Evening star., 1940-03-31

musical instrument From its early.
primitive beginning to the superb
product of modern invention, it has
held particular place in the esteem
of musicians and has been linked to
the most romantic as well as the
most sacred usages throughout its
long existence.
From Its first rude fashionings, the
organ has been in truth the life
breath of the people. When it was
known as Pans Pipes" and was
simply constructed of reeds of diff
fering length bound together, it re-
ceived its musical voice by the
breath of the player. What ever of
cadence could be produced was by
the ingenuity of the player and the
skillful use of his lips. From that
primitive start to the finished prod
uct of today. the road has been a
long one with periods of lapsing in
terest and again great inventive ac-
tivity.
It was but natural that some
effort should be made to devise
another means of supplying the air
needed for this instrument rather
than depend upon the possible in
stability of the player. There are
no data as to the originator Of the
idea, the first mechanical operation
of pipes being lost in antiquity. But
there is evidence in ancient times
of what must have been successful
attempts to operate by outside
means the pipes bearing the name
Syrinx from the attractive nymph
who, fleeing the advances of the god
Pan, was changed by him into
reed to form his shepherds pipe.
Days of Rome.
In drawings and manuscripts
dealing with the cultured days of
the Roman Empire can be found
traces of a pneumatic organ that
played its part in all the pagan
amusements of the time. Its strains
were heard in the theaters and in
the arena where gladiators met to
prove their prowess, and because OF
these associations the early church,
which in later centuries was to fos-
ter the development of the organ,
placed ban upon it and for many
years would not tolerate its in
clusion in the sacred service.
Toward the end of the I'd CEN
tury B. C. instruments of the organ
variety known as hydraulus were
to be found, and the invention of the
organ as it is known today is sup
posed to date from that period.
However. in Rome hydraulic organs
existed for use in larger places
where the pneumatic instrument
was not so practical, yet the latter
never quite lost its popularity, even
in Christian times, due to the ease
with which it could be carried
about.
The question of supplying air to
the pipes has always been OF alb
sorbing interest to inventors. The
first bellows was somewhat on the
order of that used in the bagpipe,
while later the displacement Of
water by heavy weights caused a
steadying of the wind pressure. 1t
was not until around the 11th CEN
tury that the mode of blowing was
introduced and this system supplied
work for many men. The first IN
vention of this order required sew
eral bellows, two of which were
operated by one man. Holding to
a bar above his head, he raised
and lowered each bellows by his feet
attached to it, and by bringing his
weight down on it brought forth
a constant supply Of air. Later
the German manufacturers changed
this by fixing the bellows to a lever
on which the blower trod.
Not long after the addition of bel
lows to the organ came change in
the size of the keys. In the early
organs they were inches across,
but were gradually reduced in size
although the transition to the pres
ent keyboard has never been fully
traced. A hundred years after the
large keyboard was discarded, the
pedal was invented but for prac-
tically 400 years it was not used in
that country of great cathedrals,
England. With the invention of the
peda! came an impetus to the study
of the works of the great composers
of organ which could not be ade-
Quately followed without it.
AS early as the ninth century
Venice was the leading city of
organ builders, yet little progress
was made in improving the instru-
ment until it's use was introduced
into the churches. In Germany 300
years later the building of organs
became a major industry, although
several centuries earlier they had
been made by monks in their mon
asteries. The first organs required
q Hercules to play them, as the keys
had to be struck by the fists with
great force. Organists of those
DAYS were called organ beaters," a
name on which one could expand at
length even in this more modern
time.
In the 18th and 18th centuries the
many problems of organ building
were solved, so that the great must-
clans of that era were attracted
toward it, and the result of the ap-
plication of their talents has been
some of the most uplifting music the
world has ever known. Today elec-
tricity has furthered the mechanical
operation OF the organ, and school
of artists performing on it has arisen
who can reproduce the works OF
great masters as they should be
heard.
During this week, each. night In
the chapel of the Church OF Latter
Day Saints, programs giving a sur
vey of this great literature will be
played. Among the composers
whose works will be heard are Bach
Brahms, Franck, Roger, Widor
Karg-Elert and others.