DELMOTTE

Church Sint-Pieter Leuven

Organ details

History

This organ was built in 1935 by Maurice Delmotte of Tournai for the World Fair in Brussels. It was placed in the pavilion of Catholic Life. The key and stop action is electric. The wind chests were built according to a new concept invented by Delmotte, the so-called système pneumatique à dépression. The console is movable. The sound concept is based on the French symphonic style.

After the World Exhibition, the organ was placed in Prince Charles' residence in Ostend (the villa in Raversyde). In 1951, St Peter's Church bought the organ to replace the Crinon organ, which was destroyed in the May 1944 bombing. The parish donated the organ to former dean Bauts on the occasion of his golden priestly jubilee. Hence the inscription 1901 Decano jubilante 1951.

The pedal has only two stops of its own. The other stops are derived from the manuals. This lacks a solid sound foundation for larger registrations. In the current restoration, this shortcoming remedied by adding two new stops to the pedal: a 16-foot labial (extended to 32-foot) and a 16-foot reed stop.

The organ is restored by Verschueren Orgelbouw of Heythuysen (NL) in 2019. Besides an overall check-up and restoration, the following interventions were carried out:
The pitch is corrected. When the organ was moved to Leuven for unknown reasons, the organ was tuned about a semitone too high.

  • The pedal is extended with two new stops.
  • The electrical connection between console and organ is renewed.
  • The console has now a Setzer (programmable registrations).
  • The sound emission to the church is improved.
  • The dynamics of the swell boxes are optimised.

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Specification

I. Grand Orgue
C-c4
II. Positif
C-c4
III. Récit
C-c4
Pédale
C-g1

Bourdon 16
Montre 8
Flûte harm. 8
Prestant 4

Octave aiguë
Flûte 8
Salicional 8
Flûte 4
Fourniture
Basson-Hautbois 8
Cromorne 8

Octave grave
Octave aiguë
Trémolo
Diapason 8
Bourdon 8 (a)
Gambe 8
Voix céleste 8
Flûte 4 (b)
Quinte 2 2/3 (c)
Octave 2 (d)
Tierce (e)
Cornet (a+b+c+d+e)
Trompette 16
Trompette 8
Clairon 4
Voix humaine 8

Octave grave
Octave aiguë
Trémolo
Contrebasse 16
Soubasse 16 (G.O.)
Flûte 8 (G.O.)
Flûte 4
Trompette 16 (Réc.)
Trompette 8 (Réc.)
Clairon 4 (Réc.)
Tirasse G.O.
Tirasse Pos.
Tirasse Réc.
G.O. + Pos.
G.O. + Réc.
Pos. + Réc.
Expression Pos.
Expression Réc.
Crescendo général
Oct. grave Pos. - G.O.
Oct. grave Réc. - G.O.
Oct. aiguë Pos. - G.O.
Oct. aiguë Réc. - G.O.
Tirasse G.O. oct. aiguë
Tirasse Réc. oct. aiguë