May 6th. England is about to possess one of the finest rooms, and the largest and most powerful organ in Europe. What the other qualities of the latter will be, remains to be proved. But the metropolis of the kingdom will not have to boast of these advantages, the credit of them will belong to a provincial town, to Birmingham, where a townhall is nearly finished, the interior of which is 140 feet long, 65 wide, and 65 high. In this is to be placed—chiefly for the use of the musical festivals there to be held for the benefit of the General Hospital—the organ alluded to, the following description of which accompanies a lithographic print of the gigantic instrument now building.
The organ case will be forty feet wide and forty-five feet high. The largest metal diapason pipe is to be five feet three inches in circumference, and thirty-five feet in height. The largest wood diapason pipe will measure in the interior upwards of two hundred cubic feet. In the full organ are to be ten open diapasons, and all the other parts must be in calculated proportion to this. There will be sixty draw-stops, and five sets of keys. To supply so stupendous an instrument with wind will require many sets of bellows, the whole superficial measure of which will exceed three hundred and eighty feet. And to give, if it can be fairly estimated, some further idea of the magnitude of this organ, it may be stated, that its weight will amount to upwards of forty tons.
It was intended to open this grand hall, and still grander organ, in the autumn of the present year; but to prevent any injurious haste in the completion of the building and of the instrument, the grand musical festival, which will prove to the county of Warwick that it possesses one of the most splendid rooms, and the most magnificent organ in the world, is deferred till October, 1834.
8th. In the bill of the Ancient Concert this evening is an odd junction,—‘The Chaconne and Requiem of JOMELLI.’ It should have been Overture only, this including the Chaconne; and neither have any connection whatever with the Requiem, though they make a very good introduction to it. In future, let us hope that the name of a ballet-tune will not be coupled with the Missa pro defunctis; unless it be intended to have a musical as well as graphic Dance of Death.
11th. The Glee Club this day decreed their prize for the best cheerful glee to Mr. Hawes. Last week, Mr. Goss obtained the prize for a serious glee.
—— This day died a singer, not unknown to fame in her day, Mrs. Dickons, who, at nearly the close of the last century, held rather a prominent station as a performer, both on the stage and in the concert-room. This lady manifested a decided talent for music at a very early age, and at eleven years of age, her father, Mr. Poole, placed her under Rauzzini. At thirteen, the Court Journal tells us, she appeared at Vauxhall; but no notice is taken of this in the account given of her in the Dictionary of Musicians, the heads of which were probably furnished by her direction. Afterwards, but at what exact time I am not aware, she was placed under Mr. John Ashley, jun., who instructed her generally in music, and through the interest of his father she was allowed to sing at the Ancient Concerts.