general im-
provement in organ tone and mechanism throughout the United
States.
Musical men, hearing the new tones and musical effects now
produced, realize for the first time the grandeur and refinement
and amazing variety of musical effects that the organ is capable
116 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
of yielding; on returning to their own churches they are filled
with "divine discontent," and they do not rest until a move-
ment for obtaining a new organ, or at least modernizing the
old one, is set on foot. The abandonment of old ideas as to
the limitations of the organ is begun, new ideals are being set
up, and a revolution which will sweep the whole country has
now obtained. firm foothold.
Until recently England unquestionably led in the development
of the organ, and Hope- Jones led England. Now that his genius
is at work in this country, who shall set limit to our progress?
Even when expressing himself through other firms, his influence
entirely altered the standard practice of the leading builders,
and now, since direct expression has been obtained, improvements
have appeared with even greater rapidity.
It is the author's opinion (based on a wide knowledge of the
instruments in both countries) that in the course of the last ten
years this country has made such great strides in the art that
it may now claim ability to produce organs that are quite equal
to the best of those built in England. And he ventures to
prophesy that in less than another ten years, American-built
organs will be accepted as the world's highest standard.
At a banquet given in his honor in New York in 1906, the
late Alexandre Guilmant complained that no organ that he had
played in this country possessed majesty of effect. The advent
of Hope-Jones has entirely changed the situation. Tertius
Noble, late of York Minster, England, who has just come to
this country, asserts that organs can be found here equal to or
superior to any built in England, and the celebrated English
organist, Edwin Lemare, pronounced the reeds at Ocean Grove,
N. J., the finest he had ever heard.
LI&8ARY
Of THE
Of ItUHOIb.
CHARLES SPACEMAN BARKER.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE CHIEF ACTORS IN THE DRAMA.
WE now purpose to give a brief account of the leaders in revolu-
tionizing the King of Instruments, the men whose genius and
indomitable perseverance in the face of prejudice, discourage-
ment and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, financial and
otherwise, have made the modern organ possible. First of all
these comes
CHARLES SPACEMAN BARKER,
who was born at Bath, England, on Oct. 10, 1806. Left an
orphan when five years old, he was brought up by his godfather,
who gave him such an education as would fit him for the
medical profession, and he was in due time apprenticed to an
apothecary and druggist in Bath. This apothecary used to draw
teeth, and it was Barker's duty to hold the heads of the patients,
whose howls and screams unnerved him so that he refused to
learn the business and left before his term of apprenticeship
expired.
Dr. Hinton does not credit the story that Barker, accidentally
witnessing the operations of an eminent organ-builder (Bishop,
of London) who was erecting an organ in his neighborhood, de-
termined on following that occupation, and placed himself under
that builder for instruction in the art. It seems to be admitted,
however, that after spending most of the intervening time in
London, he returned to Bath two years afterwards and estab-
lished himself as an organ-builder there.
About 1832 the newly built large organ in York Minster at-
tracted general attention, and Barker, impressed by the immense
labor occasioned to the player by the extreme hardness of touch
120 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
of the keys, turned his thoughts toward devising some means
of overcoming the resistance offered by the keys to the fingers.
The result was the invention of the pneumatic lever by which
ingenious contrivance the pressure of the wind which occasioned
the resistance to the touch was skilfully applied to lessen- it.
He wrote to Dr. Camidge, then the organist of the Cathedral,
begging to be allowed to attach one of his levers in a temporary
way to one of the heaviest notes of his organ. Dr. Camidge
admitted that the touch of his instrument was "sufficient to
paralyze the efforts of most men," but financial difficulties stood
in the way of the remedy being applied. Barker offered his
invention to several English organ-builders, but finding them
indisposed to adopt it, he went to Paris, in 1837, where he ar-
rived about the time that Cavaille-Coll was building a large
organ for the Church of St. Denis. M. Cavaille-Coll had adopted
the practice of making his flue and reed pipes produce harmonic
tones by means of wind of heavy pressure; but he encountered
difficulty as the touch became too heavy for practical use. Mr.
Barker's apparatus, which simply overpowered the resistance that
could not be removed, was therefore an opportune presentation;
he took out a brevet d' invention for it in 1839, and M. Cavaille-
Coll immediately introduced it, together with several harmonic
stops, into the St. Denis organ. Besides the organ of St. Denis,
Barker's pneumatic lever was applied to those of St. Koch, La
Madeleine, and other churches in Paris.
"Barker's connection with Cavaille was not of long duration,
and we next find him in the Daublaine & Callinet organ-building
company. At this time the company was rebuilding the mag-
nificent organ at St. Sulpice, the acknowledged masterpiece of
Cliquot, the French 'Father Schmidt.' * * *
"During the time this restoration of the organ was in hand,
Louis Callinet experienced acute financial difficulties, and, fail-
ing to induce Daublaine, his partner, to advance him a relatively
small sum, * * * Callinet became so bitterly incensed that one
The Chief Actors in the Drama 121
day, going to the organ on some trifling pretext, he entirely
wrecked it with axe and handsaw.
"This act of vengeance or criminal folly involved Daublaine
in the same financial ruin as himself, and through this tragic
occurrence the firm in which Barker was beginning to he securely
established came to an end. Callinet, being absolutely penniless,
was not prosecuted, but ended his days in the employ of Cavaille
as voicer and tuner.
"Nor was this the only disaster which occurred during the
time Barker was with Daublaine & Callinet. In 1844 (Decem-
ber 16th), it was Barker's ill-fortune to kick over a lighted
candle while trying to remove a cipher in the organ his firm
had recently erected in St. Eustache, which occasioned the total
destruction of the organ. * * *
"The outlook seemed unpromising for Barker when the firm
of Daublaine & Callinet came to an end. The good will of that
concern was, however, purchased by M. Ducroquet (a capitalist),
who entrusted him with its management.
"J. B. Stoltz, Daublaine & Callinet's foreman, a very able man
and a splendid workman, feeling aggrieved at Barker's promotion,
seceded and set up for himself, his place in the new firm being
filled by M. Verschneider, in whom Barker found efficient sup-
port in matters of technical knowledge and skill.
"During the time Barker was with M. Ducroquet the present
organ at St. Eustache was built, to replace that so unfortunately
destroyed by fire ; also an organ which was exhibited at the great
exhibition of London in 1851. * * *
"In the Paris exhibition of 1855 Barker was admitted as an
exhibitor, independently of M. Ducroquet (who was in bad health
and on the eve of retiring from business), obtaining a first-class
medal and nomination as Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.
"At the death of M. Ducroquet, which occurred shortly after-
wards, Merklin took over the business carried on by Ducroquet,
and Barker remained with him until 1860, when he set up on
122 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
his own account in partnership with M. Verschneider, before
named, and it was during the decade 1860-70 that the electric
organ came into being/5
The story of Dr. Peschard's invention has been already set
forth in this book (see page 37). Barker seems to have been
somewhat jealous of him and always described the action as
"Pneumato-electrique," objecting to the term "Electro-pneu-
matic," although this was putting the cart before the horse. Dr.
Hinton says : "Though I was much in touch with Barker during
part of his brief period of activity in electric work, Peschard's
name was rarely mentioned and carried little meaning to me.
I did not know if Peschard were a living or a dead scientist, and
if I (a mere youth at the time) ever thought of him, it was as
being some kind of bogie Barker had to conciliate."
Bryceson Brothers, of London, exhibited an organ at the Paris
Exposition Universelle in the Champ de Mars in 1867, on which
daily recitals were given by Mons. A. L. Tamplin, who induced
Mr. Henry Bryceson to visit the electric organ then being erected
in the Church of St. Augustin. Mr. Bryceson, being convinced
that this was the action of the future, lost no time in investi-
gating the system thoroughly, and arranged with Barker for the
concession of the sole rights of his invention as soon as he should
obtain his English patent, which he got in the following year.
Barker, however, repented him of his bargain, and the exclusive
rights were eventually waived by the Brycesons, although they
retained the right to use the patent themselves. They made
considerable improvements on Barker's action, the chief defects
of which seem to have been the resistance of the pallets (which
had to be plucked from their seats; he did not even use the
split pallet) and the cost of maintenance of the batteries, which
rapidly deteriorated from the action of the powerful acids em-
ployed. A* full description and drawing of Peschard's and Bar-
ker's action will be found in Dr. Hinton's "Story of the Electric
Organ."
The Chief Actors in the Drama 123
This same Paris Exposition of 1867 is also responsible for the
introduction of tubular-pneumatic action into England by Henry
Willis. He there saw the organ by Fermis which induced him to
take up that mechanism and develop it to its present perfection.
The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 drove Barker from Paris,
his factory was destroyed in the bombardment, and thus at the
age of 64 he was again cast adrift. He came to England and
found, on attempting to take out a patent for his pneumatic
lever, that all the organ-builders were using what they had
formerly despised !
He succeeded, however, in obtaining the contract for a new
organ for the Eoman Catholic Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland,
and it was arranged that he should receive a certain sum in
advance, and a monthly allowance up to the amount of the esti-
mated cost of the instrument. He seems to have had trouble in
obtaining expert workmen and only succeeded in getting a motley
crowd of Frenchmen, Germans, Dutch and Americans. They
spoke so many different languages that a Babel-like confusion
resulted. Hilborne Roosevelt, the great American organ-builder,
was at that time in Europe, and in response to Barker's
earnest entreaty, came to Dublin incognito,, so as not to detract
from Barker's reputation as the builder. Roosevelt's direc-
rection and advice were most invaluable, being moreover
given in the most chivalrous and generous spirit; but, not-
withstanding this and the excellent material of which the organ
was constructed, the result was anything but an artistic or finan-
cial success.
Barker built an organ for the Roman Catholic Cathedral at
Cork, which was no better, and this was his last work. These
misfortunes culminated in an appeal to his countrymen for
subscriptions on his behalf in the musical papers. In his old age
he had married the eighteen-year-old daughter of M. Ougby, his
late foreman. He died at Maidstone, Eng., November 26, 1879.
This sketch of Barker's career is taken partly from Grove's
124 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
Dictionary of Music, from Hopkins and Bimbault's History, and
from Dr. Hinton's "Story of the Electric Organ." The para-
graphs within quotation marks are verbatim from this book by
kind permission of Dr. Hinton, whom we have to thank also for
the portrait of Barker which appears on another page.
AEISTIDE CAVAILLE-COLL.
The following sketch of the life of this eminent artist is taken from
Dr. Be"dart's forthcoming book on "Cavaille'-Coll and His Times," arid
from Le Monde Musical, of Paris, October 30, 1899, translated by Mr.
Robert F. Miller, of Boston. The portrait is from the same magazine.
Aristide Cavaille-Coll was born at Montpellier, France, on the
4th day of February, 1811. He was the son of Dominique
Cavaille-Coll, who was well known as an organ-builder in Lan-
guedoc, and grandson of Jean Pierre Cavaille, the builder of the
organs of Saint Catherine and Merci of Barcelona. The name
of Coll was that of his grandmother. If we should go back fur-
ther we find at the commencement of the Eighteenth Century at
Gaillac three brothers — Cavaille-Gabriel, the father of Jean
Pierre: Pierre, and Joseph, who also was an organ-builder.
Aristide Cavaille, therefore, came honestly by his profession and
at the age of 18 years was entrusted by his father to direct the
construction of the organ at Lerida, in which he introduced for
the first time the manual to pedal coupler and the system of
counter-balances in the large wind reservoirs.
In 1834 Aristide, realizing the necessity of cultivating his
knowledge of physics and mechanics, went to Paris, where he
became the pupil of Savart and of Cagnard-Latour. The same
year a competition was opened for the construction of a large
organ in the royal church of St. Denis; Aristide submitted his
plan and succeeded in obtaining the contract. This success de-
cided the Messrs. Cavaille to remove their organ factory to Paris,
where they established themselves in the Eue Neuve St. George.
On account of repairs being made to the church building, the
AEISTIDE CAVAILLE-COLL.
The Chief Actors in the Drama 127
organ of St. Denis was not finished until 1841,, but it showed
improvements of great importance, first and foremost of which
was the Barker pneumatic lever (see ante, page 120). The wind
pressure was on a new system, whereby increased pressure was
applied to the upper notes, giving more regularity of tone to each
stop. The wind reservoirs were provided with double valves,
insuring a more steady supply, whether all the stops were played
together or separately. The introduction of Harmonic stops was
practically an innovation, as their use hitherto had been almost
prohibited by the difficulty of playing on a high wind pressure
(see ante, page 21). This enriched the organ with a new group
of stops of a superior quality on account of the roundness and
volume of sound.
In 1840 Cavaille-Coll submitted to the Academie des Sciences
the result of his experimental studies of organ pipes; on the
normal tone of the organ and its architecture; the length of
pipes in regard to intonation and precision in blowing. He
made many experiments and improvements in wind supply. He
was also the inventor of "Poikilorgue," an expressive organ,
which was the origin of the harmonium.
Between 1834 and 1898 he built upward of 700 organs, in-
cluding Saint Sulpice, Notre Dame, Saint Clotilde, la Made-
leine, le Trocadero, Saint Augustin, Saint Vincent de Paul, la
Trinite (all in Paris) ; Saint Ouen at Eouen, Saint Sernin at
Toulouse; the Cathedrals at Nancy, Amsterdam, and Moscow;
the Town Halls of Sheffield and Manchester, England. The
most celebrated of these is Saint Sulpice, which contains 118
stops and was opened in April 29, 1862.*
The fine period of Cavaille-Coll was during the Empire,
about 1850. The Emperor Napoleon III, to flatter the clergy
*Dr. W. C. Carl, of New York, who is well acquainted with these
instruments, considers the one in Notre Dame to be better than St.
Sulpice and more representative of Cavaill6-CoH's work, even if a little
smaller. We therefore give that specification, page 157.
