THE ITALIAN ORGAN

In 1982, B.Formentelli (organ-builder from Verona) restored an early 18th century Neapolitan small positive organ. (Organ-Builder CIMINO of the neapolitan school on 1710)

F.Chapelet brought it back to Montpon and so increased his collection of historical organs to 3.

STOP LIST

One Keyboard with 45 notes - Broken Octave - Mechanical suspended action with a little rollerframe.

Principale 8'

Ottava 4'

Quintadecima 2'

Decinovena 1 1/3

Vigesimaseconda 1'

Flauto in duodecima 2 2/3

Voce Umana 8'

( Nightingale - Tiratutti. - Mean-tone Temperament  - A 415)

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In 2008 Francis Chapelet buy another Italian organ to M.Formentelli and makes it restore by this organ-builder. This instrument is dated and signed : 1785 by Luciano D'Onfrio on the rollerboard. Bought at an antiquarian by Michel Formentelli, this organ comes from a patrician home. It contains all his original material. Painting was cleaned and revived. When the doors are closed, they would say a large press. This organ was scrupulously restored. The sounds are very soft but clear, what is just necessary for a great living room.

The organ is inaugurated on December 10th 2009 in its personnal home in the presence of the members of the Association and other friends.

STOP  LIST

One keyboard with 45 notes - Broken Octave - Mechanical suspended action with a little pull-down pedal of 9 pedal keys.

Principale  8'

Ottava 4'

Quintadecima 2'

Decinovena 1'1/3

Flauto in duodecima 2 2/3

Voce Umana 8'

Temperament lightly unequal - A 415 - Nightingale - Tiratutti. - Zampogne (Two stopped pipes imited the bourdon of a bag-pipe )

(You kann see other photographies and also hear Francis Chapelet improvise on this organ.)

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THE SOUND WORLD OF THE CLASICAL ITALIAN ORGAN

The classical italian organ (from the late 15th century to the early 19th century) only has one keyboard of 45 keys (with a short octave) as well as some stops of the "Ripieno". There is no Mixtures register like in the French or Germanic instruments. The Plenum is decomposed into a many sharper and sharper registers to form different " Pleins jeux".

It is based on the "Principale 8'" (a relatively narrow stop unlike the so called Italian Principals in some neo-classical organs and which are very wide). There are no "Bourdon-stops nor stopped Flutes. The organ must sound crystal-clear. The whole harmonic series comes after (octaves and quints ) which are called 12th, 19th etc. (The very sharp registers have repetitions from the 1').

A second principal 8' which is voiced softer and does not mix with the Ripieno may be found in some more important instruments; it is used only with the Flutes.

Then a principal tuned with lower or higher beats is used with the Ripieno Principal : it is the Voce umana which is supposed to imitate the human voice vibrato. (It is often used in the "toccatas per l'Elevazione".

As a rule there are very few reed stops; some regals may sometimes be found which are named : Tromboni. During the XVIIIth century  organ-builders made some Trombocini and the very delicate Violoncelli in which the reed is kept closed in very small wooden boxes.

The only flutes are the Flute 4' (Flauto in ottava) and the Nazard (Flauto in duodecima) which imitate the recorder.

When there is a pedalboard, it is very small and coupled to the firts octave. In the instruments which have separate stops for the pedal, this one may have 18 pedal-keys with stop of "Contrabassi 16'".

The divided keyboard into basses and trebles appeared in the late XVIth century but was not set up systematically.

There is often a "Tiratutti" register which permits to pull the "Ripieno" in one time.

In the same way some accessories are sometimes set up such as the Nightingales (Usignolo ) and the small bells (Campane or Campanelli), later Ketteldrums (the Timpani ).

The pipes are rich in tin, the mouths relatively narrow with very few nicks or without any nicks at all. The pressures are low.

The pipes  must not crackle nor whistle.

Disposition der Register

Principale	Open Diapason 8'
Ottava	Octave 4'
Quintadecima (15.)	Octave 2'
Decima nona (19.)	Quint 1' 1/3
Vigesima seconda (22.)	Octave 1'
Vigesima Sesta (26.)	Quint 2/3'
Vigesima nona (29.)	Octave 1/2'
Trigesima terza (33.)	Quint 1/3'
Flauta in ottava	Flute 4'
Flauta in duodecima (12.)	Quint Flute 2' 2/3
Voce Umana	Undulating stop 8'
Tromboni	Regal 8'

Im Pedal:               Contrabassi                        Diapason 16 or 8'

Tiratutti - Usignolo - Campane - Timpani...

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