The organ is an ancient musical instrument. Organ - musical instrument - history, photo, video

Organ - musical instrument, who is called the “king of music”. The grandeur of its sound is expressed in its emotional impact on the listener, which has no equal. In addition, the world's largest musical instrument is the organ, and it has the most advanced control system. Its height and length are equal to the size of the wall from the foundation to the roof in big building- a temple or concert hall.

The organ's expressive resource allows it to create music with a wide range of content: from thoughts about God and the cosmos to subtle intimate reflections of the human soul.

The organ is a musical instrument with a unique history. Its age is about 28 centuries. In one article it is impossible to trace the great path of this instrument in art. We have limited ourselves to a short outline of the genesis of the organ from ancient times to those centuries when it acquired the appearance and properties known to this day.

The historical predecessor of the organ is the Pan flute instrument that has come down to us (named after the one who created it, as mentioned in the myth). The appearance of the Pan flute is dated to the 7th century BC, but the actual age is probably much older.

This is the name of a musical instrument consisting of reed tubes of different lengths placed vertically next to each other. Their side surfaces are adjacent to each other, and across they are united by a belt made of strong material or a wooden plank. The performer blows air from above through the holes of the tubes, and they sound - each at its own height. A true master of the game can use two or even three pipes at once to extract simultaneous sounds and obtain a two-voice interval or, with special skill, a three-voice chord.

The Pan Flute represents man's eternal desire for invention, especially in art, and the desire to improve the expressive capabilities of music. Before this instrument appeared on the historical stage, the most ancient musicians had at their disposal more primitive longitudinal flutes - simple pipes with holes for the fingers. Their technical capabilities were small. On a longitudinal flute it is impossible to produce two or more sounds at the same time.

The following fact also speaks in favor of the more perfect sound of the Pan flute. The method of blowing air into it is non-contact; the air stream is supplied by the lips from a certain distance, which creates a special timbre effect of mystical sound. All predecessors of the organ were wind instruments, i.e. used the controlled living power of breathing to create Subsequently, these features - polyphony and a ghostly-fantastic “breathing” timbre - were inherited in the sound palette of the organ. They are the basis of the unique ability of organ sound to put the listener into a trance.

Five centuries passed from the appearance of the Pan flute to the invention of the next predecessor of the organ. During this time, experts in wind sound production have found a way to infinitely increase the limited time of human exhalation.

In the new instrument, air was supplied using leather bellows - similar to those used by a blacksmith to pump air.

There is also the ability to automatically support two-voice and three-voice. One or two voices - the lower ones - continued to draw sounds without interruption, the pitch of which did not change. These sounds, called “bourdons” or “faubourdons,” were extracted without the participation of the voice, directly from the bellows through the holes open in them and were something like a background. Later they will receive the name “organ point”.

The first voice, thanks to the already known method of closing holes on a separate “flute-shaped” insert in the bellows, was able to play quite diverse and even virtuosic melodies. The performer blew air into the insert with his lips. Unlike bourdons, the melody was extracted using the contact method. Therefore, there was no touch of mysticism in it - it was taken over by Bourdon echoes.

This instrument has gained great popularity, especially in folk art, as well as among traveling musicians, and began to be called bagpipes. Thanks to her invention, the future organ sound acquired an almost unlimited extension. While the performer pumps the air with the bellows, the sound does not interrupt.

Thus, three of the four future sound properties of the “king of instruments” appeared: polyphony, mystical uniqueness of timbre and absolute length.

Since the 2nd century BC. designs appear that are increasingly closer to the image of an organ. To pump air, the Greek inventor Ctesebius creates a hydraulic drive. This makes it possible to increase the sound power and provide the nascent colossal instrument with rather long sounding pipes. The hydraulic organ becomes loud and harsh to the ear. With such properties of sound, it is widely used in mass performances (hippodrome horse racing, circus shows, mysteries) among the Greeks and Romans. With the advent of early Christianity, the idea of ​​pumping air with bellows returned again: the sound from this mechanism was more alive and “human”.

In fact, at this stage the main features of the organ sound can be considered formed: polyphonic texture, powerfully attracting attention, unprecedented length and special power suitable for attracting a large mass of people.

The next 7 centuries were decisive for the organ in the sense that the Christian Church became interested in its capabilities, and then firmly “appropriated” them and developed them. The organ was destined to become an instrument of mass preaching, as it remains to this day. To this end, its transformations moved along two channels.

First. The physical dimensions and acoustic capabilities of the instrument have reached incredible levels. In accordance with the growth and development of temple architecture, the architectural and musical aspect rapidly progressed. They began to build the organ into the wall of the church, and its thunderous sound subdued and shocked the imagination of the parishioners.

The number of organ pipes, which were now made of wood and metal, reached several thousand. The timbres of the organ acquired the widest emotional range - from the likeness of the Voice of God to the quiet revelations of religious individuality.

