D. L. Bullock's clarification and history of the R.C.M.H. organ was
great.  On my one visit there, the 58-rank organ is not as loud as I was
expecting for one of this size.  I later learned that this was due to the
design of the hall itself.  It's tonal egress is kind of like a shell-
shape, and some of the chests are off to the sides and buried back in the
chambers.

Part of the organ is buried so far back that it's sound would be
naturally muted, so the design called for the use of "Tone Chutes"
(made of concrete, I heard) to get the sound from the deep sides of
the instrument out to the audience.  They have a *lot* of neat traps
and percussions that I thought would be louder, probably caused by this
unfortunate geometry.

On a positive note: both sides of the stage has smaller, separate
curtains, behind which are the two consoles.  As the organ begins
to play, curtains on either side of the stage begin to open, and the
console(s) appear, conveyed by *sliding* (as opposed to elevated)
platforms.  Real neat to watch!

Karl Ellison,  Ashland Massachusetts