"The King of Instruments" is a narrated introduction to the pipe organ, composed in 1978 by Robert Edward Smith. This performance features narration by John Nowacki (New England Public Media) and organist Christopher Houlihan. It took place on November 11, 2022 at Trinity College as part of a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Chapel's 1971 Austin pipe organ.

From a program note by Michael Allsen, for the Madison Symphony Orchestra: This is one of a few works by Smith that draw upon the rich heritage of early American hymnody. In this case, it is the tune Pisgah. This melody, attributed to J.C. Lowry (possibly Joseph C. Lowery), which first appeared in the shape-note collection The Kentucky Harmony in 1816. “Shape-note” or “Sacred Harp” music is a uniquely American tradition, beginning in the late 18th century. Four-part hymns, anthems, and “fuging tunes” were printed in a notation in which variously-shaped noteheads represented solfege syllables. This music often has a rough-edged, sturdy beauty, and many of these tunes survive in modern hymnals. In the case of Pisgah, it is usually paired with the 18th-century Isaac Watts hymn When I Can Read My Title Clear. In describing the variations, Smith writes: “Each variation features a particular rank of pipes: principals, flutes, reeds, mixtures, etc., each of which is introduced by the narrator. After the last variation, the work ends with a rondeau, which repeats the order of ranks presented in the variations, but without the vocal introduction. The rondeau ends with its theme played above the hymn tune as a sort of hymn descant.”