CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY MUSIC Cornell University Library ML 552.B62 Notes on church oraan&their j^^^^^^^^ 3 1924 022 263 622 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924022263622 NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS Wtitix position anb tfie JHaterials useti in tfjetr Construction By C^ KfK^ bishop INVENTOR AND PATENTEE OF THE "SIMPLIFIED PNEUMATIC AND ELECTRO-PNEUMATIC ORGAN KEY ACTIONS " fr/llf ILLUSTRATIONS RIVINGTONS Hontron, ©xfotJr, antr Olamfittlrsf 1873 PREFACE There are some facts of a technical character that have such important bearing, not only on the development of art principles in English organ building, but on the pro- bable deterioration of the art ; yet concerning which so much ignorance and misunderstanding prevail, that I have endeavoured by the following pages to throw such light upon them as may be drawn from my own knowledge, and from the far more important long practical experience of my grandfather, the late J. C. Bishop, and of my father, who has necessarily directed much of his attention to the subject, I allude to the position in which organs are frequently, nay generally, placed in churches and other buildings, particularly to the modern resource of an " organ chamber " ; and to the materials of which the instrument itself should be constructed. Modern archi- tects are apt not to consider sufficiently, or with due special knowledge, one of the noblest and most useful PREFACE. features of the church interior ; and they who are called upon, as a pubHc duty, to become purchasers of church organs, are most frequently quite ignorant of what gives value to the instruments they buy. If at the same time I kindle a desire in the organ builder to look upon his work more from an artistic, and less from a bare pecuniary point of view, I shall gain a point of signal value. I have not attempted to touch upon the constructing of churches and other buildings on principles favourable to sound — a result so seldom attained. They who are interested in this subject may find an excellent guide in Roger Smith's ' Acoustics of Public Buildings.' I venture to direct attention to that portion of the work treating of the construction, in harmonic proportions, of buildings intended for musical purposes ; and, in connection with that argument, I would suggest that the three primary harmonics, viz. i, 2, 3 (fundamental, octave, and twfelftli), would be best adapted to the end in view. NOTES CHURCH ORGANS " The art of Organ-building may rightly be called a sublime art, for no instrument is so ingenious in its construction ; and, at the same time, capable of producing such a wonderful and sublime effect on the human mind." — Seidel. AS a preliminary, it will be well to consider what qualities a church organ should possess ; and next, how they may best be attained. A church organ should have sufficient power to sustain both choral and congregational singing; it should, moreover, have soft and delicate stops for interludes and voluntaries, which are employed to induce a devotional feeling in the listeners. The size of a building, its acoustical properties, and the position which the organ is to occupy therein, should determine the dimensions of the instrument and the number of stops it is to contain. If enough funds should not be at first forth- coming, only a number of stops sufficient for the purpose of accompaniment should be inserted, and the organ should be so "prepared," or "laid out," that subsequent addition of the stops necessary to render it adequate to the requirements of the building, can be properly and conveniently made at any time. B NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. In such a case, the " spare slides " should be placed and pierced, and the bellows made of adequate size, so that all may be prepared for the insertion of pipes when funds are available. Unless this "preparation" is carried out in the first instance, the instrument can never be efficiently added to, except at great expense. Should the instrument be too small for the building, or if it has been badly placed, the organ builder will often try to gain compensation for real want of power, by making the wind- pressure heavier. Under such conditions the tone will sound forced, harsh, and unpleasantly loud, to those who are close ; but, after all, it will fail to "carry" to the extremities of the building. The best way of meeting such a difficulty is to increase the "scale," or diameter, of the pipes, and to augment the number of stops. Experience has shown that the tone of organs by the old builders, with large-scaled pipes and a light pressure of wind, travels farther than that of most of the modern small- scaled and heavily-winded instruments. " Scale," or the diameter of a pipe in proportion to its length, is of great importance in a large building, or in one unfavourable for sound. A large- scaled pipe naturally produces a fuller and rounder quality of tone ; the pipe speaks more promptly and easily, and its tone carries to a greater distance, than one of small scale. Thickness of material also, has much influence on the quality of tone, Chancel Orqan with two Fronts. riatel. EDWARD J.TA.nVER, DLE. ET LITH TOR BISHOP * STARR, iHCEHT anOOKS.DA'f &.i>OH_IMP NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. giving it fullness and roundness. A thin material yields a tone of thin and wiry quality, and the pipes constructed of it, of course, are not so durable. It is by reducing the scale, thick- ness of metal, &c., and using cheap or ill-seasoned materials in their instruments, that second or third-rate organ builders con- trive to undersell their more honourable competitors. These are details, moreover, of which the public are generally ignorant : in ordinary estimates for organs they are never, or infrequently, specified with precision, and so they are too often overlooked. With regard to the purchase of an organ, the following advice, coming from a well-known amateur (The Rev. L. G. Hayne, Mus. Doc, late Organist and Choir Master at Eton College), may be strongly urged : — " Apply only for an estimate to builders of standing and eminence : do not employ builders who advertise their work as cheap. To carry on a good business in organ-building great capital is required, in order to secure seasoned wood, &c., which is of the utmost importance. Cheap builders cannot afford to keep their timber long enough for it to be really seasoned ; neither can they pay such high wages as will secure them the services of good workmen in their factories The result of purchasing a cheap organ is the expenditure of a larger sum, in purchase-money and subsequent repairs (which are unsatisfactory when made), than would have secured a really good instrument from an eminent maker." — (Hints on the Purchase of an Organ.) B 2 NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. The chief usefulness of a church organ being to lead and accompany choral or congregational singing, it follows that, for this purpose, it should be placed in such a position that the sound may travel most easily and quickly to the ears of those it is required to lead. There are, however, other con- siderations that should influence in a great degree its position in the church, which must not be overlooked. Being an in- strument composed of a large number of delicate parts, it is extremely sensitive to the effects of cold, heat, damp, sudden changes of temperature, poisonous vapours, gases, dirt and dust ; it should therefore be screened to the utmost extent from these evils. These are the causes which operate upon the organ to make it go out of tune, or to destroy it, and if it can only be partially protected from them, much expense can be saved for tuning and repairs. The three considerations that should rule the position of a church organ may be stated thus : — ist. Proximity to choir. 