In both church and town hall the organ was the new king of instruments. The technological progress made during the Industrial Revolution had developed it into a magnificent instrument. The new techniques developed and manufactured using pressurised air, steam power, the forging and refining of different metals and alloys, and the happy combination of science and art had turned the organ into a formidable beast.
O praise Ye the Lord, all things that give sound,
Each jubilant chord re-echo around.
Loud organs His glory forth tell in deep tone,
And sweet harp, the story of what He has done.
H.W. Baker, from the hymn, ‘O Praise Ye The Lord’
“To my eyes and ears the organ will always be the King of Instruments”
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in a letter to his father
The Willis Organ in St Machar's Cathedral
