The organetto is a small medieval portative organ. The right hand plays on the keyboard (made either of button-type keys or resembling other keyboard instruments) while the left arm controls the air supply, a bellow set directly on the side or under the instrument. Changes in air pressure modify the sound immediately; thus the tone of the organetto is highly flexible and has a very peculiar color, resembling both an organ and a flute.
Organetti appeared in the Middle Ages, and typically possess a range of about two octaves in the 14th - 15th centuries. Many are depicted in religious iconography, especially among the instruments played by angels.
The organetto was gradually forgotten at the end of the Renaissance, and was reborn at the end of the 20th century along with many historical instruments once again played in medieval repertoires.