Pierre Lauwers

"that one of the voicers who had built the Eule organ at St.Sebastian had actually learned reed voicing with H&H in Durham. " (Quote) Well, this would be a Scoop. I will check this! (Halas, no belgian to date...) Pierre

I have it. What do you need from it ? Pierre

In order to precise the topic: Mr Dupont is no Organ-builder; his E-Mail was intended as a private one. He is not involved with the Cheltenham organ in any way; the pictures he sent were from several different organs, and the parts he is in search of are for his own, private organ. Pierre

Well, I hope this is a (bad) belgian joke. Pierre

It is clearly written: first US organ built *in London*. The european builders often work in the U.S., so I do not see any reason we could not have U.S. builders working in Europe. And it is extremely good for the diversity of our instrumental pool. Pierre

A quite interesting video: Bach on the Link organ of Giengen a/d Brenz (1907), by Prof Bossert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT2_FWb-yK4...feature=related This sound closer to a J. Wagner or a Trost organ than any "Bach-organ" from the 20th century. In fact, this late-romantic -pneumatic- organ is a developpment of the baroque tradition, and not at all a disclosure from it. This video demonstrates this for anyone having heard central german baroque organs. Pierre

If you could say precisely which pages, chapter, you need, I could try to scan them and share them by G-Mail. This book is no longer available in commerce, and this is a shame because it is particularly important: it is one of the rare books written by a true professional of the organ-building world! (Veerkamp was Directeur technique de la Maison Cavaillé-Coll.) Pierre

The organ was built 2008 with some ancient parts (Barker machine, some stops) by the Kern firm of Strasbourg: http://orguedebayon.free.fr/index.htm .....And here is the "Grande pièce symphonique" from César Franck, played upon this organ by Olivier Schmitt: http://olivier.schmitt.org.free.fr/franck_...yon_schmitt.mp3 Not too bad, isn't it ? Pierre

Today maybe ? Pierre

See what you can get for sale nowadays: http://www.gebrauchtorgel.eu/de/pfeifenorg...P/012000001084/ Pierre

And what do we get next as "universal threat" ? My guess: rose scent to be discovered as dangerously addictive. Pierre

The neo-baroque organs from the 60's and 70's are, in Germany, already an endangered Species, be them electro-pneumatic or tracker. At best, they are sold in eastern Europe. At worst....... Here is a good example: http://www.bunkorgel-reinoldi.walcker.com/ .....And round and round we go ! Pierre

"Is it therefore a successful marriage of instrument, environment and use" (Quote) An interesting, sound concept. But what when items N° 2 and 3 change ? Do we need to rebuild the organ whenever carpetry is introduced/removed/replaced ? Or when the liturgy evolves ? Again, this view implies the organ to be a tool, a piece of furniture, not a work of Art. Pierre

"will recently built mechanical action organs be less likely to be rebuilt in future than electropneumatic action organs? " (Quote) The answer is available in Germany ! Pierre

"I wonder how many rebuilds are undertaken by British firms outside of the UK (the Harrison restoration at Stockholm being a recent example)? Just as the number of times that European firms rebuild or restore, as opposed to newly construct, organs in Britain would seem to be small in comparison. Is it because the cost, or the prestige of a new instrument is greater than that of a rebuild? Perhaps firms that undertake rebuilds are better known for their rebuilds in the country where they are based? Or they have a better understanding of how to rebuild effectively? Just curious..." (Quote) I am afraid the problem could be somewhat worse... When rebuilding an organ, the builder has to work according to the contract, and this contract he did not write himself, of course. So he has to obey to the prevalent fashion of a dedicate place and time. ......AND... ...And if this fashion, in a dedicate place, differs somewhat from what is done in the neighbourging areas, the builders from this place won't build themselves a strong reputation with rebuilds, which is of course unfair, because not only much of them could indeed excell in that matter, but would work that way with the greatest pleasure. Let us take, at random, a completely virtual example. Let us have a certain builder from London restore a certain, say, Schulze organ, as near to its original state as possible. Be sure this work would be scrutinized in Germany up to the last bolt, with possible commercial followings. So the efforts to gain external markets for the british builders aren't needed from the builders alone, but rather, it is a matter that concerns the whole organ community of the dedicate place. Pierre