2nd. Favourable conditions for permitting the sound to pervade the building. 3rd. Freedom from cold, heat, damp, &c. Where the choral performers and the organ are placed far apart, a sensible interval of time can be noticed between the organ tones and the voices. When the singers are placed in the chancel, and the organ is situated at the west end, or in any other position leaving a distance between the two exceeding forty or fifty feet, the result is a confusion of sounds NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. — members of the congregation nearest to the singers hear them always in advance of the organ tones, and those who are nearer the organ hear it before they can distinguish the voices. To the organist, however, such a position is the most tiresome ; for he is obliged to train his ear to estimate the interval that elapses between the sound of the instrument on which he is playing, and the voices of his choir. That interval results from the comparatively slow rate at which sound travels (only 1 1 20 feet per second; light travels at the rate of 192,000 miles in the same period of time) and from the capability of the ear to distinguish minute intervals of time. It follows, then, that to arrange a pleasing and appropriate effect, the choir and the organ should be placed near together, and the congregation should not be between them. The old organ builders, who placed their organs on the choir-screen where they were near the choir (as may still be seen in many of our cathedrals), so that the sound might radiate equally and freely in every direction, seem to have grasped instinctively the laws governing sound. Moreover, the organ was then made to form a noble architectural feature. The partisans of the " vista " theory have arrayed themselves strongly against this position ; but what lover of architectural effect, who has seen the grandly-cased organs at Liibeck and Bruges so placed, has failed to notice how the effect of distance is improved by the line of vision being thus partially broken } NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. A fine distance is better measured by the eye when some standard intervenes in the " middle distance," and such a feature, an organ in this position becomes. In the Roman Catholic Churches of the Continent, as well as in England, and in many English Churches belonging to Dissenting bodies, the organ is usually placed in the west-end gallery, whence the sound can traverse the building from end to end with perfect freedom (if there are no side galleries to prevent it), and the wall behind acts as a reflector. But, at least in the English churches referred to, the choir is also stationed at the same end. On the Continent, however, where the singing takes place mostly near the altar, a smaller organ, or some wind or stringed instrument (sometimes several), is placed near the singers, to guide their voices, and the larger organ at the west end is used for interludes and voluntaries only. When the service is taken up and responded to by the separated instruments, a remarkably grand and imposing effect is gained, that contributes much to the colouring of the gor- geous ceremonial of the Roman Catholic Church abroad. The Cathedral of Cologne, the Lateran at Rome, and St. Giles's Church, Camberwell, present examples of organs placed in the transepts ; but they who have had the misfortune to sit between the singers in the chancel — and the organ, at Cologne, will remember how bad was the effect, on account of the distance between the two. In the Lateran there is a Grand Chancel Organ. S. Mary's Ch: Nottinqham p,^^j^ EDWAnO J ntftVEfi LITH Sir Gilbert Scott R^^e^ Built by Bisho'P & Starr VrNCEhT BROOKS D*Y»80NJHP NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. smaller organ for accompaniment placed near the altar ; and at Camberwell the distance between the singers and the instru- ment is not sufficient to make the bad effect very discernible to any but a practised ear, although the effect of the position upon the organ (one of J. C. Bishop's finest) is noticeably unfavourable. The position of the noble instrument at Stras- bourg affords another example of an organ too far removed from the choir. It projects on the north side of the nave about SO feet from the pavement. It is becoming customary to place the choir in the chancel of English Churches, and where there is no room there for the organ, or no chancel iaisle, to construct a chamber or recess for the instrument. It must not be undo^stood, however, that the adopting of this chancel site is a new custom, for it is merely a revived one. It appears to have been general before the Reformation. " In the mediaeval ages the instrument was placed on one side of the choir, a position which seems to have been almost universal throughout Europe." (Dr. Rimbault's ' History of the Organ. ') The organ at Westminster Abbey, on which Purcell played, stood on the north side of the choir ; so did those at York, Lincoln, Worcestei", old St. Paul's, Winchester, and Durham Cathedrals, and at New and St. John's Colleges, Oxford. The organs at Magdalen College, Oxford, and Christ College, Cambridge, stood at the, south side of the choir, and to those at King's and St. John's tradition assigns the same NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. position. " As regards parish churches, the common situation for the organ, both before and after the Reformation, was in the chancel." (Rimbault.) The position of the organ on the choir screen does not appear to have become general till after the Restoration. If, as before stated, the singers are placed in the chancel, and the organ cannot be erected there or in the chancel aisle, it becomes necessary to build an organ chamber. Now a chamber of this kind, unless it be extremely well formed, is sure to deteriorate, if it do not almost stifle, the sounds from the instrument within it. The inartistic organ builder endea- vours to make good the loss of power by heavy pressure of wind, so forcing the quantity of tone, to the detriment or loss of quality. A heavy pressure of wind may be useful in gaining particular solo effects from a concert organ, but it destroys the sedateness and gravity of tone that should distinguish the church organ. The organ builder's excuse, however, will be that the recess is unfavourable for sound and too small to contain an organ necessary for the situation. His grievance might easily have been obviated had he been in communication with the architect before the recess was built. Now the form and construction of the organ chamber is a matter of so much importance to the public as well as the organ builder, and one so neglected, because so little understood, by the architect, that the subject is worthy of close attention and some trouble. A NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. most beneficial change may be brought about by simple and easy means. An easy reform consequent upon common sense agreement between him who builds the chamber, and him who constructs the instrument for which it is built, would work a surprising change in the quality of organ tones subjected to these conditions. Three desiderata of the utmost importance thrust themselves upon our notice in considering this subject, viz. — I. The chamber should have the greatest possible amount of opening for the egress of the sound-waves. 2. It should be of a form the most favourable for the reflection of the sound, and should be constructed of the best material for resonance. 3. It should be of sufficient size to contain an instrument of size proportionate to the building ; there should be room for a current of air round the organ, and sufficient internal space to admit of easy access to all parts of the in- strument. 