Swell
Caja swell
- Date
- 1712 · confidence low
- Place
- London, England, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- Abraham Jordan
- Field
- Tools
What it is
A mechanism of adjustable shutters inside a pipe organ that allows the volume of the sound to be varied gradually, first installed by organ builder Abraham Jordan.
What it led to
- widespread adoption of the expressive device in later organs
- influence on the design of swell boxes for other instruments
- expansion of the dynamic possibilities of organ music