Handel's organ

Johnny Reinhard wrote,

>> Paul, take a deep breath. There is no mention of Handel having more than
12
>> keys in Joel Mandelbaum's dissertation. After checking from my copy, I
spoke
>> with Joel on the telephone. He was aware of the topic but couldn't find
any
>> reference to Handel either...I think he's still checking as I write this.
>>
>> The primary source is Bosanquet (an authority well-respected by Alexander
J.
>> Ellis as evidenced by his regular mention in the Helmholtz book. It is
14
>> and I bring it out, along with other "assumptions" that have been made on
>> this list that I think should be re-examined.
>
>> "There can be no doubt that, with the musicians of Handel's time, the
>> good keys of the old unequal temperament, i.e. the mean-tone system,
formed
>> the ideal of the 'best' tuning attainable. The proof of this is to be
found
>> in the fact that Handel took the trouble to employ an arrangement, by
which
>> the range of good keys available on the ordinary board with this system
could
>> be somewhat extended. It is well known that he presented to the
Foundling
>> Chapel an organ possessing additional keys for this purpose. The organ
at
>> the Temple Church in its original state, as built by Father Smith,
possessed
>> a similar arrangement." Bosanquet goes on to describe the 1688 Temple
Church
>> organ which had 14 notes in the compass of an octave: Ab-G# and D#-Eb
were
>> the alternates chromatics.

>From Sybil Marcus, _A Survey of Musical Instruments_: "The Second
requirement
>[(In transposition) Prior to ET, to furnish accidentals not otherwise
>available..although this defect was sometimes remedied by split keys] was
met in
>certain organs (such as that of the Foundling Hospital, London) a special
>transposition register whereby those accidental keys normally tuned C# D#
G# A#
>could be changed to provide Db Eb Ab Bb."

Thanks Clark. I knew I wasn't dreaming. The Mandelbaum sticks in my memory
too -- hopefully I'll be able to check that within a day or two.