LATEST HOBBY. MULTI-MILLIONAIRES AND MUSIO. BIG ORGANS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 139, 9 December 1911, Page 11

LATEST HOBBY. MULTI-MILLIONAIRES AND MUSIO. BIG ORGANS.

New York's multi-millionaires (says tha co-respondent of the Standard) havo adopted as their > latest hobby the construction of enormous organs in their private residences, and they are engaged in friendly competition as to who shall eecuro the most superb of the cathedral instruments. The question of cost is boing disregarded, and organ-makere are receiving carte blanche orders to build. Thero is so extensive a demand for pri» vato organists of high capacity that the supply cannot keop up with it. ExSenator k Clark, tof Montana, tho multi« millionaire mining king, has just had installed in his new Fifth Avenue mansion, in New York, the costliest organ in the United States. Its price is said to have been £24,000. The cheapest private, organ owned by New York's capitalists is a new one being put into one of Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan's country houses, at Greenwood Lake. Its cost will b& £4000. It is being constructed > exclusively for the use of Homor Norris, Mr. Morgan's organist, who is also organist of St. George's Episcopal Church in New York, of whioh Mr. Morgan is an official. Mr. Charles M. Schwab, tho ironniapter, has an organ in his New York rest* dence which cost £9000. Mr. F. O. Bourne, tho capitalist, has one on his obtate at Oakdalo, Long Island, for which £20.000 was paid. John D. Rockefeller, William K. Vanderbilt, jun., Joseph H. Choate, Joseph Pulitzer. August Belmonty L. C. Tiffany, and Andrew Carnegie ar& a few others who aro participating in tho organ craze. The organ-makers wotk hand m.lytnd with _ the architects of th« miljionaires' mansions in constructing; their instruments. The organs are ole-v-erly built into the houses, so that, besides presenting magnificent decorations, the pipes, by_ being scattered, seem to eendi forth their music from all over the house. There are many ingenious arrangements installed. For instance, Mr. Schwab's 1 organ, as well as Mr. Rockefeller's* can* be played from different parts of the house. Tho magnificent instruments are praoti* cally useless unless highly-skilled performers can bo found to play them. There are not many first-class organists ha New, York, and consequently they can command their own prices. Thoy receive retainers as permanent yearly salaries, and then aro paid large sums for their per. formances. Of all tho organ-ownere, only Mr. Carnegie has gone to the length' of Übihg his instrument daily. During the part of tho year he is in Now Yorfe Mr. Walter C. Gale, his organist, playa the instrument in the Carnegie Mansion, in Fifth-avenue, oyory morning, while Mr. Carnegio is dressing. At Skibo Castle, in' Scotland, Mr. Carnegie has another superb organ, and it, too, is played daily, from 8 to half-pusfe 8 a.m. Tho other organ-lovers do not go to thia extreme. "They give frequent private recitals for their friends, at which famous organists preside at tho instruments, and occasionally inusic-loyiug members of the households will officiate. This is normally the extent to w Inch the keys are put. The most famous of the organists who uso tho halKlsOini; private inisLrumonts is [1. P, Shelly, o'tftmiht of the Fifth-avenuo Baptist Church. formerly organist o£ Hoary Ward Budohnr's Brooklyn Church. Alv. Shelley is regularly retained by throa millionaire'-'.} ohn D. Rockefeller, AVilli.im K. Vamierbiit, jun., and E. C. Con» yorK.', of the Stool Trust, Mr. Shelley n credih'd with boing the most, successful' financially of New York's organibte. Nearly o\ory evening during the winter Hoeial season he- plays nt ono or another private mansion, where n mueicalo is be* ,itig' given. Thorc aro more than 200 of thesij elaborate private organs in Now York, and the number is increasing so rapidly that tho 300 mark will soon b» pushed. The craze has a permanence, about it which has been lacking in mosfe orovious fad» of tho multi-millionaires.