Organ Man

Musical Organs – Angelic Keyboard Instruments

admin — Mon, 30 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The organ is a keyboard instrument of one or many divisions, each played with its own keys operated either with the hands or feet. The musical organ, when compared to other instruments, is an relatively old instrument in music tradition. The musical organ has always found a place in the Catholic church, coming back in today’s time as a complement to the traditional church choir. The organ is also often used for recital purposes, many people calling the organ an “angelic keyboard” due to its ability to create other worldly sounds.

Today’s pipe organs use wind moving through the pipes to create different sounds. These instruments often vary in size, from some just measuring a cubic yard to going over six stories and are often built in churches, synagogues, homes and concert halls. Small organs are called portative, which means they are small enough to hold while playing. The newest addition to the organ family are electric organs, which produce electronic sound through different speakers.

All in all, the Musical Organ has had a huge impact on our musical traditions throughout time and as musicians still figure out ever innovative ways to further their music and as that continues so will live on the legend of this incredible instrument.

Organ Music Dates Back to Ctesibius of Alexandria

admin — Tue, 17 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The known history of the organ dates back to ancient Greece, in Alexandria, where an engineer named Ctesibius lived during the third century BC. His goal was to develop a mechanical pipe instrument that required no blowing from the mouth. He is credited with building the earliest musical keyboard, called the “hydraulis” or “water organ”, that operated using a hydraulic system to force air through the organ pipes.
Using his knowledge of compressed air devices, Ctesibius designed a sealed reservoir system with a number of valves operated by keys. By pressing a particular key, pressurized air passed through its corresponding pipe to produce the desired note. Constant air pressure was maintained using a cone-like device, with one end immersed in water and the other inside the air reservoir.
Although none of his writings survive, Ctesibius’ invention would inspire many engineers to come. The hydraulis became widely used in the Roman Empire during circuses and amphitheater events for the loud, pleasant sound it produced. Gradually, it would give way to organs that used bellows to maintain a constant air supply. These instruments then evolved into the massive pipe organs commonly used by European churches as early as the tenth century AD.

Organ Music is Music to Your Ears

www.organman.com — Thu, 05 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Organs have been used for centuries in a variety of music types. They are most recognizable for their use in church music, but have been featured in a variety of other venues as well. Organs provided the mood music for silent films in the early 20th century, are used in ball parks around the country to help rally the fans, and are regularly used in horror films. An organ is similar in appearance to a piano; however mastering an organ can be far more difficult as the player uses both hands and feet to produce the music. An organ solo was even featured on the rock hit, “Ina-Gadda-Da-Vida” by Iron Butterfly.
Organs can provide a full-bodied sound all by themselves but can also be use to accompany either a solo or choir. When recording an organ performance, techniques such as artificial double tracking, or adt for short, can be used to increase the fullness of the sound even further, making a few voices sound like a complete choir with dozens of members.
Organs come in a variety of shapes and sizes, to accommodate the many ways in which this instrument can be used. Whether the organ is a pipe, digital, or pipe-combination, the organ will provide an audience with a unique music experience.

Organ music in the 20th century

www.organman.com — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:23:40 +0000

At the time of its early invention in the 3rd^nd century B.C., the organ was associated with gladiator fights. Around the 8^th century A.D. it became a popular instrument for crafting Western religious music. However, modern musicians have used the organ for a variety of reasons, some of them as surprising as they are compelling.Marcel Dupre was an organist who followed in the Romantic French tradition but added a modern touch of improvisation. Over more than 2000 recitals, he developed impressive five-part-fugues which showed the ability of the organ to captivate modern listeners. Olivier Messiaen was another modern composer who transposed rhythms from Greek and Hindu sources to modern music to make a new and complex sound.The melodramatic atmosphere of soap operas surprisingly made them a perfect fit for the majestic sound of the organ. This originated with early radio series like The Adventures of Ellery Queen and Young Doctor Malone, later transitioning to television shows like Love of Life and The Secret Storm. All of the above were scored by Charles Paul, a renowned and long-running soap opera organist.In the 1960s and 1970s organs also became more popular in rock music, especially for progressive artists who were looking to break the mold. Tangerine Dream and Yes both used pipe organs on a number of their albums, as did Frank Zappa. Electronic organs were used by heavier groups like Iron Butterfly and Deep Purple. Parallel to its popularity in rock and roll, Jimmy Smith made the electric organ a popular jazz instrument starting in the 1950s.Finally, the organ’s powerful sound has made it a signature instrument for sports arenas. Wrigley Field pioneered this technique when they introduced an organist in 1941, but other arenas have followed suit. It’s obvious that the organ isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, as its music continues to captivate listeners in a variety of ways.

