Banging Out Each Note

An illustration of a primitive, medieval organ from Medieval Life and People
by Carol Belanger Grafton.

"After about 1100... instruments were used increasingly in church. The organ was most prominent. At first, it was a primitive instrument; the keys were operated by heavy blows with the fists. It was so loud that it could be heard for miles around." (62) --Roger Kamien, Music: An Appreciation