Tubular-pneumatic action
Encyclopedia
"Tubular-pneumatic action" refers to an apparatus used in many
pipe organ
s built during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term "tubular" refers to the extensive use of lead tubing to connect the organ's console
to the valves that control the delivery of "wind" (air under pressure) to the organ's pipes
. Many such organs are extant 100 or more years after their construction.
, pedalboard and stop
controls. These valves are contained in windchests upon which the organ's pipework is set. Any type of apparatus that connects an organ's console with its windchest is referred to as its "action". An organ that utilizes tubular-pneumatic action is commonly called a "tubular-pneumatic organ".
to transmit the action of the keys and stops to the valves contained within the windchests. This necessitated a close proximity between the console and the chests. In 1845, Prosper-Antoine Moitessier, an organ-builder of Montpellier, France, patented the tubular-pneumatic system which allowed the console to be at a much greater distance from the organ pipes. Cavaillé-Coll, Henry Willis
and Edwin Horsell Pulbrook were pioneers in perfecting and introducing the pneumatic action. The development of the tubular-pneumatic type of organ marked the first departure from the tracker organ style of construction that had been used for hundreds of years.
Two basic types of tubular-pneumatic actions were used: the "pressure" system and the more popular "exhaust" system. Both use three major components for each key and stop: a valve (within the console), a pneumatic (within the windchest), and a lead tube that connects them.
In the pressure system, the air in the tube and the pneumatic are normally at atmospheric pressure. Depressing a key increases the pressure in the tube, inflating the pneumatic, which opens the pipe's valve.
In the exhaust system, the pneumatic and tube normally contain windchest pressure. Depressing a key lets this pressure exhaust, which collapses the pneumatic and opens the pipe's valve.
While some considered the tubular-pneumatic action to be a great achievement in organ building, others thought just the opposite. Sir John Stainer, organist at St. Paul's, called it a "triumph of mechanical skill", while the eminent English organist W. T. Best called it "a complete failure; you cannot play a triplet on the Trumpet, and I consider it the most damnnable invention ever placed inside an organ".
The major disadvantage of tubular-pneumatic action is its sluggish response. This becomes more prevalent as the distance between the console and the pipework is increased. In organs whose divisions are located at various distances from the console, this slow response causes an undesirable time lag between the speech of the divisions.
Another disadvantage over a tracker action organ is a lack of "feel" and control of attack by the organist, a trait that is present in all non-tracker action organs.
or direct electric action has the lightness of touch of a tubular-pneumatic organ, but a faster response, and the console can be in any remote location. The console can also be movable, with only a cable connecting it to the rest of the organ.
By the 1920s, tubular-pneumatic organs were rarely built.
The Contemporary American Organ by William H. Barnes
pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
s built during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term "tubular" refers to the extensive use of lead tubing to connect the organ's console
Organ console
thumb|right|250px|The console of the [[Wanamaker Organ]] in the Macy's department store in [[Philadelphia]], featuring six manuals and colour-coded stop tabs....
to the valves that control the delivery of "wind" (air under pressure) to the organ's pipes
Organ pipe
An organ pipe is a sound-producing element of the pipe organ that resonates at a specific pitch when pressurized air is driven through it. Each pipe is tuned to a specific note of the musical scale...
. Many such organs are extant 100 or more years after their construction.
Description
In any organ, each pipe has a valve located at its foot which responds to the organist's commands from the console's keyboardMusical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
, pedalboard and stop
Organ stop
An organ stop is a component of a pipe organ that admits pressurized air to a set of organ pipes. Its name comes from the fact that stops can be used selectively by the organist; some can be "on" , while others can be "off" .The term can also refer...
controls. These valves are contained in windchests upon which the organ's pipework is set. Any type of apparatus that connects an organ's console with its windchest is referred to as its "action". An organ that utilizes tubular-pneumatic action is commonly called a "tubular-pneumatic organ".
Invention
Until the advent of the tubular-pneumatic action, all organs used a system of levers and wooden rods called trackersTracker action
Tracker action is a term used in reference to pipe organs and steam calliopes to indicate a mechanical linkage between keys or pedals pressed by the organist and the valve that allows air to flow into pipe of the corresponding note...
to transmit the action of the keys and stops to the valves contained within the windchests. This necessitated a close proximity between the console and the chests. In 1845, Prosper-Antoine Moitessier, an organ-builder of Montpellier, France, patented the tubular-pneumatic system which allowed the console to be at a much greater distance from the organ pipes. Cavaillé-Coll, Henry Willis
Henry Willis
Henry Willis was a British organ player and builder, who is regarded as the foremost organ builder of the Victorian era.-Early Life and work:...
and Edwin Horsell Pulbrook were pioneers in perfecting and introducing the pneumatic action. The development of the tubular-pneumatic type of organ marked the first departure from the tracker organ style of construction that had been used for hundreds of years.
Operation
The operation of a tubular-pneumatic organ is accomplished by a change of air pressure within lead tubes of about 1/4 in inside diameter that connect the organ's console to its windchest. A separate tube is needed for each manual key, pedal key and stop control on the console. A large four manual organ can require over 300 individual tubes.Two basic types of tubular-pneumatic actions were used: the "pressure" system and the more popular "exhaust" system. Both use three major components for each key and stop: a valve (within the console), a pneumatic (within the windchest), and a lead tube that connects them.
In the pressure system, the air in the tube and the pneumatic are normally at atmospheric pressure. Depressing a key increases the pressure in the tube, inflating the pneumatic, which opens the pipe's valve.
In the exhaust system, the pneumatic and tube normally contain windchest pressure. Depressing a key lets this pressure exhaust, which collapses the pneumatic and opens the pipe's valve.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The advantages of the tubular-pneumatic action over the mechanical tracker action are a lightness of touch and the flexibility of console location. Although the former was a great improvement over the tracker organ, the console location was still limited to around 50 ft (15.2 m) from the pipework.While some considered the tubular-pneumatic action to be a great achievement in organ building, others thought just the opposite. Sir John Stainer, organist at St. Paul's, called it a "triumph of mechanical skill", while the eminent English organist W. T. Best called it "a complete failure; you cannot play a triplet on the Trumpet, and I consider it the most damnnable invention ever placed inside an organ".
The major disadvantage of tubular-pneumatic action is its sluggish response. This becomes more prevalent as the distance between the console and the pipework is increased. In organs whose divisions are located at various distances from the console, this slow response causes an undesirable time lag between the speech of the divisions.
Another disadvantage over a tracker action organ is a lack of "feel" and control of attack by the organist, a trait that is present in all non-tracker action organs.
Decline of usage
With the application of electric power to pipe organ action, the use of tubular-pneumatic action quickly declined. An organ with electro-pneumatic actionElectro-pneumatic action
The electro-pneumatic action is a control system for pipe organs, whereby air pressure, controlled by an electric current and operated by the keys of an organ console, opens and closes valves within wind chests, allowing the pipes to speak. This system also allows the console to be physically...
or direct electric action has the lightness of touch of a tubular-pneumatic organ, but a faster response, and the console can be in any remote location. The console can also be movable, with only a cable connecting it to the rest of the organ.
By the 1920s, tubular-pneumatic organs were rarely built.
External links
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building by George Laing MillerThe Contemporary American Organ by William H. Barnes