![]() ![]() Over the centuries that followed, both the keyboard and the mechanisms connected to valves that control the flow of wind into the pipes were improved, and the range of available timbres increased, with the instrument having developed almost fully into its current form by the Renaissance. Performances at that time were limited to long, sustained sounds played at a slow pace, but it is thought that their formidable sound resounding through the church would evoke a solemn atmosphere. The range of the instrument was also more limited than it is today. ![]() Early keys were 8 centimeters wide and heavy, intended to be played using a clenched fist. In time, a manual played with the fingers was devised to allow the performance of music featuring harmonies, with two or three notes sounding at the same time. It is thought that organs have been installed in the chapels of churches since that time, and used to play Gregorian chants, which are comprised of a single melody. In 757 A.D., Emperor Constantine of the Byzantine Empire presented Pepin the Short, King of the Franks, with an organ as a gift, prompting its spread across Western Europe and Christendom. ![]() By this time, it seems likely that organs were already mostly capable of producing a complete scale. Given the volume of sound the instrument can produce, it seems likely that it was used to stimulate the crowd with rousing sound effects. Following the age of ancient water organs, the organ was used to perform musical accompaniments to contests with wild animals at the Imperial court and amphitheaters of Rome. ![]()
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