A whole orchestra! Each pipe produces a different sound. The organist can choose between several stops, or registers. These stops control which set of pipes is activated when a key is pressed. Each one sounds like an instrument such as a clarinet, recorder, trumpet, and so on. An organ often has several keyboards (as in the photo above), so it can play on several different stops. You'll see that its large pedalboard also resembles a keyboard, which you play with your feet! Turn Up the Music! Photos: SHUTTERSTOCK Big and small! Did you know that organs first appeared around the third century BC? They were invented in ancient Greece by Ctesibius of Alexandria. These early organs used water pressure to control wind pressure and create sound. Today, in most cathedrals, there’s a large, impressive organ and a choir organ. The latter is smaller, allowing you to get closer to the music of the choirs and to be more a part of the congregation’s singing. A real wind tunnel! By pressing a key and pulling a piston to select a "stop," the organist opens a very special pipe: Wind rushes through it into the organ, creating a note that floats through the church! Today, the wind tunnel is electric, but in the past, air had to be generated with a large bellows operated by one or more people. They had to be careful to always maintain the same air pressure. It wasn’t easy! The Church’s finest instrument! To accompany the liturgy, multipart singing (polyphonic music such as motets, cantatas, and chorales) developed significantly. This encouraged the installation of organs in churches. This instrument is indeed well suited to multiple melodies and the blending of sounds. The organ can play many kinds of music! It is worthy of accompanying sung prayers that rise to heaven, celebrating the glory of God! The largest pipe organ in the world is located at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. Organ at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens, in France. Did you know? 33 N° 1 /
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