[Low-Tech] Musical Instruments: Water & Pipe Organ?

[vicky_molokh]

Greetings, all!

I'm trying to find data on medieval-ish Pipe Organs, the ancient Hydraulos / Water Organs, and related instruments. Web-searching seems to produce general descriptions. But I'm looking at data in the more GURPS-y style: variant items with cost, size/mass and typical sound volume.

I realise that e.g. church organs were probably not sold on the open market, but a price in GURP$ for the purposes of calculating crafting time/effort/etc. would be just as useful.

Thanks in advance!

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Greetings, all!
I realise that e.g. church organs were probably not sold on the open market, but a price in GURP$ for the purposes of calculating crafting time/effort/etc. would be just as useful.

The requirement for a large volume of a pressurized fluid mean that prior to the invention of electric pumps, these are pieces of architecture - you need a big somewhat airtight room pumped up by large bellows, water towers or something like that. Though if you are installing a new organ, you may be able to use the wind chest for the old one.

Church organs usually involved several master craftsmen (the architect, instrument maker, and the smith who did the pipes were not usually the same person), the construction and metalworking labor forces, and months of work. If you didn't have too many people on the pipes, it might be several years before they are all delivered and installed. If you aren't in a hurry and don't demand too much quality you might get away with under $100,000.

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by malloyd

If you aren't in a hurry and don't demand too much quality you might get away with under $100,000.

Per the Association of Organ Builders, a new organ built today (and thus using approximate GURPS dollars) starts at $850,000 for the very smallest pipe organ built new. Given the rest of your post about the difficulties of making them in the past, I can't imagine it would be less.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

Per the Association of Organ Builders, a new organ built today (and thus using approximate GURPS dollars) starts at $850,000 for the very smallest pipe organ built new. Given the rest of your post about the difficulties of making them in the past, I can't imagine it would be less.

I don't know, I suspect something called the Association of Organ Builders isn't going to turn out anything less than good, or possibly fine quality work. If you subcontract your pipes to the local auto body shops and cut them from plumbing supplies, they'll be cheaper.

But my point is the native scale of the project is "nice building", not a "nice piece of furniture" scale one a lot of musical instruments would be.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by malloyd

But my point is the native scale of the project is "nice building", not a "nice piece of furniture" scale one a lot of musical instruments would be.

Most musical instruments aren't that big. Even a tenor sax, a set of bagpipes, or a sitar is more the scale of a big hand tool or a piece of luggage.

Bill Stoddard

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Most musical instruments aren't that big. Even a tenor sax, a set of bagpipes, or a sitar is more the scale of a big hand tool or a piece of luggage.

Bill Stoddard

Yeah, I remember that the smallest organs are one-handed instruments, with the other hand pumping the air.

Though the whole question is inspired by the musing about what sorts of organs a clichéd fantasy overlord can afford after being deprived from his prior mega-wealth (i.e. how much wealth he has to reestablish in order to get what sort/size of organ).

[Rocket Man]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Though the whole question is inspired by the musing about what sorts of organs a clichéd fantasy overlord can afford after being deprived from his prior mega-wealth (i.e. how much wealth he has to reestablish in order to get what sort/size of organ).

Well, if he's a necromancer, he already has access to vital organs...

[scc]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Most musical instruments aren't that big. Even a tenor sax, a set of bagpipes, or a sitar is more the scale of a big hand tool or a piece of luggage.

Bill Stoddard

I'm pretty sure the OP was asking about the sort of ones you install in a wall

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by scc

I'm pretty sure the OP was asking about the sort of ones you install in a wall

Actually I'm interested in the full list, if it turns out to be known. The one installed in a wall is the ideal to strive for, but surely our evil overlord will have to get by with what's available before restoring his former glory.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by scc

I'm pretty sure the OP was asking about the sort of ones you install in a wall

Yes, of course. I was responding only to malloyd's comparison of that size to the size you treat as furniture (orchestral harps, grand pianos, timpani, and so on), which leaves out what I think is the predominant size.

Bill Stoddard