THE CITY ORGAN

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1732, 10 May 1905, Page 68 (Supplement)

THE CITY ORGAN

An ''extra’’ of .£3O lias been incurred for the citv organ, now being made in London for the Wellington Town Hall. In a letter read to the City Council i'ast night, Dr W. S. Hoyte, of Westminster, who is, on behalf of the city, eupervisihg the construction of the instrument, expressed the astonishment with which he had found that only two pedals had been provided in the specifications for the control of the large pedal organ. This, he stated, was obviously utterly inadequate for 60 large a pedal organ, and any organist asked to play would have just ground for complaining of tho inadequacy of control. He had, therefore, on his own responsibility, instructed Messrs Norman and Beard to provide two additional draw-stops—viz., pedal organ to great compositions, and pedal organ to swell compositions. This would render the stop control absolutely perfect. This addition could be made at » cost of <£3o now, whereas it would have cost <£lso if postponed until after the organ had been completed. Mr Maughan Barnett, when asked for his opinion concerning this letter, wrote to the Council:—"l consider the addition of the two stops mentioned by Dr Hoyte a necessity, aqd regret that the inadequacy referred to in his letter should have escaped my notice when the original specification -was under consideration.’’

. The Council approved the course adopted by Dr Hoyte. '"There is a letter from Dr M. C. Baldwin, of America, offering his services at the opening of the Town Hall organ,” announced the Town Clerk. '‘Who is he ?” queried several members. There was no reply, and the Council passed on to the next business.