Morning journal and courier., 1881-12-21
Great Organs of the World.

II Oho VI tAS uESI, dS well as one or the pest, organs saw in Europe was the one in the parochial kirche in Berlin. The organ was built by Buchholz, one of the best and most eminent of the European builders Although. strictly speaking, it is not one of the great organs of the world, it is very large, and the best have ever seen for the interpretation of true organ music. It is of great power clearness and brilliancy and it may be said that nearly every register in it is a master work in itself The organ in the beautiful First church in Boston Quilt in Germany by Walcker. the builder of the great organ in Music HaID much resembles it in all it's main qualities, although it is not over two thirds as large.
 At the cathedral at Merseberg stands one of the largest and most beautiful organs ever made. It has the greatest number of pipes l In its front that I have ever seen in an organ facade The player sits facing the instru- ment, and directly back of him {between 1 him and the congregation) is another smaller organ, called the postif-a sort of solo organ. complete in itself, with it's own case or house, standing 20 or more feet in front of the great organ proper. The effect both to eye and ear, is very charming En- gel is the organist, and the great Iiszt has several times been here to bring out some pieces for the organ, harp, and quartet of brass Instruments-a very wonderful and beautiful combination In the Thomas kirche, where Hauptman was then cantor. or music dlfector, was the organ that old Sebastian Bach used to play. Although it had been renovated during Mendelssohn's ! time, it was substantially the same instru- l ment. None of the modern registers were to be found Ill 1t, although 1t had drums and bells. The touch was the hardest I ever played and the tone solid as to be almost cumbrous further than this it did not seem a remarkable instrument
 And now for one of the so- called wonders Of the world. the famous organ in Freiburg Switzerland. So much has been written about this organ that was curious to exam inc all the claims that had been made for it. Everybody had been told so may times that 1t was the largest organ in the world, the best and the most wonderful, that | was prepared for a surprise. And I was sur prlsed. It is not only not tho largest in the world, but 1t is of not more than medium size as compared with the acknowledged great organs in Europe. And, aside from It's having pretty good diapasons, and pow erful, though somewhat disagreeable, reeds, it is not remarkable organ at all It has not even full set of pedals. Its much talked of Vox Humana owes it's effect wholly to it's being placed outside the auditorium at such distance that the illusion only remains And here, again, for the next most famous organ in the world, the organ in the HaarIem cathedral, Holland. This is certainly much larger and better than the Freiburg instru- ment outwardly. It is not unlike our Music Hall organ in size and appearance. Music ally, 1t Is more like it than any organ I have ever heard This organ is about 15O years old, and Is noted for having all it's pipes Cex- cept 20 recently added) made of metal
 The most curious organ in Europe is the great one at Welngarten, near Switzerland It was built by monk, the lebrated Abbe Volger, who was an organ player as we'll as priest It has 6,66G pipes he having been paid fiorin for each pipe, large and small. Hn nvuoS avid fIxy y1Ok ,.1e ,,I things, for the sly old dominic filled the organ full of very small pipes called mixtures Ordinary organs have from five to eight ranks, or rows of mixtures this one has over hundred. One would naturally suppose that the tone of the organ would consequent ly be very shrill. This was not the case, however. The priest was musical enough to have them all voiced so delicately that the effect, although it cannot be called legitimate, was altogether charming. It was as if the air was full of snowf1akes of sound Besides this feature, the organ has drums, bells great and small, angels with drums, and all sorts of queer things and it's case is orna- nented and colored in the most brilliant manner possible. Large as it looks, it is use- less for real organ music, as it has only an octave and half of the clumsest kind of pedals.
 The finest church organ Gin the full sense of the word) that the world contains is in Westminster Abbey. By finest, I mean the most devotional in it's quality and effect How much may be due to the acoustic quali- ties of the marvellous edifice in which it stands cannot say. I have not heard it's like, nor oo expect to this side of the heavenly gates. At the time I speaking of the most celebrated organ in England was the organ in St. Georges hall, Liverpool. This was built by Willis, the most eminent of the English organ makers. It had four manuals and great number of pneumatic combina- tion levers, small knobs, by which the or ganlst could make number of combinations without taking his hands from the keyboard or in any way interrupting his playing
 William Best was years ago appointed the or ganist of the hall, and twice week gave regular organ concerts at sixpence admis- sion.
 The largest organ in the world is in the Royal Albert hall, London. The magnificent hall in which it is placed is oviform or egg shaped, the organ standing somewhat above the level of the lower floor. Above are three galleries, and over these a grand tier of boxes extending completely around the audi torium. The hall is capable of holding from 12,000 to 14,O00 auditors (if I remember rightly, and it will be seen that only an organ of great power could adequately fill so large space. The organ case is massive and strong, although not of ornate design and the front pipes are of nearly pure tin (ten per cent. alloy only), and their bright polish
 
 ing appearance. This organ has four manu- als and complete pedale. In addition it has 32 combination knobs (eight over each key-board), and large number of combina- tion pedals, by means of which an al- most endless variety of effects can be instantaneously obtained. All the bellows and blowing apparatus are placed in a large room by themselves, this room being always kept perfectly dry and of an even tempera- ture. The effect of some of the solo regis ters is very beautiful, and the tone of the full organ grand and majestic in the extreme, when music which is adapted to so large an instrument is played. The total number of registers (actual sets of pipes) is III, and the whole number of draw-stops 125.
 The next largest organ in the world (the Ulm cathedral organ) has just 100 registers. None of these very large organs can be called successful in the full sense of the word When the full power is used, only music of very slow and massive character can be played, without more or less confusion as the result. An organ of 60, or, at most, 70 reg isters, can furnish all the variety that can possibly be needed, and, if more power is de- sired, the pressure can easily be increased to any desired degree. Sixty registers (about 1, 900 pipes) can be made to speak together. A greater number than this never did, and never will speak with precision or clearness.
 Of all the great organs in our own land, the great organ in the Boston Music Hall is the
 AOSG IdIuOus It IS aDOuG GWO-CHl1uS GAo Slzo of the Albert Hall instrument, and IS justly celebrated as one of the most beautiful of the great organs in the world. By this mean that it's softer combinations are all of most beautiful and lovely character, and their tone of great purity and beauty. In the full organ is the same old story of confusion of tone and slowness of speech which is found in every one of the great organs. This organ has four manuals, 13 combination pedals Gall double actlng) and pedale which has not one, but three 32-foot registers. It was made by Walcker, of Ludwigs- burg, Germany, and was seven years in course of construction. The house, or case, is certainly not equaled in beauty by any of the other famous great or gans. The size is about 45 feet wide, 40 feet deep, and 63 feet high; and the number of pipes is 5,353. The large pure tin pipes in the front weigh nearly thousand pounds each, and full-sized man might easily crawl through them. The grand crescendo pedal brings on, as slowly or rapidly as may be de- sired, all of the registers one by one, up to the full power of the organ, and then with draws them in similar manner. There is