128 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
and the bishops, ordered the Cathedral organs to be rebuilt, and
gave the order to Cavaille-Coll. He in many instances preserved
the old soundboards, dividing them on two ventils for reeds and
for flues, increased the wind pressures, introduced pneumatic
levers, and transformed the small Tenor C Swells into large
15 to 20 stop Swells, with 16-foot reeds included, and so crowned
the fine flue work and mixture work of these Cathedral organs.
We all know the fine effect of a large Swell. The French
Cathedral organs were deprived of this tonal resonance in 1850,
and Cavaille-Coll,, by judicious overhauling, use of good mate-
rials, and by the addition of large Swells, transformed the so-
nority of these large instruments located in splendid positions
above the grand west entrance doors of these fine Gothic build-
ings.
Cavaille-Coll, during his long career, received from the Uni-
versal Expositions the highest honors. He was appointed a
Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 1849, and officer of the
same order in 1878. He was also Honorary President of the
Chamber of Syndicates of Musical Instruments.
Much enfeebled by age, he in 1898 relinquished the direction
of his factories to one of his best pupils, M. Charles Mutin, who
has never ceased to maintain the high integrity of the house.
Aristide Cavaille-Coll died peacefully and without suffering
on October 13, 1899, in his 89th year. He was interred with
military honors. A simple service was held at Saint Sulpice
and M. Charles Widor played once more, for the last time to
the illustrious constructor, the grand organ which was the most
beautiful conception of his life.
We have in the course of our review mentioned some of
Cavaille-ColPs principal contributions to the progress of organ-
building, his development of harmonic stops and use of increased
wind pressures. Mr. W. T. Best, in 1888, in a report to the
Liverpool Philharmonic Society as to the purchase of a new
The Chief Actors in the Drama 129
organ for their Hall, recommended Cavaille-Coll as "the best
producer of pure organ tone" at that time. Next to him he
placed T. C. Lewis & Sons, then W. Hill & Son.
But the organists of the world have to thank Cavaille-Coll
chiefly for the assistance he gave Barker in developing the pneu-
matic lever, without which the present tonal system with its
heavy wind pressures would have been impossible of attainment.
"Blest be the man," said Sancho Panza, "who first invented
sleep ! And what a mercy he did not keep the discovery to him-
self I" Joseph Booth, of Wakefield, England, put what he called
a "puff bellows" to assist the Pedal action in the organ of a
church at Atterclift'e, near Sheffield, in 1827. But he kept the
invention to himself, and it only came to light 24 years after
his death ! Note on the other hand the perseverance of Barker.
For five weary years he kept on trying one builder after an-
other to take up his idea without avail, and then took it be-
yond the seas. Which reminds us of the Eev. William Lee, the
inventor of the stocking-knitting frame in the time of Queen
Elizabeth, whose countrymen "despised him and discouraged
his invention. * * * Being soon after invited over to France,
with promises of reward, privileges and honor by Henry IV
* * * he went, with nine workmen and as many frames, to
Eouen, in Normandy, where he wrought with great applause."
Thus does history repeat itself.
HENRY WILLIS.
The following sketch of the greatest organ-builder of the
Victorian Era has been condensed from an interview with him
as set forth in the London Musical Times for May, 1898.
Henry Willis was born in London on April 27, 1821. His
father was a builder, a member of the choir of Old Surrey Chapel,
and played the drums in the Cecilian Amateur Orchestral So-
130 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
ciety. The subject of this sketch began to play the organ at a
very early age ; he was entirely self-taught and never had a lesson
in his life.
In 1835, when he was fourteen years of age,, he was articled
for seven years to John Gray (afterwards Gray & Davidson),,
the organ-builder. During his apprenticeship he invented the
special manual and pedal couplers which he used in all his
instruments for over sixty years. He had to tune the organ in
St. George's Chapel, Windsor, where he made the acquaintance
of Sir George Elvey, who took a great fancy to the boy tuner.
While still "serving his time" and before he was out of his
teens, Henry Willis was appointed organist of Christ Church,
Hoxton. In the early fifties he was organist of Hampstead
Parish Church, where he had built a new organ, and for nearly
thirty years he was organist at Islington, Chapel-of-Ease, which
post he only resigned after he had passed the Psalmist's "three
score years and ten." In spite of the engrossing claims of his
business, Mr. Willis discharged his duties as organist with com-
mendable faithfulness; he would often travel 150 miles on a
Saturda}^ in order to be present at the Sunday services. In his
younger days he also played the double-bass and played at the
provincial Musical Festivals of 1871 and 1874.
After his apprenticeship expired he lived in Cheltenham for
three years, where he assisted an organ-builder named Evans,
who afterwards became known as a manufacturer of free reed
instruments. They produced a model of a two-manual free reed
instrument with two octaves and a half of pedals which was
exhibited at Novello's, in London. Here Willis met the cele-
brated organist, Samuel Sebastian Wesley.
About the year 1847 Henry Willis started in business for
himself as an organ-builder, and his first great success was in
rebuilding the organ in Gloucester Cathedral. "It was my step-
ping-stone to fame," he says. "The Swell, down to double C,
had twelve stops and a double Venetian front. The pianissimo
The Chief Actors in the Drama 133
was simply astounding. I received £400 for the job, and I was
presumptuous enough to marry."
For the Great Exhibition of 1851 in the Crystal Palace (then
in Hyde Park), Mr. Willis erected a magnificent organ which
attracted extraordinary attention and was visited by the Queen
and Prince Consort. It had three manuals and pedals, seventy
sounding stops and seven couplers. There were twenty-two stops
on the Swell, and the Swell bellows was placed inside the Swell
box. The manual compass extended to G in altissimo and the
pedals from CCC to G — 32 notes. There were other important
features in this remarkable instrument which went a long way
towards revolutionizing the art of organ-building. First, the
introduction of pistons, inserted between the key-slips, which
replaced the clumsy composition pedals then in vogue. Again,
to use Mr. Willis' own words, "that Exhibition organ was the
great pioneer of the improved pneumatic movement. A child
could play the keys with all the stops drawn. It never went
wrong."
This organ was afterwards re-erected in Winchester Cathedral
in 1852, and was in constant use for forty years before being
renovated. It was also the means of procuring Willis the order
for the organ in St. George's Hall, Liverpool. "The Town Clerk
of Liverpool wrote to me," said Mr. Willis, "to the effect that
a committee of the Corporation would visit the Exhibition on a
certain day at 6 A. MV their object being to test the various organs
with a view to selecting a builder for the proposed new instru-
ment in St. George's Hall. He asked me if I could be there. I
was there — all there ! The other two competing builders, X and
Z, in anticipation of the visit, tuned their organs in the afternoon
of the previous day, with the result that, owing to the abnormal
heat of the sun through the glass roof, the reeds were not fit to
be heard! I said nothing. At five o'clock on the following
morning my men and I were there to tune the reeds of my organ
in the cool of the morning of that lovely summer's day. At
134 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
six o'clock the Liverpool committee, which included the Mayor
and the Town Clerk in addition to S. S. Wesley and T. A.
Walmisley, their musical advisers, duly appeared. Messrs. X and
Z had specially engaged two eminent organists to play for them.
I retained nobody. But I had previously said to Best, who
had given several recitals on my organ at the Exhibition, 'It
would not be half a bad plan if you would attend to-morrow
morning at six o'clock, as you usually do for practice.' Best
'was there. After the two other organs had been tried, the Town
Clerk came up and said : 'We have come to hear your organ, Mr.
Willis. Are you going to play it yourself?' I said, 'There's
one of your own townsmen standing there (that was Best) ;
ask him.' He did ask him. 'Mr. Best has no objection to play,'
said the Town Clerk, 'but he wants five guineas !' 'Well, give it
to him; the Corporation can well afford it.' The matter was
arranged. Best played the overture to 'Jessonda' by Spohr, and
it was a splendid performance." The organ was quite a reve-
lation to the Liverpudlians, and after talking it over in private
for twenty minutes the committee decided to recommend
Willis to the Council to build the organ in St. George's Hall.
He had, however, serious differences with Dr. S. S. Wesley, who
wanted both the manuals and pedals to begin at GG. "I gave
in to him in regard to the manuals," said Mr. Willis, "but I said,
'unless you have the pedal compass to C, I shall absolutely decline
to build your organ.' '; And so the matter was compromised.
But Willis lived to see the manual compass of his magnificent
Liverpool organ changed to CC (in 1898). When the organ was
finished he recommended that Best should be appointed organist,
although Dr. Wesley officiated at the opening ceremony in 1855.
Not only did Willis practically get Best appointed to Liverpool,
but he had previously coached him up in his playing of over-
tures and other arrangements for the organ. "I egged him on,"
said the veteran organ-builder, and we all know with what re-
sults. Notwithstanding all that Best owed to Willis, he quarreled
The Chief Actors in the Drama 135
with him violently towards the close of his career over the care
of the St. George's Hall organ. As Best told the writer, "not
because Willis could not, but because he would not" do certain
things in the way of repairs, that he claimed did not come under
his contract. This led to the care of the organ being transferred
to T. C. Lewis & Sons, but it was given back to Willis after
Best's death.
Mr. Willis gained a wide and deservedly high reputation as
the builder of many Cathedral organs — upwards of sixteen. His
largest instrument is that in the Eoyal Albert Hall, London.
He designed it entirely himself; he had not to compete for the
building of it, but had carte blanche in regard to every detail.
There was an amusing incident in connection with deciding
upon the pitch of the instrument. The authorities arranged
that Sir Michael Costa, Mr. E. K. Bowley, then general manager
of the Crystal Palace, and some of the leading wind-instrument
players of the day, including Lazarus (a famous clarinetist),
should attend at the factory to settle the question of the pitch
of the organ. "They also brought a violinist," said Mr. Willis ;
"but I couldn't see what a fiddler, who is a very useful man in
his way, had to do with settling the pitch. (I should tell you,"
added Mr. Willis, sotto voce, "that / had formulated some idea
of the proper pitch before these gentlemen arrived.) However,
we duly proceeded, Costa presiding over the conclave. When
they began to blow into their different instruments each man had
a different pitch ! It was a regular pandemonium ! By and by
we settled upon something which was considered satisfactory,
and we bade each other good morning." The sequel need not
be told. We leave it to our readers to draw their own conclu-
sions as to whether the Royal Albert Hall organ was actually
tuned to the pitch of Messrs. Costa, Bowley, Lazarus & Co., or
to that previously decided upon by Mr. Willis.
He erected two large organs for the Alexandra Palace, and one
in Windsor Castle with two keyboards^ one in St, George's
136 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
and one in His Majesty's Private Chapel, whereby the instru-
ment is available for use in both places.
It was entirely owing to Willis' dominating personality that
the organ in St. Paul's Cathedral was rebuilt in its present
form. He had the old screen taken down and the old organ case,
which happened to be alike on both sides, he cut in two and
re-erected on each side of the choir. The change also involved
the removal of the statues of Lord Nelson and Lord Cornwallis.
When one of the committee asked him if he proposed to have two
organists for his divided organ, he replied, "You leave that to
me." And proceeded to invent* his tubular pneumatic action
(see page 25). When this organ was used for the first time at
the Thanksgiving service for the recovery of the Prince of Wales
from typhoid fever in 1872, the pneumatic action for the pedals
was not finished. Willis rigged up a temporary pedal board
inside the organ near the pedal pipes and played the pedal
part of the service music himself while George Cooper was at
the keys in the regions above. After the service Goss said to
Ousley, who was present, "What do you think of the pedal
organ?" "Magnificent!" replied the Oxford Professor. "You
know that the pipes are a long way off; did the pedals seem to
go exactly together with the manuals ?" Goss asked. "Perfectly,"
replied Ousley, "but why do you ask me in that way?" Then
Goss let out the secret — for it was really a great secret at the
time.
Willis' great hobby was yachting. He owned a 54-ton yacht
named the Opal, and attributed the wonderful health he enjoyed
to his numerous sea voyages. "I have circumnavigated the whole
of England and Scotland," he said, "and I am my own captain.
Those two men over there" (pointing to two of his employees
working in the factory) "are my steward and shipwright. The
*Exhaust tubular pneumatic had been practically applied in France as
early as 1849 -and pressure tubular pneumatic in 1867. See page 23.
The Chief Actors in the Drama 137
steward is a fisherman — a fisherman being very useful as a
weather prophet. * * * I do all the repairs to the yacht myself
and have re-coppered her bottom two or three times. I also put
entirely new spars into her, and there stands her old mast. Some
years ago I injured the third and fourth fingers of both my
hands with the ropes passing through them. These four fingers
became bent under, and for a long time I had to play my services
with only the thumb and two fingers of each hand. But Dr.
Macready, a very clever surgeon, begged me to allow him to
operate on my disabled fingers, with the result that I can use
them as of old, or nearly so."
Henry Willis died in London on February 11, 1900, in his
80th year, deeply mourned by all who knew him, and was interred
in Highgate cemetery. In the course of this work we have re-
ferred to the many improvements he effected in organ construc-
tion and reed voicing. As Sir George Grove said, his organs are
celebrated for "their excellent engineering qualities." Clever,
ingenious, dauntless and resourceful — qualities blended together
with a plentiful supply of sound judgment and good common
sense — were some of the striking characteristics of this remark-
able man. He gave his personal attention to every department of
his factory; nothing was too insignificant to claim his notice;
his thoroughness was extraordinary — every pipe went through
his hands. An organist himself, he was always thinking of the
player in laying out his instruments. He had a remarkably in-
ventive genius, which he turned to good account in the mechani-
cal portions of his organs. He took infinite pains with every-
thing and his enthusiasm knew no bounds. But, above all, he
possessed in a striking degree that attribute which a similar suc-
cessful worker once aptly described as "obstinate perseverance."
