Orgue d'Acier (Steel Organ) - 1975

Name : Orgue d’Acier (Steel Organ)
Family : Sound generator
Date of creation : 1975
Musician : Arthéa group

Everyone knows how to make that hollow ringing sound by rubbing one’s damp finger around the rim of a glass. The steel organ works on the same idea. The stainless steel pipes, carefully polished so as to make them look like glass stems, function as frequency generators.
The basic structure is composed of a rigid steel frame on which is placed a sound board supporting a harp of 49 strings of 4 chromatic octaves.
The friction pipes and the supports for the eight resonators (of different sizes, materials and tones) are fixed on the strings of the harp by semi-attached bridges (bridges that are fixed straight on to the strings and supporting the resonators).
The transformation of the vibration made by rubbing the fingers on the friction pipe, into coherent frequencies is created by three different types of mechanical system that manage the low, medium and high frequencies of  4 chromatic octaves.
The different tuning parameters allow not only the ‘definition’ of a note but also to tune the harmonic suites, fourth, fifth, eleventh, twelfth…
The length and holding of a note (by regular, alternative or continuous friction), also allows the generation of low subsets. This phenomenon is made possible because of the general acoustic design of the Orgue d’Acier and by using a semi-attached bridge through which the basic vibration suffers almost no loss.

 

Orgue de verre (Glass Organ) - 1973

Name : Orgue de verre (Glass Organ)
Family : Sound generator
Date of creation : 1973
Musician : Arthéa group

Everyone knows how to make that hollow ringing sound by passing one’s damp finger around the rim of a glass. The glass organ works on the same idea. The glass stems function as frequency generators. 
The basic structure is composed of a rigid steel frame that supports a wooden sound board. The different chord parameters allow the ‘definition’ of a note.
The length and holding of a note (by regular, alternative or continuous friction) also allows the generation of low subsets.
 

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