Pierre Lauwers

Passau is a "neo-classic" organ to be compared with a Danion-Gonzalez or a Klais from the 80's. So its upperwork is more suited to Messiaen or Duruflé than to Reger or Howells. Eisenbarth succeeded here, with an excellent voicing: http://www.geocities.com/luxorgan/

August Gern left Cavaillé-Coll in 1868 to build the organ of Notre Dame de France, London. This was relatively early in ACC's firm history, so we may assume Gern's organ should be rather traditionaly built, I mean more "romantic" that "symphonic". As far as I know, Notre Dame de France has been rebuild at least two times since 1868. He built 1884 a three-manuals organ for St-Matthew's, London. He seems to have lived in Notting Hill (London). So we have just another continental builder having settled in Britain, like Father Smith, Snetzler or (but part-time!) Schulze. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwer .

the organ, as a musical instrument, must first serve the needs of music. (Quote) Here is the hazard: What is "music's needs"? Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers

Organ music was still in a lull, but beginning to take off again. Of the big compositions, we would be restricted to Reubke, Liszt, Mendelssohn and perhaps Rheinberger. Important certainly, but is it important enough to justify the cost? (citation) Wouldn't this statment fit in the "repertoire mentality?" A Schulze sounds superb, and that is all that's needed. Of course, these choruses are not "classic" ones. But we can still understand, perceive in them the link to the german baroque tradition. I heard Bach at Armley, and it was rather tolerable... As to the N&B reeds, coudn't them be re-used in order to rehabilitate genuine N&B organs? For instance, the restoration of our Walcker in Namur will let us with about 18 Delmotte's stops from 1962. Mind you, we already know where they will go (in Delmotte's organs that badly need them!). They will be sold for 50% of new stops price, so this will even pay for some of the reconstitued ones. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Well, here we agree. Better to put the money in good Sauer, Walcker, Link, Jehmlich and Co's restorations. Keeping all the styles don't mean we need to keep all without distinction. But at least it's better than throwing all to the pile without more distinction, or selling the things trough E-bay... Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

the pneumatic action works with 6mm tubing and the tubes are up to 9 metres long. (Citation) Who was the builder? Are there at least relays along these 9 meters tubing? Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Here is an example -from Scheffler's words: http://aeolus-music.com/deutsch/orgeln/bremen.htm You will read: "als elektropneumatische..." (about 3/4 of the text) Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

- Christian Scheffler does excellent restorations particularly of Sauer instruments, and has St. Thomas, Bremen cathedral and dozens of others to his credit. Yes, but none with pneumatic console. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers

Schulze reeds, which are very, very ordinary sounding things. As I explained previously, the 32ft reed at Doncaster is completely mis-scaled. What is "ordinary?" What is "better"? I have had the chance to assist someone who *really* knows this kind of "shortish and mis-scaled german reeds" in a rescue of some of them. I am pretty sure if you have been there, you had change your mind. French and english reed stops are of course treasures, but they are something else, intended for different musics -repertoires!- As I said, repertoire does not matter so we need to keep them all-. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers

personally do not feel that there are THAT many organs in the UK which are treasures of English heritage or for which a great deal of music was actually written. (Citation). I personally believe there are lots and lots of organs in the UK that are treasures of *european* heritage. Halas, we are too few to believe that. (Of course, many are small jobs not suited for Bach...) The "repertoire" debate (what can be played according "to the books" on a dedicate organ) is a typically neo-baroque one. Thus it should already be old-fashioned. No matter the repertoire, provided any organ has a style (which one does not matter). I also believe there exists no "progress" in art, there are only styles. Schulze's reeds were intended just to color the Diapason choruses. Like Walcker's, and like any baroque german ones. So N&B's aren't "better", they are different! Indeed the very word "better" is doubtfull as long as differing organ styles are concerned. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers

Why not? Benoît XVI spends his vacations playing piano, so there is hope for an improvment in musical matters... Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers

