The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1865-11-22
NEW
MUSICAL
INSTRUMENT
DRAWING ROO M!

THE piano forte, which has had almost
exclusive favor ms q drawinv-room instrument, IL
finding rival In the Cabinet Organ. recently tro.
duced, and which Is receiving much favor In musical
circles.
An instrument which should be capable. In good
degree, Of producing the admirable effects Of the
large pipeorgnn, Of adding TO them IN i'm poriant
respects, and yet, which should not exceed the
possibilities of private houses to space, expense
etc has long been the dcsiderntum with musical
connosseurs, and Its production an object Of the
ambition OF manufacturers We have become
customed to the piano forte rs the sole interpreter
OF all classes If Instrumental music IN our homes,
and II Is admirable in its office in many respects,
that IL is realized that in large classes Of music
1t labo,s under great disadvantage from its inability
to produce sustained toness Yet for the inierrcta
ton Of many compositions, these actually
tial. From the instant piano Key II struck, tho
tone rapidly decreases until II Is lost entirely In
way II be long continued or made to increase
instead Of diminishing and the repetition Of tones
to which the performer Is compelled 10 resort. in
place OF their proongaion, H. after ALL unsat sfcio
ry in its results. The popularity Of the tones Of
the piano frte is undoubtedly excellent, as single
effect, conducting to the GRACEFUL and spirit Of its
uttcrances and its capacity Of expression but Ii IL
by means the only desirable effect and the i'm
possibility Of escaping il produces certain sameness
and menotony, and greatly circumscribcs the capa-
| bties of the instrument.
| The various orchestral and band Instruments and
the human voice, especially avoid this samencss Of
the piano forte, and capable of sustained tones
with greater variety in crescendo and diminucndo
effects but not one Of them. sngly, can produce
harmony well as melody. Here then, they are far
behind the piano in usefulness. Where n number Of
them can be used together as IN orchestra choir, or
even qnartette Of voices or Instruments harmony M
/ well rs melody Is possible, with every variety Of
musical effect. Hence II is for such combinations
| that most Of the best musical compositions have
been written, and they cannot be adequately rem
| dered by any instrument not capable Of sustained
tones But those Of us who are less than princes
cannot keep At our private command bands Of mu.
hfcians to minister to our musical pleasure at WILL
mud thus the ne d of some one instrument which
shall combine the capabilities Of many-which shall
add to the capacity Of the piano that If the organ,
and. under the hands OF single performer. better
render our most valuable music than the liano can
possibly do. on account Of the pccuilarities men.
toned.
Pipe-organs are ont Of question: from the large
space they must necessarily occupy In order to
tain reasonable compass aud variety as we'll as from
their great cost. In pipe organ II II be properly
! balanced aud well furnished In it. lower well ~
/ upper tones. pipe sixteen feet long and several
inches in diameter is requisite TO produce the single
lowest tone. From this size, the pipes gradually
decrease In size as the tones TO be produced hre
higher; but rs in single full stop there must be
sixtyone pipes, and reasonably satisfaction PHI
organ must contain several STOPS 1t is obvious that
large amount Of space must he occupied by such an
fnsfrument-not 70 mention the expense involved In
its construction For private houses therefore, save
space and expense, it has been customary and even
necessary to omit the heavier stops requiring these
large pipes; and 50 disproportioped. ilbalanced In
struments have been the result, without, after all.
| attaining sufficient compactness and economy 10
| render them generally available.
This insuperable difficulty. with some minor Ones
has prevented the pipe-organs from becoming popu.
| lar parlor Instruments.
/ For long time II has appeared probable to those
who were cognzant of such matters that IL the de.
sired instrument. which should be miniature Of the
| great pipe organ or an epitomc Of the orchestra,
were ever produced, il must be- by the Improvement
Of some form of instrument in which the tones
produced hy reeds. These occupy little space. are
| readily controlled, and do not involve very great
expense Hence much time and ingenuity have boen
given TO experiments in this direction The chief
difficulty TO be overcome was not tifng. being noh-
ing less than poor, nnattractive quality Of tone.
The term "reedy tones" had become almost pro.
verbal expression of condemnation. And then there
were other shortcomings SCARCELY less important.
1t Is not our purpose to attempt illusion even
to the immediate experiments " hich have iiecn made
in the course OF many TO overcome this iadcal
defect, as well rs the other deficiencies In reed in
struments. Their success has been various and not
always encouraging though progress made from
time TO time, the result Of which the public had in
the shape of melodeons. harmonious, and reed or
gans Of various names. 10 only withnsa few years,
however. that reed instruments have attained such
| degree Of excellence TO merit receive much
attention from musical connoissenrs But within
the past few years such material progress has been
made by tho well-known manufacturers, Messrs.
Mason Eamlin. If Boston. AS to place the tnstru.
ments made by them higher level, and to decide
the question that the piano forte Is no longer TO hold
the only prominent pace hons chod in trumcnt.
These manufacturers have worked ont the secret of
producing tones Of the best quality-toncs # sur.
|
| otherwise Brought the Instruments for which they
| have adopted the appropriate name, "Cabi, ct Or.
gans" to such degree Of excellence, that they are
exciting much interest in musical circles, aud
| already becoming the fashion with those who
the alert for musical novelties of real merit. With.
out doubt in these Cabinet Organs we have the long
sought instrument of sustain ed tones which Is here
after to divide with The plano forte the musical hon.
/ 0rs Of the drawing-room
The attractions Of these new instruments are their
| really beautiful tones which capable Of being
sustained indefinitely, and which have considerable
variety In character while the performer has their
degree OF loudness always easily at command 80
that he can, at will produce what technically
called or0anones cresced0s diminuendoes etc Here
then, met the principal requirements of the long,
| needed instrument possessing the capacity which
the piano lacks Almost all sacred music well rs
the majority Of the transcrp,ions from the operas
! and various orchestral compositions, find better
interpretations in the Cabinet Organ than they have
before had from any instrument. As compared with
| large pipeOrgans, these new instruments are, OF
course, lacking In power and grandeur. On the 9th.
or hand, they have much more vvacity of ntterance
and need not shrink from comparison to quality Of
| tones.
Tho size Of the Cabinet Organs averages not half
that Of the piano forte while the shape affords op.
portunity for elegant designs IN exterior fnish Of
which its makers have awaited themselves with much
good taste.