From
the most elementary instrument to the most exuberant and sophisticated
neo-classical one
 The organ of Valère at Sion (Valais) : 1430 ? Probably the oldest in the world. |
 Joseph Gabler's organ at Weingarten abbey (Germany) (1737-1750). |
Organ
building is a complex alchemy mixture using different elements
such
as wood, metal,
ivory, ebony, leather, air etc put together in order to build a modest
or a gigantic
instrument the aesthetics and sound of which may sometimes
make the uninitiated one overwhelmed by an exalted feeling of mystery
if not ectasy
still amplified by the sound re-echoing effect of the vaults.
No wonder it is in the Jura, where all these elements are gathered
that the art of organ building found a favourite ground in the hands
of
gifted expert artists like Bernard Aubertin who has settled near Dole.
All the more so as the famed Riepp organ
of the collegiate church at Dole
is still an authentic reference masterpiece.
It is with and by the organ that a perfect harmony between
the visual beauty of a score, the meaning of the illustrated text,
the aesthetics of a chest and the harmony of a musical piece
can be reached as is suggested in this choral from the "Orgelbüchlein"
by J S Bach "Wen Nur den Lieben Gott last Walten".
In
which the continuo supports and cheers
up continuously the cantus firmus
on a dynamic binary tempo as an illustration of the choral wording :
| Wer
nur den lieben Gott läst walten, und hoffet auf ihn allezeit, den wird er wunderbar erhalten in aller Not und Traurigkeit, Wer Gott, dem Allerhöchsten, traut, der hat auf keinen Sand gebaut. |
He
that suffereth God to guide him and always hopes in Him will be wonderfully upheld in all need and sadness. He who trusts in God, the Almighty, has not built on sand |
"For
the whole to be actually beautiful, it is necessary that each
of its parts be equally beautiful, and not be ugly : Beauty must
demand all of them to be beautiful" Plotin : About Beauty |
The former organ of St Louis en l'Ile church
by Mutin (1924) with a 19th century chest
The new organ by B. Aubertin (May 2005)
Spiritus ubi vuit spirat
 |
 The console |
Photos Aubertin ©
The Aubertin organ on the gallery of the neo-classical church of St-Louis-en-l'Ile in Paris
How the show-case naturally fits in the gallery:
 Photo : A Revel© |
 The organ has just been placed on its gallery after 3 weeks of assembling (March 2005). The result is gorgeous. It now needs some time of rest before the necessary adjustments and tuning. Then time will bring its patina. |
 From the outside there is nothing to mark the presence of the church except this twin-dial clock and this massive wooden gate |
 |
 The renovated Jesuit-style gallery that will uphold the organ |
Bernard Aubertin and the St-Louis-en-l'Ile new organ
in his Jura workshop at Courtefontaine (Photo "Le Progrès")
 The 16' show-pipes |
Building
and assembling the parts in B. Aubertin's workshop at Courtefontaine,
Jura. We can observe the minute details and the importance of wood carving. |
 General view of the show-cases and console |
 A turret-crown |
 The Trinity symbol |
 echoing the same one in the choir |
Hand shaping of a 16' show pipe |
 |
 Tuning wood pipes (chestnut, oak- tree and pine-tree from the Vosges area) |
 Setting the great 16' show-pipes |
 Completing the wind-chest |
 Hand-powered mechanism of the stops |
Drives of the Hauptwerk.
 Light and shadow playing on the showcase-pipes. |
 B. Aubertin commenting upon his work (18/09/05) |
The
whole instrument is hand-powered and built with precious materials.
The show-cases have been built according to the "Werkprinzip"
: they are the exact reflection of the inner structure.
Ready
for the great road- trip to
Paris.
Michel
Chapuis doesn't conceal his admiration for this organ
which he considers as an exceptional masterpiece that will enable performers
to play German neo-classical music
as well as French classics.The instrument is composed of 3.500 pipes
distributed over 51 stops with three keyboards of
56 notes and a pedalier of 30 notes. It has largely been inspird by
the great neo-classical instruments of North Germany
and more particularly by the works of J S Bach's favorite organ-builder
Zacharias Hildebrandt (1688-1757)
and Michael Praetorius (1571-1621). This instrument is by no means a
copy of a former organ.
It
is to be considered as a true creation aiming at reviving a prevailing
tradition in the art of organ building.
More than 20.000 hours have been necessary to complete this instrument
since 1999.
The achievement :
 |
 |
 |
Photos J Revel (June 2005)
Composition :
| 1rst
keybord :
|
2nd
keyboard
: |
3rd
keyboard
: Récit : Bourdon 8' Principal 8' Traversière 8' Unda Maris 8' Octave 4' Flûte 4' Nazard 3' Traversine 2' Octave 2' Terz 1' 3/5 Quinte 1' 1/3 Sifflet 1' Mixture III rgs Fagott 16' Voix humaine 8' |
Pedalier
: Principal 16' Violon 16' Bourdon 16' Quinte 12' Octave 8' Bourdon 8' Prestant 4' Flûte 2' Mixture IV rgs Dulciane 32' Buzène 16' Trompette 8' Cornet 4' |
Accouplements : III/II - II/III à fourchettes
Accouplement
à tiroir : II/I - II/Pédale
Tremblant I et II
Appel anches - boîte humaine
The long expected inauguration performance with Michel
Chapuis, Benjamin Alard, Vincent Rigot
was given on June 22, 2005 for a privileged and enthusiastic audience.
_________________________________________________
The pipe organ of the Mariagerkirke in Denmark |
B.
Aubertin's last masterpiece (a grand 16' with 45 stops orderd
by the Mariagerkirke in Denmark), was inaugurated by F. Jacob
at Courtefontaine (Jura) on December 31st 2010 amidst an enthousistic
crowd of several hundreds of organ music amateurs. |
 |
 |
 |
The Mariagerkirke organ assemblel in B. Aubertin's worshop at Courtefontaine. From left to right :
The central showcase with the 16' pipes and the inner mechanism.
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