Jean Widor worked with the Callinets. He associated momentarily with Grégoire to build an organ in Metz, and returned to Callinet afterwards. His son François (father of Charles-Marie) was organist at St-François de Sales, Lyon, where a Callinet organ obtained. But himself and Charles-Marie succeeded in having this one moved, to get the Cavaillé-Coll instead... They were of course of hungarian origin. There is no need to have strange components in Alsace's tap water to explain for funny behaviours. Look towards these many bottles instead! Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Of course, it's a demo, and we aren't accustomed to hear such an organ that way! (Save if you passed some time with them, say in order to assist for tuning/regulating). This shows how romantic organs (even as late ones as 1908's) are closer to the baroques ones by far, as we believe it. You could produce the same noises with a 1720 Posaune and a Terz Zymbel. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

About Bach on a Walcker organ: here is an example at Riga: http://www.magle.dk/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/51 Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

This may explain while they were content with a new console... This said, how many original Schulzes obtain today? There are many Barker-lever tracker organs in Europe, and you need to queue to play some of them! So I believe the idea of restauring Doncaster at its original state could be a rather interesting one indeed. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

The pneumatic action isn't original at Armley, tough. The best pneumatic actions in Belgium were those of Jean-Emile Kerkhoff -my preffered belgian builder-. I showed to the present-day Mr Walcker notes and schemas of this system, and he told me this is pure luxury, only the best, and expansive solutions at every stage. The consoles being mechanical -Kerkhoff built all himself and did not want to buy them from abroad- an unawared organist could well believe he plays a tracker organ. For this very reason, Kerkhoff's organs were hated by the experts some tents of years ago. They destroyed as many of them as they could, but some are still there, unrestored -but they hardly need more than normal maintenance-. Here is an example: http://www.catho.be/bxl/bx/sites/ecsm/cd100.html Ernest Skinner wrote a pneumatic chest was actually quicker than any pipe, so that the organist could believe the reverse. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Aha? A genuine Arthur Harrison's? With Trombas and Harmonics? Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers

Fine! And why not play Howells in recital in Belgium? Say at Ieper or Châtelet (Charleroi). Mind you, I must be the only guy in Belgium to talk about this one. I like your version. (slow but living tempis). Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Thanks Barry, Bridlington and Beverley I actually visited in.....1969, While travelling from Hull to Scarborough, where I stayed one month in an attempt to learn some bits of the english language. But now I have a wife who hates....Travelling! Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Wâow! Splendid pictures and music....Plus that Joseph Jongen's music sheet innocently left... Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

By the way, here is a little sample of a Sauer organ (Ronsdorf/Wuppertal, 1908) (Pedal Posaune and a strange chorus) http://www.aeoline.de/Mp3/Posaune16%20Ped%...%20Ronsdorf.mp3 Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers

Was your organ not inaugurated by Marcel Dupré? Dupré had quite strong principles about mixtures, the first of which was: "Any mixture must be composed only with octaves and quints, never tierces". Hill Quint mixtures may be just one mystery more with him. But did not Schulze provide Quint mixtures (as well as tierce ones)? Of course, Schulze came later... Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Here we agree! Sauers are extremely interesting, refined organs. Moreover, Sauer had an excellent pneumatic tubular action. But it seems nobody can restore a pneumatic console in Germany nowadays. Note this firm has been revived an tries to build "something else". Ditto for Link. Both firms deserve success, in Germany and abroad. Mander organs need to find a home on the continent too; maybe he could help with those pneumatic actions and consoles as well. In the meantime, the very fact the Grande oeuvre of Mander is in New York must have us all thinking -I mean us all europeans-. But let's be fair, this is very good for NY. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Is Pierre suggesting that we should never play any music on any instrument not of the exact period and country? No, of course, but we should know, and still have, genuine instruments. The case "which organ for Reger" has given, and still gives, rise to endless dispute in Germany. The reason for this may be something comparable with Britain: the germans do not like...german romantic organs. To the point the german builders of today prefer to discuss and share about the german romantic organ with foreigners (among others myself) than to run by advance losts wars in their own country. Walcker's style changed very often, every 5 years or so. Very, very faster than say Aristide Cavaillé-Coll's. But there were basis that did ne verchange: -Abschwächungsprinzip from Frankfurt, Paulskirche (1829) up to WWII -Moderate scaling and pressures (with some exception like Michaeliskirche, Hamburg, because of the "Sachverständigern" of the day) So that each Walcker organ should make possible subtle enough registrations to allow for polyphony. This said, I did not hear Doesburg.