Why the Organ?

    I have been asked this question many times since I started earnestly studying Pipe Organs. The answer is not simple, and I do not entertain any delusions on the niche nature of my passion. However, I do earnestly believe that the organ is one of the greatest of human inventions. It is the melting pot of musical culture. It is a representation of civilization itself. This tradition of craftsmanship is one of the building blocks of modern culture.

    The organ has plenty of medals and honors. Perhaps I will share a link to the one that is of greatest significance today. Organ craftsmanship and music has been inscribed in 2017 (12.COM) on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Why intangible? Well, it is because of the magnitude of this culture. The organ has gone through so many iterations, become known by so many different names and adopted into cultures in such unique ways that there is no singular organ. No two organs built in the same year by the same maker are likely to be same, so imagine the variety across the history of this instrument that dates back thousands of years!

    If you open a world record book and look at all the records held by musical instruments you will read of The Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ, the largest organ in the world. and in fact, the largest musical instrument ever built. Also, The Vox Maris is the loudest musical instrument in the world. That particular organ was built for the Yeosu Expo 2012 in Korea.

    It is the melting pot of culture because of this long-standing construction tradition. Until the telephone exchange was invented, the Pipe Organ was the most complex machine ever invented. It was the pinnacle of art and engineering. Of course, every culture wanted to have their own. The British added expression to the organ by contributing the Swell mechanism that is found in almost all organs today. The French made the organ symphonic (Especially the work of the eminent builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll) by mechanical and tonal innovation that broadened the organ's possibilities and made it more accessible. The Germans gave us thoughtful pedal divisions and due to the use in playing fugues that required utmost clarity, the organs developed greatly in that too. The German contribution is truly great. It should be no surprise then, that the submission for recognition for the organ was made by Germany to UNESCO. The Americans combined it all in their early eclectic instruments, even as they built the so-called theatre organ for silent film accompaniment. (Sound effects like thunder included!) The Spanish built organs with a lot more reeds and mixtures and so on and on and on. This is a remarkable tradition. In almost all organs, one might be reading in various languages as the best tones are all combined into one organ. This manner of bringing the whole world together is reflected in the way the organ works. Such diversity of sound but it all works together. A good organ is not fighting itself. The good pipe organ is the product of inter-cultural craftsmanship in the same way communal musical performance can be inter-cultural. The organ even stands as memorials, of tragedies that must never occur again and as political statement pieces or even as diplomatic gifts to strengthen relations.

    This is why I love the organ. It is truly remarkable. However, if you still have doubts about why I love the organ, I refer you my answers to similar questions in an interview for the 9th issue of https://theorganmanual.com/. If you couldn't tell from my writing, I also love needlessly elaborate sentences, so if you come to me with questions, my answer will be a lecture. To the right person, I am sure this is not a warning but an invitation. I'll be waiting. I hope you do ask : )