Pierre Lauwers

This is the kind of organ I fighted against 20 years ago. Now that the fashion is rapidly evolving towards something else, we must absolutely resist the tentation to "upgrade" (update?) them. If we want Dulcianas, Vox angelicas etc, better to build a second organ; anyway, leave that one alone. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

As far as the continental romantic organ is concerned, we may assume with a fair confidence it ermerged from a synthesis of the southern german baroque organ (with for instance Josef Gabler, among others) with Abt Vogler's ideas. Vogler himself did little more than destroying valuable ancient organs to end up with questionable prototypes, but E-F Walcker turned his ideas into the Paulskirche Frankfurt organ (1833), which we may see as the first genuine romantic organ. But... This splendid theory needs certainly to be internationalized, because of a man named William Hill. According to an article from Mr Nicholas Thistlethwaite in "Organist's review", Februar 1999: -Hill joined the organ-builder Elliot in 1815. Together they built traditional organs. -1820 began an "Insular movement" towards an expansion in scale of the english organ. An then: "Beginning in 1829, the firm was responsible for a series of instruments which for size, mechanical ingenuity and tonal novelty, were unprecedented in english experience. Christ's Hospital (1830), Oldham Parish Church (1830), York Minster (1829-30), Birmingham Towh Hall (1834), Christchurch, Newgate street (1831,1834), the Chapel Royal, St-James Palace (1837) and St John's College, Cambridge (1838) all exhibited novel features which distinguish them from the organs of Snetzler, England and Thomas Elliot himself. Among these features were Pedal pipes, German pedal boards, CC keyboard compasses, manual doubles, unprecedently wide scales, Posaune and Cornopean reeds, imitative registers, large Swell divisions (some of almost full compass) and duplication of chorus ranks..." So the period is remarkably the same as E-F Walcker's. A german influence seems to be possible (compasses, Posaune). A certain middle-European influence is of course due to Johannes Snetzler (to which we owe the Dulciana, originally a Dolcan), while the Swell was of course already a time-honored feature of the british organ. I would be very interested with any idea about: -What was this "Insular Movement"? -Where did William Hill find inspiration for what seems to be, along with Walcker, the first romantic organs? (Cavaillé-Coll's first one dates 1841, and was rather a transition organ). Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Well, as long as there is near to no one in Europe who knows what a Dulciana is, to the point this name was given to string stops, I may assume the "haters" are english. Then they may be somewhat...masochists. When I have organists at home, if I make them listen to some recordings with such oddity, they say they want it. Nobody is a prophet in his own country! I'm happy Mr Mander builds this stop in his true form today. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers

personally cannot see any musical use for the old 'Harmonics' mixtures. Whilst it may be said that they serve to 'bind' the reeds to the flues, if the reeds are well-vioced, they should not need this (Citation) Actually all romantic organs have that: "strange" mixtures.Cavaillé-Coll was an exception, tough his separate ranks with tierce and septièmes at Notre Dame Paris might well have been Harrison's model. Maybe we could have both "strange" and "gentle" mixture on the same manual. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Thanks Dave, Very interesting indeed. I wonder why there were two Principalls 2' on the great. Of course I suppose we know nothing about their scale etc. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Many thanks for that link. There's even a Green.... Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

suggested another solution (Citation from previous post) So there is at least some "Hope" (not necessarily followed by "Jones"; I'd be content if the thing remained as it is) Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Of course! Maybe some more would be fine, inspired from different builders and periods. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

I found the Snetzler of the English organ school on the NPOR site. There are even two pictures, one of the - very beautiful!- case, and one of the keyboard with a candid "please do not touch" warning (As an aftertought after centuries of systematic destruction?) So we have chamber organs, plus some material left in rebuild church organs. On the continent there has been a craze for "reconstituing" what was believed to be ancient organs. We begin to realize what was build is actually something else. Now that the "neo-baroque" fashion is coming -rapidly- to an end, it seems -paradoxically- sheer progresses have been made in this respect, at least in Germany (to my knowledge) I know this is not "british" at all as an idea, but wouldn't *some* trials to reconstitution be worth considering? France, Holland, Germany, Belgium all have some ancient organs to display; recordings are made of it, and these organs act as public-relation tools for an area and its builders. If there were nor Poitiers nor St-Maximin, would about everyone know what the french baroque repertoire is like? Just a thought. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

I just read in another topic there would still exist a Snetzler organ in a museum -at least-. I tend to believe there are no ancient english organs still existing in England; I hope this is solely due to my sheer ignorance. So what does still exist from Harris, Smith, England, Snetzler and Green,etc, apart from some pipes isolated in later instruments? Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Maybe the reasons Hope-Jones invented the Diaphones we do not suspect... Nowadays I'd go for a Tuba or a Trompette militaire (The Willis III one in Liverpool Cathedral) Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Maybe we should ask the Webmaster if it would be possible for us to load musical files somewhere in order we can share them. "Ad Nos" is by no way a short piece, Reubke even heavier... Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

