 |

View our papers...

This is a short summary of this paper!
Already a member? Go here to log in and view the entire paper!
|
Early History Of The Pipe Organ
The “king of instruments” has a long history, one which can arguably be traced to the concept of
a collection of “fixed-pitched pipes blown by a single player (such as the panpipes)” (Randel 583).
The first examples of pipe organs with the basic features of today can be traced to the third
century B.C.E. in the Greco-Roman arena; it is said to have been invented by Ktesibios of
Alexander and contained “a mechanism to supply air under pressure, a wind-chest to store and
distribute it, keys and valves to admit wind to the pipes, and one or more graded sets of
fixed-pitch pipes.” (Randel 583) These early organs used water as a means to supply air-pressure,
hence the use of the terms hydraulic and hydraulis. Hydraulic organs were in use for several
hundred years before the concept of bellows, similar in concept and style to those of a blacksmith,
came into use with the organ. Numerous bellows were used to supply air to the wind-chest, often
being pumped in pairs by men. The disadvantages of this method of air supply include the lack of
consistent pressure, which leads to inconsistent pitch and tuning; also, many people were required
to operate the bellows since there were upwards of twenty-four bellows per orga
Approximate Word count = 1402
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
More Essays on Early History Of The Pipe Organ Student Papers: |
|
Want to view this paper along with 100,000 other term papers, essays, and book reports?
Instant access, single user memberships can be purchased online with a credit card or online check!
|
 |

Topics

Instant Access!
Acceptance Essays
Arts
Custom Papers
English
Foreign
History
Miscellaneous
Movies
Music
Novels
People
Politics
Religion
Science
Sports
Technology
Rad Essays
|