JULIAN RHODES' DREAM ORGANS
PROPOSALS WHICH REMAINED ON PAPER

The stoplist for the Convention Hall organ was drawn up by Emerson Richards, who had previously designed the five-manual 226-stop organ at Atlantic City High School.

The tender specification was published in 'The American Organist', May 1929. It was later revised and reduced from 43,000 pipes in 592 ranks to some 33,000 pipes in 455 ranks.

Here are some interesting extracts from the tender specification.

Most importantly, the unenclosed section of the Great division was reduced in size. Here is how it appeared originally.

Notes column: dimension of wood pipes (eg 13x17in.), or scale number, or (for reeds) diameter of pipe in inches. "d-l" indicates double languid. Note this is a list of voices and does not therefore include extensions of parent ranks. These were a nominal presence in the Great, however.

                                wind pressure    pipes/       notes
                                    (in.)       material
    32       Sub Principal           12         121 wd        13x17
    16       Diapason Major          20          97 wd        12x14 d-l
    16       Diapason Phonon         12          97 mtl       26 d-l
    16       Diapason I             7 1/2        73 mtl       30
    16       Diapason II            3 3/4        73 mtl       32   
    16       Bourdon                7 1/2        73 wd.st     33
   10 2/3    Quint                   12          73 mtl       33
     8       Diapason I              20          73 mtl       34 d-l 
     8       Diapason II             20          73 mtl       38 d-l   
     8       Diapason III            20          73 mtl       41 d-l
     8       Diapason IV             12          73 mtl       39 d-l
     8       Diapason V              12          73 mtl       42 d-l  
     8       Diapason VI             12          73 mtl       38
     8       Diapason VII            12          73 mtl       40
     8       Diapason VIII          7 1/2        73 mtl       36
     8       Diapason IX            7 1/2        73 mtl       40
     8       Diapason X             7 1/2        73 mtl       42
     8       Diapason XI            7 1/2        73 mtl       44
     8       Diapason XII           3 3/4        73 mtl       41
     8       Diapason XIII          3 3/4        73 mtl       43
     8       Diapason XIV           3 3/4        73 tin       45
     8       Major Flute Harmonic*   12          73 mtl       40
     8       Hohlfloete*            7 1/2        73 wd        6x4 1/2
     8       Flute Ouverte          3 3/4        73 mtl       40
     8       Stopped Flute*         7 1/2        73 wd        6x8
    5 1/3    Quint Major             12          73 mtl       45
    5 1/3    Quint                  7 1/2        73 wd.st     5x7
     4       Octave I                20          73 mtl       48 d-l
     4       Octave II               12          73 mtl       50 d-l
     4       Octave III              12          73 mtl       52
     4       Octave IV              7 1/2        73 mtl       50
     4       Octave V               7 1/2        73 mtl       55
     4       Octave VI              3 3/4        73 mtl       4 (sic)
     4       Octave VII             3 3/4        73 tin       56
     4       Harmonic Flute          12          73 mtl       52
     4       Flute Couverte         7 1/2        73 wd.st     4x6
    3 1/5    Gross Tierce            12          73 mtl       55
    2 2/3    Major Twelfth          7 1/2        73 mtl       54
    2 2/3    Twelfth II             7 1/2        73 mtl       58
    2 2/3    Twelfth III            3 3/4        73 mtl       61
     2       Major Fifteenth         12          73 mtl       60 d-l
     2       Fifteenth II            12          73 mtl       62
     2       Fifteenth III          7 1/2        73 mtl       61
     2       Fifteenth IV           7 1/2        73 mtl       64
     2       Fifteenth V            3 3/4        73 mtl       66
    1 3/5    Major Tierce           7 1/2        73 mtl       64
    1 1/3    Major Nineteenth       7 1/2        73 mtl       66
     1       Major Twentysecond     3 3/4        73 mtl       68
    II       Gross Rauschquint (5.8) 20         146 mtl       full
    II       Rauschquint (12.15)     20         146 mtl       full
     X       Grand Cornet (-5.1.5.8.10.12.14.15.17.19)
                                     12       730 mtl.wd.st.  full
     V       Sesquialtera (10.15.17.19.22)
                                     12         365 mtl       full, 3 breaks
     V       Full Mixture (12.15.19.22.26)
                                    7 1/2       365 mtl       full, 4 breaks 
     V       Schulze Mixture (12.15.19.22.26)
                                    3 3/4       365 mtl       full, 4 breaks
     V       Fourniture (22.26.29.33.36)
                                     12         365 mtl       full, 5 breaks
    16       Contra Trumpet          20          73 mtl       7 1/2in.
     8       Labial Tuba             20          73 wd        special
     8       Trumpet Harmonic*       20          73 mtl       5in.
     8       Cornopean Magna*        20          73 mtl       6in. 
     4       Trumpet Clarion Harmonic  20        73 mtl       3 3/4in.
 
