The Pedal Clavichord and Other Practice Instruments of Organists

Extract

Of all musicians, organists have always had the greatest difficulty in getting regular practice on their instruments. Electric organ blowers were first used about 1900 and up to this time big church organs were usually blown by human power. One, or more often several men, called the “calcantores” or “calcants,” had to do this hard work. A big organ built at Halberstadt in 1361 had twenty bellows and ten men were needed to tread them. The church engaged these calcants for the services on Sundays and festival days. Organists had not much opportunity to play the organ except during services; they were always badly paid, could not afford to hire calcants, and, moreover, the Church did not encourage practice on what was probably a costly instrument intended only for use in the worship of God. So organists had to practice at home. In the fourteenth century some of them possessed small organs called positives. Perhaps a kind wife or other member of the family did the blowing, but hardly to such an extent as to make regular practice possible. A still smaller organ was the portative. This could be carried about and was often blown by the organist himself. As one hand was used to work the bellows, playing with both hands was not possible.