Interesting Facts About the Organ – Part 3
The church organ hasn’t always been a part of organized religion. Originally the organ was the center of all culturally significant events such as banquets, games, and celebrations. The organ only made its way into the church 1100 years after the organ came to be. History shows that the organ in its earliest forms may […]
Viscount North America Hires Technical and Tonal Director
Viscount North America, and everyone at Viscount International welcomes our new Technical and Tonal Director, Robert Darnall of Allentown, PA. Robert comes to us with an extensive personal, educational, and professional background in music, electronics, organs, and the organ industry. He comes to us from a respected organ manufacturer. The new position Robert has is much more comprehensive than just […]
Viscount Organs: Tradition, Passion, and Technology Combined
Church organs are unique instruments. Not only are they centuries old – or, if their origin instruments are considered, millennia old – but they also have endured through western culture ever since their introduction. Organs were and still are central to many churches’ worship services and found their way into secular culture and music, as […]
History of Church Music – Part 2
What qualifies as church music? Where did church music come from and why is it the way it is today? For some, church music is a very familiar aspect of their culture due to their upbringing or lifestyle, but for others, it is not. Regardless of your exposure, music itself has greatly evolved over the […]
History of Church Music
Music has always been closely associated with religion, and the worship of the chosen deity or fundamental belief. The understanding behind the psychology of music and religion is a topic for another time, but should be taken into consideration when thinking about the running history that music and church music have had in tandem. When […]
Church Organ Shoes Basics
The church organ is a unique instrument in many ways due to its design, its history, and its sound. But there is yet another reason why it is a unique instrument: It requires special shoes to place it well. Organ shoes are specially designed to help the church organ player play the pedal keyboard well, […]
The Church Organ in Silent Film
The church organ is an instrument that has been around for ages, making it one of the oldest instruments still played. The first variation of the organ occurred in Greece in the 3rd century BC as the hydraulis. The organ continued on through the ages with the Persian empire as the urghun and into the […]
The Church Organ: A History
The church organ is one of the oldest instruments still played by modern musicians. The first organ recorded was in Greece in the 3rd century: The word “organ” originates from the Greek word organon meaning “instrument” or “tool.” Ctesibius of Alexandria invented the organ, then called a hydraulis, which was operated through water pressure that […]
History of Church Organs
True pipe organs are becoming increasingly rare, largely due to the massive expense associated with their construction, as well as the ease-of-use, repair, and longevity associated with digital church organs in the modern era. Yet, these classical church organs are, without a doubt, an irrefutably large part of what has influenced today’s church culture and […]