     Tremulant on ranks marked *.  

This Great division lists 60 voices; in the organ as built there were only 38. The fourteen 8ft. Open Diapasons were reduced to ten, and the upperwork correspondingly. The Labial Tuba and Cornopean were deleted. The Grand Cornet was re-arranged with a starting composition of -5.1.3.5.8.10.12.15.17.19.22, and the wind pressures were altered throughout.

Here are is a selection of ranks omitted elsewhere in the scheme. Click here to access the full current stoplist for comparison.

PEDAL RIGHT:

VI Compensating Mixture

CHOIR:

Unenclosed:
8 Diapason II 73p
Enclosed:
32 Dulciana 97p
4 Doppel-Hohlfloete 73p
8 Viola da Gamba 73p
8 Voix Celeste 73p
4 Fugara 73p
4 Salicet 73p
8 Euphonium 73p

CHOIR-SWELL:

16 Bass Tuba 97

GREAT-SOLO:
This division was originally planned in two distinct sections. Great-Solo (organ-tone) was to be duplexed on two manuals, while Great-Solo-Echo (woodwind) was to be triplexed on three manuals.
Some ranks omitted from the Great-Solo section:

16 Harmonic Flute 104p
16 Bell Gamba 97p
8 Dolcan 85p
8 Gedeckt 121p
8 Gedeckt Celeste 101p
V Cornet Clausa 15.17.19.21.22

SWELL:
There was to have been a three-rank unenclosed section comprising:

16 Contra Waldhorn 104p
8 Flute a Pavillon 80p
8 Diapason 80p

And the following were among the ranks omitted from the enclosed section:

III Viol Mixture 10.12.15
8 French Horn 73p
8 Orchestral Bassoon 73p
8 Musette 73p

SOLO:

32 Tibia Profunda 121p
16 Contrabass 73p
V Flute Mixture
IV Viol Cornet
8 Cornamusa 97p

FANFARE:

8 Promet Horn 61p
2 Clairon Doublette 61p

ECHO:

32 Lieblichgedeckt 85p
8 Cello Sordo 61p
8 Cello Sordo Celeste 2rks 110p
8 Dulcet 2rks 122p
16 Aeolodican 61p free-reed
8 Physharmonica 61p free-reed
8 Aeoline 61p free-reed
8 Clavaoline 61p free-reed
4 Regal 61p free-reed

GALLERY I:

8 Ophicleide Phonon 73p 50in

STRING I:
This division was reduced from 34 ranks to 20; omisions included:

16 Contrabass Celeste 97p

STRING II:
This division was reduced from 53 ranks to 38; omissions included:

32 String Diaphone 97p
2 2/3 Nazard Phonon 61p
8 String Reed 73p

STRING III:
This division was reduced from 16 ranks to 17' omissions included:

16 Contra Salicional 73

Taken together, the three String divisions were reduced from a total of 113 ranks to 75 ranks.