THE CITY ORGAN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9254, 5 June 1908, Page 1

THE CITY ORGAN.

+ FURTHER PROGRESS. THE TUNING OF THE INSTRUMENT. Mr H. Brett is again at "work upon the city organ in His Majesty's Theatre, and is now engaged upon the inharmonious and tedious task of tuning the complicated instrument.. The tuning of so many pipes of all sizes is an undertaking that would fill most people with dismay, and the neighbourhood of the organ is scarcely a pleasant place while the work is going on. Mr Brett attends to the altering.of the pipes, while his assistant fingers the keys. The pipes are taken in pairs, in unison or by octaves, and, starting from a set first carefully tuned, the pipes are corrected by one another till all are right. When the two pipes that are being tried are not in tune the sound is broken by beats increasing in speed and disagreeableness with the variation from the correct pitch, and these beats are the symptoms by which the tuning is done. In the case of the smaller pipes, the operation is difficult, as the beats follow one another extremely fast, and it does not take long, for an unaccustomed ear 5 at any rate, to become so tired of the sounds that it is hard to tell whether the pipes are in tune or not. One has to be in a good temper, or the issuing sounds give the impression of extremely vicious screams or melancholy howls. The best efforts of the tuners give little promise of sweet harmony. The tuning is effected in various •\rays. Some of the metal pipes have small sleeves fitted over their upper ends, and these, by being slid up or down, lengthen or shorten the pitch, flattening or sharpening the note according to requirements. Others have two cuts down one side at the tcp, and the tongue formed by the cuts can be bent outwards to alter the pitch. Some of the wooden ,pipes are tuned by means of a flap of soft metal, which, lying more or less over the top like a lid, is raised by degrees. Others, which are plugged with a wooden block, are tuned by sliding the block up or down in the pipe. The organ is stilj far from, completion. The original portions, now in place, will probably take a month to tune and otherwise get in order. A number of important parts have been ordered from England, and until these arrive it will be impossible for the builders to make much further progress, as the new parts include some essential electrical fittings. Mr Brett expects the parts within two months.