The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-11-22
HISTORY OF The ORGAN.
Interesting Paper BY Miss Frost
at Music Department
Yesterday.

1t was a most interesting programme
with which the Music Departments Of the
Womaris Club. under directions OF Mrs.
Garwood Ferris, Chairman, gave the first
of a series of monthly meetings yesterday
aftrnocn in Hedding M. E. Church, this
edifice being chosen on account OF the or
gam as that was the subject Of the after
noon.
Mrs. Ferris opened the programme with
a short address of greeting. which was
followed by an organ solo, "Allegrstta,
by Mrs. Blauvelt and Miss a. Frost de-
livered the paper of the day ON His
tory and Development of the Organ" m
which she said
There is probably NO instrument which
has from time to time so engrossed the
thoughts of musicians, as also the public
at large, as the organ, combining as Il
does in its completeness the effects Of
almost all important instruments, anu
capable of an expression to be obtained
from no other Ranging in tone from the
most boisterous forte to the most delicate
pianissimo, it alone stands forth as the
only adequate representative of the or
chestra, which in some respects it even
surpasses Thus has It earned the title
of King of Instruments
ssrhe actual origin of the organ will ever
remain mystery, though there can be no
doubt that the first attempt at the pro-
duction of sounds from pipes can be dis
cerned in the tPandean pipes which con-
sisted in a row of redes bound firmly to-
gether and played by means of the breath
forced into them. The mythical god Pan
has the honor of this invention accorded
to him. But without treading the un-
certain paths of myth, we find the Grecian
and Latin shepherds frequently amused
themselves by means of the reed pipes
culled from the neighboring brooks. and
having observed that the musical sounds
obtainabIe from these primitive flutes
varied with the length, the next step
would be to arrange them In symmetrical
order, the result being a gradual series
of sounds or scale. This mouth organ
(and you viii at once recognize its sizni-
larity to the instrument OF that name in
use today contained eight or nine notes,
and was also the Syrinz of the Greeks,
the Ffstula of the Romans and the Ugal
of the Hebrews. The earlies reference to
musical instruments in the Bible IS in
Gen. 4:21, the, harp and the organ being
simultaneously mentioned. SO on nhat
authority it is doubtful whether plectra
or wind instruments can claim precedence
in point of antiquity"
From here the speaker went on with
a description of the organ with its inn
provements from its Introduction In III
A. D. to the present time. after which
there was another organ solo. Prelude
in E" (Gounod), by Mrs. Clark; q duet
.sIn His Hands Are All the Corners of
the Earth, . by Mrs. and Miss Ferris; Mrs
Clark read a paper on Current Musical
Events in which she gave d prospectus
of the winters musical career In New
York. There was vocal solo, THE Holy
City, by Miss Elizabeth Spears. An or
gan solo, March from Queen OF Sheba- :"
by Mrs. Blauvelt; Rubenstein's Wander
er's Evening Song" by the Glee Club
with violin accompaniment by Mrs. Frank
H Hall and Mrs. Blauvelt at the organ.
the programme.
There was a very good attendance, In
eluding a full representation of the de-
partment itself and number Of guests.