Leon Cathedral and Diocesan Museum. Francisco Santos. 1739.
Like all realejos organs, constructed to be transported, it is of small size. Its purpose was to accompany the song, or cover the regular repertoire of worship processional festivities. The date of construction follows from an inscription that reads clearly within the year of 1739, but it also has some characteristics to confirm this dating. The divided keyboard has 45 notes and short octave. Also by its limited size, stops are minimal, the pipes are all inside the cabinet. The cabinet doors may be closed.
Cabanilles Joan Baptista (1644-1712): Corrente Italiana (Lucía Riaño)
The work of Juan Cabanilles (1644-1712), Italian Corrente, will allow us to hear the beautiful recording of this organ of Leon. Starting with registration, the performance starts with the right hand cornet and flute, and left with a flute solo. The first section of binary rhythm is repeated without horn, only to reappear in the next. In the last section the player incorporates full organ to diminish gradually to the flute solo. This book, actually a set of variations on the basis of a dance called Italian corrente, an italic variant of the French courante, reflects the ease of Cabanilles to incorporate non-Hispanic elements, which imbues them with a strong personality.
Text: María Antonia Virgili Blanquet.
Lucia Riaño, organ (in a recording made on 16 and 17 February 1992 at the Cathedral of León).
DISPOSITION
divided keyboard
Left ................................Right:
Flautado (covered), 4'.............. Flautado (covered) 4 '
Eighth, 2'...........................Octa is, 2nd
Full 3 h, 1'.........................Full 3h.
Cornet ............................. 3h., 2 2 / 3 '
Of the organ builder who built it, possibly Francisco Santos as recorded in an inscription inside, hardly anything is known. Acitores Federico, in his report and proposed restoration of this instrument, it ascribes to the Echevarria shop for some details such as different brands of the first pipe of each stop, leading the rest of those who make the series also supports it's own making of the pipes and the quality of the metal they are made.
The restoration was done, as we have indicated, by Federico Acitores organ builder, by reason of having been exposed at the Cathedral of Valladolid, in the first phase of the exposure of The Ages of Man. At the same, apart from the cleaning of all the elements have been recovered all the potential of existing pipes and built the rest, ensuring that the equipment used was as close to the former.
The keyboard has been rebuilt and replaced the missing keys. Also were done: the clearing, inspection and cleaning of the wind chest, repair of the bellows and the pump mechanism pulled by ropes. On this last point, we did not consider the installation of an electric blower, because of the danger posed by the changing of the dynamics of wind-driven by a motor. The noise audible in the hearing of the work recorded on this organ should therefore only from the string used to give air to the manually operated bellows according to early tradition in the intonation of these instruments.
