Hi folks,

Sorry I'm a bit late with this article, but with the easter holidays
around ...

I'm quite glad someone is interested in the Becquart-organ. Here's its
history:

The organ is a 70-key fairground organ, built around 1923 by Louis
Hooghuys at Grammont (Geraardsbergen-Belgium). It has actually only 3
registers: piano/forte/carillon. It is one of the most famous organs
built by Louis Hooghuys, and has (or better: had (cf.infra)) the most
beautiful sound I've ever heard. It was built for Albert Becquart (or
his father), who traveled with a set of gallopers (a "caroussel
galopant" as we call it here) around Luxemburg and France (occasionally
in Belgium). Becquart has died a few years ago (I think), and since the
mid '70s, the gallopers and organ are owned by Francois Kopp.

There were made quite a lot of recordings of this organ, especially on
the DECCA-label. Almost every song recorded was the work of August
Schollaert.  It surprises me that no one of you has ever heard of him:
he was (and is) the most famous Belgian 'noteur' of organ books. He
died in 1958, but he was a very special musician (as I was told ...):he
conducted several orchestras and bands, and arranged a lot of music. He
lived in Aalst. In fact, I don't think that there is no Hooghuys or
Mortier organ for which he didn't arrange some music. Of course, a lot
of his work has been lost. Actually, I'm trying to find his son,
together with Marc Hooghuys, to find out what happened with al his
'types' of organ books he made.

About the records:

As far as I know, there have been made about 8 original records of the
organ (of course, later on, they brought them out again in a new sleeve
or something like that); it began with 78-rpm records, and then 33 1/3
minigrooves, with the title: "50 annees de succes"; then in the 60's,
Becquart made some other LP's. As I wrote, all the arrangements were
made by August Schollaert. Here is a small list of music I know being
arranged by Schollaert and featuring on the Becquart organ:

        Blaze Away              Aimer Toujours
        Colonel Bogey           The Beautiful Galathea
        Fontaine Lumineuse      A l'attaque
        Tansende Kunstler       King Cotton
        Prater Violet           Wiener Faschingkinder
        two large potpourri's with some popular music
        Vieux Bruxelles (also a potpourri)
        En traineau             Entree des gladiateurs
        Blue devils             Overture to "Die Fledermaus"
        ...

Since Mr.Kopp owns the organ, it isn't the same anymore as it used to
be.  Recently, Norbert Vroman (who owns a set of gallopers with a
72-key Hooghuys organ) told me that Albert Becquart took care of the
organ as if it was his own child ... He used to adjust the speed of the
motor, and was quite mad when it didn't sound right. Actually, I never
heard the organ live, but I certainly would like to, although I know
that it would be a desillusion now ...

Kopp had made 2 LP's in the 70's, which recently have been published on
CD again. Here are some of the works on them (* means that I'm sure
that the arrangement was made by Schollaert):

        Old faithful            Kaiser Friedrich
        Prinz Eitel             Friedrich*
        La chasse aux fauvettes
        Dans tes yeux           A toi
        Myosotis                Espana*
        Le beau Danube bleu*
        Donauperlen
        Mme Sherry              Rosen aus dem Suden
        Heinzelmannchens        Wachtparade

Oh my god, I would like to tell you so much more about this organ, if
only I had the time and more information. Unfortunately, we've lost
track of the organ now, but we're sure to find it back (the problem is
that we don't know when and where Mr.Kopp is to be found ...).

I hope you are already a little satisfied by this, but I'm planning to
write some more about it when I've some more time (since the exams are
coming ...).

uf course, I'm still looking for records of the Becquart-organ (I've
only got the same one as mentioned in the Digest (with Blaze Away,
Wiener Blut, The beautiful Galathea ...) and the 3 CD's, but the older
records are much better !).

Thanks a lot, and write me back ...

Bjorn