89 key 'De grote Gavioli' restored and re-decorated for Mr. Nigel Myers
and family. Carl Frei provided this Waldkirch-built Gavioli with extra pipework
in 1930. Its reputation was based on this altered disposition which was carefully
preserved during the restoration. Note the decoration which includes water
as well as oil gilding.
Photo courtesy of Brian Steptoe.
To see larger image click here.
Pickering Traction Engine Rally in July 1999 saw one of the worlds’ most famous 89 key Gavioli organs make its debut following major restoration work at A. C. Pilmer Automatic Music Ltd.
For de Grote Gavioli this had been the third major rebuild of its life; the
first being carried out around 1930 by Carl Frei senior, working at the time
in Breda, Holland, and the second in the workshop of Gijs Perlee in the Westerstraat
in Amsterdam in 1957.
Visitors to the 1996 event at Pickering had been surprised to see the organ’s
first rally appearance in many years; the organ had in fact been purchased
by Nigel and Beverley Myers and family just the weekend before.
The organ was built in about 1906 in the Waldkirch (Germany) branch of Gavioli & Cie.,
most probably for a German customer. The façade seems to be a variant
of model 660 in the Gavioli catalogue (which in recent times has been made
available as a reprint).
The earliest known and probable first owner was Dresden showman Carl Patty, who used it with a travelling cinema (or bioscope) show. Sometime in the 1920’s the organ was taken to Holland by Reinhard Dirks, a Dutch showman, who paid Patty 600 Marks for it. Initially Dirks used it in his Lunapark attraction, later transferring it to a dodgem track and it was he who sent the organ to Carl Frei to be rebuilt. At this time the first amplifiers and record players were being used on fairgrounds, and organs had to compete against the increased level of volume possible with such installations. Frei added a great deal of extra pipework in almost every department of the organ, and to supply all of this with sufficient wind added a second bellows and reservoir unit on the roof of the organ case. Some of the more obvious additions were the extra saxophones at either side of the central opening in the façade; a four rank mixture on the melody and strengthening of the bass and accompaniment sections. It was probably Frei who also removed the reed rank from the clarinet mixture.
After the war, the organ was no longer used on the fairs, and was purchased for preservation by pioneer enthusiasts Henri Bank and Theo van Zutphen who tried to interest the Dutch town of Haarlem in adopting it as a municipal organ. When this plan failed, it passed into the hands of the Waerts brothers of Assendelft. They sent it to the Perlee family for restoration, and it was at this time that the organ acquired the name de Grote Gavioli, meaning the great or large Gavioli. As well as a thorough technical restoration, Perlee was able to re-position Frei’s unsightly additional saxophones into space in the drum stands, altering the façade slightly to make an opening at each end. Given the complexity and size of the blowing arrangements, Perlee removed the two sets of feeders and fitted an electric blower together with a new reservoir. The front was also completely re-decorated by Gijs Perlee junior in his characteristic style.
The Waerts brothers enjoyed great success with their newly restored instrument, touring not only the Netherlands but also visiting the famous Freimarkt in Bremen, Germany and Fontainbleau in France. For this purpose, the original trailer used on the fairs was converted to pneumatic tyres, and towed behind a large American car.
De Grote Gavioli earned the designation concert organ from the Dutch and won many prizes at the then popular organ competitions which were often held in town squares and market places. The repertoire was greatly increased during the Waerts brothers’ ownership; a number of music books were the gifts of appreciative fans. Marcel van Boxtel, Romke de Waard and Carl Frei regularly supplied new tunes, some of which featured on long-playing records released around 1960. In this way, the unique sound of de Grote Gavioli was brought to the attention of yet more enthusiasts, this time in Great Britain and the United States.
The surprise sale in 1963 of de Grote Gavioli to England aroused strong feelings amongst the Dutch organ fraternity, many of whom called for greater protection against the export of organs from their country. When the organ was initially offered for sale within the Netherlands, a plan was formulated to buy it within a foundation or trust. Unfortunately the payment terms could not be met quickly enough, and the organ was sold to Arthur Mason, a businessman from Burnham Market, Norfolk. Even while the Gavioli was being loaded at the docks in Rotterdam, legal attempts were being made to prevent its leaving Dutch soil. Although unsuccessful, these efforts sowed the seeds for the subsequent protection which the Dutch Government affords today to a selection of historic mechanical organs in the Netherlands.
The organ now became the centrepiece of Arthur Mason’s private collection, soon winning the hearts of British enthusiasts and a new circle of devotees was quickly formed. In the 1960’s the organ was often seen at outdoor events, where it was widely appreciated, but in later life Mr. Mason was content to play the organ to the many visitors who made their way to Burnham Market to see and hear it.
The release of a successful privately-produced long-playing album in 1977
renewed the interest of organ enthusiasts, and many who had previously
only known the
organ through its recordings made long trips to Mr Mason’s premises to
hear it play live.
Shortly before Mr. Mason’s death, the organ was sold to the Bygone Village
at Fleggburgh, where it became one of the many attractions at this unique venue.
However, its future became uncertain again in 1996 when the instrument was
put up for sale. Quick action enabled Nigel Myers to acquire it in July of
that year.
Major work had long since been overdue, so the entire organ was dismantled, and a restoration plan formulated by workshop manager Russell Wattam. One of the most important considerations for the new owners and restorers alike was that the Frei character of the organ should not be lost and no tonal alterations made.
The organ was generally worn out rather than suffering from any ill treatment or damage from the elements, as is sometimes the case. For the flue pipework we were ably assisted by Judith Howard whose considerable knowledge and expertise in re-voicing damaged pipework greatly contributed to the end result. The reedwork also called for similar remedial treatment; many pipes spoke poorly or slowly and were difficult to tune. In outward appearance the pipework gives few indications of the great amount of time that was necessary to return it to correct and balanced speech; refinishing was done only where absolutely necessary. A new 1-horse power blower was fitted to enable the owners to drive the organ from their Burrell showmen’s road locomotive General Gough which supplies electric current at 110 volts DC. This also necessitated a transformer-rectifier for playing from mains electric supplies.
The outward appearance of the organ was also considered. The façade
was completely restored; the old layers of paint were first of all carefully
removed and the original decorative scheme noted wherever possible. It became
evident from this that the façade had been originally very heavily gilded.
The figures too were in reasonably good condition – the only casualty
amongst the seven was a missing finger! The final decorative scheme can be
seen in the accompanying photograph, taken shortly after completion.
Finally, the organ was installed in a brand new trailer with air suspension
and hydraulic lift-up roof, designed by Nigel Myers, in which it could be safely
transported to events in modern traffic conditions.
Since completion, the organ has been heard at events all over England,
including the famous Great Dorset Steam Fair. One highlight occurred
in June 2002 when
the organ made a historic journey to the town of its birth. The scene was
the beautiful Black Forest town of Waldkirch, near Freiburg; the event
was the
7th International Organ Festival, which is held there every three years to
promote interest in and celebrate the town's organ building heritage. The
instrument was played for a short while directly outside the former Gavioli
factory premises
in Lange Strasse, the first time that it had been there in more than ninety
years!
Plans are being made for the organ to make a return visit to the Netherlands
in 2004.