The sound capabilities previously acquired along the historical path were needed in church use. The polyphony of the organ allowed the increasingly complex music to reflect the multifaceted interweaving of spiritual practice. The length and intensity of the tone exalted the aspect of living breathing, bringing the very nature of organ sound closer to the experiences of human life.

From this stage, the organ is a musical instrument of enormous persuasive power.

The second direction in the development of the instrument followed the path of enhancing its virtuoso capabilities.

To control an arsenal of thousands of pipes, a fundamentally new mechanism was needed, allowing the performer to cope with this untold wealth. History itself suggested the right solution: the idea of ​​keyboard coordination of the entire sound array appeared and was superbly adapted to the device of the “king of music”. From now on, the organ is a keyboard-wind instrument.

The control of the giant was concentrated behind a special console, which combined the colossal capabilities of keyboard technology and the ingenious inventions of organ masters. In front of the organist there were now placed in a stepped order - one above the other - from two to seven keyboards. Below, near the floor under your feet, there was a large pedal keyboard for extracting low tones. They played on it with their feet. Thus, the organist's technique required great skill. The performer's seat was a long bench placed on top of the pedal keyboard.

The combination of pipes was controlled by a register mechanism. Near the keyboards there were special buttons or handles, each of which simultaneously activated tens, hundreds and even thousands of pipes. To prevent the organist from being distracted by switching registers, he had an assistant - usually a student who had to understand the basics of playing the organ.

The organ begins its victorious march in the world artistic culture. By the 17th century it had reached its peak and unprecedented heights in music. After the immortalization of organ art in the work of Johann Sebastian Bach, the greatness of this instrument remains unsurpassed to this day. Today, the organ is a musical instrument of modern history.

