The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-02-08

well made originally and il has had
good care, II is probably more often
examined by curious sight-seers than
any other musical instrument in the
United States, for everybody who
goes 10 Portsmouth wants to see the
frs, specimen brought to this eoun-
try OF the glorious instrument which
Abt Vogler invented,
Another very famous pipe organ
from abroad was installed in New
England at q much later date and a
time when American manufacturers
were doing ereditable work, though
not equal 10 that OF the Germans
and the French. About midway in
the Civil War DR.. Oliver Wendell
Holmes, whose interest in music was
very keen. wrote an enthusiastic and
often quoted description OF the first
big concert organ to be set up in
this country, one which was made
for BoSton's new Music Hall BY a
famous German firm,
That installation in 1868 was the
beginning OF American interest in the
pipe organ as used for other than
church purposes Since then large
concert organs have been put up in
New York, Cincinnati, Philadelphia
and many other American centres Of
musical activity, The original one
in Boston had an eventiul history
Through the later years OF the Civil
War and those succeeding it was fire.
quently used Many of The most
famous OF American musicians OF the
seventies delighted TO play on it,
though it had its defects. When,
however, in the early eighties the
Symphony Concerts began to crowd
Music Hall. the organ was found 10
take up too much room. In 1884 it
was sold to Hon William Grover
who presented il to the New England
Conservatory of Music, then occupy
ing its historical quarters in Franklin
Square, where Lillian Nordica and
many other famous musicians re-
ceived their training. The Conserva-
tory management found that the
largest OF American concert organs
was more or less OF white elephant.
They had no hall big enough for it,
and as there were some technical OBJ
jections to its mechanism. no good
reason appeared for building a hall
specially to shelter it, Finally. the
metal and lumber in the big organ,
which was in reality as far ahead of
its time as sas the Great Eastern
among the steamships, were sold TO
local instrument makers and reap
peared doubtless in smaller and more
usuable instruments,
The New England Conservatory
undoubtedly benefited by not attemp
ting to keep the famous instrument
for when few years later removal
took place to the admirably equipped
conservatory building on Hunting
ton Avenue, one oi Boston's mer-
-GAant princes, Eben d. Jordan, equip
ped for the uses OF the school and OF
the visiting musicians who find in
Jordan Hall the finest American con-
cert hall, one OF the largest and most
complete pipe organs ever put to-
gether This instrument, built in
Boston and provided with every pos
sible facility for musical expression,
stands at the modern end OF the long
line OF pipe organs that have been
constructed in America since Brom-
fields imitat on of an English pipe
organ first scandalized the more
rigid Puritans. 1t was built in the
intelligent technical way in which the
census bulletin just out states that
almost every pipe organ is practi
cally built to order to accord with the
architecture or acoustic qualities OF
the room or auditorium in which it is
designed to be placed" The same
institution OF musical education has
altogether fourteen pipe organs in
daily use by pupils and teachers.
This is more than double the number
OF organs contained under any other
single roof in the world.
Musicianship on the Devils bag
pipes" as Calvinistic divines called
them, has naturally been somewhat
centralized where the organs are
made 50 that the history of the devel- |
opment of American organ music is
concerned very largely with Boston,
just as the history of grand opera in
America has been largely connected
with New York and New Orleans.
In spite Of early complaints that "thc
service to God is most grievously
abused by the piping Of organs, ring
Il.