PIPE ORGANS : A BRIEF HISTORY

STAKES & FORECASTS

A brief Organ history	Early Pipe Organs have been built in Egypt since -1500 to -1000 before Christ. After that, constant improvements have been done. Many new capabilities have been introduced. Pipe Organs are an outstanding domain where mankind creativity can bring new interesting features. Pipe Organs (ORGANUM = the engine) means the most complex unnatural thing built by men. During  the recent past, Pipe Organs received the mechanical, then the air control tracking, and the electric tracking control (during XIX Century) More recently the electronic control tracking. These three tracking kinds  are even today largely discussed, and passionnetely compared. This texte aims to bring an objective comparission between these different  control kinds.
The body mecanical control: (Trackers)	Introduced since -1000 before Christ. Allows a direct control of Pipe valves. A major limitation lies in the fact that fingers can't produce sufficient strenght for very important instruments: Consequently, stop and pipe number must be limited to about 10 to 20 for each keyboard. For large instruments, copula between keyboards is terribly tiring. Moreover, each keyboard is rigidly linked to his associated body. Mechanical control of stops belonging to another body is impossible, unless copula facilities, which hampered instrument possibilities. By example, if a trumpette 8' is available on the Graet, it is not possibile to track it from another keyboard, independently of  other stops. These possibilitiss are available on electronic bodies.
Air-controlled Pipe Organs:	A permis de démultiplier la force humaine des doigts, permettant une multiplication très importante du nombre des jeux. Ce système permet également les dédoublements de jeux, c'est à dire la possibilité de commander un jeu non pas à la hauteur de la note jouée, mais une à plusieurs octaves en dessous ou au dessus. Sa contrepartie est une perte de lien direct avec les soupapes, une taille de machine et une complexité très importante. On aboutit souvent à un toucher assez flou, comportant un retard important à l'émission du son, ne permettant pas de sentir le décollement de la soupape. Notons également, comme pour le mécanique, l'impossibilité de réaliser en série de tels systèmes.
Electric control:	Consiste a contrôler les soupapes par des electro-aimants de tirage direct , relayés ou non par des relais pneumatiques. De nombreuses expériences furent faites selon ce principe, avec plus ou moins de bonheur. Les meilleures réalisations furent faites par des électro-aimants à relais pneumatique Dans ce cas, en effet, chaque électro ne tire qu'une soupape par tuyau, et le courant de commande dans le contact de touche est réduit. A l'inverse, le remplacement du tirage mécanique direct par des électro-aimants (tirage mécanique direct) pose un important problème de fiabilité, en raison de l'ampérage important constaté dans les contacts de notes. This introduces short cuts, and consequently, electrical tracking has been largely criticied. (Some Pipe Organs burned due to this system).
Electronic control:	Much more recently introduced. Electronic control upgrades significantly all previous historic ancient solutions to the tracker. It brings solid state relays capability, quite reliable,  undestroyable, between keyboards contacts and the pallet-magnets. Keyboard contacts are used in this case by very weak currents, which increases significantly contact longevity. At the contrary, contacts used by electro-mechanical systems must transport important currents from about several hundreds of milliampères. Electronic control bring quasi unlimited life to contacts. Moreover, hall effect - based contacts can also be used.

Of course, electronic control system allows all copula, octave possibilities, for all stops.
It ensures a complete independancy between stops and keyboards, which is quite impossible by the other means.
Each stop can be played from any manual keyboard or pedal.
Moreover, keyboard/pedal number is unlimited.
Keyboard transmission is here quasi instantaneous. (different from mecanical ou du pneumatical trackers)
and can be as light as possible.
This transmission can also be ensured remotely : see http://perso.wanadoo.fr/pascal.leray/org_rnis.htm
A mechanical touch control can easily be simulated by the mean of permanent magnets on the keyboards.
Such mean blurrs Organists and gieve simila feeling as a classic mechanical tracker.

SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS:

• Sounds are always generated by real Pipes, as in mechanical, pneumaticla or electric tracking systems. Not any sound is produced by other mean.
• One must separet octave, and harmonic control from electrical tracking.

The main reason lies in the fact that it  suppess all  the costly mechanical parts: Abrégés, valve transmission parts, wind pressure box, stop transmission parts.
Let us say simply that it allows a little Organ to increase his sound richess, without been obliged to increase Pipe number; Each stop can be controlled separately, with 16' 8' 4' or 2 or quinte, tierce, etc...

Organ cost can therefore been cut by 3 or more with the same sound potential.
Ears are unable to recognize between a mechanical and an electronic tracker Organ.
 

Moreover, if one wants to use harmonic controls, stops must be completed in the acute notes with 12 pipes if one want  4' on a 8' stop and 24 pipes si one want 2' on a 8' stop, etc...
But these pipes are not at all mandatory, software programming being able to help forgetting their absence. For example, 4' et 2'  trompett can use possibly acute opened pipes. Computer always knowing what pipes are in use.

Moreover, lOrganist taste and his registration choices can also bring added values on intrinsic system qualities..

Maintenance:

One can observe in fact much less failures on well designed electronic and software systems.
 

Pascal Leray, le 1 Septembre 1999

Up to the past century, all Pipe Organ needs where exclusively supplied  by Organ Builders. Since the little Polyphone, and other Positive Organs, up to Grand Church Pipe Organs using divere tracking techniques described above.

Today, Organ builders and Pipe Organ Experts are swearing and dreaming only on mechanical trackers . (By the way, never  pneumatical or electric relay techniques would have emerged with such opinions).
Some french Expert Organist enjoy the last electric Organ destruction in France.
They are willing to replace them by Middle Age Organs! (written in an official french commission report).

Someone also recommend (what a move after middle Age!) pneumatic (air pressure) stop combinators!

If such opinions would have dominated French thoughts during the 20th Century, never Symphonic Organs nor Cavaille-Coll and Barker techniques would have emerged with such integrist people!

These opinions are not only ridiculous, but they also weaken french Pipe Organ Builders community.

Of course, as for cartoons, some of them will survive, but many Organ Builders will lose the intermediate market, between  electronic Oragans (electronium) and little  mechanical pipe organs with 10 12 stops, whose price could hardly decrease under 100 000$. This market segment can be evaluated at about 10000 units, only for France!

As they losed the huge electronic organ market, including electronic Pipe organ, dominated by US and Japanese builders, they will lose tomorrow the 6-12 stops organ market; Mainly the 6-12 stops computer-controlled Pipe Organs Units, whose prices are much less than equivalent mechanical trackers.

Moreover, electronic and software techniques provide a real attraction towards young people including for Concerts, and Education. Such attraction is not observed for traditional mechanical trackers.
Obviously,  MIDI Interfaces, electronic possibilities, more  Pipes playing simultaneously,  enregistrement-lecture de partitions, combinaisons automatiques, possibilité de touches sensitives expressives, transpositions, etc...

Unlikely from France, 50% of abroad Organ makers are using electro-magnet valves. Millions of magnet valves are built worldwide, except in France! 20 years ago, we have been loosing the last Organ parts make (Jamet), but at the same time Laukhuff, Kimber-Allen, and other Petersen are prosperous. And they supply our french Organ builders without any consideration from the part of our Experts-Organists.

These Expert behaviuour is responsible for a large part of the french Organ Builders short time future!

Hoping they will take into account other elements than the integrist cult about mechanical trackers, but also the complete scope of economical and industrial stakes,
including organ teaching and compositing.

(Remember that Dom Bédos! who was interested during his time by "Tonotonie", (Technique for coding and recording music!) would be quite attracted by huge electronic and software possibilities!... et probably very criticized by our french "beaux esprits"!).

The most important for all: 21st secular music compositing:
Without Barker and Cavaillé-Coll, Franck, Saint Saens, Widor et many others would never been able to interpret their music!
 

 Pascal Leray, October 20, 1999