Books › Ayars, Contributions to the Art of Music in America by the Music Industries of Boston (1937) — the Squier, Farley, Rettberg, Rockwell and Elias Howe matter, 1937 › scan 197
Scan 197
Ayars, Contributions to the Art of Music in America by the Music Industries of Boston (1937) — the Squier, Farley, Rettberg, Rockwell and Elias Howe matter, 1937
18 lines. Read by computer on 27 September 2026. Printed page 171. See the scan on archive.org.
1THE PLYMOUTH CHURCH, Brooklyn, organ (Henry Ward Beecher's church)
2Also built in 1866. This had Great, Swell, Choir and Solo manuals each of 58 notes, a pedal keyboard of 30 notes, 65 stops, 3405 pipes, and a pneumatic lever to lighten the touch for the organist.10 "The grand crescendo may be pronounced to be without exception the greatest improvement ever introduced into the organ." It had another novelty, "the Tuba Mirabilis, which stop is introduced for the first time in this country." "The pipes are voiced somewhat differently from our English Tubas which too much resemble a roaring mad bull." "The Tuba Clarion is its octave."11
4Eugene Thayer in January 1875 selected this organ as the first American-built organ to discuss in his The Organist's Quarterly Journal and Review. He wrote "We now give the specification of the most noted organ of American manufacture." "The Messrs. Hook [now E. & G. G. Hook & Hastings, Boston] have long been looked upon as representative organ builders in the United States; and not without well deserving the honor. . . .
6"We have chosen the Plymouth Church Organ first, simply because it is in reality a Concert Organ; and has been used more probably for concert purposes than any other American-built organ.
8"This work has been in constant use for nearly or quite ten years, and is now in as fine condition as when first erected. Its soft registers are many of them very beautiful; and the reed registers are of great power. The chief characteristic of the work is brilliancy. It has much power, although we think it lacks in solidity for a work of this size. We certainly think it is a fine work, and an honor to its makers."12
10Both this and the Shawmut Congregational Church organ were still in 1897 considered notable instruments.
12CENTENARY M. E. CHURCH, Chicago.
13Finished in 1868 and described by Der Freyschutz as "By consent and acclamation of all connoisseurs the best organ we have is one just erected in Dr. Hatfield's (Centenary M. E.) Church, by E. & G. G. Hook." "This magnificent instrument is not unlike those in the Swedenborgian and St. James's Churches in Boston, and the beautiful one recently erected in the Westminster Church at Elizabeth, N. J. . . . The Centenary organ has three manuals. The stops are distributed in this wise: Great, eleven stops; Swell, eleven stops; Solo, eight stops; Pedale, four;
1510 The Organist's Quarterly Journal & Review—January 1875 pp. 7 & 8 has slightly different figures.
1611 Dwight's Journal of Music, Vol. 26, April 28, 1866 pp. 227 & 228 and May 12, 1866 p. 244.
1712 The Organist's Quarterly Journal and Review, January 1875 pp. 7 & 8.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.