This recording is from 1985....Two years before: Reubke: Organ Sonata the 94th Psalm Liszt: Fantasia and fugue on "Ad nos" Simon Preston Deutsche Grammophon 415 139-2 A gem ! H & H's Tuba interventions in these pages are something quite unusual for continental ears, while the Trombas mixed with Diapason choruses sustain the majority of the music's lenght. An original, legitimate organ style. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Should we act today like Willis did, or rather keep Green's work in one organ, and build another one elsewhere in the room? And yes Character versus dependability (I mean usability according to today's needs) is a vast debate, for which there are no "quick-fix" answers. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Mind you, I had yesterday two friens organists at home. We listened to Simon Preston's Reubke and Liszt at Westminster (A CD about eighteen years old). They were amazed....At the reeds, so characterfull... Beyond the fact the Mander organ in NY is of course something different, and Hill's, and Willis' organs, and, and, and... I wonder if such reeds would be possible with a tracker action, so high is the wind pressure they need. Everything is part of a whole, one may not built a style like a puzzle. There are no such things as "good" and "bad" styles. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

I know several pneumatic organs with excellent repetition. In Belgium, see for example Kerkhoff's organs. Artists like Rolande Falcinelli were content with them in this respect. Willis had an excellent reputation in this matter too. I learned from a friend organ-builder that when releathering one should pay attention ever replacing all parts at their original place. For this reason, never dismantle anything in advance -"to be restored where it is". Pneumatic organs have a particular attack that is not devoided of charm. Let them be ! Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Ha ha ! This is quite interesting. Wouldn't a reason for this be the fashion towards "french" chorus reeds? I tend to believe french reeds are better "endowed with the powers of expression" like someone once wrote... Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

I agree with this comment. And moreover, several organ builders told me that when you change the action, the slighest impact this may mean for the windchests implies changes in tone, which may be far greater than expected. I understand the "state of the art", modern restauration this way: if an organ possess character, musicality and an interesting tone, it is to be restaured as it is with if possible no modification at all. And this, even if the organ is an hybrid one. "Pure styles" are another neo-baroque idea. After all -as I discussed it yesterday with friend organists- even Bach's organs were hybrids, and that's the reason nobody can tell "so is a Bach's organ". The drawbacks any organ may have should be understood as a price to pay for the qualities it shows at the same time. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

It may be interesting to note the french say the same -let's give up on the OGs in order to invest a bit more in heritage preservation-. But of course organists and athlets live in different worlds! Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

This is of course even better! Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

Interesting idea indeed. One could imagine a floating division, named "Schreiendwerk-Sermon off", whose tone could reduce any Tuba to a whisper in comparison: Quintadena 8' (very small scale, quint very dominant) Still Gedackt 4' Quint 2 2/3' Superoktav 2' I Superoktav 2' II Superoktav 2' III Terz 1 3/5' I Terz 1 3/5' II Terz 1 3/5' III (harmonic) Quint 1 1/3' I Quint 1 1/3' II Quint 1 1/3' III Sifflöte 1' I Sifflöte 1' II Sifflöte 1' III Heulende Kornett 5 fach (based on 4' not 8') Mixtur 12 fach (of course without any 5 1/3' resultant!) Scharff 18 fach Scharff magna 18 fach (horizontal,15 inches wind pressure) Acuta 12 fach Zymbel 6 fach I Zymbel 6 fach II Zymbel 6 fach III Bärpfeife 8' Klingend Regal 8' (horizontal) Trichterregal 4' Apfelregal 4' (horizontal) Quint Trichterregal 2 2/3' Zink 2' (horizontal, 15 inches wind pressure) So weit, so gut; when realized, may I ask you to warn the population six days in advance before the inauguration there might happen something like a Tsunami? Thanks!

....Mundi.

They could not dispose of it for the simple reason they are in...Masonry. I wish our grand-grand children may one day have the opportunity to hear Diaphones. The authorization is in our hands. Of course we, and they, may have our own opinion about these stops, like it or not. But it is actually a completely different debate; it's because they were mixed that so many destructions occured (I find that bad...So it is bad!) Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

I do have some LP where one can hear Diaphones. Yes, the Diaphones aren't quite discrete, shy fellows. But they are adjustable... Ideally, they should be reconstitued. This should not be problematic to the players that do not want them: suffice not to draw the stop-knob. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.

....And you cannot imagine the fight that has been needed in order to avoid Schyven organs to be "corrected"! Antwerpen has been miraculously preserved, thanks to several generations of clever organists. It was the very last large organ Pierre Schyven built with tracker action. He then adopted Carl Weigle's tubular-pneumatic system. Halas, he never sorted the pneumatic action out as masterly as Jean-Emile Kerkhoff so we have today very little that remains. Best wishes, Pierre Lauwers.