He had a strong aversion to newspaper men and sent them away
without ceremony. While free from conceit, he was not always
amenable to dictation, especially when he had disputes with
architects — in which the architects were generally worsted.
138 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
He regarded his organ in St. Paul's Cathedral (rebuilt in
1899), as his magnum opus. "There is nothing like it in the
world/' he remarked, with pardonable pride, one Saturday when
Sir George Martin was playing that kingly king of instruments,
To paraphrase the inscription on Purcell's monument in West-
minster Abbey : —
"He has gone where only his own Harmony can be excelled,"
leaving behind him many noble specimens of his remarkable
achievements.
ROBERT HOPE-JONES.
Robert is the third son of the late William Hope-Jones, of
Hooton Grange, Cheshire, England.
His father, a man of means, was prominent as one of the
pioneers in organizing the volunteer army of Great Britain. He
was musical, playing the cornet and having an unusual tenor
voice. His mother (Agnes Handforth) — also musical and a
gifted singer — was a daughter of the Rector of Ashton-under-
Lyne, Lancashire, — a highly nervous woman.
There were nine children of the marriage — two girls and
seven boys. Robert appeared on the ninth of February, 1859.
He inherited in exaggerated degree his mother's highly strung
nervous nature. Melancholy, weak and sickly as a child, he was
not expected to live. To avoid the damp and cold of English
winters he was periodically taken to the south of France. Deemed
too delicate for school, a private tutor was provided. Joining in
sports or games was out of the question for so sensitive and
delicate a youth, — what more natural, therefore, than that he
should become a dreamer — a thinker ? Too ill for any real study,
his musical instincts drove him to the organ, and we find him
playing for occasional services at Eastham Parish Church at the
age of nine. After his father's death, when he was about four-
teen, he spent a couple of years in irregular attendance at school,
LIBRARY
Of THE
UNIVERSITY Of \UtNOlS
The Chief Actors in the Drama 141
and at the time. of his confirmation was persuaded that by super-
human effort 6£ will his physical disabilities might be disregarded
and a life of some value be worked out. Then began the des-
perate struggle that gradually overcame every obstruction and
resulted in the establishment of an iron will and determination
to succeed that no misfortunes have been able to quell. His want
of health greatly interfered with his career till he was nearly
thirty years of age.
When fifteen he became voluntary organist and choir-master
to the Birkenhead School Chapel. Two or three years later
he simultaneously held a similar office at St. Luke's Church,
Tranmere, where he trained a boy choir that became widely
celebrated. For this Church he bought and set up a fine organ.
He subsequently served as Churchwarden and was active in many
other Church offices. He erected an organ in the Claughton
Music Hall and organized and conducted oratorio performances
in aid of various Church funds; training a large voluntary
chorus and orchestra for the purpose. For Psalms whose verses
are arranged in groups of three, he wrote what he called "triple
chants" — a form of composition since adopted by other Church
writers; he also composed Canticles, Kyries and other music for
the services of the Church.
Though St. Luke's Church was situated in a poor neigh-
borhood, the men and boys forming his choir not only gave their
services but also gratuitously rang the Church bell, pumped the
organ bellows, bought all the music used at the services, paid
for the washing of the surplices and helped raise money for the
general Church fund. Hope- Jones' enthusiasm knew no bounds
and he had the knack of imparting it to those who worked
under him.
So earnest and energetic was this young man that in spite of
indifferent health and without at once resigning his work at
St. Luke's, he became choirmaster and honorary organist of St.
John's Church, Birkenhead, doing similar work in connection
142 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
with that institution. He trained both the latter-named choirs
together, and the writer (whose son was in St. John's choir)
frequently assisted him by playing the organ at the services on
Sunday. It was at this Church and in connection with this
organ that Hope-Jones did his first great work in connection with
organ-building. The improved electric action, movable console
and many other matters destined to startle the organ world, were
devised and made by him there, after the day's business and the
evening's choir rehearsals. He had voluntary help from enthusi-
astic choirmen and boys, who worked far into the night — on
some occasions all night. Certain of these men and boys are
to-day occupying responsible positions with the Hope-Jones Or-
gan Company.
All this merely formed occupation for his spare time. About
the age of seventeen he began his business career. He was bound
apprentice to the large firm of Laird Bros., engineers and ship-
builders, Birkenhead, England. After donning workman's
clothes and going through practical training in the various work-
shops and the drawing office, he secured appointment as chief
electrician of the Lancashire and Cheshire (afterwards the Na-
tional) Telephone Company. In connection with telephony he
invented a multitude of improvements, some of which are still
in universal use. About this time he devised a method for in-
creasing the power of the human voice, through the application
of a "relay" furnished with compressed air. The principle is
now utilized in the best phonographs and other voice-producing
machines. He also invented the "Diaphone," now being used
by. the Canadian Government for its fog signal stations and
declared to be the most powerful producer of musical sound
known (in a modified form also adapted to the church organ).
About 1889 he resigned his connection with the telephone
company in order that he might devote a greater part of his at-
tention to the improvement of the church organ, a subject which,
as we have seen, was beginning to occupy much of his spare
The Chief Actors in the Drama 143
time. Pie had private practice as a consulting engineer, but
gradually his "hobby" — organ building — crowded out all other
employment — much to his financial disadvantage and to the
gain of the musical world.
His organ at St. John's Church,, Birkenhead, became famous.
It was visited by thousands of music lovers from all parts of the
world. Organs built on the St. John's model were ordered for
this country (Taunton, Mass., and Baltimore, Md.), for India,
Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, France, Germany,
Malta, and for numbers of English cathedrals, churches, town
halls, etc. Nothing whatever was spent on advertisement. The
English musical press for years devoted columns to somewhat
heated discussion of Hope-Jones' epoch-making inventions, and
echoes appeared in the musical periodicals of this and other
countries.
In spite of every form of opposition, and in spite of serious
financial difficulties, Hope- Jones built organs that have influ-
enced the art in all parts of the globe. He proved himself a
prolific inventor and can justly claim as his work nine-tenths
of the improvements made in the organ during the last twenty
years. Truly have these words been used concerning him — "the
greatest mind engaged in the art of organ-building in this or
in any other age."
Every organist fully acquainted with his work endorses it, and
upwards of thirty organ-builders have honored themselves by
writing similar testimony. The Austin Organ Company, of
Hartford, Cenn., says: "We have taken considerable pains to
study his system and to satisfy ourselves as to the results he
has achieved. There is, we find, no doubt whatever that he has
effected a complete revolution in the development of tone."
Sir George Grove, in his "Dictionary of Music and Musi-
cians" (p. 551), says: "No reference to this description of action
[electric] as set up in recent years would be complete without
mentioning the name of Mr. Kobert Hope-Jones. * * * The
144 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
researches in the realm of organ tone by Mr. Hope-Jones and
others who are continually striving for excellence and the use of
an increased and more varied wind-pressure (ranging from 3 to
25 inches) all combine to produce greater variety and superiority
in the quality of organ tone than has ever existed before."
Elliston in his book on Organ Construction devotes consider-
able space to a description of the organs built by Hope-Jones in
England and Scotland, and says: "The Hope-Jones system em-
braces many novelties in tone and mechanism."
Matthews, in his "Handbook of the Organ," referring to the
Hope-Jones instruments, says:
"In his electric action Mr. Hope-Jones sought not only to ob-
tain a repetition of the utmost quickness, but also to throw the
reeds and other pipes into vibration by a 'percussive blow/ so to
speak; being in this way enabled to produce certain qualities
of tone unobtainable from ordinary actions. Eoundness and
smoothness of tone from the more powerful reeds, and great body
and fullness of tone as well as depth from the pedal stops, are
also noticeable features in these organs."
Ernest M. Skinner, of Boston, used the following words:
"Your patience, research and experiment have done more than
any other one agency to make the modern organ tone what it is.
I think your invention of the leathered lip will mean as much to
organ tone as the Barker pneumatic lever did to organ action,
and will be as far-reaching in its effect.
"I believe you were the first to recognize the importance of a
low voltage of electric action, and that the world owes you its
thanks for the round wire contact and inverted magnet.
"Since I first became familiar with your work and writing
I have found them full of helpful suggestions."
At first Hope-Jones licensed a score of organ-builders to carry
out his inventions, but as this proved unsatisfactory, he entered
the field as an organ-builder himself, being liberally supported
by Mr. Thomas Threlfall, chairman of the Royal Academy of
The Chief Actors in the Drama 145
Music ; J. Martin White, Member of the British Parliament, and
other friends.
It was, perhaps, too much to expect that those who had so
far profited from Hope-Jones' contracts and work should remain
favorably disposed when he became a rival and a competitor.
For nearly twenty years he has met concerted opposition that
would have crushed any ordinary man — attacks in turn against
his electrical knowledge, musical taste, voicing ability, financial
standing, and personal character. His greatest admirers remain
those who, like the author, have known him for thirty years ; his
greatest supporters are the men of the town in which he lives;
his warmest friends, the associates who have followed him to
this country after long service under him in England.
Long before Hope-Jones reached his present eminence, and
dealing with but one of his inventions, Wedgwood, a Fellow of
the Royal Historical Society and a learned student of organ
matters, classed him with Cavaille-Coll and Willis, as one whose
name "will be handed down to posterity" — the author of most
valuable improvements.*
Early in his organ-building career, Hope-Jones had the good
fortune to meet J. Martin White, of Balruddery, Dundee, Scot-
land. Mr. White, a man of large influence and wealth, not only
time and again saved him from financial shipwreck and kept
him in the organ-building business, but rendered a far more im-
portant service in directing Hope-Jones' efforts toward the pro-
duction of orchestral effects from the organ.
Mr. White, in spite of his duties as a member of the British
Parliament, and in spite of the calls of his business in Scotland
and in this country, has managed to devote much time and
thought to the art of organ playing and organ improvement.
Thynne, who did pioneer work in the production of string tone
from organ pipes, owes not a little to Martin White; while
""'Dictionary of Organ Stops," p. 44 and elsewhere.
146 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
Hope-Jones asserts that he derived all his inspiration in this
field from listening to the large and fine organ in Mr. White's
home.
Mr. White argued that the Swell Organ should be full of
violin tone and be,, as the strings in the orchestra, the foundation
of accompaniment as well as complete in themselves. He lent
to Hope-Jones some of his "string" pipes to copy in Worcester
Cathedral, whence practically all the development of string tone
in organs has come. Mr. White further urged that the whole
organ should be in swell boxes.
It is extraordinary that an outsider like Mr. White, a man
busy in so many other lines of endeavor, should exert such
marked influence on the art of organ building, but it remains
a fact that but for his artistic discernment and for the encour-
agement so freely given, the organ would not to-day be supplant-
ing the orchestra in theatres and hotels, nor be what it is in the
churches and halls.
Mr. White has for nearly thirty years helped, enthused and
encouraged, not only artistic organ-builders like Casson, Thynne,
Hope-Jones and Compton, but also the more progressive of the
prominent organists.
All honor to Martin White !
In the spring of 1903 Hope-Jones visited this country. At
the instigation of Mr. E. P. Elliot, the organizer, Vice- President
and Secretary of the Austin Organ Company, of Hartford, Conn.,
he decided to remain here and join that corporation, taking the
office of Vice-President. Subsequently a new firm — Hope-Jones
& Harrison — was tentatively formed at Bloomfield, N. J., in
July, 1904, but as sufficient capital could not be obtained, Hope-
Jones and his corps of skilled employees joined the Ernest M.
Skinner Company, of Boston, Hope-Jones taking the office of
Vice-President, in 1905. Working in connection with the
Skinner Company, Hope-Jones constructed and placed a fine
The Chief Actors in the Drama 147
organ in Park Church,, Elmira,, N". Y., erected in memory of
the late Thomas K. Beecher. He there met, as chairman of the
committee, Mr. Jervis Langdon (Treasurer of the Chamber of
Commerce, Elmira). That gentleman secured the industry for
his city by organizing a corporation to build exclusively Hope-
Jones organs.
This "Hope-Jones Organ Company" was established in Feb-
ruary, 1907, the year of the financial panic. It failed to secure
the capital it sought and was seriously embarrassed throughout
its three years' existence. It built about forty organs, the best
known being the one erected in the great auditorium at Ocean
Grove, N. J.
The patents and plant of the Elmira concern were acquired by
the Rudolph Wurlitzer Co. in April, 1910, and Mr. Hope-Jones
entered its employ, with headquarters at its mammoth factory
at North Tonawanda, N. Y., continuing to carry on the business
under his own name.
Robert Hope-Jones is a member of the British Institute of
Electrical Engineers ; of the Royal College of Organists, London,
England; of the American Guild of Organists; and of other
bodies.
In 1893 he married Cecil Laurence, a musical member of one
of the leading families of Maid stone, England. This lady mas-
tered the intricacies of her husband's inventions, and to her help
and encouragement in times of difficulty he attributes his
success.
We suppose that the reason "history repeats itself" is to be
found in the fact that human nature does not vary, but is much
the same from generation to generation. From the Bible we
learn that one Demetrius, a silversmith of Ephesus, became
alarmed at the falling off in demand for silver shrines to Diana,
caused by the preaching of the Apostle Paul, and called his
fellow craftsmen together with the cry of "Our craft is in dan-
ger," and set the whole city in an uproar. (Acts xix-24.)
148 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
In the year 1682 a new organ was wanted for the Temple
Church in London, England, and "Father" Smith and Eenatus
Harris, the organ-builders of that da}^ each brought such power-
ful influence to bear upon the Benchers that they authorized both
builders to erect organs in the church, one at each end. They
were alternately played upon certain days, Smith's organ by
Purcell and Dr. Blow, and Harris' organ by Baptist Draghi,
organist to Queen Catherine. An attempt by the Benchers of the
Middle Temple to decide in favor of Smith stirred up violent
opposition on the part of the Benchers of the Inner Temple, who
favored Harris, and the controversy raged bitterly for nearly
five years, when Smith's organ was paid for and Harris' taken
away. This is known in history as "The Battle of the Organs."
