Shaw
There is a rich history that is associated with the pipe organ. This story spans
from 3rd century BCE to the present day. The pipe organ is still a very prevalent
instrument within the Christian church and different configurations of the organ show up
in a variety of styles and genres of today’s music. The story of the organ is one that is in
constant motion. Design and redesign is an endless pursuit of perfection for organ
builders. The organ along with the clock was the most complex of all mechanical
instruments developed before the Industrial Revolution (Grove 711). Alongside the
architects of the organ, there are also people who are important to the development of
this instrument, the composers and performers. From the ancient stories of Roman’s
and Byzantines dabbling in the earliest musical concepts, to 18th century CE Johann
Sebastian Bach organist and composer, there is quite a history that lies with this
musical instrument.
The organ is the oldest of all the keyboard instruments, dating back to Greek
Antiquity. A Greek engineer who worked in Alexandria in the third century BCE is
believed to have succeeded in constructing the first organ; he was known as, Ctesibius
(Apel 192). The first organ was called a Hydraulic or the water organ. The invention of
the hydraulic was one of many great achievements that took place in Alexandria around
this time, wrote Roman author, Pliny the Elder. The creation of the organ was discussed
along side the great achievements of Archimedes, Chersiphron’s temple of the
Ephesian Diana, and Philo’s dockyard for 400 ships in Athens, in the book, The Natural
History by Pliny, in 50 CE (Apel192).
The basic traits of the hydraulic and all organs to come are, a set of pipes which
all have their own pitch, an artificial wind supply, and keys to control the amount of wind
Shaw
that enters the pipes (192 Apel). The main distinguishing difference between the early
hydraulic and the modern form of the organ was the artificial wind supply, the
mechanism that helped propel the air through the sound pipes. The wind mechanism on
the hydraulic consisted of two main parts, an air pump and a diving bell (Apel 194).
The air pump was made from a metal cylinder that was closed off at the top.
Inside the cylinder there was a piston that moved up and down pushing air out towards
the opening in the bottom. There were two valves, the first was for air intake and when
the pressure increased, the first valve would close off and the compressed air was
forced out through the second valve farther down the cylinder (Apel 193). This air was
then sent to the diving bell, which was a large metal bell that sat stationary in an open
container of water. The purpose of the diving bell was to turn the pulsating pressure
from the air pump into steady even pressure. This even air pressure was necessary to
make all of the pipes have a more unified sound (Apel194).
This constant even airflow was then sent to the wind-chest where it waits to be
released into the sound pipes, so it can product a specific note. When the operator of
the hydraulic pushed down a key on the keyboard, this moved the cover off the bottom
of the sound pipe, allowing the air pressure to be released upward through the pipe-foot
(Apel195). Using a spring-loaded mechanism the key that was triggered will return the
slider back over the pipe when the finger is withdrawn (Grove 711).
The pipes, in which the sound stems from, are an important part of the organ.
The pipes of an organ give the instrument its tone, timbre, color, and identity. There are
four different makes of organ pipes, Flue, Reed, Free, and Diaphones (Grove 719). The
Shaw
two oldest and most important to the development of the organ are the flue and reed
pipes. Both use the coupled-air system to produce a sound. This coupled-air technique
is common to flutes, recorders, oboes, and clarinets (Grove 719). The flue pipes were
most commonly used in early organ construction. Flue pipes work by allowing air in
through the base of the pipe. The fast moving air hits the small opening called the upper
lip and produces a frequency (a musical note). The frequencies change when the length
of the pipe differs; longer the pipe, lower the pitch and shorter the pipe, higher the pitch.
To change the timbre and tone of the note, there are minor adjustments that are
changed during construction that allowing the pipe to speak differently (Grove 715).
Narrowing or expanding the width the diameter of the pipe or the metal in which the pipe
is made from will result in new textures. The estimated size of the hydraulic was 3.5
meters in height and about 1.8 meters wide (Apel 196).
There are early writings on the Hydraulic that label it as a loud and noisy
instrument, but as described in Athenaeus’, Deipnosophistae (written in Rome
approximately 220 CE) it seems to contradict this belief. “I heard from a neighboring
house the sound of a water organ, it was very sweet and joyous, so that, we all turned
our attention to it, charmed by its tunefulness (Apel 196).”
It was reported that Roman emperor Nero (37-68 CE) played the early hydraulic
(Apel 198). The water organ was also used to accompany banquets and possibly during
Gladiator fights because of its powerful sound. The organ was increasing in popularity
because of its sheer power and marvelous design but during the 4th century CE the
public began to get annoyed with its excessive use (Apel 199). During this period, the
hydraulic fell out of popularity and a new style of organ was introduced. The main
Shaw
difference between the two organs was the artificial air supply mechanism. The new
organ replaced the air pump with bellows (an inflated bag that when pressed and
deflated will produce a strong blast of air). The improved air supply worked by having
three bellows, which fed into one channel that led into the pipe-chest (Grove 713). This
new style was known as the pneumatic organ (Apel 199).
