St. Paul daily globe., 1888-07-29

rlerS OF rugged, rigid Presbyterian
prejudice against music in public wor-
ship are being broken down. In this
onward march of civilization the organ
has taken front rank, and few churches
are to be found without some SEM
blance of the musical pipes.
A marvellous instrument is the organ,
and its construction is peculiarly cosmo-
politan, the products used including
hard and soft wood, ivory, ebony,
leather, chamois leather, tin, Indian ink,
silver, iron, steel, zine. copper, brass,
paint, pigment, paste, putty, and pa
per. But who can resist the rich del
lcacy of its tunes, so refined, sweet and
soothing, or attempt to thwart it's glori-
ious resonant music and the matchlesS
majesty of its thunders. There is moth
ing like unto it, and organ. playing is
verify the
ACME OF INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC.
The largest and best organ in st. Paul,
the First Baptist church, which cost
$500. This Instrument is dwarfed into
insignificance by the mention of other
organs in different quarters of the East
ern and Western hemispheres. Ulm,
in Bavaria, is credited with the diStinc-
ton of possessing the largest organ. 1t
has 100 speaking stops and four banks
of keys. London. Paris and st. Peters
burg boast of organs equal to this in
Strument, falling only in the number of
stops. The cost of these organs aver
age from 100000 to 100000. Though
lacking in producing the largest organ,
America is the home of the most unique
instrument. This is to be found in the
A RI of Ann
l.. l., and is divided into four parts.
There is the chancel organ in the church
proper, the echo organ in the ceiling,
the tower organ at some distance and a
fourth, farther removed, IN a chapel.
The four organs are played from one
and the same keyboard, an apparent
impossibility. made practicable by the
use of electricity. Electricity is becom-
ing widely used now in organ building,
not only in connecting keys, but for
pulling stops.
"There are only three organs in st.
Paul that you would call good inStru-
ments," is the opinion of Prof. Titcomb,
the acknowledged premier Organist of
this city. These organs are the First
Baptist church, House of Hope and st.
Mary'S Catholic church. A singular
fact is that while the day of manual
labor for pumping organs is fast going,
there is but one instrument in the city
worked by water power. That is the
one recently placed in st. Mary's Cath
Olic church. Wind power may also be
furnished by electric motors,
GAS OR STEAM ENGINE.
The First Baptist church organ is
three-manual instrument, with forty-SiX
stops. There are some musical critics
who say that the instrument is sur
rounded too much by stone and that the
dampness created affects the reeds, but
the OrganiSt now manipulating the key
board reports that the organ is in the
best possible order. Congregational
singing is now the rule at this church,
the choir having practically broken up,
and no permanent director of harmony
has been appointed since the demise of
Walter II. Reed. f. @. Swasey, of
Ford's musical store, is an occasional
occupant OF the position. He is skill
full organist and graduate of the Boston
conservatory of music.
Although built in 1872, the House of
Hope organ ranks high in the city-a
fact largely attributable to the high
abilities of the organist, Prof. Titcomb.