In the thick of the fight one of Harris' partisans, who had more
zeal than discretion, made his way inside Smith's organ and
cut the bellows to pieces.
In 1875-76 the organ in Chester Cathedral, England, was
being rebuilt by the local firm of J. & C. H. Whiteley. The Lon-
don silversmiths took alarm at the Cathedral job going to a little
country builder and got together, with the result that, one by
one, Whiteleys' men left their employ, tempted by the offer of
work at better wages in London, and had there not been four
brothers in the firm, all practical men, they would have been
unable to fulfil their contract. The worry was partly responsible
for the death of the head of the firm soon after.
All this sounds like a chapter from the dark ages, of long, long
ago, and we do not deem such things possible now.
But listen ! In the year 1895 what was practically the first
Hope-Jones electric organ sold was set up in St. George's Church,
Hanover Square, London, England.
The furor it created was cut short by a fire, which destroyed
the organ and damaged the tower of the church. With curious
promptitude attention was directed to the danger of allowing
amateurs to make crude efforts at organ-building in valuable and
The Chief Actors in the Drama 149
historic churches, and to the great risk of electric actions. Incen-
diarism being more than suspected, the authorities of the church
ordered from Hope- Jones a similar organ to take the place of
the one destroyed.
About the same time a gimlet was forced through the electric
cable of a Hope-Jones organ at Hendon Parish Church, London,
England. Shortly afterwards the cable connecting the console
with the Hope-Jones organ at Ormskirk Parish Church, Lan-
cashire, England, was cut through. At Burton-on-Trent Parish
Church, sample pipes from each of his special stops were stolen.
At the Auditorium, Ocean Grove, N". J., an effort to cripple the
new Hope-Jones organ shortly before one of the opening recitals
in 1908 was made. And in the same year, on the Sunday pre-
vious to Edwin Lemare's recital on the Hope-Jones organ in the
First Universalist Church, Kochester, N. Y., serious damage was
done to some of the pipes in almost each stop in the organ.
CHAPTER XIV.
How WE STAND TO-DAY.
LOOKING backward over the field we have traversed we find
that the modern organ is an entirely different instrument from
that of the Nineteenth Century.
Tracker action, bellows weights, the multitude of weak, drab-
toned stops, have disappeared, and in their place we have stops
of more musical character, greater volume, under perfect and
wide control; new families of string and orchestral tones; great
flexibility, through transference of stops; an instrument oi
smaller bulk than the old one, but yet of infinitely greater
resources.
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 trans-
forming 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 instan-
taneously 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 caril-
lons 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
How We Stand To-Day 151
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 associate the. organ chiefly with its use in Church
services, a new field is opening up for it in Concert Halls, The-
atres, Auditoriums, College and School Buildings, Ballrooms of
Hotels, Public Parks and Seaside Kesorts, 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 up-
wards 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 institution.
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 per-
forming the music.
The exact instant of striking each note and the duration during
which the key is held are faithfuly recorded and reproduced
152 The Recent Revolut'ion in Organ Building
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 reproduc-
tion 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,
How We Stand To-Day 153
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 expres-
sion 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 per-
former.
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 pres-
sures, and tonal resources. First in the writer's estimation comes
the
OKGAN IN ST. GEOKGE'S HALL, LIVEEPOOL, ENG.
This noble instrument was built by Henry Willis to the speci-
fication 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 tern-
154
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
perament, several improvements were made, and the wind pres-
sure on four of the reed stops on the Solo organ increased from
91/2 inches to 22 inches. In 1898 the organ was thoroughly
Keyboards of Organ in St. George's Hall, Liverpool. Two Rows of
Stops at Left Omitted
rebuilt with tubular pneumatic action in place of the Barker
levers. The compass of the manuals was changed from GG — a3
to CC — c4,* five octaves, and the pedals were carried up to g —
32 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.
*This is really only c3 (see footnote, page 22), but we have decided to
adopt the usual nomenclature.
How We Stand To-Day
155
The following is the specification of the organ as it now stands,
in its revised form:
FIRST MANUAL (CHOIR), 18 STOPS.
FEET.
Double Diapason.
16 Gamba
Open Diapason
8 Twelfth
Clarabella
8 Fifteenth
Stopped Diapason
8 Flageolet
Dulciana
8 Sesquialtera, 3 ranks
Viol da Gamba
8 Trumpet
Vox Angelica
8 Cremona
Principal
4 Orchestral Oboe
Harmonic Flute
4 Clarion
SECOND MANUAL (GREAT), 25 STOPS.
FEET.
Dble. Open Diap. (metal)
16 Twelfth
Open Diapason, No. 1
8 Fifteenth
Open Diapason, No. 2
8 Harmonic Piccolo
Open Diapason, wood
8 Doublette, 2 ranks
Open Diapason, No. 3
8 Sesquialtera, 5 ranks
Stopped Diapason
8 Mixture, 4 ranks
Violoncello
8 Trombone
Quint
5V2 Trombone
Viola
4 Ophicleide
Principal, No. 1
4 Trumpet
Principal, No. 2
4 Clarion, No. 1
Flute
4 Clarion, No. 2
Tenth
3V2
THIRD MANUAL (SWELL), 25 STOPS.
FEET.
Double Diapason (metal)
16 Piccolo
Open Diapason, No. 1
8 Doublette, 2 ranks
Open Diapason, No. 2
8 'Fourniture, 5 ranks
Dulciana
8 Trombone
Viol da Gamba
8 Contra Hautboy
Stopped Diapason
8 Ophicleide
Voix Celeste
8 Trumpet
Principal
4 Horn
Octave Viola
4 Oboe
Flute
4 Clarionet
Twelfth
2% Clarion, No. 1
Fifteenth, No. 1
2 Clarion, No. 2
Fifteenth, No. 2
2
FEET.
4
2%
2
2
8
8
8
4
FEET.
2%
2
2
16
8
8
8
4
4
FEET.
2
16
16
8
8
8
8
8
4
4
156 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
FOURTH MANUAL (SOLO), 15 STOPS.
Jb'JCJST.
FEET.
Viol da Gamba
8 Vox Humana
8
Open Diapason, wood
8 Orchestral Oboe
8
Stopped Diapason
8 Corno di Bassetto
8
Flute (Orchestral)
4 *Ophicleide
8
Flute Piccolo
2 *Trumpet
8
Contra Fagotto
16 *Clarion, No. 1
4
Trombone
8 *Clarion, No. 2
4
Bassoon
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%
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 Fagotto 16
Salicional (metal) 16 Ophicleide 16
Bourdon (wood) 16 Trumpet 8
Bass Flute (wood) 8 Clarion 4
Principal (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.
In addition to these coupling movements there are other
accessories, consisting of 36 pneumatic pistons, 6 to each manual,
and 12 acting upon the Pedal stops. There are also 6 composition
pedals acting upon the "Great" and "Pedal" stops simultane-
ously, and 4 pedals acting upon the Swell organ pistons. The
Swell and Solo organs are each provided with tremulants.
Two large bellows in the basement of the Hall, and blown
by two steam engines of 8 h.p. and % h.p. respectively, supply
the wind, which passes from the bellows to 14 reservoirs in
How We Stand To-Day
157
various positions in the instrument, the pressure varying from
3i/2 to 22 inches.
ORGAN IN THE CATHEDRAL OF NOTRE-DAME,
PARIS, FRANCE.
The ancient organ in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris
was built in the reign of Louis XV by Thierry Leselope and
the best workmen of his time. In the Eighteenth Century repairs
Keyboards, Cathedral Notre Dame, Paris
It will be noticed that this illustration is not a photograph, but a wood
engraving, drawn by hand, and the artist was evidently not a musician —
he only shows 38 keys on each manual ; there should be 56.
and additions were made by the celebrated Cliquot. Further
repairs were made by Dalsey from 1832 to 1838, and in 1863
the French Government confided the complete reconstruction
of the instrument to Arjstide Cavaille-Coll. He spent five years
over the work, and the new organ was solemnly inaugurated
on the 6th of March, 1868.
It stands in a gallery over the west door of the Cathedral.
158 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
It has five manuals of 56 notes each, CC to g3, pedal of 30 notes,
CCC to F; 86 sounding stops "controlled by 110 registers";
22 combination pedals, and 6,000 pipes, the longest being 32
feet. Tfie action is Cavaille-ColPs latest improvement on the
Barker pneumatic lever. The wind reservoirs contain 25,000
litres of compressed air, fed by 6 pairs of pompes furnishing
600 litres of air per second. Here is the specification :
PEDAL ORGAN (16 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Principal-Basse 32 Quinte 5%
Centre-Basse 16 Septieme 4#
Grosse Quinte 10% Contre Bombarde 32
Sous-Basse 16 Bombarde 16
Flute 8 Trompette 8
Grosse Tierce 6% Basson 16
Violoncelle 8 Basson 8
Octave 4 Clairon 4
FIEST CLAVIER (GRAND CHOEUR), 12 STOPS.
FEET. FEET.
1H
1%
16
8
4
FEET.
4
2
16
.8
4
FEET.
2%
16
8
4
Principal
8
Larigot
Prestant
4
Septieme
Bourdon
8
Piccolo
Quinte
2%
Tuba Magna
Doublette
2
Trompette
Tierce
1%
Clairon
SECOND CLAVIER (GRAND ORGUE), 14 STOPS.
FEET.
Violon-Basse
16
Octave
Montre
8
Doublette
Bourdon
16
Fourniture, 2 to 5 ranks
Flute Harmonique
8
Cymbale, 2 to 5 ranks
Viola de Gambe
8
Basson
Prestant
4
Basson-Hautbois
Bourdon
8
Clairon
THIRD
CLAVIER (BOMBARDES), 14 STOPS.
FEET.
Principal-Basse
16
Quinte
Principal
8
Septieme
Sous-Basse
16
Doublette
Flute Harmonique
8
Cornet, 2 to 5 ranks
Grosse Quinte
5%
Bombarde
Octave
4
Trompette
Grosse Tierce
3%
Clairon
How We Stand To-Day 159
FOURTH CLAVIER (POSITIF), 14 STOPS.
FEET. FEET.
Montre Hi Flute Douce 4
Flute Harmonique 8 Doublette 2
Bourdon 10 Piccolo 1
Salcional 8 Plein Jen, 3 to 6 ranks
Prestant 4 Clarinette-Basse 16
Unda Maris S Cromorne 8
Bourdon 8 Clarinette Aigue 4
FIFTH CLAVIER (RECIT EXPRESSIF), 16 STOPS.
FEET. FEET.
Voix Humaine 8 *Prestant 4
*Basson-Hautbois 8 *Plein Jeu, 4 to 7 ranks
* Diapason 8 Quinte 2%
*Flute Harmonique 4 Octavin 2
Voix Ce"leste 8 Cornet, 3 to 5 ranks
* Flute Octav 4 Bombarde 16
Voile de Gambe 8 Trompette 8
Quintaton 16 Clairon 4
The printed specification kindly furnished to us by Dr. Will-
iam C. Carl, of New York, who obtained it specially from Mr.
Charles Mutin, of Paris, Cavaille-ColPs successor in business,
is not clear on the matter of couplers. Apparently all the
manuals can be coupled to the Grand Choeur; the Grand Orgne
and the Grand Choeur to the Pedals ; and each mamial has a sub-
octave coupler on itself. One of the combinations to the Pedal
organ is designated, "Effets d'orage" — a thunder stop.
The organ was completely overhauled and renovated by Ca-
vaille-Coll shortly before his death (in 1899) and the stops
marked * were inserted in the Swell (Eecit Expressif) in place
of others. The inauguration announcement states that it is
one of the largest and most complete in Europe, and that inde-
pendently of the perfection of the mechanism it possesses a
power and variety of tone hitherto unknown in organ building,
and now only realized for the first time. It is undoubtedly
Cavaille-Coll's finest work, and a lasting monument to his
genius.
160 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
ST. PAUL'S CATHEDEAL ORGAN, LONDON, ENG.
The old organ in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, on which
Sir John Goss played, and which had felt the magic touch of
Mendelssohn, had 13 stops on the Great, 7 on the Swell, 8 on
the Choir and only one on the Pedal. It stood in a case on the
screen between the choir and the nave of the Cathedral. We
have noted elsewhere in this book how Willis had this screen
removed, and rebuilt the organ on each side in 1872. In 1891
it was rebuilt in its present form as noted below. The writer
first saw and heard this organ in 1872, and never failed, on his
frequent visits to London in later years^ to attend a service
in St. Paul's Cathedral, where there are two choral services
daily all the year round. No summer vacations here. The
effect of the Tuba ringing up into the dome is magnificent.
Willis looked upon this organ as his chef df oeuvre, saying
"There is nothing like it in the whole world!"
The Great organ is situated on the north side of the chancel*
The Swell and Choir organs are on the south side. The Solo
organ and one-third of the Pedal organ are under the first arch
on the north side of the chancel. The Altar organ, which can
be played through the Solo organ keys, is under the second arch
on the north side of the chancel. The remaining two-thirds
of the Pedal organ and three Tuba stops occupy the northeast
quarter gallery in the dome. The keyboards are on the north
side of the chancel, inside the organ case, and can be seen from
the "whispering gallery." There are five manuals, CC to c3, 61
notes; pedals CCC to g, 32 notes.
PEDAL ORGAN (NORTHEAST GALLERY OF DOME), 10 STOPS
FEET. FEET.
