Before any intervention on a historic pipe organ, such as restoration, extension, relocation or removal, restoration to its original state, replication or purely research, the instrument must undergo a thorough professional examination and systematic inventory. The information obtained not only provides an objective view of the current condition and performance of the instrument and its surroundings but also enables us to evaluate the instrument, plan appropriate solutions, and make informed decisions on the measures to be taken in a given situation.
The expert report that results from the documentation is like a personal identity card for the instrument. It includes important structured data from various measurements, an inventory of special features and a wealth of pictorial material.
Organistica has developed a systematic and structured procedure for documenting organs, which enables data collection and information that can serve as an empirical basis for later comparative studies of the organ construction and manufacturing techniques.
An important advantage of our approach is the documentation process, which allows organ builders and organologists to study the instrument and eventually reconstruct it directly from the documentation. The documentation also makes it possible to design a thorough professional program for the preservation and maintenance of each instrument, thus preventing damage and breakdown.
The documenting process has three stages.
- Preparation
- Inspection of the instrument on-site
- Identification of the need to search for and study archival material
- Preparation of documenting forms
- Execution
- Taking measurements of the pipes, belows, windchests, console, organ cases, etc.
- Recording the organ’s sound
- Detailed systematic photography of the instrument and its components
- Creation of documentation
- Structured organisation of the data collected
- Preparing an elaborate
Documenting historic organs is an important contribution to the protection of cultural heritage, as the documentation protects the instrument from later unprofessional and sometimes less careful interventions. The information gathered in the documentation is the carrier of stories from the past. They will give future generations a better understanding of the mindset of the time, and how our ancestors thought and decided what was sacred and beautiful to them.