1. There is no difficulty in comprehending that a badly constructed and small recess, "boxes up" the sound from the enclosed instrument, so that the tones reach the church after they have lost, by internal reflection, most of their original intensity. Imagine the pulpit placed in a recess of this kind ; would not the unfortunate preacher have to strive for Sydney Smith's "forty-parson power" under conditions so abnormal.' The circumstances are analogous. 2. The sound from a vibrating musical instrument spreads NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. equally in every direction, much in the same way as the circle caused by throwing a stone into a pool of water widens ; but unlike the watery circle, which spreads laterally only, sound spreads every way, or spherically. Sound also is impaired in strength as it travels, just as the wave caused by throwing a stone into water grows gradually less and less in size as the circle increases its circumference, until finally it disappears. The more sound is allowed to disperse, the fainter it becomes, and this is the reason a sound generated in the open air is so quickly lost to the ear (upon which Herschel bases the follow- ing law : — " The intensity of sound decays in receding from its origin, as the square of the distance increases "). In a building, being confined by four walls, sound has not similar facilities for dispersing. Now an organ chamber allows the sound to disperse from one, or at most two, openings ; therefore the sides and roof of the recess should be made to act as reflectors of the sound in the direction of the opening or openings into the church. It is most important that the roof of the chamber should not be higher than the top of the exit arches, for in such case the sound would be reflected back into the chamber, instead of out of it, and the result of two series of sound- waves meeting from opposite directions is to produce confusion of sound and destruction of tone. In the ordinary chamber, with one opening and a " lean-to " roof, this is often especially the case, as the roof will terminate some distance above the Bracket Organ Elston Church Plate 111. eOWARU ,J TARVER ARCH-- VmCtNT-BBOOKS DAY&SON LflH Built by Bishop & Starr. NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. ii point of the arched opening to the chamber. Wherever such a fault exists, the flat space so left should be boarded over to the level of the point of arch. An organ that must be cramped up in a recess insufficient for its size will give continual trouble both to organist and organ builder, because from the want of a free current of air round its mechanism it will be always out of order ; and there is an additional material difficulty in rectifying whatever may go wrong. The auditors feel that the instrument does not please their ears, but they do not so readily understand that, by reason of the circumscribed space, the pipes are crowded together so as to render their "speech" imperfect. A vaulted organ chamber of stone is perhaps the best of accepted forms for its purpose when it has two arches opening into chancel and transept ; but even then, one half the roof is calculated to throw the sound backwards into the chamber, instead of forwards into the church. The accompanying are two examples of organ chambers which I believe would be found to be very favourable for sound. The first represents a recess with a single opening, the arch being wide and high, and leaving plenty of room above the organ. The arch is carried up into the roof, so as to gain sufficient height, and the form of roof shown in the recess is very favourable for reflection. A coved or semi-vaulted form of roof would be equally good for sound. In Wesleyan and 12 NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. Congregational churches the organ is generally placed in a somewhat similar recess at the end of the building, and elevated above the pulpit. If the conditions mentioned above were carried out in such a case, this would be an excellent position, but it is frequently not so — the recess is too low and too small : in fact, just of sufficient size to contain the organ ; and it does most effectually contain it, sound and all. The second woodcut shows a chancel recess, with arched openings into chancel and transept, adapted for an organ such as that figured in Plate I. It will be seen that the front pipes are brought well out in the church, beyond the arches of the recess, instead of filling up the openings and interposing a barrier to the diffusion of sound, as is too often done. In this instance also the roof is curvilinear, and well adapted for NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. 13 reflection. The form, moreover, gives opportunity for a double roof, a feature which should be adopted in an organ chamber whenever it is possible ; as it not only forms an efficient protection against the organ's great enemies — cold and damp — but greatly adds to the resonance, because of the body of air it encloses. A curvilinear form of roof is essential to an organ chamber ; it focusses the sound, and (by reflection) impresses on it an initial direction ; and its lateral diffusion being prevented, it will travel farther and with greater force. The tone of a stringed instrument is produced by the vibrations of the string being communicated through the re- sonant back and belly to the body of air they enclose ; the vibrations of the string, unaided by these adjuncts, give but a very feeble note. In an organ, each pipe acts as its own sounding board, by reason of the column of air it contains ; the material of the pipe serving for the back and belly. When a pipe is being sounded, its vibrations are communicated to the wind-chest, and are carried down thence, by the framework that supports it, to the ground. (Appendix I.) If a hollow wooden platform, eight or twelve inches high, be placed beneath the organ, these vibrations, instead of being lost, will be reciprocated, and will reinforce the tone of the instrument ; while, if the sides of the platform be pierced with holes at regular distances, to induce a current of air through it, it will prove a further protection against damp, Sec. An organ should never be placed NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. directly on the ground, especially where the floor is of tiling, which, unless glazed or vitrified, acts as an absorbent of sound and damp. Some of the conditions with regard to the position of church organs were thus ably summed up by Mr. Bloomfield, in his paper on " Church Arrangements," read before the Architectural Association in i860: — " An organ, the most beautiful of instruments when in tune, is one of the most disagreeable when neglected, and everyone should know how sensitive it is to damp and draughts, in order to guard against this in his arrangements for the reception of the instrument. If there is a choir, the organ should be placed close to them, and the proper place for it is either in a side aisle of the chancel, or in an organ chamber built expressly for it, which is better. The effect of this instrument will be much enhanced, and it will be kept in better tune, if the walls are lined with boarding or battens ; and if not in a gallery, it should always be placed on a platform some feet from the floor." I may be pardoned if, knowing the importance of them, I state over again these requisites of the organ chamber. Its arch, or arches, should be as wide and high as circumstances will allow; the roof favourably formed for reflection and no higher than the openings of the arches, but the higher above the organ the better for the passage of the sound : as a general rule it should be twice as high as the shortest front pipe. Divided Chance ^ Orqan Plate re EDWARD J TARVER^DEL £T LITH. fOR BISHOP * STARi VINCENT BROOhb, D^IYa,SQN_1^ NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. 