Gaston Kern

Gaston Kern (born November 25, 1939 in Bouxwiller ) is an Alsatian organ builder . In 1969, he founded the Manufacture d'Orgues alsacienne in Strasbourg and in 1974 relocated the company headquarters to Hattmatt in Alsace. From 2004 he gradually retired.

Life

Gaston Kern began his apprenticeship with Ernest Mühleisen in Strasbourg in 1953 . A little later he worked on the restoration of the Andreas Silbermann organ in Marmoutier . In 1968 he was the first organ builder in France to pass the master's examination after the Second World War . Since there was no organ building school yet, the examination was based on the four volumes of L'Art du facteuer d'orgues by Dom Bédos de Celles from 1766, which is why Kern had to deal intensively with historical organ building, which had a great influence had his later work. From 1968 to 1969 he worked at Orgelbau Vier .

In 1969, Kern founded his own company, the Manufacture d'Orgues alsaccienne , in Strasbourg (Alsace). After acquiring the former train station in Hattmatt, he moved his workshop there in 1974.

Kern made a name for himself as a specialist in the restoration of historical organs, especially those of Andreas and Johann Andreas Silbermann , Callinet and Stiehr . The Alsatian organ expert Pie Meyer-Siat called it: “The best Callinet specialist in the whole world.” Kern delivered a few new buildings to Germany.

From 2004 Kern slowly withdrew and handed over his workshop to the company of his cousin Daniel Kern . The company in Hattmatt existed until around 2012 and was then merged with Daniel Kern's workshop in Strasbourg.

List of works (selection)

year	place	building	Manuals	register	Remarks
1970	Mittelbergheim	Catholic Church of St-Etienne	II / P	4th
1971	Lambach	Catholic Church de l'imaculée-Conception	III / P	14th	The first manual is designed as a coupling manual.
1972	Neudorf	St Leon Catholic Church	II / P	7th
1978	Oltingue	Catholic Church of St Martin	II / P	27	Restoration of the Callinet organ from 1843
1981	Soufflenheim	Catholic Church of St-Michel	III / P	30th	New building in the Stiehr housing from 1849
1983	Bischheim	Protestant Church	II / P	16	Reconstruction of the organ built by Andreas Silbermann for the Stephanskapelle in Strasbourg in 1716
1985	Barr	Protestant Church of St Martin	III / P	43	Restoration of the Stiehr organ from 1852
1988	Rœschwoog	Catholic Church of St-Barthélémy	III / P	31	Restoration of the organ built by Michael Stiehr in 1808
1990	Thing home	Catholic Church of St Kilian	II / P	14th	New building in Rohrer's housing from the 18th century
1992	Wasselonne	St Laurent Protestant Church	III / P	30th	Restoration of the Johann Andreas Silbermann organ from 1745
1993	Oberhergheim	Catholic Church of St-Léger	III / P	38	Restoration of the organ by Claude-Ignace Callinet from 1853
1994	Ingolstadt	Catholic Church of St. Matthew	III / P	36
1995	Saint-Etienne	Notre Dame Catholic Church	III / P	36	Restoration of the Callinet organ from 1837.
1996	Stuttgart	State University for Music and Performing Arts	III / P	28
1998	Munich	Church Patrona Bavariae	II / P	20th
1998	Vic-sur-Seille	Saint Marien Catholic Church	III / P	29
1998	Strasbourg	Strasbourg Cathedral Crypt	II / P	8th
1999	Ebersmunster	St-Maurice Abbey Church	III / P	29	Restoration of the Andreas Silbermann organ from 1732 together with Yves Koenig and Richard Dott.
2000	Homburg - Sanddorf	Private	II / P	14th
2001	Waldolwisheim	Catholic Church of St-Pancrace	II / P	23	Restoration of the Stiehr organ from 1863, which was built in the case built by Andreas Silbermann for Rosheim in 1733 .
2002	Villingen	Benedictine Church	III / P	35	Reconstruction of the Silbermann organ in a new case
2002	Mertzwiller	Catholic Church of St-Michel	II / P	26th	New building based on the Stiehr organ from 1846
2003	Salzburg	Catholic parish church Salzburg-Aigen	II / P	22nd	Erected based on Silbermann
2005	Schiltigheim	Protestant Church	II / P	26th	New building in the housing of Conrad Sauer (1800)
2005	Erlangen-Büchenbach	Catholic Church of St. Xystus	II / P	25th