1. In Latin organum the stress falls on the first syllable (as in its Greek prototype).
2. The frequency range of wind organs, taking into account overtones, includes almost ten octaves - from 16 Hz to 14000 Hz, which has no analogues among any other musical instruments. The dynamic range of wind organs is about 85-90 dB, the maximum value of sound pressure levels reaches 110-115 dB-C.
3. Douglas E. Bush, Richard Kassel. The organ: An encyclopedia. New York/London: 2006. ISBN 978-0-415-94174-7
4. “The organ sound is motionless, mechanical and unchanging. Without succumbing to any softening finishing, he brings to the fore the reality of division, attaches decisive importance to the slightest temporal relationships. But if time is the only plastic material of organ performance, then the main requirement of organ technique is the chronometric accuracy of movements.” (Braudo, I. A., About organ and clavier music - L., 1976, p. 89)
5. Nicholas Thistlethwaite, Geoffrey Webber. The Cambridge companion to the organ. Cambridge University Press, 1998. ISBN 978-0-521-57584-3
6. Praetogius M. “Syntagma musicum”, vol. 2, Wolffenbuttel, 1919, p. 99.
7. Riemann G. Catechism of the History of Music. Part 1. M., 1896. P. 20.
8. The connection between the flute of Pan and the idea of ​​the organ is most clearly seen in the anthological epigram of Emperor Flavius ​​Claudius Julian (331-363): “I see reeds of a new kind growing separately on one metal field. They make sound not from our breath, but from the wind, which comes out of a leathery reservoir lying under their roots, while the light fingers of a strong mortal run through the harmonic holes...” (Quoted from the article “On the Origin of the Organ.” - “Russian” disabled person", 1848, July 29, No. 165).
9. “It has 13 or 24 bamboo tubes fitted with metal (bronze) reeds. Each tube is 1/3 smaller than the next. This set is called piao-xiao. The tubes are inserted into a tank made of a hollowed out gourd (later made of wood or metal). The sound is produced by blowing into the reservoir and drawing in air.” (Modr A. Musical instruments. M., 1959, p. 148).
10. Brocker 2005, p. 190: “The term organum denotes both polyphonic musical practice and the organ, which in the Middle Ages had drone pipes. It could serve as a model when it comes time to call hurdy-gurdy, since its type of polyphony is probably not very different from hurdy-gurdy. “Organistrum” can then be understood as an instrument identical or similar to an organ. Hugh Riemann interpreted the name this way when he saw it as a diminutive of "organum". He thought that, just as "poetaster" came from "poeta", "organistrum" came from "organum" and originally meant "small organ". The term "organum" denotes both a polyphonic musical practice as well as the organ, which in the Middle Ages had drone pipes. It could have served as a model when it came time to name the hurdy-gurdy, since its type of polyphony was probably not very different from that of the hurdy-gurdy. The "organistrum" then can be understood to be an instrument identical with or similar to the organ. Hug Riemann interpreted the name in this manner when he saw it as a diminutive of "organum". He thought that, similar to how "poetaster" came from "poeta", "organistrum" came from "organum" and meant originally "little organ")»
11. Each instrument has its own image, description of form and appearance, and allegorical interpretation, necessary for a kind of “sanctification” of biblical instruments so that they enter the Christian cult. The last mention of the Instruments of Jerome is in the treatise of M. Praetorius Sintagma musicum-II; he took this fragment from S. Virdung’s treatise Musica getutscht 1511. The description first of all emphasizes the unusually loud sonority of the instrument, which is why it is likened to the organ of the Jews, which is heard from Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives (paraphrase from the Talmud “From Jericho is heard...”) . Described as a cavity of two skins with twelve bellows pumping air into it and twelve copper tubes emitting a "thunderous howl" - a kind of bagpipe. Later images combined elements of bagpipes and organ. Furs were very often not depicted; keys and pipes could be depicted very conventionally. Virdung, among other things, also turns the image upside down, since he probably copied it from another source and he had no idea what kind of instrument it was.
12. Chris Riley. The Modern Organ Guide. Xulon Press, 2006. ISBN 978-1-59781-667-0
13. William Harrison Barnes. The Contemporary American Organ - Its Evolution, Design and Construction. 2007. ISBN 978-1-4067-6023-1
14. Apel 1969, p. 396: "described in a 10th century treatise entitled (G.S. i, 303, where it is attributed to Oddo of Cluny) is described in 10th-century treatise entitled Quomodo Organistrum Construatur (G.S. i, 303 where it is attributed to Oddo of Cluny))»
15. Orpha Caroline Ochse. The History of the Organ in the United States. Indiana University Press, 1988. ISBN 978-0-253-20495-0
16. Virtual MIDI system "Hauptwerk"
17. Kamneedov 2012: “Each key actuated switches connected to various register sliders, or drawbars.”
18. ? An Introduction to Drawbars: “Sliders are the heart and soul of your Hammond organ sound. There are two sets of nine sliders, sometimes referred to as tone bars, for the upper and lower manuals, and two pedal sliders located between the upper manual and the information center display. (English) The Drawbars are the heart and soul of the sound of your Hammond Organ. There are two sets of nine Drawbars, sometimes referred to as Tonebars, for the Upper and Lower Manuals and two Drawbars for the Pedals, located between the Upper Manual and the Information Center Display)»
19. HammondWiki 2011: "The Hammond organ was originally developed to compete with pipe organs. Sliders were a unique innovation of Hammond keyboard instruments (register buttons or shortcuts were used to control airflow in the pipes of wind organs)... The Hammond organ was originally developed to compete with the pipe organ. Much of the discussion that follows is easier to understand if you have a little knowledge of pipe organ terminology. Here's a link to A Crash Course in Concepts and Terminology Concerning Organs. the hammond organ, pipe organs most commonly used stop buttons or tabs to control the flow of air into a specific rank of pipes. Pipes can sound flutey with few harmonics or reedy with many harmonics and many different tonal qualities in between The stops were two. position controls; on or off. The organist blended the sound produced by the pipe ranks by opening or closing the stops. The Hammond organ blends the relatively pure sine wave tones generated by the ToneGenerator to make sounds that are harmonically imitative of the pipe organ (obviously Jazz, Blues and Rock organists aren’t always interested in imitating a pipe organ). The Hammond organist blends these harmonics by setting the position of the drawbars which increase or decrease the volume of the harmonic in the mix. .
20. Orchestras include a variety of self-playing mechanical organs, known in Germany under the names: Spieluhr, Mechanische Orgel, ein mechanisches Musikwerk, ein Orgelwerk in eine Uhr, eine Walze in eine kleine Orgel, Flötenuhr, Laufwerk, etc. Haydn and Mozart wrote especially for these instruments , Beethoven. (Music Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet encyclopedia, Soviet composer. Ed. Yu. V. Keldysh. 1973-1982.)
21. Spillane 1892, cc. 642-3: “The peculiarity of the American cabinet (salon) organ lies primarily in the reed structure system invented in this country, with the help of which the tone of the sound was changed, which distinguished this organ from reed instruments made abroad. Several other features in its internal structure and external decoration, however, distinguish it from reed instruments called harmoniums. The “free reed”, as it was first used in American accordions and seraphins, was by no means an internal invention, as writers rashly claim. It was used by European pipe organ builders for register effects, as well as in individual keyboards before 1800. The "free reed" is named to distinguish it from the "breaking reed" of the clarinet and the "double reed" of the oboe and bassoon. The individuality of the American parlor organ rests largely upon the system of reed structure invented in this country, upon which a tone has been evolved which is easily distinguished from that produced by the reed instruments made abroad. Several other features in its interior construction and exterior finish, however, distinguish it from the reed instruments called harmoniums. The "free reed," as it was first applied in American accordions and seraphines, was not by any means a domestic invention, as writers recklessly assert. It was used by European pipe-organ builders for stop effects, and also in separate key-board instrument, prior to 1800. The "free reed" is so named to distinguish it from the "beating reed" of the clarionet and the "double" reed" of the wallpaper and basson)»

