Kuhn Organ Builders Ltd, 2000
New organ in historical style
www.orgelbau.ch/ope=113870
III/Pa/8
Switzerland, Zurich
Hausorgel Rudolf Meyer
Building a house organ is always a considerable challenge, since meeting the individual wishes of the customer is of prime importance.
In this case, the task given to us was to design and build a practice instrument which is also suitable for Romantic music.
The «pedal stops» Bourdon 16' and Salicional 8' are extended upwards and assigned to the first manual. We avoided attaching these two stops directly to the pedals in order to make it possible to individually couple each of the three manual divisions. Through this it was possible to increase the tonal possibilities of the instrument.
Extending the manuals to a''' provides the option of using stops in a higher octave range.
In sharing the 8' stops between the three manuals, the danger of the ranks «drawing each other in» when coupled is less than if they were to stand together on one groove. This is a significant advantage when playing Romantic literature.
A problem which one faces with every house organ is the limited space in the room in which it stands. The organ is limited to the standard room height of 2.4m. With a console placed at the front of the case, an interesting design for the façade is therefore hardly possible. Positioning the console on the side, however, opened up a number of possibilities in many respects:
1. The console could be given a generous amount of space (slightly built into a niche, large music stand, normal playing situation), as is the ideal for a «working instrument».
2. The façade and case design shows a distinct relationship to the organ in Epauvillers, which provided the inspiration for this instrument. The sections of the façade are arranged in the golden ratio.
3. In a relatively small room, the sideways placing of the console gives the player a less direct, and therefore more balanced, impression of the sound.
Finding a suitable design for the technical construction of the instrument which facilitates all the features mentioned here proved to be something of a challenge. It was, of course, important that an appropriate wind supply with the largest possible reservoir be installed in order to achieve the ideal sound. In keeping with our ideas and intentions, we attempted to achieve our goal not with complicated technical systems but through simplicity.
Details of individual parts:
The windchests are constructed from solid oak wood. The rollerboard of the first manual consists of wooden rollers. The case is made of cherry wood and the carvings out of plum tree wood.
