36
Essay on Perfect Intonation.
stops will not for a long part of their visit “ batter the ears” with
their discordant din. They may have a taste of the full organ,
if the organist is at hand, in a “ Hail-stone chorus,” where “ hail¬
stones run along the ground,” or perhaps in “ Jenny Lind’s” ex¬
cellent “Polka.” After the organ is placed in the church, it is
found that but a small part (of the large instruments) is needed or
used, except it be, perhaps at the close of service, to assist in
clearing the house, for which purpose the full organ is admirably
adapted. There exists a serious objection in making a large tem¬
pered organ, in the fact that the louder it is, the more discordant
and disagreeable it becomes, and it does not appear to this writer
to be good economy to pay for superfluous stops which can not
be used. It seems much better to apply the same expense to
perfecting the important stops which are in constant requisition
for the church service. It is moreover the fact that all of the de¬
sirable kind of pipes, which have yet been invented, and which
vary from each other sufficiently to be called different, (including
the desirable solo and fancy stops,) together with the Great and
Swell organs and Sub-Base, can be put into an organ in perfect
tune, for the expense usually appropriated to the larger class of
instruments of imperfect intonation. As has been before stated,
the theory of the instrument permits it to be of any size, and
with an unlimited amount of power and grandeur.
54. Until it had been shown to be practicable by experiment,
it was to be expected that a conservative portion of the public
would view, with caution, a plan like the present, which proposes
such a radical reformation in a system of so long standing as the
organ scale. This feeling certainly operated against the plan
when we proposed to undertake it two years since. It is with no
little gratification that, since the completion of the enharmonic
organ, it has had the unanimous approval of the musical people
who have examined it, and the scientific principles on which it
is built. We believe it is certain that public musical opinion,
will ere long, among other improvements in the music of our
churches, demand that it be given in pure harmony, and in ac¬
cordance with the fixed and demonstrable principles of music.
That music may be investigated with something of the same
learning and research which is bestowed upon almost every other
science, is an end much to be desired. It will be gratifying to
the writer—even if some of his opinions are shown to be incor¬
rect—if his labors in this department of science, shall have the
effect of calling to this subject the attention of those who are bet¬
ter qualified to make further investigations, and who can lay them
before the public in a more interesting manner.
The writer intends to treat this subject more fully in a future Essay, and to illus¬
trate it with copper-plate engravings.