The Pipe organ

With its size, tonal power, wide palette of sound colours and frequency range, the organ surpasses a symphony orchestra! The pipe organ at the NFM will make the music of the past centuries sound in its full splendour, and many fascinating contemporary works for organ will be introduced to our audiences for the first time.

Do You know that?

It is the largest instrument ever invented.
In many respects (volume, sound, timbre) it outclasses the symphony orchestra.
Its sound is produced by vibrations of air flowing through pipes grouped into voices.
It has a track action, i.e. a system for transferring movement between the key and valves controlling individual pipes. It has bellows.
Its prototype were ancient small wind instruments, such as panpipes.
The first organ-type instrument, dated to the 3rd century B.C., was the water organ constructed by the Alexandrian mechanic and mathematician Ktesibios.

It was initially very large, so it required two organists to play it, and playing it was only possible with fists or elbows.
The sound of this instrument in the Baroque era was bright and light.
During the Romantic period, the symphonic organ was created – the sound of the instrument became darker and heavier, voices imitating orchestral wind and string instruments were added, and the way of intonation became softer and more delicate.
In the first half of the 20th century, the largest organ in the world was built in Wrocław's Centennial Hall

The organ in the NFM Main Hall

the style of the instrument follows the tradition of French symphonic organs from the 19th and 20th centuries;
80 voices (including 5 for percussion), 84 rows of pipes (up to 61 pipes in each);
4,700 pipes (312 of wood, the rest of various tin alloys);
the largest pipe: approx. 12 meters long, and the smallest pipe: approx. 11 millimeters long;
its lowest sound that can be heard by humans has a frequency of 16 Hz, and the highest – 18,000 Hz;
bellows that pump 180 cubic meters of air per minute;

one fixed console (located at the front of the organ) and the other portable (to be used on the stage);
the organ can record its sound;
total length of slats of the tracker action: 1850 meters;
width: 9 m, height: 14 m, depth: 4.5 m, weight: approx. 30 tons;
construction time: approx. 30,000 hours, built by 45 builders.

To są wspaniałe organy. Akustyka Sali Głównej jest ciepła, dopełnia piękne brzmienie tego instrumentu. Żałuję, że nie mogę zabrać ich ze sobą do Nowego Jorku.

Paul Jacobs, organista