The Construction Of A Spanish-Style Organ

A talk presented by Manuel Rosales at
Westfield Center for Keyboard Studies symposium
"The Historical Organ in America"
January 1992

The year 1989 saw the completion of events that were begun in the early nineteenth century. An organ originally ordered in 1819 was delivered and inaugurated. They only had to wait 171 years!

To protect their interests in New Spain, the Spanish expanded into the territories of Alta California. A chain of missions extending from San Diego to San Francisco were constructed from 1769 to 1823. The 14th was Mission San José. It was founded in 1797 and is one of four which surround the lower San Francisco Bay. Among these is Mission Santa Clara which had the most highly developed music program and to which the other surrounding missions sent their Indians to be… READ MORE HERE.