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The Bamboo Organ of Las Piñas
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every organist has heard of the Bamboo Organ in Las Piñas, much as they
have heard of Roman hydraulic organs, as an oddity they would like
one day to see and play. However the Bamboo Organ is very real and
functioning instrument built in the classic Spanish style.
Padre
Diego Cera began work on the organ in 1816, while the church was still
under construction. Having previously built organs in Manila with
some organ stops made of bamboo, he decided to built one using only bamboo
for the pipes. Bamboo was abundant in the area and used for hundred
of items. The organ was first heard in 1821 yet without the
horizontal trumpets. He completed the work in 1824 after finally
deciding to use metal for the horizontal trumpets
whose character of sound he could not get with bamboo resonators.
These bamboo resonators now stand as the rear facade pipes of the organ. |
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final result conforms very closely to the classic Mediterranean organ,
built in a style that essentially looked backward to the eighteenth
century. It has one manual, divided registers with separate knobs
for the bass and treble, horizontal trumpets in the facade, a few short
pull-down pedal notes plus of course a few of the favorite effects:
Pajaritos and the Tambor. It is a curious fact that the sound of
many Spanish and Italian organs built quite late in this tradition have a
unique charm, only emphasized in the Bamboo Organ by the choice of the
material. |
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through the years, earthquakes and typhoons damaged both church and
organ. The first repairs were still done by Fr. Cera and later by
locals who were trained by the builder himself. At the start of the
20th century, the organ is hardly playable. Several attempts were
made just to keep it playing until an inevitable restoration is badly
needed after the Second World War.
In
1972, through the efforts of the CICM priests of St. Joseph's Parish, Fr. Mark Lessage and Fr.
Leo Renier, a contract for restoration was awarded to Johannes Klais
Orgelbau of Bonn, Germany. The entire instrument was disassembled
and shipped to Germany in 1973 and was restored under climatic conditions
simulating those at Las Piñas. While the restoration of the organ
was taking place in Germany, the church and grounds were restored to their
original state with the help of the entire parish community. The
restored organ returned home in March 1975 to a joyous welcome by the
people of the Philippines. Since then the scene of many concert
festivals, the Bamboo Organ is described by international organ masters as
one of the finest old organs in the world. Its construction of
bamboo is noted as being one of the major factors that gives it a truly
unique and lively sound.
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Stoplist
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Mano Yzquierda
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Mano Derecha
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FF - c1 / 32 notes |
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cs1 - f3 / 29 notes |
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| 4' |
Bajoncillo |
8' |
Clarin Campana |
| 2' |
Clarin Campana |
8' |
Clarin Claro |
| 8' |
Flautado Major |
16' |
Flautado Violon |
| 4' |
Flautado Violon |
8' |
Flautado Major |
| 2' |
Octava 1a |
8' 2r |
Travizera |
| 2' |
Octava 2a |
4' |
Octava 1a |
| 1 1/3' |
Docena 1a |
4' |
Octava 2a |
| 1 1/3' |
Docena 2a |
2 2/3' |
Docena 1a + 2a |
| 1' |
Quincena 1a |
2' |
Quincena 1a
+ 2a |
| 1' |
Quincena 2a |
5r |
Corneta (V) |
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Pedal
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Ornaments
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FF - E / 12 notes |
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Pajaritos |
| 4' |
Contras |
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Tambor |
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The total number of pipes is 1,031 and
consists of: |
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747 speaking labial bamboo pipes |
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36 dummy labial bamboo pipes |
| 119 dummy bamboo reed pipes |
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7 speaking labial metal pipes (pajaritos) |
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122 speaking metal reed pipes (horizontal
trumpets) |
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The Bamboo Organ, housed at St. Joseph Parish Church, Las Piñas City is located some 10 kilometers south of the center of Manila, on the way to Tagaytay. It is only 20 minutes away from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). |
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The Church, made of adobe (volcanic) stones, was constructed between 1797 and 1819. It was built in the so-called "earthquake" baroque architectural style. With the help of the Las Piñas community and the neighboring area, the Church and the grounds were returned to its original state. The renovation was effectively carried out through the expertise of Architects Francisco "Bobby" Mañosa and Ludwig Alvarez between 1971 and 1975. |
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The Bamboo Organ is presently being maintained by the Diego
Cera Organbuilders, Inc. |
Sources:
Klais,
Hans Gerd . The Bamboo Organ, translated by Homer D. Blanchard, The
Praestant Press, Delaware, Ohio, 1977
CD cover pamphlet of various Bamboo Organ recordings.
Program book of the 26th Bamboo Organ Festival
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