Double Diapason 32 Octave 8
Open Diapason, No. 1 16 Mixture, 3 ranks
Open Diapason, No. 2 16 Contra Posaune 32
Violone Open Diapason 16 Bombardon 16
Violoncello 8 Clarion 8
How We Stand To-Day 161
PEDAL ORGAN (UNDER ARCH, NORTH SIDE OF CHANCEL), 5 STOPS
FEET. FEET
Violone 16 Octave 8
Bourdon 16 Ophicleide 16
Open Diapason 16
CHOIR ORGAN, 11 STOPS
FEET. FEET.
Contra Gamba 16 Flute Harmonique 4
Open Diapason 8 Principal 4
Dulciana 8 Flageolet 2
Violoncello 8 Corno di Bassetto 8
Claribel Flute 8 Cor Anglais 8
Lieblich Gedackt 8
GREAT ORGAN, 16 STOPS
FEET. FEET.
Double Diapason 16 Principal 4
Open Diapason, No. 1 8 Octave Quint 3
Open Diapason, No. 2 8 Super Octave 2
Open Diapason, No. 3 8 Fourniture, 3 ranks
Open Diapason, No. 4 8 Mixture, 3 ranks
Open Diapason 8 Trombone 16
Quint, metal 6 Tromba 8
Flute Harmonique 4 Clarion 4
SWELL ORGAN, 13 STOPS
FEET. FEET.
Contra Gaiaba 16 Fifteenth 2
Open Diapason 8 Echo Cornet, 3 ranks
Lieblich Gedackt 8 Contra Posaune 16
Salicional 8 Cornopean
Vox Angelica 8 Hautbois 8
Principal 4 Clarion 4
SOLO ORGAN (NOT IN SWELL Box), 3 STOPS
FEET. FEET.
Flute Harmonique 8 Piccolo 2
Concert Flute Harmonique 4
SOLO ORGAN (IN SWELL Box), 10 STOPS
FEET. FEET.
Open Diapason 8 Tuba 8
Gamba 8 Orchestral Oboe 8
Contra Fagotto 16 Corno di Bassetto
Contra Posaune 16 Cornopean
Cor Anglais 8 Flute S
162 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
ALTAR ORGAN (PLAYED THROUGH SOLO ORGAN KEYS), 5 STOPS
FEET. FEET.
Contra Gamba 16 Vox Humana 8
Gamba 8 Tremulant
Vox Angelica, 3 ranks 8
TUBA ORGAN, G STOPS
FEET. FEET.
Double Tuba (in quarter gal- Tuba (in quarter gallery) 4
lery) 16 Tuba Major (over Great organ) 8
Tuba, (in quarter gallery) 8 Clarion (over Great organ) 4
COUPLERS AND ACCESSORILS — PNEUMATIC
Swell to Great Sub-octave. Dome Tubas to Great.
Swell to Great Unison. Chancel Tubas to Great.
Swell to Great Super-octave. Chancel Tubas to Great.
Solo to Swell.
COUPLERS — MECHANICAL
Tuba Organ to Pedal. Great Organ to Pedal.
Solo Organ to Pedal. Choir Organ to Pedal.
Swell Organ to Pedal.
Six Pistons operate on the whole Organ.
About forty Adjustable Pistons and Composition Pedals.
The mechanism is entirely new. The quarter dome portion
of the organ is playable by electric agency ; the rest being entirely
pneumatic. There are one hundred draw-stops. The most novel
features are the new Altar and Tuba organs. The former, con-
taining Vox Humana, Vox Angelica (3 ranks), and two Gam-
bas (16 and 8 feet) serves for distant and mysterious effects
and to support the priest while intoning at the altar; while
the Tuba organ produces effects of striking brilliancy; three of
the Tubas being located in the northeast quarter-gallery and
speaking well into the body of the building. Among the acces-
sories, also, may be noted the large supply of adjustable com-
bination pistons, which bring the various sections of the instru-
ment well under the player's control. Various wind pressures
arc employed, from 3i/> to 25 inches.
How We Stand To-Day 163
WESTMINSTER ABBEY ORGAN, LONDON, ENG.
All good Americans when they visit London go to Westminster
Abbey, and will be interested in the organ there; in fact we
believe it was largely built with American money. The house
of William Hill & Son, who built this organ, is the oldest firm
of organ-builders in England, being descended from the cele-
brated artist, John Snetzler, whose business, founded in 1755,
passed into the possession of Thomas Elliot, and to his son-in-
law, William Hill (inventor of the Tuba), in the earlier part
of the Nineteenth Century. The business has been in the Hill
family nearly a hundred years and is now directed by William
Hill's grandson. The firm has built many notable instruments
in Great Britain and her colonies (Sydney) celebrated for the
refinement and purity of their tone.
The organ in Westminster Abbey is placed at each side of the
choir screen, except the Celestial organ, which is placed in
the triforium of the south transept (Poets' Corner) and con-
nected with the console by an electric cable 200 feet long. The
form of action used is Messrs. Hill's own, and the "stop-keys"
The Console, Westminster Abbey
164 * The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
therefor (made to a pattern suggested by Sir Frederick Bridge)
will be seen in the picture to the left of the music desk. Note
that this organ can be played from two keyboards. The main
organ has pneumatic action throughout. It was commenced
in 1884, added to as funds were available, and finished in 1895.
The specification (containing the additions made in 1908-9)
follows :
GREAT ORGAN (14 STOPS)
FEET.
Double Open Diapason 16
Open Diapason, large scale 8
Open Diapason, No. 1 8
Open Diapason, No. 2 8
Open Diapason, No. 3 8
Hohl Flote 8
Principal 4
Harmonic Flute
Twelfth
Fifteenth
Mixture, 4 ranks
Double Trumpet
Posaune
Clarion
CHOIR ORGAN (11 STOPS)
Gedackt
Open Diapason
Keraulophon
Dulciana
Lieblich Gedackt
Principal
FEET.
16
8
8
8
8
4
Nason Flute
Suabe Flute
Harmonic Gemshorn
Contra Fagotto
Cor Anglais
SWELL ORGAN (18 STOPS)
FEET.
Double Diapason, Bass 16
Double Diapason, Treble 16
Open Diapason, No. 1 8
Open Diapason, No. 2 8
Rohr Flote 8
Salicional 8
Voix Celestes 8
Dulciana 8
Hohl Flote 8
Dulcet
Principal
Lieblich Flote
Fifteenth
Mixture, 3 ranks
Oboe
Double Trumpet
Cornopean
Clarion
SOLO ORGAN (8 STOPS)
Gamba
Rohr Flote
Lieblich Flote
Harmonic Flute
FEET,
8
8
4
4
FEET.
4
O2/
16
8
4
FEET.
4
4
4
16
8
FEET.
4
4
4
2
8
16
8
4
In a Swell Box
Orchestral Oboe
Clarinet
Vox Humana
Tuba Mirabilis (heavy wind) 8
FEET.
8
8
8
II ow We Stand To-Day 165
CELESTIAL ORGAN (IT STOPS)
First Division—
FEET. FEET.
Double Dulciana, Bass 16 Voix Celestes 8
Double Dulciana, Treble 16 Hohl Flote 8
Flauto Traverse 8 Dulciana Cornet, 6 ranks
Viola di Gamba 8
The following Stops are available, when desired, on the Solo keyboard,
thus furnishing an independent Instrument of two Manuals; whilst in
combination with Coupler Keys, Nos. 1 and 2, Coupler Keys Nos, 3
and 4 can be interchanged, thus reversing the Claviers.
Second Division —
FEET. FEET.
Cor de Nuit 8 Vox Humana 8
Suabe Flute 4 Spare Slide
Flageolet 2 Glockenspiel, 3 ranks
Harmonic Trumpet 8 Gongs (three octaves of brass
Musette 8 gongs, struck by electro-pneu-
Harmonic Oboe 8 matic hammers).
PEDAL ORGAN (10 STOPS)
FEET. FEET.
Double Open Diapason 32 Bass Flute 8
Open Diapason 16 Violoncello 8
Open Diapason 16 Contra Posaune 32
Bourdon 16 Posaune 16
Principal 8 Trumpet 8
Manuals— CC to a8. Pedal— CCC to F.
The entire instrument is blown by a gas engine, actuating a rotary
blower and high pressure feeders.
There are 24 Couplers; 10 Combination Pedals affecting Great, Swell,
and Pedal stops ; 24 Combination Pistons, and 3 Crescendo Pedals.
In 1908-1909 the organ was refitted throughout with William
Hill & Sons' latest type of tubular pneumatic action (excepting
the Celestial organ, for which the electric action was retained),
an entirely new console was provided., a large-scale Open Dia-
pason added to the reed soundboard of the Great organ, and
several additions made to the couplers and combination pistons.
William Hill & Sons are also the builders of the organ in the
Town Hall, Sydney, Australia, once the largest in the world;
it has 126 speaking stops. It may be looked upon as the apothe-
166 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
osis of the old style of organ-building,, with low pressures, dupli-
cation, and mixtures. The highest pressure used is 12 inches
and there are no less than 45 ranks of mixtures which were
characterized by Sir J. F. Bridge as being "like streaks of
silver." The writer saw this organ in the builder's factory in
London before it was shipped to Sydney. A unique novelty
was the Contra Trombone on the Pedal of 64 feet actual length.
The bottom pipes were doubled up into three sections and the
tongue of the reed of the CCCCC pipe was two feet long. Al-
though almost inaudible when played alone this stop generated
harmonics which powerfully reinforced the tone of the full
organ. The organ is inclosed in a case designed by Mr. Arthur
Hill after old renaissance examples.
ORGAN IN THE MANSION OF J. MARTIN WHITE, ESQ.,
BALRUDDERY, SCOTLAND.
The organs heretofore described have been somewhat on the
old lines, but we come now, in 1894, to "the dawn of a new
era/' and the star of Hope- Jones appears on the horizen. With
the exception of an instrument rebuilt by Hope-Jones in Dun-
dee Parish Church, this is the first organ with electric action in
Scotland.
Balruddery mansion, the rural residence of Mr. J. Martin
White, stands in a fair country seven miles to the west of Dundee *
The grounds of the mansion are a dream of sylvan beauty, with
the broad bosom of the River Tay within the vision and beyond
that the blue line of the Fife shore.
The organ is the work of three hands. It was originally built
by Casson; the most notable characters in the voicing are due
to Thynne; and it remained for Mr. Hope-Jones to entirely
reconstruct it with his electric action, stop-keys, double touch,
pizzicato touch and some of his new stops. The console is
movable, connected with the organ by a cable about one inch
How We Stand To-Day 169
thick, containing about 1,000 wires, enabling the player to hear
the organ as the audience hears it.
Eef erring to the view of the hall on page 167, the Great
organ is in the chamber behind the pipes seen in the upper
gallery. The Swell and Solo organs are in the attic above, and
the sound of these can be made distant by shutting the Swell
shutters, or brought near by opening them. The pedal pipes are
put upside down so that their open ends may be toward the
music room.
SPECIFICATION.
Three manuals, CC to a3, 58 notes. Pedal CCC to F, 30 notes.
PEDAL ORGAN (6 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Open Diapason 16 Principal 8
"Great" Bourdon 16 (Partly from 16 feet
"Swell" Violone 16 open.)
Ophicleide 16 Couplers :
(First and second touch, Great to Pedal,
partly from Tuba.) Swell to Pedal.
"Swell" Viola 8 Solo to Pedal.
GREAT ORGAN (9 STOPS).
In swell box No. 2, except the Open Diapason, Clarabel and Sourdine.
FEET. FEET.
Bourdon 16 Principal 4
Open Diapason 8 Zauber Flote 4
Clarabel 8 Piccolo 2
Sourdine 8 Mixture, 5 ranks
Gedackt 8
Couplers: Swell to Great (first and second touch).
Swell to Great Sub-Octave.
" Swell to Great Super-Octave.
Solo Unison to Great (first, second, and pizzicato touch).
Solo to Super-Octave to Great.
5 Composition Pedals.
SWELL ORGAN (10 STOPS).
In Swell Box No. 1.
FEET. FEET.
Violone 16 Geigen Principal 4
Geigen Open 8 Horn 8
Violes d' Orchestre 8 Oboe 8
Harmonic Flute 8 Violes Celestes (Tenor C) 8
Echo Salcional 8 Vox Angelica (Tenor C) 8
170 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
Couplers : Sub-Octave and Super-Octave.
Solo to Swell (second touch).
Great to Swell (second touch).
5 Composition Pedals.
SOLO ORGAN (5 STOPS).
In Swell Box No. 2.
FEET. FEET.
Harmonic Flute (8 inches Tuba Mirabilis (8 inches
wind) 8 wind)
Violoncello 8 Cor Anglais 8
Clarionet 8
Couplers : Sub-Octave ; Super-Octave.
GENERAL ACCESSORIES.
Three Pedal Studs p, f, ff.
Sforzando Pedal /, if.
Stop Switch (Key and Pedal).
Tremulant (Swell and Solo).
ORGAN IN WORCESTER CATHEDRAL, ENGLAND.
Next in chronological order comes the epoch-making organ in
Worcester Cathedral, England, built by Hope-Jones in 1896.
Here he gave to the. world the result of his researches into the
production of organ tone, and we make bold to say that no other
instrument has so revolutionized and exerted such an influence
on the art of organ-building both in England and the United
States. Here for the first time we find that wonderful invention,
the Diaphone, and even the nomenclature of the various stops is
new, however familiar they may be now, seventeen years later.
Hope-Jones is reported to have spent several days in the Cathe-
dral studying its acoustic properties before planning this organ,
and the result was a marvelous ensemble of tone. The fame
thereof spread abroad and eminent musicians made pilgrimages
from all parts of the earth to see and hear it, as mentioned in
our account of Yale University Organ later.
Charles Heinroth, Organist and Director of Music, Carnegie
Institute, Pittsburgh, Pa., says:
How We Stand To-Day 171
"I don't believe I could forget my first impression on hearing
the Worcester Cathedral organ, to me a perfect masterpiece. At
once a sense of something out of the ordinary took hold of me at
hearing the tone quality of the various stops and combinations —
it seemed altogether uncommon."
