Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-12-03

in London for the new Crystal Palace at Sgd
enham:
II have Just seen the scheme of the monster
| organ to be built for the Crystal Palace at
| Sydenham. Its contemplated erection has not,
as yet, been made public, so that you will,
doubtless, be apprised of its dimensions before
any one in America at least. 1t will be pro-
| digious instrument, at least three times as
large as any ever constructed. 1t is to occupy
position at the east end of the transept. 1t
will contain, in all, one hundred and thirty
| eighteen pipes:
The The G Gse Organ Organ % % stops and ss pipes
The Swell Organ 90 1924 /"
The Pedal Organ 80 1850
It will be one hundred and t,centy feet high,
fifty feet Deep with breadth of ninety.fue
feet, and will have four rows of keys.
The cost of this mammoth instrument is to
be 925, 900, or $l25,0OOl The bellows will be
worked by steam.
Mr.. Hill, Of London, has the contract for its
construction, and three years are allowed him
for its completion. The largest pipe will be
| sixty-four feet long, which is double the length
| of any now in use. 1t will be built in stories,
| like a house, with staircases, &c. The sides of
the case to be of glass, and the GA feet pipe to
stand in 'front.'
The history of music has many attractions
for those who love that gentle art Between it
and poetry there exists very tender alliance.
| 10 write the songs of nation, it has been
said, IS tantamount to governing that nation.
| The reason of this power is not SO much
in the poetry as the music to which it is set.
| All nations, however rude, all tribes, however
savage have their national music. The de-
graded tribes of the interior of Africa have their
solemn, and not unmelodious chants. The In
dams have their war songs. The ancient Britains
have left us specimens of their skill in music.
The ancient Isralites had their war songs and
their sacred songs, set to music. We have
every style of music, from the plaintive wall of
the benighted African, up to the good honest
old English ballad, and from that up to the
most difficult involved, and incomprehensble
Italian productions.
But it was not our design to speak of vocal
music. Our purpose was to refer more particu-
larly to instrumental music. Musical instru-
ments are various. They extend from the
simple pipes of the rustic shepherd, up to the
swelling and sonorous organ-the largest mu-
steal instrument, we believe, that has been in.
vented.
Monarchs in almost every age have had, as
well their musicians, as their poets-their pet
fools and their mistresses The poets, how
ever, of royalty, called laureates held snecures.
A string of adulatory verses once year, or
whenever an addition to the royal family was
made, constituted their labors.. But we are
rather wandering from our object. 1t was with
the organ that we designed to deal.
Of the organ there are several varieties.
The first is the noted hand organ. These in
struments are commonly found in the hands of
wandering Italians, or itinerant French who,
for copper tune, grind music to amuse
children, and to entice decorated MONKEYS to
play at their ludicrous pranks and gambols.
The second variety is the church organ.
wherein the psalms of David and the hymns
in the prayer book are performed-these per.
formances being very delightful part of the
worship of religious congregations
The third and last variety, and the one with
which we mean at present to deal, is of modern
origin, and goes by the name of the GOVERN
MENT ORGAN. This peculiar instrument
is used, like the church organ, for purposes of
worship-not, however, the worship Of our
maker, but the worship of mammon Strictly
speaking, its music cannot be called sacred.
The French or Italian organ-grinder is con.
tent, as we have said, with a copper tune.
Not so with government organ-grinder. His
pay must be both high and certain. The poet
laureate is required, as we have said, to write
but one string of adulatory, Mandy pambyverses
year-but the government organ-grinder, less
lucky than he, is required to make perennial,
perpetual music For him there is no rest.
By day and by night his services are demand.
ed. He mingles his laudatory performances
with the matin songs of the lark, and with the
ugly boot of the dismal night owl His copious
illusions OF praise must flow out in season and
out of season. Right or wrong, it is his duty
to praise the government-magnifya all its acts,
and worship all connected with it.
Happily for him the monotony of laudation,
is often relieved by the necessity Of abuse and
animadversion-not of the government, how.
ever, but of the people and the presses of the
country, who are bold and honest enough to con.
denim what they reckon wrong. 1t is hard to
say which task is most congenial to its taste.
Both it discharges faithfully. He who can
praise-can also condemn--on the principle
we presume, that good lover can be a very
bitter hater.
One Of the annoyances to which this func.
tionary is subjected is the liability of his instru.
ment to get out of tune. 1t sometimes gives
out one note when it ought to sound another.
1t requires great skill to guard against such
disasters
Scattered throughout the country are num-
berless smaller organs, whose business it is,
with religious exactitude to catch up the tunes
OF the big organ, and play them for the astonish