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Pipe Organ Facts

Pipe Organ Facts

The pipe organ is a musical instrument in the wind instrument family. The pipe organ is derived
from the water organ in the 3rd century BC in Ancient Greece. This early organ's wind supply was
created by water pressure. Bellows were used to supply wind by the 6th and 7th century AD. In the
12th century the instrument advanced further and by the 1600s the majority of the sounds of
today's pipe organ had become possible. Until the telephone was invented the pipe organ was the
most complex invention by man. Pipe organs today are commonly found in churches, concert
venues, schools and other places where religious, sacred, classical and even modern music is
played.
Interesting Pipe Organ Facts:
Pipe organs are made with at least one set of pipes, and at least one keyboard. Sound is
produced when pressurized air passes through the pipes.

A musician that plays the pipe organ is referred to as an organist.

Pipe organ pipes are made of metal or wood and the longer the pipe the lower the pitch.

Pipes made of metal are usually made of a mixture of metals called an 'alloy'. Common metals in
the alloy include lead and tin, although some are made of silver, and brass.

The sound volume and timbre that is produced in the pipes is controlled by the amount of air
supplied to the pipe and the pipe's construction.

Reed pipes in a pipe organ produce sound via the reed beating - similar to other wind
instruments like saxophones or clarinets.

Pipes can only play one note.

Pipes are arranged into ranks - which means they are grouped together to enable similarly
shaped pipes (and those made of similar materials) can be played together.

Flue pipes in a pipe organ produce sound when air is forced through a fipple - similar to a wind
instrument such as a recorder.

In order for a pipe organ to work the organist must use both hands and feet to create sound.

The pipes of a pipe organ are lined up in rows and can occupy a very large amount of space. The
organ case that holds the pipes can be as large as a room.

Some organs have several keyboards - and it is not uncommon for large organs to have five.
Keyboards are referred to as 'manuals'.

The lower manual is referred to as the 'Great' and the highest manual is referred to as the 'Swell'.

The foot pedals are arranged like a keyboard. Organists must learn to play the foot pedals
without looking down.

During the silent film era pipe organs were commonly found in theatres to accompany the film.

Very large organs were built in Britain's gothic cathedrals in the Middle Ages.

The oldest pipe organ in existence today is believed to be the one in Sion, Switzerland, at the
Basilica of Valere, built in 1390.

The largest church pipe organ in the world is located in Los Angeles at the First Congressional
Church. The largest church organ in Europe is in Germany's Passau Cathedral.

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