New organ building, repairs and services, renovation and restorarion, tuning and intonation of organ

New

 The newest organ Op.11 Napajedla (CZ), the St. Bartholomew Church  (II+P, 30 stops)

 Examples of the older instruments (from the left to the right)

• Smolka Opus 3,  Ostrava, the Holy Saviour Cathedral -the church concert instrument (III+P,42 stops)
• Smolka Opus 5,  Opava- the Holy Ghost Church-the church concert instrument  (III+P,34 stops)
• Smolka Opus 2,  Opava - Homeorgan (I+P, 4 stops)
• Smolka Opus 4,  Brno  JAMU, training instrument  (II+P, 13 stops)

   

  Prolog 

  Dear visitor,

  commonly it is used to starting with the firm profile at the beginning to introduce the basic pieces of information what is following….
  But let me briefly outline my own sight of organ creation  because I think the commonly used word ´organ building´ is not the most apposite expression.For me this activity is not just the organ building but a real organ creation as a part of my own holistic philosophy which has been sometimes very hard developped, cultivated and lived for more than 35 years.Of course at the beginning of my way the organ play-studies helped me and also my live organist practising .After that I started to be interested in the organ itself to be able to realize my comprehensive and creative approach needs and also my courrage to value and offer all the gifts which I was – as I hope – gifted.The organ creation used to being the work of the only one organ master in the past to the half of the 19th century. He usually disposed  of all the craftsmanship and also his journymen and other helpers.The original spirit of individual mastership disappeared with the industrial revolution, organ manufactory and later factory production and division of labour.I had realized that many years ago before I started my riskful and I think a little bit suicidal private way. The rational reasons seem to be against nowadays – but after all  my decision was and still remains to follow my ancestors. Sure there are more specific and very beneficial branches which are repairs, reconstructions and renovations but I mean there is no place to improve.These days I am fully focused on new organ creation which seems to be more open to discussion and I am absorbed in globally. It is my feeling obligation to carry on traditional organ creation which is based on historical, artistic, regional and technical context extracting all the most effective and able to live.As my ancestors I also try to synthetize traditional solutions and procedures but when there is some limitation in technical, systematic way or just the risk factors my intention is to find the best solution according to the latest technology and newest materials.Which is the most important – this is exactly the way of my best ancestors whose work survived and has been admired and respected till today (unfortunatelly and typically after their death).  
  Because the history is used to being repeated all the time , I also “dourly“ insist on the same attitude to creation of the organs.Looking around we can see much more fashionable retro-baroque fascination with its historical technologies and materials.This way is supposed to be commercially non-hazardous though but on the other hand there can be more the lack of courage, spirit and creative invention.If there are any system defects in historical organs it means the modern compilers must have them as well! Every orderer´s dream must be as long liveness and reliability as possible and operating costs at the lowest figure - this argument has always been valid.And that is why I uniquely use steel carrying welded constructions which stability and liveness are unrivalled and in addition the conception of the instruments can be much more daring than with the unaccountable wood as the material.And that is the same with the bigger pipe holders. The organ case as an architectural component unit is just the instrument sheating and there is no feedforward to the inside system which cannot be influenced with.There are however those who accuse me of disliking wood - but the contrary is the case.That is just it I respect the wood and treat it with this respect in using it the traditional way where I'm sure it is reliable even during the centuries (there is such a saying - an excellent General is said not to make unrealizable orders....) because I know very well its potentionalities and risks.For the same reason , although I dispose of almost all organ electronic systems from my own manufactury (some of them even patented – it is afterall my original education...), I apply them very carefully and if possible ( if it is possible, of course...) the way which does not affect the basic functionality of the organ and could be just easily replaced and disconnected as some “jewelry”.Above-mentioned “philosophy” makes me e.g. possible to dispose of steel hangers instead of not so stabile pipe racks from the mid-4´ stops, sliders are not made of traditional oak wood but the fiberglass which is everlasting and inactive to climate change.The 4´ and shorter pipes are individually embedded into the conical seats of upper boards to achieve maximum tuning stability, deeper lay pipes on the cubes are to regulate air breath which all protect from many intonation problems.Wired tonal key action elements and small fulcrums are made of stainless steel although manufacturing of coils is technically very demanding.This everyday practice improvement is usually followed by higher cost and labor intensive – but they should bring back almost no need of repairs, and if so, they should be easy and inexpensive. Giving priority to the basic concept of the instrument over other aspects of the mechanics despite of structural complications, such as using retractable  gear (Op.1, op.4) and also to make possible the most comfortable acces to all parts of mechanism and debugging tune-up procedures. I consider to be very important. Repairability is also very important and that is why the outworn components are easily removable.  I could continue to open up the full company´s know-how , but this is not the real intent of this prologue.My real intention is to outline my point of view of organ making in the 21^st century having its unique and original character as well as each organology had during each historical period. But there should be seen also some signs of natural and meaningful development of the organ – the essential organology thesis says , ´ just the organ is a music instrument which is still developing and is not definitely finished yet...´