10 amazing facts about the body — very ancient and large musical instrument

Organ — the most amazing in the world of musical instrument. Imagine: inside of it you can go! As a flute or saxophone, organ refers to the winds, but has a distant relative and piano, as it is controlled by the keys and pedals.

On the bodies of written entire books, but we picked the 10 most interesting facts about these unusual devices that you are likely very surprised.

The largest in the history of the organ is located in the American city of Atlantic city Boardwalk in the concert hall. This tool is equipped with 33 112 tubing has a 1 200 keys! This vintage camera: soon he will celebrate the centenary because it was built (and build it) in 1929-1932 company "Midmer-Losh Organ Company".

Organs, wind instruments and to produce the sound they need to pump air. Centuries of this heavy case involved the special people kalkanci who worked large bellows like a blacksmith. There have been attempts to replace workers with horses, combining fur with a gate, but this idea did not catch on. The smell of the stables penetrated from the turbine hall in a concert or in the temple premises that annoying music lovers. Machines have replaced people in the early 20th century.

Since the organ is played not only with hands, but also feet, organists use special shoes, maximally adapted for these purposes. Standard solutions do not exist, but there are shoes, which is called the "organ shoes." Typically, this is a made-to-order shoes with a thin slippery sole of suede and wide heel.

Sewing such individual pair is expensive, so the organ and organist prefer men's dance shoes. Some musicians prefer to play barefoot to better feel of the pedal. The world-famous organist Rhoda Scott, not recognizing shoes, referred to as the "Barefoot lady".

Organ pipes are made of metal and wood. The most widely pipe alloy of lead and tin. This is a very soft material, so the details of the musical instrument are easily damaged. The master servicing and repair of organs typically have modest stature and have almost acrobatically. Inside the tool they have to navigate not only the steps but also some semblance of scaffolding, when you need to get to the top tube of the device.

Looking for a sophisticated device body, you might think that this is a relatively new tool that occurred on or before the Renaissance. But it's not the first on was hydraulos created by a Greek master Ktesibios in Alexandria, Egypt in the 2nd century BC It was not quite similar to the modern tool because instead of air it was used the water. However, by all indications, it was a real body.

It is believed that authority is the world's only musical instrument with permanent residence. It was over two millennia, until in 2014, the mechanic and organist Cameron carpenter decided to go against the system. He created a unique tour on, which, though not differ portable size, but can be transported. Now Cameron travels with his instrument around the world and his concerts, thanks to an unusual technique, doubly popular.

In our day the body is perceived by many as a Church instrument. This is not surprising, because the bodies were built in many Catholic cathedrals in the world. But in fact, spiritual music on this device started to play in the 7th century, and more precisely, in the year 666. Considered secular musical instrument commanded to set cathedrals Pope Vitaly. Then started to create a special, religious bodies, and the center of their design became the Byzantine Empire.

The sound of the organ directly dependent on the properties of the pipes. Therefore, their production is laborious and knowledge-intensive procedure. But if it is not possible to use the classical solution, you can use improvised materials. In 1822, the Philippines, the Church of Saint Joseph in the city of Las Pinas, was installed the world's first organ with bamboo pipes. Bamboo on today continues to delight music lovers with its unusual sound and even became a Central element of the festival "Festival of the bamboo organ."

If the organ requires a high skill and exceptional hearing, in the Middle ages the clergy were supposed to have more surprising force. The mechanisms of control of the tool was perfect, the keys are tight, and the distances between them are significant. Because of this, the organ game taught physically strong guys who played mostly with his fists. Modern look organ keyboard was only in the 15th-16th centuries.

The man who decided to devote himself to play the organ, fully builds his life around the profession and the tool. As the authority (with rare exceptions) the tool is stationary, to study and rehearse the musician can only be on one, maximum two bodies in their area. A day in the organ concerts halls, and churches, therefore, most organists rehearsing late in the evening or even at night. Not everyone can withstand such a regime.