Portative organ with regal-voice
The first inquiry concerning an organetto was done by Martin Erhardt. Since until this moment I never seriously had thought about those instruments, from then on thorough consideration on the subject and many discussions with Martin started.
As a result of many mails, telephone-calls and drawings we did dare to design a big portative organ with regal-voice.
There is no historical proof of such lay-out, but many paintings depict slider-ends at the small side of the case, although one is not able to make out a corresponding number of pipes. Musicologists have different ideas about the reason for those sliders, but we thought an additional regal-stop both plausible and musically demanding.
The resulting instrument is very special and truly would have been uncommon in the past. But it is convincing in itself.
The regal pipes are executed after pipes that are seen in the earliest surviving regals, made at the end of the 16th century.
It is made of ceder, the carving is made by Stefan Thürmer of Dresden, my wife Ulrike Schauerte is responsible for the painting and the design of the decoration.