Musical Instrument: Organ

The world of musical instruments is rich and diverse, so traveling through it is very educational and at the same time an exciting experience. Instruments differ from each other in shape, size, structure and method of sound production and, as a result, are divided into different families: strings, winds, percussion and keyboards. Each of these families, in turn, falls into different types, for example, the violin, cello and double bass belong to the category of bowed instruments, and the guitar, mandolin and balalaika are plucked string instruments. The horn, trumpet and trombone are classified as brass instruments, and the bassoon, clarinet and oboe are classified as woodwind instruments. Each musical instrument is unique and occupies its own specific place in musical culture, for example, the organ is a symbol of beauty and mystery. It does not belong to the category of very popular instruments, since not everyone can even learn to play it. professional musician, but deserves special attention. Anyone who hears an organ “live” at least once in a concert hall will receive an impression of a lifetime; its sound is mesmerizing and leaves no one indifferent. One gets the feeling that music is pouring out from heaven and that this is the creation of someone from above. Even appearance An instrument that is unique evokes a feeling of uncontrollable delight, which is why it is not without reason that the organ is called the “king of musical instruments.”

Sound

The sound of an organ is a powerful, emotionally affecting polyphonic texture that evokes delight and inspiration. It amazes, captivates the imagination and can bring you to ecstasy. The sound capabilities of the instrument are very great; in the vocal palette of the organ you can find very diverse colors, because the organ is able to imitate not only the sounds of many musical instruments, but also the singing of birds, the noise of trees, the roar of rockfalls, even the ringing of Christmas bells.

The organ has extraordinary dynamic flexibility: it can perform both the most delicate pianissimo and deafening fortissimo. In addition, the audio frequency range of the instrument is within the range of infra and ultrasound.

Photo:

Interesting Facts

• The organ is the only musical instrument that has a permanent registration.
• Organist is the name given to a musician who plays the organ.
• The concert hall in Atlantic City (USA) is famous for the fact that its main organ is considered the largest in the world (455 registers, 7 manuals, 33,112 pipes).
• Second place belongs to the Wanamaker organ (Philadelphia USA). It weighs about 300 tons, has 451 registers, 6 manuals and 30,067 pipes.

• The next largest is the organ of St. Stephen's Cathedral, which is located in the German city of Passau (229 registers, 5 manuals, 17,774 pipes).
• The instrument, the predecessor of the modern organ, was already popular in the first century AD, during the reign of Emperor Nero. His image is found on coins of that time.
• During World War II, German soldiers called the Soviet BM-13 multiple launch rocket systems, popularly known as “Katyusha,” as “Stalin’s organ” because of their terrifying sound.
• One of the oldest partially preserved examples is an organ, the production of which dates back to the 14th century. The instrument is currently an exhibit of the National historical museum Stockholm (Sweden).
• In the 13th century, small organs called positive were actively used in field conditions. The outstanding director S. Eisenstein in his film “Alexander Nevsky”, for a more realistic depiction of the enemy camp - the camp of the Livonian knights, used a similar instrument in the scene during the bishop’s celebration of the mass.
• The only organ of its kind, which used pipes made of bamboo, was installed in 1822 in the Philippines, in the city of Las Piñas in the Church of St. Joseph.
• The most prestigious International organ competitions at present are: the M. Ciurlionis competition (Vilnius, Lithuania); competition named after A. Gedicke (Moscow, Russia); name competition I.S. Bach (Leipzig, Germany); performing competition in Geneva (Switzerland); competition named after M. Tariverdiev (Kaliningrad, Russia).
• The largest organ in Russia is located in the Kaliningrad Cathedral (90 registers, 4 manuals, 6.5 thousand pipes).

Levers located on the right and left, as well as above the keyboards, turn the instrument registers on and off. The number of levers corresponds to the number of instrument registers. A warning light is installed above each lever: it lights up if the register is turned on. The functions of some levers are duplicated by buttons located above the foot keyboard.

Also above the manuals there are buttons that have a very important purpose - this is the memory of organ control. With its help, the organist can program the order of switching registers before a performance. When you press the buttons of the memory mechanism, the registers of the instrument are turned on in a certain order automatically.

The number of manual keyboards on an organ varies from two to six, and they are located one above the other. The number of keys on each manual is 61, which corresponds to a range of five octaves. Each manual is associated with a specific group of pipes and also has its own name: Hauptwerk. Oberwerk, Rückpositiv, Hinterwerk, Brustwerk, Solowerk, Choir.

The foot keyboard, which produces very low sounds, has 32 widely spaced pedal keys.

A very important component of the tool is the bellows, into which air is pumped using powerful electric fans.

Application

The organ today, as in former times, is used very actively. It is also used for accompaniment in Catholic and Protestant services. Quite often, churches with an organ serve as a kind of “decorated” concert halls, which host concerts not only of the organ, but also chamber And symphonic music. In addition, nowadays organs are installed in large concert halls, where they are used not only as solo but also accompanying instruments. The organ sounds beautiful with a chamber ensemble, vocalists, choir and symphony orchestra. For example, organ parts are included in the scores of such wonderful works as “ Poem of Ecstasy" and "Prometheus" A. Scriabina, symphony no. 3 C. Saint-Saens. The organ also appears in the program symphony “Manfred”. P.I. Tchaikovsky. It is worth noting that, although not often, the organ is used in opera performances such as “Faust” by Charles Gounod, “ Sadko"N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, " Othello» D. Verdi, “The Maid of Orleans” by P. I. Tchaikovsky.

