The Recent Revolution in Organ Building Part 17

The organ is the work of three hands. It was originally built by Ca.s.son; 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 thick, containing about 1,000 wires, enabling the player to hear the organ as the audience hears it.

Referring 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 a|3|, 58 notes. Pedal CCC to F, 30 notes.

PEDAL ORGAN (G STOPS).

FEET. FEET.

Open Diapason 16 Princ.i.p.al 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 Princ.i.p.al 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 Princ.i.p.al 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 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 Tuba Mirabilis (8 inches wind) 8 (8 inches wind) 8 Violoncello 8 Cor Anglais 8 Clarionet 8 Couplers: Sub-Octave; Super-Octave.

GENERAL ACCESSORIES.

Three Pedal Studs _p, f, ff_.

Sforzando Pedal _f, ff_.

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 Cathedral 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 Inst.i.tute, Pittsburgh, Pa., says:

"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 Renatus 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 Renatus 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 compa.s.s of the manuals is from CC to c|4|, 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 Harmonic Piccolo 2 Cor Anglais (free) 8 Double English Horn 16 Vox Humana 8 Cornopean 8 Clarinet 8 Oboe 8

CHOIR ORGAN (10 STOPS).

FEET. FEET.

Double Open Diapason 16 Dulciana 8 Open Diapason 8 Flute 4 Cone Leiblich Gedackt 8 Flautina 2 Viol d'Orchestre 8 Cor Anglais (beating) 8 Tiercina 8 Clarionet 8

SOLO ORGAN (5 STOPS).

FEET. FEET.

Rohr Flute 4 Tuba Sonora 8 Bombarde 16 Orchestral Oboe 8 Tuba Mirabilis 8

PEDAL ORGAN (13 STOPS).

FEET. FEET.

Gravissima 64 Octave Violone 8 Double Open Diapason 32 Flute 8 Contra Violone 32 Diaphone 32 Tibia Profunda 16 Diaphone 16 Open Diapason 16 Tuba Profunda 16 Violone 16 Tuba 8 Bourdon 16

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.