Similar opinions were expressed by many others.
There were two organs in Worcester Cathedral. The older
of the two, standing on the north side of the choir, though
it had been rebuilt by Hill & Son, contained pipes over 200
years old from the original instrument by Eenatus Harris. The
second organ, built by Hill & Son in 1875, stood in the south
transept. It was a gift to the Cathedral from the late Earl
of Dudley.
In 1895-1896 Hope-Jones constructed a new organ retaining
the Eenatus Harris and some of the Hill pipes. It stands in
three portions, part against the south wall of the transept and
part on either side of the choir, all controlled from the console
originally placed inside the screen just west of the choir stalls,
but since moved into the north choir aisle. It was planned
to have the Solo Tuba on a wind pressure of 100 inches, but
we regret to say the funds for this have not been forthcoming.
The specification follows; the compass of the manuals is from
CC to c4, 61 notes; of the pedals, CCC to F, 30 notes.
GREAT ORGAN (11 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Diapason Phonon 16 Octave Diapason 4
Tibia Plena 8 Quintadena 4
Diapason Phonon 8 Harmonic Piccolo 2
Open Diapason 8 Tuba Profunda 16
Hohl Flute 8 Tuba 8
Viol d'Amour 8
SWELL ORGAN (15 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Contra Viola 16 String Gamba 8
Violes Celestes 8 Quintaton 8
Tibia Clausa 8 Gambette 4
Horn Diapason 8 Harmonic Flute 4
172
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
SWELL ORGAN — Continued.
Harmonic Piccolo
Double English Horn
Cornopean
Oboe
FEET.
2
16
8
8
Cor Anglais (free)
Vox Humana
Clarinet
CHOIE ORGAN (10 STOPS).
Double Open Diapason
Open Diapason
Cone Leiblich Gedackt
Viol d'Orchestre
Tiercina
FEET.
16
8
8
8
8
Dulciana
Flute
Flautina
Cor Anglais (beating)
Clarionet
SOLO ORGAN (5 STOPS).
Rohr Flute
Bombarde
Tuba Mirabilis
FEET.
4
16
Tuba Sonora
Orchestral Oboe
PEDAL ORGAN (13 STOPS).
FEET.
Gravissima 64 Octave Violone
Double Open Diapason 32 Flute
Contra Violone 32 Diaphone
Tibia Profunda 16 Diaphone
Open Diapason 16 Tuba Profunda
Violone 16 Tuba
Bourdon 16
FEET.
8
8
8
FEET.
8
4
2
8
8
FEET.
8
8
FEET.
8
8
32
16
16
8
Couplers: Choir, Great, Swell, Solo to Pedal; light wind Great Sub
Oct (on itself) ; Great reeds Super Oct (on themselves) ; Solo
to Great, Sub, Super and Unison ; Swell to Great, Sub, Super
and Unison ; Choir to Great, Sub and Unison.
Swell Sub and Super Octave (on itself) ; Solos to Swell ;
Choir to Swell.
Choir Sub and Super Octave (on itself) ; Swell to Choir,
Sub, Super and Unison.
Solo Organ Sub and Super Octave (on itself).
Solo Tuba to Great 2d touch.
Swell to Great 2d touch.
Swell to Choir 2d touch.
Choir to Swell 2d touch.
Solo and Pedal Tubas have double tongues and are voiced on 20 inches
of wind.
Accessories : 5 compound composition keys for Great and Pedal, Swell
and Pedal, Solo ; 3 for Choir and Pedal, and 2 to each manual for
How We Stand To-Day 173
couplers ; 2 combination keys ; Tremulant to Swell ; 5 composition pedals ;
Stop Switch, Key and Pedal.
The composition keys between the manuals if touched in the centre
give automatically an appropriate Pedal bass in addition to the particular
stops acted upon ; but if touched on one side do not disturb the Pedal
department. All combination movements affect the stop keys themselves.
The "stop switch" enables the player to prepare in advance any special
combination of stops and couplers, bringing them into play at the
moment desired. The organ is blown by a six-horse gas engine.
ORGAN IN WOOLSEY HALL, YALE UNIVERSITY,
NEW HAVEN, CONN.
This magnificent instrument, built by the Hutchings-Votey
Organ Company in 1902, possesses increased foundation tone
and higher wind pressures. The late Professor Samuel S. San-
ford, devoted much time and interest in its design. He visited
Worcester Cathedral, England, and was profoundly impressed
with the new epoch in tone production heralded by that organ
He made an effort to have Mr. Hope-Jones voice one of his
Tibias and Smooth Tubas for the Yale organ; and though his
effort was not successful, leading features of the Worcester in-
strument were frankly imitated and generously acknowledged.
It was largely due to the liberality of Mr. George S. Hutchings
in interpreting the terms of the contract that such a complete
instrument was secured for the University. In recognition of
this and in view of Mr. Hutchings' artistic contributions to the
art of organ-building, the University conferred upon him the
honorary degree of Master of Arts. The Diapasons are voiced
on pressures ranging from 3% to 22 inches; the reeds in the
Great and Swell on 10 inches, and the Tuba on 22 inches. The
builders state that the mixtures have been inserted at the request
of many noted organists. There are now 78 sounding stops.
Compass of Manuals from CO to c4, 61 notes. Compass of Pedals from
CCC to g, 32 notes.
174
Tlic Recent Revolution in Organ Building
GREAT ORGAN (19 STOPS).
Diapason
Quintaton
Diapason
Diapason
Diapason
Doppel Floete
Principal Flute
Gross Gamba
Viol d' Amour
Gemshorn
Contra Gamba
Bourdon
Stentorphone
Diapason
Gamba
Bourdon
Flauto Traverse
Salicional
Quintadena
Unda Maris
Aeoline
Contra Dulciana
Diapason
Melodia
Viol d'Orchestie
Lieblich Gedacht
Dulciana
Viol Celeste, 2 ranks
Tibia Plena
Tuba Sonora
Gross Flute
FEET.
16
16
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
Octave
Wald Flute
Gambette
Twelfth
Fifteenth
Mixture, 5 ranks
Trumpet
Trumpet
Clarion
SWELL ORGAN (21 STOPS).
CHOIR ORGAN (13 STOPS).
(Inclosed in a Swell Box)
FEET.
16 Violoncello
8 Viola
8 Flauto Traverse
8 Piccolo Harmonique
8 Clarinet
8 Contra Fagotto
8 Tremolo
SOLO ORGAN (6 STOPS).
(In a Swell Box)
FEET.
8 Hohlpfeife
8 Dolce
8 Orchestral Oboe
PEDAL ORGAN (19 STOPS).
Gravissima (Resultant)
Diapason
Contra Bourdon
FEET.
64
32
32
FEET.
4
4
4
2%
2
16
8
4
FEET.
FEET.
16
Vox Celestis
8
16
Harmonic Flute
4
8
Principal
4
8
Violina
4
8
Flautino
2
8
Dolce Cornet, 5 ranks
8
Posaune
16
8
Cornopean
8
8
Oboe .
8
8
Vox Humana
8
8
Tremolo
Contra Bass (Resultant)
Diapason
Diapason
FEET.
8
4
4
2
8
16
FEET.
4
8
8
FEET.
32
16
16
How We Stand To-Day 175
PEDAL ORGAN — Continued.
FEET. FEET.
Violone 16 Octave 8
Bourdon 16 Violoncello 8
Dulciana 16 Bourdon 8
Lieblich Gedacht 16 Tromba 8
Bombarde 16 Super Octave 4
Contra Fagotto 16 Flute 4
Bass Flute 8
There are 20 Couplers; 29 Combination Pistons; 11 Composition
Pedals ; 3 Balanced Swell Pedals and Balanced Crescendo Pedal.
ORGAX IN ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL, BUFFALO, N. Y.
This instrument, built by the Hope- Jones Organ Company
and opened Christmas, 1908, in one of the finest churches in
America, takes position among the great and important organs
of the New World. It is built on the "Unit" principle, and is
divided between the extreme ends of the lofty structure.
The chancel organ, consisting of four extended stops, occupies
the old organ chamber, which opens into the chancel and the
transept of the church. This portion of the instrument stands
in a cement swell box, its tone being thrown through the arch
and into the chancel by means of reflectors. It contains a
Diaphone, the full organ being very powerful, although its
various tones can be reduced to whispers by closing the laminated
lead shutters, which are electrically controlled through the gen-
eral swell pedal at the console.
The other division of the instrument, the organ proper, is
located in the gallery at the distant end of the nave of the church,
and in an adjacent room. This gallery division, complete in it-
self, represents the latest type of Unit organ. Speaking generally,
all the stops are common to all four manuals, and to the pedals,
and can be drawn at various pitches. Following more or less
the analogy of the orchestra, the organ is divided into four
distinct portions, each enclosed in its own cement swell box
with its laminated lead shutters, controlled electrically from the
176
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
console swell pedals. These divisions represent, respectively:
"Foundation," "wood wind/' "string" and "brass."
The entire instrument is played from one console, located in
the nave, connected with the chancel organ by an electric cable
sixty feet in length, and with the gallery organ by one of one
hundred and sixty feet. This key desk is of the well-known
Hope- Jones type, which appeals so strongly to most organists.
It contains all the latest conveniences : Stop-keys, in semi-cir-
cular position above the manuals; combination keys, which move
the stop-keys (with switch-board within easy reach for changing
the selection of stops) ; suitable bass tablets, saving time and
worry to the player ; double touch, offering its wealth of tonal
effects, etc. Through the operation of a small tablet the organs
can be played separately or together.
COMPASS : MANUALS, 61 NOTES ; PEDALS, 32 NOTES.
PEDAL ORGAN (16 STOPS).
FEET.
Foundation.
Tibia Profundissima 32
Resultant Bass 32
Tibia Profunda 16
Contra Tibia Clausa 16
Open Diapason 16
Tibia Plena 8
Tibia Clausa 8
Wood Wind.
Clarinet 16
String.
Contra Viola 16
Dulciana 16
FEET.
8
8
Cello
Cello Celeste
Brass.
Ophicleide 16
Trombone 16
Tuba 8
Clarion 4
Great to Pedal.
Swell to Pedal.
Swell Octave to Pedal.
Choir to Pedal.
One Stud to release all
Suitable Basses.
GREAT ORGAN (14 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Foundation. Wood Wind.
Tibia Profunda 16 Concert Flute 8
Contra Tibia Clausa 16 Flute 4
Tibia Plena 8 String.
Tibia Clausa 8 Dulciana 8
Open Diapason 8 Brass.
Horn Diapason 8 Ophicleide 16
Octave 4 Tuba 8
How We Stand To-Day
177
Tromba
Clarion
Swell Sub to Great.
Swell Unison to Great.
GREAT ORGAN — Continued.
FEET. Swell Octave to Great.
8 Choir Sub to Great.
4 Choir Unison to Great.
Choir Octave to Great.
Tuba to Great Second Touch.
One Double Touch Tablet to cause the Pedal Stops and Couplers to
move so as at all times to furnish automatically a Suitable Bass.
Ten Double Touch Adjustable Combination Keys for Great Stops and
Suitable Bass.
CHOIR ORGAN (22 STOPS).
FEET.
Foundation.
Contra Tibia Clausa 16
Tibia Clausa 8
Horn Diapason 8
Wood Wind.
Orchestral Oboe (Ten C) 16
Concert Flute 8
Clarinet 8
Oboe Horn 8
Orchestral Oboe 8
Vox Humana 8
Flute 4
String.
Contra Viola 16
Viole d' Orchestre 8
Viole Celeste 8
FEET.
8
8
8
8
4
4
4
4
Quintadena
Quint Celeste (Ten C)
Dulciana
Unda Mar is (Ten C)
Gambette
Octave Celeste
Quintadena
Quint Celeste
Brass.
Trombone
Tuba
Tromba
Percussion.
Harmonic Gongs
Harmonic Gongs
Unison Off. Sub-Octave. Octave
Choir to Swell Second Touch.
16
8
8
8
4
One Double Touch Tablet to cause the Pedal Stops and Couplers to
move so as at all times to furnish automatically a Suitable Bass.
Ten Double Touch Adjustable Combination Keys for Swell Stops and
Suitable Bass.
CHOIR ORGAN (22 STOPS).
FEET.
Foundation.
Contra Tibia Clausa 16
Tibia Clausa 8
Horn Diapason 8
Wood Wind.
Clarinet 16
Vox Humana (Ten C) 16
Concert Flute 8
Clarinet 8
Oboe Horn . 8
Orchestral Oboe 8
Vox Humana 8
FEET.
Flute 4
Piccolo 2
String.
Dulciana 16
Viole d' Orchestre 8
Viole Celeste 8
Quintadena 8
Quint Celeste • 8
Dulciana 8
Unda Maris (Ten C) 8
Dulcet 4
Unda Maris 4
178 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
Cnont ORGAN — Continued.
FEET. Swell Sub to Choir
Percussion. Swell Unison to Choir
Harmonic Gongs 8 Swell Octave to Choir
Unison Off. Sub-Octave. Octave. Swell to Choir second touch
One Double Touch Tablet to cause the Pedal Stops and Couplers to
move so as at all times to furnish automatically a Suitable Bass.
Ten Double Touch Adjustable Combination Keys for Choir Stops and
Suitable Bass.
SOLO ORGAN (8 STOPS).
FEET.
Foundation. Clarion 4
Tibia Profunda 16 Percussion.
Tibia Plena 8 Harmonic Gongs 8
Open Diapason 8 Great to Solo.
Brass. Swell Sub to Solo.
Ophicleide 16 Swell Unison to Solo.
Tuba 8 Swell Octave to Solo.
Tromba 8
Four Adjustable Combination Keys.
