The origin of the organ dates back to great antiquity. The flute, a very important component of the organ, is one of the most ancient musical instruments. Frequent reference is made to the organ in the Bible, however it is not clear exactly what is referred to. The ancient Greeks used the word "organ" to refer to an instrument, work or an implement of any musical sort.

About 250 B.C. a man by the name of Ctesibius experimented with forcing air through a vase using a water pump. The principle involved may be illustrated by the pressurized water fire extinguisher, very nearly the Ctesibius trumpet in reverse. In the ancient instrument, water was pumped in the bottom to force air out through the top; in a modern fire extinguisher, the compressed air in the top forces water out the bottom in a continuous stream.

A student of Ctesibius, named Hero, gave a description of a musical instrument in which air was conveyed from the bottom of a large vase to a row of pipes arranged in the order of the musical scale, any one of which could be played at will by a player pushing keys which in turn opened valves. This instrument was called the Hydraulus and appears to be the predecessor of our organ.

By 100 A.D., it is thought that the compass of the Hydraulus was about three octaves, tuned to the ancient Greek modes. To our ears, this instrument would have made an extremely raucous sound. To the people of the day , however, it would a marvel to behold. The use of water in the Hydraulus was to steady the wind pressure. An organ pipe will rise in pitch if the wind pressure is allowed to rise slightly and fall in pitch if the pressure decreases slightly. The organ builders through the centuries had to overcome immense difficulties to finally stabilise the wind pressure. When builders switched from water to bellows, the instrument was called the "pneumatic organ" to distinguish it from the Hydraulus.

During the tenth century, modern harmony was developed. Prior to this time, players and simngers worked in unison. stillit was extremely difficult to achieve harmony on these crude organs. The keys were about three inches wide, and the valve mechanisms were so stiff that the instruments were played by striking the keys with the fist. The organist was often called the"organ beater".

Through the next few centuries the key size was reduced until about 1500 when it reached the present size approximately. The pedal keyboard was developed in the late fifteenth century. About the only improvement that occurred in the next three centurieswas in the pipes.

The church, through the centuries, has been the principal user of the organ. Nearly all of the early organ builders were ecclesiastics, usually monks of a mechanical bent, until the fifteenth century when organ building developed into a profession. The profession appears to have developed in three seperate regions simultaneously: France Germany and England. Each of these schools of organ building was quite distinct. From the fourteenth to the eighteenth, the German school was most important. Hundreds of organ builders were listed in the area during this period. Johan Sebastian Bach played on organs built by Silberman, perhaps the most famous of these builders.

The development of the Lutheran liturgy, with it's emphasis on hearty and enthusiastic singing, required organs of considerable size. Playing large organs was extremely difficult with the technology then available. The touch or resistance of the keys became heavier as more stops were pulled out. This put a practical limit on the size of the organ. The only measures available at the time to combat this problem were:

1. To design the organ in such a way that only a certain number of stops could be pulled out at one time. This had the effect of reducing a large organ to a small one. For example; a stop organ might allow only twenty stops to be played at one time. These could be played in various combinations, according to the taste of the organist, but it was impossible to play a "full" organ.
2. To reduce the wind pressure,thereby spoiling the effectiveness of the reed stops