Dear Mr Kropf, I also have such LPs from the 70's. They aren't fair to Howells as the timely fashion held sharp, modern Mixtures for mandatory, even in Howells. And such stops, moreover, are strongly distorted by the LP technology....As a result this is the kind of LP one listen to just once. As Cynic mentionned above, we know very precisely which kind of organ, and indeed which organs, Howells had in mind. So go directly to this one: http://amphion-recordings.com/phicd222.html Pierre

"It makes a nice change from Notre Dame noises (or worse still, imitation Notre Dame noises) anyway." (Quote) Indeed! "Why are so many organists obsessed with Tubas?" (Quote) Though widely more preferable than any (modern) chamade, the Tuba impresses whenever one forgets it can be used, on a time basis, about 100 times less often than a Dulciana. So the Dulciana may appear from about 12 stops in an organ, the Tuba from about 50; an there are little organs -like the Snetzler Cynic mentionned- which actual value overtakes many 50 stops- plus instruments. First things first... Pierre

....And what about the gentlest Dulciana ? Pierre

......Another proof they would do better forgetting that one for a moment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM7er1y_Lpw...feature=related ......And really well played with that. Long life to the crisis! Pierre

The Passacaglia in E-Moll from Reger, played by Gerd Zacher at the Essen-Werden Walcker (pneumatic, original 1907 state) organ, with a video of Dunnotar, Scotland: One of my preffered players for Reger ! Pierre

A somewhat different version of J. Jongen's choral, but worth to be listened to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeEGJH1HyCs...feature=related This organ is one of the summits! J-A Audsley's spirit is still alive there. Pierre

The lack of funds is an excellent thing for the organs in general. (From field experience) Pierre

Two fine finds this morning on Youtube. -BWV 543 by Chorzempa. This is the best interpretation I know ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZRLkdPnpiQ...feature=related -The same by Gehrard Weinberger. Not worth Chorzempa, BUT.... played upon one of the very best "Bach organs" we still have, that is, Joachim Wagner's tremendous achievment in Angermünde in 1742: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqoaGTlgex0 So now the solution for a recording firm is obvious. Take Mr Chorzempa, and have him playing the Wagner organ. The result will be THE reference... Pierre

I would not call those mixtures -and this organ- neo-baroque; rather, a "néo-classique" organ, that is, a "Kompromissorgel" like Victor Gonzalez in France or Walter Holtkamp Sr in the US made at the same time. And indeed the mixtures were not the same when there were octave couplers. It would be impossible, especially if the stops had 72 notes in order to get those "true superoctave couplers" we often find in organs from that period. There were somewhat less ranks, first, and the specification had to be deeper ar C, otherwise the result was a kind of big cluster, nearly the same along the whole compass. Small feet-holes may not only be the result of the weak wind, as such holes are often to be find in periods organs, even the new ones. And often, this goes with a somewhat weak treble -the contrary than with much romantic organs where "each stop must be able to do the solo and its own accompaniment", to the point that in big climaxes like in Liszt's music, the right hand can sometimes be completely engulfed by the left one. And this too is a complex matter. We see just that nowadays in Brussels, where the restoration of a 1933 organ is under way. The builder wanted to increase the height of all treble pipes, in order to be able to voice them with a power proportionned to the basses-rather: what we today understand as "in proportion to"-. But....If you do that, the original scales, and the scales progression, are gone. Not something to be taken with a light heart in an historical restoration...(That one is a completely new, original 1933 job). Anyway, those "soft tones" had their repertoire following them. Suffice to listen how Messiaen used the mutations and mixtures... Pierre

This is not from Youtube, but, nevertheless, an interesting MP3 featuring the Walcker organ of the Klosterkirche in Murrhardt (D), built 1977 under the direction of Helmut Bornefeld. This is a typical Neo-baroque Diapason chorus, the kind of which we have some hundreds in Belgium today -Helmut Bornefeld has had much followers here up to the end of the 80's- Hear for yourself: http://blog.walckerorgel.de/__oneclick_upl.../track-no02.mp3 Pierre