15 (Appendix III.) . The interior should be lined with boarding, and should be large enough ■';o admit of a passage quite round the organ, and there should be space so that easy access may be gained to every portion of the interior of the instru- ment in case of its derangement. This will enable the organ builder to spread out his "sound-boards," or more properly " wind-chests," so as to ' allow free course of air, and " perfect freedom of speech," to' each pipe, and to provide broad passage- boards, good both for ventilation and facilitating access. The cost and difficulty attached to keeping organs in order in this country, are much augmented by the baneful system of cramping, unfortunately so prevalent. I have known instances in which extraordinary gymnastic feats had to be performed, at imminent risk of accident to person as well as organ, before the interior of an instrument could be got at ; and then the adventurer's exertions were repaid by a severe attack of cramp. In other organs, some of the pipes being quite inaccessible, were always out of tune, and are likely to remain so unless some new and special apparatus be devised for , tuning them. The interior of a modern French or German organ, the perfect arrangement and freedom of approach to every part, conveys a lesson to every English organ builder, and should teach him to insist upon sufficient space being allowed for his instrument. With all the above requisites satisfied, a platform for the organ to stand on, and a hot-water coil (or other means for warming) i6 NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. encircling the chamber — the heating apparatus being used fre- quently in damp or cold weather — the cost of tuning and keeping the organ in order, would be reduced to a minimum. A church organ is subjected to so many changes of temperature, that it requires more frequent attention than a similar instrument that is placed in a room or hall where a more constant temperature is maintained. The organist's continual complaint is of the " reeds " ; but it is not generally known that they are really far more stable, as regards tune, than the flue- work ; but as the latter alters together, all going one way — -flat or sharp, according to the temperature — the "reeds," being fewer in number, and more prominent in character than the rest, are pronounced the culprits. The " flue-work " of an organ placed near the roof will sometimes be sharpened a semitone by the heat from the gas, and the breaths of a large congregation in an ill-ventilated building ; and the tuner, being informed that the " reeds " are " out of tune," going to examine them on a week-day, when the church has been allowed to resume its normal temperature, finds they are perfectly in tune again. This supplies another argument in favour of placing some distance between the organ and the roof of the building. The organ chamber is generally placed on the north side of the choir, but where the situation is very damp, the south should be chosen when practicable. Ch Ar^CEL OrQAN OVEF^ VeSTF^Y DOOF^ PlaleT '"»«"" J TABVEB DEL ET .it, .«„ a.Snop t STARR VIMCENraBOOMSDjY ft so«j- NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. 17 In most of the accompanying designs it will be noticed that the front of the instrument projects over the head of the performer. This form was general in mediaeval organs ; it not only renders a more graceful appearance, but carries the sound over the performer's head, enabling him better to hear his choir, and to estimate the effect he himself is producing. The pipes also, being placed in consequence some distance above the ear, are more pleasant to sing with, or to listen to. It was customary with some of the old builders to cover the front of the organ by shutters or blinds when the instrument was not in use. This resource is still used in Belgium and Italy, and might be restored here with much advantage, especially in the large manufacturing towns, where dust, dirt, and noxious vapours are so destructive to the organ. The blind is general throughout Italy, and it is extremely rare to find an organ unprovided with this protection. Where there are shutters, when opened they exhibit beautiful paintings on their inner sides. An example of the advantages to be derived from these is to be found at Jesus College, Cambridge, where the organ (built by J. C. Bishop) being provided in this manner, and constructed of very pure and choice materials, is only tuned once in five or six years. An ordinary instrument would require cleaning almost as frequently as that. Plate IX. A represents a chamber organ, which exhibits both c i8 NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. blind and shutter arrangements, the blind appearing partially drawn up over the centre-front pipes. The Rev. F. H. Sutton, in his interesting work on ' Church Organs' (Rivingtons), gives some very beautiful designs of the same description, as also does Sir John Sutton ('A Short Account of Organs in England,' with Illustrations by Pugin. (Masters). MATERIALS USED IN ORGAN BUILDING It has been already noticed that a stringed instrument — such, for instance, as a violin — derives its quality of tone, or timbre, from the vibrations of the molecules of the wooden sound -board, united with the vibrating internal body of air. The great perfection of violins by the old Italian masters is due to a careful selection of choice and well -seasoned wood, as well as to their age and frequent use, which has thrown their molecules into favourable vibratory forms. Unseasoned wood could not have endured to the present time, and "an imperfectly elastic or non-homogeneous material expends the motion imparted to it in the friction of its own molecules ; the motion is converted into heat instead of sound." (Tyndall.) This rule applies equally to the pipes, or the sound-producing portion of an organ, which should be of the very finest materials possible, whether of wood or metal. Schmidt, Harris, and the NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS.. 19 old English organ builders, who were true artists, were most careful in their selection of materials, and would throw away a pipe that had the least flaw or imperfection. If they had been less careful, their instruments would never have come down to the present time as glorious examples and proofs of their artistic merit. Too many of their so-called successors have lowered the art to a pursuit of transient Mammon, instead of enduring Fame. The inferiority of material is perhaps most conspicuous in the metal employed by a majority of organ builders, even by some occupying a high position ; and as the value of good metal pipes forms a large proportion of the cost of an organ, a considerable saving may be effected by the use of cheap and unfit materials. That ordinarily used now is type or antimony metal, consisting of lead combined with a small quantity of antimony and a very small percentage of tin. The antimony and tin are to harden the lead, for if the lead were used alone it would be too soft even to sustain its own weight. The disadvantages of this composition are numerous : firstly, the tone resulting from it is hard, coarse, and incapable of delicacy or sweetness ; secondly, it tarnishes and decays rapidly on exposure to the air, and is therefore of no use for " front pipes," unless painting is resorted to ; thirdly, it is extremely brittle, and soon splits and loses its "speech" under the necessary force of the "tuning-horn." Any one of these defects should have been sufficient to condemn it utterly, but inartistic organ C 2 20 NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. builders, recognizing no quality more estimable than cheapness, eagerly embraced the opportunity of underselling more con- scientious