Stefan Maier, Organbuilder title
by James David Christie

Stefan Maier was a wonderful year for those who own fine mechanical action organs in Central Massachusetts. The eminent, young German organbuilder Stefan Maier moved to the United States from France and settled in Orange, Massachusetts. Finally there was someone the organists could trust in their locale to take care of such great instruments as the Taylor & Boody four manual organ at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, the Fisk organ at Mt. Holyoke College and the extraordinary three manual Fisk meantone organ at Wellesley College. Mr. Maier travels anywhere from Pittsfield to the Boston area to care for some for the finest instruments in the western suburbs as well as in Boston proper.

He is the curator for the organs for the Boston Conservatory where he cares for their two small Flentrop organs. He has worked on Instruments built by von Beckerath and has recently overhauled the Rieger organ at the Wellesley Congregational Church. At present he is building small instruments and restoring historic organs in addition to his busy schedule of maintenance work. His shop is located in Athol , Massachusetts. Shop in Athol, MA

 

Stefan Maier began his organ building career working in the shop of Hans Karl in Aichstetten, Bavaria, (Germany) in 1982. He received his basic training in mechanical action organs at this time. In 1983 he began working with the Swiss organbuilder, Eddy Ottes, where he concentrated on perfecting his skills in tonal finishing, scaling and tuning. He had the fortunate opportunity to work on the restoration of numerous historic instruments. As a result of working on the restoration of an organ built in Switzerland (now located in Ilgen, Germany) Mr. Maier decided to dedicate his life to the art of organbuilding.   1986 in Germany

In September 1984, Mr. Maier began his formal apprenticeship with the firm Stehle-Orgelbau in Haigerloch, Germany. The formal apprenticeship program in Germany has a curriculum which requires the study and application of the manufacture of all the components that make up a pipe organ. He concurrently received his theoretical training at the School for Organbuilders in Ludwigsburg. Upon successfully completing his exams at the School for Organbuilders in January 1987, he was awarded the title of Geselle or Journeyman.

From 1987 to 1990, Mr. Maier worked for the master organbuilder John Brombaugh, in Eugene, Oregon. Here he gained much experience in pipe making and worked with Mr. Brombaugh closely on devising temperaments and tuning systems. This work resulted in Mr. Maier's development of a software program that uses a computer and an oscilloscope to accurately measure or/ and set musical temperaments.


In March 1990, he moved to the south of France where he began working with the Manufacture Provencale D'Orgues in Carces. Here he became intimately acquainted with French organ literature and French organbuilding. He had the good fortune to restore an early Italian mechanical action organ for which he built a new spring chest from black walnut based on the specifications of the remains of the original chest. All the internal and external parts were faithfully reconstructed with great precision and care using only authentic materials. In 1992, Stefan Maier built his first original pipe organ for a client in Toulon, France.
James David Christie is the organist of the Boston Symphony. He is Artist in Residence at Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA and he teaches at Wellesley College. He is known throughout the world for his recordings and concerts.