Organ Building Literature (Orgelbau Literatur)

[Grand Orgue]

Dear members of the forum!
Now I am looking for serious literature, dedicated to organ building, in electronic form.
If you have scans (in PDF or similar format) of any serios fundamental books of that kind, which reveal technical, artistic, historical, accoustic, physical etc aspects of the matter, which contain descriptions of most organ pipes (stops), all parts of the organ, technologies of pipe making and voicing in details, mathematical formulas, computations and tables of pipe scales, description of manufacturing process and so on, please lay me them out.

It would be desirable that both main traditions of world organ building and organ culture were reflected (I would like to see books dedicated to baroque organs as well as books, revealing romantic organ building).

Possible languages are: English, German and French.

I would be very greatful to you, if you sent me some literature of that kind.

[marval]

Hello Grand Orgue

Welcome to the forum.

There are many organists around, so I am sure you will find some answers.


Margaret

[methodistgirl]

Hello I don't know where Krummhorn and Corno is right now, but
welcome to the forum. I'm glad you joined the party.
judy tooley

[Krummhorn]

Hello Grand Orgue,

Welcome to MIMF ...

Pipe Organ building is not a trade learned from drawings or reading literature. It must be "experienced" in order to properly learn all the nuances of proper organ building, installing, tuning and voicing, all aspects of any pipe organ builder.

Perhaps you could become an apprentice for an existing organ builder ... the lessons learned from that kind of experience would be worth their weight in gold.

Where abouts (general region) do you reside? Maybe knowing that, we can better steer you in the right direction for the information you seek.

[Corno Dolce]

Hi Grand-Orgue,

Welcome to the best online music forum in the world. Here is something that I think might interest you:

http://rjweisen.50megs.com/fluepipe1_001.htm

One of the most detailed books on organ building is written by Winfred Ellerhorst and is entitled "Handbuch der Orgelkunde". It is quite a tour-de-force of scholarly research and writing and will answer just about every question that you may have about building an organ. However, a book can only go so far - my most highly esteemed colleague Krummhorn is quite absolutely right: You will need to apprentice with an organ builder. Now, there is also the Rieger-Kloss School Of Organ Building - open the link below:

http://www.rieger-kloss.com/our_hist...an_school.html

Cheers,

VADM Corno Dolce

[Grand Orgue]

Hello, friends.
Thank you for your warm and friendly reception.

Let's come to the problem.
It is difficult to argue with the statement, that organ building can't be learned from books, pictures and theories. Organ building is quite a practical craft, it is neither mathematics, nor theoretical physics, which can be studied by reading correspondent literature. It needs practical training and skill.

Now, few words about myself and my interest to the problem.
I live in Russia, Moscow. I am not a musician, nor am I an instrument-maker (I don't know, how this profession is properly called in English). I am a physicist by profession. Still I love classical music (not all of it, of course) and organ. The number of pipe organs here in Russia is laughable and organ firms are absent at all. Besides I don't plan to become an organ master, to make it my second profession in the nearest perspective. However, I don't know whether I occupy this business seriously in far future, everything can take place. You advised me to become an apprentice of an organ master. Here it is difficult and lacks sense.

One more thing.
A book can't replace real live practice, I understand this. However a clever book is a good generalization of the experience, stored by generations of organ builders and masters. A good book truthfully states the matter, it describes in details all the problems and nuances, the master meets in his trade. If you have some imagination and technical education you can conceive the instrument, its inner structure and its manufacture process in detail. By taking some efforts, I'm sure you can even reproduce the results, described in the book (although it is not in my plans).

In Russia it is difficult to get such literature. The only sources are internet markets and shops (such as amazon or ebay). And no warranty that the book is really good (anything you know of the book is its title and the name of the author). Otherwise you should make a tour to Europe or America and look for this literature in local book stores.
That's why I'm asking you for good PDF scans of worthy paper books.
I'm not asking for colorful popular internet sites, devoted to the organ. I've already grown up from this level. All, I'm looking for, are good professional books, organ builders and their apprentices use in their daily work, books which help them study their craft. Perhaps if I like the books I shall acquire some of them via Internet and post.

Recently I have got several PDF copies of fine organ building books in German (I can enumerate them all, if you want). "Orgelkunde Handbuch" was among them. This book really made good appearance at me after smart look: this three-volume edition is written with truly German conscientiousness, pedantry and punctiliousness.

Still all of these books are written in the middle of the 20'th century and describe primarily (neo)-baroque organ. This was the time of Organ Revival when romantic organ was completely rejected, declared inconsistent etc. Besides many contemporary scholars are assured that the ideas of the true baroque organ were distorted during that time and that organs of 50'th - 60'th sufficiently differ from the organs of XVII - XVIII centuries.

So, I’d like to enlarge my small collection of organ books, so that different styles and epochs were represented in it. Perhaps, somebody of you possesses some books, devoted to romantic organ building, written in the 19’th century or present days. I’ll be very glad to get them in electronic form. Perhaps, you have some scans of ancient treatises, such as Dom Bedos or Praetorius. So, I’ll be happy to obtain any good serious literature in different languages (German, French, and English), that describes various styles of organ building (not only neo-baroque) in detail.

Please, forgive my bad English. I’m waiting impatiently for your replies.

[Corno Dolce]

Hello Grand-Orgue,

Look into your Private Message box in the upper right hand corner of the MIMF screen - click on it when you see unread 1 - I shall send a message to you.

Corno Dolce

[Contratrombone64]

Grand orgue - where do you live? (yes, I've figured out it's Russia, but what city)?

[Grand Orgue]

Contratrombone64, I live in Moscow.

[Krummhorn]

Grand Orgue,

Wow, I had no idea organ building was so non-existent in Russia. Is this true of digital organs, too?

[Contratrombone64]

Grand Orgue - sorry it's taken me ages to respond. Had a long weekend just pass and don't have internet at home (by design). I'd love to visit Moscow one day, seems like a grand city.

[contraophicleide32]

Hi Grand Orgue, I'm sorry to answer so in late at your question... but I hope to be of some help!!!
I'm an italian organist with a great dream since I was a boy: become an organ builder!!! Althought I work as analist for a Warehouse system, when I come back home in evening I continue in playing the pieces of music that I studied at school, reading also new pieces and new composers (Vierne, Widor, Bonnet, Reger,.. ). When I was only 15-16 years old, at my first studies on the organ, I bought a book that made me fall in love for the organ very deep inside me and opened my eyes: "L'art du facteur d'orgue" written by Dom Bedos de Celles. I spent 400 euro at the time to buy it BUT.. the knowledge for me, has no price.
With this and other books (such "L'organo Italiano" written by Moretti) I started to make some wooden pipe, and I agree with you: the knowledge from books need of real practice!!! And so.. I saw how to modify and make the sound better...but experience, should be improved EVRY DAY!?!!
Growing up,I discovered first the French, the English.. and then the American ORGANS!!!
Now, I'm 26.. and I continue to buy, from EBAY, books about building, voicing, tuning.. and also some book on historycal matters concerning the organ!!! Now.. I'm just reading "The art of organ building" of Audsley...
I'm terribly sorry if my English is so bad.. but, I subscribe this forum both to improve and learn more on English speech and also to.. share my knowledge with all people interested to!.. some book I bought is in French, most in English.. and also Italian.. if you want, I could make some PDF scan from books!!!
If you're interested.. I'm very happy to help you, and I could give you the complete list of the books I have!!!

Best Regards,Have a nice day!!!
Manuel