The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-04-01
THE LARGEST ORGAN.
tits In the Cathedral at Garden City, Long
Island.


The largest organ In the United States
and the third largest in the world is In
the cathedral at Garden City, i. i. 1t
has 115 speaking stops, being surpassed
in size only by the organ in the town
hall, Sydney, Australia GIG stops), and
that In the cathedral at Riga, Russia,
(124 stops). We know Of no instance,
however, where the largest organs are
the best organs. Musicians who heard
the sydney instrument played at Hill's
factory In London, were unanimous In
expressing their disappointment with It,,
while the one at Riga he's never been
considered the masterpiece OF Walcker; Is
certainly not I'm the same class with his
splendid instrument in the great cathe-
.dral OF st. Peter and st. Paul at st. Peters
burg, though IL Is more than twice as
was never regarded In the lifetime OF its
builder, the late Iiilborue l. Roosevelt,
as one Of his representative instruments,
while two small organs, one In the First
Presbyterian church OF New York, (37
stops), and another In the Clinton ave.
nue. Congregational church (33 stops,)
were constantly cited as examples OF
his skill. The largest organ in England
is in Albert hall, London (l11 stops) ana
this, too, is not generally regarded as
very successful instrument, though some
OF the individual stops are particularly
fine.
DIR. Martin, organist of st. Pauls cathe-
dral, London, Is authority fer the state
ment that the organ In Alexandria palace
(S7 stops) is the best concert instrument
in that city.
OF the very large organs the best in
tone quality are generally thought to be
those in the cathedral, Ulmf, built by
VI - ..I. I.tr
Church OF St. Sulpice, Paris, built by
Cavaille-Coll (100 stops), and St Georges
hall, Liverpool, built by Willis Of London
Zoo stops). The most famous organ
doubtless in tie world is in st. Bavon Ca
thedral, Haarlem. Holland, built by Null
Ter, the case alone costing 500, 900. The
next is i'm st. Nicholas cathedral, Frel-
burg. Switzerland, rebuilt by Merklin
of Paris, though the one at Lucerne IS al
most ss widely known. The best all
around organ in England. II not in the
world, is the Liverpool instrument,
though the diapesous in the parish
church, Leeds. are usually esteemed the
finest anywhere. Other notable instru-
ments in England are those in st. Paul's
cathedral, London, Canterbury, Salisbury,
and Durham cathedrals, all built by Will
lis, who Is said to approach the border
line of genius as an organ builder. Or
organs built by Hill, another leading En-
glish builder, those generally regarded
as the best are in Westminster Abbey (56
stops) and Beverley minister (56 stops).
The finest Lewis organ is in st. Andrews
hall, Glasgow (64 stops.
There are very few good organs in Scot
land, and scarcely any in Ireland. The
Spanish and Italian organs are also very
poor. OF church organs in the United
omew's, New York, built by Odell and
recently rebuilt by. Hutchings of Boston
(S6 stops); st. Georges Protestant Epis-
copal, built by Jsrdoine go stops); and
the Catholic cathedral, Boston, built by
Hook go stops). 1t is quite notable in
this connection how many celebrated
ORGANS have sixty stops, or thereabouts.
Cathedral each has sixty-one; Temple
Church, Iondon Haarlem Cathedral,
Basleminster, Chester Cathedral, Great
Darlington Congregational church, and
the New York Avenue Methodist Episco-
pal, Brooklyn, each has sixty. When an
organ has sixty musical stops ii has all
the variety that is po sibIe; TO add more
stops is simply to multiply the four quail
ties of tone, diapason. flute, reed and
string, over and over again; indeed, out
side or the argument OF mere bigness
there never was and never Will be any
reason for building an organ with more
than from ffty-tve to sixty stops. The
churches are those of the Chicago Audi
torium, built by Roosevelt (109 stops);
Cincinnati Music Hail. built by Hook ESQ
stops), and the Worlds Fair organ, now at
Ann Arbor. Mich, built by the farrand &
Votey Organ Company OF Detroit, success
sors Of Roosevelt; the number of It's stops,
we think, is something over fifty.
The Philadelphia centennial organ, built
by Hook (47 stops) is now in st Joseph's
Catholic church, Buffalo. Before the
burning Of the Jalmage tabernacle it
was commonly supposed that organ was
the largest in Brooklyn; the specifications
called for sixiy-six speaking stops, but as
only fifty-four were actually put in, the
instrument in point OF fact was smaller
by six stops than the one in the New
York Avenue Methodist Episcopal
Church, with which Guilmant was so
much delighted at the time of b recital
upon it in the fall of 1893.
The cost of organs varies, of course,
with the builders. When the Rooseveits
were in BUSINESS. their prices were,as a
rule from 20 to 80 per cent. above those OF
Hutchings, Hook, Odell and other good
builders. In general II may be said that
the price of an organ OF 60 stops, built
by q first-class builder, including case
but not motor, would be about so, coo;
without case, IRON 10 o II per cent. less.
OF course there are builders 1ho would
build an organ of the same size for half
that money, but their metal pipes, which
should contain from 30 to 40 per cent. of
tin, would actually have not over 10 TO
IS per cent, aud the material and work
manship throughout would be OF a second
or third class character. The cheapest
organ is, as rule, like the cheapest pi-
ano--the one that the buyer pays the most
for. II Is generally thought that the
masterpieces of Roosevelt are Denver
Trinity Methodist, Great Darlington
congregational and st. Vincent Ferret
Catholic, New York; of Hutchings, New
York Avenue Methodist, Brooklyn: First
congregational, san Francisco. and
Church OF the Advent, Boston; of Hook,
Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, st. Jo-
seph's Catholic, Buffalo, and the Church
of the immaculate Conception, Catholic,
Roston; OF Udell, The churches of the Sa-
cred Heart and st. Leo, both Catholic,
OF New York.
OF organ players the greatest who ever
lived Is William 4. Best, late organist
of st. Georges Hall, Liverpool. Other
great English executants arc Sir John
Staine OF Oxford, Sir Walter Parrstt, the
nuefnfe crap N az "A Wfpdsnr (.aOrua