Derby and District Organists’ Association Exploring a Pipe Organ with CATO Children and the Organ Project

This organ contains over 1000 pipes but most of them are hidden from view. Also hidden is the fact that there are three separate organs behind the front pipes: the Great organ, Swell organ and Pedal organ. The pipes in the front belong to the Great Organ which is connected to the lower manual of the console. The Swell organ, played from the upper manual, is well hidden behind the Great organ. The large pipes of the Pedal organ are at the back and sides of the organ chamber.

For this organ, the console is not part of the main organ but is connected by electrical wires, as this diagram shows. There is a separate wire for connecting every stop and every note from the manuals and pedals. Notice that the Swell organ is inside a large box. This is shown in the next picture.

The Swell box can be seen in the background. The slotted shutters are opened and closed by pushing your foot on the swell pedal on the console. ♪ What happens to the sound of the Swell organ as the Swell Box is opened or closed?

These pictures show the swell shutters going from closed to fully open. ♪ What happens to the shutters as the Swell pedal is rocked forwards or backwards? ♪ Describe the main differences in the sounds made by the Great, Swell and Pedal organs.

In some organs, like this one here, the case is designed with each section of the organ in a separate cabinet. There are three manuals for this organ and the case on the balcony contains the extra section which is called the Choir Organ. This is a small version of the Great Organ in the centre. Notice the two large towers on each side of the organ. ♪ The large towers contain the pipes for which part of the organ?

Here is another organ which shows the separate divisions of the organ in the design of the case. The tall towers contain the Pedal organ. The Great organ is high up above the Positif organ which sticks out below. The console is behind the Positif organ and just below the Great organ.

This organ case appears to contain several organs, each with their own towers. Including the Pedal organ, there are six organ divisions. On the console, there is a separate manual for each division. ♪ How many stops can you see on the console? This is one of the largest organs in the world, in Sydney, Australia.

Arranging the pipes A single rank usually contains 61 pipes, one for each note on the keyboard. As you go from the lowest note to the highest note, the length of the pipes steadily decreases. No two pipes have the same length. The picture shows an organ with the simplest arrangement of the pipes from lowest to highest on the left and the other way round on the right. ♪ Notice the Swell organ behind the Great organ.

Mathematics is so important in calculating the lengths of pipes, sometimes modern organ designers experiment to see what they can do in arranging the pipes to make simple mathematical patterns. ♪ Name some of the shapes you can see in these organs.

In this organ the pipes are arranged in a variety of patterns. It looks as if the patterns on the right hand side are a mirror image of those on the left. ♪ Look carefully at the picture to see if this is true.

If you give the pipes numbers from 1 to 61, from the longest to the shortest in a single rank, you can explain the patterns: All the odd numbers are on one side and all the evens on the other. ♪ Choose a rank of pipes and decide whether the odd numbered pipes are on the right or left of the pattern.

Organ cases Builders are so proud of their instrument sometimes, they make cases like beautiful furniture in which to house the pipes. Bath Abbey

St Mary’s Church, Stralsund, Germany At one time, wealthy European cities would display their wealth by building a grand organ in their local cathedral. The organ would be used to give concerts to the merchants during the week. ♪ Did you know that organs are still used for concerts as well as for Sunday services?

Decoration During Victoriam times it became very popular to decorate the pipes with beautifully painted patterns. ♪ Can you spot where the artist who painted these patterns took his ideas from?

The organ case can be made into a beautiful piece of furniture with ornate carving, sculptures and coloured painting. ♪ Try to name all the instruments played by the golden angels on top of this organ case.

Waldassen Abbey, Germany

What have you learned? An organ is built in several divisions: Each division has its own keyboard. The Swell organ is in a large box. Pipes are arranged in geometrical patterns Most of the pipes in an organ are hidden behind the front of the organ case. Great organ Swell organ Choir organ Pedal organ and are sometimes decorated with paint.

Materials prepared by Laurence Rogers for the Children and the Organ Project Team: Stephen Johns James Muckle Edmund Stow Gillian Chatto Laurence Rogers John Forster Chris Darrall Sponsored by Derby and District Organists’ Association

Children and the Organ Project The project aims to introduce young children to the fascinating world of pipe organs through practical workshops and fun activities. The building and playing of organs being such multi- disciplinary activities, their study has numerous spin-offs for the school curriculum. For more information, visit our website:

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