The voicer (4): At the service of beauty of sound. A portrait of Frits Elshout

This fourth voicer’s portrait discusses the work and the inspiration of Frits Elshout, who worked for 48 years for Flentrop Orgelbouw: first as pipemaker, then as voicer, later as adjunct-director and director of this almost 120-year-old company, and now that he’s retired as consultant. He calls his career a discovery trip in which openness is the proper attitude to fend off belief in fads (‘-isms’) and to create consistency in beauty of sound. This is the story of a voicer in heart and soul, whose inspiration reaches further than the organ; about his development, his vision of tone production, and his enthusiasm for a few special projects; and about a glance into his bookcase.