So How Does An Organ
Work??
I hope to explain the basics of organ operation, this page is only intended as a BASIC outline to the many varied and complex systems of operation.
Very Basic Over View Of An Organ
So What's The Difference Between This And A Church Organ?
Various Types Of Mechanical Organ
What Is A Keyless/Keyed Organ?
MORE WILL BE ADDED SOON !!(Pictures Too!!)
ANYTHING ELSE I'VE MISSED ? Tell ME !!!
A good link to an amateur builders site Gisli Olsen's Home Page (Pages On Organ Building Are In English)
A Very Basic Overview Of An Organ
An organ is an instrument that is operated using air from a set of bellows or a mechanical blower to operate various valves and to produce sound from either wooden or metal pipes, organs can be either manual or mechanical.
What’s The Difference Between A Mechanical Organ And A Church Organ?
We can clearly say that the church organ is the older out of the two, mechanical organs have been around since the late 1700’s, while there is records of church organs in Roman times!! A large mechanical organ might contain up to 1000 pipes, but we are talking of a very very small majority, church organs can contain several thousand pipes ranging from pen lid size to over 500 Ft long and bigger, and can weigh several tonnes, most mechanical organs are designed to be portable (With some exemptions i.e. café organs)
However the difference is apparent, as church organs are almost always operated
by a organist (Not always true, there ARE mechanical church organs, i.e.
Bressingham church Norfolk U.K) who hit piano like keys to produce the music,
a mechanical organ uses several different methods, as there is no organist
needed the keys are replaced a row of metal pins and a barrel (like a music
box) or used with a cardboard book or suction, tubular pneumatics are used
to read roll music (All will be explained in due course) this makes the
mechanical organ far more versatile, however church organists would not agree,
there mechanical sisters are often portrayed in the light of a church organ
as musically inferior, this is because a church organ contains many more
pipes and there is more notes to be used, mechanical organs range from 8
notes to usually 121 notes. Return To
Menu
Various Types Of Mechanical Organ
Fairground Organ/Band Organ
Built purposely to be loud, as the name suggests to play instead of a band, to entertain people at fairgrounds where rides were loud, pipework consisting of violin and trumpet pipes for volume, basically the equivalent of today’s tape player!!
Street Organ/Monkey Organ
Built to be played in the streets, was designed to be mobile and can be pushed on a hand cart, light weight and cheerful usually with a mellow tone produced from a mixture of stopped pipes to create a happy atmosphere.
Café Organ/Dance Organ/Jazz Organ
Designed for indoor usage, sometimes contain many different percussion instruments i.e. full drum kit!! Or accordions jazz pipes and play faster dance type music, generally too quiet for out door usage.
Mechanical Church Organ
Generally used in a church (There’s a coincidence!)
Belly Organ/Buskers Organ
Very light weight organ usually hung round the neck of the busker, and rested on a small pole.
(Only Makes I Know Well, And Can Spell!!)
I apologise for any incorrect spellings
Note names marked with * are modern builders i.e. 1970-
Gavioli et CIE
Limonare
Mortier
Carl Frei Snr
Carl Frei Jnr
Krul *
Bursens A
Bursens J
Gbr DeCap (Still Exist)
Savins
Bruder
Gbr Bruder
Wilheim Bruder
Van Der Broek
Wilheim Bruder Sohn
Webber
Pluer A
Pluer E *
DeCap Fr (Still Exist)
Koengsburg
Van Der Beeck
Chiappa (Still Cut Music)
Pell, A *
Gaudin
Neimuth K
Hooughys
Mahernghi
G.Perlee
Jan Van Eyk *
Dean *
Verbeeck Johan
Imhof
Balchin
Houfbauer *
Verbeeck, Pierre
Fratti
Bruns R *
Verbeeck, Johnny *
Verbeeck J (London)
Poppers
Gammage
Trueman *
Raffin *
McCarthy *
Fussel Bros *
Frampton *
Alderman Davis *
Le Ludion *
Wurlitzer
Artizan
AND THERE IS LOADS MORE…. I shall find out and put them here, if you can think of any not mentioned here mail me and I will include them!!!
What Is A Keyframe/Keyplate?
All mechanical organs (With the exception of electronically operated organs) have a keyframe, this is where the organ ‘reads’ the music programme, it can either be a row of metal pegs that operate when they are pushed down by a barrel (if you look inside a cylinder music box you will see a similar action) the bar that contains the row of these ‘keys’ called the keyframe, it can also contain for book operated organs sprung loaded keys that pop up and are pushed down, i.e. a hole in the card releasees the key and allows the organ to sound, or a keyframe can be a row of small holes that use air to read the holes in a music roll or book, basically the keyframe is the most vital part for playing the organs music.
What Is A Keyless/Keyed Organ?
I shall start with the ‘Keyed’ organ
The keyed organ was developed from the jacquard loom idea of using punched cards to operate a machine, however it was the Gavioli firm that used the idea to sound there organs with this method, this replaced the barrel what was slow and cumbersome.
The idea is that there are a row of metal ‘keys’ situated in the keyframe, each key depending on the organs size and specification carries out a different task when operated, this is always done by using a folded card book with various slots cut into it, this is the music, as the card is placed on top of the card book it pushes the sprung loaded keys down, this shuts off all the notes and percussion, until there is a slot that corresponds to that key, the hole in the card allows the key to lift up and sound the note. EASY REALY !!
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Photo of a 48 Key keyframe, you can see the metal keys standing up in front of the rubber roller. |
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A 50 Key Organ
The Keyless system funnily enough contains no keys, hence the name keyless, this time either a roll of paper (Similar to a pianola roll) or a book is placed into the keyframe (I suppose you are wondering why it’s not called a keylesframe!! Well you still probably call modern Petrol road rollers ‘Steam Rollers" so there you have it!!) the book/roll covers up a row of small holes, this creates a vaccume and a pressure increase. (See Diagram & Notes Bellow)
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When a music roll or book is placed into the Keyless keyframe (Top Picture on Right) a seal is made at position “A”(Top Picture) stopping air from escaping, Space B is filled with compressed air from the organs reservoir, (normally at around 8 inches of pressure) leather pouch “C” (“C” is at same pressure as “A”) seals hole “F” as the pressure in Pouch C is near equilibrium because of a small ‘Bleed’ hole “D” regulated by a screw to determine the speed of inflation “E” the pouch is now shut because both spaces “A,C” and “B” are equal If a hole in the music is encountered(Bottom Picture)then the pressure in “A, C” is less than that of “B” so the leather pouch “C” collapses due to the pressure difference and air is allowed to escape down “F” and sound the corresponding pipe. I hope this explains it!!! |
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Bellows And Wind Making
All organs whether electrically operated, or traditionally mechanical need wind to sound the pipes.
This can be achieved in two ways.
A. Bellows
B. Electric Blower
Bellows have been used in organs since there creation, usually there is one set in a small organ, and two in larger organs, and some can contain 3, depending on the amount of air that the organ needs to play with, this is the most traditional method of supplying wind
An Electric Blower is a more modern way of producing wind, it is better at supplying wind at higher pressure but is impractical in street organs where they might not be near an available power source.
(I Will Have Diagrams Here Soon!!!!)
This is the keyframe in
a cut a way drawing.
Keyframe Of
48 Key Organ
The Keyless Keyframe (Top)
Open Elevation
The Keyless Pressure System
(Not Vaccume)