Daily National Intelligencer

A LARGE ORGAN.

The largest Organ in the world has just been completed by Flight and Robson, of London, at an expence of 10,000l. It is called the ApolLonicon, and is now open for public inspection. It was built under the patronage of the Regent. The accuracy with which it executes the most complex movements almost exceeds belief. It is at present set for the beautiful and scientific overtures of Anacreon, by Cherubini, and La Clemenza di Tito, by Mozart. An amateur has followed the performance of both, with the score before him, and has not been able to detect a single error. The mode in which this is effected is by three very large cylinders or barrels, each six feet in circumference, and revolving at the same time. By these the whole powers of the instrument are acted upon: and by certain small levers or keys on the barrels, constructed with very curious and minute pieces of mechanism, the several stops, or instruments, as flutes, oboes, violins, clarionets, bassoons, trombone, double drums, &c. are either brought into action, or instantaneously taken off according to the necessary harmonial effect to be produced; by which means a crescendo or diminuendo, as powerful as surprising, are produced: the former commencing from the delicate tones of the instrument, the softness of which sounds like music heard from afar, gradually increasing to the utmost powers of the instrument: and the latter diminishing in an inverse proportion, with a delicacy of expression not surpassed by the most masterly performers on the respective instruments. But independently of its mechanical properties, it possesses all the advantages of a keyed instrument, only with additional and superior facilities of performance. It is constructed for six performers to play at the same time, there being six distinct sets of keys, key-boards, or scales of notes, each acting upon certain classes and qualities of the instrument, and totally independent of each other. Thus, by previous arrangement, six first rate professors would be able to command the entire powers of the organ! The imagination can hardly conceive the effect of a grand Sinfonia thus performed. Some notion of the capacity of this organ may be formed by stating, that the diameter of its largest pipes is 19 inches, exceeding by six inches the diameter of the largest on the Continent.