London, Ont. : Organ builder is master of craft

Notes: Article about Gabriel Kney, an organ builder in London, Ont., "who came to Canada in 1951 from his native Germany where in the centuries-old cathedral city of Speyer, beside the Rhine, he served his apprenticeship as a organ builder". Kney set up his own company in 1957 and specializes in "the traditional 'tracker' organ, an entirely mechanical instrument in which rods and levers activate the keys and valves". "'A small community may spend three years raising the money raising the money to buy an organ for their church', Mr. Kney said. 'They probably spend a minimum of $200,000 but anything up to $500,000 in some cases, so it has to fit into their building and the life of their church as perfectly as possible'. Since 1957, Gabriel Kney has made more than 100 'tracker' organs. Perhaps his finest is the organ with more than 6,000 pipes which he built for Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto in 1982. But he has also built organs for many of Canada's Anglican churches, including Christ Church in London, St. Thomas' in Belleville, Ont., Christ Church and St. Peter's in Calgary, St. Mark's in Port Hope, Ont., and All Saints' in Peterborough, Ont."; Author is "a writer living in Toronto".

Subjects: Kney, Gabriel, 1929-; Organ (Musical instrument) - Canada; Organ (Musical instrument) - Construction; Organ (Musica instrument) - Anglican Church of Canada