It is important to note that organ music is the fruit of the creations of very talented composers, including in the 16th century: A. Gabrieli, A. Cabezon, M. Claudio; in the 17th century: J. S. Bach, N. Grigny, D. Buxtehude, I. Pachelbel, D. Frescobaldi, G. Purcell, I. Froberger, I. Reincken, M. Weckmann; in the 18th century, W. A. ​​Mozart, D. Zipoli, G. F. Handel, W. Lübeck, I. Krebs; in the 19th century M. Bossi, L. Boelman, A. Bruckner, A. Guilman, J. Lemmens, G. Merkel, F. Moretti, Z. Neukom, C. Saint-Saens, G. Foret, M. Ciurlionis. M. Reger, Z. Karg-Ehlert, S. Frank, F. List, R. Schumann, F. Mendelssohn, I. Brams, L. Vierne; in the 20th century P. Hindemith, O. Messiaen, B. Britten, A. Honegger, D. Shostakovich, B. Tishchenko, S. Slonimsky, R. Shchedrin, A. Goedicke, C. Widor, M. Dupre, F. Nowoveysky , O. Yanchenko.

Famous artists

From the very beginning of its appearance, the organ attracted great attention. Playing music on an instrument has always been not an easy task, and therefore true virtuosos could only be truly talented musicians, besides, many of them composed music for the organ. Among the performers of past times, special mention should be made of such famous musicians as A. Gabrieli, A. Cabezon, M. Claudio, J. S. Bach, N. Grigny, D. Buxtehude, I. Pachelbel, D. Frescobaldi, I. Froberger, I. Reinken, M. Weckmann, W. Lübeck, I. Krebs, M. Bossi, L. Boelman, Anton Bruckner, L. Vierne, A. Gilman, J. Lemmens, G. Merkel, F. Moretti, Z. Neukom, C. Saint-Saëns, G. Faure M. Reger, Z. Karg-Ehlert, S. Frank, A. Goedicke, O. Yanchenko. There are quite a lot of talented organists nowadays; it is impossible to list them all, but here are the names of some of them: T. Trotter (Great Britain), G. Martin (Canada), H. Inoue (Japan), L. Rogg (Switzerland), F. Lefebvre , (France), A. Fiseysky (Russia), D. Briggs, (USA), W. Marshall, (Great Britain), P. Planyavsky, (Austria), W. Benig, (Germany), D. Goettsche, (Vatican ), A. Uibo, (Estonia), G. Idenstam, (Sweden).

History of the organ

The unique history of the organ begins in very ancient times and goes back several thousand years. Art historians suggest that the predecessors of the organ are three ancient instruments. Initially, it is a multi-barreled Pan flute, consisting of several reed tubes of various lengths attached to each other, each of which produces only one sound. The second instrument was the Babylonian bagpipe, which used a bellows chamber to create the sound. And the third ancestor of the organ is considered to be the Chinese sheng - a wind instrument with vibrating reeds inserted into bamboo tubes attached to a resonator body.

Musicians playing the Pan flute dreamed that it would have a wider range, for this they added a number of sound tubes. The instrument turned out to be very large, and it was quite inconvenient to play it. One day, the famous ancient Greek mechanic Ctesibius, who lived in the second century BC, saw and took pity on an unfortunate flutist who was having difficulty handling a cumbersome instrument. The inventor figured out how to make it easier for a musician to play the instrument and first adapted one piston pump, and then two, to the flute to supply air. Subsequently, Ctesibius, for a uniform supply of air flow and, accordingly, smoother sound production, improved his invention by attaching a reservoir to the structure, which was located in a large container with water. This hydraulic press made the musician's work easier, as it freed him from blowing air into the instrument, but required two more people to pump the pumps. And so that the air did not flow to all the pipes, but precisely to the one that was supposed to sound at the moment, the inventor adapted special dampers to the pipes. The musician's task was to open and close them at the right time and in a certain sequence. Ctesibius called his invention hydraulics, that is, “water flute,” but people began to call it simply “organ,” which translated from Greek means “instrument.” What the musician dreamed of has come true, the range of the hydraulic voice has greatly expanded: it has added a large number of pipes of different sizes. In addition, the organ acquired the function of polyphony, that is, it could, unlike its predecessor Pan's flute, simultaneously produce several sounds. The organ of that time had a sharp and loud sound, so it was effectively used at public spectacles: gladiator fights, chariot competitions and other similar performances.

