A New History of the Organ from the Greeks to the Present Day
A New History of the Organ from the Greeks to the Present Day

Author: Peter Williams

Publisher:

Published: 1980

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Most books dealing with the history of the organ have confined themselves to a single period, area, or even country. This invaluable new work is the first complete survey of the organ ever to have been made in any language. The author firmly bases his interpretations and judgment on extant documents whenever possible, on his practical experience in playing organs all over Europe, and on his close examination of a great variety of instruments at different stages of restoration or transformation. Eight chapters are devoted to the early period and four to the Renaissance. Then individual chapters consider the French classical organ, the organ of Bach, the Spanish baroque organ, the Italian baroque organ, the English organ before 1800, and the northern European organ. The final eight chapters discuss developments in the 19th and 20th centuries. Supplementing the text are a glossary and plates illustrating a full range of organs that are typical of their kind. The eminent English musicologist, organist, and harpsichordist, Peter (Fredric) Williams ranks among the foremost authorities on the organ.

Understanding the Pipe Organ
Understanding the Pipe Organ

Author: John R. Shannon

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2014-01-10

Total Pages: 205

ISBN-13: 0786452862

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The pipe organ, an instrument whose origins date to ancient Greece, is prominent in the development of secular and church music, and its builders were as artistic as the composers like Bach, Pachelbel and Handel who played them. This book describes the mechanics, fabrication, and acoustics of all types of pipe organs. Although it is technical in nature, its design, descriptions, and language are directed to organ students, their teachers, and all persons who love the organ. The book covers the construction of several types of pipe organ, with chapters on actions, chests, pipe work, wind supply, electrical circuitry, mechanics, registration, organ placement, acoustics, and repairs.

All The Stops
All The Stops

Author: Craig Whitney

Publisher: PublicAffairs

Published: 2004-09-15

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 0786740256

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

For centuries, pipe organs stood at the summit of musical and technological achievement, admired as the most complex and intricate mechanisms the human race had yet devised. In All The Stops, New York Times journalist Craig Whitney journeys through the history of the American pipe organ and brings to life the curious characters who have devoted their lives to its music. From the mid-19th to the mid-20th century, organ music was wildly popular in America. Organ builders in New York and New England could hardly fill the huge demand for both concert hall and home organs. Master organbuilders found ingenious ways of using electricity to make them sound like orchestras. Organ players developed cult followings and bitter rivalries. One movement arose to restore to American organs the clarity and precision that baroque organs had in centuries past, while another took electronic organs to the rock concert halls, where younger listeners could be found. But while organbuilders and organists were fighting with each other, popular audiences lost interest in the organ. Today, organs are beginning to make a comeback in concert halls and churches across America. Craig Whitney brings the story to life and up to date in a humorous, engaging book about the instruments and vivid personalities that inspired his lifelong passion: the great art of the majestic pipe organ. Hear the sounds of some of the pipe organs featured in ALL THE STOPS

The History of the English Organ
The History of the English Organ

Author: Stephen Bicknell

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 430

ISBN-13: 9780521654098

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This 1996 book describes the history of organs built in England from AD 900 to the present day.

Pipe Organs of Chicago
Pipe Organs of Chicago

Author: Stephen J. Schnurr

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Pipe Organs of Chicago, Vol. II is a companion to the first book and fills out and completes the vast array of organs in the Chicago area. Highly illustrated in full color, this book is a must for anyone interested in these wonderful Midwestern instruments.

The Wurlitzer Pipe Organ
The Wurlitzer Pipe Organ

Author: David L. Junchen

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 798

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Wurlitzer pipe organs provided the voice of the silent screen in hundreds of movie palaces worldwide. Explore the history of the creation and building of the Mighty Wurlizer in 800 pages including 1000 images, archival documents and factory records. This book had been thought lost since the death of the author in 1992. Jeff Weiler, an organbuilding colleague of the author, has worked ten years to reconstruct the book and reassemble scattered materials working from a copy of the original typescript. The book has been published by The American Theatre Organ Society in recognition of their golden anniversary.

The History of the Organ in the United States
The History of the Organ in the United States

Author: Orpha Ochse

Publisher: Indiana University Press

Published: 1988-08-22

Total Pages: 516

ISBN-13: 9780253204950

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Immigration, wars, industrial growth, the availability of electricity, the popularity of orchestral music, and the invention of the phonograph and of the player piano all had a part in determining the course of American organ history.

The Aeolian Pipe Organ and Its Music
The Aeolian Pipe Organ and Its Music

Author: Rollin Smith

Publisher: Andesite Press

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 568

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

It will soon be 20 years since The Aeolian Pipe Organ and Its Music was published by the Organ Historical Society. This landmark volume has been out of print for so long that copies now sell for more than $500. A second edition, revised and greatly expanded, is now in publication and, in addition to emendations and many new photographs, the annotated opus list of over 900 organs (with contract dates, prices, additions, and alterations) has been updated to reflect subsequent activity. The Aeolian Pipe Organ and Its Music is the story of America's oldest, largest, and longest-lived residence organ company, whose instruments provided music in the home in the era before the wide-spread use of the phonograph and radio. A list of Aeolian patrons is a veritable Who's Who in American business, industry, and finance. This book not only documents the organs, but also the music they were programmed to reproduce, Aeolian's commissions from Saint-Sa ns, Stravinsky, Stokowski, and Humperdinck, and their reproduction of performances of renowned artists. A special section features a wealth of unpublished photographs of Aeolian installations. In addition to a study of the 54 recording organists, dozens of stoplists are included and complete catalogues of Aeolian organ rolls. As a companion volume to Rollin Smith's Pipe Organs of the Rich and Famous, this notable publication makes for reading as fascinating as it is entertaining.