ody. But I had previously said to
Best, who had given several recitals on my organ at the Exhibition, 'It
would not be half a bad plan if you would attend to-morrow morning at
six o'clock, as you usually do for practice.' Best was there. After
the two other organs had been tried, the Town Clerk came up and said:
'We have come to hear your organ, Mr. Willis. Are you going to play it
yourself?' I said, 'There's one of your own townsmen standing there
(that was Best); ask him.' He did ask him. 'Mr. Best has no objection
to play,' said the Town Clerk, 'but he wants _five_ guineas!' 'Well,
give it to him; the Corporation can well afford it.' The matter was
arranged. Best played the overture to 'Jessonda' by Spohr, and it was
a splendid performance." The organ was quite a revelation to the
Liverpudlians, and after talking it over in private for twenty minutes
the committee decided to recommend Willis to the Council to build the
organ in St. George's Hall. He had, however, serious differences with
Dr. S. S. Wesley, who wanted both the manuals and pedals to begin at
GG. "I gave in to him in regard to the manuals," said Mr. Willis, "but
I said, 'unless you have the pedal compass to C, I shall absolutely
decline to build your organ.'" And so the matter was compromised. But
Willis lived to see the manual compass of his magnificent Liverpool
organ changed to CC (in 1898). When the organ was finished he
recommended that Best should be appointed organist, although Dr. Wesley
officiated at the opening ceremony in 1855. Not only did Willis
practically get Best appointed to Liverpool, but he had previously
coached him up in his playing of overtures and other arrangements for
the organ. "I egged him on," said the veteran organ-builder, and we
all know with what results. Notwithstanding all that Best owed to
Willis, he quarreled with him violently towards the close of his career
over the care of the St. George's Hall organ. As Best told the writer,
"not because Willis _could_ not, but because he _would_ not" do certain
things in the way of repairs, that he claimed did not come under his
contract. This led to the care of the organ being transferred to T. C.
Lewis & Sons, but it was given back to Willis after Best's death.

Mr. Willis gained a wide and deservedly high reputation as the builder
of many Cathedral organs--upwards of sixteen. His largest instrument
is that in the Royal Albert Hall, London. He designed it e