Meanwhile musical masters continued to work on improving the instrument, which is becoming increasingly popular. During early Christianity, the hydraulic design of Ctesibius was replaced by bellows, and then by a whole system of bellows, which significantly improved the sound quality of the instrument. The size and number of pipes increased significantly. In the 4th century AD, the organs had already reached large sizes. The countries in which they received the most intensive development were France, Italy, Germany and Spain. However, for example, in the 5th century, the instruments installed in most Spanish churches were used only during large services. Changes occurred in the 6th century, namely in 666, when, by special order of Pope Vitaly, the sound of organs became an integral part of Catholic church services. In addition, the instrument was a mandatory attribute of various imperial ceremonies.

Improvement of the organ continued at all times. The size of the instrument and its acoustic capabilities grew very rapidly. The number of pipes, which were made of both metal and wood for a variety of timbre colors, already reached several hundred. The organs acquired enormous size and began to be built into the walls of temples. The best instruments of that time were considered organs made by masters from Byzantium; in the 9th century, the center of their production moved to Italy, and somewhat later German craftsmen mastered this complex art. The 11th century characterizes the next stage in the development of the instrument. Organs were built that differed in shape and size - real works of art. The craftsmen continued to work on modernizing the instrument, for example, a special table with keyboards was designed, called manuals. However, performing on such an instrument was not easy. The keys were huge, their length could reach 30 cm and width -10 cm. The musician touched the keyboard not with his fingers, but with his fists or elbows.

XIII century – new stage in the development of the instrument. Small portable organs appeared, called portable and positive. They quickly gained popularity, as they were adapted for marching conditions and were mandatory participants in military operations. These were compact instruments with a small number of pipes, one row of keys and a bellows chamber for blowing air.

In the 14th and 15th centuries, the organ became even more in demand and developed accordingly. A keyboard for the feet appears and a large number of levers that switch timbres and registers. The capabilities of the organ increased: it could imitate the sound of various musical instruments and even the singing of birds. But most importantly, the size of the keys was reduced, which led to an expansion of the performing capabilities of organists.

In the 16th-17th centuries, the organ became an even more complex instrument. His keyboard on different instruments could vary from two to seven manuals, each of which could accommodate a range of up to five octaves, and a special remote control was designed to control the musical giant. At this time, such wonderful composers as D. Frescobaldi, J. Sweelinck, D. Buxtehude, I. Pachelbel created for the instrument.

The 18th century is considered the “Golden Age of the Organ.” Organ construction and performance on the instrument reached an unprecedented peak. Organs built during this period had excellent sound and transparency of timbre. And the greatness of this instrument was immortalized in the work of the genius I.S. Bach.

The 19th century was also marked by innovative research in organ building. The talented French master Aristide Cavaillé-Col, as a result of design improvements, modeled an instrument that was more powerful in sound and scale, and also had new timbres. Such organs later became known as symphonic organs.

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, organs began to be equipped with various electrical and then electronic devices.

“The King of Instruments” is what the wind organ is called for its enormous size, stunning sound range and unique richness of timbres. A musical instrument with a long history, which has experienced periods of enormous popularity and oblivion, it served both for religious services and secular entertainment. The organ is also unique in that it belongs to the class of wind instruments, but is equipped with keys. A special feature of this majestic instrument is that to play it, the performer must masterfully control not only his hands, but also his feet.

A little history

The organ is a musical instrument with a rich and ancient history. According to experts, the ancestors of this giant can be considered the syrinx - the simplest reed flute of Pan, the ancient oriental shen reed organ and the Babylonian bagpipe. What all these dissimilar instruments have in common is that to extract sound from them, a more powerful air flow than human lungs can create is required. Already in ancient times, a mechanism was found that could replace human breathing - fur, similar topics, which were used to fan the fire in the blacksmith's forge.

Ancient history

Already in the 2nd century BC. e. Greek craftsman from Alexandria Ctesibius (Ctesebius) invented and assembled a hydraulic organ - hydraulic organ. Air was pumped into it by a water press, and not by bellows. Thanks to such changes, the air flow was much more uniform, and the sound of the organ became more beautiful and smooth.

In the first centuries of the spread of Christianity, air bellows replaced the water pump. Thanks to this replacement, it became possible to increase both the number and size of pipes in the organ.

The further history of the organ, a musical instrument that was quite loud and little regulated, developed in European countries such as Spain, Italy, France and Germany.

Middle Ages

In the middle of the 5th century AD. e. organs were built in many Spanish churches, but due to their very loud sound they were used only on major holidays. In 666, Pope Vitalian introduced this instrument into Catholic worship. In the 7th-8th centuries the organ underwent several changes and improvements. It was at this time that the most known organs, however, the art of their construction also developed in Europe.

In the 9th century, Italy became the center of their production, from where they were distributed even to France. Later, skilled craftsmen appeared in Germany. By the 11th century, such musical giants were being built in most European countries. However, it is worth noting that a modern instrument is significantly different from what a medieval organ looks like. The instruments created in the Middle Ages were much cruder than later ones. Thus, the sizes of the keys varied from 5 to 7 cm, and the distance between them could reach 1.5 cm. To play such an organ, the performer used fists rather than fingers, hitting the keys with force.

