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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
TO
The Pipe Organ.
SOME
INTERESTING COMMENTS ON THK VARI-
OUS PARTS OF THK INSTRUMENT.
T
HE keyboard of a modern church or-
gan contains from fifty-eight to sixty-
one keys, and is consequently 4}4 to 5
octaves in compass. The lowest or bottom
left hand key is C. Now, counting each
octave from the left, it reads thus: The
lowest octave is called the " C C " octave,
written with two capital C's; the next is
the "tenor" octave, written with one capital
C; the next the "middle" octave, written
with an italic C, with a figure 1 over it—
" C i " ; the next is the "treble" octave,
written with an italic C and a figure 2 over
it—"CV; the next is the "alto" octave,
written with an italic C and a figure 3 over
it—"C 3 ."
The lowest octave is sometimes called the
"bass octave" or "double C" octave, and
the GG is called the "gamut G. " The G
of the tenor octave is called also "fiddle
G," it giving the sound of G on the open
string of the violin. The black keys are
always called "sharps," never "flats, " such
as " F sharp," not " G n a t . "
If, then, any key is wrong, mention it as
follows: Tenor d on the oboe is out of
tune, etc.. or middle a sharp on the flute is
out of tune or weak, etc. If a note will not
respond to a key when touched on any par-
ticular "stop," try another stop, and if it
responds on that the first stop tried is out
of order by its pipe not sounding. Then
describe this so: Middle c on the melodia is
"off ijts speech." When couplers are out
of order, describe the position of the note
and mention the coupler thus: Tenor c
"swell to great" is "off."
A great organ separation is a contrivance
used in organs of pneumatic key and stop
action. By the use of two pistons or buttons
over the keys a player can "separate" or
silence all the great organ from the other
manuals and instantly restore the sound
again. Thus suppose both swell and choir
were coupled to the great organ and the
player's hands were using the great keys,
and the piece called for only the swell and
choir coupled, then pressing the button dis-
connects the great organ pro tem., so that
it is silent, and the fingers need not be taken
off the great keys, but be kept on and ready
for the sudden loud change by pressing the
relieving button.
A "salicional," from Latin "salicet,"
weeping, is the French equivalent for the
"dulciana" in English and American
church organs. The ' v o x angelica," or
"angel voice," is the softest stop in the or-
gan, says the Providence Journal. It does
not come up to anything angelic that human
beings know of other than the quiet voice
of conscience, the latter being far more ser-
THE
viceable and cheaper. The "vox celeste 1 '
is a stop tuned slightly "out of tune" so as
to pulsate or beat with any other stoP
played with it. It has nothing to do with
"celestial voices," as far as I know. We
presume heaven is perfect and all nature as
well, but anything out of tune offends the
musician's ear. Then why encour.age it?
The vox angelica effect can be got by play-
ing on the salicional with the swell closed.
The best vox celeste not out of tune is the
"tremulant."
Both the angelica and
celeste are excellent stops for indifferent
players to moon about on for hours, but an
overdose produces cold sweats and other
changes, due no doubt to the temperature
of the air above to where we are wafted.
Both stops are expensive but useless addi-
tions to church organs, and probably never
used more than twice a year, perhaps never.
WWBS
MAX WAHI.K, music trade dealer, Buffalo,
N. Y., is about to retire from business.
A NEW escapement and key adjuster for
tightening the keys of pianos so as to pre-
vent rattling, has been invented by Henry
Flynn, 11 27 Columbia street, Philadelphia.
S.
Mr. flehlin's Long Trip.
T
WO well-known young men of this city,
Charles Mehlin and George Hamlin,
have started on a six months' yachting
cruise that is likely to be productive of
many an adventure. Mr. Mehlin is com-
modore of the Minneapolis Model Yacht and
Racing Association, and owner of the fleet
sloop yacht Grace. He is the son of Paul
G. Mehlin, of the Mehlin Piano Co. Mr.
Hamlin is one of the sergeants of Company
H. The whole trip will be made in the
Grace, which is a trim 18-footer of the Her-
reshoff make, and very fast.
The young voyagers have mapped out a
cruise which will include a trip down the
Mississippi with stops at St. Louis, Vicks-
burg, New Orleans and other places, and
will then cruise in the Gulf of Mexico,
touching at Bluefields and Corinto, in Nic-
aragua, Caracas, Martinique and Cuba.
Mr. Mehlin has been around the world,
and during the Bulgarian-Servian difficul-
ties did a little war correspondence, and he
expects not a little excitement in the pres-
ent trip.—Minneapolis Journal.
Busy Brambach.
C
HAS. H. BECHT returned last week
from an extended trip in the interest
of the Brambach Piano Co. He reports a
marked improvement in business, and the
best possible proof of it is the large number
of orders he secured. One of the many
orders on his book was from Taylor's Music
House, of Springfield, Mass., for twenty-
five pianos. No wonder the Brambach fac-
tory is pressed to fill orders. Earnest, ac-
tive work will bring its reward.
S.
STEWART, the
banjo
and
guitar
manufacturer, of Philadelphia, will make
an imposing exhibit of his wares at the Cot-
ton States and International Exposition to
be held at Atlanta, Ga., next September.
ONE hundred thousand dollars is to be
spent in re-modeling and modernizing
Music Hall, Cincinnati.
H. KRANICH, JR., of Kranich & Bach, has
been making a short business trip through
the States of Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania
and New York, and reports much success
in securing orders.
MR.
PFKIFFER, of E. G. Pfeiffer
& Co.,
Washington, D.C., has been elected a mem-
ber of the Board of Trade.
J. P. VSIMMONS & Co
?
Louisville, Ky., has
purchased the stock of musical merchandise
and sheet music carried by Bryant & Co.,
Indianapolis.
E. G. PFEIFFER & Co.,Washington, D.C.,
agents for the McCammon pianos, are ex-
periencing an excellent demand for these
instruments.
GEO. LINDEMAN, formerly
of
the Linde-
man Piano Co., Cincinnati, O., is now con-
nected with the Smith & Nixon house of
that city.
THE Triopbone is the name of a musical
instrument invented by W. I). Kyle, of
Fort Wayne, Ind. It is described as a com-
bination of the ba-njo, mandolin and guitar.
THE Oliver Uitson Co. are considering
the advisability of opening a branch house
in London for (he purpose of pushing their
publications as well as acting as agents for
other American music publishers.
CARL FISCHER, music publisher, has con-
tributed $50 to the Gilmore monument fund,
which is being agitated by the New York
Mercury.
THE Sheriff of Los Angeles County, Cal.,
IT is reported that William J. Carter will
be elected to the presidency of the Colby is offering a reward of $25 for the arrest of
Piano Co., Erie, Pa., made vacant by the J. L. Coulter, alias J. W. Hall, who is
recent death of Mr. C. C. Colby.
charged with embezzlement.
CELEBRATED
STEGER
PIANOS
PATENTED 1892.
are noted for their fine singing quality < I
tone and great durability.
The mos;
profitable Piano for dealers to handle
STEGER & CO., Manufacturers,
Factory, Columbia Heights.
235 WABASH AYENUE. CHICAGO.