en francais (excusez s.v.p.) : http://www.box.net/shared/obq1g0z113
ABOUT US
We are a small, "Mom and Pop" company organized in 1962, but doing business prior to that date, and are pleased to receive queries from all interested persons, old friends, customers and former employees.
HISTORY
Prior to 1960 Louis Rabalais was apprenticed to B.L. Gibson, Inc. and worked with John Widner and Schantz. In 1961 he was accepted to the staff of Casavant Freres, Limitee as a Tonal Finisher when Laurence I. Phelps was Artistic Director. At that period there were three former Gibson employees in the department. By the late 1960's the firm began to produce new organs of its own and was engaged in a little work with the John T. Fort and Steiner Organ Companies. From that period until 1995 it provided organ parts and services under the subsidiary, El Dorado Organbuilders' Supply and custom keyboards for a New England Harpsichord maker. During much of this time the company represented Casavant Freres, Limitee.
We arefirmly entrenched in the Orgelwebung or Organ Reform Movement philosophy. In the 1960's when we began there was excitement in the organ world relating to changes stemming from examples of earlier centuries. Perhaps the primary contribution of the movement was the realizationthat mechanical or mechano-musical devices depend for their sucess on natural law. The most successful organs are created from this preface. We attempt to apply this notion to all aspects of our endeavors.
Rabalais organs are not unified in manual divisions except for practice or very small instruments. Electric actions are either pitman with channeling in the toeboards and primares in a side bung, or slider and pallet chests with electric pull-downs. We also work in traditional mechanical action. Rabalais has restored most of the oldest tracker instruments in our area and early on made replacement trackers, rollerboards and associated action parts. Tonal designs and scaling are conservative and classical. Voicing is usually with little or no nicking and always with open toe on lower wind pressures.We attempt to adapt these traditional techniques to various liturgical traditions in both encased or exposed instruments.
We like to make as much of our organ in our own shops as possible. Consoles from scratch, including keyboards and individually turned drawknobs are typical. Pitman windchests and wooden stops are produced in house. and we have long had some capacity for metal pipe making. Almost everything used in an organ, with the exception of blowers, has at sometime been made in Rabalais shops.
REBUILDING
Much of our experience is in rebuilding, restoration and repair. Rebuilding is not always the least costly, easiest and quickest solution to an organ problem, being situation specific. Always appropriate for historic or prized organs, it may the only option for others.
ADDITIONS AND CHANGES
We make additions or changes to an existing instrument, including revoicing. Sometimes a good cleaning and/or releathering are all that an organ needs. Through the years we have become adept at rescaling and reconfiguring pipework in organs or adding casework to instruments.
Shop photo of a pseudo-case for an organ which was doubled in size and exposed by a hole in the west wall.
Visual effect in the building
MAINTENANCE AND TUNING
A mainstay of our practice had been maintenance for over forty-five years in at least six or seven states and we have experience in all facets of the craft. Normal tuning, for us, includes setting a temperament and tuning every pipe in the organ. Historical temperaments such as Werkmeister-III, Kirnberger-III and Mean-tone as well as Equal Termperament are possible.
CONSULTATION
One of the most challenging, exciting and fun aspects of what we do is consulting for individuals or institutions. We are always ready to do this and our prices for simple consultation are very reasonable.
Pianos
Our shops were located adjacent to Southwestern Piano Company for many years, a firm which specialized in high-end restoration of grand pianos. A cooperative agreement allowed the sharing of facilities, equipment and personnel. With the closure of this business we absorbed some of their work and continue with it today.
AUDIO SAMPLES
These are principally of tapes from live church services or spontaneous tapes from hand-held machines made on the job, some just after pipe installation. The improvised sample of the Hautbois had the tremulant's muffler off for adjustment! A couple of tapes with choir are included to show the effect of the organs with choir. To hear these please click -
HERE: http://www.box.net/shared/t75vg67ndy
PERSONNEL 
Andrea Petrosh has been on our staff for a little over two years as Business Manager. No stranger to organbuilding, Andrea arrived with a diverse background and a liberal arts education, holding a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee where she is presently a member of the Board of Trustees. She was a piano student of Mark Williams, studied violin with Dr. Elaine Allen and voice with Suzan Rupert at the University of the South. Andrea was a violinist with the South Arkansas Symphony and has been a choirister with the university choir and several church choirs, presently with the Cathedral Choir o f St. Marks, Shreveport, Louisiana where she may be occasionally heard as soprano soloist, joined by husband, Lt. Colonel Michael Petrosh, daughter Lauren. Their son, Michael III, formerly the Cathedral Organ Squire is now at The University of the South studying organ performance. Additionally, she works with choirsters in the Training Program of the Royal College of Music and she was involved in assessment and dismantling of a Katrina-damaged organ in New Orleans.
Kathleen Rabalais was a sometime visitor during the late 1950's and 6o's at the Gibson Pipe Organ Company. She and Louis began working together 1n 1961 when they were both organ performance majors at Southern Arkansas University and co-organists at St. James Episcopal Church. During that year Kathleen was first place winner if the National Federation of Music Teacher's Regional Competition. Louis and Kathleen were married in 1962 and formed Rabalais and Company. She has served two churches as full-time organist and several as interim or part time. She is recognized for skill in music, organ playing and organbuilding, especially for matchless wiring. Holding a graduate degree in Social Work Administrationa and an Arkansas L.C.S.W. as well as post graduate courses in music, law and accounting she handles the company's financial affairs.
Louis Rabalais was a piano student from the age of seven through high school. In the 10th grade he became a student of Mattie Lee Pate, a Harold Gleason Student, at Louisiana College and remained her student as an organ major for three and a half years. When a freshman, he began working with B.L. Gibson, Inc., spending summers in the Gibson shops. During that period he studied violinmaking with William Curry, PhD. and played the violin in two symphony orchestras. A move to Southern Arkansas University, where he received two degrees, was made to continue with the Gibson Company until leaving for Casavant.
Louis III began accompaning hisparents on nstallaton, rebuilding and maintenance trips from an early age and demonstrated an ability to tune by 10. At 11-12 he was tuning, He studied the violin, double bass and french horn, and sang in middle school, high school and college choirs an as a college sophomore was awarded the college's "Outstanding Chorister" award. Choosing another profession, he is available when needed.
Around the Shop
WHAT IS IT?
In the 1970's a need for more precision pipe pattern's and scale sticks led us to build this instrument to make these. The precision is supplied by the accuracy of the threads on an all-thread rod. Copy it if you need such a device. We can supply details or close up pix.
We deliver pitman chests unassembled for safety in hamdling and placement. Kathleen is re-assembling the toe boards. This is an older style of pitman chest but with the primary in the side bung to insure promptness of speech and ease of adjustment. OSI primary parts were used, but now we make the primary parts in house.
In the 1970-80 we were heavily involved in keyboard-making for ourselves and others. We had three of these roughly assembled jigs because there needed to be a very slight a bit of pressure on the key blanks to insure that they are well-joined. Too much pressure results in a crooked key occasionally.
Some Informal Musings: (All work and no play makes Jack a dull fellow)
Principal Voicing: http://www.box.net/shared/0ouuh9o6v2