There was no clear idea what kind of music was played on early organs of the
third century CE; it is believed to have been monophonic (only one note at a time) and
was exclusively secular (Grove 729). It was not until around the ninth century that we
start to see the organ entering the Catholic Church. Before then it was only played in
secular settings (Grove 728). In the ninth century the intellectual and liturgical style of
the church was changing, allowing more music to be used in the mass service. The
monastic lifestyle also had a revival in the 10th century, which might have had an effect
on the appearance of the organ in the church because the organ was not something
that was played by the layperson; it was an object for the use of the clergy (Grove 729).
Pope John VIII wrote of an organ being placed inside Benedictine centers like Fleury
and St. Gall (Roman Catholic complexes in which one would study and live) as a means
of teaching the science of music. He believed the organ was a useful tool in learning
different musical proponents. By the 14th and 15th century organs became apart of some
cathedrals and soon one began to be expected to see an organ inside a Christian
church (Grove 728).
By the 14th century multiple keyboards (including a pedal board that is played
with one’s feet) were added, also expanding the range and the total tonality of the organ
(almost two octaves of a chromatic scale) (Donington 131). Organs were now being
Shaw
constructed of all different sizes, ranging from large church organs (ten pipes for each
note and needed seventy men to operate it) to small handheld organs known as
portative organs (Donington 129). The great monastic church organs of the Middle Ages
had began to add multiple sets of pipes as well. With the addition of extra pipes, this
allowed one note to be assigned to more than one sound pipe. When a key was pushed
down, all the pipes attached to it were engaged, the other pipes that have now come
into use could include pipes of different scaling (size) or constructed from a different
material. These changes would have resulted in different tones and colors, also could
trigger pipes of different pitches, these different pitches helped reinforce the higher
overtones, which generally add to the colorfulness of any organ tone. The different
pitches that helped create the upper overtone series were called, mixtures (Donington
131).
Organ enthusiasts continued the evolution by adding a wider variety of sounds
and colors. In the 1500’s the average organ in Northern Italy or Southern France could
be expected to have upward to ten stops (different musical sounds one can choose
from, such as flute or trumpet) (Grove 736). A new addition in the air direction and air
speed was introduce in the 1500’s.The sliders that covered the sound pipes to prevent
air from escaping were now replaced by spring chests. A spring chest was a collection
of pipes that were arranged on the top of the wind chest. The pipes for each individual
note now sat together on their own key channel (a direction carved out of the wind chest
that sends air to all the pipes for that note) (Grove 736).
As the organ continues to expand and grow so do the people that play them. The
organ can be played as a part of an ensemble or as a solo instrument. The
Shaw
development of music notation around the 13th century was starting to take a more
modern shape, giving musician the chance to codify their compositions. This allowed
them to save or share their written work (Howard 392). A fascinating style of writing
from this period was unaccompanied performances (solos); it takes a skilled writer to
captivate their listener while only presenting one instrument. Conrade Paumann, who
lived in Germany from 1410 to 1473, is the author of the earliest music for the organ
that has been preserved. This writing is called, “Fundamentitm Organ Disandi,” the book
contains exercises, preludes and other pieces. His book includes pieces of his own and
some written by his contemporaries. The book is by no means a musical masterpiece
but its true importance lies in the historic aspect of the collection (Howard 393).
Claudio Merulo was an Italian musician who lived from 1533 to 1604 and was
one of the organist for Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco (Saint Mark's
Basilica) in Venice, Italy. His instrumental music started to become a separate style
from vocal music, and a new era opened for independent organ composition (Kenton
208). Claudio Merulo published a collection of eight solo organ pieces in 1592 entitled,
“Canzoni D'intavo Latura D'organo a Quattro Voci” From these eight pieces, the present
definition of canzoni francesi (an instrumental musical form) has been invented.
Merulo’s compositions were very virtuosic, playing scalar passages at rapid speed,
embellishments, syncopated rhythms, beautiful harmonies, expressive emotions, and
tempo changes (Kenton 212).
Johann Sebastian Bach is now considered one of the greatest composers of all
time. He was a virtuoso organist, keyboard player, composer, teacher, and conducter.
He taught private lessons on performance and composition, served as a consultant to
Shaw
organ builders, among many other various musical jobs (Hanning 277). Bach became
cantor (responsible for the divine musical services) of the St. Thomas School in Leipzig,
Germany from (1723 – 1750). In Bach’s lifetime he wrote about 200 organ chorales, 70
other works for organ, and the Well-Tempered Clavier (48 prelude and fugues for any
keyboard instrument) (Hanning 276).
The organ has gone through some serious changes since its inception in 3 rd
century BCE. The change in wind supply from the air pump and the diving bell to the
self propelled bellows, gave the performer more air pressure at a faster rate. The
change for the slider covers over the ends of the sound pipes to the spring chest,
allowing for a richer tone, with clear overtones. The composers and performers also
played an intricate role in these developmental stages, Conrade Paumann, Claudio
Merulo, and Johann Sebastian Bach (only a few on a long list of great organists). The
incredible effort and strength that has been put into the development of this beautiful
musical instrument, mirrors the sheer power that a pipe organ is now capable of.