Hi everybody! I'm an italian organist, playing an organ of 2 manuals in a little city near Padua. The "fonic material" as we call "pipes" in Italy, came from a bigger instrument (a 4-manuals organ, made by "Veggezzi-Bossi", great organ builders in the early 1900's) laying till 1971 in a hall dedicated to Marco Enrico Bossi. I began play this organ in 1998, when I was an organ student in the "Conservatorio C. Pollini" of Padua. First, in my young studies, I hate so much his very "large" and dark sound, because I thought taht Bach and generally baroque masters, were the best and so.. I was able to love only baroque sound!!! Growing up..finishing my studies..I could see much many things: I began to play J. Bonnet, Vierne and Widor.. and since, through many registrations or mp3s, I heard the incredible "american organ sound", I began to love the instrument I still play, in a way that.. I can't stay far from it!!?!
So.. I think that every period has had his masters and ideals, may be very different from ideals of other periods, and with these ideals.. organbuilders of each period made organs like. Every instrument has to be respected and constantly works and repaired when necessary, as a witness of a precise period in the history of music!!!
Here in Italy, in some very little church scattered in Alps or in the South region of Italy.. there're many instruments build in the Classic period, and all of these instruments share with the others of that historical period by the presence of the first manual octave incomplete, named "ottava scavezza o in sesta".
It's very difficult playing during the church service, and it's impossible to play a Bach's prelude or a Widor's sinphony in one organ of these, but they still works efficiently and many concerts are promoted on these instruments, with pieces of the time they belong.
I think that's great!!!