NAME: Ruffatti s brothers, Pietro and Francesco sons of the founder Antonio Ruffatti

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1 PROJECT CARIDIS ORGAN BUILDERS PERSONAL RECORD OF THE INFORMER NAME: Ruffatti s brothers, Pietro and Francesco sons of the founder Antonio Ruffatti : Piero and Francesco Ruffatti took up the firm in Piero Ruffatti grew up in the family business, helping to install new organs and working in the design department. He studied engineering at the University of Padua and became a partner in the firm at the age of twenty five. Piero heads the design department and supervises manufacturing, with particular attention to technical solutions, safety of operations, and quality control. He has served as President of the Italian Organbuilders Association, and as Vice President of the International Society of Organbuilders. Francesco Ruffatti worked on installations in his teens, then specialized in the tonal aspect of the work and became a reed and flue voicer. He studied economics at the University of Venice and became a partner in the firm at twenty three. He is the tonal designer for the company and personally performs the tonal finishing on many new Ruffatti organs. Francesco also finishes most of the historic restorations performed by Ruffatti, and is known internationally as a lecturer on the subject. He is a two term past president of the Italian Organbuilders Association. TOWN: Padova ADDRESS AND CONTACT DETAILS: Via Facciolati, Padova Italy fax organs@ruffatti.com skype: fratelliruffatti FAMILY ORIGINS (possible family tradition of trade): In 1940, Antonio Ruffatti and his two brothers founded the firm of Famiglia Artigiana Fratelli Ruffatti. Ruffatti s story begins in Padova Padua, Italy that most modern of medieval cities. Padua, as well as the entire Venetian area of Italy, has always been famous for its pipe organ building. By the 1700s, a unique school of organbuilding had emerged in Venice, founded by Pietro Nacchini and his successors. The most famous of these was Gaetano Callido, who built more than four hundred organs in his lifetime. The unique characteristics of this historic organbuilding school form the basis of the Ruffatti tradition. STARTING YEAR OF THE ACTIVITY: since 1940 with Antonio Ruffatti. Then, Francesco Ruffatti and Piero Ruffatti, the sons of Antonio, joined the firm as partners in Since their father's retirement in 1992, Francesco and Piero have shared the responsibility of running Fratelli Ruffatti.

2 TRADE RECORD DETAILED NAME OF THE TRADE OR PROFESSION (with reference to the type of product or service): construction of traditional mechanical action organs to highly developed and efficient electro pneumatic action organs to all electric action organs NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT CARRY OUT THE TRADE about 20 people working in this lab carrying out different tasks: musicians, carpenters, engineers, architects, blacksmiths and so on. SERVICES OR PRODUCTS IT OFFERS: From traditional mechanical action organs to highly developed and efficient electropneumatic action organs to all electric action organs, we offer custom tonal and architectural design, meticulously handmade pipes, superior quality materials, fine woodworking and exquisite craftsmanship to meet the needs of each and every one of our customers. DIFFERENT SECTORS OR PEOPLE YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ARE AIMED AT the installation can be in a private home, a church or temple, a college or university, or a concert hall. IS IT A STEADY TRADE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR OR SEASONAL? It is a steady trade throughout the year. PLACE WHERE THE TRADE IS CARRIED OUT this activity is carried out in Mrs Ruffatti s big private laboratory which is situated in Padova DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE MOST REPRESENTATIVE TASKS OF THE TRADE OFFERED (step by step) Making metal sheets for pipes The metal is melted in a crucible, or melting pot. It will be ladled into another container before it is poured. The metal is transferred to a special container at the end of the casting bench, and cooled to reach the right temperature and consistency to flow evenly. It is then poured into a trough at the end of the casting bench. A slit across the back of the trough will meter out the metal as the trough is slid along the length of the bench. Sliding the trough along the length of the casting bench leaves behind a glistening layer of metal. The top of the casting bench is made of very thick marble and is covered with canvas. The marble provides uniform cooling conditions, thus allowing the formation of the ideal

