Other Definitions
pipe organ (dict)
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Pipe Organ Organ (music) A pipe organ is a keyboard instrument that makes sound by forcing air through wood or metal pipes. Pipe organs are commonly found in churches. There is a large repertoire of religious music for the instrument. Many composers, including the Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach, have written for the pipe organ. Music written for the pipe organ is common from the Renaissance to the present day; north Germany is particularly notable for having produced many composers for the instrument. The word organ, which has nothing to do with anatomical organs, originates from the Latin word "organum", the earliest predecessor of the instrument used in ancient Roman circus games and similar to a modern portative. Technical explanation Pipe organs are complex musical instruments, with hundreds or thousands of pipes of varying size and pitch. Controls on the console of the organ called stops select which pipes are used; different combinations of stops can change the timbre of the instrument considerably. Pipes may be classified by the material they are made of (wood or metal), by the mechanism of sound production (flue pipes vs. reed pipes, also called labial and lingual), by the shape of the pipe, and by the construction of the ends (open or closed). Each variation results in a different timbre. Because a pipe produces only one pitch at a time, ideally there is at least one pipe for each controlling key or pedal. (Occasionally some pipes, especially in the bass, to save space or material, are rigged to provide multiple pitches like big recorders: this method was employed especially by a few builders in the early 20th century.) Thus, a keyboard with 61 notes should have 61 pipes, or in some American organs, the keyboards, also called manuals have 58 notes, meaning that there are 58 pipes in the rank. A complete set of pipes producing different pitches of one timbre is called a rank. The pitch produced is a function of the length of the pipe, and many timbres are associated with ranks pitched some multiple of octaves apart: thus an organ stop may have similar names with the addition of a length in feet indicating the pitch: a 16' stop produces pitches an octave below that of an 8' stop, an 8' stop produces pitches an octave below that of an 4' stop, and a 4' stop produces pitches an octave below that of an 2' stop. Non-integral lengths (e.g. 2 2/3') are also quite widespread; these mutations produce sounds at pitch intervals other than octaves, and are generally used to provide colourful effects. This works by reinforcing certain partials of the overtone series of a fundamental; normally these mutation stops would not be played by themselves. Some timbres require more than one pipe per key. This is often reflected in the name given to the stop as a Roman numeral: thus a stop called "Cornet V" on a 61 note manual (this is the usual number on U.S. organs) would have 5 × 61 = 305 pipes. Quite often the second manual of an organ is called the swell manual, and it operates a series of stops whose pipes are enclosed in a louvered case, the swell case. The opening and closing of the louvers can be regulated via a foot pedal, increasing or decreasing the volume of the notes produced by the swell organ. In some organs the extreme bass stops in the pedal department, usually represented by 32' or 64', may not contain "genuine" sounding pipes. This is usually for practical reasons such as cost or space, which may prohibit the provision of very large pipes. In such cases the sound is approximated by using harmonics. For example, a note on a 32' stop can be approximated by combining the equivalent 16' note with the note a fifth above it (known as a "quint"). The resultant beat frequency gives a reasonable impression of a 32' note. This method is less effective (and less necessary) on higher pitches where the ear's frequency response is better. Some of the newest pipe organs substitute electronic subwoofers for the lowest bass notes for the same reasons. The pipe organ has at least one keyboard, with 2-5 keyboards being the most common configuration. Each keyboard is called a manual(because it is played with the hands), so that an organ with four keyboards is said to have four manuals. Most pipe organs also have a pedalboard or set of keys played by the feet called pedals. The manuals, pedals and stop controls are gathered together in an area called the console. Very large organs may have more than one console. The names of organ departments vary, common names for manuals are Choir, Great, Swell (English); Hauptwerk, Brstwerk, Oberwerk, Schwellwerk, Rckpositiv (German); Grand Orgue, Rcit, Positif (French). Other names include Solo, Fanfare, Echo, Antiphonal, Orchestral and Bombarde. History Pipe organs date back to classical antiquity. Early organs were often hydraulic; the inventor most often credited is Ctesibius of Alexandria, an engineer of the 3rd century BC, who created an instrument called the hydraulis. The hydraulis was common in the Roman Empire, and was capable of being immensely loud; this instrument was used in games, circuses, amphitheatres, and processions. Characteristics of this instrument have been inferred from mosaics, paintings, literary references and partial remains, but knowledge of details of its construction remain sketchy, and almost nothing is known of the actual music it played. Organs were also known to exist in Byzantine times, as well as in Islamic Spain, though there is no evidence that the European organ came by way of Spain. In medieval times, the portable ("portatif" or "portative") instruments were invented, and these were used for accompaniment for both sacred and secular music, in a variety of settings--since unlike other organs, they were easily moved. As the instruments became larger, they were installed permanently in a fashion similar to the church organs of today. (These were called "positif" organs; today the word tends to label a division.) Organs were the first keyboard instruments, even though technically they belong to the most complex products of human craftmanship one can possibly imagine. The organ's sound has become associated with religious music, having been established in churches and cathedrals for hundreds of years, although many major concert halls around the world boast organs. Saint-Saens' popular Organ Symphony is a good example of how the sound of a large organ can be effectively combined with that of a symphony orchestra. Other Electronic organs such as the Hammond organ were originally developed as imitations of pipe organs. Pipe organ sound (generally produced by an electronic organ) is sometimes used in goth metal bands. Notable organs The largest pipe organ ever built, containing more than 32,000 pipes, is the Main Auditorium Organ in Atlantic City Convention Hall, built by the Midmer-Losh Organ Company between 1929 and 1932. The second largest (and largest functioning), with over 28,000 pipes, is the Grand Court Organ at Wanamaker's department store (now Lord and Taylor) in Philadelphia. The world's oldest playable pipe organ is located in the Basilica of Valre in Sion, Switzerland. Built around 1390, it still contains many of its original pipes. Notable organ builders References - "The Organ: Its Evolution, Principles of Construction and Use" by William Leslie Sumner ISBN 0781205727
- The Amazing Pipe Organ by Barbara Brodbeck ISBN 0-7880-1652-0
External links Specific pipe organs - The Rieger organ in Christchurch, New Zealand
- The Cavaille-Coll organ of St. Sulpice, Paris
- The Wanamaker Organ, Philadelphia
- http://www.clevelandorch.com/html/Severance/NortonMemorial.asp E.M. Skinner Organ at Severance Hall, Cleveland]
- Kilgen Organ at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
- Aeolian-Skinner Organ at the Riverside Church, New York
- Aeolian-Skinner and Casavant organs at Community of Christ Auditorium and Temple, Independence, Missouri
- C. B. Fisk organ, La Cathdrale de Lausanne, Switzerland
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