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 [Paperback]

George Ashdown Audsley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 24, 2011

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, more. Complete with illustrations, tables, and specifications. Set includes 385 figures and 15 plates.

Product Details

• Paperback: 612 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (November 24, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486213145
• ISBN-13: 978-0486213149
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent...if you're an organist!, March 31, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: 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 (Paperback)

This book would be appealing to the small fraction of the population that has in depth experience with the "King or Instruments". All others would probably soon find themselves lost. Although Audsley does a thourough job of explaining what goes on in an organ, a lot of what he says would carry more meaning if the reader knew the actual sound of what was being discussed.
Great pictures, in-depth discussion, and Audsley minces no words when he criticizes his contemporaries...be prepared for the full force of Victorian wrathful prose! Assuming you've any experience with an organ, this book will keep you turning pages for quite some time. Otherwise, be prepared to scratch your head...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dated, but still useful information in many areas, November 22, 2005

By 

Charles Dickson "Organ Builder" (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 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 (Paperback)

The book is a complete treatise on the field of Organbuilding, albeit the information is a bit dated! The original copyright date was 1905!!! With that aside, there is still very useful information in regard to various mechanical actions, pipe building and mitering, well, everything relevant to organ building! There are some obvious mis-telling of the future, as for the very unlikely adoption of fan type blowers (now virtually universal) and the comdenation of unification!
Not a book for starters in organ building for sure, but with a basic grasp of apprentice level organbuilding skills, the book is informative. Be forwarned: George is willing to share an opinion or two! Highly recommended for somone wishing to learn about organ building practices in common use in the early part of the last century.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent text on organ building, September 27, 1998

By 

Larry Ellis "Author of Forgiveness: Unleashin... (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 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 (Paperback)

This as well as volume 2 is a critical part of anyone's library who wish to learn about construction of the pipe organ. Although the books are very old, they are a treasure of otherwise unpublished information on the historic details of organ building world-wide.