Now installed in our home!

To see a picture click here.

 

SPECIFICATIONS

 

8' Bourdon, split from middle C up

4' Chimney Flute, split

2' Principal, split

There are three hand-operated half-stops to each side of the

keyboard, a fourth hand-operated stop on the left engages the pedal

The pedal couples to 8' or couples to the keyboard, controlled by a latching foot pedal

Tuned to A = 440

 

54 note keyboard; beginning two octaves below middle C

27 note pedalboard

 

Built by Jean Glättli

46, rue du Grand-Pré

1202 Genève, Switzerland

T (022) 733 3440

F (022) 733 3544

 

In the Geneva area, over the space of a few days, I was able to look at and play many instruments by various builders, more than I have seen in 20 years of searching in the United States, England, and the Netherlands. There is a centuries-old tradition of small organ building in Switzerland. In Jean Glättli's shop (photo at right) I found one suited to home use in performing baroque and late renaissance music, with enough chiff to give well-defined attacks on even the lowest notes. The instrument is suitable for accompanying and for compositions by, to name a few, Bach, Buxtehude, Froberger, the Gabrielis, Frescobaldi, Purcell, and Green. The keyboard has a fine touch.

Some positives have a symmetrical pipe layout. This means that consecutive notes on the chromatic scale come alternately from the right and left side of the organ, a trait I find disturbing. This organ, fortunately, has the pipes arranged linearly, which also makes for simpler linkages, easing adjustment.

 

This organ is one-of-a-kind. Jean Glättli originally designed and built it for his own use. It is not traditional in appearance. The case has a small footprint and looks much like the tall "giraffe" pianos of the 19th century, except with pipes rather than strings showing. The facade is entirely functional, with the 2' rank exposed. The 4' is metal, the 8' is wood, and both are inside the case. The music rack is the full width of the keyboard.

 

I had no requirement for pedal when I started my search, but after playing a number of organs, I found that my feet were not as rusty as I had feared, and I look forward to the flexibility of having a pedalboard. The only desideratum that I am forgoing is to have a stop that plays at the twelfth.

Getting the organ case into the house was a massive undertaking, fortunately, a bunch of friends arrived at just the right moment. Thanks to Dick Karpinski, Joe Devlin, Miriam Devlin, Tim Jordan, Doug Jordan, ian Patterson, Aza Raskin, and Aviva Raskin. If you knew how isolated our house is and how rarely people just visit by chance, you would consider this sudden confluence of people a miracle. Assembling it was a hectic time with hundreds of parts and pipes all over the place. It would never have come together without the help of Julie Ososke, Aza (again) and Aenea Raskin. Thanks also to the late Malcom Lomax of New York City, who took me on in the summer of 1961 as an apprentice organ builder and repair person in spite of my total lack of experience; otherwise I would never have known what to do.