The Organ is a keyboard instrument consisting of many single-pitched pipes, supplied with wind or compressed air by means of mechanical bellows. The keyboards and pedalboard control the action of the organ. When a key or pedal is pressed, wind is directed into the pipes by opening valves or pallets, and the pipes produce their sound.
Family |
Keyboards |
Pitch range |
From six to ten octaves, according to the length of the pipes. |
Material |
A variety of materials, ranging from wood to metals and plastics. |
Size |
Variable. |
Origins |
The first known organ was made in the 2nd century B.C. by a Greek engineer in Alexandria, Egypt. This organ harnessed water power to force air into the pipes. The earliest known organ to operate by Using compressed air was constructed in Byzantium (modern-day Istanbul, in Turkey) around the 2nd century A.D. |
Classification |
Aerophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a column of air. |
And also... |
Nothing else. |