taking it up as a matter of choice, but not of compulsion. Such results followed the invention of the harpsichord,—the early piano,—and here we must leave it. It would, however, be an interesting subject to trace this development down to Chopin, Liszt, and the modern Titans of the piano, showing how gradually the mutual treatment of piano and organ disappeared and what was substituted in their place. It could, however, only be satisfactorily done by musical examples.

Meanwhile the orchestra blossomed into a new significance. To us moderns who read its history, or look back into the scores which antedate this time, it does not seem so much a period to be described, as that of progress, as that of a veritable new birth itself, a new creation. And this is, indeed, the fact; for no improvements in ancient instruments, although they took place, nor addition of new ones, can account for the change which now occurred in the orchestra. Here it was the man, not the instrument; and the name of Joseph Haydn will always be quoted as "Father of the Modern Orchestra."

The organ lost nothing of real value to itself by this increased significance of other branches of instrumental music. Its sphere became defined, and in Germany quite limited, as to this day it is but rarely employed there in the way of accompaniment beyond supporting the choral song of the congregation. In France and England it has been different, the organ having been employed to accompany many anthems and other extended pieces of music, which in Germany (at least in the larger cities) would be given with the orchestra. It should be noticed that to England we owe one great improvement, which, especially for the rôle the organ is called upon to fill in this country, can scarcely be overrated. I refer to the invention of the swell, and the great variety of effects we are enabled to achieve by its means in both accompaniment and solo playing.

A POSITIVE ORGAN. FROM AMBROSIUS WELPHLINGSEDER'S EROTEMATA MUSICES PRACTIÆ. NUREMBERG, 1563.

SECTION III.

A CURIOUS ENGRAVING SHOWING AN ORGANIST PERFORMING UPON AN INSTRUMENT WITH BROAD KEYS. FROM FRANCHINUS GAFFURIUS' THEORICA MUSICA. 1492.

SECTION III.

In the London "Spectator" of Feb. 8, 1712, is the following announcement:—

"Whereas, Mr. Abraham Jordan, senior and junior, have, with their own hands, joynery excepted, made and erected a very large organ in St. Magnus' church, at the foot of London bridge, consisting of four sets of keys, one of which is adapted to the art of emitting the sounds by swelling the notes, which was never in any organ before; this instrument will be publicly opened on Sunday next, the performance by Mr. John Robinson. The above said Abraham Jordan gives notice to all masters and performers, that he will attend every day next week at the said church, to accommodate all those gentlemen who shall have a curiosity to hear it."

Very little is known of this Mr. Jordan, except that his invention pleased greatly, and was found of such practical use, that not only were all new organs in England (virtually from this date) furnished with swells, but himself and son found much occupation in adapting and adding their invention to the older London organs. The lack of a swell is the weakest point of the great majority of German organs. Even Dr. Burney, fifty years after swells had become common in England, expresses, in his famous work entitled The Present State of Music in Germany, the Netherlands and United Provinces, two volumes, also The Present State of Music in France and Italy, his great surprise to find them utterly unknown upon the Continent. His remarks would hold true at the present day with but little modification, as far as Germany is concerned, few instruments outside the larger ones of recent date possessing this great improvement. The reason of this is to be found, partly in the extremely conservative character of their organ-builders, almost a national trait, and still more in the fact that but little use would be found for a swell organ outside solo playing. With us, nearly the reverse is true, the swell being most indispensable in accompanying choirs as here constituted. Notwithstanding this neglect of what seems to us an indispensable addition to the instrument, the glory of the invention and perfection of the organ justly belongs to Germany. Modern organ-building requires the most profound study of the laws both of mechanics and acoustics, and the German mind was constitutionally fitted, by a natural depth and thoroughness of thought, together with the truly artistic quality of patience, to be successful in solving this great problem,—the creation of the most complex instrument known.

France, too, has produced her great organs and organ-builders. If often lacking the sublimity and solidity of tone characteristic of many of the famous German organs, they interest (particularly the American taste) by a greater variety of the so-called "fancy," or solo stops. This difference, too, has grown out of the nature of the duties demanded of the organ and the organist in the service of the Roman Catholic church, and it is these differences of usage which in process of time, combining with further differences of national taste, led to that varied style and treatment which we denominate "Schools of Playing."

We divide these schools into the German, French, and English.

The first of these, the German school, is especially characterized by the importance given to the use of the pedals, the feet being called upon to execute passages of equal melodic value with that assigned to the fingers. This renders it the school of schools for those who would really attain a mastery of the instrument, and gain that independence of foot and finger so difficult to acquire. In fact, it is only possible by a thorough study of the great masters in this school of playing, to destroy that sympathy which exists between the left hand and the feet. This sympathy lies in the fact that should a pedal passage ascending occur in conjunction with a left-hand passage descending, the natural inclination of the left hand is to follow the pedal, instead of executing its own independent part. Of course the same trouble is experienced if the conditions, as just stated, should be reversed. This is the great difficulty of the obbligato, or independent mode of treating the pedals, to conquer which may fairly be termed a life-study. For this reason the earnest student should always begin his studies in this school, and not deviate therefrom until such time as a reasonable degree of skill has been attained, and the sympathy between hands and feet, before alluded to, measurably overcome. And here let me say that far too many of those who feel themselves drawn towards the study of the organ, approach such study unprepared. The organ, as a keyed instrument, has all the main points of technique