CHANCEL PEDAL ORGAN (2 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Diaphonic" Diapason 16 Bourdon 1<>
CHAXCEL GREAT ORGAN (7 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Bourdon 16 Flote 4
Open Diapason 8 Octave Gamba 4
Doppel Flote Horn 8
Gamba 8
CHANCEL CHOIR ORGAN (4 STOPS i .
FEET. FEET.
Doppel Flote 8 Flote 4
Gamba 8 Horn 8
GEXERAL.
Sforzando Pedal. Balanced Swell Pedal for Foundation, Balanced
Swell Pedal for Wood Wind, Balanced Swell Pedal for String, Balanced
Swell Pedal fcr Brass.
General Balanced Swell Pedal for all or any of the above.
Five Keys for indicating and controlling the position of the various
Swell Pedals.
Tremulant for Wood Wind.
Tremulant for String.
How We Stand To-Day 179
ORGAN KNOWN AS THE HOPE-JONES UNIT OR-
CHESTRA,
IN THE PARIS THEATRE, DENVER, COLORADO.
This fine instrument was installed in May, 1913, and hailed
by the people of Denver with great enthusiasm. The president
of the Paris Theatre Company, writing under date of June 9,
says:
"The wonderful instrument * * * is proving a source of
interest to the whole city and has materially added to the fame
of 'The Paris' as the leading picture theatre of Denver. No
The Author Playing a Hope-Jones Unit Orchfxtrn.
180 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
thirty-piece orchestra could accompany the pictures so well as
the Hope-Jones Unit Orchestra does. Neither would it so com-
pletely carry away with enthusiasm the crowd that flock to
hear it."
Only the keyboards are visible from the auditorium; the in-
strument is placed on each side of the proscenium, occupying the
place of the usual stage boxes, the tone being reflected into the
theatre through ornamental case work. The 32-foot open dia-
phone is located behind the picture screen. The specification :
PEDAL ORGAN (32 NOTES).
FEET. FEET.
Diaphone 32 Octave 8
Ophicleide 16 Clarinet 8
Diaphone 16 Cello 8
Bass 16 Flute 8
Tuba Horn 8 Flute 4
Bass Drum, Kettle Drum, Crash Cymbals — Second Touches.
Great to Pedal; Solo Octave to Pedal.
Diaphone 32 ft. Second Touch; Ophicleide 16 ft. Pizzicato Touch.
Six Adjustable Toe Pistons.
ACCOMPANIMENT OBGAN (61 NOTES).
FEET. FEET.
Vox Humana (Ten C) 16 Octave Celeste 4
Tuba Horn 8 Flute 4
Diaphonic Diapason 8 Twelfth 2%
Clarinet 8 Piccolo 2
Viole d'Orchestre 8 Chrysoglott 4
Viole Celeste 8 Snare Drum
Flute 8 Tambourine
Vox Humana 8 Castanets
Viol 4
Triangle, Cathedral Chimes, Sleigh Bells, Xylophone, Tuba Horn,
Solo to Accompaniment — Second Touches.
Flute, Solo to Accompaniment— Pizzicato T^ouch.' •
Ten Adjustable Combination Pistons. i
One Double Touch, Tablet to cause, the Pedal1. 'Stops and Couplers to
move so as at a^l tlPies" to furnisjb^ automatically a Suitable Bass.
. GltEAT, OBGAN, (61 NOTES).
*v
FEET. FEET.
Ophicleide 16 n.u-inet (Ten C) 16
Diaphone 16 - r.mtre Viole (Ten C) J 16
Bass 16 Tuba Horn 8
How We Stand To-Day 181
CHOIR ORGAN — Continued.
FEET. FEET.
Diaphonic Diapason 8 Flute 4
Clarinet 8 Twelfth 2%
Viole d'Orchestre 8 Viol 2
Viole Celeste 8 Piccolo 2
Flute 8 Tierce 1%
Vox Humana 8 Chrysoglott 4
Clarion 4 Bells 4
Viol 4 Sleigh Bells 4
Octave Celeste 4 Xylophone 2
Octave, Solo to Great.
Ophicleide, Solo to Great — Second Touches.
Solo to Great Pizzicato Touch.
Ten Adjustable Combination Pistons.
One Double Touch Tablet to cause the Pedal Stops and Couplers to
move so as at all times to furnish automatically a Suitable Bass.
SOLO ORGAN (37 NOTES).
FEET. FEET.
Tibia Clausa 8 Quintadena 8
Trumpet 8 Cathedral Chimes 8
Orchestral Oboe 8 Bells 4
Kiuura 8 Sleigh Bells 4
Oboe Horn 8 Xylophone 2
Six Adjustable Combination Pistons.
GENERAL.
Two Expression Levers, two Indicating and Controlling Keys, Thunder
Pedal (Diaphone), Thunder Pedal (Reed), Two Tremulants, Re-Iterator
for Strings, Re-Iterator for Solo.
One Double Touch Sforzando Pedal, First Touch, 'Full Stops, Second
Touch, Percussion.
One Double Touch Sforzando Pedal, First Touch Snare Drum, Second
Touch Bass Drum, and Crash Cymbals.
CATHEDEAL OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE, NEW
YOEK CITY.
This organ was built by the Ernest M. Skinner Company,
Boston, Mass., in 1911. It is the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Levi P.
Morton, and is said to have cost $50,000. It is contained in two
cases on each side of the triforium of the chancel arid blown by
an electric installation of 25 h.p.
182
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
GREAT ORGAN
(21 STOPS).
FEET.
Diapason
16
Harmonic Flute
Bourdon
16
Octave
1st Diapason
8
Gambette
2d Diapason
8
Flute
3d Diapason
8
Fifteenth
Philomela
8
Mixture
Grosse Floete
8
Trombone
Hohl Flute
8
Ophicleide
Gedackt
8
Harmonic Tuba
Gamba
8
Harmonic Clarion
Er/ahler
8
SWELL ORGAN
(26 STOPS).
FEET.
Dulciana
16
1st Flute
Bourdon
16
2d Flute
1st Diapason
8
Violin
2d Diapason
8
Flautino
3d Diapason
8
Mixture
Spitz Floete
8
Trumpet
Salicional
8
English Horn
Viola
8
Cornopean
Claribel Flute
8
French Trumpet
Aeoline
8
Oboe
Voix Celestes
8
Vox Humana
Unda Maris
8
Clarion
Gedackt
8
Tremolo
Octave
4
CHOIR ORGAN (IN Box) (18 STOPS).
FEET.
Gedackt
16
Piccolo
Gamba
16
Fagotto
Diapason
8
Saxaphone
Geigen Principal
8
Clarinet
Dulciana
8
English Horn
Dulcet
8
Orchestral Oboe
Concert Flute
8
Vox Humana
Quintadena
8
Carillons
Flute
4
Tremolo
Fugara
4
SOLO ORGAN
(17 STOPS).
FEET.
Stentorphone
8
Gamba
Philomela
8
Hohl Preife
Claribel Flute
8
Flute
Harmonic Flute
8
Octave
Voix Celestes
8
Cymbal
FEET.
8
4
4
4
2
8
16
8
4
FEET.
4
4
4
2
16
16
8
8
8
8
4
FEET.
2
16
8
8
8
8
8
FEET.
8
4
4
4
How We Stand To-Day 183
SOLO ORGAN — Continued.
FEET. FEET.
Ophicleide 16 Choir Clarinet 8
Tuba 8 Choir Orchestral Oboe 8
Tuba Mirabilis 8 Clarion 4
Flugel Horn 8 Tremolo
PEDAL ORGAN (24 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Diapason 32 1st Octave 8
Contra Violone 32 2d Octave 8
Violone 16 Super Octave 4
1st Diapason 16 Bombarde 32
2d Diapason 16 Euphonium 16
Gamba 16 Ophicleide 16
1st Bourdon 16 English Horn 16
2d Bourdon 16 Tuba Mirabilis 8
Dulciana 16 Tuba 8
Gedackt 8 1st Clarion 4
Quinte 10% 2d Clarion 4
'Cello 8 Pizzicato 8
There are 32 Couplers. Stop Knobs are used, with Stop Keys for
the Couplers. (See illustration of the College of City of New York,
page 45.)
Suitable combination action adjustable at Console, and visibly affecting
the registers.
The organ is provided wth the following Expression Pedals and ap-
pliances :
Sforzando Pedal, Great to Pedal Reversible, Swell to Pedal Reversible,
Balanced Swell Pedal, Balanced Choir Pedal, Balanced Solo Pedal,
Crescendo Pedal.
OKGAN IN UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, CANADA.
Many fine organs have been erected in Canada and the north-
ern part of the United States by Casavant Freres, of St. Hya-
cinthe, Province of Quebec, among which we may mention the
Church of Notre-Dame in Montreal, the Cathedrals of Montreal
and Ottawa, the Northwestern University, Chicago, and the
Grand Opera House, Boston. The organ in the Convocation
Hall of the University of Toronto has 4 manuals of 61 notes,
CC to c4; pedals of 32 notes, CCC to g; electro-pneumatic ac-
tion; 76 speaking stops; 32 couplers, and 4,800 pipes.
The organ was inaugurated June 6, 1912.
The specification follows:
184 The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
GREAT ORGAN (16 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
*Double Open Diapason 16 fOctave 4
*Bourdon 16 {Harmonic Flute 4
*Open Diapason (large) 8 *Principal 4
*Open Diapason (medium) 8 f Twelfth 2%
fViolin Diapason 8 {Fifteenth 2
*Doppel Flote 8 tHarmonics (15-17-19-B21-22)
*Flute Harmonique 8 fDouble trumpet 16
fGemshorn 8 fTromba 8
* Stops marked * can be played by Coupler in Super Octave.
•{•Stops marked f can be played by Coupler in Sub Octave.
SWELL ORGAN (17 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Gedeckt 16 Piccolo 2
Open Diapason 8 Mixture 3 rks.
Clarabella 8 Cornet 4 rks.
Stopped Diapason 8 Bassoon 16
Dolcissimo 8 Cornopean 8
Viola di Gamba 8 Oboe 8
Voix Celeste 8 Vox Humana 8
Fugara 4 Clarion 4
Flauto Traverso 4
Wind pressure 5 inches ; Cornopean and Clarion 6 inches.
\V ind pressure 4 inches ; Large Open Diapason and Reeds 6 inches.
CHOIR ORGAN (ENCLOSED) (12 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Salicional 16 Suabe Flute 4
Open Diapason 8 Violina 4
Melodia 8 Quint 2%
Gamba 8 Flageolet 2
Dulciana 8 Contra Fagotto 16
Lieblich Gedeckt 8 Clarinet 8
Wind pressure, 3^ inches.
SOLO ORGAN (DIVISION I, ENCLOSED) (8 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Rohr Flote 8 Concert Flute 4
Quintadena 8 Orchestral Oboe 8
Viole d'Orchestre 8 Cor Anglais 8
Violes Celestes (2 rks.) 8 Celesta
SOLO ORGAN (DIVISION II, ENCLOSED) (8 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Stentorphone 8 Harmonic Piccolo 2
Tibia Plena 8 Tuba Magna 16
Violoncello 8 Tuba Mirabilis 8
Octave 4 Tubular Chimes
Wind pressure, 12 inches.
How We Stand To-Day 185
PEDAL ORGAN (15 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Double Open 32 Violoncello
Open Diapason (wood) 16 Octave 8
Open Diapason (metal) 16 Bourdon 8
Violone 16 Super Octave 4
Dulciana 16 Trombone 16
Bourdon 16 Trumpet 8
Gedeckt 16 Clarion 4
Flute 8
Wind pressure, 5 inches ; Reeds, 12 inches.
There are 32 Couplers operated by Draw-stops, also by Pistons and
reversible Pedals.
Combination Pistons, 6 to each Manual, and 4 (Pistons) to the Pedals.
Four Foot Pistons on all Stops and Couplers ; one Foot Piston for
Great to Pedal reversible ; one Foot Piston for Full Organ.
Balanced Swell Pedal to Swell, Choir, and Solo ; Balanced Crescendo
Pedal.
Tremulants to Choir, Swell, and Solo.
CITY HALL, POKTLAND, MAINE.
This organ was built by the Austin Organ Company, of Hart-
ford, Conn., in 1912. It was presented to the city of Portland
by Mr. Cyrus K. Curtis, of the Saturday Evening Post, in mem-
ory of the late Hermann Kotschmar, whose "Te Deum" is well
known in the United States. The organ is in a handsome case
on the platform at one end of the hall and is entitled to take
its place among the world's great instruments. It is certainly
a coincidence that those who have been associated with Mr. Hope-
Jones in business now rank as the foremost organ builders in
America, as witness this fine organ and that in the Cathedral
of St. John the Divine in New York.
The Portland organ his four manuals of 61 notes, CC to c3,
and pedal of 32 notes, CCC to g. There are 88 sounding stops
and 33 couplers.
GREAT ORGAN (18 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Sub Bourdon 32 2d Open Diapason
Bourdon 16 3d Open Diapason 8
Violone Dolce 16 Violoncello 8
1st Open Diapason 8 Gemshorn 8
186
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
GREAT ORGAN — Continued.
FEET.
FEET.
Doppel Flute
8 Double Trumpet
16
Clarabella
8 Trumpet
8
Octave
4 Clarion
4
Hohl Flute
4 Cathedral Chimes (enclosed
in Solo
Octave Quint
3 Box).
Super Octave
2
SWELL ORGAN (16 STOPS).
FEET.
FEET.
Quintaton
16 Harmonic Flute
4
Diapason Phcmon
8 Flautino
2
Horn Diapason
8 Mixture, 3 and 4 ranks
Viole d'Gamba
8 Contra Fagotto
16
Rohr Flute
8 Cornopean
8
Flauto Dolce
8 Oboe
8
Unda Maris
8 Vox Humana
8
Muted Viole
8 Tremulant
Principal
4
ORCHESTRAL ORGAN (13 STOPS).
