The content of this interesting and informative Pipe Organ Symposium complements the programme of the ROHM Pipe Organ Concert on the 22nd of April which illustrates the four major periods of Western music – the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern, with experts explaining and musicians demonstrating the changing role and styles of organ music through the eras. During the European Renaissance of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries when construction techniques became sophisticated, pipe organs spread throughout Europe where magnificent models were used in cathedrals and for the grand balls of aristocrats.
The popularity of the pipe organ reached a zenith in the glorious Baroque era of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries - a golden age for the instrument. The era of silent film in the early twentieth century brought a resurgence of organ music which proved effective in creating atmosphere, propelling action and emphasizing dramatic moments. Today, the pipe organ remains the preferred liturgical instrument and graces many concert halls.
