Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 2.djvu/606

Smith's organ had three complete manuals, which was also a novelty. Two complete stops were allotted to the upper set of keys, forming a kind of Solo organ, with which the 'Ecchos' acted in combination.

The following is a copy of the Schedule of Father Smith's organ as delivered to the two societies, signed, and dated June 21, 1688.

Great organ. 10 stops.
		Pipes	Foote Tone
1.	Prestand of Mettle	61	12
2.	Holflute of Wood and Mettle	61	12
3.	Principall of Mettle	61	06
4.	Gedackt of Wainscott	61	03
5.	Quinta of Mettle	61	04
6.	Super Octavo	61	03
7.	Sesquialtera of Mettle	183	03
8.	Mixture of Mettle	226	03
9.	Cornette of Mettle	112	02
10.	Trumpet of Mettle	61	12
		948
Choir organ. 6 stops.
11.	Gedackt of Wainscott	61	12
12.	A Sadt of Mettle	61	06
13.	Holflute of Mettle	61	06
14.	Spittsflute of Mettle	61	03
15.	A Violl and Violin of Mettle	61	12
16.	Voice humane of Mettle	61	12
		366
Ecchos. 7 stops.
17.	Gedackt of Wood	61	06
18.	Super Octaveo of Mettle	61	03
19.	Gedackt of Wood	29
20.	Flute of Mettle	29
21.	Sesquialtera of Mettle	105
22.	Cornett of Mettle	87
23.	Trumpett	29
		401
	Total	1715
With 3 full setts of Keys and quarter notes to C in alt, 61 notes.

1690. Magdalen College, Oxford.

Renatus Harris.

Compare with specification on p. 589.

Not long after this date, in 1690, Renatus Harris undertook to repair and improve the organ erected by his grandfather in Magdalen College, Oxford; and the conditions he named showed how thoroughly such renovations were sometimes undertaken in those days. He 'covenanted' to render all the mechanism 'strong, staunch, good, and serviceable,' and to make the pipes 'bear a good tone, strong, clear, and sweet.' He also undertook to 'alter the pitch of the said organs'—which had been tuned to a very high one—'half a note lower than they now are'; and to make the 'two sets of keys fall as little as can be to give the pipes their due tone; the touch to be ready, soft, and even under the finger.' Renatus Harris therefore took honest thought of the interest of his patrons, the pleasure of the listeners, the ease of the singers, and the comfort of the player.^[1] Among the new stops which he introduced was a Cedirne (Cithern), doubtless a string-toned stop; and he applied the terms 'Furniture' and 'Cymbal' to the compound stops for the first time in England. Harris introduced no reeds into this organ, Its amended specification stood as follows:—

Great organ. 8 stops.
		Pipes
1.	Open Diapason, of metal	50
2.	Stopped Diapason, of wood	50
3.	Principal, of metal	50
4.	Cedirne, of metal	50
5.	Great Twelfth, of metal	50
6.	Fifteenth, of metal	50
7.	Furniture of 3 ranks	150
8.	Cymbal of 2 ranks	100
		550
Choir organ. 6 stops.
9.	Stopped Diapason	50
10.	Principal, of metal	60
11.	Flute, of metal	60
12.	Nason, of metal	60
13.	Fifteenth	50
	Total	800
Compass, CC no CC♯, to D in alt, 50 notes. Three bellows.

1694–6. St. Paul's Cathedral.

Bernard Schmidt.

Manual to 16 feet C, and large 'Chayre.'

Father Smith's success at the Temple doubtless had much to do with his being invited to erect an organ in the Metropolitan Cathedral; the contract for which was dated and signed Dec. 19, 1694. The instrument was to consist of Great and Chayre Organs, and Echoes, it was to be completed by Lady Day, 1696, and the price to be £2000. The compass was to be the same as that at the Temple, namely 'Double F fa ut to C sol fa in Alt inclusive,' 54 notes. Smith's contract was for the inside of the organ only; the case being provided by Sir Christopher Wren. The list of stops originally agreed upon was as follows:—

Great organ. 12 stops.

1. Open Diapason.
2. Open Diapason.
3. Stop Diapason.
4. Principal.
5. Holfleut.
6. Great Twelfth.
7. Fifteenth.
8. Small Twelfth.
9. Sesquialtera.
10. Mixture.
11. Cornet.
12. Trumpet.

Chayre organ. 9 stops.

13. Stop Diapason.
14. Quinta dena Diapason.
15. Principal.
16. Holfleut.
17. Great Twelfth.
18. Fifteenth.
19. Cymball.
20. Voice Humane.
21. Crumhorne.

Echoes or halfe stops; 6.

22. Diapason.
23. Principal.
24. Nason.
25. Fifteenth.
26. Cornet.
27. Trumpet.

After the contract was signed, Smith extended his design, and made the Great Manual to the compass of 16 ft., instead of 12 ft. only; and he added the six large extra notes—CCC, DDD, EEE♭, EEE♮, FFF♯, and GG♯—at his own expense. He had previously given Sir Christopher Wren the dimensions of the case he would require for his 12-ft. organ; and he now desired these to be increased, but this Sir Christopher refused, declaring that the building was already spoiled by the 'confounded box of whistles.' Smith took his revenge on Wren by letting the larger open diapason pipes in the two side towers project through the top of the case nearly a foot, which vexed Sir Christopher exceedingly, and compelled him to add ornaments several feet in height to hide the disfigurement. The Choir Organ case, too, was made so small that it had no room for the Quinta-dena, which therefore, though made, had to be left out.

1700 (about). St. John's Chapel, Bedford Row.

Renatus Harris.

Stops 'by Communication.'

Renatus Harris was very partial to an in-

1. Some Clavier Instruments, in the course of their numerous improvements, have had their touch deepened and its resistance to the finger increased; so that the keys of a modern 'Broadwood Grand' have now a fall of three-eighths of an inch, and a resistance in the bass of four ounces. In some modern organs, with scarcely more manual stops than the one under consideration, the fall of the keys has been as much as half an inch, and the resistance twice, or even thrice, as great as that of a Grand Piano, particularly when the coupler has been drawn. Such a touch inflicts great punishment on ladies,—the clergyman's wife, or the squire's daughter,—who in country places or remote parishes are frequently the ready but not over-muscular assistants at the smaller services. A touch with a note here and there half-an-ounce heavier than its neighbours, is even more embarrassing than a deep one.