Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 17.djvu/901

Rh ORGAN 835 The pneumatic lever (fig. 13) consists of a small power bellows attached to each key, so that the depression of the key admits high-pressure wind to the power bellows. The power bellows then performs the work of opening the valves, &c. In large organs the work to be done would be beyond the reach of the most powerful finger without this device. Similar de vices are sometimes applied to the com positions and other mechanical arrange ments. Pneumatic trans mission, with many other mechanical de vices, was invented by Willis. It con sists of a divided pneumatic action. FlG - &quot;.-Pneumatic lever, The pneumatic wind, instead of being at once admitted to the power bellows, is made to traverse a length of tubing, at the farther end of which it reaches the work to be done. This principle admits of application to divided organs, the pneumatic transmission passing under the floor, as in the organ at St Paul s Cathedral. It is peculiarly suitable for the pedals of large organs. Ventils are valves which control the wind-supply of the different groups of stops. They were much recommended at one time as a substitute for compositions. The practical difference is that compositions shift the stop-handles, so that one can always see what there is on the organ ; ventils leave the stop handles unmoved, so that the player is Hable to be deceived. Other inconveniences might be mentioned, but it is enough to say that practical opinion appears decidedly to condemn the use of ventils. The original pedal boards of Germany were flat and of ^.uo very large scale. The early practice in England was to about the ma ]j e them verv sma ll, as well as of short compass. Of former late the compass C /&quot;, thirty notes, has been universally adopted with scales varying from 2 J to 2J inches from centre to centre of the naturals; 2| inches is the scale now recommended. A large number of organs have been provided with what are called concave radiating pedal boards. These are most objectionable. All the best players dislike them. The objections are mainly two. They present different scales at different distances from the front ; and, except just in front, they become so narrow that the smallest foot can hardly put down the pedals singly. This is fatal to legitimate playing, the essence of which consists in putting the feet over each other freely, so as to use the alternate method as much as possible ; and this requires that the back of the pedal board shall be as available as the front. The concave parallel form appears to satisfy all requirements. The diversities of the arrangements of different organs present a great difficulty. The best players take a certain time to master the arrangements of a strange instrument. With a view to the introduction of uniformity, a conference on the subject was arranged by the College of Organists in London, and a series of resolutions and a series of recom mendations were published which deserve attention (1881). They go into considerable detail, and we must refer to the document itself. But we may mention that the parallel concave form is recommended for the pedal board, and 2| inches for the scale. The positions of the stops of the various organs are to be as follows. Arrange ments Great Org Left. Right. Swell. Solo. Pedal. Great. Couplers. Choir. The order of compositions, &c., from piano to forte is to oe in all cases from left to right. The groups of com positions are to be in the order from left to right pedal, swell, couplers, great. Some think that too much has been here sacrificed to uniformity. It is thought that, as the swell and great as a rule are provided with composi tions, their stops are more properly placed on the right, leaving the solo and choir on the left, as the left hand is the more easily spared. Also some prefer to have the compositions arranged with the pianos in the middle and the fortes at the ends, so that the risk of putting down a loud composition in mistake for a soft one is avoided. Two other points of detail may be alluded to. One is the position of the pedal board with reference to the keys. The height from the middle of the pedals to the great organ keys, it is agreed, should be 32 inches. But as to the forward position there is a difference. The resolutions say that &quot; a plumb-line dropped from the front of the great organ sharp keys falls 2 inches nearer the player than the front of the centre short key of j the pedal board.&quot;, , The old arrangement gave usually 1 inches for this dis tance. But it is thought that the change has not gone far enough, and 4 inches has been found preferable. There is scarcely any single F arrangement which is so important for the comfort of the _ player as having sufficient space in this direction (fig. 14). The second matter is the provi sion of some other means of acting 011 FlG -K^tive position of manual and ped; the swell than by the swell pedal. The use of the swell pedal is inconsistent with the proper use of both feet on the pedal keys; and there is no doubt that incorrect habits in this respect are commonly the result of the English use of the swell pedal. In fact, players sometimes keep one foot on the swell pedal all the time, so that proper pedal playing is impossible. Arrangements have been de vised by means of which a movable back to the seat can be made the means of acting on the swell The first &quot; re commendation &quot; of the College of Organists illustrates the requirement ; it is, that &quot; the consideration of organ- builders be directed to the widely -expressed desire for some means of operating on the swell in addition to the ordinary swell pedal.&quot; As an example of an organ of a complete but not enormously lame character, we give the details of the organ at St George s chapel Windsor, which has been recently rebuilt by Messrs. Gray and Davison, according to Mr. Walter Parratt s designs. Old. 2 /College . Windso Four manuals, C to a &quot;, 58 notes. Pedal, C to /, 30 notes. Great Organ (3j-inch wind). Cl.inibella Principal 4 Harmonic flute 4 Twelfth 23 Fifteenth 2 Sesquialtera 1 ni ranks Mixture 1 Ji ranks Posaune 8 Clarion 4 1 These are the old mixtures.