Organs have existed for over 2000 years
Musical instruments having several pipes were being played since more than 2000 years. Today, the bagpipes are the best known type of such an instrument. An instrument of this kind became known as an organ when man's own breathing was taken over by a man-made blower to provide wind for the pipes.
The first organ of this kind was developed by the Greek scholar Ctesibios in the 3rd Century BC. It is interesting that this first organ was used not in temples for religious purposes, but rather for incidental music, in the arena.
The earliest Church organs of Christian Europe date from the ninth century. The organ has been developed continuously since then. Organ building reached a peak in the baroque period of the 17th and 18th centuries. Even today in this country, several organs survive from that period which still give pleasure from their wonderfully rich tonal palette. That period was also rich in composers who created supreme compositions for the organ. The greatest of these was undoubtedly Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).
The artistry of both organ builders and pipemakers therefore lies behind organ building over such a long period. A single important change must be mentioned: until the 19th Century, the organ builder worked entirely alone to create his instrument, installing such pipes as were necessary. From the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the profession of "Pipemaker" began to become separated from that of "Organ builder".
Today, the Tin-pipe maker - as the profession is known exactly - became known as an independent profession. Organ builders and tin-pipe makers must naturally work closely together, and each one depends very much upon the other.