Get started playing the organ

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:17:08 +0000

If you’re lucky enough to have access to a real organ, don’t waste your opportunity! Learning how to play the organ can take a while to master, but it takes almost no time to get started feeling your way around simple songs and melodies. Follow the steps below and you’ll find yourself on the way to organ glory.1. Practice on a regular piano or keyboard. Organs can have anywhere from one to seven manuals, or keyboards, which can be quite intimidating if you’ve never touched one before. It’s much easier to learn to read music and practice simple scales on a regular keyboard. You can even find one online if you can’t get an actual one.2. Look into formal lessons. This actually doesn’t have to be the second step if you want to give it the old college try on your own first, but it’s always useful to have a guiding hand. You can often find teachers at churches or colleges. If you don’t want to proceed to this step right away, at least find a reputable guidebook to show you the basics.3. Buy some stylish organ shoes. These will only set you back about 60, but they’re well worth it for the assistance they’ll give you in mastering the organ’s foot pedals. This is one of the most distinctive aspects of organ playing.4. Practice making sounds. Just spend time playing with the manuals, pedals, and stops and see what happens. Quickly switching between stops may not make a classic concerto, but it will definitely get you used to the capabilities of the organ, and make it easier to use it in actual songs.5. Learn the details of organ playing. There are many distinctive techniques for playing the organ, including keeping your heels no more than a fifth apart and playing on the inside of your foot. These techniques will take a while to become second-nature, but they are integral to mastering the instrument.

Famous organists of the modern day

www.organman.com — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:15:35 +0000

It’s obvious that the organ is not a dead instrument, given its popularity in sporting arenas and certain classic songs, but not everyone knows that there are players still carrying on the classical organ tradition. Even in the United States alone, there is a plethora of players regularly working the pumps and astounding audiences. If you get a chance to see one of these players on their way through your town, don’t miss it.

Guy Whatley was born in Wales in 1975, but got his doctorate at Arizona State University, where he wrote a dissertation on Tudor organ music. He regularly tours with trumpeter Jean-Christophe Dobrzelewski, as well as playing full-time at the Camelback Bible Church in Paradise Valley, AZ.
James Biery had the highest score on the Fellowship of the American Guild of Organists (FAGO) exam in 1986, and continues to perform music of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. He also composes music of his own, and only recently retired from Director of Music at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Minnesota.
Chelsea Chen is one of the youngest organists currently performing, only gaining notice in the late 1990s. She performs in both America and Taiwan, occasionally as part of an acclaimed violin-organ duo with Lewis Wong. Upcoming performances include an August European Tour and an October appearance at the University of California.
Carlo Curley is as skilled at the organ as he is at entertaining. He has been dubbed the “Pavarotti of the organ” by the press, referring to the famous Italian opera tenor. Among his notable concert record, he was the first classical organist to give a solo recital at the White House, and he continues to tour and promote organ music to this day.

Different strokes for different folks: types of organs

www.organman.com — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:07:36 +0000

As you can see in the post on organ music, organs are now used in a variety of different genres. However, not all organs are created equal, and some organs are better suited to certain sounds than others. This brief introduction will guide you through the three major types: the pipe organ, the reed organ, and the electronic organ.The pipe organ is the oldest variety. It is derived from the Greek hydraulis, a type of organ powered by either a natural water source or a pump which was created in the 3rd century B.C. Around the 6^th or 7^th century A.D., air bellows replaced the water pump. Other adaptations included the portable organ in the Middle Ages and the first permanent installation at Halberstadt in 1361, by which time the organ was able to create a variety of timbres.The reed organ originated in France in 1810, but was actually perfected by American manufacturers in the 1850s, when they adjusted the already-developed suction method of sound production. Rather than pipes, the instrument uses vibrating metal tongues, with air forced through by bellows. The Chinese had a similar instrument in ancient times. While the early 19^th-century reed organs (called “melodeons”) were smaller than normal, larger versions known as “harmoniums” or “pump organs” were introduced in the latter half of the century.The electronic organ was obviously the last to be developed. The Hammond organ was the first true “electric” organ, developed in 1934, which recreated the sound of a traditional pipe organ with a set of spinning magnetic wheels. Later “electronic” organs moved even further away from the traditional pipe organ, recreating tone with oscillating circuits and resembling a piano in appearance. These instruments are what became most popular in rock and jazz music of the 1950s and later.

Casavant Frres is oldest North American organ builder

www.organman.com — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:00:33 +0000

There are a number of companies out there for anybody looking for a modern fine-quality organ, but there’s only one that can claim the title of oldest organ builder in North America. That would be Casavant Frres (Casavant Brothers) of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which was founded in 1879. The “brothers” were Joseph-Claver and Samuel-Marie, who worked in their father’s shop before Claver went to France to apprentice with John Abbey. The two brothers toured Europe together, taking in the best of what those shops had to offer, before finally building their factory on the site of their father’s old workshop.The Casavants built their first organ in the following year, a two-manual, 13-stop production which was installed in the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes in Montreal. This piece was renowned for its professional painting and casework. Tubular action was added in 1909, and 1959 modifications made the piece completely electric. Obviously, Casavant organs are built to last, and to grow and change with the times.Technology at Casavant Frres was never at a standstill. The brothers were the first to investigate tubular traction in 1884, and later investigated electricity with Dr. Salluste Duval and Father P.A. Choquette, a professor in physics from St. Hyacinthe Seminary.The early 20^th century saw a downturn in quality as budget cuts led to poor production standards. However, enough people continued to buy these shoddy instruments to keep the company in business up through the 1950s, when Charles Perrault became manager and helped restore the sound of the instruments. Their popularity has continued through the later half of the century, with continuing progress in artistic design. Casavant Freres’ record has proven their ability to remain at the forefront of the industry for an impressive length of time, and buyers can rest assured that a Casavant product is an investment to count on.