competitors. The cost of type metal is about one-fifth that of average tin metal, such as spotted metal (nearly equal parts of tin and lead), and about one-eighth that of the metal (almost pure tin) used by Schmidt or Harris, and by the best modern foreign organ builders. The late J. C. Bishop (inventor of the composition pedals, the anti-concussion valve, or wind regulator, the clarabella stop, &c., &c.), an enthusiastic admirer of the old organ builders, endeavoured to set an example and prevent the prevailing debasement of materials. He established a rule in his manufactory that no metal containing less than twenty-five per cent, of tin, with no admixture whatever besides lead, should be used there; and this rule has been steadily adhered to up to the present time. Following are the names and compositions of metals in general use at home and abroad for pipe making : — 1. Type metal : composed of lead, antimony, and a little tin. 2. Pewter, or 6tofre : about 20 per cent, of tin to 80 of lead. 3. Ordinary metal : 25 per cent, tin to 75 of lead. 4. Spotted metal : nearly equal parts of tin and lead. 5. Tin : 85 to 90 per cent, of tin, remainder of lead. 6. Zinc. Chancel Orqan in Vestry Arch PlateVl. EDWARD J TAnvER,OEL,ET LITH. FOR BISHOP A STAi^R, VINCENT BBOOKS.OHr t SON IMR NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. 21 The first yields a hard and coarse tone ; it tarnishes and decays rapidly, sometimes going in holes by separation of the antimony from the lead ; soon it cannot be tuned by the usual means. Antimony has the quality of rendering any other metal with which it is combined extremely brittle. A thousandth part of it will make even gold unfit for the uses to which it is generally applied. The second of these compositions is used in France and Germany, mostly for the feet of pipes, to save expense. Nos. 3 and 4 are constantly used in the best of the English manufactories. The first named of these retains its colour well, and yields a full, round, and sweet quality of tone ; but even this mixture has been found too poor to withstand the gaseous vapours in or near manufacturing towns, especially those of the "black country." The spotted metal has a brighter, more sparkling character of tone, and possesses a very pretty, wavy, . spotted appearance, somewhat similar to watered silk ; the colour does not soon tarnish, and is easily restored by washing. The pipe of this material should be constructed of good thick- ness to render a "full" quality of tone. Being hard, this metal is not so easily bruised in travelling, &c., as the foregoing compositions, and is therefore to be strongly recommended. No. 5 renders a very brilliant tone, and is of bright appearance. This and No. 4 have the advantages of extreme lightness, tenacity, and durability, but both are very expensive. NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. No. 6. Zinc has been used of late years for large pipes, and effects a great saving of cost. It is very ugly in appearance (for which reason it is generally coloured), and it alters very much from variation of temperature, sometimes rattling, at other times being very tight in its "stay." It is exceedingly light and hard, but is apt to give way in the seam if not very carefully soldered. When economy renders its use necessary, tin-metal mouths should be insisted on, otherwise " correct voicing " becomes impossible. Hopkins, in his comprehensive work on 'The Organ, its History and Construction,' sums up the numerous advantages of tin as material for organ pipes in the following manner : — "Tin recommends itself as a material for organ pipes by its great durability, its superior silver colour, and its lightness. It is very ductile, on which account pipe-work of such material does not nearly so soon become broken or cracked round the top by the force necessarily exercised with the tuning-horn during the process of tuning. Neither are pipes of this material so soon attacked by the strong acid in the woodwork which sustains and supports them (the upper boards and rack boards) but which will eat away the lower part of pipes made of many other materials that are more frequently used. It undergoes but little change, either from exposure to the atmosphere, or the impure exhalations produced by the breathing of a closely-packed audience ; and it resists the influence of sulphurous vapours, such NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. 23 as the fumes of gas,* nor is it oxydized even by the combined action of air and moisture. Tin, again, is less susceptible of change of temperature than are many of the compounds in use, on account of its greater hardness ; consequently, pipes of this material stand better in tune. Tin does not soon become tarnished ; hence its peculiar appropriateness for ungilded ' front pipes,' for which purpose it has indeed been used in even the humblest village church organs in Germany ; and when it does at length become dulled, its splendour is easily recovered. The lighter specific gravity of tin, again — fully one-third less than that of lead — is in its favour, a given quantity of the former going much farther than an equal weight of the latter. .... The great cost of tin — five or six times that of leadf — and more particularly the baneful 'low-contract' spirit which unfortunately pervades most modern transactions in organ-building matters, preclude its use to any great extent in this country, although it would, on account of the greater durability of the material, prove to be the cheapest in the end." Again, listen to what the venerable old Benedictine, Dom Bedos, has to say on the subject in his interesting work, ' L'Art du Facteur d'Orgues ' (Paris, 1766) : — "Je pense, avec d'habiles facteurs d'orgues, que ce n'est que par esprit d'^conomie qu'on emploie le plomb pour tous ces * It has been calculated that half a pound of solid sulphur per annum is discharged into the air from every jet of gas. t Now eight times that of lead (1872). 24 NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. jeux, et qu'il seroit mieux de les faire en 6tain ; ils en auroient plus de son, plus de tranchant, et plus d'harmonie." This is apropos of the custom, still to some extent existing in France, of making the bodies of the pipes of tin, but the feet of " 6tofife," an alloy described above. He continues : — " Ce n'est pas que cette mati^re fit rien au son des tuyaux " (the tone of a pipe proceeds from its body, the foot being, in fact, merely a convey- ance for the wind), "mais elle contribueroit beaucoup k la dur6e de I'accord et de I'harmonie. Le plomb produit une esp^ce de rouille blanche en forme de sel, qui alt^re les embouchures des pieds des tuyaux. Le peu de solidite de cette mati^re fait que le jour ou la lumiere des bouches ne se maintient pas long-temps comme I'ouvrier les a mis ; cette espece de rouille I'alt^re ; aussi, voyons-nous qu'en ce royaume, on est oblige d'accorder plus souvent les orgues qu'en Allemagne, oii le plomb est entierement banni de cet instrument, dont tous les tuyaux avec leurs pieds sont faits en etain." It is strange, indeed, that England, the richest country in the world, and which produces all the tin used by the continental organ builders, should have condescended to the employment of the inferior substitutes now in vogue, while in almost every other respect it has been foremost in the art, especially in the improvement of mechanical facilities. It is not for want of good example, for the pipes of Schmidt's and of Harris's organs were of excellent material, and are perfect even now in their Organ for West end of a Church or for a Town Hall. pt^teAOi. EDWAHD 0,TARVE.H D& L ET LITH. FOB BISHOP i STARR CEHTaRODXS Dft> a.SON.IMP NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. 