The first mechanical pipe organ, a water-driven monster called a hydraulus, so awed the ancients that they enshrined it in a temple of Venus. A 5th century organ at Jerusalem thundered forth such a gigantic noise that admirers listened from the Mount of Olives, nearly a mile away. The stir that the organ is creating today is almost as awe-inspiring.
The old pipe organ seemed to have played itself to a standstill when, about two years ago, it was suddenly discovered by high-fidelity fans and came back with a roar. With high fidelity's new recording techniques, hazy diapasons became vivid, and when...