Note-worthy Experiences Music Studio
F E A T U R E
Explore an Instrument: Pipe Organ
F E A T U R E
Explore an Instrument: Pipe Organ
The pipe organ was the most complicated machine until the invention of the computer. Centuries before Robert Moog invented the synthesizer, the organ served that function, with pipes imitating strings, woodwinds, brass, even percussion!
The precursor to the pipe organ was the hydraulis, invented in Ancient Greece in the 3rd century BC. The name comes from the hydraulic system which provided wind to the pipes; air was created by the weight of displaced water in an airtight container. During the Byzantine era (6th or 7th century AD), air was provided by bellows – similar in concept to the bellows used in a fireplace.
By the 12th century, organs were becoming larger and more complex. Ironically, there was tremendous resistance to the introduction of pipe organs into churches. Organs were considered at best secular instruments, and at worst devilish ones. (After all, organs had been played in the amphitheaters to accompany feeding Christians to the lions!) By the 20th century organs had the opposite problem: they were associated only with the church.
During the Renaissance, organs were equipped with keyboards. Gradually, additional sets of pipes were added, speaking at different pitches. Now, when you pressed a key, instead of one pipe sounding, numerous pipes would sound. This made for a bigger but more monotonous sound. Thus the invention of the organ's most important accessory: the stop. The word stop is a misnomer; it doesn't actually “stop” anything but, rather, it allows air to flow to only the sets of pipes that the organist specifies. Thanks to stops, the organist can play at any dynamic level, from pianissimo to fortissimo (thus the expression “to pull out all the stops”).
Another development was the inclusion of additional keyboards. In this way, each keyboard (or manual) could control its own set of pipes. This gave the organist the ability to control multiple organs at once, each controlled by its own manual, and each with a contrasting tonal character. (This is why, to this day, the French word for organ is plural: Les orgues.) Meanwhile, the feet have their own keyboard, called the Pedalboard. These are the lowest pipes, sounding an octave or two lower than the pipes played by the hands. The invention of the coupler allowed the organist to play more than one keyboard at once, and to play the organ organs with the feet.
Larger organs required multiple bellows, some very large. Before the invention of electricity, the bellows required one or more people to pump them while the organist was playing. Today, the air is provided by an electric blower, a powerful fan which blows air through wind ducts into the bellows.
The organ consists of two types of pipes: flue pipes and reed pipes. Flue pipes are divided into the following three families:
Diapasons or principals are the pipes in the façade that are visible to the audience. They sound at various pitches to reinforce the different pitches in the harmonic series. When they are pulled together, it is called the Diapason chorus or Principal chorus. This is the characteristic sound of an organ. These pipes are usually made of a combination of tin and lead. The higher the lead content, the mellower the tone, but the weaker the pipe. The higher the tin content, the brighter the tone, but the stronger the pipe. For this reason, large pipes of 16 feet or more in length cannot be made with pure lead without collapsing after only a few decades. Zinc, which is much stronger than lead, is often used for the largest pipes. Copper is occasionally used, as well. It is stronger than zinc but is very expensive.
Flute stops are pipes which, true to their name, imitate the sounds of flutes. They vary greatly in tone color. They can be made of metal or wood, and can be open or stopped at the top.
String stops are pipes which imitate the bowed instruments of the orchestra. They are usually thinner and more tapered than Diapasons. A Celeste is a rank of string stops that is intentionally tuned sharp or flat to the rest of the organ, in order to create the undulating effect of an entire string section.
Reed stops are constructed in an entirely different way than flue stops. A reed pipe has two parts: a boot (which houses the tongue), and a resonator. The air causes the tongue to vibrate; interestingly, the tongue on its own makes only a tiny, reedy sound. It is the resonator that amplifies and colors it. (The tongue is analogous to the human larynx, which on its own makes very little sound; the sound is amplified in the head.) Reed stops cover a large dynamic range. They can be gentle like a clarinet or powerful like a trombone. Trumpet stops may even be installed horizontally, and with a higher wind pressure. The sound is powerful enough to cut through the rest of the organ. The resonators of trumpet stops are often made of brass. Trombone stops are also powerful. Usually the resonators are made of wood; when they are made of metal, they are called Bombardes.
The oldest playable organ in the world is in Sion, Switzerland. It was built around 1400 AD and has been restored only a few times in its history. The largest organ in the world is in Boardwalk Hall Auditorium in Atlantic City. It has seven keyboards and over 30,000 pipes.