25 tone. It is true tin was . very cheap then ; but England was not so rich, and mining operations must have been on a smaller and more expensive scale than now when machinery is so perfect. It must be borne in mind that the term "tin," as used technically in organ building, is not intended to mean pure tin, but the mixture explained above — viz. 85 to 90 per cent, of tin and the remainder of lead. A certain quantity of the latter is requisite on account of the soldering, for pure tin fuses at a very low temperature. A small quantity of lead also imparts a solidity of tone and substance, acting much in the same way as alloy in a gold piece. It is a fair question whether the tone of some stops may not require a less pure material than the above ; for instance, the open diapason, in which weight and dignified solidity of tone are wanted ; but there is no doubt whatever that where brilliancy is aimed at, as in the gamba and other stops of the same class, a pure metal, viz. one containing a higher percentage of tin, will give that result almost without the aid of the voicer's usual artifices for gaining that quality of tone. It has long been the custom in the house of Bishop and Starr to make the gambas, &c., of "spotted metal" for this reason, when the rest of the pipes were made of their "ordinary metal," viz. 25 to 30 per cent, of tin. Because only six different materials for organ pipes have been enumerated — and those mostly combinations of the same 26 NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. metals in different proportions — it must not be supposed that others have not been tried. A curious old book, called ' Humane Industry ; or, a History of the Manual Arts,' by Dr. Powell, of the date 1661, tells us as follows: — "A Neapolitan artisan made a pair of organs all of alabaster stone, pipes, keys, and jacks, with a loud, lusty sound, which he afterwards bestowed upon the Duke of Mantua, and which Leander Alberti saw in the said duke's court. The same Leander saw a pair of organs at Venice made all of glass, that made a delectable sound Gandentino Merula, in his book de Mirabilibus Mundi, makes mention of an organ in the church of St. Ambrose, in Milan, whereof the pipes were some of wood, some of brass, and some of white lead ; which, being played upon, did express the sound of cornets, flutes, drums, and trumpets, with admirable variety and concord." Porcelain, silver, and many curious materials we also read of as having been used for the purpose, and there is now at the South Kensington Museum a German " Positiv " of the seventeenth century, of which the pipes are all of paper. With regard to the pipes of glass at Venice mentioned above, I have one of the same material, that yields a tone anything but "delectable." I have also met with a stop having pipes of German silver, but they were not pleasant in tone, and the tuning horn was of no avail with them. Besides these, there is at Canton an organ of which the pipes consist entirely of bamboo. NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. 27 A few words will be sufficient with regard to the woods used in organ building. That for the pipes should be finest Canadian pine, well seasoned and free from knots. For particular stops, as the stopped diapason, there is much to say in favour of oak, of which Father Schmidt constructed so many fine ones. For India and extreme climates, mahogany must be employed, and the pipes should be screwed or bradded up to the top note. Manual sound-boards should always be of mahogany,^ which, though more costly, will save more than its cost in the end ; and the same may be said of leathered tables, which are almost always ignored now for the sake of saving a few pounds. An unsubstantial building frame made of an unseasoned material is a fruitful cause of annoyance and expense. The weight of the organ, as well as the effects of the atmosphere on the wood, cause it to warp and alter considerably, thus throwing the action out of gear, producing "stickings," &c. It would be easy to give excellent reasons in plenty why the most'perfect materials only should be used in every portion of the instrument, but enough, I hope, has been said to show that, although more expensive in the first instance, the use of good material saves both trouble and expense in the end. In England the art-qualities of an organ are less considered in the price paid for it than in any other country. The comparison of an estimate from an English, with one from a French organ builder, for an 28 NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. instrument of exactly the same size, differing only in the materials and finish of the workmanship, will show that the price named by the latter would be nearly double that of the former. It will be said that English builders hold the remedy in their own hands, and have only to raise their prices to a requisite standard ; but while the general public are blind to, and ignorant of, the advantages of good material, there will always be builders whose work is called cheap — until it is discovered by-and-by to have been dear at any price. The following passage from Seidel's work on the organ reads almost like a satire on the ordinary style of design for organ cases in this country : — " The organ being an essential ornament to the church, is usually rendered as handsome as possible. The organ builder embellishes the case by juttings and wainscots of every description ; by columns, heads of angels, foliage, &c. ; by a handsome varnish, and by more or less costly gilding." Although great improvements in this respect have been made during the last few years — witness the organs at Ely Cathedral and St. Mary's, Nottingham (Plate II.), by Sir Gilbert Scott — still the greater number of English organ cases are very poor in design, and much yet remains to be done. The fact is, the organ builder is expected to be his own architect ; he Organ Divided by a Window. PlalrVm EOW.no J TABVtR, DLL tT LIT», FOR BISHOP * STARR ICENT BROOKS 0AY4.SON-IMP N-QTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. 29 therefore expends as little trouble or labour on the case as possible, and what he does is often in the worst possible taste. Perhaps this accounts for organs being hidden in recesses by architects, since when they are not hidden, the church is often disfigured by an unsightly arrangement of bed posts and front pipes painted in gaudy colours to hide their internal inferiority. If the use of zinc and type metal is to supersede that of the silvery tin, then of course colour must be employed ; but surely nothing can exceed the beauty of the bright polished metal, which contrasts so well with any kind of wood, is so ecclesiastical in appearance, and enables a skilled observer to form a just opinion pf the character of the organ almost at a glance. If colour be required, it should appear on the metal itself, the naked metal standing in place of the neutral coat with which the pipe is generally first painted. Then it forms an agreeable contrast, and the effect of the metallic lustre is not lost. The large organ for Bombay Cathedral was treated in this manner, the bay leaves and coronals being enriched in colour, while the bodies of the pipes were left in their original brilliancy. Wooden pipes, where they are shown — and there is no reason they should not be in Gothic architecture — offer a favourable oppor- tunity for the application of colour ;. but for church purposes perhaps varnish, being more subdued, is better in character. The little "bracket" organ by Bishop and Starr (Plate III.), exhibited in the International Exhibition of 1872, was of this 30 NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. class, the centre-front pipes being constructed of white pine varnished. The effect of contrast with the brightness of the spotted metal pipes in the semicircular towers was very