sistance of that well-known patron
of the art, Mr. J. Martin White. His business has lately been
reorganized under the title of John Compton, Ltd., in which company Mr.
White is a large shareholder.

CHAPTER VII.

MEANS OF OBTAINING EXPRESSION.

CRESCENDO PEDAL.

To most organs in this country, to many in Germany, and to a few in
other countries, there is attached a balanced shoe pedal by movement of
which the various stops and couplers in the organ are brought into
action in due sequence. By this means an organist is enabled to build
up the tone of his organ from the softest to the loudest without having
to touch a single stop-knob, coupler or combination piston. The
crescendo pedal, as it is called, is little used in England. It is the
fashion there to regard it merely as a device to help an incompetent
organist. It is contended that a crescendo pedal is most inartistic,
as it is certain to be throwing on or taking off stops in the middle,
instead of at the beginning or end of a musical phrase. In spite of
this acknowledged defect, many of the best players in this country
regard it as a legitimate and helpful device.

We believe the first balanced crescendo pedal in this country was put
in the First Presbyterian Church organ at Syracuse, N. Y., by Steere,
the builder of the instrument.

SFORZANDO PEDAL--DOUBLE TOUCH.

Under the name of Sforzando Coupler, the mechanism of which is
described and illustrated in Stainer's Dictionary, a device was
formerly found in some organs by which the keys of the Swell were
caused to act upon the keys of the Great. The coupler being brought on
and off by a pedal, sforzando effects could be produced, or the first
beat in cadi measure strongly accented in the style of the
orchestration of the great masters. Hope-Jones in his pioneer organ at
St. John's Church, Birkenhead, England, provided a pedal which brought
the Tuba on the Great organ. The pedal was thrown back by a spring on
being released from the pressure of the foot. Some fine effects could
be produced by this, but of course the whole keyboard was affected and
only chords could be played. Various complicated devices to bring out
a melody have been invented from time to time by various builders, but
all have been superseded by the invention of the "Double Touch." On a
keyboard provided with this device, extra pressure of the fingers
causes the keys struck to fall an additional eighth inch (through a