Organ

Organ, musical instrument in which air is blown into pipes of different shape and size to produce a range of notes. Organ pipes are of 2 kinds: flue pipes that work like a flute or recorder, and reed pipes that operate on the same principle as a clarinet or oboe. Although organs existed in ancient times, the major developments in organ building took place between the 14th and the 18th centuries. Composers like Jan Pieter Sweelinck and Dietrich Buxtehude paved the way for Johann Sebastian Bach, the greatest of all composers for the organ. Bach and George Frideric Handel wrote for the baroque organ, a relatively small instrument. In the 19th century many great organs were built, precursors of the huge electric-powered instruments built in the 1920s and 1930s in cinemas and theaters. The modern Hammond organ produces its sound electronically. Small electronic organs are now frequently used by popular musical groups.