Positive Organ

Unknown

17th century · Woods, metal alloys, leather and various materials. · Musical Instruments

The positive is a small type of organ with a single manual that can be moved around for performances or religious music or secular chamber music. The organ can generally have a handful of pipes and is not as small as the portative organ, which has a single rank of pipes and, as its name suggests, is meant to be very easily transported. The organ is housed in a rectangular softwood case with six gilt wood panels set into the four sides. The keyboard has forty-nine keys and there are six stops. The larger ranks of pipes are mounted diagonally within the case and two leather straps are pulled to pump the organ. The instrument has three music racks that fold up from the top of the instrument, one for the keyboard player, and one on either side of the instrument to be used by singers or instrumentalists in the performance of chamber music.

Artist

Unknown

Date

17th century

Medium

Woods, metal alloys, leather and various materials.

Culture

German

Department

Musical Instruments

Credit line

Gift of Fenner Douglass, and Purchase, Rose M. Badgeley Bequest, The Howard Bayne Fund, Mrs. Vincent Astor, Ann Eden Woodward Foundation, Ursula Corning, Newton Donner and Howard Phipps Jr. Gifts, Eleanor Patterson Bequest, Bequest of Dorothy S. Swenson, by exchange, Rogers Fund and funds from various donors, 1978