The pipe organ is one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. It has a long history of more than 2,000 years and can usually be seen in large churches. When we usually watch horror movies, there will be various frightening background horror music echoing in our ears from time to time. In churches, we can also hear the terrifying sound of the pipe organ that swirls in our ears. Next, let me reveal to you why the pipe organ is so scary! Why is the pipe organ so scary?

The pipe organ first appeared around 250 BC. It is the most complex structure and the largest volume in the history of musical instruments. , the most expensive instrument to build, is a majestic and terrifying machine.

The pipe organ is a purely religious (Christian) instrument and is usually built at the same time as the church or opera house that owns it? Because the structure of the pipe organ is directly attached to the building structure. Therefore, there is no clear specification limit for the pipe organ. The size of the pipe organ is determined based on the size and economic strength of the church or opera house itself.

The pipe organ is a free reed instrument among the reed instruments, and its playing method is similar to other keyboard instruments. The range of the sound is extremely wide. Usually, a keyboard with several layers is used, and there is a pedal keyboard under the feet. The specific pitch is controlled by many notes. The treble part is notated in treble clef, and the bass part is notated in bass clef. , the pedal keyboard part is notated in double bass clef.

The pipe organ has a large volume and full tone, and is especially suitable for playing serious and sacred religious music in a solemn atmosphere. In medieval Europe, almost every small town church had a large or small pipe organ. During every religious festival, melodious music could be heard floating throughout the town. Being able to serve as organist in a famous cathedral is also an honor that musicians are proud of.

The sound production principle of the pipe organ

The pipe organ, like other organs, relies on the compressed air stored in the bellows to control the sound pipe through a complex key mechanism (other organs use reeds The valve plate below the piece) opens and closes to control the pronunciation of the sound tube. The pipe organ is the oldest keyboard instrument with a history of more than 2,300 years. At first, the pipe organ was very small, and it was enough to rely on the player to blow the wind. During the Renaissance and then the Baroque period, it was the "golden period" of organ music development. Bach, the great father of music, was a very famous organ master (in Bach's time, the piano had not yet been invented).

But in this era, as the size of the pipe organ became larger and larger, it was impossible for the player to blow the wind. Moreover, since the performer's feet have to play the pedal keyboard, his hands and feet cannot be freed to operate the bellows. At this time, the pipe organ required several specialized blowers to be responsible for the blowing. At this time, one person is playing in the front, and there are several or even a dozen people in the background who are pumping the bellows like a water wheel (some also use levers). Once, Mendelssohn held an organ concert, and suddenly there was silence while he was playing. It turned out that the blowers backstage were so tired that they were so angry that they stopped working!

Until later , with the widespread use of electricity, pipe organs began to use mechanical blowers. Mainly, the motor drives the blower, and the compressed air generated is sent to the bellows, and then flows into the sound tube, and this is how it is to this day. Not only modern pipe organs use electric blowers, but most of the "famous historical instruments" that once relied on manual blowing have also been transformed into electric blowers.

Some data show that a small number of pipe organs use internal combustion engines (engines) to blow air, but I have never seen it myself. I personally think that even if there are, they are very few. Moreover, engines consume a lot of fuel, are noisy, and are difficult to control, so they seem to be less suitable than electric motors. I don’t know the specific parameters of the blowing system of the pipe organ of the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, but I know that a giant concert hall pipe organ in Hungary is similar to it: this organ has 6 high-power main blower units, all with variable frequency; the fifth floor The tuba stops on the keyboard are equipped with a separate high-power blower motor.

One last point, and it is also a very important point. Although the pipe organ uses electricity and is the earliest musical instrument to be electrocuted, its pronunciation is "natural pronunciation" and is definitely not "electroacoustic". Not an electronic instrument. From ancient times to the present, pipe organs have always been pneumatic instruments that rely on the vibration of air columns in the pipe to produce sound.

What is the difference between the organ and the piano?

1. The organ and the piano are both keyboard instruments, but they have too many differences:

(1) History : The pipe organ has a history of more than 2,300 years, while the history of the modern piano (excluding harpsichord and clavichord) is only more than 300 years old;

(2) The pipe organ is a pneumatic instrument, and the piano is It is a percussion instrument;

(3) The pipe organ has multiple layers of keyboards and a pedal keyboard, while the piano has only one layer of keyboards;

(4) The keys of the pipe organ have no velocity sensitivity, and the piano The keys of the piano have force sensitivity;

(5) The piano has fixed and unified specifications and standards, but the organ is full of strange things and there is no unified standard;

(6) The soul of the piano? ?It depends on the strength of the key strokes, and a considerable part of the ?soul? of the pipe organ lies in the selection of sound stops.

2. Who has a wider range, the organ or the piano?

First of all, we must clarify the concept: for keyboard instruments, "keyboard range" and "voice range" are not necessarily equal.

Keyboard domain: There is no doubt that the piano has 88 keys, which is 7 and 1/4 octaves; and the keyboard of the organ only has 61 keys at most, which is 5 octaves. The smallest one has only 49 keys and 4 octaves. So, of course, the piano has a wider keyboard range.