FEET.
FEET.
Contra Viole
16 Quintadena
8
Geigen Principal
8 Flute d'Amour
4
Concert Flute
8 Flageolet
2
Dulciana
8 French Horn
8
Viole d'Orchestra
8 Clarinet
8
Viole Celeste
8 Cor Anglais
8
Vox Seraphique
8 Tremulant
SOLO ORGAN (12 STOPS).
FEET.
FEET.
Violone
16 Concert Piccolo
2
Flaute Major, Open
Chests 8 Tuba Profunda
16
Grand Diapason
8 Harmonic Tuba
8
Gross Gamba
8 Tuba Clarion
4
Gamba Celeste
8 Orchestral Oboe (enclosed)
8
Flute Overte
4 Tuba Magna
8
ECHO ORGAN (IN ROOF) (8 STOPS).
FEET.
FEET.
Cor de Nuit
8 Echo Cornet, 3 ranks
Gedackt
8 Vox Humana
8
Vox Angelica
8 Harp
Viole Aetheria
8 Tremulant
Fern Flute
4
How We Stand To-Day 187
PEDAL ORGAN (AUGMENTED) (21 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Contra Magnaton 32 Gross Flute
Contra Bourdon 32 Violoncello
Magnaton 16 Octave Flute 4
Open Diapason 16 Contra Bombarde 32
Violone 16 Bombarde (25-inch wind) 16
Dulciana (from Great) 16 Tuba Profunda 16
First Bourdon 16 Harmonic Tuba 8
Contra Viole 16 Tuba Clarion 4
Second Bourdon 16 (From Solo Enclosed)
Lieblich Gedackt (Echo) 16 Contra Fagotto 16
Gross Quint 10^ (From Swell)
Flauto Dolce 8
There are 6 Composition Pedals to the Pedal Organ and 8 Adjustable
Pistons to each Manual controlling the Stops and Couplers. Stop-keys
are used.
Accessory: Balanced Crescendo Pedal, adjustable, not moving reg-
isters ; Balanced Swell Pedal ; Balanced Orchestral Pedal ; Balanced
Solo and Echo Pedal ; Great to Pedal, reversible ; Solo and Echo to
Great, reversible; Sforzando Pedal.
LIVEEPOOL CATHEDKAL, ENGLAND.
The firm of Henry Willis & Sons was established in 1845 by
the late "Father" Willis; who took his two sons, Vincent Willis
and Henry Willis, into partnership with him in 1878. The
majority of the patents and improvements produced by the firm
were solely the work of "Father" Willis, although his son Vin-
cent was associated with him in certain of the later patents.
Vincent Willis left the firm in 1894, six years previous to the
death of "Father" Willis, which occurred in February, 1900,
and the business has since been carried on by his son, Mr. Henry
Willis, with whom is associated Mr. Henry Willis, Jr., the grand-
son of the founder.
The famous traditions of the firm in the field of reed-voicing
and flue tone have been maintained by the present partners, who
are both experienced voicers; and in general up-to-date mechan-
ical details the firm is in the forefront of the English organ-
the contract for the magnificent divided organ which they have
industry; as is evidenced by their recently obtaining
188
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
now under construction (1913) for the enormous New Cathedral
of Liverpool, the specification of which is here appended.
There are five manuals, of 61 notes, CO to c3, and a radiating
and concave pedal board of 32 notes, CCC to g. There are
no extensions or duplications. With the exception of the Celestes,
which go down to FF only, every stop is complete, of full com-
pass. There are 167 speaking stops and 48 couplers, making
a total of 215 draw stop knobs.
PEDAL ORGAN (33 STOPS).
FEET.
FEET.
Dble. Open Diapason, wood 32
*Violoncello, metal
8
Dble. Open Diapason, metal 32
Flute, metal
8
Contra Violone, metal 32
*Quintadena, metal
8
Double Quint, wood 21 %
Twelfth, metal
5%
Open Diapason No. 1, wood 16
Fifteenth, metal
4
Open Diapason No. 2, wood 16
Mixture, 17th, 19th,
22d
Open Diapason No. 3, wood 16
Fourniture, 19, b21,
22, 26, 29
Open Diapason, metal 16
Contra Trombone
32
Contra Basso, metal 16
*Contra Ophicleide
32
*Geigen, metal 16
Trombone
16
Dolce, metal 16
Bombardon
16
* Violone, metal 16
* Ophicleide
16
Bourdon, wood 16
*Fagotto
16
*Quintaton, metal 16
Octave Trombone
8
Quint, wood 10%
*Octave Bassoon
8
Octave, wood 8
Clarion
4
Principal, metal 8
* Stops marked * are in separate
Swell Box.
Wind pressures: 6, 7, 10, 15, and 25 inches.
CHOIE ORGAN (23 STOPS).
FEET.
Contra Dulciana 16
*Contra Gamba 16
Open Diapason 8
* Violin Diapason 8
Rohr Flute 8
*Claribel Flute 8
Dulciana
*Gamba 8
*Unda Maris (FF) 8
Flute Ouverte 4
*Suabe Flute 4
Dulcet . 4
*Stops marked * in separate Swell Box.
Wind pressures : 4 inches ; Trumpet and Clarion, 7 inches.
FEET,
*Gambette 4
Dulciana 2
*Flageolet 2
*Dulciana Mixture, 10, 12, 17,
19, 22
*Bass Clarinet 16
*Baryton, dble. vox humana 16
*Corno di Bassetto 8
*Cor Anglais 8
*Vox Humana 8
*Trumpet (orchestral) 8
* Clarion 4
How We Stand To-day
189
GREAT ORGAN (28 STOPS, 1 COUPLER).
FEET.
FEET.
Double Open Diapason
1<3
Octave Diapason
4
Contra Tibia
10
Principal
4
Bourdon
16
Flute Couverte
4
Double Quint
10%
Flute Harmonique
4
Open Diapason, No. 1
8
Twelfth
2%
Open, No. 2
8
Fifteenth
2
Open, No. 3
8
Piccolo Harmonique
2
Open, No. 4
8
Mixture, 10, 12, 17, 19, 22
Open, No. 5
8
Sesquialtera, 19, b21, 22, 26, 29
Open, No. 6
8
Double Trumpet
16
Tibia Major
8
Trumpet
8
Tibia Minor
8
Trompette Harmonique
8
Stopped Diapason
8
Clarion
4
Doppel Flote
8
Solo Trombas on Great
Quint
5%
(By Coupler)
Wind pressures : 5, 10, and 15 inches.
SWELL
ORGAN
(31 STOPS).
FEET.
FEET.
Contra Geigen
16
Lieblich Flote
4
Contra Salicional
16
Doublette
2
Lieblich Bordun
16
Lieblich Piccolo
2
Open Diapason, No. 1
8
Lieblich Mixture, 17, 19, 22
Open Diapason, No. 2
8
Full Mixture, 12, 17, 19, b21, 22
Geigen
8 .
Double Trumpet
16
Tibia
8
Wald Horn
16
Flauto Traverse
8
Contra Hautboy
16
Wald Flote
8
Trumpet
8
Lieblich Gedackt
8
Trompette Harmonique
8
Echo Gamba
8
Cornopean
8
Salicional
8
Hautboy
8
Vox Angelica (FF)
8
Krummhorn
8
Octave
4
Clarion, No. 1
4
Geigen Principal
4
Clarion, No. 2
4
Salicet
4
Wind pressures : 5, 7, 10,
and 15
inches.
SOLO
ORGAN
(23 STOPS).
FEET.
FEET.
*Contra Hohl Flote
16
Concert Flute
4
Contra Viole
16
Octave Viole
4
*Hohl Flote
8
Piccolo Harmonique
2
Flute Harmonique
8
Violette
2
Viol de Gambe
8
Cornet de Violes, 10, 12, 15
Viol d'Orchestre
8
Cor Anglais
16
Viole Celeste (FF)
8
Clarinet (orchestral)
8
*O'ctave Hohl Flote
4
Bassoon ( orchestral )
8
190
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building
SOLO ORGAN — Continued.
Tromba Real
Tromba Clarion
*Diapason Stentor
FEET.
French Horn (orchestral) 8
Oboe (orchestral) 8
Contra Tromba 16
Tromba 8
All Stops in a Swell Box except Stops marked *.
Wind pressures : 7, and 20 inches.
CLAVIER DES BOMBARDES (TUBA ORGAN) (G STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Contra Tuba 16 Octave Bombardon 4
Bombardon 8 Tuba Clarion 4
Tuba Mirabilis 8 Tuba Magna « 8
Wind pressures : 30 inches ; Tuba Magna, 50 inches.
The Stops of this department will be played from the fifth Keyboard,
the action being controlled by Draw-stop Knob marked "Tuba On."
ECHO ORGAN ( 19 MANUAL AND 4 PEDAL STOPS ) .
ECHO PEDAL.
Salicional
Echo Bass
FEET.
16
16
Fugara
Dulzian
(reed)
Quintaton
Echo Diapason
Cor de Nuit
Carillon (gongs)
Flauto Amabile
Muted Viole
Aeoline Celeste (FF)
Celestina
Fernflote
Rohr Nasat
ECHO MANUAL.
FEET.
16
8
8
8
8
8
8
4
4
8
16
FEET.
9
16
8
8
8
8
8
4
Flautina
Harmonica Aetheria (flute mix-
ture), 10, 12, 15
Chalumeau
Cor Harmonique
Trompette
Musette
Voix Humaine
Hautbois d' Amour
Hautbois Octaviante
Wind pressures : 3M> and 7 inches.
Both Pedal and Manual Stops in Swell Box. The Echo Manual Stops
played from the fifth Keyboard, the action being controlled by Draw-
stop Knob marked "Echo On."
Arranged in two double columns on the left-hand or bass jamb are
48 draw-stop knobs for the Couplers and Tremulants. The principal
Couplers may also be operated by reversible pistons and the Tremulants
(3) by reversible pedals. There are also 5 reversible pedal pistons for the
Manual to Pedal Couplers. In addition to the usual Inter-manual
Couplers there are on the Choir, Swell, Solo, and Echo organs Sub and
Super and Unison (off) Couplers, each on its own Manual.
A novelty is a coupler labeled Solo Tenor to Pedal. By its use the
How We Stand To-day 191
upper 20 notes of the pedal-board are available for a tenor solo by the
right foot, at the same time the Pedal tones are cut off from these notes
and the remainder of the pedal-board is available for use by the left
foot as a bass.
The stop control is effected in the first place by 9 Adjustable Com-
bination Pedals to the Pedal Organ. Then there are 9 Adjustable Com-
bination Pistons to the Choir, Great, Swell, Solo and Echo organs and
5 to the Tuba organ. It is possible to couple each set of these Manual
Pistons to the Pedal organ Combination Pedals, either by draw-stops or
by piston, thus moving pedal and manual stops synchronously.
All these Combination Pedals and Pistons move the draw-stop knobs,
showing a valuable index of their position to the organist.
There are 5 Adjustable Pistons on the treble key frame (and 5 dupli-
cates on the bass key frame) for special combinations, on Manuals,
Pedal, and Couplers.
There are 5 pedals to operate the various swell boxes of the lever lock-
ing type — a locking movement allowing the performer to leave pedal
in any position. The swell pedal for the Pedal stops can be coupled
to any of the others.
The Tremulants have attachments allowing the performer to increase
or decrease the rapidity of the vibrato at will.
The action throughout is electro-pneumatic and tubular-pneumatic (ac-
cording to distance of pipes from keyboard), excepting the Manual to
Pedal Couplers, which are mechanical to pull down the manual keys.
There are seven separate blowing installations of electric motors.
The instrument occupies two special chambers on each side
of the chancel, and a portion of the south chancel triforium.
There are four fronts, two facing the chancel and two (32 feet)
facing the transepts. The console is placed on the north side
above the choir stalls. The organ is the gift of Mrs. James
Barrow and cost (without cases) about $90,000. The specifica-
tion was drawn up by Mr. W. J. Eidley, nephew of Mrs. Bar-
row, with the full approval of her committee, Mr. Charles Col-
lins, Mr. E. Townsend Driffield, the Cathedral organist, Mr. F.
H. Burstall, P. K. C. 0., and Henry Willis & Sons.
It is claimed that this organ is now "the largest in the world." We
give the dimensions of some notable instruments for the sake of com-
parison :
Paris, St. Sulpice, 118 stops; London, Albert Hall, 124; Sydney Town
Hall, 144; St. Louis Exposition, 167; Hamburg, St. Michael's, 163, and
Liverpool Cathedral, 215.
James Ingall Wedgwood, in writing his excellent "Diction-
ary of Organ Stops," felt it incumbent upon him to offer an
apology, or rather, justification for introducing the name of
Hope-Jones so frequently.
The author of this present volume feels the same embarrass-
ment. He, however, does not see how it would be possible for
him, or for any future writer, who values truth, to avoid reitera-
tion of this man's name and work when writing about the modern
organ.
The author's thanks are due to the Austin Organ Company,
the Bennett Organ Company, Dr. W. C. Carl, the Estey Organ
Company, the Hook & Hastings Company, the Hope-Jones Organ
Company, the Hutchings Organ Company, Mr. M. P. Moller,
Messrs. J. H. & S. C. Odell, and the E. M. Skinner Company,
of the United States; to Messrs. Casavant Freres, of Canada;
to Messrs. J. H. Compton, W. Hill & Son, Dr. J. W. Hinton,
Alfred Kirkland, John Moncrieff Miller, and Henry Willis &
Sons, of England ; to Dr. Gabriel Bedart, of Lille, and M. Charles
Mutin, of Paris, France, for valuable data, photographs and
drawings, kindly furnished for this book.
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