Playing is Learning
History of the Pipe Organs
October 11th, 2016
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Pipe organs are at an intersection of engineering and music. No wonder the ascribed creator of the musical instrument, Ctesibius of Alexandria was an Engineer. Created in 3rd century BC, the Hydraulis is the first pipe organ by Ctesibius. At the time, it was reported that his plan was not to work on an organ, but rather solving “an engineering or mechanics problem.” While the organ might look like a piano, it is not a piano, and in fact, they are different types of instruments according to musical classifications. For the organ, the sound comes from the mechanically compressed air that bounces through pipes; while the piano is a percussion instrument (you strike to produce sound). Although today’s pipe organs don’t look like the Hydraulis, they still work under the same principles. The only difference being the technological advances and modernization. Let’s track the journey of the pipe organs through history. Perhaps the first sign of the growth of the pipe organ’s popularity was when its fame entered Rome. There are inscriptions from around 90 BCE by Cicero and Lucretius praising the instrument. From thence, its fame spread across the region where it served different entertainment purposes. The most important landmark will be its introduction to Europe. The gift-giving heart of Constantine V – the Emperor of Byzantine – was responsible for this introduction. He had sent a pipe organ as peace-offering to King of Franks – Pepsin – a region now occupied by the Northern part of France, Belgium and the south of Netherlands. Pepsin’s son then requested for a replica in his chapel in Aachen. This started the use of the organ in churches and increased its fame in Europe. In the 16th century, an organ builder, Arnolt Schlick of Heidelberg made an organ that resembles the models in use today. Over the 17th and 18th century, the history of the organ was relatively silent. However in the earliest part of the 20th century, there was a boom in the organ market. Theatres were in need ways of adding sound to their motion pictures. Only the pipe organ fitted the bill – the ones designed by Hope Jones. Hope Jones' brilliant engineering created an organ pipe that was relatively small, had advanced features and could serve big audiences. His lack of marketing ingenuity meant he sold the pipe organ to Wurlitzer who commercialized the pipe organ successfully – selling and installing as much as 2400 units in 1920. The pipe organ is a majestic musical instrument, and even the great Mozart proclaimed, “In my eyes and ears…the king of instruments.” Can you Search the pipe organ locations? Image courtesy of: http://www.n8rrb.com/pipeorgans/ |
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