The Bamboo Organ

by

Helen Samson-Lauterwald

Excerpted from The Bamboo Organ of Las Piñas (2006)

ISBN 971-93356-0-2

 

            The bamboo organ found in the Parish of St. Joseph in Las Piñas City, Metro Manila, Philippines, is the oldest and largest of its kind in the world. It was constructed between the years 1816 and 1824 by a Spanish Recollect missionary, Father Diego Cera de la Virgen del Carmen (b Graus July 26, 1862 – d Manila June 24, 1832). Although the organ was serviceable from 1821, it was considered completed only with the attachment of the horizontal trumpet reeds in 1824. The instrument contains 1,031 pipes, of which 902 are made of bamboo. The remaining 129 compromise the afore-mentioned horizontal trumpets which are of metal.

 

            The bamboo organ is typical of Spanish baroque models, the organ construction style Father Cera was best acquainted with since he lived during the latter part of the era. The instrument operated on the mechanical  or tracker action, the rule for all organs until the mid-19th century. Wind supply for the bellow required the steady cooperation of 6 individuals working in shifts each time the organ was played. The instrument was built to fit permanently under an arch and between 2 nave pillars on the left rear part of the church. It can be reached by way of a few steep flight of steps from the choir loft.

 

            The organ suffered extensive damages in the 19th century due to at least 4 strong earthquakes (1829, 2852, 1863, 1880) and a number of calamitous typhoons. Then followed the years of violence and neglect brought about by the Philippine Revolution against Spain (1896-1898) and the Philippine-American hostilities which lasted roughly up to 1902. The instrument was rendered almost inoperable. All attempts at repair were not successful.

 

            Needless to say, the bamboo organ was in a highly deteriorated stage when political conditions quieted down early in the 20th century. Yet it still attracted tourists. Incumbent parish priests tried to make improvements, such as the installation of an electric motor in 1932 which finally dispensed with the physical manipulation of the bellows. 

 

            Years and further exposure to the elements called for an urgent thorough rehabilitation. This was finally done by the Johannes Klais Orgelbau in Bonn, Germany, to where the bamboo organ was transported in 1973.

 

            Upon the return of the famous instrument to the Philippines in 1975, a series of Bamboo Organ Inaugural Concerts took place celebrating its complete restoration and return. These were followed by yearly Bamboo Organ Festivals. In 1978 the Bamboo Organ Foundation was founded for the purpose of preserving the instrument. It also became the moving spirit behind these yearly festivals, which , to this date, has already featured the participation of artists coming from 19 nations. Since 1994 the organ has been under the technical care and supervision of the Diego Cera Organbuilders Incorporated, the first Filipino pipe-organbuilding company.

 

            On November 24, 2003 the Bamboo Organ was fittingly declared National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines.