Other organ builders of

the 20th century

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Philippe Emeriau

Philippe Emeriau (1950-2023). Initially a French teacher, Philippe Emeriau passed his CAP as a cabinetmaker, closed his mind to building and became an organ builder just before the 1980s. Before taking the plunge, he was awarded the Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet Vocation Prize in 1978. He opened his workshop in Angers and then in Verrières-en-Anjou. He carried out many works in Maine et Loire. In a group of several builders, he worked on the restoration of the great organ of Notre-Dame de Paris between 1990 and 1996. He also restored (together with Yves Koenig) the organ of Saint-Ignace (1998/2012). In recent years, he had set up his workshop in Verrières-en-Anjou.

Frobenius

Frobenius Orgelbyggeri was founded by Theodor Frobenius (1885–1972) in 1909. After 1925, he adopted the style of the Organ Reform Movement and neo-classical design. When Theodor's sons Walther and Erik joined the company in 1944, they began to build organs in the classical tradition, with mechanical actions and slider windchests. They built the organ of Eglise Danoise ‘Frederikskirken’ (1955)

Michel Giroud

Michel Giroud (*1939) learned his skills at the firm of Schwenkedel and founded his own company in 1976 in Bernin. In 2000, Jacques Nonnet (*1960, pupil of Formentelli) took over. Michel Giroud was part of the team which restored the organ of Notre-Dame-de-Paris (1992) and he restored the Suret organ of Sainte Élisabeth (1999).

Camille Godefroid

Camille Godefroid worked at the Cavaillé-Coll company as cabinet maker between 1876 and 1882. He created his own company and his son B. joined. Their workshop was located in Paris. He built the organ of Chapelle des frères hospitaliers de Saint-Jean-de-Dieu (1903)

Serge Groleau

Serge Groleau, organ builder, no further details are known. Notre-Dame-de-la-Croix

Xavier Guerner

Xavier Guerner (1921–2010), organist and harpsichordist, appointed in 1947 to the organ of the chapel of the Dominican convent , was also an organ tuner and well informed about organ-building matters. In 1955, he personally introduced changes to the stops of the Dominican organ, modifying it to evolve toward a more classical style.

Philippe Guilmard

Philippe Guilmard (Paris), organist and former organ builder. He modified the organ of St. Joseph des Epinettes .

Didier Guiraud

No data can be found on the French pipe organ builder Didier Guiraud. He was involved, together with Philippe Hartmann, in the maintenance of the organs of Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs during the period 1955–1980.

Hammarberg

Hammarbergs Orgelbyggeri was a Swedish company that renovated and manufactured organs, located in Hovås, just outside Göteborg. The company was founded as an organ- building workshop in 1847 by Adolf Fredrik Pettersson who later handed it over to his son, Gustaf Adolf Pettersson (1840–1914). In 1897, it was taken over by his son, Olof Hammarberg (1871–1941). Later, it became a limited company (aktiebolag). The business ceased operations in 2013. Olof Hammarberg learned the basics of the trade from his father before going to Marcussen & Søn in Aabenraa and was employed from 1892 to 1897 at Furtwängler & Hammar in Hannover and William Schuelke in Milwaukee. William Schuelke's tubular-pneumatic system sparked Hammarberg's interest and became his specialty. Under Hammarberg's leadership, the business expanded significantly—he built no fewer than around 200 organs in Swedish churches. Besides introducing the tubular-pneumatic system, he made technical improvements to the organ's console and windchests. In 1939, he handed over his business to his son, Nils Olof Hammarberg (1913–1991). Eglise suédoise

Philippe Hartmann

Philippe Hartmann (1928-2014) learned his skills at the Gutschenritter and Gonzalez firms. He had his own company during the years 1958-1969. Afterwards, he was kworking as a voicer at the firms of Jean Deloye and Haerpfer. He built the choir organ of Saint-Séverin (1966).

Georges Helbig

Georges Helbig (1903-??) was an organ builder in the Parisian region, active during the years 1933-1960. He was for some time the representative in Paris of the Jacquot-Lavergne firm. He worked on the organ of Eglise Protestante Unie -Béthanie .

Jean Hermann

Jean Hermann (1906-1965) worked at the Cavaillé-Coll firm and was their last voicer, until 1959, when the house Pleyel closed their organ department. After that, he created his own firm. He was in charge of the maintenance of the organ of Notre-Dame-de-Paris in the fifties of the XXth centuries and the works on this organ during the years 1959-1965.

Jan van den Heuvel

Jan van den Heuvel (Dordrecht, Netherlands) started his firm in 1967. In 1975, his brother joined him. In addition to the organ building principles derived from Dutch organ building traditions, both Jan and Peter were fascinated in nineteenth century French organ building, culminating in the construction of an instrument in Katwijk in 1983 inspired by the 19th century French organ building art. In 1985, they completely rebuilt the famous organ in the St. Eustache and after that, they built several other large instruments in major European cities (Geneva, London, Munich and in Stockholm) and New- York. Saint-Eustache (1980).

Bernard Hurvy

Bernard Hurvy (*1958) learned his skills at the Haerpfer and Renaud firms, and created his own firm in 1991. His activities comprise both historical and modern instruments and all traction techniques. He worked on the organs of Saint-Jean- Baptiste-de-Grenelle and Notre-Dame-de-Val-de-Grâce .