The Indian Organ

    The title of this blog might be confusing to some, and rightfully so. I have shared in previous posts that the organ was originally Greek and since even the most cursory bit of research will prove that the most organs of India are imported, it is easy to dismiss any claim to such a kind of an Indian instrument. This post will give a few arguments to prove otherwise.

    While it is quite true that the majority of Indian organs are imports, that does not tell the whole story. It is easy to assume that pipe organs do not work in the Indian climate and are not suited for use here. One might cite facts like the absolute lack of pipe organs in Kerala (Except one newly installed organ) as proof of the harm that Indian coastal humidity can cause and how the organ of the National Centre for Performing Arts, Mumbai possesses an organ that is on a stage that moves the organ into a climate-controlled space for protection, as proof that organs cannot exist organically in India. Respectfully, I disagree.

    The organ of the Saint Thomas English Church (STEC) at Mylapore is one testament. Its older name of "St. Thomas-by-the-Sea" alludes to my point. The church has an organ from 1868 that is still playable today despite being a short walk from the sea, an obvious source of humidity. Non-European weather is no excuse for the lack of maintenance of a pipe organ anywhere in the world. My previous post about the Bamboo Organ of the Philippines is proof that the King of Musical Instruments is also one of the first to be truly global, with seemingly all cultures having a go at making the best possible one. In the Philippines, the bamboo organ was declared a national treasure, and these were some of the reasons:

• The transformation of local bamboo into a pipe organ was an important catalyst in the formation of Philippine musical practices.

• The organ stood for the fusion of technological genius and musical aesthetic creativity, in which foreign technology was adapted for local use in music.

• It commemorates the courageous spirit of Filipino people behind the work - that spirit existing from the Filipino bamboo.

    This adoption of the organ is true also for India. Thus, with today being the Republic Day of my home country of India, I close with a few lines showing how pipe organ culture is as foreign to India as the violin is, one that is now so common to Carnatic music. The Indian contribution to the collective heritage of this World Instrument is important. I provide below a few highlights.

• Many of India's rulers were patrons of the instrument, with a few even commissioning large organs for the music rooms in their palaces, ones that rival that of European residence organs. A good example is the two manual organ of the Palace of the Maharaja of Mysore, built by the Wirsching Organ Company in 1908.

• Tipu Sultan once even commissioned a small organ in a case that features a tiger mauling a British soldier. The political implications of this are significant. The fact that a so-called foreign instrument was used is almost a Caliban moment. But then, the organ is a world instrument. In the end, Tipu's Tiger is also an Indian organ.
• This instrument has also started a tradition of collaboration. A famous one is of the Hurry Brothers of Calcutta, a firm set up in 1850. They were one of the few organ firms that were known as Anglo-Indian because unlike other companies who imported organs as parts and assembled it in India, Hurry Brothers did a little manufacturing also. The extent of this is unknown to me and when the company was later revived by a retired Naval Commodore T M J Champion, organs were half-built in India. Today however, that is not the case.
• One of the biggest Anglo-Indian firms today is the Midland Organ Hele and Co, LTD. While they do very little manufacturing, it still follows in a similar model from the way Hurry Brothers used to function. This time though the Indian representative is from Chennai. They mostly repair and refurbish, and most installations are rebuilds of old organs from Europe.

    It is clear that India has at least a little history with the Pipe Organ. The sad reality is that things have become stagnant. Even organs that are proudly claimed to be in good shape are simply not so. The kind of care that these instruments require is often not provided, and maintenance is abysmally infrequent, with most churches opting for basic tuning visits once or twice a year. In truth, Indian organs are almost never in tune and never fully working and basically unvoiced except for a handful. For the most part, the true organ sound has not been heard in India for generations. The Indian organ then is like driving on Indian roads. It is functional. You can accompany a choir with it in the same way you will reach your destination by road. Unfortunately, you will have to deal with the inconsiderate road closures of dead notes, the rubble and potholes of out of tune and badly voiced pipes, the reckless driving of church committees, the ever-rising costs of maintaining your vehicle and in the end, when you do play, the sound may not move you as much it could have. It still has moved you from Point A to Point B though. That is all you can hope for when that is all that you expect.

You almost forgive them that opt for the public transport of electronic instruments. How can they appreciate and enjoy the joy and pleasure of a good drive when stuck in traffic and all the music they hear has the tonality of the horns blaring around them?