In the 14th century, the organ became a popular and widespread instrument. This was also facilitated by the improvement of this instrument: the organ keys replaced large and inconvenient plates, a bass keyboard for the feet appeared, equipped with a pedal, the registers became noticeably more diverse, and the range was wider.

Renaissance

In the 15th century, the number of tubes was increased and the size of the keys was reduced. During the same period, a small portable (organetto) and a small stationary (positive) organ became popular and widespread.

By the 16th century, the musical instrument was becoming more and more complex: the keyboard became five-manual, and the range of each manual could reach up to five octaves. Register switches appeared, which made it possible to significantly increase the timbre capabilities. Each of the keys could be connected to dozens and sometimes hundreds of pipes, which produced sounds that were the same in pitch but differed in color.

Baroque

Many researchers call the 17th-18th centuries the golden period of organ performance and organ building. The instruments built at this time not only sounded great and could imitate the sound of any one instrument, but also of entire orchestral groups and even choirs. In addition, they were distinguished by their transparency and clarity of timbre sound, most suitable for the performance of polyphonic works. It should be noted that most of the great organ composers, such as Frescobaldi, Buxtehude, Sweelinck, Pachelbel, Bach, wrote their works specifically for the “baroque organ”.

"Romantic" period

Romanticism of the 19th century, according to many researchers, with its desire to give this musical instrument a rich and powerful sound inherent symphony orchestra, had a dubious and even negative influence on both the construction of organs and organ music. Masters, and primarily the Frenchman Aristide Cavaillé-Cohl, sought to create instruments capable of becoming an orchestra for one performer. Instruments appeared in which the sound of the organ became unusually powerful and large-scale, new timbres appeared, and various design improvements were made.

New time

The 20th century, especially at its beginning, was characterized by a desire for gigantism, which was reflected in organs and their scale. However, such trends quickly passed, and a movement arose among performers and organ builders that advocated a return to convenient and simple Baroque-type instruments with an authentic organ sound.

Appearance

What we see from the hall is the outside, and it is called the façade of the organ. Looking at it, it’s difficult to decide what it is: a wonderful mechanism, a unique musical instrument, or a work of art? The description of the organ, a musical instrument of truly impressive size, could fill several volumes. We will try to make general sketches in a few lines. First of all, the facade of the organ is unique and inimitable in each of the halls or temples. The only thing in common is that it consists of pipes assembled in several groups. In each of these groups, the pipes are arranged in height. Behind the austere or richly decorated facade of the organ lies a complex structure, thanks to which the performer can imitate the voices of birds or the sound of the sea surf, imitate the high sound of a flute or an entire orchestral group.

How is it arranged?

Let's look at the structure of the organ. The musical instrument is very complex and can consist of three or more small organs that the performer can control simultaneously. Each of them has its own set of pipes - registers and manual (keyboard). This complex mechanism is controlled from the executive console, or as it is also called, the lectern. It is here that the keyboards (manuals) are located one above the other, on which the performer plays with his hands, and below there are huge pedals - keys for the feet, which allow you to extract the lowest bass sounds. An organ can have many thousands of pipes, lined up in a row, and located in internal chambers, closed from the viewer's eyes by a decorative facade (avenue).

Each of the small organs included in the “large” one has its own purpose and name. The most common are the following:

• main - Haupwerk;
• top - Oberwerk;
• "ruckpositive" - ​​Rückpositiv.

Haupwerk - the "main organ" contains the main registers and is the largest. Somewhat smaller and softer sounding, the Rückpositiv also contains some solo registers. “Oberwerk” - “upper” introduces a number of onomatopoeic and solo timbres into the ensemble. “Rukpositive” and “overwerk” pipes can be installed in semi-closed chamber-blinds, which open and close using a special channel. Due to this, effects such as gradual strengthening or weakening of sound can be created.

As you remember, an organ is a musical instrument that is both keyboard and wind. It consists of many pipes, each of which can produce a sound of one timbre, pitch and strength.

A group of pipes producing sounds of the same timbre are combined into registers that can be activated from the remote control. Thus, the performer can select the desired register or a combination of them.

Air is pumped into modern organs using an electric motor. From the bellows, through air ducts made of wood, the air is directed into vinladas - a special system of wooden boxes, in the top covers of which special holes are made. It is in them that the organ pipes are strengthened with their “legs”, into which air from the vinlad is supplied under pressure.

The largest, most majestic musical instrument has an ancient history, with many stages of improvement.

The most distant ancestor of the organ from us in time is considered to be the Babylonian bagpipe, widespread in Asia in the 19th-18th centuries BC. Air was pumped into the bellows of this instrument through a tube, and on the other side there was a body with pipes having holes and reeds.

The history of the origin of the organ also remembers the “traces of the ancient Greek gods”: the deity of forests and groves Pan, according to legend, came up with the idea of ​​combining reed sticks of different lengths, and since then Pan’s flute has become inseparable from musical culture Ancient Greece.

