Organ stop

An organ stop (or just stop) is a component of a pipe organ that admits pressurized air (known as wind) to a set of organ pipes. Its name comes from the fact that stops can be used selectively by the organist; some can be "on" (admitting the passage of air to certain pipes), while others can be "off" (stopping the passage of air to certain pipes).

The term can also refer to the control that operates this mechanism, commonly called a stop tab, stop knob, or drawknob. On electric or electronic organs that imitate a pipe organ, the same terms are often used, with the exception of the Hammond organ and clonewheel organs, which use the term "drawbar".

The term is also sometimes used as a synonym for register, referring to rank(s) of pipes controlled by a single stop. Registration is the art of combining stops.

Mechanics

Organ pipes are physically organized within the organ according to note and timbre, into sets. A set of pipes producing the same timbre for each note is called a rank, while each key on a pipe organ controls a note which may be sounded by different ranks of pipes, alone or in combination. The use of stops enables the organist to selectively turn off ("stop") certain ranks in order to produce different combinations of sounds, as opposed to hearing all sounds simultaneously. While nowadays one speaks of "drawing" a stop to select a particular rank, the earliest organs were constructed as blockwerk with all ranks 'on' by default.

Pipe organ

The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called wind) through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass. Most organs have multiple ranks of pipes of differing timbre, pitch and volume that the player can employ singly or in combination through the use of controls called stops.

A pipe organ has one or more keyboards played by the hands (called manuals), and a pedalboard played by the feet; each keyboard has its own group of stops. The keyboard(s), pedalboard, and stops are housed in the organ's console. The organ's continuous supply of wind allows it to sustain notes for as long as the corresponding keys are depressed, unlike the piano and harpsichord whose sound begins to decay immediately after attack. The smallest portable pipe organs may have only one or two dozen pipes and one manual; the largest may have over 20,000 pipes and seven manuals. A list of some of the most notable and largest pipe organs in the world can be viewed at List of pipe organs.

Organ

Organ may refer to the following:

Biology and medicine

Music

Organ Stop Pizza

Organ Stop Pizza is a restaurant located in Mesa, Arizona. Its primary attraction is as the home of what it claims is the largest Wurlitzer theater organ in the world. Powered by three turbine blowers (with a fourth as a standby) it has more than 5,500 pipes. The original organ was built for the Denver Theater and was installed in 1927. It saw service there until the 1930s. Rebuilt in 1975, including pieces from other Wurlitzers, it eventually ended up as a 78 rank organ.

It is a frequent recipient of Phoenix New Times annual "Best of Phoenix" awards.

History

The first Organ Stop Pizza location opened in 1972 at the corner of 7th St and Missouri Ave in Phoenix, Arizona. A second location opened in Mesa near Southern Ave and Dobson Rd in 1975. There was also a location in Tucson for a short time.

In 1984, the original owners of the restaurant sold the Phoenix location to a local real estate developer who subsequently closed it. The original Mesa location was sold to an employee of the restaurant the same year. In 1995, the original Mesa location was closed and replaced by a new, larger facility near Southern Ave and Stapley Dr.