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Allen Organ Company, formed in 1937 by Jerome Markowitz, is located in Macungie, Pennsylvania
Macungie, Pennsylvania

Macungie is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the second oldest borough in the county and a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of the state....
. It is one of the world's largest builders of electronic organs
Electronic organ

An electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument originally designed to imitate the sound of a pipe organ. It has developed today into two forms of the instrument, the digital church organ that imitates a pipe organ for classical music and use in churches, and the Hammond organ-style instrument used in more popular music genres....
. Allen introduced the world's first digital musical instrument in 1971(). In 2004, the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its Financial endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazine....
 recognized the significance of this technology by acquiring the first Allen digital organ for its collection().






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Encyclopedia


Allen Organ Company, formed in 1937 by Jerome Markowitz, is located in Macungie, Pennsylvania
Macungie, Pennsylvania

Macungie is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the second oldest borough in the county and a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of the state....
. It is one of the world's largest builders of electronic organs
Electronic organ

An electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument originally designed to imitate the sound of a pipe organ. It has developed today into two forms of the instrument, the digital church organ that imitates a pipe organ for classical music and use in churches, and the Hammond organ-style instrument used in more popular music genres....
. Allen introduced the world's first digital musical instrument in 1971(). In 2004, the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its Financial endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazine....
 recognized the significance of this technology by acquiring the first Allen digital organ for its collection(). Since 1939 Allen has installed electronic instruments world-wide. Today Allen builds classical digital
Electronic organ

An electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument originally designed to imitate the sound of a pipe organ. It has developed today into two forms of the instrument, the digital church organ that imitates a pipe organ for classical music and use in churches, and the Hammond organ-style instrument used in more popular music genres....
 and combination digital and pipe organ
Pipe organ

The pipe organ is a keyboard musical instrument that produces sound by venting mechanically compressed air through resonant Organ pipe. Each pipe produces sound at one fixed pitch, so they are provided in sets or "ranks" with one pipe or more per note, each rank having a common timbre and loudness throughout....
s, as well as digital theatre organ
Theatre organ

A theatre organ is a pipe organ originally designed specifically for imitation of an orchestra, but in latter years new designs have tended to be around some of the sounds and blends unique to the instrument itself....
s. All are built in the United States.

History

In 1961 the company went public ([https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Allen-Organ-Company-Company-History.html]). Inspired by the Hammond organ, Jerome Markowitz was determined to build a better electronic organ. Over the years, he built many home and church organs, and in 1971 the company introduced the first digital instrument (). It was a risky decision. Much to the company's happiness, it took off, and Allen set the standard for digital organs.

Technology


Quantum Line

The Quantum organ line uses an advanced real-time mathematical process called Convolution
Convolution

In mathematics and, in particular, functional analysis, convolution is a mathematical operator on two function s f and g, producing a third function that is typically viewed as a modified version of one of the original functions....
, whereby the acoustics of the sampled room become an integral part of the organ's sound. An 8-second stereo convolution reverb requires about 35 billion calculations per second, currently unobtainable for any musical instrument. With exclusive patented technology, Allen Quantum organs process this eight-second convolution reverb with about 400 million calculations per second. A digital organ that produces CD quality sound without convolution requires only about 100,000 calculations per second for each sound. Quantum organs include about 4,000 times that capacity to create convolution.

Heritage Line

The Heritage organ line incorporates this technology into custom designed instruments ().

Trivia

Two Allen organs are called for in the score to Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein was a multi-Emmy-winning and Academy Award for Original Music Score nominated American Conductor , composer, author, music lecturer and Piano....
's 1971 MASS.

See also


  • Carlo Curley
    Carlo Curley

    Carlo Curley is a flamboyant and popular classical concert organist. Dubbed the Pavarotti of the Organ by the press, he is one of only a few concert organists worldwide who supports himself exclusively by giving recitals, concerts and master classes, without any supplement from teaching or church position....
     (who plays Allen organ)
  • Virgil Fox
    Virgil Fox

    Virgil Keel Fox was an American organist, known especially for his flamboyant "Heavy Organ" concerts of the music of Bach. These events appealed to audiences in the 1970s who were more familiar with rock 'n' roll music, and were staged complete with light shows....
     (who played an Allen on his Heavy Organ tours)


External links