Dr. Lucy Carroll points out that it is not by accident that the pipe organ has been used to accompany the human voice in liturgical music for over 1200 years. "The pipe organ is not only powerful and authoritative because of its depth and volume, but because it mimics the human voice, a fact alluded to by Pope Saint Pius X. That is, air is pumped through pipes (organ pipe/human windpipe) via a wind chest (lungs and diaphragm) and follows a nice straight path out the round opening (pipe opening/human mouth). This means that, like a singer, a pipe organ can actually breathe." See what else she has to say in the September 2003 Adoremus Bulletin.
There was an interesting exchange of ideas on the topic of organs and organists on the Recovering Choir Director site.
// originally posted 12.19.03 - 8:42 pm