Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-03-02
MR.. BEECHER ON ORGAN PLaYING IN
Oil RGH

The Independent (Mr. b is down on the
= outrages OF church organ playing. Here is
picture OF players and Instruments
The great players of the regions round about.
or of distant celebrity, have had the grand or
gan exhibition; and this magnificent instru-
ment has been put through all its PAGES in n
manner which has surprised every one and if
II had had n conscious existence. must have sur
prised the organ itself most Of all Ii has
pipcd, futed, trumpeted brayed, thundereJ; it
has played 80 loud that every body was deaf
ened, and 50 soft that nobody could hear The
pedals played for thunder, the flutes languish-
ed and cOquetted and the swell died away in
delicious sufOcatiOn. like one singing a sweet
song under the bed clothes. Now il leads down
! Stupendous waltz with full brass. sounding
very much n If. in summer. a thunder storm
should play above our heads Come haste to
the Wedding, or Money Musk. Then came
marches, galOps. and hOrnpipes An organ
playing hOrnpipes ought to have elephants for
dancers.
At length fugue il to show the whole scope
and power Of the instrument. The theme like
IL cautious rat, peeps out to see If the coast i
clear; and after few heStatiOns comes forth
and begins TO friSk a little, and run up and
down 10 see what ii can find. 1t finds lust
what 1t did not want, pursuing tenor lying in
ambush and waiting for spring and "a the
theme comes incautiOusly near. the savage cat
Il. a.. then
takes after II with terrible earncstnesS But il
has miScalculated the agility of the theme. All
that AZ could do. with the most desperate effort
was 10 keep the theme from running back into
No. hole Rgain, and 50 they run up and down
around and around. doiging. eluding. whip
ping in and out Of every corner and nook TIL
the whole organ was aroused AMI the bass be-
gan To take part but unluckily slipped and
rolled down stairs. and lay at the bottom raw
ing and growing in the most awful manner,
and nothing could appease il. Sometimes the
theme WA caught by one part and dandled for
4 moment when. with II snatch another part
took II AMI ran on exultant. until unawares the
same trick was played on it, and finally. all
the parts being greatly exercised in mind be-
gan To chase each other prOmiacuOusly in and
out up and down, now separating and now
rushing ii full tilt together until everything in
the organ lost patience, and all the stOps'
were drawn, and. in spite of all that the brave
Orgauist could do-whO flew about and bobbed
up and down. feet, hands, head and all-the
tune broke up into real row. and every part
was clubbing every other one. until ut length
patience being no longer virtue. the organist
Win Nv" OF three terrific crashes put an end to
the riot and brought the great organ back
to silence,
Then came congratulations The orsanist
shook hAndS with the builder, and the builder
shook hands with the organist and both of
them shook hands with the committee ami
the young men who thought it their duty to
know something about music looked wise. and
and the young ladies' looked wise too. and the
minister looked silly, and the parishioners gen
orally looked stupid, and all agreed that there
never WAS such an Orsan-nO, never. And tho
builder assured the committee that he had lone
little more than the contract stipulated; for
he was very anxious to have z Iod organ in
that church! And the wise men of the COM
mittee talked signifc lntly of what treasure
they had got. The sexton gave a second look
at the furnace, lest the church should take Il
into its head now, of all times. to burn up; and
he gave the key an extra twist in the lock, lest
SINE thief should run Or with the organ.