pure. The designs contained herein are intended to show how a good architectural effect may be obtained by simple means, and that organs need not necessarily be eyesores. They also present examples of most of the positions ordinarily adopted. Plate II. shows how a spacious chancel may contain a large organ entirely within it. The organ contains nearly fifty stops and rises to the imposing height of 40 feet. If the chancel be of moderate height, but narrow, an organ similar to that given on Plate III. proves very effective. The more extensive portions of the mechanism in this instance — such as the bellows, sound-board, &c. — are placed in the projecting cove, and the lower part, having the benefit of a shallow mural recess (which can easily be imitated in a modern building), takes up less space than a harmonium. The height is 16 feet. Plate IV. represents a divided or double chancel organ, having a more symmetrical effect, and distributing the sound more equally than an instrument placed on one side only. The connecting mechanism in this case would have to pass under the chancel floor, but with the aid of the pneumatic' or electro-pneumatic powers, this would form no impediment ; and the introduction of the patent " simplified " mode of applying these powers has also considerably reduced the expense as Chamber Urqan. Plate E- 32- 33- 34- Feet. Pipes. Flageolet 2 58 Orchestral Oboe C .. .. 8 46 Cremona \ Bassoon Bass/ 58 Fedal Organ, C C C to F, 30 notes. Feet. 35. Grand Open Diapason,\ , metal / '° 36. Grand Open Diapason,! , wood / Pipes. 30 30 37. Grand Bourdon 38. ,, Principal 39. „ Fifteenth 40. ,, Bombardone Feet. Pipes. 16 30 8 30 4 30 16 30 Couplers, etc. 41. Swell to Great. 42. ,, Pedals. 43. „ Choir. 44. Choir to Pedals. 45. ,, Great. 46. Great to Pedals. 49 to 57. Composition Pedals. 47. Tremulant to Swell. 48. Sforzando. Four pairs of bellows with pressures of wind varying from 2k to 5 inches. C. K. K. Bishop's Patent Simplified Pneumatic Actions applied to the Great and Swell Manuals. The interior metal pipes are of "Spotted Metal," except the Keraulophon and Orchestral Oboe, which contain a still higher percentage of tin. The exterior metal pipes are of zinc, which metal will better sustain the shaking it will experience in its long voyage. The wood pipes are all of mahogany. The rest of the woodwork is of mahogany, oak, and cedar, and is varnished throughout to protect it from the effects of changes of climate. The rollers are of tubular iron, the squares of gilded brass, and the wirework of a metal made expressly for this organ in place of the usual tinned iron wire, which speedily rusts in India. The bellows are provided with Messrs. Bishop and Starr's " Unalterable Pallet " for extreme climates, and all the leatherwork is poisoned to protect it from the attacks of white ants. An excellent performance was given on the organ by Mr. A. L. Tamplin, on Monday evening last. The programme was well chosen, and under the skilful manipulation of this gentleman, the various resources of the NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. 47 instrument were well displayed. An organ factory is rarely a good place wherein to test the merits of a new instrument ; nevertheless we have no hesitation in saying that the quality of this organ is especially satisfactory. The foundation work is solid and even, the reeds are bright, and the imitative stops are singularly piquant and successful. The new Patent Simplified Pneumatic Action, invented by Mr. Bishop,iun., which has been applied to the great and swell manuals, consists of a series of pneumatic pallets. It is just as effective as the usual well-known pneu- matic action, but it is without its complication, takes up comparatively no room, requires but little wind, and of course is not so expensive as the old contrivance, the cost amounting to about a fourth of the latter. The dwellers in Bombay owe a debt of gratitude to Sir Albert Sasson for this noble gift to their Town Hall. ' The Graphic^ September 'itk. The invitations sent out for last Monday to come and hear an organ built by Messrs. Bishop and Starr, and to be played upon by Mr. W. T. Best, attracted a large number of musical amateurs to the factory of this well- known firm. The most noteworthy pieces in an excellent programme were — Handel's Grand Organ Concerto, A major ; Bach's noble " Passacaglia C minor, on a Theme in the Pedal"; and the ever-welcome " Marche Funebre et Chant S^raphique," by Alex. Guilmant. Of the organ itself we can speak in unqualified praise. It is built with all the known modern improvements, many of which are invented by this firm, and fully sustains its world-wide reputation. This instrument is the munificent gift of Sir Albert David Sassoon, C.S.I., to the Town Hall at Bombay,' as a memento of the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh in 1870. The "great organ" and "solo organ" have each a compass from CC to A, 58 notes, and are on the same manual, but the solo organ is on a higher pressure of wind. The " swell organ" and " choir organ" have also a compass from C C to A, 58 notes, and the pedal organ a compass from CCC to F, 30 notes. The interior metal pipes are of spotted metal, and the exterior are of zinc, as zinc will better sustain the shaking it will receive during its long voyage. The wood pipes are all of mahogany, and the rest of the woodwork is of mahogany, oak, and cedar, and is varnished throughout to protect it from the effects of changes of climate. The rollers are of tubular iron, the 48 NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. squares of gilded brass, and the wirework of a metal made expressly for this organ, instead of the usual tinned iron wire, which speedily rusts in India. All the leatherwork is poisoned to protect it from the ravages of white ants. ' The Guardian^ September nth. The New Organ for the Bombay Town Hall. — An organ, built in London, at the cost of a Bombay Jewish gentleman, to be presented to the Town Hall of his native city, is so suggestive an illustration of the move- ments of modern Anglo-Indian life, that in itself it calls for at least a word of passing notice. The offering of this handsome gift by Sir Albert Sassoon is said, indeed, to have been prompted by the desire to commemorate the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh to Bombay. But the munificence of the Sassoon family is hereditary ; and it may be assumed that if the Duke had not gone to India at all. Sir Albert would have found some other occasion for the exercise of his liberality. The organ is now finished, and has been played upon in public at Messrs. Bishop and Starr's manufactory in the Marylebone Road, by some of the most popular organists now in London, among others by Mr. Best and the two brothers Le Jeune. According to our notion as to what constitutes perfection of quality in an organ, Messrs. Bishop and Starr have completed as satisfactory a piece of workmanship as has ever been turned out by a London builder. An organ, according to our likings, should be distinguished by precisely that same unity of tone which we expect in a pianoforte, and which is yielded by a complete orchestra when handled by the greatest masters. Every organ wherein there is a predominance of brassiness, or of any class of stops, is so far faulty, and fails of impressing the mind with that sense of heroic grandeur in which the organ stands alone. This unity, accompanied with a sweetness, not of the cloying sort, and a complete roundness and fullness of quality, we have generally found in Messrs. Bishop's organs ; and in the present case these same qualities are quite as conspicuous as ever. Without being a monster organ, the pedal pipes being only on the i6-feet scale, it is quite large enough to give the builders ample scope for carrying out their conception, and it has a full sufficiency of the various solo stops in which the inventors of the day delight. It counts forty stops in all, and about 2350 pipes, including six complete sets of pedal pipes, each of them two octaves and a half in extent. The pneumatic action, for a new and more economical NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. 