Pipe Organ & Music
Listening to pipe organs is wonderful. Specifically hearing a live pipe organ, or enjoying the pipe organs with earbuds can be surprising. Pipe organs are not for everyone, but they are different. Part of the pipe organ’s importance is in the way it enriches people’s lives today, and part of the importance is in how it has impacted the evolution of music. We will go over the types of organs and things to be aware of when talking about organs.
During the Baroque era there were the more favorite of pipe organ music composers. Johann Sebastian Bach is the most popular of this time. Some of the most famous pipe organ music was written by him during this time. Most people think his greatest peice was the Fuge in G Major. Other remarkable composers include Johann Pachelbel and Dietrich Buxtehude. Some can easily enrich their life by gaining the experience and skill of performing on the pipe organ. Some of the children in our community play the pipe organ at an young age. This can help them to develop fine motor skills as well as a sense of achievement. Playing the pipe organ can also assist to reduce stress.
Historic pipe organs used a slider, and it was not until later that the keyboard was integrated. Organs did have keyboards in the Baroque period back in the time of Bach. Pipe organs also have a pedalboard which is played by the feet. There are several types of organs, many of them are quite gorgeous. Some pipe organs cost over $100,000. For this reason many churches choose to use electronic organs. It is still plain to see that a true pipe organ still gives the best quality sound.
While working a pipe organ can be challenging, tuning a pipe organ is a task that requires an expert technician who knows this complicated process. Many people don’t understand that for most of history there was no pitch standard. The modern tuning standard was proposed in 1939. Tuners now usually standardize to that A=440 Hz mark – although varying from this is not uncommon. As the need for pipe organs have changed over time, so has the way pipe organ builders continue to build organs to assist our needs. One might wonder what they will evolve to in the years to come.
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