We combine all aspects of organ-building
Here at Flentrop, we look on every organ as a fusion of sound, handicraft, history and technology. Because an organ is not just an instrument and a piece of furniture but indeed an ensemble of music, art, handicraft and history. We possess detailed knowledge of organs, of organ culture, of organ-playing, and of everything connected with these things.
"In our field, everything comes together. We love our work. We’re all crazy about organs (or soon became so). Likewise, we love to make beautiful things and we perform our work with passion."
Integral view, with focus on quality
Whenever a plan for restoration is on the table, we investigate how the organ is constructed, what technical possibilities it offers, what historical materials it’s made of. Where the plan is for a new organ, we find out how the instrument is to be used and how it fits into the culture of organs and organ-playing. Thanks to our wide-ranging knowledge and experience, we can take all these aspects into account. This contributes to our joy in our work. Since we see an organ as a “total work of art”, we can invariably create, together, something truly wonderful.
"If we think that the preconditions are lacking for any good result to be achieved? In such a case, we decline the project. We want always to make some sort of real contribution to an organ – not just in our own interest but also in the client’s."
All knowledge and skill under one roof
We have at our fingertips all the skill and knowledge that’s needed for organ-building. We need to hire no external craftsmen to carry out any task. Besides our carpentry workshop, we also have our own workshop for the manufacture of pipework, in which we produce ourselves the pipework for all our organs. We have our own metal foundry in which we handle the casting of the organ parts on sand or linen and the hammering out of the metal plates. The construction designs and drawings we produce in our own design office. Our organ voicers are all themselves professional organists.
Carpentry workshop
Pipe workshop
Metal foundry
Design office
Firm's own voicers
"As a musical score comes to life only in its performance, the same might be said of organ-building. Theories, measurements, scales and detailed drawings are, indeed, very important. But it is only in the workshop that we gain true insight into the instrument."
High-quality materials
All the materials used by us, we carefully select ourselves and work on in our own workshops. We receive our brass, for example, in the form of large sheets, from which we cut out pieces to make shallots for the reeds. In our carpentry workshop we work with solid timber, choosing the best, most beautiful wood that we can get. The wood comes to us in the form of large rough planks which we ourselves cut to measure for our projects. We use the waste timber to heat the pot in which we cast the organ metal.
We use many different kinds of leather, employing it in ways that maximize its durability, making it last for many years. We achieve this by making optimal use of the different qualities of every kind of leather. Large pelts of cowhide for the bellows; leather from small sheep to seal the organ valves; deerskin for the membranes; Russian leather for the leather nuts. This use of materials is not just longer-lasting; it also yields the most beautiful results.
"After the pipe-maker and organ-builder have considered every detail, employed the best materials and completed their work with passion, it is the turn of the voicer to show what he can do in the way of refining the instrument’s sound."
Priority given to durability and historical context
When restoring an organ we choose the materials so as to fit those already contained in the instrument and the historical starting points. When building a new one we make our own decisions based on the same principle of durability and sustainability. For example, we use only fairly traded tin and we’ve stopped, for several decades now, using elephant ivory for the key coatings. Fortunately, bone is a good alternative. In the case of restorations we sometimes use (legally obtainable) mammoth ivory. By far the greater part of the wood originates in Europe and carries the FSC quality certification.
The metals needed to make organ pipes, such as lead and tin, can nowadays no longer be obtained in raw, un-purified form. To imitate natural impurities, we add various other metals (tin, antimony, bismuth, copper and silver) to these metals. In this way, every cast component acquires the durability, the sound and the structural properties that its equivalent component would have had in the distant past.
"Our goal? That the love with which we’ve practised the craft, will be an inspiration to the organist who finally lets this musical instrument speak."