The Recent Revolution in Organ Building / Being an Account of Modern Developments
E-text prepared by Al Haines
Transcriber's note: This book contains a number of references to organ notes in form c3 , where the 3 is superscripted.
Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, Eng.; First Mus. Bac., Dunelm.; Organist of Christ Church, Pelham Manor, N. Y.; late of All Angels', New York; St. Clement's, Philadelphia, and Wallasey Parish Church, England
Some years ago the elders and deacons of a Scotch church were assembled in solemn conclave to discuss the prospective installation 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 of helping those who may be placed in a similar position; who may be called upon to decide the serious question of the purchase of a new organ for their church, town hall, or an auditorium, 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 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.
George Laing Miller
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GEORGE LAING MILLER
FOREWORD
CONTENTS
INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS
Pre-historic Double Flutes. From Assyrian and Egyptian Tombs
Fig. 1. The Wind-chest. Front View
Fig. 2. The Wind-chest. Side View
Fig. 3. The Pneumatic Lever
Fig. 4. Nomenclature of Organ Keyboard
PROSPER-ANTOINE MOITESSIER, INVENTOR OF TUBULAR PNEUMATIC ACTION
TUBULAR PNEUMATICS.[1]
Fig. 5. Tubular Pneumatic Action
THE CRYING NEED FOR ELECTRIC ACTION.
The First Electric Organ Ever Built. In the Collegiate Church at Salon, Near Marseilles, France (1866).
DESCRIPTION OF THE ELECTRIC ACTION.
Fig. 6. The Electro-Pneumatic Lever
Fig. 7. Valve and Valve Seat, Hope-Jones Electric Action
DIVISION OF ORGANS.
OCTAVE COUPLERS.
DR. ALBERT PESCHARD. Inventor of Electro-Pneumatic Action.
Fig. 8. Console, Showing the Inclined Keyboards First Introduced Into This Country by Robert Hope-Jones
Fig. 9. Console on the Bennett System, Showing Indicator Discs
Fig. 10. Console of Organ in Trinity Church, Boston, Mass. Built by Hutchings Organ Co.
Fig. 11. Console of Organ in College of City of New York. Built by The E. M. Skinner Co.
CONTROL OF THE STOPS.
PEDAL STOP CONTROL.
SFORZANDO PEDAL—DOUBLE TOUCH.
BALANCED SWELL PEDAL
SWELL BOXES.
Fig. 12. The Principle of the Sound Trap
Fig. 13. Sound Trap Joint
Figs. 14-15. The Vacuum Shutter
BELLOWS SPRINGS VERSUS WEIGHTS.
INDIVIDUAL PALLETS.
HEAVY WIND PRESSURES.
MECHANICAL BLOWERS.
Series of harmonics
Fig. 16. Estey's Open Bass Pipes—Wood and Metal
DIAPASONS.
Fig. 17. Diapason Pipe with Leathered Lip
THE DECLINE OF MIXTURES.
FLUTES.
STRINGS.
REEDS.
Fig. 18. Haskell's Clarinet Without Reed
Fig. 19. Diagram of Reed Pipe
Fig. 20. Vox Humana with Vowel Cavity Attached. Fig. 21. Orchestral Oboe with Vowel Cavity Attached Fig. 22. Kinura with Vowel Cavity Attached
UNDULATING STOPS—CELESTES.
PERCUSSION STOPS.
THE DIAPHONE.
Fig. 23. Diaphone in Worcester Cathedral, Eng.
Fig. 24. Diaphone in Aberdeen University.
Figs. 25, 26, 27. Diaphone in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
Fig. 28. Diaphone in the Auditorium, Ocean Grove, N. J.
Fig. 29. Diaphone in St. Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo, N. Y.
Fig. 30. Diaphone Producing Foundation Tone
NEW METHOD OF REED TUNING.
Figs. 31-35. New Method of Tuning Reeds
ARISTIDE CAVAILLE-COLL.
CHARLES SPACHMAN BARKER,
CHARLES SPACHMAN BARKER.
ARISTIDE CAVAILLE-COLL.
HENRY WILLIS.
Henry Willis
ROBERT HOPE-JONES.
Robert Hope-Jones
AUTOMATIC PLAYERS.
ORGAN IN ST. GEORGE'S HALL, LIVERPOOL, ENG.
ORGAN IN THE CATHEDRAL OF NOTRE-DAME, PARIS, FRANCE.
Keyboards, Cathedral Notre Dame, Paris
ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL ORGAN, LONDON, ENG.
WESTMINSTER ABBEY ORGAN, LONDON, ENG.
The Console, Westminster Abbey
Organ in Hall of Balruddery Mansion, Dundee, Scotland
ORGAN IN WORCESTER CATHEDRAL, ENGLAND.
ORGAN IN ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL, BUFFALO, N. Y.
The Author Playing a Hope-Jones Unit Orchestra.
CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE, NEW YORK CITY.
ORGAN IN UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, CANADA.
CITY HALL, PORTLAND, MAINE.
LIVERPOOL CATHEDRAL, ENGLAND.