Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-12
| THE MUSIC WORLD.
Merits Of the New Organ ofthe Fourth
Avenue Baptist Church.
IT'S FORMAL OPENING LAST WEEK
What Mr.. Saddler Has Accomplished by His
Sounds From America.
AMONG LOVERS OF BARS AND SPACES

The new organ Of the Fourth Avenue
Baptist Church, which was auspiciously
"opened" on Thursday evening by Mr..
Clarence Eddy, assisted by Miss Christine
Nelson, is welcome addition to our list of
large organs, though in size and in certain
other respects it does not merit the super
latives so profusely heaped upon it by the
local paragraphers during the week. The
First Presbyterian Church organ has about
$50 more pipes; that Of the East Liberty
PRESBYTERIAN Church about the same num-
ber, and the Carnegie Hall instrument but
few less than the one in question, while
each of these organs is furnished with an
adjustable combination system, which the
new one has not.
This organ is the thirty-ffth and largest
built by the Wirsching Company, and marks
further advance on the part of the enter
prising young concern. The full specifca-
tions were printed in this department some
time ago; it is three-manual instrument
containing 80 speaking stops and 27 me-
chanical movements. The only marked de-
Walton from the makeup of the average
three-manual organ is the presence of
stentorphone and tuba mirabilis, on six
inch wind pressure, stops usually found
only on fourth manual, but here
played from the choir manual and enclosed
In the choir swell-bo1. The separate tone
qualities are delightfully."- characteristic;
their combination produces full organ tone
of abundant brilliance and with a massive
dignity all too rare in this day of overly
Orchestral organs. The action is now of
the ightest and most rapid. Of course
time is the best test of the workmanship
and materials upon which the action de-
pends for its efficiency; and experience has
shown it to be too confident as to these
ers, who are properly considered to be on
trial during their earlier years.
Nv
How the Organ Was Played.
Not much need be said about Mr.. Eddy's
playing on this occasion. His splendid
technical equipment, his rare taste and
originality in registration and his intelli-
gent readings of the masterpieces of organ
literature are already we'll known in our
community. He did not seem in his best
form on Thursday evening, but appeared
not to have used his day here to acquire that
general familiarity with the strange
instrument which is indispensable
to artistic results, even In the case of so ex-
perienced an organ opener as Mr.. Eddy.
Consequently there were pauses for regis
tration, unsteady tempt and muddy pas
sages altogether unwonted in his work and
a greater than usual deficiency in the emo
tional quality and total effectiveness of his
interpretations. This is judging Mr.. Eddy
by his own high standard, of course, and the
defects noted were not enough to prevent
anyone present from largely enjoying the
performance as q whole.
Miss Christine Nelson's first appearance
in Pittsburg was decided success-literal-.
ly, for her engaging personality and bear
ing won half her battle before she had time
to sing note. She possesses a rich, lus-
cious contralto, almost of mezzo range and
of delightful, even quality throughout
While her vocalization of certain runs was
a bit slippery" there was a compensating
boldness of delivery in dramatic passages
The vibrato that became tremolo later in
the evening may have been due to tenn
porary physical weakness or indisposition.
Her singing was characterized by refined
artistic taste, and drew upon large fund
of native sentiment and feeling, though
hardly rising to the degree of passion called
for by "Tch grolle NIGHT" Both artists
were most appreciatively received by the
fair-sized audience, which wanted more
even than the contents of the rich pro-
gramme which was printed last Sunday.