JULIAN RHODES' DREAM ORGANS
The Wanamaker organ was originally built for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition by the Los Angeles Art Organ Company to the design of G.A. Audsley. It was installed in the Wanamaker store in 1911, and Rodman Wanamaker's enthusiasm for the instrument ensured that additions to it proceeded steadily until his death in 1928. The sixth manual of the new console was to be home to a Stentor division, for which specifications were approved on 24th October 1926 by the resident organist, Charles Courboin, and the head of the Wanamaker organ shop, George Till:This stoplist shows the tendencies towards repetition and re-emphasis of timbre which were evident elsewhere in the organ (e.g. the six Vox Humanas on Orchestral; the unison ranks in the String division).STENTOR DEPARTMENT pressure (in.) 8 Diapason Magna I (double-languid) 25 8 Diapason Magna II (double-languid) 25 8 Diapason Magna III (double-languid) 25 8 Diapason Magna IV (wood) 25 4 Octave (scale 56) 15 IX Sesquialtera (16ft.) 15 XI Mixture (16ft.) 15 VII Cymbal (4ft.) 15 32 Bombarde 25 16 Tuba Magna 50 16 Trombone 50 16 Double Trumpet 50 16 Contra Post Horn 50 8 Tuba Sonora 100 8 Tuba Mirabilis 100 8 Trombone I 75 8 Trombone II 75 8 Brass Trumpet 100 8 Muted Trumpet 50 8 French Horn (open fff) 75 8 French Horn (open fff) 75 8 French Horn (closed fff) 50 8 French Horn (closed ff) 50 4 Tuba Clarion 100 4 Clarion Trumpet 75 PEDAL STOPS 16 Diaphone (unit) 25 16 Open Diapason (unit) 25 10 2/3 Quint (or reed?) 8 Diaphone 8 Open Diapason 4 Open Diapason XI Grand Mixture (16ft.) 15 64 Diaphonic Bombarde (unit) 50 32 Diaphonic Bombarde 32 Bombarde (man.) 16 Diaphonic Bombarde 16 Wood Trombone (unit) 50 16 Tuba Sonora (unit) 50 8 Diaphonic Bombarde 8 Wood Trombone 8 Tuba Sonora
Later, for reasons which are not entirely clear, G. Donald Harrison was asked to prepare an alternative proposal for a Stentor division. His stoplist was dated 12th December 1927, and reveals a more chorus-based approach:
Rodman Wanamaker died before signing the contract for the Stentor, and it was never built. Thus passed the opportunity to construct what would surely have been the most devastating division ever; it would also have firmly put the Wanamaker organ in first place in a list of the world's largest instruments. It was left to Atlantic City a few years later to take pride of place with its choruses of high-pressure brass and 100in. reeds.STENTOR DEPARTMENT pressure (in.) 16 Double Diapason (double-languid) 25 16 Double Clarabella (wd.) 25 8 Diapason No.1 (2rks., double-languid) 25 8 Diapason No.2 (2rks.) 25 8 Major Flute (wd.) 25 5 1/3 Quint (st.mtl.) 25 4 Octave 25 4 Principal 25 3 1/5 Tenth 25 2 2/3 Octave Quint 25 2 Super Octave 25 V Grave Mixture 8.12.15.19.22 25 VII Cymbale 19.22.26.29.31.33.36 (prepared) 25 IX Grand Chorus 1.5.8.12.15.19.22.26.29 25 32 Contra Fagotto (item deleted) 20 16 Contra Tuba 50 16 Bombarde 50 16 Double French Horn (closed tone) 50 8 Tuba Mirabilis 100 8 Tuba Sonora 50 8 Trombone 50 8 French Horn (open tone, harmonic) 50 4 Tuba Clarion 100 4 Clarion 50 PEDAL STOPS 16 Great Bass (3rks, double-languid, wd. & mtl.) 25 16 Minor Bass (2rks., wd. & mtl.) 25 16 Open Bass (16"x18", wd.) 25 10 2/3 Quint (wd.) 25 8 Octave (2rks., double-languid, wd. & mtl.) 25 8 Principal 25 4 Super Octave 25 VII Harmonics 10.12.15.17.19.21.22 25 V Fourniture 25 64 Contra Bombarde 25 32 Contra Trombone (unit; wd.) 50 32 Bombarde 50 16 Bombarde (French) 50 16 Trombone 16 Ophicleide (unit; mtl.) 50 8 Octave Trombone 8 Trumpet (Oph. ext.) 4 Clarion (Oph. ext.)
The above stoplists are taken from an article by Raymond A. Biswanger III in 'The American Organist', November 1988
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