A Visit to Entrechaux - France
Article by Pastór de Lasala
Assistant Consultant
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3 July, 2007 - Visit to Entrechaux, France.
Left to Right: Christophe, Philippe, Michel Colin,
Charles Henry, Pastor de Lasala. |
In July 2007, I had the fortunate opportunity of visiting the workshop
of Charles Henry, the organ builder who is working on the second phase
of the restoration of our 1890 Puget organ. On the previous evening,
I had given an organ recital to a capacity audience on the fine Cabourdin
organ at the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Victoire, whose titulaire
organist is Michel Colin, the consultant for the restoration.
I met Charles Henry in the small village of Malaucène, a relatively
short distance from Entrechaux and Vaison-la-Romaine, the latter village
where I was staying. After a wonderful Provençal lunch, Charles
offered to show me the superb 1712 organ in the village church. Charles
had been involved in the restoration of this rare instrument. The rest
of the afternoon was spent at Charles’ workshop, inspecting the
work which he had completed on the Puget.
Charles is an incredibly modest man whose attention to detail is second
to none. I was shown immaculately restored wooden pipes, all painted
a reddish-brown colour in the Puget manner. All the splits have been
repaired and are invisible. The wooden stoppers all sported fresh, white
leather to ensure that they could effectively be used to adjust the
tuning. Any previously mitred wooden pipes have been straightened out.
(Previously, the wooden pipes had undergone an unfortunate modification
to make them fit behind the case in the Rose Bay tribune.) The majority
of the metal pipes have also been straightened out to full length, just
as Puget had made them.
Missing pieces in the massive oak case - crockets, chipped timber and
the like – have been replicated to match the original ones. Additional
panels have been made to match existing ones. Once varnished, the replicas
will be indistinguishable from the originals. Surely this is the hallmark
of a master woodworker, and Charles has such a team.
On the following day, Charles and I were joined by Michel Colin. Discussions
ensued about the plans for the internal layout of the organ. Michel
duly certified the satisfactory completion of the finished components.
During that meeting we had the benefit of a telephone conference with
Ann Henderson in Sydney.
After lunch, Michel, Charles and I drove to Carpentras to visit the
Mader organ at Notre-Dame de l’Observance. The instrument, though
not by Puget, enjoys the same aesthetic and age. It is indeed fortunate
that our organ builder and consultant, who have successfully worked
together on a number of projects, have easy access to many instruments
and organ restorers in France, which serve as very useful comparisons
for the reconstruction of our Puget.
It is very gratifying for all of us who are not in France to supervise
the work, to know that both Charles and Michel work so well together
and, as well as consulting regularly, have the benefit of conferring
with colleagues to confirm authenticity. Communication and a free exchange
of ideas are vital for a successful project.
The most crucial components, the windchests, are being made as I write.
A windchest is a large partitioned box upon which the pipes rest and
from which the action extends to the console. These components are very
complicated as they require extreme precision within a fraction of a
millimetre. Being the methodical craftsman he is, Charles has taken
considerable time to design them. This has meant measuring the existing
pipes in the most minute detail to ensure that all the pipes will fit
in their new position. Since it can be almost certain that the space
in the tribune at Kincoppal-Rose Bay is much smaller than the original
location of the organ in the Bordeaux convent, the overall layout of
the organ’s interior is crucial. Charles has ingeniously designed
an internal layout whereby all the components are accessible from exterior
panels. Good design plays an important role.
Once the windchests have been finished, it will then be possible to
place the pipes to check both the air-tightness of the chests themselves
and the adequacy of the winding. From here the action may be made in
its various sections, all of which will be linked up to the console.
Charles is a true craftsman whose results have been most admirable.
The final product promises to be stunning in all aspects. As a masterpiece
takes time to evolve, the rebirth of the Puget organ promises to be
an exciting one.
Pastór de Lasala
Assistant Consultant
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KINCOPPAL - ROSE BAY
