Olivier and the United States

It was in Paris that I first met an organ builder from Minnesota . One day, I received a call from Carolyn Shuster, choir organist at Sainte- Trinité (Paris). She told me that an American organ builder was staying in Paris for some days and asked to me if I could come to the church to show him the two organs.

I later visited him in America to see first-hand what this artisan did. I was surprised by the quantity of instruments found all over the country. They are unfortunately all pretty much of the same kind, composed very similarly, the eternal 16-8-4-2 combinations in place on all the keyboards: what a pity. As for me, and I speak only for myself - I find all that repugnant, the height of bad taste, aggressive reeds vomiting decibels, characterless foundations, shrieking mixtures, bland and colorless . Nevertheless, Tim is very alert to what is going on elsewhere and works in Paris regularly. When he is in Europe we travel about looking at a wide variety of instruments.

I took him to see the fantastic Angouleme Cathedral organ, one of my favorite instruments, at the same time carefully avoiding playing the endless and repetitive 16-8-4-2 ensembles. It is possible to create interesting registrations once one is freed from deadly sound stereotypes. We can then work on the "sound color ", a concept which I learned from Messiaen .

My remarks should not be misunderstood: I am not criticising the organ world in its entirety. I simply feel it a pity to notice how many organists refuse to evolve because doing so can entail risks. At one time I was myself decidedly opposed to certain things which today attract me; for instance, the use of materials other than wood to make manuals transmissions. I was miserably confined in ready-made ideas and had a difficult time in getting past them.

Tim showed me many recent instruments from several states, but they all seemed nearly identical to me, the same ensembles repeated everywhere, with little originality. However, I did have the occasion to discover a few very rare and interesting instruments. Their sound architecture was very balanced, free of the usual clichés: here, I said, is perhaps the proof that the cause is not entirely lost.

I am regularly told that all these instruments resemble each other because the great majority of organists desire that their instruments resemble every other one. I am led to imagine a factory, with an assembly line for hundreds of identical organs, to which one submits a budget criterion and receives, at the end of the chain, a "catalogue number" instrument. After that, these organists would never be disoriented by their incomprehension of certain stoplists once they travel to give a concert.

I have had occasion to show certain French instruments to visiting American organists. The organ of the Cathedral at Meaux , for example: a mediocre instrument but of large dimensions. Barely installed in the loft, the only thing that seems to interest them is to play the tutti and leave. When they try a few movements of a Handel (or other similar) concerto, their rendition is always based on the same few registrations, always the same 8-4-2 mixtures or a Flute-Crumhorn dialogue, 8-4 foundations and Cornet. How boring! I then try to show them some "original" registrations, see them take on a dazzled air, enchanted and surprised at how divine the option sounds.

The response is almost always: « Oh, I would never have imagined it to be possible ».

following errors of behaviors of Tim in a Parisian church, 

Glandaz-Patterson - associated organbuilder

is no longer available

Swell Division  -  Wanamaker Organ

Gambe 32'  & Diaphone 32'  -  String Division  -  Wanamaker Organ

the fantastic String Division - Wanamaker Organ

Wanamaker Organ Shop

Olivier next to the 32' Montre  -  Wanamaker Organ

Olivier standing behing the 32' Montre  -  Wanamaker Organ

Wanamaker organ

Wanamaker Grand Court

Curt Mangel III - Wanamaker Organ Curator

standing at the Saint-Eustache console while the Symposium trip in Paris, September 2006