49 form of which the builders have lately taken out a fresh patent, is appKed to the great and swell manuals, and the mechanism is of course such as would have sent a thrill of delight through the souls of Bach and Handel, accustomed as they were to the stiff and cumbrous machinery of their time. Without these facihties supplied by the modern organ, such playing as Mr. Best's would, we should suppose, be impossible. The rapid execution, especially with the feet, in which he is unsurpassed, must have been out of the question a hundred years ago. Nothing could be finer than his playing of the ' PassacagUa,' in C minor, of Sebastian Bach with a theme given out on the pedals. Execution is, in fact, Mr. Best's great point. His phrasing is apt to become a little exaggerated, and he carries his old fondness for quickening and slackening the time in separate passages to an excessive extent. Phrasing on the organ is, undoubtedly, a more difficult art than upon the violin or the pianoforte, and to the older school of players it was almost unknown. Still, it is absolutely essential to a perfect performance, as it is the very life and soul of expression. In the same somewhat ques- tionable taste, Mr. Best now and then indulges in a too liberal use of additional notes, by way of filling up the comparatively thin writings of the old composers. There can be no doubt, indeed, that Handel always designed his organ works, and his orchestral works, too, to be filled up to a certain extent at the performer's or accompanyist's discretion. But Mr. Best sometimes uses this liberty with, as we think, an excessive freedom, and the result is a sort of cloudiness and thickness of sound, impairing both melodies and harmonies, instead of enriching them. The playing of the young Le Jeunes is really as wonderful as ever, though, as the elder of the two must now be about eighteen years old, it is not so startling as when the musical world first heard Bach's most difficult fugues played by two boys so small that they were forced almost to jump from spot to spot in order to get at the keys on the manuals and the pedals. They are now steadily maturing, and promise some day to take the very highest rank as organ players. Each of them played two works of his own, extremely well written, and in the best style. Without any very striking originality in the way of melody, these compositions show a complete grasp of the resources of counter point, and are entirely free from those reminis- cences into which young composers are apt to fall. Such playing is, no doubt, not to be heard in Bombay. And the question naturally arises, will young India take to European organ playing as it takes to European culture in general ? so NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. ' TIu Standard^ September yd. Organ for the Town Hall of Bombay. — Sir Albert Sassoon, Kt., K.C.S.I., a member of the well-kaown Oriental firm of Sassoon and Co., has presented to the town of Bombay a magnificent organ, in honour of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh's recent visit to that city. It has been built by Messrs. Bishop and Starr, of Marylebone Road, and is to be erected in the Town Hall of Bombay. The "great organ" and "solo great organ " have each a compass from C C to A, 58 notes, and are on the same manual, but the solo organ is on a higher pressure of wind. The " swell organ " and " choir organ " have also a compass from C C to A, 58 notes, and the pedal organ a compass from C C C to F, 30 notes. The interior metal pipes are of spotted metal, and the exterior are of zinc, as zinc will better sustain the shaking it will receive during its long voyage. The wood pipes are all of mahogany, and the rest of the woodwork is of mahogany, oak, and cedar, and is varnished throughout to protect it from the effects of changes of climate. The rollers are of tubular iron, the squares of gilded brass, and the wirework of a metal made expressly for this organ, instead of the usual tinned iron wire, which speedily rusts in India. AH the leatherwork is poisoned to protect it from the ravages of white ants. Although the machinery is not yet in perfect working order, select audiences were admitted to Messrs. Bishop and Starr's works on Saturday afternoon to hear a number of selections played by Master Percy Mull, and again in the evening by the brothers Le Jeune. Master Percy Mull is a young gentleman of twelve years of age, of the highest musical promise, the son of Mr. Mull, proprietor of 'The Times of India,' the leading daily journal published in Bombay, who himself was instrumental, some years ago, in bringing the Le Jeunes into notice. When Mr. Mull discovered the precious musical gift with which his own boy had been endowed, he provided for its careful cultivation, and the result has been that the young gentleman performed some of Bach's difficult music on Saturday with the most perfect ease and accuracy, NOTES ON CHURCH ORGANS. 51 ' Catholic Opinionl September ph. Performance on the Grand Organ built by Messrs. Bishop and Starr for the Town Hall, Bombay. — Favoured with an invitation, we gladly accepted, on two of the evenings contained in the card of invitation, the opportunity of hearing this instrument. Among the visitors we observed many musical notables, who highly appreciated the taste displayed in the selection of pieces, containing so many various and placid passages, all well calculated to show off the numerous mixtures to be had on this noble combination. The honours were certainly given to Bach, Handel, Mendels- sohn, Schmidt, Hesse, Gesler, &c., &c., to which no real lover of organ music would object. The occasion is opportune for drawing the attention of our readers to the fact that the same celebrated firm have built some of our finest organs, — the one at the Oratory, Lincoln's Inn Fields, St. George's Cathedral, S. Monica's, and others. Each of those mentioned we have had the pleasure of hearing to our great delight. Organists who value the advantages to be derived from an instrument which will bring to light the skill of their own manipulation adequately embelhshed by the readiness of a good mixture will, we hope, if about selecting, give the preference to a house so well deserving the eminence it has so justly acquired. ' The Tablet; September \i,th. Fine Arts. — The New Organ for Bombay. — Messrs. Bishop and Starr, the builders of the magnificent organ presented by Sir Albert Sassoon to the Town Hall at Bombay, engaged last week the services of three eminent organists to show off the capabilities of the instrument at their works in Marylebone Road, when a numerous company attended by invitation. The new organ is one of great power and sweetness of tone, and worthy of the reputation of the eminent firm which have built organs for so many of our Catholic cathedrals and churches at home and in the colonies. Besides Local, Country, and Scientific Papers. BISHOP AND STARR, Organ Builders to Wer Majesty, AND W,R.H. The Prince of Wales, AND HARLEY PLACE, JOHN STREET, EDGWARE ROAD, LONDON, N.W. INVENTORS OF THE COMPOSITION PEDALS, ANTI-CONCUSSION VALVE. ClEraMIa airtr ai\i&x Mai^n, dc, tit. BUILDERS OF THE LARGE ORGANS The Oratory, Brompton. St. Anselm's, Lincoln's Inn Fields. St. George's Cathedral. St. James's, Piccadilly. St. Giles's, Camtaerwell. Bonabay Cathedral. Bombay Town Hall. St. Mary's, Nottingham. St. James's, Bermondsey. etc., etc., etc. LONDON : PlilSTED BV W. CLOWIiS ASD SONS, STAMFORD STKEET AND CHAIUNO CKOSS.