The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-02-26
OF UTAH'S PRIDE
A Trip Through the Great
Tabernacle Organ.
LARGEST CHOIR IN THE WORLD
The Improvements Being Made in the
Seating of the Choir at the
Tabernacle.


hold all things are as new" or words tc
that effect, came creeping through a
HERALD reporters brain like a new born
fly struggling through dusty cobweb, as
he gazed at the reconstructed choir loft in
the great tabernacle.
The spirit of man is exalted when he
enters great building, and no man can
walk into the great cathedrals without an
uplifting of the inner man, be he pagan or
be he Christian. In walking up Fifth
avenue the writer never passed the great
cathedral without walking beneath the
groined arches, hat in hand, andreverently
gazing at the sacred affairs though he never
wet as much as the tips of his fingers in
the holy water.
''In reverence is the chief Joy and pride
of life, wrote Ruskin in the grandeur of
his exalted dictlon, and the newspaper
man who can deal with the sacred temples
as he does with the pig sticking pens Of
the pork plutocrat's. lacks that which
Ruskin commends.
At the invitation of Prof. Stephens, the
reporter took a trip through the great
organ, and the interior mechanism of what
the professor calls 1.-The King of Instru-
ments" is full of interest. To sit in the
audience and feel the benches tremble with
the reverberating bass that peals from the
organ loft and watch the dummy pipes
that ill the eye-and yet effecting not a
single sounds one thing, and to see the
1900 pipes that give out the melody is quite
another thing. "a pipe organ is great
orchestra boxed in: each set represen ting a
particular instrument" said the professor,
to simplify the explanation of the internal
workings. There are round pipes and square
r1in nf no lot irfxy h5rrb
azd big enough for a man to crawl through
without scraping the outer edges of his
shoulders. Then there are crackers, like
those on weaver's loom, leading
to the swell organ box in which
the muff1ed sounds that appear
to come from great distance are made;
and which looks for all the world like a
house. The great majority of the pipes
are funnel shaped and made of metal.
Near the top of these are little dents cut in
the metal and curled over like the ears on
grandfather's tin-lantern.
The organ is tuned by twisting its ears,
and this punishment is administered when
ever it makes false play.
But our choir is going to put the organ
into the shade" said the Professor
as he led the reporter out to the
improvements made in the loft.
To make room for the large choir the
speaking platform has been moved forward
six feet Nearest the audience comes the
bench for the bishops. Back of this on a
little elevation are the seats for the presi-
dents of the seventies, president OF the stake
and the twelve, and president of the high
priests quorum. Back of these on still
higher plane is the stand of the first presi-
dency of the church. The space back to
the organ is now filled with seats for the
choir, WHICH circle 10 the right and left,
bringing the singers to face the audience
more directly than by the old arrange
ment. Formerly there were no seats for
the singers IN front of the organ, and
Prof. Stephens had to labor under
the disadvantage of the separation
the two wings being anchored to sing
against each other rather than together
There was also the lack of the power of
magnetism that comes from contact.
There are chairs for 300 singers and their
seats are upholstered with plush and the
backs are Of polished hard wood with an
tique silver trappings that glisten very
brightly to the eye. The seats are raised
one above the other in ampitheatre style.
so that the singers in front will not deaden
the sound of the singers back of them. The
chairs cost 81 800.
The raising of the choir seats has brought
the top tier on level with the gallery, and
the singers will gain their seats by the
OF the organ will be moved forward to
a position just back of the first presidents
chair, and alongside of the conductor.
Abundance can also be gained to the
choir from the audience room by two
banistered stairways Leading up on either
side of the speakers platform.
1--WE will have the largest choir in the
world" said Prof. Stephens, very mod
estly and yet with suppressed pride at
directing such a large body of singers
Some of the largest choirs are in the
Catholic cathedrals of the old world, but
none OF them maintain a regular choir OF
more than one hundred and fifty voices.
though on the occasions of rendering some
important mass the number is sometimes
increased"
The dilapidated evergreens have been
taken down and with them several tons of
dust that had accumulated in their ten
acious little tentacles, The ceiling is being
whltewashed and the entire building will
be refreshed with scrub-water and paint.
Among the improvements that are being
discussed in private way are an additional
gallery and metal ceiling with deep pan.
els that will admit of being treated to fine
Treseo work. In this way the plain build
ing could be transformed into one of the
most luxurious auditoriums in the world
The distance from the floor to the ceiling
is very decelvlng, the centre of the crown
standing eighty five feet above the floor.
-Four months ago the choir numbered 125
enrolled members, with an averge attend
aEce OF 90. 1t now numbers $50. with an
attendance OF 215. 1t contains lbs sopranos,
96 altos, 60 tenors and IS bases
Inc present seating arrangement greatly
reminds Prof. Stephens Of the chorus plan
Of the Crystal Palace at London.
THE NEW CHOIR.
Below are the names of the members OF
the new choir, which is undoubtedly the
largest church organization in the world:
SOPRANO.
Agnes Thomas, Kate Heesche.
Maggie HUI, Emma L. Jones,
Crlssle Lawson, Rose Chandler
Edith Smith, Julia Sherwood
Lizzie Thomas Edward, Amy Smith,
Sadie Thomas, Nellie Sheets
Rose Chandler, L. s. Pierce
Kate McAllister, Jennie Smith
r. H. Young, Bertha Chapman,
Emma Rushton, Emma Cation
annie holmes, Elizabeth G. Anderson
E. j. vincent, Miss GroeSbeck
NJ. Il. Pratt, Lolita Davis
Catherine Ames, Lizzie Hendry.
Louisa Poulton, Emily WILEY
May Dyer, Selma De Gray
Jennie Mortensen, S. E. Newton,
Clarlbel Ridges Eva Musser,
SOPHIE homes, Lille Scare,
Josephine Plnney Louie Kimball,
May NewSom, ID. Hannaben,
Sarah II. Taylor, NJ Brady
Lizzie Green, Mrs Robinson,
Annie Campbell, Mabel Cooper,
Gerty Brown, Lille Christensen
Jennie Chalmers, Ella Derr
Fanny Ostler, Angelina Jensen
Belle Morris, Hannah Holmes,
Carrie Chamberlain, Maggie Weihe
Mrs. Ensign. Mrs. Gillespie,
Mrs. Geddes, Mamie Murnhv