How does an organ work?
The Bellows Although the most visible parts of the organ are the console and pipes, the instrument’s sound actually begins in the electric blowers, which fill the bellows: large chambers of air underneath the organ’s pipes. While the air is under pressure, the important factor is not the pressure of the air but the volume of it, with large volumes being necessary to “fuel” several sets of pipes at once to produce colorful and dynamic choruses of sound. Before the electrification of the organ, the bellows had to be pumped by hand, as was the case for the historic Tannenberg Organ in Home Moravian Church in the nearby Old Salem village. Now, of course, organs have electric blowers to fill the bellows. The Pipes Sets of pipes, usually located on top of the bellows, are the voice of the instrument. When the organist selects a set of pipes and a pitch or pitches to play, a valve opens at the bottom of a pipe or pipes to allow the air to escape through the pipe. The shape, length, width, and