However, the musicians understood: it’s easy to play one pipe, but there’s not enough breath to play several pipes. The search for a replacement for human breathing for playing musical instruments bore its first fruits already in the 2nd-3rd centuries BC: hydraulos entered the musical scene for several centuries.

Hydraulos is the first step to organ greatness

Around the 3rd century BC. Greek inventor, mathematician, “father of pneumatics” Ctesibius of Alexandria created a device consisting of two piston pumps, a water tank and tubes for making sounds. One pump supplied air inside, the second supplied it to the pipes, and a reservoir of water equalized the pressure and ensured a smoother sound of the instrument.

Two centuries later, Heron of Alexandria, a Greek mathematician and engineer, improved the hydraulics by adding a miniature windmill and a metal spherical chamber immersed in water. The improved water organ received 3-4 registers, each of which contained 7-18 pipes of diatonic tuning.

The water organ has become widespread in the countries of the Mediterranean region. Hydraulos sounded at gladiator competitions, weddings and feasts, in theaters, circuses and hippodromes, during religious ceremonies. The organ became the favorite instrument of Emperor Nero; its sound could be heard throughout the Roman Empire.

In the service of Christianity

Despite the general cultural decline observed in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire, the organ was not forgotten. By the middle of the 5th century, improved wind organs were being built in churches in Italy, Spain and Byzantium. Countries with the greatest religious influence became centers of organ music, and from there the instrument spread throughout Europe.

The medieval organ differed significantly from its modern “brother” in having fewer pipes and large size keys (up to 33 cm long and 8-9 cm wide), which were struck with a fist to produce sound. The "portable" - a small portable organ, and the "positive" - ​​a miniature stationary organ were invented.

The 17th-18th centuries are considered the “golden age” of organ music. The reduction in the size of the keys, the acquisition of beauty and variety of sound by the organ, crystal timbre clarity and the birth of a whole galaxy predetermined the splendor and grandeur of the organ. The solemn music of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and many other composers sounded under the high arches of all Catholic cathedrals in Europe, and almost all the best musicians served as church organists.

Despite the inextricable connection with the Catholic Church, quite a lot of “secular” works were written for the organ, including by Russian composers.

Organ music in Russia

The development of organ music in Russia followed an exclusively “secular” path: Orthodoxy categorically rejected the use of the organ in worship.

The first mention of an organ in Rus' is found on the frescoes of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv: the “stone chronicle” of Kievan Rus, dated to the 10th-11th centuries, preserved the image of a musician playing the “positive” and two calcantes (people pumping air into bellows).

Moscow sovereigns of different ages showed a keen interest in the organ and organ music. historical periods: Ivan III, Boris Godunov, Mikhail and Alexey Romanov “extracted” organists and organ builders from Europe. During the reign of Mikhail Romanov, not only foreign but also Russian organists became famous in Moscow, such as Tomila Mikhailov (Besov), Boris Ovsonov, Melenty Stepanov and Andrei Andreev.

Peter I, who devoted his life to introducing the achievements of Western civilization into Russian society, ordered the German specialist Arp Schnitger to build an organ with 16 registers for Moscow back in 1691. Six years later, in 1697, Schnitger sent another 8-register instrument to Moscow. During Peter's lifetime, dozens of organs were built in Lutheran and Catholic churches in Russia, including gigantic projects with 98 and 114 registers.

Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine II also contributed to the development of organ music in Russia - during their reign, dozens of instruments were received in St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Riga, Narva, Jelgava and other cities in the northwestern region of the empire.

Many Russian composers used the organ in their work; just remember Tchaikovsky’s “The Maid of Orleans,” Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Sadko,” Scriabin’s “Prometheus,” etc. Russian organ music combined classical Western European musical forms and traditional national expressiveness and charm, had a strong influence on the listener.

Modern organ

Having passed historical path two millennia long, the organ of the 20th-21st centuries looks like this: several thousand pipes located on different tiers and made of wood and metal. Square-section wooden pipes produce bassy, ​​low-pitched sounds, while tin-lead metal pipes have a round cross-section and are designed for a thinner, high-pitched sound.

The record-breaking organs are registered overseas, in the United States of America. Organ located in Philadelphia mall Macy's Lord & Taylor, weighs 287 tons and has six manuals. The instrument, located in Atlantic City's Concord Hall, is the loudest organ in the world and has more than 33,000 pipes.

The largest and most majestic organs in Russia are located in the Moscow House of Music, as well as in the Concert Hall. Tchaikovsky.

The development of new directions and styles has significantly increased the number of types and varieties of modern organs, with their own differences in operating principles and specific features. Today's classification of organs is as follows:

• wind organ;
• symphony organ;
• theater organ;
• electric organ;
• Hammond organ;
• Typhon organ;
• steam organ;
• street organ;
• orchestrion;
• organola;
• pyrophone;
• sea ​​organ;
• chamber organ;
• church organ;
• home organ;
• organum;
• digital organ;
• rock organ;
• pop organ;
• virtual organ;
• melodium.

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