Xaver Wilhelmy
Xaver Wilhelmy | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Pipe organ builder |
| Citizenship | Austrian |
| Alma mater | Rieger Orgelbau |
| Website | |
| www | |
Xaver Wilhelmy is an inventor, designer and certified pipe organ builder who was the first in the world to create organ pipes from glass. Wilhelmy created the Wilhelmy American Flag Glass Pipe Organ, the first pipe organ in the world with pipes made entirely from glass.[1]
The concept of the Wilhelmy American Flag Glass Pipe Organ emerged from the tragedy of the September 11 attacks. Wilhelmy envisioned a glass pipe organ with one organ pipe to represent each of the voices that were permanently silenced.[2] Wilhelmy created a memorial proposal of light and sound for the Memorial Competition for the World Trade Center Site.[3]
The Wilhelmy American Flag Glass Pipe Organ is a series of 14 glass flue organ pipes that Wilhelmy made using kiln-working, precision stained-glass techniques, and delicate pipe organ engineering. The instrument took more than 18 months from conception to completion[4] in a project that married art, design, and engineering.[5]
Another landmark instrument includes the Wilhelmy Glass Trompetteria which consists of a Trumpet 8' and Clarion 4', and features glass reed pipes, and is in a private collection in West Virginia, U.S.A.[6] Additional individual glass organ pipes are in private collections in the US and Europe.
The Steiner Pipe Organ at Friedberg Moravian Christian Church, in Winston-Salem, NC, is home to a pair of matching glass organ pipes that are 5 feet 7 inches tall, polygonal, and are part of the Principle 8 organ stop. Wilhelmy created them using clear, textured, and iridescent art glass and mirrored glass for a gently reflective look that is in keeping with the simplicity and understated elegance of the Steiner organ and Moravian chapel.[7]
Wilhelmy is the author of "The Art of Casting High Lead Pipe Metal" published in the March 1998 issue of the ISO Journal (International Society of Organbuilders) and translated into German and French.[8]
Biography
[edit]Originally from Austria, Xaver Wilhelmy trained as a pipe organ builder at Rieger Orgelbau in Schwarzach, Vorarlberg (Austria), continued his education in Ludwigsburg, Germany, then joined Fehrle en Roeleveld Orrelbouers outside Johannesburg, South Africa, where he also trained as a piano builder, and luthier. Wilhelmy won the Austrian Creativity Competition for work related to Art, Music, and Architecture in 2005 for his work creating the first glass organ pipes in the world.[9]
Xaver Wilhelmy immigrated to the United States in 1994 where he joined Taylor & Boody Organ Builders in Staunton, Virginia as Pipe Shop Supervisor.[10][11]
Currently, Wilhelmy is the Pipe Organ Designer, Consultant, and Educator at Geshenke Aus Glas of Staunton, Virginia, a company that specializes in glass organ pipes.[12]
Wilhelmy is the founder of The Wilhelmy School, dedicated to passing the fundamentals of pipe organ building and innovation along to a new generation of builders, performers, and conservationists in order to preserve, conserve, and improve upon the most remarkable instrument ever created.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ Setchell, Jenny (2017). Organs & organists: Their inside stories. Bonn, Germany: Dr. J. Butz. pp. 84, 85. ISBN 978-3-928412-21-6. OCLC 1001432748. Publisher's description. Excerpt. Description and reviews.
- ^ Mitchell, Lynn R. (September 11, 2016). "The 9/11 sound sculpture... A Virginian designs a voice for the silent". bearingdrift.com. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- ^ "World Trade Center Memorial competition". wtcsitememorial.org. April 23, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- ^ Morgan, Jennifer (June 2, 2013). "Sunday song: Using glass organ pipes". The Latter-day Saint Organist's Resource Blog. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- ^ Purdy, Chase (March 16, 2011). "Street beat: Pipe organ expert also crafts sandwiches". The News Virginian. Waynesboro, Virginia: Media General. ISSN 8750-7862. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- ^ Shenk, Carmen Rose (October 7, 2015). "Meet magician Xaver Wilhelmy". Geshenke aus Glas. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- ^ Staff (September 20, 2020). "Friedberg Moravian's organ getting upgrade". Winston-Salem Chronicle. Winston Salem, North Carolina. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Wilhelmy, Xaver (March 1998). "The art of casting high lead pipe metal". ISO Journal. Baelen, Belgium: The International Society of Organbuilders: 28–44. ISSN 1017-7515. OCLC 39104265.
- ^ Shenk, Carmen Rose (July 20, 2015). "Certified pipe organ builder Xaver Wilhelmy". flagpipes.com. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- ^ Calello, Monique (January 14, 2015). "Wilhelmy American Flag Sound Sculpture". Staunton News Leader. Staunton, Virginia: Gannett. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- ^ Van Pelt, William T. (1996). "Organ update" (PDF). The Tracker: Journal of the Organ Historical Society. Vol. 40, no. 3. Richmond, Virginia: Organ Historical Society, Inc. p. 8-9. ISSN 0041-0330. OCLC 977847049. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Shenk, Carmen Rose (December 31, 2018). "Who we are". Geshenke Aus Glas. Archived from the original on October 24, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- ^ Shenk, Carmen Rose (April 6, 2018). "Pipe organ study". The Wilhelmy School of Pipe Organ Building. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
Further reading
[edit]- Van Pelt, William T. (2000). "Organ update" (PDF). The Tracker: Journal of the Organ Historical Society. Vol. 44, no. 1. Richmond, Virginia: Organ Historical Society, Inc. pp. 10–11. ISSN 0041-0330. OCLC 977847049. Retrieved July 1, 2024.