Chiappa - A Humble Tribute

                            Albert Chiappa   1935 - 2008

I read recently of the sad passing of Albert Chiappa on December 9th 2008.

Although it was his father, Victor Chiappa who ran the Organ building business, with the passing of Albert, we have now lost the link between the firm and his father.

Following the death of his father, in 1993, Albert was reluctant to disperse the 125 year-old firms assets and continued running Chiappa Ltd.

Victor Chiappa was a third generation maker of Fairground Organs and had spent his whole lifetime building and installing them on Fairground rides.

Another of Victor's main lines of business was making the 'books' of music for his customers.

He had produced over 2,000 tunes, many of them real old favourites going back ninety years or more. He did not arrange the music himself, the 'master' stencil was produced somewhere else and then Victor would cut copies using a nineteenth century perforating machine belonging to his grandfather.

Even at the age of seventy-five, Victor was still working on his own. Staff had retired or left but Victor carried on ....not because he had to, but because he enjoyed his work, and was always keen to help out his customers with new music and sometimes repairs.

  

The picture above is of the front that I based my organ design on.  Therefore I wish to acknowledge that and express my thanks to the Chiappa family.

I have now finished the central painting which is a river scene at Henley-on Thames. I would have painted a view at Bourne End but all we have here is a 'grey iron railway bridge'!

I shall finish it off with a gold edging when I paint the scroll work.

The picture is really only for decoration and is not meant to be a 'work of art' but it was the best I could do. For the artists amongst you , I show a close up my brush-work for your critical analysis.