‘We just pull all the stops’ by Jan Veldkamp

Jan Veldkamp ‘We just pull all the stops’
Het ORGEL 100 (2005), nr. 2, 26-30 [summary]

‘We just pull all the stops’ was the answer, when organ builder Jan Veldkamp offered to explain to the local organist some of the registration possibilities of an instrument his firm had just built. Lack of interest in the instrument they play is common among organists, despite the fact that understanding the basic concept of an organ is essential to using them convincingly. It is not easy to communicate the necessary knowledge, because each period has developed its own concepts. Hence, an organ built by Van Dam in the 19th century sounds different from an organ built by Valckx & Van Kouteren in the early 20th century, or from today’s new instruments. If organists wish that this last category should have a future, they need to change their attitude. Only if the organ world itself is ready to act, will organ culture survive.