Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-01-18
The Orqans of the World.

says Eugene Thayer in the Youths
Companion, is the great one at Weingar-
ten, near Switzerland. 1t was built by
a monk, the celebrated Able Volger,
who was an organ-payer as we'll as q
priest. It has 6,666 pipes, he having
been paid form for each pipe, large
mindful Of earthly things, for the sly old
dominic filled the organ full of small
pipes called mixtures. Ordinary organs
have from five to eight ranks or rows of
mixtures; this one has over a hundred.
One would naturally suppose that the
tone of the organ would consequently be
very shrill. This was not the case, how
ever. The priest was musical enough to
have them voiced so delicately that the
effect, although it cannot be called legiti-
mate, was altogether charming. It was
as if the air was full of snowhakes 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 ornamented and cOlored
in the most brilliant manner possible
Large as it looks, it is useless for real
organ music, as it has only an octave and
a half of the clumsiest kind Of pedals.
The finest church organ Gin the full
sense Of the word) that the world con-
tains is in Westminster Abbey. By fin
est / mean the most devotional in it's
quality and effect. How much may be
due to the acoustic qualities the mar
velous edifice III which it stands [ can
not say. | have not heard it's like, nor
do I expect to this side of the heavenly
gates. At the time [ am speaking of, the
the most celebrated organ in England
was the organ in st. Georges Hall,
Liverpool. This was built by Willis,
the most eminent of English organ MAX
ers.
The largest organ in the world is in
Royal Albert Hall, London. The mag
nifcent hall in which it is placed is owl
form, 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 auditorium. The
hall is capable of holding from II, 900 to
Ia, 600 auditors eff I remember rightly,
and it will be seen that only al organ of
great power could adequately fill so
large a space. The organ case is massive
and strong, although not of ornate de-
sign, and the front pipes are nearly of
pure tin 60 per cent. alloy only, and
their bright polish gives the organ a
very beautiful and imposing appearance.
This organ has four manuals and COM
plete pedal.
The next largest organ in the world
Che Ulm cathedral organ) has just 100
registers. None of these very large Or
1>oo G7,1 -, f,111
sense of the word. When the full power
is used, only music Of a very slow and
massive character can be played, with
out more or less confusion as the result.
An organ of sixty, or, at most, seventy
registers, can furnish all the variety that
can possibly be needed, and if more
power is desired the pressure can be in
creased to any desired degree. Sixty
registers (about 1900 pipes can be
made to speak together. A greater
number than this never did and
never will speak with precision or clear
ness.
Of all the great organs in our land, the
organ in the Boston Music Hall is the
most famous. 1t is about two-thirds the
size of the Albert Hall instrument, and
is Justly celebrated as one of the most
beautiful Of the great organs of the world.
By this mean its 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 in confusion in tone and
slowness in speech which is found in
every one of the great organs. This or
gan has four manuals, ID combination
pedals Gall double acting), and pedal
which has not one, but three 32-foot
registers. It was made by Walcker, of
Ludwigsburg, Germany, and was seven
years in course of construction.