Pipe organ

This article is part of the . See that page for details.

History

Predecessors

The word organ originates from the Latin word "organum", the earliest predecessor of the instrument used in ancient Roman circus games and similar to a modern portative.

Related Topics:
Latin - Organum - Portative

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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. In archaeological excavations near Budapest in Hungary (the ancient Pannonia) a Roman organ from the 3rd century AD was found.

Related Topics:
Hydraulic - Ctesibius of Alexandria - Hydraulis - Roman Empire - Budapest - Pannonia

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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 instruments (the "portatif" or "portative" organ and the "positive" organ) 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.

Related Topics:
Byzantine - Spain - "portatif" or "portative" organ - "positive" organ

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

True pipe organs

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.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Recent developments

A major revolution in pipe organ design took place in the 19th century when electric and electro-pneumatic actions made it technically feasible to locate the console independently of the pipes. A later development threatened the very existence of the pipe organ as an instrument, when fully electronic pipeless organs were developed that could fill similar musical roles, see organ (music). However, while both of these developments have made inroads into keyboard music, interest in both pipe organs and even in mechanical actions remains strong, and new instruments with both mechanical and indirect actions continue to be built.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Although the organ's sound has become associated with religious music, having been established in churches and cathedrals for hundreds of years, many major concert halls around the world boast organs. Saint-Saëns' 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.

Related Topics:
Church - Cathedral - Saint-Saëns - Organ Symphony

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~