Organ
The organ in five languages — organ, organo, Orgel, orgue
Related
Five languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 管风琴 |
| English | organ |
| Italian | organo |
| German | Orgel |
| French | orgue |
The organ is a keyboard instrument that makes sound by driving air through pipes, ranging from small house instruments to cathedral giants. English organ comes from Greek organon (tool, organ); Italian organo, German Orgel and French orgue share the root. The Chinese 管风琴 names the pipes and distinguishes it from the reed organ.
Watch out: organ and harmonium both have keyboards and often pedals, but the organ drives air through pipes while the harmonium uses free reeds; the former is usually fixed, the latter portable. The loose Chinese term 风琴 easily blurs the two.
Read deeper → Organ · Harmonium
Sources
- 各语种乐器名与 organ 的词源，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Organ"；译名依通行音乐术语词典；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.