Organ (music)

A keyboard instrument that produces sound by directing air through pipes or other sound generators. Its sustained tones, multiple timbres, and ability to sound many notes at once distinguish it from most keyboard instruments.

Pipe organ: An organ that produces sound by sending air through tuned pipes. It is the organ’s best-known form, with each pipe speaking when its wind supply is opened.
Manual (keyboard): A keyboard played by the hands, especially one on an organ or harpsichord. Organs commonly have several manuals, each controlling a distinct set of voices.
Church music: Music composed or performed for Christian worship and church settings. The organ’s sustained sound and broad range have made it a standard instrument in many churches.
Piano: A keyboard instrument whose hammers strike strings when keys are pressed. Unlike the organ, a piano’s sound decays after each attack rather than sustaining under steady key pressure.
Organ pipe: A resonant tube that produces a musical pitch when air excites its column of air. Pipe dimensions and construction determine the pitch and character of many organ sounds.
Pedalboard: A keyboard played with the feet, used especially on organs. Its low notes let an organist perform bass lines independently of the hands.
Organ repertoire: Music written or arranged for performance on the organ. Its works exploit sustained tones, multiple manuals, pedals, and changing registrations.
Harpsichord: A keyboard instrument that produces sound by plucking strings. Its plucked strings contrast with organ pipes’ sustained, wind-driven tones.
Organ stop: A control that selects a rank or combination of ranks in an organ. Stops let the player alter the instrument’s timbre and the number of sounding pipes.
Organ registration: The selection and combination of stops used to create an organ sound. Registration determines which ranks sound together and is central to organ performance.

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