3 molecular structure of the metal. When it comes off the bench, the pipe metal will have a smooth and a rough (canvas) side The sheets of metal are attached to the rotating drum of a planer and planed to the desired thickness. When this is finished, the metal can be cut into parts for pipes. Most of the cutting is done by hand. Resonators for larger pipes, however, are cut with a high precision cutting machine. The work is faster and cleaner for such a big job, and extremely precise metal flue pipes Pipe metal is soft and quite malleable. Individual pieces are cut according to patterns and rolled around mandrels to establish their shape. A tapered mandrel is used to form the toe of a pipe. The metal is beaten until it conforms fully to the shape of the mandrel. The surface of the metal is protected with sizing made by Ruffatti with gum Arabic. The pipe maker now bevels a surface which will be soldered. The sizing is removed so the metal will accept a solder bead. The solder will only flow where there is no sizing. Soldering of a pipe is done exclusively by hand. It is a tricky process, because the solder and the pipe metal have nearly the same melting point wooden flue pipes All wooden pipes are made from the best available, straight grain Sipo, the best and most stable among the several varieties of African mahogany. Not only is it beautiful to look at; it also has extraordinary resonance qualities that make the sound of our wooden pipes unique. But at Fratelli Ruffatti we go even further: the natural properties of the wood are enhanced by a special varnish, which is applied not only outside but also inside each pipe, before it is assembled. reed pipes We make all of our reed stops as individual entities. For each stop, we design and build in all the good things that make each sound unique and correct for its application. In addition, we factor in tonal stability and beauty, and a perfect adaptation to the acoustical properties of the room. Consoles Fratelli Ruffatti selects the best console control systems available on the market, often cooperating with their producers to obtain the most advanced, user friendly features for its instruments. Innovative operational features of the console systems offered by Ruffatti include: a virtually unlimited memory space to store combination action settings personalization of memory sections for each organist, with password protected access recording and playback, with play along capabilities multiple tuttis and crescendo sequences, which can be imported and personalized.

4 HOW MANY UNITS ARE PRODUCED AND HOW OFTEN: 4 5 organs can be produced per year. MAIN DIFFICULTIES IN CARRYING OUT THE SERVICE OR PRODUCT: The main difficulty is enter in the building philosophy and build the organ according to the clients wishes INDISPENSABLE TOOLS REQUIRED (tools and raw materials): Tin and lead, combined in a variety of ratios, are the basic ingredients of our metal pipes. Leather is an important ingredient in pipe organ building. Being a perishable material, its durability has always been a matter of concern. Indeed, it is a common belief that an organ needs to be re leathered after 25 years or so, at very great expense. The shrinkage expansion ratio of Sipo mahogany is less than half that of other woods commonly used in organbuilding, specifically oak and maple, and, to an even larger degree, a wide variety of greenwoods. This means that the Sipo is potentially more stable. Also, its natural properties are emphasized by the way it is cut and seasoned. Cutting of the logs is done to our strict specifications, utilizing the "quarter sawing" technique, which allows us to obtain material of uniform structure. SELLING PRICE OF THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE: at least but there is no limit to its price depending on a lot of possible variations IS THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE SOLD DIRECTLY, OR IS IT SOLD BY DEALERS? It is sold and set directly. They build the organ in the lab, then they disassemble it, carry it at the final destination then they assemble it again. It s advertised in specialized websites or magazines DO YOU HAVE FINANCIAL AIDS FROM GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES TO KEEP THIS TRADE ALIVE? No. KNOWDLEGE, SKILLS OR ABILITIES REQUIRED FOR CARRYING OUT THE TRADE: Different skills are required: : musicians, carpenters, engineers, architects, blacksmiths electrotechnicals. HAVE YOU TAUGHT THE PROFESSION TO OTHER PEOPLE We taught our job to the people working with us DO YOU HAVE ANY TRAINEES AT PRESENT We have some trainees at the moment

5 DO YOU KNOW OF ANY SCHOOLS THAT TEACH YOUR TRADE? There is a course in Crema, In Germany also there is a school and some courses in France IS THERE ANY EXISTING MUSEUM THAT SHOWS WHAT YOUR PROFESSION OR PRODUCTS ARE LIKE? In Villa Contarini in Piazzola sul Brenta (Padova) there is a show with their products CAUSES AS TO WHY THIS TRADE IS AT RISK OF SHUTTING DOWN Churches need less organs because there is less people going to church IDEAS TO REINSERT THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES IN THE CURRENT BUSINESS MARKET: Investing in research is foreign to most organbuilders. It is commonly assumed that, for a traditional instrument such as the pipe organ, everything has already been invented. Research is therefore perceived by most as something that simply does not apply to organbuilding. At Fratelli Ruffatti we instead believe that tradition is strong only as long as it continues to develop. In planning our instruments, new approaches are continuously studied and developed, with the purpose of making each Ruffatti organ a unique and fascinating creation.. Moreover it is very important to participate to organ competititons where play important oganists DO YOU KNOW OF ANY OTHER PLACE (city, region, country) WHERE THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT CARRY OUT THIS TRADE? In Italy there are only a few firms creating organs in Lombardia, Friuli, Umbria. There are some firms in Germany and in France as well

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