The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-06-13
THE ORGAN EXPERT.
Some of the Dificulties in Selecting
an Instrument.

The organ expert has his counter
parts in many of the businesses of life
If people wish to build a bridge, a
house. or a church, or 70 Duy a morse
they find at hand individuals who
have technical knowledge, and whose
services can be secured to look after
their interests in the transaction In
musical matters this does not always
obtain When an organ is to be pur-
chased for church, and the pastor
and trustees have from 81 500 to $50
600 at their disposal for the purchase
of an organ, they are quite apt 10
proceed. with perfect assurance and
no burdensome sense of Responsibilities.
to invest the sum. This amount often
represents great effort and self
denial on the part of those who nave
trustees perhaps endeavor to qualify
themselves to judge of the merits Of
builders by a few days spent in listen
ing to various organs.
They also make the acquaintance
of visiting builders who may be seek
ing to secure the contract for the
building of the new organ, and they
will also listen to the argument and
the persuasion of the many persons
who are successful as pastors plan
lists, choir leaders, or singers. and
who therefore, feel perfectly qualified
to judge of the merits of an organ
both as to it's tone and mechanism.
and perhaps to recommend a builder
from having heard a single organ of
his construction, without any knowl-
edge of the comparative merits of
other and perhaps much better or
gans, and especially without any
knowledge of the names of Individual
artists, who as voicers and mechan-
ical experts are found in the employ
of various builders, and whose names
are only known to a limited number
of connoiseurs outside of the list of
organ builders.
Organists who have learning and
experience will have encountered here
and there in various organs stops of
surprising merit, here a CIiapason or
flute, there an soboer or a vox hu-
mana, and they have sought by in
quiry to learn the name and perhaps
make the acquaintance of one whose
about the organ will have learned the
significance of the names of George
Hook, Thomas Hall, George EnEle-
fried, Robert Linsley, and others who
have unusual skill as voicers of or
gan pipes. It is only an organ expert
who can be depended upon to know
about the various sorts of actions en-
ployed in organs, the various models
of electric action, and the different
kinds Of tubular action.
Most of the current writing on the
care of organs treats of conditions
which may arise in the use of the OBJ
solete slide wind-chests and tracker
action. Such directions, save in the
matter of adjustments of tempera-
ture, are of no value to an Organist
who may have charge of a modern in
strument. The fact is, that most
church organs are contracted for on
commercial grounds.
1t IS the most persis tent salesman. or
the cheapest builder, who, in a rnaiori-
ty OF cases, captures the contract. and
schemes are chiefly devised from tradi-
ton without much regard to the ad-
Vantages of modern mechanism and
voicing.
Committees and pastors who desire
to purchase an organ are very apt to
yield to the ideas of the choirrnaster or
the organist. or some musical amateur
of the parish, but there are very few
organists, even of the most skilIfuI of
the brotherhood, who are really quail
fed as organ experts and advisers in
the matter of the purchase of a new
organ. In order to show what is deslr-
able knowledge for an organ expert and
to give some idea of the marks of de
tails which ought to be considered in
fixing upon the scheme for an organ
beg to offer the following:
QUESTIONS FOR AN EXPERT
1. If you were called upon to plan an
organ with one register, what would
the register be?
g. What is the average number of
what? OF three? Give reasons.
2 What is the average number of