Evening star., 1925-06-07
AUDITORIUM ORGAN
ONE OF 3 GREATEST
6,000 Pipes incorporated in
instrument Distributed
Among 100 Stops.

When Washington Auditorium and
its pipe organ are officially dedicated
at appropriate ceremonies next
Wednesday evening, the National
6apital will have gained one of the
greatest organs in the world, accord
ing to Robert n. Harper. president
of the Auditorium corporation.
only three in the nation could be
placed m the same category, Mr..
Harper says experts agree-the
Nanamaker organ at Philadelphia,
the organ at Salt Lake City, Utah.
and the new instrument in the Wash
inCton Auditorium.
Plans are being made for official
ceremonies of an elaborate character,
among the most outstanding of which
will be recital by Archer Gibson of
New York. the distinguished artist,
who - known as one of the most
brilliant of living organists, and VINO
freely gave of his skill and genius TO
designing the instrument he Will
dedicate.
Worked for Year.
The gift of Mr.. Gibson's services to
the cause of music here and the
Washington Auditorium cannot be
fully estimated in the opinion of Mr..
Harper. For more than a year, II
was announced, Mr.. Gibson tolled IN
q service of love. designing, perfect
ing designs, and cooperating with the
organ makers, in the turning out
and installation of the instrument
which is expected to push Washing
ton still more to the forefront music
ally than ever among American cities
With this in mind, those behind the
Auditorium, and the musical puonc
of the city. which is TO be invited 10
the exercises, are looking forward with
keenest interest to hearing the lnauS-
ural recital toward which so much
prepara ton and artistic aspiration mas
been pointing.
The organ was built by the NJ. T.
Moller Company of HagerstoWn. MD,
which allowed changes in speciflca-
tionS of the instrument to be made
further perfecting 1t. even after the
price had been agreed to.
The organ has been installed in the
chambers at the left and right of the
Auditorium, in front of the pro
scenium, and requires space larger
than three five-room apartments.
Has Seven Divisions.
A description of the instrument SAYS
It has seven divisions-solo, swell,
great. choir. echo. ancilliary and
manual console or keyboard. All de
partmentS of the organ, excepting the
pedal organ, are said to be expires
Sive" The solo, echo and ancllnafy
divisions have been so designed that
they can be played from any or all OF
the manuals. The action Is electro
throughout 1t has been estimated
that there were used so miles of in
sulated wire in completing the install
lation. The organ has tremulantS,
80 combination pistons. 80 couplers,
pedal movements, harp, chimes ana
piano.
The organ has 100 stops, comparable
to a symphony orchestra of 100
pieces The word stop used in con-
nection with a pipe organ IS trade
word used when speaking OF a set OF
speaking pipes. There are said 10 be
approximately 5000 speaking pipes in
the organ, varying in size from
q inch long by Il inch in diameter
to pipes of every degree in length and
diameter up to 30 feet long and OF
diameter that a man could crawl into
upon his hands and knees. Each stop
has its own complete complement OF
pipes, the pipes of no one stop being
borrowed from or compounded with
another.
The manufacturer is said to have
considered this his golden jubilee or
gan, as it marks the fiftieth anniver-
sary of the founding of the Moller
pipe organ industry. w. S. Corby was
chairman of the organ committee for
the corporation.