Watch Leonardo Ciampa's Organ Recital here>>>
Learn more about Leonardo on his Teacher Page.
The precursor to the pipe organ was the hydraulis, invented in Ancient Greece in the 3rd century BC. The name comes from the hydraulic system which provided wind to the pipes; air was created by the weight of displaced water in an airtight container. During the Byzantine era (6th or 7th century AD), air was provided by bellows – similar in concept to the bellows used in a fireplace.
By the 12th century, organs were becoming larger and more complex. Ironically, there was tremendous resistance to the introduction of pipe organs into churches. Organs were considered at best secular instruments, and at worst devilish ones. (After all, organs had been played in the amphitheaters to accompany feeding Christians to the lions!) By the 20th century organs had the opposite problem: they were associated only with the church.
During the Renaissance, organs were equipped with keyboards. Gradually, additional sets of pipes were added, speaking at different pitches. Now, when you pressed a key, instead of one pipe sounding, numerous pipes would sound. This made for a bigger but more monotonous sound. Thus the invention of the organ's most important accessory: the stop. The word stop is a misnomer; it doesn't actually “stop” anything but, rather, it allows air to flow to only the sets of pipes that the organist specifies. Thanks to stops, the organist can play at any dynamic level, from pianissimo to fortissimo (thus the expression “to pull out all the stops”).
Another development was the inclusion of additional keyboards. In this way, each keyboard (or manual) could control its own set of pipes. This gave the organist the ability to control multiple organs at once, each controlled by its own manual, and each with a contrasting tonal character. (This is why, to this day, the French word for organ is plural: Les orgues.) Meanwhile, the feet have their own keyboard, called the Pedalboard. These are the lowest pipes, sounding an octave or two lower than the pipes played by the hands. The invention of the coupler allowed the organist to play more than one keyboard at once, and to play the organ organs with the feet.
Larger organs required multiple bellows, some very large. Before the invention of electricity, the bellows required one or more people to pump them while the organist was playing. Today, the air is provided by an electric blower, a powerful fan which blows air through wind ducts into the bellows.
The organ consists of two types of pipes: flue pipes and reed pipes. Flue pipes are divided into the following three families:
Diapasons or principals are the pipes in the façade that are visible to the audience. They sound at various pitches to reinforce the different pitches in the harmonic series. When they are pulled together, it is called the Diapason chorus or Principal chorus. This is the characteristic sound of an organ. These pipes are usually made of a combination of tin and lead. The higher the lead content, the mellower the tone, but the weaker the pipe. The higher the tin content, the brighter the tone, but the stronger the pipe. For this reason, large pipes of 16 feet or more in length cannot be made with pure lead without collapsing after only a few decades. Zinc, which is much stronger than lead, is often used for the largest pipes. Copper is occasionally used, as well. It is stronger than zinc but is very expensive.
Flute stops are pipes which, true to their name, imitate the sounds of flutes. They vary greatly in tone color. They can be made of metal or wood, and can be open or stopped at the top.
String stops are pipes which imitate the bowed instruments of the orchestra. They are usually thinner and more tapered than Diapasons. A Celeste is a rank of string stops that is intentionally tuned sharp or flat to the rest of the organ, in order to create the undulating effect of an entire string section.
Reed stops are constructed in an entirely different way than flue stops. A reed pipe has two parts: a boot (which houses the tongue), and a resonator. The air causes the tongue to vibrate; interestingly, the tongue on its own makes only a tiny, reedy sound. It is the resonator that amplifies and colors it. (The tongue is analogous to the human larynx, which on its own makes very little sound; the sound is amplified in the head.) Reed stops cover a large dynamic range. They can be gentle like a clarinet or powerful like a trombone. Trumpet stops may even be installed horizontally, and with a higher wind pressure. The sound is powerful enough to cut through the rest of the organ. The resonators of trumpet stops are often made of brass. Trombone stops are also powerful. Usually the resonators are made of wood; when they are made of metal, they are called Bombardes.
The oldest playable organ in the world is in Sion, Switzerland. It was built around 1400 AD and has been restored only a few times in its history. The largest organ in the world is in Boardwalk Hall Auditorium in Atlantic City. It has seven keyboards and over 30,000 pipes.
Watch Leonardo Ciampa's Organ Recital here>>>
Learn more about Leonardo on his Teacher Page.
