A New Choir Organ
The Dominican order settled in Antwerp in 1256 on the site of the current St Paul’s church.
This late-gothic monastery church was inaugurated in 1571. Seven years later during the Calvinist ruling in Antwerp the monastery community was chased and the buildings were damaged.
But already in 1585 the Dominicans acquired the church complex again and started its restoration.
In 1658 Nicolaes van Haeghen completed the large organ on the western gallery of the Dominican church. This magnificent instrument was renowned beyond our frontiers. Besides being monumentally elaborated, it consisted of 47 registers and had a separate pedal, which was exceptional in the Southern Netherlands. J. B. Forceville was to convert this organ extensively between 1730 and 1732.
In the same period 1645-49 P. Verbruggen erected a marble screen on the choir, immediately behind the crossing. As in many convent and chapter churches this screen separated the priests’ choir from the nave where services were held for the laity. On top of this screen there was room for a smaller organ which would accompany the monks’ choral prayers.
This organ was built by J.B. Forceville about the year 1720. The exact date is not known for certain, because nearly all archives were lost during the French rule. Nevertheless, the year 1720 is generally considered to be exact, as it fits in with Forceville’s working order as far as time, disposition and type of organ chest are concerned. A financier is also unknown. A possible indication may be found in the carved woodwork (see photography beneath) on the back side of the organ chest. Intertwined letters form a monogram which has not been deciphered yet.
This grid in the back side of the organ chest let through sound in the direction of the nave, but the organ front was
directed toward the choir.
According to the chronicles Forceville’s new screen organ gained its reputation of “Silver Organ” thanks to the splendid sound of the pipes. Particularly the stops montre 8’ and prestant 4’ sounded extremely harmoniously. There are no documents left either with details of the disposition at the time, but the sale of the instrument, which occurred one century later, gives us an important indication.
The Sale
The arrival of the French Republicans caused the definitive departure of the Dominicans. In 1797 the possessions of the dissolved community were confiscated. Fortunately the situation of the church improved slightly when Napoleon came to power. The Dominican church was put into use again as St Paul’s parish church. To this end the church space was reorganised and the screen was to be demolished. In this concept the Forceville organ became superfluous.
In 1823 refurbishing works started and the “Silver Organ” was put up to sale. In the Journal d’ Anvers et de la Province appeared three times an advertising with a description of the organ.
We copy hereby the full text of this publication:Uyt’er hand te koop op voordeelige condition een extra schoon Orgel gestaen in de voormaelige Predikheere kerk, thans St. Pauluskerk, te Antwerpen, bestaende uyt de volgende registers ofte stemmen:
Claron 4 Voet
Trompet-bas 8 “
Fourniture 3 à 4 Sterk
Sexquealter bas 2 “
Octaef 2 Voet
Holpyp 8 “
Bourdon 16 “
Montre 8 “
Trompet Sup 8 Voet
Cimbal 3 Sterk.
Sexquialter sup 2 “
Tierce 13/4 Voet.
Nazart 3 “
Fluyt 4 “
Prestant 4 “
Maekende 14 heele registers ofte stemmen, 1 tremblant, 3 blaesbalken van 7 voet lang op circa 4 voet breed.
Het clavier heeft 4 octaeven, synde van C of ut onder, tot C of ut boven. Dit Orgel is gemaekt door den bèroemden Forceville, en mag voor een van zyne beste werken gerekend worden, niet tegenstaende alle de stemmen van het bovengenoemd Orgel die van een sterk en harmonieus geluyd zyn, moet men bezonder noemen de stemmen van montre 8 voet en prestant 4 voet, de welke dusdaenig schoon geluyd hebben, dat men aen dit Orgel in onze oude Chronyke den naem van Zilver Orgel gegeéven heéft.
Voor de conditiën zig te adresseéren door gefrankeérde brieven aen d’Heer DE LEEUW Orgelist in de Kamme-straet, wyk 4 N° 2785 te Antwerpn.
This description does not mention a pedal. The restoration programme of 1987 was executed without knowledge of this publication. The restoration adviser J. Braekmans preferred a Voix Humaine to the Clairon.
The organ was sold for 1600 guilders to the new church of St Lawrence in the southern district of Antwerp while awaiting a new organ by Theodoor Smet.
The same Th. Smet maintained the Broechem Goltfuss organ. When the new organ was delivered to the St Lawrence church in Antwerp, Th. Smet may have bought the Silver Organ and sold it to the Broechem church of St Mary. The purchase was already concluded in 1831.
Th. Smet committed himself to position the organ in Broechem in the same way as it had been in Antwerp, with the following changes: extension to 54 tones up to fa ,with consequent changes to the soundboard and addition of pipes; a new keyboard plated with ivory and ebony; renewal of the tracker action; renewal of the three bellows; a new trumpet register and a new Clairon register.
He would also position the organ on a new lower case with frontpipes (see photo below).
The price for this organ and the adjustments was 2300 guilders. For the purchase of the old Goltfuss organ, Smet paid 600 guilders to the Broechem church.
The renewed Silver organ was delivered to Broechem in 1835. In1839 the project was completed with the placing of a positive organ in a lower case. Smet also provided two new keyboards with slide coupling and a foot pedal with the required traction.
In the following years Th. Smet , and after him Henri Vermeersch, maintained the organ. It is remarkable, however, that already in 1850 the parish appealed to the Brussels organ firm Merklin-Schutze to start a thorough restoration project. This firm drew up an outline of costs and implied new pipework for more than half of the pipes. This was too expensive for the Broechem church and the plans were cancelled. Luckily!
H. Vermeersch would add an important change in the years 1870-1872. Together with his associate Petrus Stevens he placed an new soundboard in the positive and replaced the console to the side. So the traction had to be completely renewed but it became hopelessly intricate on account of the limited space that was available in the organ case. The stop list was also modified with a.o. a romantic voix celeste.
Later on Jos Stevens would succeed his father Petrus Stevens for the maintenance and the tuning of the organ. One more transformation would be carried out in 1951 by Laur. Goyvaerts from Edegem.
Wear and tear, non-professional intervention, central hot air heating and woodworm quickened the decay. In the early seventies the Silver organ was ready for retirement. During religious services a choir organ from 1957 by the Stevens firm from Duffel was used.
