The Recent Revolution in Organ Building: Being an Account of Modern Developments — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building: Being an Account of Modern Developments
John Stuart Mill · en
Under the name of Sforzando Coupler, the mechanism of which is
described and illustrated in Stainer's Dictionary, a device was
formerly found in some organs by which the keys of the Swell were
caused to act upon the keys of the Great. The coupler being brought on
and off by a pedal, sforzando effects could be produced, or the first
beat in cadi measure strongly accented in the style of the
orchestration of the great masters. Hope-Jones in his pioneer organ at
St. John's Church, Birkenhead, England, provided a pedal which brought
the Tuba on the Great organ. The pedal was thrown back by a spring on
being released from the pressure of the foot. Some fine effects could
be produced by this, but of course the whole keyboard was affected and
only chords could be played. Various complicated devices to bring out
a melody have been invented from time to time by various builders, but
all have been superseded by the invention of the "Double Touch." On a
keyboard provided with this device, extra pressure of the fingers
causes the keys struck to fall an additional eighth inch (through a
spring giving way), bringing the stops drawn on another manual into
play. If playing on the Swell organ, the Choir stops will sound as
well when the keys are struck with extra firmness; if playing on the
Choir the Swell stops sound; and if playing on the Great the Double
Touch usually brings on the Tuba or Trumpet. It is thus possible to
play a hymn tune in four parts on the Swell and bring out the melody on
the Choir Clarinet; to play on the Choir and bring out the melody on
the Swell Vox Humana or Cornopean; or to play a fugue with the full
power of the Great organ (except the Trumpet) and bring out the subject
of the fugue every time it enters, whether in the soprano voice, the
alto, tenor, or bass.
In the latest Hope-Jones organs arrangements are made for drawing many
of the individual stops on the second touch, independently of the
couplers.
BALANCED SWELL PEDAL
At the commencement of the period of which we are treating (some fifty
years ago) the Swell shutters of almost all organs were made to fall
shut of their own weight, or by means of a spring. The organist might
leave his Swell-box shut or, by means of a catch on the pedal, hitch it
full open.
When, however, he wanted the shutters in any intermediate position, he
had to keep his foot on the pedal in order to prevent its closing.
The introduction of the balanced Swell pedal (Walcker, 1863) has
greatly increased the tonal resources of the organ. It is used almost
universally in this country, but strangely enough the country in which
the Swell-box was invented (England, 1712) lags behind, and even to-day
largely adheres to the old forms of spring pedal.