Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-04-13
M u s | G.
BY HENRIETTA M. REEFS.

given At the ICQuCSt Vi tHC huoi'
clans of Philadelphia, who desired
to hear this mammoth organ played
by a master who would realize all
its possibilities. Charles Courboir
was chosen the organist, and Mr.
IWanamaker also called upon the
Philadelphia Symphony orchestra
and Giovanni Martinelli to assist al
the concert. Mr.. Wanamaker gave
brief talk in which he told of the
musical uplift work which had
been done at the Wanamaker es-
Enlistment and how it had helped
and is helping to establish the COM
munal spirit there and to develop
hamong the thousands of employees a
real and lasting love for the beau.
tiful in tone" THE ethical value OF
music as an asset to morale and to
practical efficiency have been con-
clusively proved to the satisfaction
of the Wanamaker directorate" con-
cluded the speaker, "and it is warm-
ly recommended for the same pur-
poses to all other operators OF large
commercial or other establish
ments."
The Wanamaker organ is ia
nous organ, but do you know how
it happened to get to the Wana-
maker store? 1t was a case OF the
west being the loser while the east
was the gamer. Read the following
history Of the organ from the MI
steal Courier" and then read between
the lines, and see what wonderful
musical asset our sister city on the
| Missouri river might have had #
the original project had been COM
pleted:
The great organ situated in the grand
court of the Wanamaker store was IN :
| tended originally for the convention hall,
| in Kansas City, and previous to the time
| of its installation 1t was exhibited In
Festival hall at the st. Louis exposition.
| in 1905, and there was awarded the goid
medal While at Festival hall the In
| strument was played by Alexander Gull
mant and practically every organist OF
4 note in the United States; After the close
| OF the exposition the contract with the
| Kansas City authorities was not consum-
mated and there followed several years
/ when the now famous organ lay idle In
| John Wanamaker sent for the organ, and
| SO large were its parts that it was brought
east In train of IS freight cars.
| special court and screen were erected at
! Wanamaker's for the huge musical perma :
nent visitor. and for the past five years
every weekday the noble instrument has
| been sounding its tones for the edtfication
| and delight Of thousands Of listeners
| Many additions and improvements have
made the original St. Louis organ almost
| ..1,oo - kAA1
voiced and every detail of mechanism per-
| fected under the personal supervision Of
| the man who was the initial designer and
| builder. Nearly $4,000 wood and metal
pipes, operated from five manuals, make
| the music of the Wanamaker organ. 1t
has the largest single pipe In the world,
| 80 feet long and weighing 1,735 pounds.
| The main console weights 1000 pounds.
| The total weight Of the organ Is 375.-
900 pounds. The incandescent lights
strung along the organ chamber would
light the streets of a small town. This
room is so feet high by 80 feet deep 1t
is three-story forest Of wood and metal
pipes.
OF course, it was several years
ago when Kansas City was toying
with the proposition of great or
gan in its auditorium. Even at that
time there were far-sighted public
spirited citizens in that city who
felt the truth of the saying: "Not
the outlook, but the uplook," but
evidently they were in the minor
ity. That a great municipal organ
is a valuable asset and almost ne
cessity in public life is proved by
San Francisco, Denver, Portland,
Me-, and various other cities which
have municipal organs. Omaha and
many other middle western cities
are in the very center of the wealth.
lest part of the United States. Our
Chamber of Commerce heads its
stationery with list of Omaha's ad-
vantages, among them this, Thirty
fourth city of the United States in
population, thirteenth in bank clear
ings."
What Omaha and these other
cities need is not so much the OUT
look but the uplook. The outlook
is good. business is prospecting, but
what else? We need something
more elevating, like the arts, which
express ideally the history aud life
CT the times, to stimulate and inter
est. They are the real desserts of
life. We have enough of main courses
1'Satan always findeth work for idle
hands to do and if something
worth while is not provided for peo-
pie to turn to in their leisure, what
can one expect? 1t is time that
this part of the country were wax
ing up to these thingsN 1t is time
we looked about us and made some
sort of study of what other cities
have found worth while, and what
they have found poor investments,
and with their experiences to profit
by, to then turn our attention to
the best and most favorable means
of accomplishing something for our
own city. But once we have de-
cided to do it, let US do it thor
oughly and not half way. Let us
turn our clocks ahead, figusatively,
4 we must, but do let us hope that
the alarm will soon ring.
Good. advice about buying violins
is given by Mischa Elman, who will
appear in recital at the Brandeis
theater on April II.
my first word of advice to pur-
chasers of violins is do not believe
all you read on the label inside
says Elman. at is the easiest
thing in the world to paste imita-
ton old labels in fiddle. No one
but an experienced violinist can be
sure of a genuine instrument. Do
| nor waste TINA iook;no IN oawn
shops for a Stradivarius worth
$4,000. Such things happen once
in 100 years--sometimes.
IF you have violin, keep it
clean; do not let rosin accumulate
under the strings or on them. Shun
wire E strings; they ruin the bow
and cut the bridge. If you are be-
ginning 10 study the instrument get
as good one as you can afford.
| al.