Sound range: For piano, the sound range is equal to the keyboard range, so the sound range of the piano is a little more than 7 octaves. For the pipe organ, the "tone range" is not equal to the "keyboard range": the timbre and pitch of the pipe organ all depend on the configuration of the sound stops. If you use 8' (eight feet) stops, just like a piano, pressing the C key will produce the C sound, and pressing the c1 key will produce the c1 sound. However, if you use the 4' stop, it will be one octave higher. At this time, when you press the C key, the sound produced is c, and when you press the c key, the sound produced is c1. In the same way, 2' and 1' are 2 or 3 octaves higher. Similarly, 16' and 32' are 1 or 2 octaves lower.

So, does the range of the pipe organ have to be wider than that of the piano? This cannot be generalized! Some large pipe organs have a minimum of 32' and a maximum of 1' stops, plus the original 4 octaves. (Baroque pipe organs generally have a keyboard range of 4 octaves), then the range can reach a full nine groups, exceeding the piano; while some medium and small pipe organs have a minimum of 16' and a maximum of only 2, then adding the original 4 octaves The speed is only 7 groups, so it is not as good as the piano.

3. Advantages and disadvantages of organ and piano in terms of velocity sensitivity

Unlike the piano, the keys of the organ have no velocity sensitivity. No matter how hard you touch the keys, the timbre will change. Neither is obvious. Above the pedal keyboard, in the middle, there are three pedals like accelerator and brake, which are called strength pedals. They are used to control changes in strength and emotion. Compared with the "keystroke force" of the piano, this method of velocity control has advantages and disadvantages:

1) Advantages: Since the pipe organ can continue to produce sound, the velocity can be controlled through the pedal in one Achieve gradual and gradual intensity changes within the sound: either sharply or delicately, or urgently or slowly. This is something that a piano cannot do. Of course, the pedal changes not only the volume, but also the timbre.

2) Disadvantages: Since the organ has to play a pedal keyboard, when encountering some particularly complex passages, performers with poor skills tend to be in a hurry, and sometimes even give up the control of the dynamics altogether. Moreover, although the pedal can achieve more delicate intensity changes, this control process is relatively indirect compared with the "keystroke control" of the piano.

There is another kind of pedal in the pipe organ, called the pitch pedal: through a pre-programmed program, it can control the opening and closing of the sound stops in sequence, thus greatly controlling the changes in intensity and timbre.

However, many old-fashioned pipe organs may not have expression pedals and pitch pedals. This type of pipe organ was produced in an era when the dynamic range of music was still very small, and they can be combined with different keyboards and different stops. to express different emotional changes.

Another point is that it is different from the piano: the intensity of the piano is precisely controlled for each note, and the intensity between the parts is different, so the piano sounds very layered. But the same keyboard of the organ is either all strong or all weak.

How many people are needed to play the pipe organ and how many are there in existence at home and abroad?

It is usually one person. It is also possible to play the pipe organ with four hands, but it is relatively rare. No matter how big or complicated the piano is, one person is in charge. At most, someone will help turn over the music scores, or an old-fashioned pipe organ, and an assistant will help change the sound stops.

In China alone, there are more than 14 pipe organs, most of which are located in big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, and most of them are in concert halls. There are only a few pipe organs in churches. All over the world, in Europe, there are many pipe organs. Every church has a pipe organ, and any high-end concert hall has a medium-sized or larger pipe organ. Pipe organs can even be found in schools, city halls, and individual homes.

Other scary musical instruments in the world

1. Water piano

Water piano is also called "Feng Shui Basin". It has the meaning of attracting wealth and prosperity in officialdom. In 1968, American Richard Waters invented the water piano and applied for a patent. The watphone is mainly composed of a stainless steel resonator bowl, a cylindrical neck, and dozens of stick-shaped brass rulers welded to the outer edge of the bowl. When playing, you have to add a small amount of water.

Although the name of the water piano is very beautiful, in fact everyone calls it the "scary water piano?!" It is known as the scariest musical instrument in the world. Most of the things we hear in movies are creepy, weird and ethereal. The sound is what it makes.

Shuiqin has participated in almost all horror movies in the world, including "The Ring", "Alien", "The Caller" and other classic films that are enough to scare you to death.

2. The Apprehension Engine

Its creator, Mark Korven, is a producer who specializes in sound effects for horror movie soundtracks. Tired of those stereotypical computer-generated sound effects in horror movies, Mark Korven created this instrument and used it in the dubbing of horror movies, and achieved very good results.

Some netizens on Facebook shared a machine they made called Mega Marvin. This instrument is already very weird just by its appearance! It is made of several metal springs, and the sound it makes is simply chilling. By rubbing and striking drumsticks of different sizes, you can make hellish sounds. It feels like you are participating in a haunted house adventure. It’s so scary!

After reading the above, I revealed the secret of the pipe organ for you. Why is it so scary? I believe everyone knows something about this ancient, huge and complex musical instrument!