Of course there had been no organ in this church before, or the worthy deacon might have known more about it. If he had read the second chapter of this book, he would have known all about it. The following pages have been written with the idea of helping those who may be placed in a similar position; who may be called upon to decide the serious question of the purchase of a new organ for their church, town hall, or an auditorium, or the rebuilding of the old one now in use; who are distracted by the conflicting plans and contending claims of rival organ builders; who are disinclined to rely upon so-called "expert" opinion, but wish to look into these things for themselves and intelligently purchase an instrument which is thoroughly up-to-date in every particular, which will not drive the organist to the verge of profanity every time he plays upon it, and will not prove a snug source of income to its builders--for repairs. The organ-student, the amateur, and eke the professional organist, will also find much here that will interest them and lead to a better understanding of the instrument. The revolution in organ-building herein described has for the most part taken place under the personal notice of the author, during the last fifty years. The organists of a younger generation are to be congratulated on the facilities now placed at their disposal, mainly by the genius and persevering efforts of four men--as hereinafter described. CONTENTS CHAPTER I As It Was in the Beginning CHAPTER II The Organ in the Nineteenth Century CHAPTER III The Dawn of a New Era; the Pneumatic Lever CHAPTER IV Pneumatic and Electro-pneumatic Actions--Tubular Pneumatics--Division of Organs--Sound Reflection--Octave Couplers and Extensions CHAPTER V Stop-keys--Control of the Stops CHAPTER VI Radiating and Concave Pedal Boards--Pedal-stop Control--Suitable Bass Attachments CHAPTER VII Means of Obtaining Expression--Crescendo Pedal--Sforzando Pedal--Double Touch--Balanced Swell Pedal--Control of Swell by Keys--Swell Boxes--the Sound Trap Joint--Vacuum Swell Shutters CHAPTER VIII A Revolution in Wind Supply--Springs vs. Weights--Individual Pallets--Heavy Wind Pressures--Mechanical Blowers CHAPTER IX Transference of Stops--Double Touch--Pizzicato Touch--the Unit Organ--Sympathy CHAPTER X Production of Organ Tone--Acoustics of Organ Pipes--Estey Open Bass Pipes--Diapasons--Flutes--Strings--Reeds--Vowel Cavities--Undulating Stops (Celestes)--Percussion Stops--the Diaphone CHAPTER XI Tuning--Equal Temperament--New Method of Tuning Reeds CHAPTER XII Progress of the Revolution in Our Own Country CHAPTER XIII Chief Actors--Barker--Cavaille-Coll--Willis--Hope-Jones CHAPTER XIV