The Recent Revolution in Organ Building: Being an Account of Modern Developments
John Stuart Mill · en
Arranged in two double columns on the left-hand or bass jamb are 48
draw-stop knobs for the Couplers and Tremulants. The principal
Couplers may also be operated by reversible pistons and the Tremulants
(3) by reversible pedals. There are also 5 reversible pedal pistons
for the Manual to Pedal Couplers. In addition to the usual
Inter-manual Couplers there are on the Choir, Swell, Solo, and Echo
organs Sub and Super and Unison (off) Couplers, each on its own Manual.
A novelty is a coupler labeled Solo Tenor to Pedal. By its use the
upper 20 notes of the pedal-board are available for a tenor solo by the
right foot, at the same time the Pedal tones are cut off from these
notes and the remainder of the pedal-board is available for use by the
left foot as a bass.
The stop control is effected in the first place by 9 Adjustable
Combination Pedals to the Pedal Organ. Then there are 9 Adjustable
Combination Pistons to the Choir, Great, Swell, Solo and Echo organs
and 5 to the Tuba organ. It is possible to couple each set of these
Manual Pistons to the Pedal organ Combination Pedals, either by
draw-stops or by piston, thus moving pedal and manual stops
synchronously.
All these Combination Pedals and Pistons move the draw-stop knobs,
showing a valuable index of their position to the organist.
There are 5 Adjustable Pistons on the treble key frame (and 5
duplicates on the bass key frame) for special combinations, on Manuals,
Pedal, and Couplers.
There are 5 pedals to operate the various swell boxes of the lever
locking type--a locking movement allowing the performer to leave pedal
in any position. The swell pedal for the Pedal stops can be coupled to
any of the others.
The Tremulants have attachments allowing the performer to increase or
decrease the rapidity of the _vibrato_ at will.
The action throughout is electro-pneumatic and tubular-pneumatic
(according to distance of pipes from keyboard), excepting the Manual to
Pedal Couplers, which are mechanical to pull down the manual keys.
There are seven separate blowing installations of electric motors.
The instrument occupied two special chambers on each side of the
chancel, and a portion of the south chancel triforium. There are four
fronts, two facing the chancel and two (32 feet) facing the transepts.
The console is placed on the north side above the choir stalls. The
organ is the gift of Mrs. James Barrow and cost (without cases) about
$90,000. The specification was drawn up by Mr. W. J. Ridley, nephew of
Mrs. Barrow, with the full approval of her committee, Mr. Charles
Collins, Mr. E. Townsend Driffield, the Cathedral organist, Mr. F. H.
Burstall, F. R. C. O., and Henry Willis & Sons.
It is claimed that this organ is now "the largest in the world." We
give the dimensions of some notable instruments for the sake of
comparison: