The pipe organ sings again!

The Pipe Organ of Saint Augustine of Hippo Parish

The historic pipe organ of Saint Augustine of Hippo Parish in Bacong, Negros Oriental is one of the few remaining century-old Spanish made pipe organs in the country. The pipe organ was acquired by the people of Bacong on March 28, 1894 as the crowning piece of the entire parish-church building that started in 1849. It is an instrument completely made in Spain by the renowned organ-building family (brothers Juan and Manuel Roque) of Roques Hermanos Constructores in Zaragoza, Spain which has exported to the country some of their instruments from 1890 to 1910. Other existing instruments of Roques Hermanos are in Garcia Hernandez in the island of Bohol and in the town of Jimenez in Misamis Occidental.

The people of Bacong have learned to love the instrument which was very evident from the efforts made in the past to repair the organ. Remarkably, the instrument remained quite intact despite the damages from termites and subsequent repairs made.

Restoration

The organ was disassembled in December 9, 2008 after an agreement was settled between Diego Cera Organbuilders, Parish of St. Augustine and the Municipal Government of Bacong. The disassembly and crating took about 1 week. The organ reached Las Pinas on January 7, 2009 where restoration work immediately started.

Each part was inspected thoroughly for damages. It was determined that the ‘windchest’ (the heart of the organ) was beyond repair and would be reconstructed exactly as the old one. The extent of the termite damage was not only on the windchest but also on some parts of the mechanics and casework. Strict reconstruction procedures were followed in replacing the damaged parts. Same wood joining techniques were implemented and as much as possible same types of wood were also used. Damages on parts with oak wood were reconstructed using imported oak wood. The windchest which was mainly constructed with pine wood were reconstructed using local Philippine wood that is more durable and less prone to termite attack than the imported pine wood. Such compromise is necessary to lengthen the life of the instrument.

The keyboard underwent an intensive work. New bushings were installed and all keys were balanced and a new set of white cover were glued as the original ivory were all gone. Since it is now illegal to use ivory, we have decided to use white plastic instead.

Majority of wind ducts made from lead were replaced with tin and lead alloy as most lead tubes have become powdery and may not last long. A big number of lead tubes have been previously replaced with PVC pipes.

The main bellows (wind reservoir) and the two pump bellows were still quite intact. Nails used during previous repairs were painstakingly removed and all cracks professionally sealed. Local pig skin was used replacing the sheepskin as the local leather is more durable than the original. The pump mechanism was also restored and is now functional but to ease the use of the organ, a new electric blower specially made for pipe organs was added. The addition of the motor has been done in a manner acceptable to restorations of pipe organs.

The casework also underwent a thorough restoration. Damaged ornaments and carvings were reconstructed. The entire back panels, support beams and posts were also reconstructed as the old parts have weakened due to termite damages. The top cover of the organ was also professionally added as it is possible that it did not originally had one but was only later added to protect the inside parts of the organ. All panels were dismantled, fixed and then glued together. Most of them have warped and were difficult to align to their positions.

The whole set of Bajoncillo pipes were reconstructed as they were all missing as well as 25 other pipes from various stops. Materials used are in the same alloy of 60% tin and 40% lead as the original pipes.

The missing ornamental stops Pajarito and Gaita were reconstructed.

After 8 months of work, the organ was sent back to Bacong on September 7, 2009. Re-assembly started on September 10 and was completed on October 1, 2009.

Specifications:

Stoplist

1. Flautado de 13 56 pipes (7 wood / 49 metal)

2. Violon 56 pipes (20 wood / 36 metal)

3. Viola 56 pipes (12 wood / 44 metal)

4. Celeste 32 pipes (metal)

5. Octava 56 pipes (metal)

6. Quincena 56 pipes (metal)

7. Corneta 96 pipes (metal)

8. Trompeta Batalla 56 pipes (metal)

9. Bajon 8 pies 56 pipes (metal)

10. Bajoncillo 56 pipes (metal)

11. Gaita 1 pipe (metal)

12. Pajaros 4 pipes (metal)

Total number of pipes: 581 pipes (39 wood pipes / 542 metal pipes)

Manual keyboard compass: C – g³ (56 keys)

Neo-gothic casework in Oak

Blessing and Concert
October 28, 2009
9:30 am - Blessing and Final Acceptance
7:30 pm - Concert
Alejandro Consolacion II, organist
Franz Ramirez, oboist

Restoration Work - June 2009

Fitting of lead conduits




Shop Assembly

Restoration- May 2009

Restoration of pipe organ parts

Keyboard



Windchest
re-leathering




Windchest positioned inside the organ case

Lead conduits-restored

Foot Lever for the Echo Trumpet

Restoration process

Woodwork

Windchest restoration - Pipe rack

To ensure that the pipes will be on its place, they have to be properly fitted on the pipe racks. Since the original pipe rack has been totally damaged by termites, a new set of racks were constructed based on the old parts. Fitting the pipes on the rack is important so that the pipe will stand straight on the chest. There is nothing nicer to see than all pipes standing straight on the chest. But another reason why they have to stand straight is that they can easily bend and sag because of its weight. Lead and tin are malleable metals, if the pipes are somehow leaning on one side, after some time the material will be stressed and will slowly bend to the force of gravity.



Setting the Sliders


Fitting the pipes on the rack


For best fit, we use heated forms to burn the holes.

Reconstructing the missing Bajoncillo

Reconstructing the shallots of the Bajoncillo

Restoration Process

Before restoration. Termite damage previously repaired with wood putty.


After restoration. Damage part replaced with oak and carved with the original design.



Most of the problems were caused by termites. Undetected, they eat most of the inside parts of the wood. Live termites are still seen in some parts of the organ. The greatest damage was done on the very heart of the pipe organ - the Windchest.
Generally made from pine wood, the windchest was severely eaten by termites. Since it is important that each tone channel remain airtight, it is decided that the whole windchest be reconstructed from every detail of craftmanship except for the type of wood used. We decided to use Tangile and treated it with large amount of Solignum. As of the moment, the reconstruction of the windchest is till on going.
Parts of the case were also eaten by termites particularly the parts with soft oak. We have purchased oak wood to reconstruct the damaged parts with the same type of wood.

Windchest heavily damaged by termites.



Reconstructed windchest. All woodjoints in traditional carpentry method.


Replacing a damaged mechanical parts of the organ.

Start of the Restoration

To jumpstart the restoration of the pipe organ, Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Fred Duran and the Hon. Mayor Lenin Alviola of the Municipality of Bacong requested a pre-Christmas disassembly of the pipe organ during a meeting with Mr. Cealwyn Tagle, head of the Diego Cera Organbuilders from Las Pinas last December 7, 2008. This is to get more interest from the town people of Bacong to realize that the pipe organ is finally going to be restored. Since talks have been on going for a couple of months prior to the meeting for the restoration of the pipe organ, it was agreed that the disassembly will take during that same week. The timing was just right because a team of organ technicians from Diego Cera were in Baclayon, Bohol for the inauguration of their pipe organ last December 6.

Two technicians from the Diego Cera Organbuilders, Inc., Mr. Johnny Puhyah and Mr. Manuel Tagle arrived on the 9th of December and started the disassembly of the pipe organ on the 10th. They were welcomed warmly by Fr. Fred in the church convent.
The disassembly took a week as most of the screws have rusted deep in the wood. They were assisted by the church organist, Exuferio Tinguha who himself has done minor repairs on the organ when his grandmother was still using the pipe organ.
All the parts were put in 19 crates and were shipped to Manila on Dec 29, 2009.

Pipe Organ of St. Augustine, Bacong, Negros Oriental

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The historic pipe organ of Saint Augustine of Hippo Parish in Bacong, Negros Oriental is just one of the few remaining century-old Spanish made pipe organs in the country. Other historic pipe organs were made locally in the Spanish style manner. It is a pity that these precious church instruments have been neglected for the past decades. As a rarity, each of these historic pipe organs may be regarded as priceless treasures.
The pipe organ was acquired by the people of Bacong on March 28, 1894 as the crowning piece of the entire parish-church building that started in 1849. It is an instrument completely made in Spain probably by the organ-building family (brothers Juan and Manuel Roque) of Roques Hermanos Constructores in Zaragoza, which has exported to the country some of their instruments from 1890 to 1910. Other instruments of Roques Hermanos are in Garcia Hernandez in the island of Bohol and in the town of Jimenez in Misamis Occidental.
People of Bacong have learned to love the instrument that they have learned to look after the instrument. A restoration however is needed to prevent a fast deterioration of the instrument. It is now in an unplayable condition and there are signs that termites have already infested some of its parts. We have visited the organ in 1997 and have found about 80% of the parts still existing and in restorable condition. The organ has remained unchanged and fortunately, the termite problems have been solved during the past years based on what we have seen on our most recent visit in July of this year.
It will be a pleasure to hear the pleasing sound of another historic pipe organ restored back to its former glory with the purpose of accompanying the congregation in singing of praises to the Lord. “Soli Deo Gloria”
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Specifications:

Present S0toplist
1. Bajon 8 pies
2. Bajoncillo
3. Celeste
4. Octava
5. Quincena
6. Violon
7. Viola
8. Trompeta Batalla
9. Corneta
10. ? (name shield missing)
11. Gaita
12. Pajaros

Manual keyboard compass: C – g3 (56 keys)
Neo-gothic casework in Oak