The Art of Organ Building: A Comprehensive Historical, Theoretical, and Practical Teatise on the Tonal Appointment and Mechanical Construction of Concert-Room, Church, and Chamber Organs, Vol. 1

by George Ashdown Audsley

Volume 1 of the fullest repository on organ building and history in English language. Includes outline of organ history, external design and decoration, internal arrangement and mechanical systems, acoustics and theories of sound-production in organ pipes, tonal structure and appointment, compound stops of the organ, more. Complete with illustrations, tables, and specifications. "the most significant republication in our field for the past twenty years . . . an incomparable, invaluable book." — American Guild of Organists Quarterly.

612 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1988

Reviews

[Nathan Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is much great information in this book. That being said, it desperately needs some editing. Some paragraphs in the book seem unnecessary - too much like a rambling sermon - and there are times where the author's own opinions maybe could have been stated less strongly. The final chapter in volume one on developing a nomenclature for stop names that accurately describes how the rank sounds as opposed to what it looks like or the fancy of a particular organ builder is interesting, although I think it has its limits. Standardizing the principal chorus stop names (Principal 8', Octave 4', Super-octave 2', etc) would be beneficial. It may not be as good of an idea with flutes or string-tones, especially on larger organs.

[Benjamin Smedberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a teenager, and it made me want to build my own organ when I grew up. Maybe someday I'll actually have the money and space to actually accomplish that dream. Because of its age, the book really doesn't cover modern electrical organ-building techniques, but it's still very valuable as a guide and reference.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, a fascinating tour through the workings of the mechanical pipe organ. Volume two now!